Icefall purred, brushing against his best friend, Featherdrop, as they left the warriors den. Though it had snowed almost every day the past moon, he still felt warm and cozy standing next to her. Heat radiated off her pelt, and as he flicked some moss off her pale silver pelt, a snowflake landed on his snow. He sneezed, scrunching his cold nose before another snowflake could brush it.

"We should all call you Snowsneeze!" Featherdrop teased, flicking him with her tail. Her blue eyes twinkled playfully, and Icefall pretended to be hurt, letting his tail droop. "Then you'd be known as Mosspelt!" he laughed.

The two of them struggled through the shoulder-high snow until they reached the fresh-kill pile, and Icefall found himself even more glad he was WindClan- his light frame and long legs made it easier for him to stay on top of the snow and not in it. As Featherdrop brushed the snow off a rabbit, Skykit and Gorsekit came bounding out of the nursery. "Can we have a badger ride?" Gorsekit demanded.

Letting out a groan, Icefall knew he should have been more careful. His mother's second litter were all sass, and both of them had decided it was their job to spend as much time annoying Icefall as possible.

"Go bother the warriors!" He mewed, turning back to Featherdrop and crouching down to eat.

Two sets of tiny paws scrambled up his back and cuffed his ears. "Give us a badgers ride!" Featherdrop grinned and picked up the two kits by their scruffs, setting them down. "Go to Redpaw and the other apprentices," The beautiful she-cat mewed sternly. "That's an order!" "Your not our mother!" Skykit retorted, her green eyes sparked with anger. "So don't tell us what to do!"

Still, the two kits bounded off, leaving the duo to enjoy their fresh-kill. "I wonder if one of us will ever have kits," Featherdrop mewed curiously. "Or us." Icefall tensed. He wasn't ready for kits, and maybe not a mate, either. "Keep wondering until you can see the future," he mewed tartly, before sighing. "I'm sorry; I spoke too roughly," He murmured.

Featherdrop laughed, standing up. "It's okay! C'mon, let's go out for a run." Icefall jumped to his paws, nodding, and the two dashed out of camp, heading for one of the hills.

Rabbits were darting everywhere, and he couldn't resist chasing after them. He turned away from Featherdrop and bounded after a black-and-white hare, his hind paws kicking up clods of dust. Icefall tensed as they neared a clump of heather, knowing very well that a rabbit burrow could be hidden in the shelter of the plant. Forcing his legs to go faster, he pounded onwards, letting out a great leap to try and catch his prey.

He didn't land on it, but instead a few mouse-lengths in front of it. Icefall spun around, preparing to run some more, only to see that the rabbit had disappeared. "Mouse-dung!" he cursed, flattening his ears. Pricking his ears, he wondered where Featherdrop was. As he stood up to chase another rabbit, something crashed out of the bushed behind him.

Icefall leapt into the air, he whipped his head around to see that his friend was chasing not only the black-and-white hair but a pale brown rabbit! He dashed after them, arching his back and stretching his legs to run faster. The white warrior narrowed his eyes as the wind whipped at his fur, throwing him off balance as he prepared to pounce again.

This time, he made it, and Icefall quickly delivered the killing bite to the brown rabbit as Featherdrop caught the hare. Panting, he leaned against her, realizing they had run through the snow all the way to a hill overlooking the lake. They could see all the territories from here, even a ShadowClan patrol marking the border along the lake shore. Suddenly, Featherdrop let out a hiss. "Is it just me, or is Foxtail in a ThunderClan patrol over there?"

Glancing at where the silver she-cat's tail was pointing, he realized she was right. The bright ginger tom was stalking something- probably a mouse- a few fox-lengths over the border. "Come on!" Icefall hissed. "Let's get him!" "No!" Featherdrop squealed, knocking him to the ground. He frowned, looking up at her. "But he killed your sisters, and he's breaking the code!"

Featherdrop shook her head. "No. If we go get him, he'll just lie about my sisters and crossing the border. Plus, our scent will cover his. It will be best to just tell everyone when we get back to camp."

Icefall rolled over, putting himself on top. "We're heading back already?" He mewed. "We just got out!" Featherdrop didn't reply, instead lunging upwards. "Got you!" she mewed, blue eyes twinkling. Icefall head-butted her shoulder, throwing her off balance, before cuffing her over the ear. "That's no way to treat a warrior!"

"It just happens that I'm a warrior, too!" Featherdrop laughed. "I would think you'd know better, Snowsneeze!" "Mosspelt, how dare you!" Icefall retorted happily, and they began to spar, dodging and leaping and darting and weaving, careful not to injure each other.

Suddenly, a silver blue lunged under Icefall, throwing him to the ground before pinning him there. "I think you should show your deputy more respect, Snowsneeze!" Featherdrop teased. "In fact, I think I'll send you on moon-high patrol and the following dawn patrol!"

"What if I'm your leader?"

"Then I'll be sending Snowstar on patrol!"

"Really? Then I'd have to punish my deputy for trying to order me around!"

