IPOV (Icefeather's POV)

A pure white she-cat's eyes flickered as she watched the Clan grow to life. Apprentices were pulled out from their sleep by their Mentor's loud voices. Old Elders poked their heads out of their den and padded towards the part of the camp where the light was permitted to shine. Some sleepy-eyed Apprentices padded into the Elder's Den, as the old cats were gone, carrying in new moss, to change their bedding. Mates greeted each other with a lick on the muzzle, or a purr and a nuzzle.

Her tail flicked slightly, tickling her paws, before she stood up and slunk away from the happiness of the Clan, and into the shade of the trees. It was too suffocating to sit here and watch the mousbrains greet each other like nothing happened. The memory of what actually happened was a raw wound, leaving the she-cat still, her throat clenching up. Clenching her eyes closed, she willed the emotions to go away, though they stuck to her, like an annoying burr. Her hardened heart started to crack as the name-hisname- appeared in her mind.

Eaglepaw.

Even that name made the she-cat look deflated, her eyes turning now from cold stone, to pure grief and regret. Nothing was going to be right with this world, once he was gone. It was weird for the Warrior to even think of that word. Gone. Never coming back, his body decaying in the ground. Grief turned into rage, quickly spinning on a twitch of her tail. Why...? Why was he killed- No, murdered. Unsheathing her claws and flexing them with narrowed eyes, the white she-cat forced down the emotions.

Emotions led you to be killed. That's what she had learned from Eaglepaw's death. Bury them. Never let them come up again. A quiet voice whispered to her, almost caressing her fur.

Sheathing her claws quickly, the female Warrior's ear twitched, a noise interrupting her thoughts, by an annoyingly happy and familiar voice. "Morning Icefeather." Ripplepelt, Icefeather's polar opposite, and her closest friend...well, he was before the incident.

Out popped the tom from one of the bushes, his mouth agape as yawn escaped. His eyes fluttering to keep open, the mottled Warrior sat down across from the she-cat with a tiny plop. Smiling lazily, the tom licked his paw and drew it over his ear, his eyes fixed on hers. Icefeather flinched from his gaze, Ripplepelt could tell if anything was wrong with her; even the tiniest twitch of her whiskers allowed him to tell.

It's a blessing and a curse. He would always say, teasing her, though receiving no comment from the quiet she-cat. Yes, Ripplepeltwas indeed a mystery to the she-cat, one that she might never figure out. Probably.

"What're you doing out here all alone?" Ripplepelt asked, his head tilted in confusion. "The forest is so dark and cold in the morning," He added, shivering to show what he meant.

"I like it here," Icefeather sullenly muttered in reply.

A small sigh escaped from Ripplepelt, his eyes now dying down from mischief and into grief. "Icefeather, you need to get over it," He meowed bluntly, not trying to skirt around her. His eyes flicked up to hers, and for a moment, there was silence, the two having a stare-off. Finally, the icy blue eyes flickered down to the ground, and the mottled tom continued slowly, the blunt know edging away from his mew, "Listen, Icefeather, he was my friend too, yet I can still live without having to wallow in my own grief."

Icefeather kept her eyes to the ground-the impenetrable stone heart, now collapsing on itself-, and allowed herself to murmur in reply, "Then you didn't care for him at all." Without waiting for his response, the she-cat stood up, and walked deeper into the darkness of the forest, until even her light white pelt was engulfed in the darkness.

As Icefeather kept padding into the darkened forest, the quiet voice continued to whisper to her. Good. Good. The voice purred, sounding like there was actually a cat right beside her. How dare they act like his death was worth nothing. Push them away, make them hurt as you are now. Something sparked in the back of the she-cat's mind, making Icefeather pause slightly.

Make them hurt? Sure, she was furious at everyone for brushing Eaglepaw's death away like an irritable fly, but making her Clanmateshurt; the ones who tried to be beside her, though left as they saw it was no use? Hurt them?

Icefeather's tail tip twitched, her mind pulling in two different directions. If she chose to "hurt" them, what would that give her?

Peace at heart, The voice hissed, for the first time sounding like a ticked off mother badger. Eaglepaw can finally get the mourning he deserves. The doubt vanished instantly, as soon as her mind clicked.

Yes. This was the answer.

Icefeather's mind was too full of crazy excitement, to actually realize she was way over her head. Why did Eaglepaw's death overtrump her other Clanmate's death? Even she had forgotten that an elder had passed away a month ago, a silly thing to remember. So why, why did she care so much? Simple answer? Emotions.

