The Flying Star

by Featheredwing

When Foxwhisker recieves an ominous message from StarClan, Shadefrost must travel with him to the mountains, a dangerous place where she will find... and lose more than she ever imagined. Sequel to the Shade of WoodClan.

13. A VERY long update

Okay, before I decided to stop writing this I wrote more chapters. Loads of you have been asking for me to update in your reviews so I have put up all that I have. If you want to read it you can, but I must warn you its very very long so provide like a day if you are a slow reader like me (JK) Enjoy!

The sun was just sinking in the sky when Shadefrost and Foxwhisker reached the boundary between WoodClan and WaterClan territory. They leapt up onto the stonewall and surveyed to scene before them. The sun reflected off the lake that resided in the east, bathing the water in a pearly glow. To the north lay the distant mountains. Seeing how big the peaks were even though they were so far away, sent shivers down Shadefrost's spine. The sheer size of the mountains was beyond anything that she had ever encountered. Slowly, she drew her eyes away and looked instead at Foxwhisker. "Big, aren't they?" she commented, waving her tail toward the mountains.

He nodded. "So big. I don't think it'll be easy to find the shooting star there."

Shadefrost frowned. "Do you have any ideas to what the shooting star is?"

"No." Foxwhisker shook his head. "I think the best thing to do is to find the cats that I saw in my dream. Maybe they can help us."

"Maybe." Shadefrost glanced across the vastness of WaterClan territory. Although it was large, the marshy land was hard to hunt in and so WaterClan needed the biggest territory in order to support their cats. "Shall we go then," Shadefrost mewed to Foxwhisker. "If we hurry we could be across WaterClan territory by moonhigh."

Foxwhisker shook his head. "I say we wait awhile," the ginger tom meowed. "We don't want to run into a WaterClan patrol and there'll be less likely to be one after sundown."

Shadefrost nodded and adjusted her position on the Stonewall so that she was more comfortable. As they waited, she found her thoughts drifting back to her clanmates. She felt a pain tug at her heart, pulling her back home. But she pushed it away. She knew that the pain would have been much worse if she had been separated from Foxwhisker. She turned to the ginger tom. "Will you miss them?"

"Who?"

"Everyone back at camp."

Foxwhisker nodded and his blue eyes filled with emotion. "I will," he murmured. "I'll miss Ratclaw and Icestorm, Sootwhisker and Shrewfur. But what I'll miss the most is the companionship, the never being alone." He turned to Shadefrost. "But I would have missed you more than all of those things. I suppose I'm glad that you came with me, even though I'm worried that you'll get hurt."

Shadefrost purred and shuffled closer to him, so that their pelts touched. "I'm glad that I came too." She shivered as a blast of icy wind slammed into her side. Foxwhisker noticed the movement and wound his tail around her haunches. They stayed like that for a while, not speaking, content in each other's companionship. Inch by inch, the sun sank deeper and deeper in the sky, until eventually it was blocked by the towering peak of a mountain.

Foxwhisker unravelled his tail from Shadefrost and whispered, "It's time." She nodded and stood up, stretching the stiffness from her limbs. Together, she and Foxwhisker leapt off the Stonewall and onto enemy territory. Shadefrost hissed as her paws sunk into the depths of the marshy ground.

"Urggh," she spat, pulling her forepaw out of the bog with an unpleasant squelching sound. It was covered in watery mud. "Urggh," she repeated, shaking the mud from her paw. "How can the WaterClan cats bear to live in this?"

"I suppose they've just adapted to it," Foxwhisker mewed. He took a few steps forward, a grimace forming on his muzzle. "Although I'm happy I live in WoodClan. I prefer solid ground."

"Me too." Shadefrost stumbled unsteadily towards her clanmate. With each step her paws sunk back into the mud's cold embrace, making it hard to move efficiently. She was reminded of the time when it had snowed in the forest. The snow had been just like this mud but colder and a lot less disgusting. She remembered how she had walked in the snow, balancing her weight on all four of her paws instead of just one. Frowning, she placed one paw forward while leaning back on her haunches. To her delight, her paw sunk only slightly into the mud and she was able to walk much more easily. She sped past Foxwhisker, who looked up at her, confused.

"How are you doing that?" he asked.

"Doing what?"

"Walking so well."

Shadefrost padded over to him. "You know when in it snowed? Just walk like you would over the snow."

