I noticed a mistake that I made several chapters before: Stormpaw's eyes are actually green, not brown.

I'd also like to thank Giang Tien for giving me the idea to this chapter.

In answer to Wood Cat's question: Thanks for the review! If you haven't seen Shadefrost's story yet, it's called "Don't Be Afraid to Fly". Click on my username (PillowRabbit) and it'll take you to my profile. Scroll down to the very bottom of the page and you'll find it there along with all of my other stories.

CHAPTER 13-Identification

The snow descended with a sudden swiftness, with a quiet breath like a sigh from the mountains. There was just enough wind to carry it from the heavens and heave it downward with a whispering of frost on leaves and a whirring of hushed coldness.

The winter was quiet. Peaceful, even. The snow fell in large, soft flakes that matched the feathers of white birds. There was no sound except for the shifting of cold air as you moved and the crunching of paws underfoot. Everything closed up; the mice scurried into the burrows and refused to come out. Most of the birds flew south to escape the cold, save for the few bold and foolhardy ravens who chose to stay.

The den was warm with the heat that I shared with the other apprentices. I blinked the sleep away lazily and got busy with grooming my tail. It was dark too, and the air was filled with the spicy and dusty scent of dried moss and mingled pelts.

Now that I was a cat, I found that I could smell a lot better, and see more in the dark too. Just a few bonuses that I got for leaving my old life behind.

Silverpaw and Wolfpaw shared the same scent: the aroma of towering pines and massive hills, and maybe, if I focused hard enough, I could detect a faint whiff of smoke too, but not the smoke from a fire. It was hard to describe.

Featherpaw's scent was clear. She smelled of water and rain and deep, dark arching caves filled with lichen and dampness.

And Scorchpaw. I parted my jaws to drink in his scent. His was pleasant. Like honeydew. Something like a mix between sunshine and nectar. I wouldn't mind to have it made into a perfume and sprayed all around so that the air hung heavily with it.

I spotted the dark pelt of Shadefrost as she dozed, her sides rising up and down in a rhythm as she breathed. Even though she was a warrior, she liked sleeping in the same den as me, sharing it with the other apprentices. And if she was here, then Dewstep followed. He was curled up next to her side, his eyes closed and the scars on his face not so noticeable. He didn't look so much like a demon when he was asleep.

It was good to be here; I didn't have any responsibilities except to hunt, train, and stay alive. No teachers, no nagging parents, no tests, no bullies, and most of all, I didn't have to face that monster. I had left the beast behind in my closet, back in my house; I wouldn't have to stare down its ugly face anymore or hear it whisper in my ear.

I didn't have to do anything here but catch my next meal and not break anything. Everything else would be fine. I shook my head, snuffing out the memories and padded over to the opening of the den, carefully not to wake anyone or tread on any tails.

I halted, confused. The opening, wide and arching, was blocked and covered with a white wall so that nothing could peek through. I sniffed it; it was cold and wet.

I realized that it was snow. It must have snowed during the night. What would it look like outside? Stepping forward, I eagerly pressed my paws against the wall of ice and heaved it. It gave way easily with a soft crunch and I quickly clawed it away, enough to form a tunnel wide enough for me to squirm through.

White sunlight, bright enough to sear my eyes, greeted me as I pushed my shoulders through the bulky snow and made my way out.

For a moment, I was blinded by a strong light of whiteness, Shaking my head to clear it out, I surveyed the scene in wonder.

It was like I had stepped into a crystal-clear world, glowing and pulsing with shades of blue and frost. The rising sun pooled over the glittering snow that lay in thick blankets over everything, covering the dens and the skeletal trees so that everything was the color of ivory. It twinkled, as if a million tiny stars were trapped in them. Sharp icicles hung down from branches, looking as if they were made out of crystal. I could see my reflection in them; it stared back at me with an expression of awe.

My breath wafted out into the cold air and plumed out like a bloom of white smoke, and then drifted away and was gone. I suddenly noticed how freezing it was out here; the snow was high enough to completely cover my paws and brush my belly. The tips of my ears were already numb, and my limbs were quickly losing feeling.

I quickly dove back into the warm den. Dewstep gave a muffled snort that sounded like a mix between a huff and a sneeze. His ear twitched as he sleepily screwed his eyes open to stare at me.

I froze with shock and a slight twinge of fear. Was he going to start yelling at me for waking him up? The air inside suddenly seemed a bit colder.

To my relief, he only yawned and plopped his head back down onto the soft moss. I let the fur on my back lie flat. These days after Shadefrost had arrived, he really did seem friendlier. A little, at least. He wasn't as sour as before.

