Frozenkit let out a small grunt as he stumbled over a root straying above the ground.

Hearing his son's struggle, Blizzardclaw glanced over at him as he stopped walking. "You okay there?"

"Yeah," the kit sighed. This was the third time he had tripped! Frozenkit didn't remember the forest being this tricky when he had been playing hide and seek with his mother and siblings the day before.

Blizzardclaw had led him out of the rogue territory and past the lake clearing since their departure earlier that morning. So far, the lake had fascinated Frozenkit the most. It was by far much larger than a puddle he had once found with Frost outside their den after a rainfall. The insects that had been hovering over that puddle were nothing compared to the large birds sweeping in and out of the lake's water as the two toms had passed by it.

"What are they doing?" Frozenkit had questioned his father.

"They're trying to catch some fish!" Blizzardclaw explained before he had pointed to a large, white bird. "That one got lucky, see?"

Looking up at the flying bird, Frozenkit could see a glistening fish thrashing in its beak. He had silently reminded himself to later ask his father if he could teach him how to fish.

Now, as the two traveling toms continued to make their way through the forest, the lake seemed like a distant memory. The forest felt familiar to Frozenkit which helped keep him calm as he followed after his father. The only thing that really stood out to the kit was the strong scent of clan cats everywhere they walked.

Blizzardclaw guided them deeper into the forest; cautiously retracing his steps to find the buried prey he had caught before going to see his mate. Frozenkit couldn't believe how much prey the warrior had hunted! So far, his father had a squirrel and a pair of mice dangling securely in his jaws. He never knew catching that much was possible since Feather hardly ever showed her catches to him and his littermates. The she-cat preferred eating her meals on the spot when she hunted. Occasionally, she'd bring back small morsels to share with them or she'd eat her catch in the den when she'd feel the need to be there to protect them.

"How much more did you catch?" Frozenkit eventually asked as Blizzardclaw set down the prey he was carrying and began to dig around a tree's trunk.

"Well I caught that squirrel you tasted with Mist and Frost," Blizzardclaw reminded him, still digging. "I also caught a thrush and another mouse. Both of those should be right… here," he purred, revealing the two pieces of prey he had hidden.

Frozenkit peered over his father's paws in astonishment. "You caught so much!" he breathed in awe.

"That's because I have to help hunt for the entire clan," Blizzardclaw explained while picking up the bird and rodent.

Frozenkit frowned in confusion. "Why can't you just hunt for yourself? I bet they could hunt for themselves too instead of you having to do so much work!"

Blizzardclaw shook his head. "That wouldn't be very fair to those who can't hunt for themselves, little one. Queens, for example, are too busy taking care of their kits and kits are too young to be out here hunting. Elders sometimes go out to hunt, but it's more respectful to let them rest instead since they've already served the clan for years. Besides, it's not like I'm the one doing all the hunting. There are other warriors helping out," he smiled, setting down the prey by the rest of his catch.

"Oh," Frozenkit mewed. "But nobody would ever hunt for Mommy! She'd have to do it by herself and take care of us!" he protested.

Blizzardclaw twitched his whiskers. "Your mother doesn't live in a clan."

Frozenkit blinked at this before flattening his ears in embarrassment. "I forgot about that part…"

Blizzardclaw let out a purr of amusement and licked the kit's ear. "Everything will make more sense once you begin living a clan life. Now could you help me carry some of this back?" he questioned, motioning to the prey with his tail. "I'd be fine with some extra help from a strong warrior…but I think you could still do it," he teased.

"Of course I can!" Frozenkit exclaimed, pouncing on the recently dug-up mouse. He carefully picked it up by its scruff before smiling up at Blizzardclaw.

"Wonderful!" Blizzardclaw purred. "Now we don't have to make two trips!" He grasped the three mice and the squirrel back in his jaws before crouching beside the thrush. Expertly, he pawed the bird closer to his chest before snatching it up under his chin. He flicked his tail at Frozenkit before he began to pad off again. "We're almost there!" he muffled through a mouthful of fur.