Foxwhisker nodded and concentrated on balancing his body weight. After a couple of attempts, he was walking with ease. "Good," he meowed. "That's that hurdle over and done with."

Shadefrost nodded. "So, where are we going?"

"I say we follow the gorge," Foxwhisker mewed, flicking his tail towards the scar in the earth. "All water runs downwards and since the mountains are uphill, the water from the river must originate from there."

Shadefrost nodded and followed her clanmate to the edge of the gorge. Looking over the edge, she felt the familiar feeling of fear creep up inside of her. The gorge had been formed by a river seasons ago. The river flowed through WaterClan territory but only got violent at the beginning of WoodClan and CaveClan territory. Here it rushed through a gorge, until it reached the Waterfall, where the water tumbled down many foxlengths and continued its journey until it reached the twoleg place.

Shadefrost backed away from the gorge and its raging contents. It was a nightmare for any cat to fall into the swirling waters down below. Foxwhisker had too moved away from the gorge. Shadefrost padded to his side and the two of them started their journey towards the mountains. The land had a slight uphill slope to it and, although the two WoodClan cats had perfected their bog-walking, their paws did not seize to sink into ditches and potholes, made invisible by the darkness. Soon, Shadefrost's chest fur was covered in splashes of the watery mud and her paws had turned from black and white to brown.

The river slowly rose up from the gorge and thinned, so it could be seen clearly as a wide stream. Shadefrost found her eyes drawn to the peaceful waters of the torrent, relaxed by the soft gurgling it made. As they made their way across WaterClan territory, she found her paws starting to ache and her stomach growling for food. But she knew that it would be suicidal to hunt on enemy territory and dangerous to stop. She fixed her eyes on the mountains, frustrated at how it appeared that they were drawing no closer.

Suddenly, Foxwhisker stopped in front of her, his eyes wide and his ears twitching from side to side. Shadefrost felt her heart beat faster. Had the tom scented an enemy patrol? Foxwhisker sniffed the air and then stiffened. "Run," he whispered. He started to sprint across the marshland, drops of mud flying up in his wake. Shadefrost pelted after him, panic rising in her chest. It was much harder to run on the boggy ground and she twice stumbled and had to pull herself out of the mud.

Claws abruptly connected with her tail and she was pulled back down to the ground. Her attacker pinned her to the floor. Shadefrost squirmed in the mud, trying desperately to break free of the iron grip that refused to let go. Hissing, she slashed her claws wildly across the assaulter's face. There was a gasp and the grip loosened a little only to be renewed seconds later. Shadefrost caught sight of a ginger pelt and recognised her attacker as Blastpelt, a WaterClan warrior. Snarling, she kicked up with her hind legs and pushed the tom from her. Scrambling to her paws, she glanced around for Foxwhisker but before she could spot her clanmate, Blastpelt had leapt on her back. Shadefrost yowled as his claws dug into her scruff. Thinking fast, she flipped over onto her back, squashing the WaterClan cat under her. However, Blastpelt's grip did not loosen and Shadefrost found herself thrown back in the mud and pinned down. Blastpelt glared down at her, his face twisted into a mask of fury. "What are you doing on WaterClan territory? You don't belong here."

"B-but, but... you don't understa..." She tried to explain but was cut off as Blastpelt raised his claws in the air.

Shadefrost closed her eyes and prepared for the blow.

---

The blow never came. Shadefrost felt Blastpelt's weight pulled off her and unscrewed her eyes. Pushing herself to her paws, she glanced around. She could see Foxwhisker, flanked by the white warrior Softear and another blonde tom that she did not recognise. Whiteclaw was facing Blastpelt. "What do you think you're doing Blastpelt?" the deputy mewed angrily. "I told you to capture them, not attack them."

"But they're WoodClan," Blastpelt snarled, shooting an infuriated glare at Shadefrost. "They shouldn't be on our territory."

"That is true," Whiteclaw reasoned. "But we are thankful to WoodClan for helping us drive off the rogues. We should at least give them a fair trial."

Blastpelt opened his mouth to retort but then shut it and sat down sulkily, his fur still bristling and his eyes narrowed.

Whiteclaw turned to Foxwhisker. "What are you doing on our terriotory?" he meowed. "Do you want WaterClan's help?"

Foxwhisker shook his head. "No, we need no aid of WaterClan." He glanced uneasily at Shadefrost. "We were just passing through."

