A/N: Word Count: 1467

Weaseltail frowned as another Hunting Patrol failed to bring back prey. He licked his chops wistfully as he got to his paws. He approached a brown tabby, dipping his head.

"Duskwing," Weaseltail rasped. The brown tabby narrowed his dark amber eyes. "Yes, Weaseltail?" Weaseltail shook his white head. "Can I join the next Hunting Patrol?" Duskwing clenched his jaws. "I can't let you go with that cold," he growled. "You'll only make it worse!" Weaseltail widened his pale yellow eyes. "But our Clan needs the food!" he hissed.

Duskwing frowned. "We all do!" he snapped. "And getting sick won't help!" His striped tail flicked impatiently. He turned his back on Weaseltail. "Get some rest," he muttered. "Briarshade will help you with that cold."

Weaseltail sighed before having a coughing fit. Duskwing thinks I'm so useless! Well you'll see! Weaseltail watched Duskwing until he left. Then, he left through the dirt place like any other sneaky cat.

The cold breeze of Leaf-Bare hit Weaseltail hard and his cold didn't help. He sniffled as he approached the riverbank. Snow crunched under his paws and Weaseltail wasn't sure how deep it was. Great StarClan, my paws are numb! He sniffed the frozen air, but couldn't detect any prey. My cold is making scenting harder! With a twitch of his ringed tabby tail, he pricked his ears for the tiny crunches of moving prey.

Eventually, his ears picked something up. A small sequence of tiny crunches and pitter-patters sounded from behind a snow drenched bush. Weaseltail turned his head towards the noise. He turned around and pressed into a light crouch, his paws slightly sinking in the snow. I must take light steps. He lightly stepped over branches, barely making a sound. He finally managed to eye the small, skinny body of a vole. He narrowed his yellow eyes as he pounced, his long, pale gray legs stretching. He landed on the vole, just as it gave a piercing screech. Must kill it! He carefully nipped its spine and the vole went still.

He gently lifted the vole in his jaws. Finally, he thought. Something to feed my Clan! He purred at the thought of one satisfied belly tonight, even if it wasn't his own.

"That was so awesome!" a voice rang out with awe. Weaseltail quickly turned around to see a small kit, no younger than four moons. She was a small silver tabby with pine-green eyes and a white muzzle and paws. "You killed it so quickly!" she squeaked. Weaseltail surprise faded as he began to see how skinny the kit was. Her ribs stood out from her fur like the sticks in the snow. He almost cringed as said, "Go home, kit. This is no place for underfed kittens."

The she-kit stood still and gazed down. "I don't have a home," she mewed. "Mum decided to sleep forever because she had no food." Weaseltail's heart nearly broke. There, in front of him, was an orphaned, starving kit.

"You can come with me," he sighed. She really needs food, Weaseltail reasoned with himself. Maybe she can share the vole with Briarshade. The kit pranced over to Weaseltail with glee. "Thank you!" she mewed. "You won't regret this, errr…" The kit scrunched up her face in thought. Weaseltail purred with laughter. "You can call me, Weaseltail."

The kit's eyes lighted up in delight. "Ok!" she chirped. "I'm Iceberg!" Weaseltail purred as he led the kit back to camp.

At the entrance, he nearly bumped into Duskwing, who was clearly looking for him. "Where have you been?" he hissed. He frowned as he looked at the kit beside him. "And we are sure as StarClan itself that we don't need another kit!"

Weaseltail shivered with cold and fear for Iceberg, who was gazing up at Duskwing with wonder. "But," he stammered. Duskwing hissed and Iceberg flinched. "The code!" Duskwing shook his head. "Put it back," he muttered. "After all, it's just another mouth to feed!" With that out of the way, Duskwing snatched the vole from Weaseltail's jaws. "Briarshade needs this," he muttered through the thick fur.

Weaseltail wrapped his tail around Iceberg and watched Duskwing enter Briarshade's den. A couple heart-beats went by and Duskwing was backed out of the den by a small sorrel she-cat with white ears. "Give it to the kit!" she snarled. "I can go without prey for a while!" Duskwing's eyes widened and he gazed at the she-cat. "But, Briarshade," Duskwing complained. Briarshade sniffed. "Don't Briarshade me, brother!"

