Cedarpaw rolled over in her nest, staring at the roof of the den. She felt a paw nudge her, and she turned to the large tortie beside her. "Hey, get up, it's time for you to go change the elder's bedding."

Cedarpaw groaned. "Didn't I just do that?"

Tawnyface sighed. "Yeah. But Dustkit put a dead frog in Blackheart's nest for fun. And I mean a crowfood frog."

Cedarpaw shuddered. "I'll go deal with.. that."

Robinpaw chased after Sunpaw, a playful grin on her face. She was barely aware of the snow under her paws transitioning to sand. What she did become immediately aware of, was the fact, that she had walked into the river. She backed up, shivering at the touch of the icy, slush like water on her three pads. Sunpaw turned back to her, laughing. Robinpaw suddenly felt very warm, despite the cold wind.

"Uh- a-aren't we supposed to be hunting?" She mumbled bashfully.

"Oh! Yeah!" He mewed. "I scented a mouse over there, I'll go get it." He padded off in the direction he'd gestured to, tail lashing.

Robinpaw stretched out, and gave a surprised hiss of pain. She turned her head and examined her crippled leg. The spot that made contact with the ground was rubbed raw, and bleeding slightly, a few pebbles stuck to the wound. And also, it stung. Bad.

She gave it a tentative lick, squeaking as she made contact. Damnit...

The sound of crunching pawsteps roused Robinpaw from her concentration. Sunpaw was back, a damp mouse dangling from his jaws. He bounded over to her, and dropped the mouse in the snow, grinning.

Robinpaw stood up, but stopped short, her paw throbbing. "Ah-" She squeaked. "Great Starclan that stings.."

Sunpaw frowned. "You okay?" He mewed tentatively, ears down. "Oh.. uh- yeah! It's just.. Awh-... My paw.." She hissed.

Sunpaw purred. "I could.. help you clean it? Mama told me that it doesn't hurt as bad if the pebbles and stuff aren't stuck in it.." Robinpaw tensed, then nodded, sitting back down. Sunpaw crouched, and began grooming her paw. Robinpaw resisted the urge to purr. He's so gentle... When he lifted his head, it felt far too soon. The tom stretched, yawning. Suddenly, Robinpaw had an idea. She stood up, and shoved Sunpaw into the snowbank.

He laid there for a moment, seemingly contemplating something, before he reached out, and pulled Robinpaw down with him, laughing.

She squealed in surprise, flailing her paws around. She turned her head to see Sunpaw giggling. He was so cute... So she started laughing, even though she was freezing.

The two went back and forth, rolling in the snow for a few more moments. Robinpaw sat up, quivering violently. Sunpaw frowned. "You've got your mother's pelt, don't you? Hardly any fur on either of you. We should head back anyway." Robinpaw huffed.

Cedarpaw sighed, quickly glancing at Blackheart. The old black she-cat was one of the only two elders, the other being Wooltuft, but she was sleeping, and had specifically said she didn't want to be disturbed. So it was just Cedarpaw and Blackheart. She'd heard stories of the old cat, but all she could remember was something about an evil rebellion, and how she'd been the mate of the previous leader. They'd had two daughters, but Cedarpaw couldn't remember what happened to them.

Blackheart yawned, and beckoned to Cedarpaw with her tail. The brown apprentice dropped her wad of moss, and padded over to the elder. As she got closer, she could just make out Blackheart's shredded ears and scarred face. Speaking from a mostly blind cat's perspective, Which, Cedarpaw knew, was not reliable, she wasn't a very pretty sight. Hypocritical, she knew, drifting a paw over the claw marks etched across her muzzle, the last remanent of her fight with Rosepaw.

Blackheart smiled. "How's your day going, love? I heard your mentor wanted you to have a chat with me?" Cedarpaw bristled. "I thought I was just changing bedding!" Blackheart chuckled. "I've heard you're blind, at least partially. You and that crippled tabby make a fine pair, don't you?"

Cedarpaw squeaked in embarrassment. "That's um... Besides the point Blackheart! Why did Tawnyface want me to talk with you?"

Blackheart's smile grew. "She wants me to tell you a specific story." Cedarpaw sat down, curling her tail over her paws. "What's it about?"

"You'll see. Every cat in this clan has something that makes them different. Even the ones who seem to be perfect! Ever seen Wooltuft's son, Smoketail? He's gigantic and one of our strongest. But that Nick in his ear? It's not from a battle, or anything heroic. He snuck out in a blizzard as a kit and got frostbite. Or your little tabby friend's mother, Slimtail? She may not look it, but she's had a lot of sorrow in her life, even from the time she was a kit. And me? Well, that's a long story." The old cat laughed. "But suffice to say, it wasn't pretty. But what does all this tell you? They overcame their hardships and became stronger cats to boot."

Cedarpaw smiled. "That's.. really nice Blackheart. So, how much moss do you want?

Robinpaw curled up, struggling to get warm. Suddenly, she became aware of a soft pressure next to her, on either side. Opening her eyes, she saw it to be Sunpaw and Cedarpaw, helping to keep her warm. She leaned into Sunpaw, and closed her eyes, drifting into a peaceful slumber.

sorry for taking so long to update!

I'm just curious, what ships do you think will be endgame for Cedar and Robin?