Whiteclaw frowned. "Why?" He stared at Foxwhisker, his eyes accusing.

Foxwhisker glanced at Shadefrost again, then mewed, "We are going to the mountains."

"The mountains!" Whiteclaw looked at him incredulously. "You don't want to be going to those parts."

"Why?" Shadefrost asked.

The WaterClan deputy turned to her. "Once, when Ashstar was leader, WaterClan tried to expand its territory so that it included the mountains. But we could not. The mountains were far too cold and treacherous for us. We lost two cats to those accursed peaks."

"How did they die?" Shadefrost queried, engrossed in the tale.

"Well," Whiteclaw continued. "I was just an apprentice then. But I remember when they brought Toadtail back to camp, his head split open by a boulder that had somehow become loose on the mountainside. The other cat, Streamfur, fell from a cliff and was never seen again. He was my..." The WaterClan deputy closed his eyes and when he opened them again, they were full of pain. "He was my older brother."

"I'm sorry," Shadefrost murmured sympathetically.

Whiteclaw shrugged off the apology. "It was a long time ago. I got over it," he explained. "But I would advise you not to go up there. You are only looking for death."

There was a long silence. Then Foxwhisker coughed and it was broken. "We are well aware of the dangers of our journey" the ginger tom said. "But we must go to the mountains."

Whiteclaw shrugged. "It is your choice but you have been warned. However, I cannot just let you go. I will need to take you to Ripplestar. It is her who ultimately decides what happens to you." He turned to his patrol. "We shall return to camp," he yowled. He flicked his tail to the blonde tom. "Strawclaw, you will mark the ginger one. Make sure he doesn't get away."

Strawclaw nodded. "Yes Whiteclaw."

Whiteclaw turned to Softear. "Softear you will flank the black and white." When Softear nodded, the deputy meowed, "I will take the front and Blastpelt will take the rear."

As the patrol fell into place, Shadefrost felt a shiver run up her spine. What if Ripplestar didn't let them pass? They would have failed their mission before it had even started. "I wouldn't worry," a voice sounded beside her. She looked around to see Softear. "Ripplestar is a very understanding cat. I'm sure she'll let you pass." He smiled at her, his eyes twinkling, kind and blue.

Shadefrost smiled back. "Thank you," she murmured.

The two of them didn't speak again during the trek to the WaterClan camp. The journey proved difficult for Shadefrost, who kept falling into the mud. Beside her Softear padded swiftly forwards, looking completely at ease with the marshy land. They splashed through small brooks that somehow managed to soak Shadefrost's belly fur. The water clung to her pelt and did not simply slide off as it did for the WaterClan cats. Behind her, she could hear Blastpelt grumbling unpleasantly about her and Foxwhisker. She sighed and tried her best to block out the ginger warrior's voice.

As they neared the camp, the land became less boggy, although a thin layer of mud still covered it. This made it much easier to traverse and the worry of a soaking was almost nil. The patrol descended a small slope and the camp came into view, a tight ring of reeds and thorn bushes nestled in at the end of the slope. Whiteclaw led his patrol through a small hole in a thorn bush that was obviously the entrance. Shadefrost squeezed through the hole and into the camp.

Whiteclaw signalled for the patrol to stop just inside the entrance. "Wait here," he ordered. "I shall inform Ripplestar of your presence." He padded across the camp and disappeared into a crack in a large stone boulder. Shadefrost sighed and looked around the WaterClan camp.

It was larger than WoodClan's but not as sheltered, consisting of several dens packed in a circle around a central clearing. The floor of the clearing was dry, hardened by many generations of paws. Directly across from the entrance, was the large stone boulder that Whiteclaw had gone into. In the centre of the clearing was a small pool of water. The moonlight reflected off it, making it sparkle prettily.

Shadefrost turned to Softear. "What's that?" she asked, gesturing towards the pool.

Softear followed her gaze. "That is the washing pool," he explained. "We cleanse our paws from mud before we enter our dens. Just because WaterClan cats don't mind having wet paws, doesn't mean we enjoy having muddy ones."

Shadefrost nodded and looked at Foxwhisker. Her clanmate was sitting with his tail wrapped neatly around his muddy paws, staring defiantly at Blastpelt. The WaterClan warrior hissed, obviously frustrated that he could not attack the WoodClan cat.

