Chapter 3

The sunlight was streaming all over the grass, lighting up each blade. The river bubbled along merrily. Tiny silver fish leapt from the cool water and flipped in the air. Icepaw watched carefully as Coldsnow's paw shot out over water's surface and snatched a dancing fish straight from the air. Coldsnow pinned the wiggling fish down with one paw and finished it off with a quick bite to the head.

"Here," Coldsnow said, pushing the fish towards his apprentice, "have it. We've got plenty of fresh-meat for the clan already."

Icepaw mewed her thanks as she took a bite of the still-warm fish. As she chewed, Icepaw looked around at her surroundings. Tinypaw and Miststorm were practicing battle techniques in the river bank. Icepaw watched as Tinypaw hurled through the air and crashed into her mentor, knocking the white cat off her feet.

"Good jump, Tinypaw!" praised Miststorm. Tinypaw flicked her ear gratefully. Icepaw turned her attention back to the river where her mentor was waiting for another fish. Coldsnow crouched on Gulf Rock easily, his nose barely touching the water. Suddenly his paws dipped in and out of the water, pulling out another fish. Icepaw marveled at her mentor's skill. Coldsnow had a special knack for fishing. He gripped the scaled fish with his teeth and settled down next to his apprentice to eat it.

"Owlear told me about your dream," Coldsnow said, not looking at Icepaw. She felt her ears grow hot with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she mewed, looking tentatively at the calico tom.

"You don't need to apologize Icepaw," Coldsnow said. "You were right to tell Owlear."

Icepaw twitched her tail uneasily.

"What do you think Leopardstar was talking about? Why is Riverclan in danger?" she asked. Coldsnow shook his head.

"I'm not sure. We just have to keep our eyes and ears open," he said softly. Icepaw nodded, pushing the bones of her fish away from her with her paw. Suddenly Coldsnow stood up.

"I'll bury these fish bones. When I'm done we'll do some battle training, okay?" he said. Icepaw grinned, Coldsnow always knew how to cheer her up. She loved battle training.

"Okay!" she meowed. She watched as her mentor trotted off with the fish bones in his mouth. Icepaw turned back to the river. She sat on the edge of Gulf Rock and dabbed her paw in the water, scaring a nearby fish. All of a sudden, Icepaw noticed a bundle of fur floating along on a piece of driftwood in the water. As the wood got closer, Icepaw realized in horror what the bundle of fur was.

"Coldsnow! Coldsnow! There's a kit in the river!" Icepaw yowled frantically. She heard her mentor's paw steps speed towards her but she couldn't wait. Taking a deep breath, Icepaw dove into the river, the cold water hitting her like a ton of rocks. Icepaw kicked at the sandy bottom of the river and shot to the surface. The current was strong around this time of the year and Icepaw felt herself being dragged along. She cast her eyes around for the kit on the wood. She spied the tiny creature at last and swam towards it, propelling her lithe legs quickly. Finally she reached the kit and seized it in her teeth, fighting to keep it's head out of the water. Icepaw felt the weight of the kit pulling her down, even in the shallower water. Icepaw knew if she let go of the kit she would be able to reach the shore but she kept a firm grip on the other cat's scruff. Just as she felt her strength failing her, a strong force came up from underneath her and Icepaw felt teeth closing around her fur. All she could do was hold on to the kit as the other cat heaved her on to the shore. Icepaw coughed and spluttered as she lay on the river bank. Miststorm and Coldsnow stood over her, breathing heavily, both of them wet.

"Icepaw! Icepaw are you alright?" Coldsnow's frantic voice penetrated the fog clouding around in Icepaw's mind.

"Yes, yes I'm okay. We've got to get the kit to Owlear," she coughed. Tinypaw was suddenly at her side and helping her up. Icepaw watched as Miststorm grabbed the kit and rushed off to the camp. Icepaw took a few deep breaths and shook off her grey coat.

"Oh thank Starclan you're alright!" Coldsnow said, nuzzling his apprentice.

"Come on, let's get her back to Riverclan camp," Tinypaw said urgently. Coldsnow nodded and the two cats supported Icepaw on both sides as they struggled back through the woods, towards the familiar clearing.

When she awoke, Icepaw was laying in Owlear's den and sunlight was streaming in through cracks in the wall of reeds. Owlear stood over her. When he saw she was awake, the medicine cat nudged a green pasty solution towards the apprentice.

"Eat this, it will make you feel a lot better," he said. Icepaw obediently lapped up the nasty-tasting mixture. Suddenly she remembered the kit.

"The k-kit! Is it alright?" she said, scrambling to her feet.

"Whoa, settle down Icepaw," Owlear said, forcing the grey cat to her paws. "You're pretty waterlogged, you've got to take it easy."

"What about the kit?"

Owlear smiled gently. "She's fine. Look," he said, pointing with his tail to a bed of moss diagonal to Icepaw. The bundle of fur had taken shape. A tiny black kit with a white tail was curled up on the moss, fast asleep.

"She wouldn't have survived much longer, but you found her in time," Owlear proclaimed, licking Icepaw's head. Icepaw felt her whole body warm. She had finally done something worthwhile! She saved that little kit! The entrance of the den suddenly darkened as Coldsnow entered.

"Coldsnow!" Icepaw said happily. He padded over to his apprentice.

"I just spoke with Silverstar," he said, "she decided to give the kit a name. She's part of Riverclan now."

Icepaw gaped.

"Really? But where did she come from?" Icepaw asked, astounded. Coldsnow shook his head.

"We're not sure, but she drifted in from upstream, so she must be a rogue, or a kittypet. No clans live upstream from us," he explained. Icepaw drew in a breath.

"And Silverstar would let in a kittypet?" she asked. Silverstar was a great clan leader; strong and wise but where kittypets were concerned, she was a little biased. Icepaw knew that Silverstar's parents had been old-fashioned and so she too thought that kittypets could never be warriors.

"Well she figured that since this kit is so young, we'll have a good chance of training it to be a warrior cat through and through," Coldsnow said, frowning. Icepaw nodded, it made sense. Owlear flicked his tail at Coldsnow.

"Alright Coldsnow, leave Icepaw alone now. I know she'll want to go to the naming ceremony for this kit and she'll be named by sundown. I want Icepaw to get some more rest," he stated. Coldsnow mewed with laughter and brushed up against his apprentice as a goodbye. When he left the den Icepaw turned her head to Owlear.

"Why is she being named so early?" she asked, nodding towards the sleeping kit. Owlear gazed at the kitten.

"She needs a name. And thanks to you, she's almost recovered," he said. Icepaw meowed shyly. Owlear then turned and glared at the grey apprentice.

"Now get some sleep. You need to get better fast," he said gruffly. Icepaw smiled sleepily and then tucked her tail under her nose and drifted off to sleep.