Frozenkit couldn't help but purr in amusement as he scampered after him. Though his father looked ridiculous with all that prey dangling from him, Frozenkit couldn't help but admire the skill he had with hunting and handling his prey. 'I have to find a way to be just like him!' he thought in determination.

"Feather, Feather, Feather," Thorn sighed disappointingly as he pinned the she-cat to the ground. "You sure do have yourself in a lot of trouble!"

Feather growled threateningly as she struggled beneath the tom. 'Why are you so heavy!?' she thought with a huff. The truth was Feather wasn't in the best physical shape. She wasn't overweight by any means, but she had not fought in a battle in over six moons since she had her kits.

"Let me up, Thorn!" the she-cat demanded with a hiss. She couldn't be trapped like this when the kits were defenseless and alone in the den! What if Storm had tagged along with Thorn and was waiting for the perfect moment to strike? The thought made Feather struggle harder under the tom's grasp.

"I can't let you up," Thorn frowned, pressing harder on her shoulders with his front paws. "If I did, you probably wouldn't listen to me."

"I don't want to listen to you!" Feather snapped, her chin digging into the dirt beneath her. Now that he was holding her down firmly, her body was practically flat against the ground.

"Yes you do, especially since I'm here to help you!" Thorn argued back with a growl.

"Yeah right you're here to help me," Feather muttered. "I know you've just been searching for me this whole time to help Storm. No need to act like you're not!"

Thorn hesitated. "What you say is true…but I've decided I want to help you more than Storm," he responded, hopping off the she-cat's back.

Quick as lightning, Feather got to her paws. She shook out her long fur before glaring at Thorn. "What are you talking about…?" she asked sternly, her tail lashing.

Thorn slowly sat beside her, his claws sheathed and his brown fur flat. "Feather, I've always had feelings for you," he sighed, glancing at the she-cat with his yellow eyes.

Feather narrowed her eyes, still suspicious though she knew it was true. "And…?"

"And that's why I want to help keep you safe from Storm! He's been brewing up terrible fates for your family and he'll make his ideas a reality if he finds out Blizzardclaw is the father!" the tom exclaimed before flattening his ears sadly. "Blizzardclaw is the father…right?"

Feather stiffened as she stood beside him. There was sincerity in Thorn's voice when he spoke but could she really trust him? Especially now when he was only a whisker away from being able to reveal the truth to her father? Sighing, she slowly nodded her head. "Yes he is, Thorn. Blizzardclaw is my mate and the father of my kits," she mewed.

Thorn's eyes widened slightly. She had just told him what he needed to gain power from Storm! Though it made his heartbeats quicken with excitement, he knew he could never betray Feather. Thorn had desperately wanted to get revenge after all the pain she had caused him, but what satisfaction would he get from letting Storm kill her kits and mate? He'd personally rather kill a regular clan cat than the one Feather loved.

His emotions were causing his tail to curl up. Eventually, he responded with a nod. "I see…well he's a fine warrior, especially in battle," he complimented. He had faced off with the silver tom before in fights.

"I know," Feather sighed again. "Now, how do you propose on helping me…?"

Thorn perked his ears. "Well I told you to leave the territory, remember? That was an idea I thought up with before I decided to help you, but it's still the best option for you at the moment."

Feather nodded in agreement. "That's what I was planning on doing today. I was going to rest up with the kits first though but then you came along…"

"Err yes I did," Thorn meowed in embarrassment. "But Storm wouldn't get out of my fur until he saw me start searching for you. I suspected that you were leaving the territory when we both found your den empty, but Storm thought you were meeting up with your mate. I guess he was right," he mused.

"Do you know if he's around…?" Feather quickly questioned, angst gnawing at her stomach.

"I'm pretty sure he went back to his den after I told him I'd go looking," he assured her. "Good thing I found you now. He expects me to report back to him by tomorrow so we still have plenty of time to get you and your kits out of here."

"Yes, I would like to leave now," Feather stated, not wanting to waste any more time.

"Then let me tell you what I'm going to do," Thorn replied as he stood back up. "You go round up your kits and start off to wherever you're heading. I'm going to go back to your den and patrol around there for fresh scents of any rogues or Storm. If I find any, I'll find a way to hold them off since they'll probably be looking for you."

