Hello hello hello! Yes I'm back after exams and a holiday break. At first I thought to myself, "hey, I'll post on Christmas! No problem!" Then Christmas came and went, and it wasn't a big deal. New Year's Day could work just as well. Then New Year's Day came, and I was ready. The next chapter, while more of filler chapter as I got back into writing after the break, was nevertheless something I looked forward to posting. Then the Internet went and died. As a result, Jan 1 came and went but the Internet was fixed, hooray! I'm finally able to post today!

So happy holidays, happy new year, we made it, Congratulations! Thanks to all for the reviews and reading this story I'm so happy y'all are here!

Please feel free to leave a review! :)

Snowpaw's POV

The air was crisp that morning, with a sweet scent to the air; a hint of pine wafting over from SkyClan's territory. Though the sky was overcast with a frosty-looking layer of clouds, the air held warmth, a vast improvement in comparison to the freezing wind that had been blowing for the past few days. Snowpaw allowed a small smile to come onto his face. Cats were finally starting to recover from the greencough that had been living in the camp like a terrifying and unwelcome tribe of badgers.

The entire duration of the sickness, Snowpaw had been terrified that he'd catch it, so he immersed himself in training with Invisiblepelt, spending as much time as he could outside of camp, away from all cats. He wasn't sure if Invisiblepelt could catch greencough, but he never heard any coughing from his invisible mentor, so he supposed he hadn't, either. Besides, Invisiblepelt was smart. If he had greencough, he'd stay away from everyone so he didn't spread it.

He hadn't known what to think when his clanmates started dying. Hawkscream, Whisperkit, Ravendusk, Flakewhisker… The death of the medicine cat who'd been in her position since before Snowpaw was born was the most horrifying of all. Of course, she'd always scared him, and he preferred Birchtail over her immensely, he still hadn't wanted her to die.

Never. No way! I'd never wish death on anyone! Snowpaw shook a little. I'm not some evil, bloodthirsty cat. You can still dislike a cat, but that doesn't mean you'd just turn evil and wish for them to catch greencough and- Snowpaw! Let it go! Snowpaw was getting a bit better at reigning in his thoughts when they went off on tangents. But it still took a few moments of convincing his anxious mind for him to calm down again and continue his musings. Where was he? Oh right. Dead cats.

You know what? I don't really want to think about that right now. He should probably check what his mentor wanted him to work on today. Sparring? Solo hunting? Anything that didn't involve other cats who could potentially still be sick and spread diseases?

He'd finally decided that he felt like hunting (the freshkill pile could always use more prey in the middle of leafbare) but before he could inconspicuously sneak out through the thorn tunnel like he usually did, Mistypaw, Brindlepaw, and Dewpaw all charged over to him, squealing madly. He managed to not screech with terror, but he still flattened his ears to his head, freezing on the spot.

"Oh, lighten up Snowpaw, we've got exciting news!" Dewpaw exclaimed, nudging him with her muzzle. He flinched, then finally relaxed, looking at his littermates questioningly.

"We get to train with the warriors today!" Mistypaw mewed, wiggling her eyebrows. "Now that everyone's recovered, Hailwhisker and Stormfang organized this big ol' training session so everyone doesn't get all lazy just because it's leafbare."

"Now they'll know what we apprentices have to deal with, training every single day." Brindlepaw added. The three she-cats started talking over one another in their excitement, while Snowpaw stood there stupidly, still very confused.

What was happening now? A training session? With everyone?! Didn't they know that's how you spread diseases? Maybe everyone seemed better, but were they really? Snowpaw could see it now, the greencough starting all over again, starting with him, wheezing in the medicine den, life slowly ebbing away-

"Snowpaw! Let's go!" Brindlepaw called over her shoulder, and Snowpaw blinked. Practically all of the clan was exiting through the thorn tunnel, Hailwhisker and Stormfang at their head. The two toms exchanged an excited glance, disappearing into the thorns. Snowpaw shivered, regretting his life's decisions. Then Brindlepaw gave him a pleading look, pausing as she was about to follow after the rest of the clan.

It just wasn't fair.

With a sigh, Snowpaw trotted after the clan, making sure he kept his distance.

The group gathered just outside of camp, and Snowpaw settled into a comfortable position beside his littermates, who were paying rapt attention to Hailwhisker and Stormfang. The gathered cats included everyone except for of course Pansyheart and her kits, Orangeface in the elders' den, and Silverstar. Snowpaw briefly wondered where the leader was. Birchtail was there, probably to supervise in case there were any injuries. He supposed that with Invisiblepelt there as well, a deputy and medicine cat's supervision would be enough.

