Sorry I haven't updated for a while, my Grandpa has been in and out of the hospital lately and I am really scared for him. He probably won't last much longer and I'll miss him when he's gone.

Well, while Hawkpaw is unconscious, we are going to meet a new character or four. There are two main characters that the story's focus is set on, one is of course Hawkpaw of StoneClan and the other is Frozenpaw of IceClan. I mentioned her on my profile. Frozenpaw has many friends, though she isn't popular. Being one tough she-cat, other apprentices may say that her friends are just there so they don't get their ears clawed off; but Frozenpaw puts complete trust in her friends. The thing she seeks is popularity and power, a higher rank in the clan rather than being one ragged furred sharp tempered she-cat apprentice. She feels completely ignored by the clan except for her three friends Amberpaw, Daisypaw, and Shadowpaw. Now with chapter 3 we will witness a day in the life of Frozenpaw and her fiery attitude.

Chapter 3: Frozen

Her eyes were like a blue flame, burning with hatred and ferocity. Her pelt was like shards of ice, ragged and pure white. Her attitude was poisonous, like an adder bite. Her name described her heart, frozen.

Most feared her but she had a few close friends; the medicine cat apprentice and two others that shared the apprentice's den with her. The popular ones taunted her and she wouldn't stand it, when she was leader. Yes, it seemed so far away, but she wanted leadership. What she wanted, she would get, no doubt about it, unless…someone wanted their eyes ripped out and their ears shredded!

Frozenpaw's lithe white body crept over her buddy Shadowpaw and exited the woven reed cave den. It was beautiful; the light green and golden stalks of water grass hanging high over head, woven in an intricate pattern by her ancestors so that it sheltered the young cats of IceClan, apprentices from rain and snow. She shivered as a cold burst of air ran through her soft white fur.

"Good morning Icepaw, or is it Frozenpaw?" a deep, wise, yet confused voice made Frozenpaw turn her head.

"Frozenpaw sir," she said, dipping her muzzle respectfully towards her leader. Cometstar's dark ginger pelt was clearly visible in the bright blanket of snow. He was an older leader, the oldest of the four clans right now and had no mate since his had died. Even though Frozenpaw did not care for some of her other clan mates she respected Cometstar because of his high rank. He would be the one to decide who became the next deputy. She hoped to get on his good side so maybe, once Redflame, whom she hated, died, she would be chosen as deputy. Her hopes were high, for right now Redflame was in the medicine den with green cough and still wasn't recovering. Frozenpaw despised him with all her might. Once, the young warrior had been like a father to her but when Cometstar's deputy died, he was chosen and now Frozenpaw seethed at his name. He didn't deserve the attention from the clan. She should be looked up to rather than a pitiful warrior. She didn't know how silly her thoughts were. Of course, Redflame was a pitiful warrior that could singlehandedly take down a cat twice his size, was skilled in hunting and fighting, and was a monster compared to the small Frozenpaw who now pouted that he was better than her. Then she remembered her leader standing next to her as he said:

"Would you like to come hunting with me Ice-Frozenpaw?"

There was a reason that he kept calling her Icepaw. His mate had looked almost exactly like Frozenpaw, and Cometstar's late she-cat was in fact her grandmother. Icefrost was most beloved by the leader and as a young warrior had given birth to Silverkit, Frozenpaw's mother and mentor and another named Maroonkit, a dark ginger she-cat that looked exactly like her father. One lonely New Leaf day, Maroonkit had been stolen. No cat knows who or what took Silvershade's scarlet sister but she was never seen again. That meant that Cometstar was Frozenpaw's grandfather. He was known for a lot of things. For one, Cometstar was intelligent, he wanted all of the clans to join together so that survival would be easier but it only caused battles. When she became leader, the clans would be forced to bow down to her. By that time, FeatherClan's brat of a leader Fernstar would be ancient and the other two would be middle-aged and old. It would all be good.

Snapping back to reality, Frozenpaw replied, "Yes Cometstar. How's Redflame?" Her voice was icy when she inquired about the current deputy but Cometstar seemed to ignore it.