A spotted a little movement out of the corner of my eye and turned my head to meow a greeting to Featherpaw. She was always one of the first to wake up. The spotted white cat nodded in return and stopped to crane her neck out the opening of the den. She screwed up her bright eyes in the harsh light and surveyed the snow.

I padded up next to her. "Pretty, isn't it?"

Her fur blended in almost perfectly with the snow. Only her eyes and the pink shock of the insides of her ears were clearly visible. Now, against the white background, her features were more eagle-like. Her muzzle was long and narrow, her cheekbones drawn in sharply and her chin narrowed to a point. Even her shoulders seemed bony. She was a bundle of sharpness and angles, every part of her tapered to a thin point and her limbs fluid and stick-like, but not clumsy. Her vibrant forest-green eyes narrowed as she gazed off into the distance. They were piercing, as sharp as her bones, sharper than daggers. Calculating and intelligent, even. Whenever I thought that she was half-asleep, she was always wide awake.

I was still waiting for her reply. The tip of her tail was twitching back and forth, but I didn't recognize it as any of the signals that she had taught me over the past moon. It was only a sign of her nervousness; she was upset about something. As I blinked at her curiously, she continued to stare at something beyond the camp, past the protection of the gorse tunnel. Her hackles began to rise, ever so slightly.

Our breaths mingled and twirled in the frosty morning air and then disappeared, like whisps of ghost.

"You okay?" I asked her quietly. She stopped staring and drew back a little, as if startled, and then nodded.

There was a stirring within the apprentices' den. After a short scuffling, Dewstep emerged. He sniffed the air and fluffed out his chest fur in the cold.

"It's still early," he mused, looking up at the sun. "We might be able to form a dawn patrol."

I yawned. "Dawn patrol? Can't we just stay inside the den where it's nice and cozy?"

"No. It's a good time for a walk. We might also be able to catch something back for the Clan. Wake up the others. I'll go tell Squirrelflight."

I opened my mouth to protest, but he was already gone before I had a chance.

I stared glumly as he sprinted away nimbly through the thick drifts of snow. "Man, he doesn't listen to anything, does he?"

Featherpaw turned and padded silently back into the warm den, and I had no choice but to follow her.

She crept slowly up to Shadefrost's sleeping form and tentatively raised a paw. Her movements were slow and a little bit cautious, as a mouse trying to sneak its way past a lion.

I laughed. "It's not like she's gonna kill you, ya know."

Featherpaw shot me a hard look with her eyes and then carefully shook the black she-cat. Shadefrost continued to doze, her eyes shut tight. Featherpaw shook her more insistently.

At least, she blinked open her eyes and stretched luxuriously, the entire length of her body rippling and arching.

Shadefrost yawned, but then broke off and looked up at the apprentice that was still staring at her. She mewed, "Oh, hello. Is there something wrong?"

Featherpaw was still staring at her with a hard look, but it wasn't exactly a glare. Far from it, in fact. It was more like a look of concentration.

After a short moment, she turned and stalked out of the den.

"Is she alright?" Shadefrost asked me.

I shrugged. "There's something wrong with her throat, so she can't talk. Just don't bother her."

Scorchpaw was already up, quietly crouching in a corner. He licked his paw and drew it up over one ear, grooming himself.

Wolfpaw nudged the still sleeping Silverpaw. She moaned and furrowed her brow, curling up tighter the more insistent the prodding got.

"Silverpaw," I meowed. "You have to get up. Dewstep is forcing us on a dawn patrol."

The she-cat dug her face deeper into Wolfpaw's thick pelt. I loomed up in front of her. "Silverpaw?"

Without warning, her eyes snapped open and she pounced on top of me with her arms outstretched. We wrestled on the ground in a flurry of dust. I managed to pin her down with one paw before cuffing her over the ear. "Hey!" I yelled. "What the heck was that for?"

The cat blinked at me a few times with a wide, innocent look, as if she didn't quite know who I was. Her surprise was replaced with a huge smile.

She laughed. "Oh, did I do this? I thought something was chasing me."

I stepped back to let her sit up, and then growled, "It was a dream, idiot."

"Oh, was it? A nightmare, then."

Dewstep poked his head in, his tail lashing impatiently. "Is everyone ready? We're leaving now."

Shadefrost nodded and trotted out after him. The rest of the apprentices trailed out after her, some distance placed between them.

