"Spiderkit, do you want to play a game?"

The small black tom turned around, pausing in his play with the snow to gaze up with round, sightless amber eyes at the sound of the voice.

"Rosepaw," the small tom kit mewed. "Is that you?"

Spiderkit heard the she-cat purr in response. "Yes it's me, mouse-brain," she teased gently, flicking the little tom's ear. "Now, do you want to play a game?"

The black tom was confused, his face scrunching up in thought. "Play a game?" he echoed, the bewilderment clear in his voice. "No one ever wants to play games with me…"

Spiderkit felt Rosepaw nose his forehead gently. "Oh, but I do," the she-cat replied softly.

Rosepaw purred as Spiderkit's eyes brightened. The little tom leapt to his paws, tail lashing in excitement. "Okay!" he exclaimed. "What should we play?"

"I have an idea," Rosepaw mewed. She leaned down, and Spiderkit felt her breath tickling his ear. "But you have to follow me."

Spiderkit frowned. "Where are we going?"

"It's a secret," she whispered. "Just follow me. C'mon, it will be fun!"

The little tom nodded. "Okay."

Rosepaw purred. "Let's go," she mewed, wrapping her tail around his tiny shoulders. Carefully, she lead the tiny, blind kit outside of camp, padding through the thorn barrier and out into the forest.

They padded through the snow, reaching up to Spiderkit's belly-fur. He looked happy, batting at the snow with his tiny paws. The small tom never gets this kind of attention back at camp.

Finally, they emerged onto the shore, where the snow thinned out and was covered with frost. She looked out at the lake, shining like all of silverpelt in the grey light. Rosepaw halted suddenly, Spiderkit bumping into her hindlegs.

"Oof," Spiderkit mumbled, backing up. "S-sorry."

Rosepaw purred. "It's okay." She turned around completely now, removing her tail from Spiderkit's shoulders. "Are you ready to play?" she asked him gently.

Spiderkit was practically bouncing, as an excited two-moon old kit would. "Yeah!" he exclaimed. "How do I play?"

"It's easy," Rosepaw mewed, nosing the tom toward the shore. "Pad forward until I tell you to stop."

"Is this apart of the game?" the small tom kit mewed, taking a tiny step forward. Immediately, he shrank back. "It's cold!"

"Of course," Rosepaw replied softly, nosing him further. "Go on. I'll tell you when to stop."

"Okay," he replied, taking another step forward. Spiderkit kept walking, until he was about three fox-lengths away from the shore, standing on the the frozen lake.

"Stop," Rosepaw mewed, just as he reached that point. Spiderkit turned around, looking in the direction of her voice.

"What do I do now?" Spiderkit asked, looking confused once more.

"Hold on," Rosepaw mewed, looking around the shore. Finally, her eyes landed on a loose rock, about as big as Spiderkit himself. The she-cat padded toward it, pushing with her paw to where the shore and lake met. Setting it there, she turned around and kicked it across the frozen lake. She sighed contentedly as she heard it skid across the ice, landing in front of little Spiderkit.

Spiderkit pricked his ears. "What was that?"

"Part of the game," Rosepaw replied. "Take a step forward."

The little tom kit did as he was told, and took one step forward. His little paw landed atop the stone Rosepaw kicked across. "Is this a rock?" he questioned, placing another paw on the large stone.

"Yes," Rosepaw told him, padding to the edge of the shore, the edge of her paws on the ice. "Now, you try and kick it back to me. I'm right here, just kick it forward."

"Okay," Spiderkit mewed. Turning around, he launched into the rock with his hind legs as hard as he possibly could. The stone didn't budge. He tried again, but the stone didn't move.

"Rosepaw!" Spiderkit called. "I-I can't do it."

"Yes you can," Rosepaw encouraged. "Just keep trying."

Spiderkit nodded and tried again, harder. The small tom felt the stone finally move off of his tiny, numb paws.

"Yes!" he mewed in triumph. "I moved it!"

His cheers of victory were short lived as suddenly, he felt himself falling. Spiderkit could no longer feel his paws as the world shifted and he was submerged in icy water.

Spiderkit coughed as the cold liquid poured into his throat, gasping for breath as water filled his lungs.

"R-Rosepaw!" the tiny kit spluttered. "H-help! It's c-cold!"

There was no reply. Only Spiderkit's struggling in the frozen water. He was too tiny. This wasn't a battle that he could fight much longer.

"Rosepaw," he whispered, the water wrapping around him. The cold, biting chill was all he could feel. The little tom's paws disappeared, and slowly, Spiderkit sank below the surface.

Rosepaw sat on the shore, watching as the little kit drowned in the frozen lake. When the last of him was removed from view, Rosepaw turned around and walked away, forgetting the tiny, blind kit and his struggle in the cold waters.