Soon, Whiteclaw emerged from the boulder and padded over to them. "Okay," he mewed. "You may see Ripplestar now." He turned to Softear, Strawclaw and Blastpelt. "Could you three please inform the clan about what has happened? They will be curious." The three warriors nodded their consent before hurrying over to different dens, to wake the cats sleeping in them.

Whiteclaw flicked his tail and lead Shadefrost and Foxwhisker over to the washing pool. "Please could you wash the mud off your paws?" he asked, while dipping his own pads into the glistening water. "We try to keep the camp clean."

Shadefrost nodded and stepped forward, tentatively placing her paw into the washing pool. She gasped and pulled it out again. The water was icy cold! Narrowing her eyes, she forced herself to submerge her paw again, trying to ignore the discomfort. She repeated the process for her other three paws and then stepped back to allow Foxwhisker to cleanse his pads, purring with amusement when the ginger tom's muzzle twisted in disgust. "Brrr," he whispered, joining her at the side of the pool. "I don't know why WaterClan cats enjoy having their pads wet."

"Me neither," Shadefrost agreed.

By now, many of the WaterClan cats were emerging from their dens. They stared at Shadefrost and Foxwhisker, some with curiosity, some with friendliness and others with anger. Shadefrost spotted Softear sitting at the side of a stunningly beautiful silver queen. The white tom nodded at her encouragingly. Outside another den, Featherpaw stood beside a black and grey tom, staring the WoodClan cats with a mixture of surprise and shock. A couple of tail-lengths away, Poolheart smiled at Shadefrost, obviously delighted to see her. She gave him a quick grin in return, before following Whiteclaw and Foxwhisker over to the cracked boulder.

Whiteclaw led them through the crack and into the den. Inside, the floor was sandy and the walls covered in lichen. Ripplestar sat upright in her nest of moss, staring at the WoodClan cats with curious blue eyes. Whiteclaw made his way over to her and settled by her side. Ripplestar wacked the ground with her tail. "Sit down," Whiteclaw translated.

Shadefrost and Foxwhisker slowly sank to their haunches. "Thank you for hearing us out Ripplestar," Foxwhisker mewed.

Ripplestar shrugged and blinked kindly at Foxwhisker. She twitched her ear to one side and then winked with her right eye. "Ripplestar wishes to know your names," Whiteclaw said.

"Well, I'm Foxwhisker and this is my clanmate Shadefrost," Foxwhisker told her.

Ripplestar nodded and turned to her deputy, flicking her tail and ears. "I've told Ripplestar about you wanting to go to the mountains," Whiteclaw meowed. "But we wish to know more. Why do you want to go there?"

Foxwhisker looked uneasily at Shadefrost. "Our leader had a dream from StarClan," he said, twisting the story slightly. "They told him about cats living in the mountains. They said that the cats had a message for him."

"Cats?!" Whiteclaw gasped, incredulous. "But there can't be. It is impossible to survive up there." He glanced at Ripplestar's face and saw his own shock there.

"Oh but there are," Shadefrost informed him.

"Yes, there are cats in the mountains," Foxwhisker mewed, deadly serious. "And they are swifter and more agile than any of us." He glanced at Ripplestar. "I have seen them."

The leader frowned and tapped her paw. "You saw them," Whiteclaw asked.

Foxwhisker coughed. "Um, no, what I meant to say is Fallenstar saw them and described them to me."

Ripplestar looked suspicious for a moment and then shook her head and waved her tail. "So, Fallenstar sent you to get this message?" Whiteclaw interpreted. "A message from mountain cats."

"Well basically yes," Foxwhisker mewed smoothly, not giving any sign of how much he had twisted the truth. "That is StarClan's wish."

Ripplestar looked in thought and then stood up and padded out of the den, flicking her tail as a signal for the WoodClan cats to follow.

Outside, most likely all of the cats in WaterClan were gathered beneath the boulder. Ripplestar leapt on top of the big rock and Whiteclaw followed, yowling, "May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here, underneath the Cracked Boulder for a clan meeting." The customary words were not needed. Not a cat moved.

Shadefrost and Foxwhisker shuffled awkwardly to sit in front of the gathered cats. Shadefrost could feel their stares burning into her pelt.