"Stormfang and I were awake for most of the night concocting this training exercise for you this morning." Hailwhisker meowed, holding his head high with pride. "And since it's such an unusually warm day for leafbare, when could be a better time to brush up on some training?"

Stormfang gestured with his tail to two long sticks on the ground, each a decent thickness and a few tail lengths long. "For this exercise, you'll be divided into two teams, each having a stick in possession. Until sunhigh, you all have time to devise a strategy, and hide your stick." Stormfang's voice grew serious. "Treat it like it's the most valuable piece of prey, or a tiny kit. You don't want the other team to steal it. Here-" Stormfang drew a line in the dirt with his paw, and it extended across the clearing. "-is your border. The first team's territory is all the way to the ravine, and the other team's is until the edge of the training hollow." He flicked his tail, looking at Hailwhisker. "So, now that the basic parameters are settled, we need to choose two leaders of the teams. Any nominations?"

Snowpaw's mind was reeling, he was barely processing what Stormfang had explained. Something about sticks and the ravine and-

"I nominate Sleetfur!" Berryleaf meowed, sending her friend a triumphant look. The mottled gray tom looked startled for a moment, but as the gathered cats started meowing with approval, he relaxed. He dipped his head first toward Hailwhisker and Stormfang, then at Berryleaf, whiskers twitching.

"I'd be happy to accept the nomination." Sleetfur responded. He raised his eyebrows at Berryleaf. "That was very fast."

Berryleaf only smirked in response. "I only nominated you so I could be the other leader." The tortoiseshell she-cat explained. She gave Hailwhisker a sly glance. "If that's allowed."

Hailwhisker looked a little unsettled under the she-cat's gaze, but shook it off, letting a slight mocking tone come into his voice. "Of course it's allowed. Anything for you, Berryleaf."

Snowpaw noticed Stormfang give the older warriors an irritated glance before clearing his throat loudly. "Alright! Leaders! Time to choose your team."

Since Sleetfur had been nominated first, he chose the first member of his team. "Bronzefoot." The brown tabby walked calmly over to Sleetfur's side of the clearing, clearly happy about being chosen first, but his entire demeanor was a little downcast.

Oh that's right. Snowpaw remembered. Hawkscream. He had immense respect for Bronzefoot for loving such a… personality like Hawkscream.

Berryleaf was next, glancing around the assembled warriors coolly. "I choose… Bluefrost." The white tom padded forward.

And so the choosing continued. One by one, warriors were named, going to their respective sides. Dewpaw joined her mentor Bluefrost on Berryleaf's side, as did Lilystorm, Cherrybreeze, Mistypaw and Icefeather. Meanwhile, Sleetfur chose Opalwing, Lilacfall, Brindlepaw, and Redthorn. Now it was Sleetfur's turn again, and Snowpaw shrank under the tom's gaze. He felt bad about being one of the last chosen, but being singled out was still a scary thought.

Sleetfur nodded. "I choose Invisiblepelt!" Snowpaw immediately began listening for any sign of mockery from Sleetfur's tone, but there was none. Was the tom actually serious about his choice? And to his shock, none of the clan seemed too disturbed about the choice either, besides a few surprised murmurs.

Cool.

"And since Invisiblepelt is his mentor, I'll also take Snowpaw." Sleetfur added, and Snowpaw jumped. He scurried over to Brindlepaw's side, grateful he was on her team. She greeted him with a purr.

"Welcome to the winning team, Snowpaw." She whispered. Snowpaw purred nervously in return, watching as Berryleaf picked Seedfur as the final member of her team. Snowpaw's mother must be thrilled to be on the same team as Icefeather. Although... he heard from Dewpaw that their parents had gotten into an argument, so maybe not so much. They stood as far as possible from one another.

"Okay, so now that's settled- so Stormfang, shall we each join a team?" Hailwhisker asked. "You can join Berryleaf's if you want since she was your old mentor."

