AN - SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG! And sorry it's short.

Changed

Iceshadow slowly blinked her eyes open. The dark, warmth of the moss was the only thing she could see. She closed her eyes again.

I don't want to face the world yet.

I can't face the world yet.

A paw prodded her in the side. "Iceshadow, wake up."

Iceshadow groaned. "I'm coming."

Slowly, the world came back. She hadn't spoken to Snowblossom and Nightrose for moons. Snakeclaw and Wolfpaw had gone. Hollyfire was deputy.

And what would happen to Iceshadow? What about me? The sky was gray, but Iceshadow blinked quickly. It's so bright, she thought. She swung her head to see who had woken her. It was Silverheart, gazing gently at her.

Iceshadow almost asked Silverheart to help her, but bit the words back. No one is going to help you. She got up, and stretched. Then she padded out of the den.

Iceshadow greeted Moonshine as she passed by the big white shecat. "Petalstar wants to talk to you," Moonshine informed her.

"Why?" Iceshadow wrinkled her nose. I'm not the deputy anymore.

"I don't know." Moonshine shrugged. "Maybe she wants you to order some apprentices around."

"That'll be fun." Iceshadow's whiskers twitched. "No, I like our apprentices."

"Order them to catch leaves. They do it very seriously, you should try it." Moonshine advised.

Iceshadow laughed. "Okay. I'll try it." Then she continued into Petalstar's den.

"Iceshadow." Petalstar's voice came, and then she bounded out of a dark corner of the den. "Glad to see you."

"Likewise, Petalstar." Iceshadow lowered her head respectfully, but stiffly.

"I merely wanted to thank you for serving as a fill in deputy while Hollyfire was ill," Petalstar said. "And I wondered if you could lead a patrol this afternoon."

"Yes, Petalstar. Of course." Iceshadow walked quickly out of the den. She decided to hunt. "Silverheart, will you hunt with me?" she asked.

"Sure," Silverheart padded alongside her into the forest. "It's getting cold," she remarked.

"I know." Iceshadow fluffed her fur up. "I can't believe it's almost leafbare."

Silverheart scanned the undergrowth. "Time flies."

"Like birds, but not forever." Iceshadow gestured with her paw to a nearby pine tree. Around halfway up, there was a blackbird sunning itself. Iceshadow didn't imagine it could be getting much warmth on the cold day, but it really didn't matter. Without another word, she hurled herself at the tree. Her claws hooked into the tender bark, and quietly, she began to climb. When she was on the branch below the bird, she thanked StarClan it had a film over its eyes. It would have noticed her if it hadn't been sunning itself.

Without a thought to the huge drop below, she leaped up, her claw striking the bird hard on the neck. The bones shattered as blood fell from the wound. Both Iceshadow and the bird fell. Iceshadow could feel the wild rush of wind through her fur, and for a moment she was weightless. She was terrified and exhilarated.

Iceshadow hit the ground, pine needles flying up in all directions around her. Her paws hit the ground with a loud, solid, thump. Her ears rang for a moment, and pain pounded through her paws.

Silverheart's eyes were wide. "That was amazing!"

Iceshadow caught her breath for a moment. "Thanks. It caught the bird, that's what matters."

"Didn't it hurt, falling from that height?" Silverheart asked curiously.

"Not really," Iceshadow lied. It did hurt, but she didn't mind. In fact, it intrigued her. "Let's see if we can find anything else."

They prowled through the woods, which looked almost the same as they always did. Except for the gray sky, and the chill in the air, it was the same as always. And the cats in the forest had changed.

And later, at night, when no one was awake, and she stared out into the dark gloom, she knew how much they had changed. Just how much she had changed.