"Come on, Stonepaw! We have to get back to camp soon! I can't miss my ceremony!"

Stonepaw stared into the beautiful orange eyes of Flamepaw, which were now flickering with concern.

A familiar tug on his heart sent a shiver through him, and he forced himself to look away from her hypnotic gaze.

Not to be deterred, the pretty golden tabby she-cat nudged her best friend. "Stonepaw? You still with me, rabbitbrain?"

Stonepaw shook out his pale grey and white patched pelt, returning his attention to his friend. "What? Oh, sorry."

Flamepaw rolled her eyes, purring, "What? Am I too boring for you?"

Far from it. Stonepaw bit back the words, and gave a shaky laugh. "No, of course not! I-" At this he stared at his paws. "I was just thinking about how I was going to miss you." he mumbled out, focusing on the snow at his feet like it were the most interesting thing around.

He felt a lick on his ear. "Miss me? Stonepaw, it's my warrior ceremony, not my death! I'll literally be one den over! Yeah, I'll have more duties now, but I'll always find time to visit you in the medicine den!"

Yeah, like when you're expecting kits with some other warrior who won't deserve you!

No, stop! Stonepaw growled, trying to chase the treasonous thoughts out of his head. So what if Flamepaw found a mate who cared about her? He was a medicine cat. When he chose his path, he put that life behind him. Even if the choice wasn't exactly voluntary...

"Stonepaw?" Flamepaw's voice held concern in it, and he couldn't help but feel a trickle of warmth that she cared about him. "What is it? Is it-"

Stonepaw flinched as his friend's gaze took on that awful look of pity. "Are your lungs alright?" Flamepaw whispered.

Anger flared through Stonepaw. "I'm fine!" he snapped.

As if even his own body was against him, he suddenly felt that horribly familiar sensation of his lungs being constricted by an unknown force. Black spots danced in his eyes, and he felt his legs beginning to crumple. He burst into a horrible hacking cough, feeling as if he was coughing up his entire insides.

"Oh my StarClan, Stonepaw! Lay down!" Flamepaw pushed him onto the fluffy snow where they were sitting and began to rub his chest. Gradually, Stonepaw found he could breathe again, and once he collected his breath, immediately felt like he would burn through the snow with shame.

Stupid lungs! Why didn't I just die that day?!

His mind swept him away back to that horrible night when he was three moons old. The summer had been so hot and so dry that not even the marshy land where RiverClan lived was safe from the danger of a wildfire. The dry heather of the WindClan camp had been ablaze, and in the chaos, young Stonekit was left behind. They found him later when they returned to camp after the fire had passed, barely alive and hiding in a patch of gorse that had been left unscorched. He had no idea how the medicine cat, Blackwing, had managed to save him, but his lungs had suffered permanent damage from the smoke. he would often suffer fits like the most recent one, and would get out of breath easily. Blackwing, Fernstar, and even his mother Cindercloud all agreed that a warrior's life would be much too strenuous on poor Stonekit, and eventually coaxed him to become Blackwing's successor, the next WindClan medicine cat.

Stonepaw shoved the awful memory to the back of his head, and forced himself to stand back up, meeting the she-cat he loved's horrified fiery gaze.

"It's alright, Flamepaw," he reassured the anxious golden tabby. "Just couldn't find air for a moment."
Flamepaw's eyes narrowed. "Okay, Stonepaw, I trust your judgement. But we're going back to camp now. It's not just because of my ceremony, you need to rest."

Stonepaw's tail drooped. He had been so happy when Flamepaw had accepted his invitation to go on one last morning walk as an apprentice this morning, hoping this might help him let her go. Now he felt more miserable than ever.

As the two trudged back to camp, he found it harder and harder to meet Flamepaw's pitied gaze, and suddenly felt the need to remove it.

"Hey, Flamepaw!" he exclaimed, pawing at her flank. "Bet I can beat you home!"

Flamepaw frowned. "Are you sure you're up for it? I don't want-"

"Oh, relax!" Stonepaw cut her off, bouncing excitedly on his toes. "Exercise is good for my lungs!" He paused, whiskers twitching mischievously. "That is, unless you don't think an almost warrior can beat a lowly medicine cat apprentice!"