"Oh, uh, thanks." Stormfang meowed, giving Hailwhisker a smile. "See you on the other side." The two toms giggled with one another like apprentices before joining their respective teams. Sleetfur's team got the "territory" around the training hollow, so Snowpaw followed the group in the direction. Cats murmured excitedly to one another, but Snowpaw remained silent, still trying to figure out what exactly was going on. Hopefully Sleetfur would explain things…

Safely in the training hollow, Sleetfur studied his team. Opalwing, who had been carrying the stick, spat it unceremoniously onto the ground next to Lilacfall, who wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Right." Sleetfur said finally. "A strategy. First of all, we need a good hiding spot for the stick, one that we easily defend, like the center of our territory."

A few cats mewed their agreement, but Redthorn shook her head, stepping forward.

"That's what the other team would expect us to do." Redthorn argued, looking around challengingly. "What we should do is not defend where the stick is- then have it camouflaged so they don't see it."

Sleetfur nodded proudly at his former apprentice, while Hailwhisker stepped forward eagerly.

"Yeah, I see. And we could set up fake guards in other places to trick them into thinking that's where the stick is."

"And then we could-"

"Yes but what about-"

"Or I suppose-"

Conversations were exploding around Snowpaw, and he tried to remain unnoticed beneath them, praying to StarClan that no one would ask him to contribute an idea. Being there was enough. He was just trying to concentrate on his breathing, making sure it stayed steady and even. Invisiblepelt had taught him that strategy one day during a hunting session. An adder had slithered out of a crack in a pile of stones, and Snowpaw froze, air refusing to leave his lungs. Still frozen, he'd watched, staying perfectly still, as the adder went along it's way, not seeing the stone-still apprentice as a threat.

But even after the snake had disappeared from sight, Snowpaw was having trouble. His vision began to blur as found himself unable to breathe. There were a few terrifying moments when he thought he was going to suffocate, then, like the break of dawn, his chest opened up, and he took in deep, slow breaths. He found that it was relaxing, just standing still, letting himself breathe. It gave his anxious mind something else to focus on.

So in situations like these, in large crowds, Snowpaw took to breathing, letting the words of the warriors become muffled, and nothing more than the noise of the forest.

Later, he felt a nudge to his shoulder, and he opened his eyes. He hadn't realized that he closed them. He had expected Brindlepaw, since she usually paid the most attention to him, but he was both surprised and a little frightened to see that it was Redthorn.

Breathe, Snowpaw, breathe.

"Did you hear, Snowpaw? You and Invisiblepelt are with me. We're fake guards for our stick." The ginger she-cat didn't look annoyed; her tone was friendly. So Snowpaw let his guard down a little. He nodded, and followed Redthorn deeper into the team's territory. They arrived at the edge of the training hollow, and they finally halted beside a young grove of beech trees, silver bark glinting in the sun high light.

"We're supposed to pretend the stick is within this grove of trees." Redthorn explained, "We attack any intruders coming near us, while also looking out to make sure they don't find the stick's real hiding place." Then she gave him a sideways glance. "Lucky I paid attention, huh?"

Immediately Snowpaw winced. So she'd noticed. "S-sorry." He mumbled, staring at his paws.

But Redthorn laughed. "Oh don't worry, I get it. You'll get the hang of it eventually, coming up with battle plans. I bet you have plenty of ideas that you'll have the courage to share one day." She winked at him, and Snowpaw found himself blushing, though he wasn't sure why.

After sitting in awkward silence next to Redthorn and Invisiblepelt for some time, a faint battle cry sounded throughout the forest. Redthorn sprang to her paws. Her eyes hadn't left the direction of the border between the territories since they'd arrived at their assigned position.

"Quick, hide in the bracken." Redthorn hissed, shooting Snowpaw an urgent glance. "We should take them by surprise."

Unsure of what else to do, Snowpaw simply nodded. He wondered where the rest of their team was. He was sure some of them were probably trying to sneak into Berryleaf's team's territory, to find their stick. Would any of Berryleaf's warriors come in their direction?

Moments later, Snowpaw's question was answered. The open clearing didn't provide much coverage for the advancing warriors, though they still tried to stalk near the edges to remain hidden. Snowpaw sniffed the air, smelling Seedfur. He saw a flash of gray fur, and tapped Redthorn with his tail, nodding in Seedfur's direction.

"Good find." Redthorn whispered, and Snowpaw's heart swelled at the compliment. "When she comes close enough, I'll give the signal to attack."

Attack? Snowpaw thought with alarm. It was his mother, but she was a warrior, he was an apprentice. But he had Redthorn and Invisiblepelt by his side. He wouldn't be overpowered.

Soon, Seedfur was mere tail-lengths away, green eyes glaring around suspiciously. Her nose twitched.