I noticed it. Shadefrost had already spent a good, solid eight days here, and the excitement that still lingered in the camp was beginning to calm down. But they were still pretty glad to see her; Seedpelt called out a greeting to her as she passed. The kits stopped their tumbling and paused to gaze up at her with awe. Purdy and Frostfire were lounging out by the basking rock. Frostfire tossed her a quiet, expressionless look before turning away. On the whole, everyone admired her. Adored her, hailed her as a hero, a leader, even a god. Their worship was as noticeable as the snow that lay piled in heaps around the walls. I watched her as she padded into the sunlight. Even though I knew that Shadefrost was still the same person that I had met all those years ago, that she was still Ashley, I couldn't quite believe that her name was so honored here.

She cried easily. She couldn't stand it when I fought with the other kids in the neighborhood. She was afraid of the dark. And yet, here she was with a whole Clan bounding after her heels.

I noticed that the other apprentices kept a wide berth between them and Shadefrost, as if they were afraid of her. Afraid of her strength, her power. And yet, admiration still shone in the way they whispered among themselves and casted glances in her direction.

Everyone loved her. I couldn't help but feel a little twinge of envy. Just a little bit.

The thick snow crunched with every step we took. It now reached to my chest, and I had to heave my way through.

"Careful now," Shadefrost meowed as she rushed in to support me. Together, we shoved the snow aside to make a path for all of us.

Scorchpaw shivered. "Maybe if we move closer together, we'll be warmer."

Dewstep nodded and said, "Good idea. Shadefrost and Wolfpaw, move to the outside of the group to form a ring. The younger ones will stay within the circle. We'll travel like that."

It did become warmer. Scorchpaw and I were pressed up so close that our pelts were brushing, white against tortoiseshell. Our breaths rose and unfurled in the air.

We were descending into the woods now. I gazed at the scenery with wonder. The forest didn't look at all the same. Bare trees, blanketed with a thick covering of snow, stood tall and straight as they braved the winter winds. The sun filtered in through their branches and casted strange, twisted shadows on the snowy floor.

It was like we had broken into a snowglobe, with an endless, crystal-clear sky above us and a white wonderland beneath our paws. It took my breath away.

"I've never seen anything like it," I whispered.

Scorchpaw agreed. "Me neither. This is my first leaf-bare."

Shadefrost suddenly broke away from the circle and bounded away.

Dewstep called, "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere." She scuffled into the snow and skirted around some bushes, laughing with glee. "It's much more fun like this, Dewstep! Try it!"

"We are on a dawn patrol," he meowed, but he didn't look annoyed. "We can have fun later."

But my paws were itching to join her.

Scorchpaw warned, "Get a hold of yourself, Stormpaw. If you roll around on the snow like that, it'll stick to your fur in clumps and I'll have to groom you like I did before." I rolled my eyes, resisting the urge to stick my tongue out at him playfully.

Silverpaw nudged me, her blue eyes sparkling. I stared back, a smile slowly creeping to my lips. With a giggle, we soared away from the group to join Shadefrost's romping.

I cried out in surprise when I landed chest-deep in a snowdrift and desperatley tried to claw my way out. The snow was packed in firmly, so it didn't take much to pull myself out. I gave my chest a few licks, kind of embarrassed to be seen floundering around like a stuck deer.

Something hard smacked into me on the side of my face and left a burning sting that lingered.

I spun around and yowled, "What do you-" before halting. Shadefrost was busy making snowballs, rolling them around with her paw until they were about the size of her fist. She was teaching Silverpaw to do it, too.

I smirked. Crouching down, I gathered up as much snow as I could and began to roll it. Easily, the sticky snow formed into a ball and I leaped up triumphantly.

"Heads up, Ashley!"

She looked up quickly, a few seconds too late. The snowball soared through the dawn air and landed square on her face in just a matter of seconds. Bits of broken snow crumbled and flew everywhere.

Startled, she jerked back, but when she saw me rolling around at the top of the slope, laughing until my ribs hurt, she grinned and started laughing too.

Scorchpaw and Wolfpaw casted sideways glanced at each other, unsure of what to do. Wolfpaw hesitated, her blue eyes surveying what was happening.

"What do you think they're doing?" Scorchpaw muttered. "They're getting their pelts all soggy. The apprentices' den is going to be as wet as RiverClan when they come back, and they'll leave it up to me to clean all of their mess."

He squinted. "What are they doing, anyway? Throwing wads of snow at each other?"

Wolfpaw blinked at him, not saying anything.

Stormpaw paused in the middle of rolling another snowball and dodged one that was sent flying by Silverpaw. She called, "Wolfpaw, Scorchpaw! Featherpaw! What are you waiting for? Get-" The rest of her voice was muffled as a third snowball collided with her face.

Wolfpaw hesitated, but then bunched up her muscles and leaped across the slope to join them.

Startled, Scorchpaw gaped, "Wolfpaw? You too?"