Briarshade's blue eyes blazed with guilt as she took the vole over to Iceberg. "Here, little one," she murmured as she dropped the vole in front of Iceberg's frosty white paws. Iceberg's green eyes shone and she purred. "Thank you, miss!" Briarshade nodded. "It's Briarshade."

Briarshade quickly narrowed her eyes at Weaseltail and mouthed, 'You owe me one', before she ran back to Duskwing. Weaseltail slumped down and sighed. "Fine," he purred halfheartedly.

He shrugged and showed Iceberg the Nursery. "This is where the queens and kits sleep!" he mewed. Iceberg's eyes glowed with joy. "Cool," she breathed. As Weaseltail and Iceberg entered the Nursery, a light ginger she-cat narrowed her pale blue eyes. Her plumy tail wrapped around two skinny kits, a small gray one and a dark ginger one. "What is that?" she hissed.

Weaseltail sighed. "Don't worry, Blazetail," he soothed. "Iceberg is a fully weaned kit." Blazetail frowned. "That's not what I care about!" she snarled. "She'll steal our prey!" She gazed down at her two kits. "Prey that I need for Smokekit and Firekit!" Her eyes softened sadly. "Especially after the death of Rabbitkit."

Weaseltail shook his head. "Please," he begged. "Trust me." His yellow eyes were concerned and worried. Iceberg can't die! She needs you! He gagged as a cough tickled his throat. Blazetail shrugged. "Fine," she relented. "As long as you get that cold treated!"

Weaseltail nearly jumped with joy if it wasn't for a sneeze. Stupid cold! He nuzzled Blazetail who backed away from him. "Hurry up before I change my mind," she muttered. Weaseltail nodded quickly and exited the den before rushing towards the medicine den with Briarshade inside.

When Weaseltail ducked into the fronds hanging from the entrance, he realized Briarshade wasn't in there. He spotted her apprentice, Skypaw. "Where is she?" he asked the blue-gray tom with white spots. Skypaw's ice blue eyes darkened. "She's talking to Fernstar," he mewed. "About the kit." Weaseltail gasped. "She'll try to get Fernstar to drive Iceberg away!" Skypaw nodded gravely. "You can't really do anything," he sighed. He dug out some herbs from the store. "Try this," he mewed. "It's a mix of ginger and coltsfoot. It'll help with your cold."

Weaseltail nodded, shaking. "O-okay." Iceberg's going to be driven out! He closed his eyes, stressed and afraid.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Bluerock!" Fernstar's voice rang across the camp. Weaseltail and Skypaw ducked out of the medicine den. Fernstar, a lithe, dark gray she-cat with green eyes sat on the Bluerock, that was often dubbed the 'Icerock' by young apprentices. Duskwing and Briarshade sat at the foot of the Bluerock. Weaseltail spotted Iceberg peeking her small tabby head out of the Nursery.

"It has been reported that one of our warriors brought a kit into out Clan," Fernstar began. "Unfortunately, we are not able to support another mouth during this hungry Leaf-Bare." Weaseltail's eyes widened. Oh, No…. Fernstar closed her eyes. "We must drop the kit from our ranks to ensure better survival for us," she continued. "Before anyone protests," Fernstar quickly added. "I do not make this decision in vain. The code may say to protect kits, but this kit isn't currently in danger."

Weaseltail saw Iceberg's big eyes sadden and darken. No…. Weaseltail knew that it wasn't right to abandon a kit in the snow. What he did next was without thinking. "I'll leave with her!" Weaseltail declared. "I'll take her under my tail and we'll find a Twolegplace together!"

Weaseltail heard dozens of gasps around him. "Traitor!" Duskwing yowled, his eyes furious and dark. "A kittypet!?" Skypaw gasped from next to Weaseltail. Briarshade's eyes were shocked, but sad. Her white ears drooped. Blazetail glared at Weaselheart from inside the Nursery and she pushed Iceberg out, her tiny body rolling into the snow. "Take her!" she hissed.

Weaseltail nodded, picking Iceberg up by her scruff and rushed out of the camp, carrying her gently. So much for loyalty and trust! Weaseltail didn't stop running until he reached the border, coughing and gasped. My cold keeps getting worse! Weaseltail gazed back at his home for one last time. So long, Fernstar, Duskwing, Briarshade, Blazetail, Smokekit, Firekit, and Skypaw. Weaseltail then left the territory with hopes of a better life with Iceberg.