"Now!" Redthorn growled, and as one creature she and Snowpaw surged forward, and for the first time aside from training sessions with Invisiblepelt, Snowpaw felt exhilaration. He let out his own battle cry and rushed at Seedfur, batting at her forelegs.

But instead of looking frightened, triumph sparked in Seedfur's eyes. "Here! I've found where they're hiding it!" She yowled, and two more of Berryleaf's warriors came hurtling through the undergrowth: Mistypaw and Icefeather. Snowpaw's heart shrank in his chest.

They were outnumbered! Redthorn seemed to pick up his alarm, but her fighting only grew more fierce as the reinforcements arrived.

"Come on Snowpaw! Don't give up now! Defend our stick!"

But it's just a stick! But suddenly, Snowpaw felt silent encouragement, not from Redthorn, but from his mentor Invisiblepelt. They weren't outnumbered. They were even.

With a growl that scared even himself, Snowpaw leapt away from Seedfur, and began to spar with Mistypaw. Her eyes went round with shock for a moment, then she fell into her battle stance, tail rigid. Claws sheathed, she reached out with a paw and swatted at Snowpaw's shoulder. He barely dodged it in time. He went to counter with a blow of his own, but Mistypaw ducked, and took advantage of his unbalanced state on three paws. She slammed into him, and knocked the breath out of him.

Dizzy, he blinked rapidly, but couldn't react in time before Mistypaw pounced on him again, landing squarely on his shoulders. She was much bigger than him, and he collapsed to the ground, panting. He struggled under her paws, but she was unrelenting.

So he tried the oldest trick- going limp. And Mistypaw fell for it! She loosened her grip for a moment and Snowpaw surged upward, head-butting Mistypaw in the jaw by accident.

"Owwww!" Mistypaw put a paw to her tender jaw, while Snowpaw groaned as well, head throbbing from the impact. Still, he was the first to recover, and he ran forward again, hoping to knock his sister over. But by then, Mistypaw was ready for him, and she slid to the side, smooth as a snake, and pushed him along with her paws.

"Waahhh!" Snowpaw yelled, tumbling head over heels. Unfortunately, he tumbled straight into Redthorn, knocking her off balance as she fought Icefeather. She stumbled, but stayed upright, glancing down at Snowpaw.

"Snowpaw?" Her eyes widened as she saw Mistypaw's triumphant stance. "I thought you were fighting Seedfur!" Snowpaw only blinked at her in confusion, while Icefeather smirked.

"Ha! Looks like you were distracted!" Snowpaw looked over at the birch grove and saw Seedfur's gray tail bobbing around as she searched. Then she looked up, calling to her companions.

"It's not here!"

Icefeather glared at Seedfur. "Maybe you're not looking hard enough!"

Seedfur let out an irritated hiss. "I am looking! It's not here!"

Redthorn interrupted the bickering mates before things could get worse, and Snowpaw felt immensely grateful. "She's right. It's not there."

"It was a decoy!" Mistypaw exclaimed, narrowing her eyes at Icefeather in realization. "Fake guards!"

"We should have thought of that." Icefeather said regretfully, giving Redthorn an impressed glance.

Redthorn grinned at him cheekily. "Good luck finding where it really is!" She purred. Seedfur walked over to the group, still looked annoyed. She waved her tail.

"Let's go."

Redthorn watched the trio depart, then helped Snowpaw to his feet. "So you fought Mistypaw? Good job holding her off!"

Again Snowpaw blushed. "Th-thanks." Then he frowned. "What do we do now? They know that it was all a fake."

"Sleetfur said if we're found out, we can either join the offensive front, or find another place to fake defend the stick." Redthorn answered immediately.

"O-okay." Snowpaw meowed. He'd follow her anywhere. They made a good team.

Heading to the border between the "territories," there was no sign of movement. And sniffing the air, Snowpaw found lingering traces of Sleetfur, Brindlepaw and Opalwing's scent, but no physical manifestation.

"They must be already in the other team's territory." Redthorn figured, also sniffing the air. "Let's give them some reinforcements!" Before he could protest, Redthorn shot forward, travelling so quickly through the forest that Snowpaw had trouble keeping up. As he gasped for air, Snowpaw had concerns. What about defending the territory? Redthorn was a warrior, so she was more experienced, but was Snowpaw the only one who felt like they were missing something here?

