Prologue
The ashen gray sky was smothered in white.
Howling wind cut through the swirling snow, slicing the frozen landscape in half and making the furious flakes dance in disoriented circles. Everywhere, nothing could be seen but a sheet of blankness, surrounding wandering souls and smothering them like wet fingers on a flame.
Somewhere in the white expanse, two tiny figures struggled against the blizzard. A russet colored tom trudged forward first, his body taking the brunt of the storm as it slammed itself repeatedly onto his thin, fragile limbs. The second tom was scrawny, his pelt as pale as moonlight with a patch of chocolate brown on his head. His tail hung limp deep in the drifts, and his head was cast downward, cloaked in shadow.
Fire was cold beyond imagination. He had never longed so much for warmth in his life. His deep ginger coat stung painfully; snow clung to his matted pelt and formed a hard, crusty blanket around him. For every step forward, he was blown three steps back. At least in the beginning he could see where he was going by the tall trees on the horizon. Now, all he could see were the frozen tips of his whiskers, pure whiteness, and the frail form of his younger brother.
Frost, he thought despairingly. The small white tom was shivering behind him, crying out once in a while as clumps of snow that he failed to block flew into him. Fire flinched and swung his head forward, determined. Hang in there just a little more, Frost. I'm going to keep you safe. You won't die. I won't let you.
The blizzard seemed determined to prove his words wrong. Fire tripped over something unseen beneath his paws, gasping and swallowing snow and air before regaining his balance. His leg was bleeding.
They weren't going to last much longer out in the open. They had been walking for what seemed like forever, endless night into endless day. The only difference was in the brightness of the snow's sharp glow. He knew they had to find shelter… but where? North, south, east, west… Wherever Fire looked hopefully, white stretched out to no end. But suddenly, something caught his eye.
A subtle ripple in the air, right in front of him. Gawking, the tom stumbled closer to it, when he realized that there was nothing behind him. Frantically he spun around, and the kit resurfaced beneath a thin layer of slush. He gazed at Fire, but his normally light blue eyes were dead, void of emotion. When Fire put his shoulder for him to lean against, his weight crushed down as if he had never been supporting it in the first place. Just a little longer... Please.
The russet cat, in a sudden burst of strength, grabbed his brother by the scruff. He carried the weight to where he had seen the mysterious ripple, as best as he could in the confusion of the storm. Wind buffeted his face, but he ignored it. What scared him more was the even colder body hanging motionlessly from his jaws.
Another step took him into chaos.
Suddenly, his paws splayed from under him. Fire yelped, letting go of Frost's scruff.
"No!" he screamed, but the sound was lost in the wind. They had entered a frozen lakebed, hidden from view by the airy layers of snow that were piled above it. And now it was their frozen tomb.
The strength left him as suddenly as it came, and Fire's legs finally gaze way beneath him. He let the ice hard crystals swirl around and around him. He could not even see Frost anymore. A part of him realized that, and felt numb. The other part of him that refused to believe it was all over was the will that powered his beating heart, and moved his paws as an attempt to pull him to where his brother had been. They failed, and he slid back. Chilling tears that he hadn't noticed slid down his cheeks, leaving a trail of frozen crystal on his face. He was too weak. Why was he so infuriatingly helpless? Why? Why?
Hoarse last words left his mouth, and a splintering sound echoed through the air, followed by the tilting of the world and a plunge into utter –
Silence.
A/N: Thank you to anyone who's reading this! I want to know what you think about it. Review, give me your thoughts!