"Mom! Mom, look. It's snowing!" the ginger bundle of fur exclaimed, before she bounded over to the den entrance and stuck her little head out. A tuft of snow landed on her head and she squealed, shaking it off.

Brightnose purred, getting to her paws and limping over to where Fawnkit was staring out into the camp with awe. She sat down next to her daughter, laying her tail across her shoulders.

"Look, mom!" Fawnkit gasped. "The entire camp is covered!"

She was right. The entire hollow was coated in a thick layer of the freezing cold snow. Cats were taking shelter in their dens, but Pebblestar was perched on one of the lower branches of the Hightree with her tail wrapped around her paws. Her gaze was locked onto Dapplepaw and Alderpaw, who were rolling around in the cold powder, tussling with each other. They sprang apart, fur matted with snow, and circled each other again before leaping. Alderpaw ducked under Dapplepaw and swept her legs out from under her, but Dapplepaw sprung to her feet and barreled into Alderpaw's shoulder, knocking him to the ground. She stood with two paws on his shoulder, pinning him to the ground, before he lashed his tail in defeat.

Dapplepaw let her brother stand up, and the two turned to face the entrance to the warriors' den, where Rainfang and Dawntail were watching from. They nodded their heads as their mentors critiqued their fighting, but overall, they seemed to have done well as they both walked away to the apprentices' den with their tails held high.

Fawnkit looked up to her mother, to see her eyes gleaming with pride for her older kits.

"Mom, will I fight like that some day? In the snow?" Fawnkit asked, tapping a clump with a paw before hissing at the coldness.

"Yes dear. You will." Brightnose purred, before getting to her paws and herding Fawnkit back to their nest.

"What about Stormpaw? He's not going to be a warrior. Are you still proud of him?" Fawnkit asked, burrowing into the soft moss. Brightnose laid down beside her, and Fawnkit nosed into her warm calico fur.

"He's going to take care of our warriors and interpret messages from StarClan. I'm just as proud of him as I am of Dapplepaw and Alderpaw." Brightnose declared, before purring softly. "And I know you'll be a great warrior as well."

"That's right!" Fawnkit chirped. "What do you think my warrior name will be?"

"Maybe Fawnstep, for your elegance." Brightnose mused.

"I like that!" the ginger kit confirmed. "Fawnstep..."

"Sleep, little Fawnstep."

...

Fawnkit was awoken by a paw prodding her side. Blinking the sleep away from her amber eyes, she stared up at the cat standing above her. She recognized her instantly.

"Palekit!" she purred, scrambling to her feet. She rubbed her nose along the light tan she-cat's muzzle before stepping out of her nest, careful not to wake Brightnose.

"Oh, Fawnkit! The snow! Did you see it?" Palekit whispered excitedly, her green eyes wide.

Oh, Fawnkit thought, Palekit must have been asleep before it began to snow last night.

"Yeah I did! Have you gone out in it?" Fawnkit asked in a hushed voice. Glancing at her sleeping mother, she guided Palekit to the other side of the den so they could talk normally.

"No, but Cloverheart is taking us out now! Wake Brightnose so you can come out too!" Palekit insisted, nudging Fawnkit with a paw. "I don't want to go play in the snow without my best friend!"

Fawnkit purred, her fluffy ginger tail curling over her back. She trotted over to her nest and nudged her mother until her green eyes blinked open.

"Good morning, mom!" Fawnkit chirped. Brightnose's whiskers twitched with amusement. "Cloverheart is taking her kits out into the snow. Can we go with them, please?"

"Since you asked so nicely, I suppose that's allowable," Brightnose conceded, scrambling into a sitting position.

Fawnkit purred before bounding over to Palekit, who was watching from the side. "Yes!"

Palekit's tail waved, showing her excitement. Cloverheart, Dustkit and Frostkit made their way over to the entrance to the den, and with a nod from Brightnose, Fawnkit followed them outside.

The camp looked the same as last night but with a lot more pawprints and tracks laid into the snow. It still covered every inch, but some patches were dirtied or patted down. More cats were sitting outside, some sharing prey or tongues. Pebblestar was sitting on her branch of the Hightree still, but now Littleclaw was perched next to her, assigning patrols.

"Breezewind and Stormpaw are going to collect more poppy seeds near the TreeClan border, and they need a warrior escort since we're not exactly allied with TreeClan at the moment. Dawntail and Alderpaw, you will go with them." Littleclaw decided, dipping his head at Dawntail. The dark ginger warrior nodded, her green eyes flicking over to where her apprentice, Alderpaw, was sharing prey with Dapplepaw. At mention of his name, he shot to his paws and trotted over.

"Woah. Alderpaw is going on a warrior mission?" Fawnkit asked Brightnose, who was now standing beside her.

Alderpaw looked over at Brightnose, his expression sheer excitement. Brightnose raised her tail and purred at her older son before replying to Fawnkit. "Yes, dear."

"Cool!" Fawnkit gaped. She watched Alderpaw and Brightnose leave camp with Breezewind and her other older brother, Stormpaw, before redirecting her attention to the snow in front of her.

Palekit was the first to touch it, startling when the icy cold of it touched her paw pad. Then, she laid a second paw on it, before leaping out into the hollow. Fawnkit was close to follow, and Dustkit and Frostkit weren't far behind.

All four of the kits tussled and rolled around in the white powder, coating their pelts with it and getting it wedged between their little kitten claws. Brightnose and Cloverheart sat and shared tongues, keeping a watchful eye on their kits.

A while later, all four kits were exhausted. Dustkit and Frostkit sat next to Cloverheart, while Palekit and Fawnkit laid at the edge of the hollow under some brambles.

"Palekit, what do you think your warrior name will be?" Fawnkit asked rather out of the blue.

"I want to be called Paleclaw, like my dad, or Paleheart, after my mom!" she said firmly. "But Dustkit says that Pebblestar will name me after my own traits."

Fawnkit nodded. "That's true. Maybe you'll be called Palefur, because of your pelt!"

Palekit whined, "That's a boring name!"

"Well, maybe Paleleaf because your eyes are like leaves!" Fawnkit suggested.

"Oh, yes, that's a pretty name! I'd like to be called that," Palekit mused. "What about you, Fawnkit?"

"My mom says I might be called Fawnstep, because of my elegance." Fawnkit boasted.

"Elegance? I saw you face-plant into a pile of snow a few moments ago," Palekit scoffed, flicking Fawnkit with her tail teasingly. "Maybe you'll be called Fawntail, because of your fluffy tail!"

"Maybe," Fawnkit shrugged. "I don't care what I'm called as long as we're made warriors together!"

"I agree!" Palekit nodded. "They can call me Palefur and I'll still be happy if we get to sit vigil together."

Fawnkit nodded her agreement, and then rested her fluffy tail across Palekit's back as they laid there together.

...