The blue-grey she-cat shrugged, her mouth raised to a slight, tiny grin. "It looks fun," she mewed simply before turning away to join the ruckus.

The tom sighed in defeat. "Fine, then." He stood up and cautiously made his way down.

Dewstep lashed his tail irritably.

He hissed angrily, "Control yourselves! Are you ThunderClan apprentices or a bunch of flea-brained rabbits?"

"Flea-brained rabbits!" I replied back, happily dodging a flurry of snowballs that were launched by Scorchpaw.

Dewstep growled, growing angrier every second. What was wrong with them? They were on a dawn patrol, for StarClan's sake! Impatiently, he tried to think of what Bramblestar would do in this situtation.

Shadefrost spat out a mouthful of snow, her black fur standing out sharply against the white like a shadow. A pile of snow was resting on her head and shoulders.

"What are you waiting for, Dewstep?" she shouted. "Come on!"

The grey tom turned and huffed in annoyance, his fur beginning to bristle. "No thank you," he muttered. "I am a proud ThunderClan warrior. I'm not going to act as childish as-"

A snowball hurled away from Shadefrost's throw and landed smack dab on his shoulder, exploding in a shower of powdered snow.

Dewstep shook off the blow and strode forward, stiff with anger, his amber eyes blazing. "Alright, you asked for it!"

Shadefrost couldn't help but let out a cry of joy and surprise when he began to chase her.

"Get back here, Shadefrost!" he roared. "I'm going to get even with you!"

She only laughed with glee and tossed her head up. "Catch me if you can, slow-poke!"

The forest became filled with our sounds of laughter. The ground was littered with our pawprints.

We collapsed in a giggling heap, our snowball fight coming to an end.

Dewstep had caught Shadefrost, and now they were sprawled on top of each other. He cleared his throat awkwardly and leaped back.

"Right, then," he said. "Let's continue on the patrol. We've wasted enough time as it is."

I flicked a tuft of snow away from Scorchpaw's ear. "Where's Featherpaw?" I asked suddenly, sitting up.

Scorchpaw sighed. "Geez, she's always wandering off. Maybe we'll catch a sight of her on our patrol."

He was right; she was always lurking away from the group.

Shadefrost's brow was furrowed with worry. "Shouldn't we go search for her?"

I shrugged. "She always comes back."

Dewstep helped her up, and without another word, we continued on with the patrol with an extra bounce to our step.

The frosty air was overcome with another scent, a rotton stench that made my lip curl. Silverpaw had an ugly grimace on her face as we neared. The smell didn't cease, but instead grew stronger.

"ShadowClan," Shadefrost murmured. I had my fur fluffed up in faint panic. Shadefrost didn't seem afraid at all, or was it because she knew that no cat would dare hurt her?

"We're nearing their border," Dewstep explained. "I thought we should mark our scent here, instead of near WindClan." He didn't have to explain why. The battle was still fresh in my mind, even though it had happened a week ago. I remembered Silverpaw being held down by Onestar and Wolfpaw's horrified face that seemed so different from her usually calm and quiet personality.

The tree that had fallen was still stretched out in the middle of the camp, and luckily, it hadn't collapsed on a cat or a den. Dewstep muttered something about moving it when the warriors had the time.

I sheathed and unsheathed my claws, pressing them against the frozen ground. I didn't like WindClan at all.

After we had marked our scent all along the border, Shadefrost suggested, "Let's see if we can spot any prey."

Dewstep flicked his tail. "It'll be pretty hard. There's not usually any prey around during the first snow."

Nevertheless, Shadefrost flexed her muscles when a sparrow landed beneath a scraggly oak, flitting around to peck at the ground.

She crouched down and kept her tail low. A perfect hunter's crouch. As we watched in breathless silence, she crept forward in small steps, taking her time. She didn't rush.

She stalked along behind the tree, making sure that the sparrow's back was facing her.

However, at the last second, right before she made the final pounce, the bird hopped along, took a single look at her, and let out a warning cry before unfurling its wings and taking off. The cat made a diving jump toward it, but the sparrow was long gone by then.

"Bad luck," Dewstep muttered. "Your fur stands out too much against the snow."

She shrugged goodnaturedly. "I'm out of practice," she said. "I guess I still suck at hunting like before, right?"

Dewstep broke off in mid-step, as if remembering something. His eyes became distant. Then he shook his head and said, "We've finished marking our borders. Let's head back. We'll leave the hunting patrol to catch the sparrows." Beckoning with his tail, he padded away.

We trekked homeward, Shadefrost pausing now and then to admire a glimmering icicle hanging from a tree branch.