Ripplestar flicked her tail and the clearing fell silent. Ripplestar signalled to Whiteclaw. "Normally," the deputy yowled. "Ripplestar would do the meeting but our two visitors have not been trained to understand her so I shall do it." He looked down on his clan with authority. "Whilst on moonhigh patrol, me, Softear, Strawclaw and Blastpelt found these two cats wandering around on our territory. They are called Foxwhisker and Shadefrost and they are on a mission from StarClan." An awed sigh went up from the WaterClan cats but it was broken as a harsh voice shouted, "Oh foxdung to a mission from StarClan. Those cats are WoodClan. They shouldn't be here." Shadefrost swivelled around to see Blastpelt glaring at her with hostile eyes.

He was seated beside a wiry brown she-cat, who was also glowering at the WoodClan cats. "Yeah," the she-cat mewed. "We should chase them back to where they came from."

"Silence!" Whiteclaw's yowl was ferocious. "You insult StarClan with your words Blastpelt. And you Quietwhisker, who gave you the right to affront WoodClan when they have so recently helped us." He glared at the two warriors. They backed off, their heads bowed. Shadefrost heard Blastpelt murmur something but could not make out his words. She bristled slightly.

"As I was saying," Whiteclaw continued. "Foxwhisker and Shadefrost have been sent by their leader to the mountains where they will receive a message from mountain cats."

An uproar sounded. "Cats?"

"In the mountains?"

"But it's impossible to live there."

"Remember, we tried."

"Yeah and Streamfur and Toadtail got killed."

Whiteclaw silenced them with a yowl. "Yes it is certainly a dangerous mission." He looked down at Foxwhisker and Shadefrost. "Are you still sure that you want to go?"

"It was our leaders order," Foxwhisker confirmed. "We will not disobey."

"If that is your choice." Whiteclaw turned to Ripplestar and whispered something in her ear. The leader nodded. Whiteclaw turned back to the gathered cats. "Ripplestar wishes for Shadefrost and Foxwhisker to be escorted to the foot of the mountains. Is any cat willing to take on this task?"

"I will!" Poolheart's reply was instant. Shadefrost turned to look at him. He was gazing intently at her. She could not help but to feel a shiver of pleasure that the handsome tom would be accompanying them.

Whiteclaw nodded at him. "Thank you Poolheart. I think we will have one more cat. Anyone else willing or will I have to pick?"

"Can I go?" A cry went up from the back of the assembly. It was the black and grey tom that had been sitting beside Featherpaw earlier.

"I don't think so." Whiteclaw blinked apologetically at the tom. "Sorry Splashpaw but this is a task for warriors."

"But I'm almost a warrior," Splashpaw argued. "My assessment's this moon."

"Almost but not quite," Whiteclaw mewed. "Sorry but you can't go Splashpaw."

Splashpaw sat down, a dejected look in his eyes. Shadefrost felt sympathy for the apprentice and gratitude for his eagerness to help. She dipped her head thankfully at him. Splashpaw sat up straighter and his eyes glowed.

"I don't see why you're so eager to help Splashpaw." A mewl went up from Blastpelt. "What fun, helping cats from an opposing clan!" He spat nastily.

Shadefrost let a quiet growl escape her lips. She was really beginning to dislike Blastpelt.

"Oh shut up Blastpelt," Softear growled, scowling at the ginger tom. "I'll go Whiteclaw."

The deputy dipped his head. "Yes, you can go Softear." He jumped down from the Cracked Boulder with Ripplestar, mewling, "You leave at dawn."

---

Shadefrost woke as bright sunlight filtered through the gaps in WaterClan's warriors den. For a moment, she fought against the glare but then surrendered to it, allowing it to raise her from her slumber. She hadn't had much sleep. It had been well after moonhigh when Ripplestar and Whiteclaw had ended the meeting. Shadefrost and Foxwhisker had been allowed to sleep in the warriors den, much to the dissatisfaction of Blastpelt and a few others.

Feeling groggy, she slowly opened her eyes and surveyed the den. It was larger than WoodClan's but not as cosy as the marshes did not possess the soft moss needed for insulation. Foxwhisker lay a few whiskerlengths away from her, still fast asleep, like all of the WaterClan warriors.

All but one. Shadefrost turned her head as she felt a cat's gaze burn her pelt. It was Poolheart. The handsome grey tom was sitting upright in his nest with his long feathery tail wrapped neatly around his paws. He was staring at her intently with his mouth slightly open and his eyes filled with a kind of passionate longing.