Even though Icefeather was trying to keep down them, even though she had promised herself she would show no emotion, they came up. Moons of emotions mixed in her head, anger, guilt, anxiety, sadness, depression. Everything was spilling out in this small little madness fit of her. A sadistic smile appeared, and her body shook, as a laugh overtook her.

Yes. Finally. The voice was right; Eaglepaw would get what he deserved.

Icefeatherwas warped by the overflowing of her emotions. How ironic it was; the she-cat who kept herself stony of all emotions, was now going insane.

Who was brave enough to talk her down; her Clan believed something was wrong with her, leaving her be. Who was able to squelch this insanity fit of Icefeather? Why, if they were able to, would they do so?

The answer was simple. Who was the one that had kept talking to Icefeather, trying to make her laugh, kept chipping away at the hardened heart?

Ripplepelt.

RPOV (Ripplepelt's POV)

The tom burst into the small clearing-created by the Twolegs who tried to kill the Clan's trees with a monster-, his eyes wide in fright. Ripplepelthad had a feeling, call it an intuition, that something was wrong with Icefeather.

See, the mottled tom had always been able to "sense" Icefeather after the two cats had started playing together as kits, becoming close friends. The close friends had become irrespirable as they got their Apprentice's names; asking the other's mentor if the two could practice together.

Ripplepelt and Icefeather were always teased that they would become mates, and well, the two actually agreed, with hot ears, and a ducked head. Actually, the two had always dreamed of being the other's mate. Though it all changed, when he had showed up, taking Icefeather away from Ripplepelt.

Eaglepaw.

The name had always felt bitter on Ripplepelt's tongue, like he had accidentally swallowed some mouse bile. True, Ripplepelt had tried to be friends with Eaglepaw, since Icefeather had become close friends with Eaglepaw, though never succeeded. Maybe it was because the two had set their eyes on Icefeather, mentally knowing the other's motive. Maybe it was just because males like to clash heads with each other. Even StarClan had no idea why the two were so spiteful to each other.

Eaglepaw had tried to show Icefeather how amazing he was, by climbing up the tallest tree and trying to pick the beautiful flowers the tree had started growing for New Leaf, but had ended up slipping and falling to his death. Ripplepelt hated to admit it, but at the time, he couldn't help but feal relieved when Eaglepaw had died; now, Icefeather was his, no other male to get her for himself. His pure bliss was ended shortly, when he relized how it had affected Icefeather. Happiness turned into complete guilt. Sure, a part of him was still glad that Eaglepaw was gone, but a lot of his mind was focused on helping Icefeather, whatever that meant.

And now, that meant saving her from a mental breakdown.

The tom stared at the she-cat, as her chuckle echoed around the dark forest. Though it ended abruptly, and the sadistic smile faded, as her ear twitched slightly, at the sound of Ripplepelt approaching. "Are you here to stop me?" She asked suddenly, not turning around to face him. "Are you going to allow his death to be in vain?"

Ripplepelt was quiet, trying to understand what she meant by that. He shook the first sentence off, and began slowly, "Icefeather..." The tom paused, then continued in a strong voice, "Icefeather, you need to stop it. Eaglepaw is gone, yes. But that doesn't mean you should just wallow around in your emotions. You need to move on." The Warrior put emphasis on the last couple of words, trying to get his point across.

Icefeather's ears twitched, though didn't say anything in reply. Ripplepelt knew he was teetering on the edge of loosing Icefeather to the overflow of her emotions. Sucking in a breath of air, the mottled tom meowed, "His death wasn't in vain; cats mourned for him, and tried to move onto other happy things. Focusing on only the worst things will live you...well, like you are now."

"I-I...he needs to be remembered though," Icefeather mumbled, her head lowering slightly, her voice now not so convinced anymore.

"He will be, he's with StarClan now," Ripplepelt meowed gently, inching forward every now and then. When he was beside her, he rested the tip of his tail on her shoulder, though got no response from her. Her usual stony cold eyes were now dulled to almost a gray. "Let's go to Crimsonflower, ok?" He asked her, watching her reaction.

Without having an answer, the tom led his Clanmate towards the Medicine Cat's den. Out popped Crimsonflower, leaves in her jaw. When the Medicine's light yellow eyes fell on the two, they widened in surprise. The light orange she-cat disappeared into her den, and reappeared now without anything in her mouth. "What happened?" She asked, her eyes flickering from Icefeather to Ripplepelt.

"She...uh..." The tom hadn't thought of what he would say to the Medicine Cat. Swallowing his hesitation, he replied in a clearer voice, trying to give the truth, "She...had a meltdown in the forest. Though I got to her, before she could do any actual harm."

