Fireleap woke with a shiver to a world covered in white. The first snowfall of Leaf-bare had finally arrived, completely changing the look of the forest territories.
Spottedleaf looked over Fireleap's pitifully short pelt with a frown, before pressing her fluffier pelt against the flame-pelted molly sympathetically.
"You're going to need to keep active to stay warm," Spottedleaf mewed. "Might wanna talk to Redtail about joining a patrol."
"And to think, you have three moons of this every four seasons?" Fireleap grumbled, burying her face in Spottedleaf's warm fur, causing the tortoiseshell to chuckle.
"We make do," she mewed, before glancing over at where the herbs were stored back in the rear of the den. "At least we're prepared for the coming weeks."
Fireleap nodded, before reluctantly leaving Spottedleaf's embrace. "Guess I'd better get going then. See ya later." The ginger molly departed and Spottedleaf stretched her paws and limbs one at a time before getting ready for the day.
Fireleap found Redtail with Tigerclaw and Whitestorm and again found herself envious of the forest cats' fluffy winter pelts. Redtail sympathized with her plight and sent the three out on patrol towards the RiverClan and WindClan borders.
Redtail watched as Spottedleaf emerged from the medicine cat tunnel and padded over to meet her, exchanging an affectionate nuzzle with his sister. "How are you feeling?" he mewed. "Is the den warm enough? Fireleap looked quite miserable."
"Might wanna task some apprentices to dig up some bracken for all the dens," Spottedleaf mewed, looking around the camp, which was already reinforced well enough, but there was always room for more. "Better safe than sorry."
Redtail nodded, brushing his tail against Spottedleaf's pelt to flick snow off it. "Anything else you need help with?" he asked. Spottedleaf shook her head and padded off, while Redtail motioned to Thornpaw, Brightpaw, tasking them with fetching material to insulate the clan dens.
Fireleap trotted after Whitestorm and Tigerclaw as they made their way along ThunderClan's borders, stopping now and again to renew markers, check for prey, trespassers, and get the general feel of Leaf-bare.
"Feels like the snowfall came later this year," Whitestorm noted, sniffing after a mouse-trail.
"It did," Tigerclaw meowed, tailtip twitching as he peered over some piles of snow, nostrils flaring as he got a face-full of snow from a fleeing mouse, which he crushed under a paw. He flicked it towards Fireleap, who added it to a growing pile.
Whitestorm sighed, shaking out his pelt. "Hope that doesn't mean it takes longer for Newleaf to get here."
"May mean a brutal Leaf-bare." Tigerclaw flexed his paws, claws scoring deep furrows in the snow. "Here's hoping it goes well."
"It should," Fireleap mewed. "The clans working together should be able to get through anything."
Whitestorm nodded slowly. "Although sharing prey will probably be one of the larger hurdles going forward." He glanced northwest. "ShadowClan's probably going to feel it the hardest. There's not a lot of prey there this time of year."
Tigerclaw bit back a growl. "They've really been having it hard."
"They're strong," Fireleap mewed. "I just hope they know when to ask for help if they need it."
"They're clan cats," Tigerclaw meowed. "So it's going to take some doing." He flicked snow off his back with his tail and sniffed the ground. "We're done here. Let's move on."
Tallstar gazed out over the snow-covered moor, tail wrapped over his paws to keep them warm. His ears twitched as he heard paws flatten the snow behind him.
"Morningflower's kit's remaining strong," Barkface meowed as he came abreast of Tallstar. "I feared the worst with the abrupt snowfall." His ears went flat. "Although I don't want her to leave the nursery until the kit's strong enough to walk."
Tallstar nodded. "I'll leave her in your paws. And Gorsepaw's."
Barkface chuckled. "He's been glaring at and challenging anyone that comes near. I think they'll be fine."
The two cats shared a purr before Tallstar looked up at the cloud-covered sky. "But the threat of a hard Leaf-bare remains. How's the prey?"
"We have enough, for now, and if it's shared, we should be good for a few weeks."
Tallstar sighed, flexing his claws. "That leaves moons to get through though." His ears came up and he looked west. "Although…there's always Barley's farm if we need it."
"Will they share with us?" Barkface asked, tilting his head.
"Rusty told me they sometimes get food from the Twolegs that live there, which means they should be fine with sparing us the odd mouse," Tallstar mewed. He glanced towards the other territories. "And we can always ask if it gets dire."