"Soon he will be better; Basilwing and Daisypaw, both say he is well on his way to recovery. May StarClan light his path and not take him too early. He still has a few good young ages left on him before he becomes a senior warrior," said the leader in his bass voice. Frozenpaw almost cussed! She had hoped that her former friend would just pad on up to StarClan and Cometstar would give her a warrior name and deputyship. She was at least three quarters done with her training and well on the way to being a skilled warrior.

"Something wrong Ice-Frozenpaw?" Cometstar tilted his head, a gleam in his amber eyes.

"Yes, I'm anxious to get my warrior name!" she partially lied. It wasn't the whole truth.

"I know there's more to it than that Frozenpaw. Not even in my old age is it hard to tell when part of the truth is left out," Cometstar said, his voice calm, "By the way, did you know that it's not good to lie to your leader?"

Frozenpaw let out a ragged sigh, "I'm sorry Cometstar. I'm just really looking forward to becoming the next deputy and then leader of IceClan. I want it really bad!"

"There is no guarantee that I would choose you even if you were a warrior. StarClan may have something else planned for you," Cometstar told her.

"Like what?" for once the bossy apprentice's voice was curious. She was positive that there were no other good options at least.

Cometstar scanned her for a minute before replying, "You are a well built she-cat. You would give birth to beautiful kits. Just like Icefrost and Silvershade. You and Amberpaw are both very pretty and share a great bond. I also know that there is someone looking out for you, say, a secret admirer."

"Who?" she asked, a little disgusted at the first part of what her leader had said.

"You'll know soon enough. Now let's get going before we wake up the whole clan with our conversation. Besides, it's up to you to accept this cat, you decide if you like him back."

Him? A tom liked her? Still curious, she eagerly followed Cometstar and did decide on one thing. She was going to try to weasel out some names.

As the two walked, one a sharp furred white she-cat who's pelt resembled ice with narrowed blue eyes and a hunched over noble leader with a ginger pelt and wise amber eyes, they looked similar. Seeing past Cometstar's gray muzzle and Frozenpaw's tiny size, their bodies were the same shape; lithe and strong. Their steady gait was exactly the same, their faces were somewhat angular, and their eyes both slanted up slightly. Finally, the two stopped at the sheer ridge on the shore of a small pond. Half way across the frozen pool was a water vole, barely noticeable behind a bed of reeds. Frozenpaw crouched down and crawled over the edge of the cliff and started climbing down. Then, a single white paw touched the ice. It was smooth and slippery, and cold with a thin layer of snow over it. Frozenpaw continued stalking the prey. IceClan needed food in Leaf Bare and this vole was about to be added to the pile. She was merely a fox length away from a scrumptious dinner when the ice cracked beneath her heavy weight. There was no way to get back and Cometstar stared at her from atop the ridge-line looking horror stricken. Then Frozenpaw was plunged into the pond.

Frozenpaw's POV

Salty water streamed down my nose and throat and I gasped for air…nothing. Bubbles were sent up as the last bit of oxygen left my lungs and I struggled to hold on. The pond is freezing of course since it is Leaf Bare. My paws churned relentlessly in the murky water and my tail kicked up dirt, sand, and dead pond plants as I thrashed helplessly. Suddenly I felt my body start to float to the surface and clunk I hit my head on the serrated edge of the sheet of ice. It left a deep jagged cut behind my left ear. Red water swirled around me and I was starting to lose it when jaws met in my scruff. A black muzzle started hauling me out of the freezing pond but just as I was about to step out onto the still frozen ice, that ice broke and it continued all the way back to the shore. Shadowpaw dragged me through the ice shards and I felt the shards cutting into me at times. Finally I was on firm ground.