"I thought you were Storm's last spy though!" the she-cat protested.

"You think he trusts one cat to find you at this point?" Thorn snorted. "He'll probably have the whole band of his followers searching if he doubts me in the least."

"True…" Feather agreed. She then began to shift on her paws. "But what about you, Thorn? My father will kill you if he finds out you helped me get away…"

"No, Feather," the brown tom shook his head. "He'll kill me because I'll tell him I didn't find you. Don't worry though; I'm fully aware of the risk I'm taking with helping you out. I'll figure something out when the time comes. For now, go awaken your kits. I'll be on my way to your den," he concluded.

Feather gave him a look of gratitude. "Thank you, Thorn," she meowed with a dip of her head. "This means a lot, especially since I sort of broke your heart…"

Thorn flicked his tail. "Don't worry about that," he lied with a purr. "I do have one question before I leave though."

"What is it?" Feather tilted her head curiously.

"Why was Blizzardclaw taking one of your kits with him?" Thorn ventured in confusion.

Feather blinked at him. "We knew our relationship was going to be difficult after the kits came so we decided on letting our first born live in Fogclan," she began. "He'll have a better chance of living now since Storm won't be prowling around Fogclan territory looking for him. Plus Blizzardclaw gets to have one of his kits living with him which I'm sure is making him happy," Feather ended with a smile.

"I see," Thorn responded, hiding his sadness deep within his pelt. "Well, we better start moving now, Feather. Sticking around in one place for so long could be dangerous!"

Feather nodded silently before padding over to his side. She touched her nose to his cheek before meowing, "Good luck, Thorn and thanks again. I'm sorry things didn't turn out differently between us. You really are a great cat," she meowed earnestly.

"Yes, but obviously not great enough," he mumbled, slipping away from her touch.

Feather watched as he padded away from the fallen oak tree and headed off into the undergrowth. She stood there until the vegetation stopped its rustling from Thorn padding through and his dark, brown pelt was well out of sight. Swishing her tail, Feather headed back into the fox burrow to awaken her kits. As she did, she was unaware that her mate and her son had reached Fogclan's camp entrance.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," Blizzardclaw tried to reassure his son.

Both of them had set down the prey they had been carrying and were now standing in front of the camp's entrance. Frozenkit's eyes were wide with fear and worry. The thicket in front of him had a dark, circular opening in the center of it which seemed to open up to a tunnel. His father had told him it served as the clan's camp entrance and exit. The dirt and ground around the entrance was compacted and hard, indicating many cats had walked over the area. Frozenkit wasn't that scared of the entrance itself since it reminded him of a den's entrance; he could easily walk through that if he wanted to. Frightening him instead were all the sounds and scents coming out of the dark tunnel.

They weren't too loud, but all the voices were a little overwhelming for the kit. So were all the scents! Frozenkit felt as though his nose would fall right off his muzzle from all the scents mixing in it every time he took a breath. If he wasn't feeling homesick before, he was certainly feeling it now.

"Dad…I don't want to go in there!" Frozenkit mewed, his ears flat.

"I'll be right behind you," Blizzardclaw gently mewed back. "And remember what we talked about."

"Oh yeah," Frozenkit mumbled. As they had drawn closer to the camp, Blizzardclaw had warned his son not to call him his father from that point on. He had told Frozenkit they'd be in huge trouble if the clan found out they were related to one another. Frozenkit had tried to question why but Blizzardclaw said he'd explain it to him when he was older. In a way, the kit had been relieved since he was already confused enough.

"Nobody is going to hurt you, Frozenkit," Blizzardclaw added as he tried to nudge the kit towards the entrance. "Clan cats love kits!"

"No!" Frozenkit gasped as he felt his father pushing him. He quickly hopped to the side and scrambled off, stopping eventually to stand beside their pile of prey.

The warrior let out a sigh. "What if I carry you? Then you wouldn't have to go first. We'd go in at exactly the same time," he bribed.

Frozenkit sat down shakily as he thought it over. "Okay…" he eventually agreed, knowing he had no other choices.