Well… if he admitted it to himself, he felt safer with Redthorn around. Accompanying her was much more appealing than turning around and defending the stick with Invisiblepelt, who despite being an amazing mentor, wasn't the kind of partner the opposing team would take seriously, proven by their last skirmish with Seedfur escaping their notice.

After a cluster of holly bushes, Snowpaw and Redthorn emerged to see a desperate battle occurring. Lilacfall, Sleetfur, Hailwhisker and Opalwing, probably the strongest warriors on his team, were fighting Stormfang, Berryleaf, Bluefrost, and Dewpaw. Redthorn immediately leapt into the fray, while Snowpaw was obviously more hesitant. Instead, he focused on the battle. Strain and frighteningly a more feral side was on the faces of the opposing team. If they were fighting this fiercely, the stick must be close!

Eyes darting around, Snowpaw skulked around the perimeter of the fight, searching for the stick. It was large and distinct, he suddenly remembered, long and smooth. He was impressed that he actually remembered! Where would the other team hide it? A cold breeze touched his whiskers, making him shiver and puff out his fluffy white fur. It trailed upward past his muzzle to a tall oak tree a few tail lengths ahead. Following the breeze upward, Snowpaw smiled.

Thanks Invisiblepelt!

Many days of his training had been dedicated to tree climbing; it was something every ThunderClan warrior should know. And ever since barely escaping that dog by climbing a tree, Invisiblepelt had made sure that Snowpaw's skills and claws were sharp. Easily he leapt up the oak tree's rough gray bark, eyes locked on the stick. It was wedged between two bare boughs stripped of leaves by leafbare's cold. When he was about halfway there he heard yowls of alarm. Snowpaw's heart nearly leapt out of his chest. They were onto him! Gritting his teeth, he climbed faster, terror quickening his movements.

"Get back here, Slowpaw!" Dewpaw yowled from below. Snowpaw heard paws scrabbling, and knew that despite all his training, there were warriors down there who'd been climbing trees for many seasons. Much longer than him.

Come on! Snowpaw gritted his teeth. Almost there! He felt hot breath on his heels. His heart sank. He wasn't going to make it!

That's when the cool breeze returned. It blew harder than the winds on WindClan territory, and carried him up toward the stick. His paws were barely skimming the trunk, and Snowpaw could barely breathe, he was so terrified. But at the same time… Snowpaw let the breeze envelop him.

It felt like he was flying.

Then as suddenly as it appeared, it vanished in an instant. Snowpaw stumbled as he landed, and saw that he landed on the branch that held the stick. He could hear the heavy breathing of his pursuer.

He leapt forward.

He felt claws snag his tail.

But his claws grabbed the stick.

"Rrggh!"

Snowpaw opened his eyes. The branch swayed softly beneath him. And his paws were wrapped around the stick. He let out a short mew of shock. He did it!

Behind him, Stormfang sagged with defeat, but dipped his head respectfully at Snowpaw.

"Good job." The gray tom told him with a strained smile. Snowpaw nodded shyly, and began to scurry down the tree. It was much harder than climbing up, holding the stick, but his claws stuck into the bark and soon he made it to the bottom. Redthorn along with the rest of the previously brawling warriors were waiting down there. Redthorn looked so excited. Snowpaw went red beneath his pelt.

A chorus of congratulations surrounded him, and he felt a little overwhelmed. He could always climb the tree again. But it's positive. He told himself firmly. It's the good kind of attention. I won the game!

"What's this?" A voice yowled suddenly. Everyone gradually stopped talking. Snowpaw couldn't see who had arrived, and he craned his neck to try to see around the taller cats. Eventually they moved aside, and Snowpaw saw that it was Silverstar, with Birchtail following close behind. Birchtail looked just as shocked as anyone else; no one had expected the leader to show up.

Silverstar's eyes landed on Snowpaw. Snowpaw dropped the stick onto the ground, his mouth gaping open like a fish. Meanwhile, no one had bothered to answer Silverstar's question, so the leader continued to address the clan.

"I recognize that you're in the middle of a training exercise." The leader meowed in a somewhat friendly tone. "But getting the other team's stick does win the game, right? For you see…" Silverstar's tone got a little apologetic. Snowpaw's clanmates gasped, and the rest of the training warriors emerged from the undergrowth. In Icefeather's jaws was the other stick.

Silverstar regarded the two teams' confusion with mild amusement. "I'm not sure if Hailwhisker and Stormfang accounted for the event in which both sticks were taken."