I looked up into Shadowpaw's yellow eyes. He smiled weakly even though he was drenched and exhausted. I reached up and licked his cheek in appreciation for right now I was too weak to talk. He nodded and gently laid my head down on the snow. I felt my fur beginning to freeze. I bet I really looked like an icicle now, well, more like a cat-cicle. Shadowpaw rested beside me and lapped the chunks of ice out of my quickly freezing fur. Then he inspected my wounds; I had the cut just behind my left ear, a long jagged scratch down my right hind leg, my left and right front paw pads were cracked and bleeding ,and there was a chunk of ice buried in my right shoulder. I was losing blood fast and the scratches felt raw with the cold air burning them as it blew through my ragged fur. I hadn't noticed Cometstar until then.

He was standing over me with the water vole in his jaws.

"When you fell into the ice, you drowned this little fellow too. I picked him up out of the water when you got pulled in by this brave young apprentice here. What's you name lad? Is it Darkpaw or Shadowpaw? I'm always getting confused."

"Sh-sh-shadowpaw sir," he said with chattering teeth.

"Well let's get you two back to camp right this instant," Cometstar announced oddly. Shadowpaw laughed but was cut off by a sneeze. He helped me to my paws and then we were all limping home.

Narrator's POV

A trail of scarlet snow revealed a passage to the heart of IceClan. Frozenpaw rested her head in the medicine den. Basilwing was pressing half-frozen marigold poultice into her wounds. She wouldn't be able to walk for three days the medicine cat had said but Frozenpaw would eventually convince her otherwise. Shadowpaw was asleep beside her. He had a small cold but it wasn't bad at all and he just had to be cautious. Daisypaw, Frozenpaw and Shadowpaw's friend, was the medicine cat apprentice and was always asking for help collecting herbs. At first Frozenpaw had been disgusted by the sight of Daisypaw; the tan she-cat was wimpy and cowardly and could never be a true warrior if she tried. Her fur was still kitten-soft and her green eyes were round and cheerful. Amberpaw, Frozenpaw's sister had taught Daisypaw and Frozenpaw to be friends. Amberpaw was one of the more popular cats but was never mean to her sister. Puddlepaw, Shellpaw, Shimmerpaw, and Coralpaw had all of the toms wrapped around their paw but just about every cat liked Amberpaw. Amberpaw was so sweet and caring and even though she didn't care for toms Frozenpaw knew that Mudpaw really liked her.

"Cometstar said there's a Gathering in one week. Are you gonna be out of the medicine den by then baby Frozenpaw," Puddlepaw sneered as she came in to boast, "Cometstar also says that I get to go."

"Oh go drown yourself in the pond you mouse-brain!" Frozenpaw hissed back.

"That reminds me of someone I know," Puddlepaw tilted her head sideways to mock the white apprentice, "Oh yes, it was you!"

"I'm gonna make you wish you hadn't said that!" Frozenpaw snarled, leaping to her bloodied paws and ignoring the sting that followed. Her slanted blue eyes narrowed to tiny slits of hatred and black shining claws were unsheathed like daggers. Frozenpaw's black claws pierced the tortoiseshell cheek of Puddlepaw who spat blood.

"Stop!" Daisypaw yelled, appearing around the corner of the water reed den.

"I'm telling Cometstar," Puddlepaw pouted, her lower lip jutting out dramatically.

"Go chase your tail little kitty," Frozenpaw put in, adding insult to injury. Shadowpaw bit his tongue as so not to burst out with laughter. Puddlepaw was such a brat.

"I wish she'd stop vexing me. Someday it won't just be some wimpy scars across her cheek!" Frozenpaw muttered angrily. Shadowpaw placed his tail on her back to calm her. He had been jerked to full wakefulness once the scuffle had started.

Meanwhile, Puddlepaw was tattling to Cometstar and stretching the truth a little bit.

"Frozenpaw called me a piece of fox-dung and then she bit my shoulder and scratched my face. See these really deep wounds? She did that to me!" Puddlepaw whined.

"I wonder why she would do that. I'm sure she had a very good reason. Did you, maybe, deserve it Puddlepaw?" Cometstar asked, mildly taunting the dramatic apprentice. Rebellion was painted across the young tortoiseshell's face and she closed her wide jaws in humiliation. Just to have a little bit more fun Cometstar added, "That's right! Go chase your tail Puddlepaw!"

Frozenpaw and Shadowpaw both giggled.