The snow lightly drifted upon the forest floor from the white sky above. The evergreens were now a crisp white. A tom padded out of the thick underbrush, acting as if the chilling weather was the usual. The snow lay slowly on top of the cat's silver fur as he travelled quietly under the soaring pines. His amber eyes scanned the forest, and his ears pricked up. He opened his mouth, tasting the air, and quickly leaped under a bush.

A bird limped across the clearing, it's once red feathers now speckled with white. Its leg was broken, its limb making a trail across the snow. The cat peered at it- he did not want to kill the injured bird, but he knew he must feed his Clan.

With swift motion and trained skill, the tom pounced upon the bird, giving it the killing bite with his razor sharp teeth.

The tom carried the bird and headed back home.

His home was covered with white. The wooden-patched walls and the bramble covering the nursery were covered with snow.

A few cats mewed their greeting as the tom placed the bird in the small fresh-kill pile.

The cat quietly padded to the nursery. Inside lay a white she-cat with three kits resting next to her. She was awake, however.

"Frostpelt," the tom mewed. Frostpelt looked up from her kits. The she-cat's face brightened. "Hello, Northstorm. I've been waiting for you."

Northstorm nodded and rubbed his muzzle against her pelt. "How are the kits?" he asked.

Frostpelt closed her eyes contentedly as she spoke. "They are doing well. I know they will be fine warriors someday."

Northstorm purred. "I'll bring you some fresh-kill soon."

A kit opened its small mouth in a sleepy mew. Frostpelt nodded her thanks and placed a paw around the awakening kits.

Northstorm padded into the clearing, feeling the chilling yet comfortable breeze of the wind blowing through his fur.

A deep voice called his name. "Northstorm, join me in my den." Northstorm turned to see a pale brown tail disappearing into the leader's den.

Cougarstar sat grooming himself on his moss bedding, his tail flicking forwards and backwards slowly. He looked up. "IceClan has become too powerful. They have claimed they have too little prey, yet the Snowlands are filled with these rodents." He stared at Northstorm with his shiny green eyes. "They have a personal vendetta against us, Northstorm."

Northstorm turned away and stared at his paws. He remembered crossing through IceClan territory with Oakpelt and Dawnsky when one of their patrols found them and attacked them, their leader, Blizzardstar, among them. Northstorm and his patrol had humiliated the IceClan patrol and their leader as well. And so a threat does not go without punishment, Northstorm knew.

"Northstorm?" Cougarstar questioned. "Are you listening?"

Northstorm nodded. Cougarstar had been Northstorm's mentor and had selected Northstorm as deputy for his "potential." But many people in the Clan believed Northstorm was too young to be a deputy, and eventually a leader, now that Cougarstar was on his last life.

"Today, we lead an attack on IceClan. That should give them a warning." Cougarstar said.

"Cougarstar?" Northstorm asked. "You have already lost eight of your lives, though. You are on your last life. I think you should stay here at camp and then I'll bring a-"

"I may be on one life, Northstorm, but so are you. Why should you go sacrifice yourselves when you are only on one life as well?"

Cougarstar started grooming himself again. "Gather together our best group of warriors. Be ready to leave at moonrise."

Northstorm was jittery until the time when the bright light of the moon shown upon the clearing, making the snow appear to look like crystals.

Oakpelt walked up to him. "Ready?"

Northstorm didn't reply. Oakpelt continued, "I tell you, I am ready. I liked showing IceClan whose better last time,"

Northstorm stared into Oakpelt's green eyes. "Cougarstar is on his last life. I can't help but think if he should depart from us this battle."

Oakpelt mewed, "Cougarstar can hold his own. He can fight a whole Clan by himself."

"And anyway," Dawnsky appeared next to him. "Only StarClan knows."

Cougarstar leaped up onto the Precipice, a snow-covered stone that jutted out of the ground by the leader's den.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather to heed my words." Cougarstar called. The elders clumped together at the mouth of their den. The nursery queens watched from inside the nursery, Frostpelt among them.

"Tonight," the Clan leader began. "We shall teach IceClan that we are in no mood to be pestered by them."

The warriors let out a loud growl of approval.

Cougarstar turned to Northstorm, his eyes boring into Northstorm's. "Northstorm, Dawnsky, Loyalheart, Hailstorm, Oakpelt, Strikepaw, and I shall lead the battle patrol. Wingtail, Coldpelt, Frozentail, Snowstorm, Breezepaw, and Stiffpaw shall be the follow-up. Am I clear?"

The Clan mates nodded.

Cougarstar leaped off of the Precipice. "Good. Northstorm, lead the way."

Northstorm had treaded on the path to IceClan often. The best prey lie in the thicket next to the Snowlands bordering IceClan's borders. Northstorm could smell the IceClan scent growing stronger with each foxlength.

Cougarstar flicked his tail as a signal to stop as he padded toward the front of the patrol.

Suddenly, Strikepaw, Hailstorm's apprentice, stopped. "Does anybody smell that?"

Hailstorm quickly silenced him, and then stopped as well. "Dogs." He said, his voice laced with the fear scent.

Northstorm opened his mouth and his eyes widened. "Back to camp- now!"

As the first of the warriors departed, four animals jumped out of the pines. "Cats." they barked.

One dog stepped into the moonlight- a black and white animal with a long snout and sharp, barred teeth.

Northstorm caught Cougarstar's fear scent and then scented his own. In a furious and scared raged, Northstorm leapt and slashed at the dog's muzzle.

Cougarstar bellowed, "NorthClan, attack!"

"Stop!" The lead dog barked. Northstorm stopped and noticed that they had their claws sheathed. "We are not your enemies."

Northstorm glanced angrily at Cougarstar. "Let the dog speak," Cougarstar called.

The dog spoke. "Cats. Rogue cats. They are here in your territory. And they are no normal cats."

Cougarstar's gaze remained calm. "Why would you want to tell us this? Dogs have no code."

The pack leader stared into Cougarstar's collected gaze. "Yet we do."

A couple seconds of silence passed between the two leaders. Northstorm gazed at his leader, awaiting his decision.

Cougarstar's tail flitted back and forth. "I believe you. Thank you."

The lead dog looked as surprised as Northstorm did. "My pleasure," he bowed, and howled for his pack mates to follow as he trudged back into the pine forest.

"Why do you trust them?" Northstorm demanded once the dogs had left. Cougarstar had ordered the Clan to hurry back to camp as quickly as possible.

Cougarstar muttered, "Join me in my den at sunhigh tomorrow."

Cougarstar left him to join Dawnsky's side.

Oakpelt came up to Northstorm. "Why're you worrying?"

Northstorm stared at Oakpelt with a blank stare. "What is possibly on Cougarstar's mind?"