Crimsonflower gave Ripplepelt a doubtful look, though relinquished the dubious look, and brought Icefeather into her den. Ripplepelt watched the two, his tail twitching in anxiety. Was Icefeather going to get better...?

Days passed by, so slowly it almost made Ripplepelt want to scream in anger. Nothing was reported from Crimsonflower, only appearing out of her den to either make dirt or find mroe herbs. The Medicine Cat had ignored Ripplepelt's questioning, after the thousandth time. So, the tom was forced to stay away from the den, and away from Icefeather.

It was complete torture, to say the least.

Finally, one day when the sun was shining brightly in the sky, the orange she-cat appeared from her den, and made a beeline to Ripplepelt. Once she go to him, she reported with a twitch of amusement from her whiskers, "Well, you should be happy. Icefeather is fine, I've done everything I can, and it seems to have worked." Ripplepelt's eyes flew up to meet Crimsonflower's eyes, and his mouth opened to reply, though the she-cat cut him off. "But she might still be in shock now that her emotions have resurfaced. I'm going to keep Icefeather in my den for a little while longer. So, I need you to keep your visits to a minimal, do I make myself clear?"

Ripplepelt slowly nodded, though couldn't help but feel excited. Crimsonflower eyed the tom, before turning around and walking towards the entrance to the camp. He stood up and slowly padded into the Medicine Cat's den, his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness.

Icefeather's head shot up as she saw Ripplepelt, though said nothing as he padded closer. "How are you feeling?" He asked her, sitting down across from her.

"Better," Was her only reply. She cleared her throat, before continuing, "Listen...thanks for staying there for me. Who would have known what would have happened if you weren't there." Her eyes glazed over as she stared off into space. Silence dragged on, making Ripplepelt uneasy.

His tail twitching, his blue eyes swept across the den, before he replied, "Crimsonflower thinks you'll be out soon." He tried to keep his voice from shaking of relief. She was going to be ok. It's all going to be alright. Everything is alright now. Icefeather kept quiet as she gazed at him, the only movement between the two was the breeze floating into the den and ruffling Ripplepelt's pelt.

Finally, the silence was broken as the white she-cat stood up, and spoke again, "Why? Why are you being so nice to me? After...after what happened to Eaglepaw, I was so cruel to you; I ignored you, yet you still talked to me, still stayed by my side. Why?" Her eyes held no emotion, as she looked at him steadily.

"Well..., you're special to me," Ripplepelt put it bluntly, trying to stop the blush from creaping up to his ear.

Iceflower blinked at him slowly, trying to see if he was bluffing. When he didn't laugh, or say, "Gotcha!", she chuckled adn shook her head. "You know, when I thought of one day a tom would say he liked me, I would have imagined something more romantic, then..." She paused, and gestured around the Medicine Cat's den with her tail. Flashing him a smile, the she-cat continued, "Once I get out of this danky place, I want to go on a walk, just the two of us. How does that sound?"

Ripplepelt grinned, and dipped his head. "Whatever pleases you," He mumbled, complete happiness drifting through him like a leaf heading towards the river.

-Five Moons Later-

Crimsonflower padded outside the Nursery, her eyes meeting Ripplepelt, who stopped his pacing and glanced up at her with wide frightful eyes. Rolling yellow eyes skyward, Ripplepelt could catch the Medicine Cat mumble, "Dear StarClan, give me patience with these two."

Ripplepelt choose to ignore that comment, and instead, padded straight up to her, and demanded, "Is Icefeather ok? Is my mate sick?"

Laughing, the she-cat placed her tail on his shoulder, and purred, "Dear Ripplepelt, there is nothing to worry about. Icefeather has given birth to a healthy she-kit. See for yourself." The Medicine Cat stepped aside and gestured in the den with her tail.

The tom pushed his way through the entrance, his eyes falling upon his mate and a tiny kit suckling. Icefeather heard his padding, and glanced up, a sleepy smile appeared. "Well don't just stand there, come and meet your new daughter." Even exhausted, Icefeather's spunk had still crept up.

The mottled tom slowly padded up to her, his eyes finding the tiny kit. Light brown fur with white mixed in shone in the light, and a tiny squeak erupted from her mouth, as Icefeather moved slightly. Ripplepelt chuckled. "She has quite a loud voice, for a kit this small," He purred.

Icefeather added her light laugh to his deep chuckle, making the sound bounce off the walls of the den. Quieting down, the new Queen gazed down at their daughter lovingly. "What shall we call her?" She asked, her voice quiet. The white she-cat was quiet, before asking, "Does Echokit sound good to you?"

A loud purr rumbled in Ripplepelt's throat, as he licked her ear. "Echokit sounds beautiful."

Yes. Everything was going to be alright.