Something skirted along the edge of my vision, sending up flurries of snow in its wake.

"Featherpaw," I said. "Where were you? You missed the snowball fight."

Then I stopped and narrowed my eyes when I took a good look at her. She was bristling, her soft white fur coming up in harsh edges and her ears flat against her head.

Dewstep didn't waste any time in questioning her. "What is it?" he asked briskly. "WindClan intruders? Or-"

The question was left unfinished, lingering like a ghost, but I knew what he was going to say. Or the killer?

I unsheathed my claws. Wolfpaw was gazing all around her with an expression of intense concentration, and Scorchpaw had moved in next to me, as if shielding me and Silverpaw from some unknown force.

"Tell me, Featherpaw," Dewstep meowed urgently.

She panted. I then realized that she was trembling, ever so slightly. Shaking her head quickly, she turned to me and made several gestures with her tail.

I stiffened. "She saw something over there," I told the others. "Near the old Twoleg nest."

Featherpaw jumped forward to lead the way. We sprinted, hard on her heels, eager to meet our opponent.

Thoughts whizzed through my head. Was it another attack from WindClan? Or a badger? A fox?

The abandoned Twoleg shack rose into view. It was overrun with dried ivy that clung tightly to the crumbling walls like unraveling brown rope. The shingles had all but fallen off like oversized fish scales. Featherpaw rounded the corner and we followed. My breath came in short spurts. How much further?

Without warning, she skidded to a halt. I almost crashed into her, digging my claws in at the last second to slow me down.

She shivered, and not from the cold.

"What's this?" Shadefrost asked. There was something on the snow.

I leaned closer.

It was a mark. The mark of an animal. It was more than three inches long and was vaguely cat-like, but massive compared to ours.

"Look!" Silverpaw called. "There's more over here."

There was a pair of paw prints further up, easily four or five feet away.

And a set of smaller prints in between, narrow and flat.

"It ends here," Dewstep said, sniffing the tracks. "Whatever it was, it must've been chasing a rabbit. It could take up two whole tail-lengths with a single jump." His tone was partly grave and partly amused.

I flexed my claws in and out. What was so fascinating about this?

"There's something on our territory!" I hissed. "Something dangerous."

I scented the air, but could smell nothing other than cold frost. It was stale. The thing must have come here the night before on the fresh snow, before a second snowfall could wipe out all of its pawprints.

Scorchpaw was comparing his paw to the size of the print, shaking his head in disbelief when it dwarved his own puny paw by several inches.

"Unbelievable," he murmured. "What kind of creature did this?"

"It must be strong, too," Wolfpaw mused. "I wonder how large it really is."

Dewstep sat back. "Well, whatever it is, it's gone now. It must have moved on north."

No! Couldn't they sense it? That ominous feeling that chilled the back of my neck, prickling harsher than ice? It was so obvious! That lingering doom!

"Can't you feel it?" I snapped.

Silverpaw perked up. "Feel what? Don't worry, Stormpaw. The creature's gone now. And its scent is so stale that I can barely catch it."

But that feeling that surrounded this place; it made me shudder. A tiny voice was warning me about something, and it frustrated me because I didn't know what it was.

Maybe Shadefrost could understand? She could feel it too, couldn't she?

"It's okay," she said, licking my ear. "It's moved on ahead."

"No," I said with a grimace, pushing her away. How could they be so blind? It didn't take a pair of eyes to sense it! It was like a bad taste in my mouth that I couldn't get rid of. The huge, mysterious pawprint stared up at me, as wide as a dinner plate, bigger than an average cat's.

Featherpaw was huddled up next to me, staring wide-eyed at the print.

"Can you feel it too?" I whispered. "Please tell me you can."

She swallowed and nodded. Her still ruffled fur told me that she was telling the truth. She really could sense it.

So why couldn't the others feel it too?

Dewstep was already rounding them up and leading them away back to the Clan. Was he really not worried?

Of course he wasn't. He didn't sense it. He didn't know.

The creature was still here, somewhere. Sure as sure, I could feel it in the snow as well as in my bones.

"How come we're the only ones who know?" I asked Featherpaw.

She had broken away from the pawprint and was now casually licking her paw as if nothing had happened, but her hackles were still rising.

I padded toward her and draped my tail over her shoulder comfortingly. She shook it off and walked a few paces, away from my grasp.

This foreboding feeling wouldn't leave me, like a thunderhead looming above my head. I quickly caught up with the others and casted a last glance back at the Twoleg nest.

The pawprint would bring change to ThunderClan, the small voice told me. Maybe even change to all of the Clans. I just hope that everyone else would be able to realize it before it was too late.