"You would never punish me," Featherdrop murmured, and Icefall nodded. "You're right," he mewed. "I would never punish you." They collapsed in a heap at the edge of the hill, sharing tongues as it approached sun-high.

He glanced at the sun, wishing hopefully that, for once, the sun would melt the snow. But the golden orb provided no warmth today, only sunlight, as it had ever since the first snow of leaf-bare. "We'll freeze to death," he muttered, and Featherdrop wiggled closer to him. "No, we won't," he heard her mew sleepily. "You'll keep us warm." And the two of them drifted off to sleep at the top of the hill, snuggled together for warmth and comfort.

Both Icefall and Featherdrop jerked awake as the snow underneath them began to crumble, jumping to their paws. Before either of them could scramble off the patch of snow, it collapsed beneath them and they started rolling down the hill, towards the frozen lake. His ears pinned back in fear, Icefall tried to get in front of Featherdrop to try and protect her, but his paws wouldn't work and the she-cat slowly began to draw ahead of them as they neared the lake.

It could have been only a heart-beat or two, or maybe a few seconds, but it felt like seasons until the world stopped spinning, and Icefall raised his head groggily, his mind blank. "Wh-what?" After a few seconds, he let out a second, desperate cry, the world rushing back. "Featherdrop! Featherdrop, where are you!" Dizzily, he got to his paws and glanced around until he spotted the unmoving bundle of pale silver fur, closer to the middle of the lake.

Icefall stiffened, his fur bushing out as he rocketed towards her, failing to stop next to her and instead sliding on for another dew fox-lengths. He padded back to her, narrowing his eyes against the bright light reflected off the ice, and sniffed her fur. She was still alive, still breathing.

"Featherdrop, wake up!" he mewed, grabbing her scruff. Icefall knew he needed to drag her back to the land before she got frostbite or something worse while the ice clung to her bones. But as he reached forwards, he heard a cracking sound and jumped back. More cracks.

His friend raised her head, and even more cracks came. And then Icefall saw them- wide, quickly-spreading cracks stretching all around them, creeping up on both the cats and the shore. Icefall pulled Featherdrop to her just as the first of the ice started falling. "Run! Quick, Featherdrop! We need to get to the shore!"

Icefall didn't wait for her to respond, pounding back towards the moor, his claws unsheathed in his terror and scraping painfully over the ice, probably breaking it more. He could hear the fait pitter-patters as Featherdrop followed him at a slightly slowly rate, and then nothing.

Freezing with terror for his best friend, Icefall glanced back. Featherdrop had fallen through the ice! He could either go back and try to save her, or head back to shore before the ice broke. The tom pondered his options for a few seconds before a thought struck him. Featherdrop would want me to live, wouldn't she? But he couldn't leave her! Icefall turned around and dashed back to his friend, ice breaking and sinking under his paws.

He dove into the freezing black water, gasping as he realized just how cold he was. Icefall was tempted to get off, but then wild claw marks on the edges of the ice hole reminded him of Featherdrop, and he took a deep gulp of air before swimming below the surface. Far, far below him, he could see a thrashing shape the color of ebony near the murky bottoms of the dark water. She was almost seven badger-lengths, if there was such thing, below him, yet for some reason, he didn't hesitate to dive down further so that he could almost grasp her scruff.

Icefall knew he was running out of air, and so he grabbed her scruff and began to paddle upwards, knowing he would have to be quick. Featherdrop was now limp, probably unconscious, making it even harder. Yet as they neared the surface, he found a burst of strength, forcing the blackness back and bursting into the air, gasping for breath.

Featherdrop stirred, grasping the edges of the ice, and so he let go of her, trying to get out of the water. But the piece of ice he was clinging to- the ice that keeping him above the surface, broke off and sank, and without the will to go on- he had saved Featherdrop, hadn't he?- Icefall let himself go without a struggle.

A few moments later, Featherdrop dove down and grabbed his scruff, pulling him back to the surface. "I'm not letting you go, Icefall!" Featherdrop hissed through gritted teeth. "I would always die for you. Now, I'm going to help you out, and then you're going to run for safety. Let StarClan take me, not you!" Icefall nodded, numb with shock, as she dove back into the water.

Seconds after she dove under, Featherdrop was underneath him, pushing him up and allowing him to scramble out. When he pulled himself onto a small piece of ice, he knew Featherdrop was already gone. "No! No, StarClan, why did you let her do that? It should have been me! Why did I let me let her do it? Why!"

I love you, Snowsneeze. Now go! You have merely seconds. A voice whispered in his ear. Icefall nodded, leaping off the ice and onto a more stable part of it before dashing and pouncing back to shore. I love you too, Mosspelt. And I can't believe I lost you. He was frozen, his soaking pelt clinging to his bones, and Featherdrop was dead, but part of him felt strangely happy, warm. I do love Featherdrop. And I saved her, and then she sacrificed herself to save me. I am in love, a love found on thawing ice.

I have found my thawing love.