Flamepaw's eyes flashed. "Oh, I don't think so, I know so!" she boasted, golden tail lashing in excitement.

"Prove it!" Stonepaw taunted. "Catch me if you can, badgerbreath!"

Flicking a paw, he sent a freezing burst of snow into Flamepaw's face, ignoring her surprised splutter, and whirling around and haring off in the direction of camp.

"You'll pay for that, you foxheart!" Flamepaw cried from behind him.

Stonepaw plowed through the snowdrifts, lungs burning, but he didn't care. He could hear Flamepaw running behind him, and forced his legs to move faster. His eyes were fixed completely ahead, making him completely oblivious to the tree root hidden under the snow that he tripped over with a surprised yowl.

He landed in the snow with a grunt, unfortunately directly in the path of Flamepaw who couldn't stop in time.

"Watch out!"

Flamepaw slammed into Stonepaw, and they both went flying. And now they were falling.

Wait, what?

Stonepaw tumbled paws over tail down what must have been a very steep hill, smashing his nose on something and breathing in snow. The world spun around him, and he could Flamepaw's screech as she went down after him.

Eventually, Stonepaw slammed into something very hard, swearing he could hear the crack of the impact of his body on the surface and felt himself sliding, gradually slowing down, then finally coming to a stop.

Stonepaw groaned, slowly working his various appendages. Nothing seemed broken, luckily, but he felt freezing! He inhaled deeply, finally recognizing the scent of the surface he was on.

Ice! We must have rolled onto the lake!

Stonepaw got cautiously to his paws, claws out to prevent himself from sliding. His head was still dizzy from his fall, so he shook it, trying to clear his vision and that annoying cracking noise that wouldn't get out of his ears.

Suddenly, a terrified cry split the air.

His heart froze. Flamepaw!

He whipped around towards the sound of her call, and gasped.

The cracking noise he had heard was the ice on the lake, to thin to support a cat's weight for long, and he stared in horror towards a gaping hole in the lake, out of which clung the achingly familiar golden shape of Flamepaw, front paws scrabbling wildly at the ice around her that was rapidly breaking, cracks spiderwebbing out from where Flamepaw had fell in.

Her panicked flaming gaze met Stonepaw's, and she forced out, "St-s-Stonep-p-p-paw! H-h-elp!"

The tabby was trembling from the temperature of the lake, and Stonepaw knew she wouldn't make it if she didn't get out soon.

He started forward towards his friend, but stopped in horror as another crack rang out, ice splintering under his paws.

Stonepaw hissed. He made himself as light as he possibly could, and inched his way more slowly. But yet another crack came, and he froze, ignoring Flamepaw's frightened whimpers and forced himself to think.

If I'm not careful, we could both go through! Can I even make it?

He eyed the ice nervously. Flamepaw cried out, "P-pleassse, I-"

She was cut short with a shriek as the ice she was clinging to crumbled, ad she scrabbled wildly at the edge for a pawhold, orange gaze wide with utter terror and panic.

Stonepaw looked into those eyes. His chest still ached. A real warrior would be able to save her!

He looked at all of her now. Even with her golden fur wet and plastered to her frame and that pleading look in those wide flame colored eyes, Flamepaw was still the most gorgeous cat Stonepaw had ever seen.

I have to save her! His mind screamed at him to move, but his paws stayed still, forbidden by a darker part of him.

What? Why? So she can become a warrior and abandon you? You've seen the way Hawkpaw looks at her and he's receiving his name today too! You'll never amount to anything but to mix herbs and watch other cats live the life you could never. Why let her live?

Stonepaw took a step back, away from Flamepaw. Her eyes, those beautiful eyes, widened even more. "St-t-onepaw? Whha-"

She screamed as the ice around her broke again.

Stonepaw took another step away.

The ice gave one final crack.

Stonepaw turned his back and walked back toward the land.

He shut his eyes and flattened his ears, ignoring that devastating sound of the splash of something- someone -falling in, that horrible last cry.

I'm sorry, Flamepaw. If I can't have you, no one can...