Blossom woke up to a cloudy day, the clouds looming over the sky as the wind flew by.
Another two months had passed, and it had been two months since Snickerdoodle had admitted his love to Blossom. Blossom was now ten months old, growing quickly.
Stretching, Blossom padded outside, finding Snickerdoodle on the fence, licking his paw. "Hey, Snickerdoodle!" she spoke.
Snickerdoodle leapt down from his fence, padding towards her. "Morning, Blossom. I wanted to ask you a question," he spoke, stopping in front of her.
Blossom nodded, waiting for him to ask.
"W-would you be my mate, Blossom?"
Blossom was shocked, but she gave a nod, trying to hold in a scream of joy. Blossom padded forward and nuzzled him. "Of course," she spoke softly, licking his cheek.
Snickerdoodle smiled as well, gazing at Blossom with his bright green eyes.
Only a moment later, Blossom turned to see Sammy coming outside through the cat door, smiling at both Snickerdoodle and Blossom. "Sorry to eavesdrop," he spoke, "But congratulations!" he said to Blossom.
Blossom smiled at her father, though she had noticed how much older he had been getting. He wasn't a young cat when Blossom was born, and he certainly wasn't any younger now. His eyes were duller, he walked slower than usual, and gray had begun to spread around his muzzle.
Snickerdoodle stared at both Blossom and Sammy as if he were to speak. He hesitated, then said, "I-I just want to let you know that a few months ago, I was sitting on my fence, and I saw a small she-cat with slick white fur. I think it was your sister, Icepaw. She went onto the street. I think she was looking for your mom."
Blossom was shocked. This did sound like Icepaw. Slick white fur? Small? They were near IceClan and the other clans. This had to be her! But when Snickerdoodle had mentioned the street, or the Thunderpath, Blossom stood, frozen. "She died?!"
Snickerdoodle shook his head quickly. "No, no! A car came, and she was pushed out of the way by another cat. This one looked like her. She also had slick white fur. I think it was your mother. The younger cat ran to her, and that was all I could make out. I think your mother is dead."
Blossom collapsed to the ground in tears. "No!" she screeched. She couldn't believe it. Her mother, dead? "You're lying! No!'
Sammy looked down in sadness too, though he was nowhere as heartbroken as Blossom. Sure, Stonecloud had left Blossom, but those six moons had been a loving and fun six moons. Stonecloud had been her best friend, besides Emberpaw, though they didn't play a lot.
"I'm sorry," Snickerdoodle spoke, laying his ginger tail on Blossom. "I didn't want to tell you. I didn't want to break your heart. I just thought you had the right to know."
Blossom shook her head, the tears slowly fading "No, it's okay," she said, nuzzling him. Snickerdoodle was here now, and Sammy too. Everything would be alright.
Snickerdoodle sighed slightly as Sammy went back into the house, leaving Blossom and Snickerdoodle outside.
Blossom layed down in the cool grass, the wind ruffling her fur. She could tell it was going to rain soon. Maybe she had enough time.
She looked at Snickerdoodle, holding gaze with him. She then spoke. "I'm going to find her. I'm going to find the camp," she spoke at last.
Snickerdoodle's eyes widened. "Are you insane?! Blossom, don't! It's going to storm out, and I don't want you getting lost in the forest. What will your clan think? They'll be mad at you!"
"I'm not going to make contact with them!" Blossom spat, leaping onto the fence. "Don't worry. I'll be back soon!" she said, crossing the road.
"Blossom! Don't!" Snickerdoodle cried, but Blossom ignored his cries and padded into the forest.
Blossom gazed around, smelling the familiar scents of what was once her home. She padded around the forest, hoping to stumble upon the IceClan camp somehow. She never looked around it too much, and she forgot the path from Sammy's twoleg home to camp.
Minutes went by, and Blossom was out of luck. She could not find the camp. She turned around, about to head back, when she spotted Rainstar. The old gray tom walked through some bushes slowly, and Blossom carefulyl padded behind him.
She crawled into some bushes to the side of the one that Rainstar had entered. She was able to see slightly through the leaves, and when she did, she saw the entire IceClan camp.
She looked around, spotting Mossyfur talking to Mintleaf. She tried to make out what they were saying, hoping to discover news about Stonecloud or Icepaw. The first words were muffled, but then Blossom heard them clearly.
"I just hope I can get over Stonecloud," Mossyfur sighed, swaying her black and white tail in the wind.
Mintleaf gazed at her, sighing. "Mossyfur, you've been through a lot. First Lilypaw, and now Stonecloud..."
Blossom gasped. It was true! Stonecloud was dead! Blossom held back the tears that gathered in her eyes, suddenly realizing that Lilypaw had died too. Oh, poor Icepaw. She had no friends now.
Blossom continued looking around the camp, spotting Icepaw sitting next to another cat, this one dark black. Was that...Coalpaw? Yes, it was! Was Coalpaw her friend now? Were they in love?
Rainstar walked by the bush, and Blossom stood still, afraid they would discover her. Leopardspots followed behind him, and Blossom realized Leopardspots was still deputy. As they headed away, Blossom wondered who was Icepaw's mentor.
She watched as she saw Icepaw pad away from Coalpaw, heading over to the dark ginger tom. Redfoot? Redfoot was her mentor? She tried to listen, hearing something about battle strategies. Redfoot was okay, but Blossom would've wanted Leopardspots or maybe Rainstar.
As Icepaw padded away, she sat down next to Coalpaw, and Blossom watched as Coalpaw gently licked Icepaw's cheek. So Coalpaw was Icepaw's love interest then. Or, maybe they were just really good friends.
Blossom was about to turn away when she spotted Emberpaw. Emberpaw, the tom she used to play with from time to time. She had to admit, she slightly had a crush on him, and the sight of her old love made her smile. But she quickly shook her head. No, Snickerdoodle was her mate. She turned back then, the rain beginning to pour down on the forest.
Lightning struck as Blossom headed back, and she jumped as another one struck.
Suddenly, Blossom began to feel heat That was odd. Where was it coming from? She suddenly turned, seeing a nearby tree catch on fire. The fire sizzled on the bark, making its way towards her and other parts of the forest.
Blossom began to run, and she coughed as the smoke spread towards her. The smoke began to cover the floor now, and Blossom could barely see. She ran faster, suddenly tripping over a tree root. She stumbled and fell onto the forest floor, coughing loudly.
She gazed around, feeling the oxygen in her body decrease. Where was she? She had no idea, but she could see the flames flicking ahead of her. She tried to get up, but she was weak, and she could barely breathe.
Smoke enclosed around her body, trapping her in the fiery forest. She closed her eyes. Was this it? Was this the end.
She suddenly felt a cat pulling her to safety, or so she hoped. "Snickerdoodle?" she murmured.
The tom was a dark ginger, but this wasn't Snickerdoodle. He was a bit smaller than her mate. She suddenly gazed into his light green eyes. This was Emberpaw! He was rescuing her. She coughed, Emberpaw's face fading as she lost consciousness.