The air was dark and quiet. The only light that shone on the still forest was from a waning silver moon and the pale twinkling stars. In the IceClan camp, a lone dark figure sat gazing at the stars from his position by the entrance to the tunnel. He turned his head and began to wash his shoulders. A noise behind the shadowed cat made him turn around swiftly. Pale moonlight revealed a white and brown she-cat, her belly heavy with kits, squeezed through the nursery entrance. Purring, she walked over to the startled tom.
"Icywind!" he hissed.
"Why are you awake?"
"I couldn't sleep. Thought I'd join you out here for a while." Icywind rasped her tongue over her mate's ears. He purred faintly. She sat down next to him and put her head on his shoulder. He was staring up into the dark, clear sky.
"What are you thinking about?" she murmured. The tom looked down at his paws.
"A lot of things."
"Something bothering you, Runningwind?" his mate licked her shoulder.
"Well...I don't know. I was just thinking about my family. Most of them are in StarClan now..."
"You miss them?" Icywind began to wash her paw. Runningwind sighed.
"I guess I do. I know they are not happy with you carrying my kits..."
"Runningwind. We went over this before. It's okay. You can't please every cat."
"I know." The pair sat in silence for a while, watching the sky. Icywind leaned her head against Runningwind's shoulder.
"What do you think our kits will be like?" she murmured sleepily.
"I don't know. Probably like you," Runningwind yawned.
"Mmmmm. Maybe one of them will become leader someday," Icywind lay down on the dusty ground.
"Mmmm," Runningwind's jaws split in a massive yawn. "
StarClan knows what they will end up like," he mumbled.
"You should go to sleep, Icywind."
"I wish I could," Icywind meowed.
"Well, I'd rather stay up with you anyways." The sky began to grow lighter. Runningwind kneaded his paws into the ground, trying to stay awake. As the sun slowly rose above the horizon, cats began to pad out of their dens. Wolffrost stretched and walked up to Runningwind.
"Anything happen during the night?"
Runningwind shook his tired head. "Nothing at all."
"Very well then. You may go sleep, if you like," Wolffrost turned away and walked off without greeting Icywind. Many IceClan cats disproved of Runningwind and Icywind's relationship; most of all Wolffrost. She often ignored them, especially Icywind. The two she-cats used to be close friends, but now they may as well be from different warring Clans. "Mouse brain," Icywind muttered under her breath. "Are you going to go sleep, Runningwind?" "I think so." "Alright. Good dreams to you," Icywind licked his ear. Runningwind purred. He walked to the warriors' den and chose an empty nest. The tired tom flopped down and yawned.