"I'd hope we'd ask before it got dire," Barkface mewed sharply. "Pride doesn't fill bellies, and I'd gladly take a debt to another clan over having to bury clanmates."
Tallstar nodded, whiskers twitching in amusement. "And that is why you're my medicine cat."
Oakfur watched his leader as she paced around the ShadowClan camp, fur spiked in agitation, tail lashing from side to side.
Russetstar grimaced, shaking snow from her paws and beckoned Oakfur to her side.
"I know we just sent out a hunting patrol, but do you think another will help?" she asked.
Oakfur hesitated, before shaking his head. "If we hunt too much, there won't be prey when we really need it." His voice got softer. "We're not in danger yet." His whiskers twitched wryly. "We've had bleak Leaf-bares before." He glanced towards the camp entrance. "We'll be fine."
Russetstar pawed at her nose and glared up at the sky, before she caught herself, closed her eyes with a sigh, and let out a long slow breath.
"I want to blame someone, but I know in my heart that there's nobody at fault here, and that screaming at the sky won't help, but it'd certainly help me vent my frustration in a very cathartic manner."
Jaggedtooth, Cederpaw, Darkflower and Rowanpaw trotted into camp, jaws full of prey, and Russetstar felt her stomach relax. She padded over to them, carefully pacing herself and nodded at their catch. "Well done," she purred warmly, before letting her face harden slightly. "Thank you for your hard work and contribution to the clan."
Jaggedtooth nodded, before leading the returning patrol to the fresh-kill pile to drop off their catches. Jaggedtooth then came back, tailed by the two apprentices as Darkflower began to wash herself.
"Anything else the clan needs that I can help with?" the former rogue asked.
Russetstar glanced at the apprentices thoughtfully. "How did they perform in the snow?"
The two apprentices ducked their heads and gave their chest fur a few embarrassed licks as Jaggedtooth stifled a snort. "Not too well," he admitted sheepishly. "Although they had no way of knowing how deep the snow was at parts, so…"
Russetstar blinked at the tabby thoughtfully. "Then take them out and train them how to hunt in the snow. Don't stay out too long though," she added, forcing back a shiver of her own. "No one should be out in this cold for too long."
"Of course," Jaggedtooth mewed, before looking back at the apprentices. "Alright, let's go. Keep up, and you'll stay warmer." He looked at Russetstar. "Should we hunt as well?"
"Leave it for now," she replied. "We're set for the time being."
They departed and Russetstar sank back onto her haunches with a sigh, before jumping up, shaking herself free of snow. "Three more moons of this," she grumbled, squeezing her eyes shut. "StarClan give me strength."
Silverstream watched Featherkit and Stormkit as they tumbled over the frozen ground of the RiverClan camp. Mosspelt sat beside her, a low purr rumbling in her throat.
"They're strong kits," Mosspelt noted with a nod. "They'll make fine warriors some day."
Silverstream's whiskers twitched as Featherkit pounced on her brother, battering him with her paws. Stormkit flipped, sending her flying, before he scrambled to his paws and ran over to make sure she was okay. Their giggling warmed Silverstream's heart and she wished Graystripe could see them. Stormkit bore an uncanny resemblance to him, while Featherkit was a pale tabby like herself, and she wondered if it was StarClan's providence that they were so similar.
Even though she couldn't feed them herself, they still called her mother and their love was at times overwhelming. They treated Mosspelt with the same respect as well. Silverstream wondered if they minded having no father, but they didn't seem to care. Which made sense, given their age. She wondered when they would ask and how she would answer them.
"Just tell them the truth," Mosspelt murmured, tapping Silverstream with her tail, who jumped in surprise.
"Was that out loud?" Silverstream mewed in surprise, before blinking at Mosspelt. "You're right." She gazed at the kits thoughtfully. "I wonder who their parents were and if they miss them."
"Of course they do," Mosspelt mewed sharply. "What parent wouldn't be worried if their kits were taken from them and thrown in a river?"
Silverstream winced. "Yeah," she mewed, kneading the ground with her paws before giving them a shake. Mosspelt brushed her tail against the younger molly's side.
"Don't worry about that now," she mewed warmly. "Worry about how you're going to deal with them here and now, and deal with whatever comes if it does come. Your kits need you."
Silverstream gave the queen a grateful look and padded over to give her kits some motherly love and affection.
