ALLEGIANCES

RIVERCLAN

LEADERDEEPSTAR-Large blue tom with green eyes

DEPUTYWETWHISKER-Thin white tom (father of Smallpaw and Smoothpaw)

MEDICINE CATRABBITEAR-Small black and white she-cat with white ears

APPRENTICE, QUIETPAW

WARRIORSMOUSEPELT-Thick-furred gray she-cat with a short tail and blue eyes

FISHPETAL-Silvery she-cat with yellow eyes

THRUSHNOSE-Thick-furred brown tom (father of Burrpaw, Quietpaw, and Thornpaw)

MISTYFUR-Silvery she-cat with blue eyes (mother of Burrpaw, Quietpaw, and Thornpaw)

APPRENTICE, SMALLPAW

FEATHERCLOUD-Small white and orange she-cat (mother of Smallpaw and Smoothpaw)

STEAMCLAW-Large gray tom

APPRENTICE, BURRPAW

WHISKERTAIL-Brownish gray tom (father of Willowthorn, Brightkit, Loudkit, Lionkit, and Heatherkit)

APPRENTICE, SMOOTHPAW

SUNSTORM-Golden white tom

APPRENTICE, THORNPAW

WILLOWTHORN-Brownish white she-cat

MOONWAKE-Thick-furred silvery she-cat

SHALLOWCREEK-Silver tom (father of Fishpetal, Mistyfur, and Moonwake)

DOVEPEBBLE-White she-cat (mother of Fishpetal, Mistyfur, and Moonwake)

APPRENTICESBURRPAW-Brownish black tom

QUIETPAW-Silvery she-cat

THORNPAW-Black tom

SMALLPAW-White she-cat with orange ears and tail

SMOOTHPAW-Orange tom

KITS BRIGHTKIT-Bluish-white tom with blue eyes.

LOUDKIT-White tom

LIONKIT-Orange tom

HEATHERKIT-Brown she-cat

QUEENSORANGEPELT-Orange she-cat with blue eyes (mother of Brightkit, Loudkit, Lionkit, and Heatherkit)

ELDERS LEOPARDSPOTS-Black and brown she-cat (mother of Wetwhisker and Thrushnose)

REEDTAIL-White tom (father of Feathercloud and Orangepelt)

STONEWISH-Gray tom (father of Mousepelt and Sunstorm)

ROGUESYELLOW-Cream-colored she-cat with blue eyes

SAMANTHA-White and brown she-cat

STUMPY-Short tabby tom

SCREECH-Tall brown tom

LARS-Grey-blue tom

Prologue

We're almost there, my dears. Yellow was about to collapse. Her muscles ached, and she couldn't feel her legs anymore. The trek had been so long. And cold. She had no idea if she was even headed in the right direction. Snow had already reached up to her belly fur, but she kept on. I don't care if I don't make it back home. As long as you live, my kits, my life will be complete. Yellow couldn't recall the last time she had stopped to warm the two bundles of fur that she was carrying in her jaws. They were, to her surprise, quite a lot of weight to her after their endless journey. She cleared out a hole to lay down in, free of snow, to warm up the kits. She sat both of them down before curling around them with her tail and giving them a thorough wash.

"K- kit?" She shivered and sniffed the smaller of the two kits. She wasn't breathing anymore. She knew that this would happen again. She stifled her moan just in time as to not wake up the remaining tom. She spent too much time grieving for the last one, and that could be why this kit has now frozen. This is no time to grieve. This is no time to grieve. This is no time to grieve. She began to dig a small hole next to her to bury the hard body in. She had come here to save them all, but now she only had one left. Is it not bad enough that she has to give them away to the only safe place she knows of?

"If there is a StarClan up there," she glanced towards the night stars between the surrounding trees, barely visible against the downpour of white flakes fading in from the sky, "Please let me save at least this one life. I know that I have not been a good friend in the past, and I may not be in the future, but that is not this kitten's fault. Please give him the life that I do not deserve."

She finished burying the frozen she-kit. She hadn't bothered naming them yet, for she knew that they could not remember this day, no matter what. She would let their new parents decide on a name. After all, this kit would be theirs now, not her's. She did, however, name them after they died. She would've preferred not to, for it is easier to forget something without a name, but it is even more cruel. They would be nameless in whatever afterlife they went to, if she didn't name them now. Iceclaw. That's a name that this poor she-kit could grow into. It would remind her of this night, and how, though the cold clawed her to the bone, she would watch over her brother like any other clan cat would.

He's still breathing. She gripped it's scruff between her jaws and stood up. I can save him. This was her last chance. There is no hope left for me, but this kit will grow strong and fierce, like his father once was.

"It's cold." The kit muttered. She barely heard him against the threatening winds. Her eyes were dead-set on the stream in front of her. It was frozen, of course, but she knew right where it would lead. She sped up, heavily padding along the shimmering bank. She could see the moon out tonight. A beautiful, full moon. This must be a sign that StarClan has accepted my kit's lives, right? A vast majority of the clan cats would be at their meeting. This would make it a lot easier for her to walk into a camp and offer up her son, hardly noticed.

"G- get off of our t- territory, rogue filth! I'll c- claw you to shreds!" A large, burly tom hopped out from beside the reeds. He was clearly as cold as she was.

"N- no, please! I mean, I will leave, but my- my kit! Here." She placed him neatly upon her front paws. "Please, he … he won't make it with me. He will die. I won't cause trouble, I swear! Just please! He will die if he s- stays with me. I already lost two other kits trying to find you. Please take him." She began panting from the sudden stop of movement against the wind. The cold gripped her chest like a dog on a rabbit. The tom was obviously shocked, for he had expected some random intruder that had gotten lost, not this.

"I .. er, …" He looked down at the kit. It's eyes hadn't even opened yet. "What's it's name?"

"I haven't named him yet. I wanted to leave that up to his new p- parents." She looked at the cat as though she was looking at a fox for the first time. He … he has to take my kit, right? "Please, by StarClan, give him a chance. One nothing like the one that he would've received with me."

The tom clearly was taken away by her use of the word 'StarClan.' He looked down at the kit. His own mate back in camp had just kitted the day before. He longed to be snuggled up with them in the nursery, but Deepstar assigned him guard duty while everyone was at the Gathering. But this kit. Maybe he could just … What am I thinking? I … I have to save this kit. This queen has met me by StarClan's path, not by her own will. This can be my kit. This can be our kit, Orangepelt. He bent down and grabbed it by the scruff. It would freeze if he kept standing here like an oaf all night. Yellow's eyes lit up with a new fire.

"Th- thank you," She nuzzled the kit's cheek, then turned to pad away. "What is your name, by chance?" She looked back at the stranger who had just adopted her only remaining son.

"Whi- Whiskertail."

"Thank y- you."

"Will you not try to j-join us? Or even wait the storm out?"

"I risk the lives of your families just by having my p- presence here." She started coughing. There was a pause as they searched each other's eyes.

"H- he will become a strong warrior of RiverClan one day." He spoke out through the kit's fur. She smiled back at him.

"Thank you, W- Whiskertail. My name is Yellow. You have just g- given me the best gift that anyone could ever have hoped for. Y- you gave my son a bright future." She turned, sobbing, as she stalked away into the endless abyss of white surrounding them. It took all that she had not to look back.