"Good," Blizzardclaw meowed in relief as he padded over to him. "I'll get the prey later," he told Frozenkit before reaching down and carefully picking the kit up by the scruff.

Frozenkit let his limbs dangle limply beneath him as Blizzardclaw began to carry him back towards the entrance. He could feel his young heart beating madly in his chest and the blood beginning to pound in his ears as they entered the thicket's tunnel. All was dark for a moment before a flash of sunlight greeted them at Blizzardclaw padded out of the tunnel. That's when Frozenkit closed his eyes tightly which in a way, made him feel invisible to the things around him.

"Blizzardclaw is that you!?" gasped a voice that made Frozenkit perk his ears in surprise. The cat sounded young and possibly a she-cat by the tone it had used. Frozenkit then heard the mystery cat's paws scramble towards them, making him clench his eyelids tighter over his eyes. Feeling Blizzardclaw nod his head, Frozenkit heard the cat speak again.

"Where have you been!? We thought a rogue got you!" the cat exclaimed. Frozenkit knew the cat brushed itself against his father when he felt a tail tip tickle over his dangling paws. "And who is that?" the cat then asked curiously. Frozenkit suspected instantly it was talking about him, especially when he felt a cold nose sniffing at his pelt.

"Tansypaw, could you get Streamstar for me?" Blizzardclaw spoke through Frozenkit's fur. "I promise to tell you everything after I have spoken to her."

"Sure!" the mystery cat revealed to be Tansypaw agreed. "She's in her den talking with Ashcloud. They were thinking about sending a search party to find you, but no need for that anymore!" Tansypaw purred before Frozenkit heard her paw steps fade away.

Curiosity became stronger than his fear as Frozenkit slowly blinked open his eyes. What he saw astonished him. It was a giant clearing scattered with cats of all different colors, shapes, and sizes all around it! Turning his head to look behind Blizzardclaw, he saw the thicket and the tunnel they had gone through. He realized then that the thicket fenced around the entire clearing and had protective brambles and thistles growing through it. Looking up, Frozenkit saw the crowns of towering trees surrounding the clearing. Perfectly in the center of them was the sky, bright and blue thanks to it being sun-high. Fear suddenly engulfed his curiosity as cats began to approach them. They all began meowing things that sounded similar to what Tansypaw had said earlier to his father.

"Blizzardclaw! We were so worried!"

"Did a rogue hold you captive for the night!?"

"Where in Starclan's name did you find that kit…!?"

Frozenkit had closed his eyes by then, being overwhelmed again by all the scents and voices of the cats. He was impressed by how much these cats seemed to care about Blizzardclaw even though he didn't react to any of their comments. Instead, Frozenkit felt his father sit down, his jaws still clamped securely over his scruff as the cats sniffed them over curiously.

Suddenly, a she-cat's voice rang through the clearing. "Give him some space!"

Immediately, Frozenkit sensed the cats step away from him and Blizzardclaw. He even heard some of them pad away while murmuring to each other quietly. The cat that had made the others go away was approaching the both of them. Frozenkit could tell this cat apart from the others from her distinct scent that wasn't like the others he had smelled earlier.

"Blizzardclaw," she greeted coolly. Her tone made Frozenkit relax and get nervous at the same time. Something special seemed to be radiating off this cat. She definitely seemed important.

"Greetings, Streamstar," Frozenkit listened as his father replied.

"I'm getting the feeling that you have a lot to tell me about," the cat named Streamstar meowed. "Come to my den and bring the kit with you. We'll speak there," she ordered in a crisp voice before walking away from them.

Frozenkit felt himself begin to sway limply in the air as Blizzardclaw followed after the she-cat. What would her den be like? Would it look just like the one he had lived in or more like the fox burrow? Curiosity began to burn its way through his pelt again, but Frozenkit forced himself to keep his eyes closed shut. The only reason he didn't open them was because he felt dread seeping out of Blizzardclaw's pelt like blood as his paw steps began to grow stiff. Something had to be wrong!

A/N: I was in a great mood today because Andy Murray won the gold medal in the tennis finals today! :'D So I whipped up this chapter in celebration! Hope you liked it! :)