Shadefrost was somewhat unnerved. "Poolheart?" she mewed quietly, so as not to wake the other cats.

Poolheart's ears snapped up straight and he shook his head as if surfacing from deep water. "Ahem, yeah, what?"

"Why were you looking at me like that?" she asked.

Poolheart frowned. "Like what?" He scuffled his paws in his bedding.

"Like..." Shadefrost could not find the words. "Nothing."

Poolheart looked relieved and quickly changed the subject. "So, are you ready for our great journey?"

"Well it won't exactly be great," Shadefrost corrected him. "It'll only take us until sunhigh to reach the mountains and then you'll be leaving us."

Poolheart looked downcast. "Yeah," he mumbled, lowering his eyes from her face. "Then we'll leave you."

Shadefrost was confused. "Are you okay?" she asked, wandering why he looked dejected.

Poolheart coughed and quickly lifted his eyes to hers. "Yeah, I'm fine. Shall we wake the others?"

Shadefrost nodded. "How about you wake Softear and I'll do Foxwhisker."

"Okay." Poolheart padded off towards where the white warrior was sleeping.

Shadefrost frowned at his strange behaviour before bending down to wake Foxwhisker. Gently, she rasped her tongue over his ear. He groaned and batted at her with a lazy paw. "Oh, leave me alone, Ratclaw," he said, his voice dreary with sleep. "I'll go on patrol later."

Shadefrost purred in amusement. "It's not Ratclaw, it's me," she whispered. "It's dawn Foxwhisker. It's time to go."

Foxwhisker frowned but did not open his eyes. "Shadefrost? Dawn? Go where? I don't want to go on patrol."

"Foxwhisker!" Shadefrost was astounded that he could not remember where they were going. "Get up. We're going to the mountains."

Foxwhisker's light blue eyes snapped open. "The mountains!" he gasped, pushing himself to his paws. "Of course!" He looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry. You probably think I'm a right old mousebrain."

She nodded. "Yeah, I do!" She poked him in the chest. "Why did you think you were wanted on patrol?"

"I dreamt of our clanmates," he told her. "I was with Ratclaw in the warriors den. He kept trying to make me go on patrol. But I didn't want to go on patrol. So I said no and..." He trailed of and looked at Shadefrost with sad eyes. "I'm really to miss everyone back at camp."

Shadefrost nodded. "Me too." She snuggled into his chest fur, relishing the warmth that she found there. He tenderly licked her ear. Out of the corner of her eye, Shadefrost could see Poolheart looking at the two of them, his eyes shadowed. She frowned, wandering what was up with the WaterClan warrior.

After a few moments, she and Foxwhisker pulled apart. Softear and Poolheart were waiting for them near the den's exit. When the two WoodClan cats approached, Softear mewed, "Are you well rested?"

Foxwhisker nodded. "Rested enough to get to the mountains."

Softear shook his head. "I don't know why you want to go to the mountains," he mewed. "An order from StarClan wouldn't get me among those wretched peaks."

"I know that WaterClan have had problems in the mountains," Foxwhisker replied. "But WoodClan have not. We are not afraid to venture there."

"But if you go then you might get hurt," Poolheart piped in, glancing at Shadefrost worriedly. "Or worse, you could die."

Irritation entered Foxwhisker's eyes. "Listen," he hissed. "We've already had this talk with Whiteclaw. We are well aware of the dangers but nothing is stopping us from reaching the mountains."

Shadefrost nodded in support. "We will not disobey our leader. He ordered us to go to the mountains."

Softear flicked his ears. "I can see that we will not convince you, however hard we try." He looked sincerely at Foxwhisker. "But we can get you to the foothills safely."

Foxwhisker nodded. "Thank you," he meowed. "We are grateful for your help."

"It's no problem, after you helped us fend off the rogues," said Softear. The white warrior flicked his tail toward the den's exit. "Shall we?"

Foxwhisker dipped his head and walked with Softear out of the den. Shadefrost and Poolheart followed.

The clearing was virtually empty, with a few cats scattered here and there. The sky was clear and the sun beat down, making the water in the washing pool glisten brilliantly. But there was a chill in the air that reminded every cat that Leafbare still had its harsh claws on the forest.

Poolheart breathed in deeply. "Ahh," he sighed, stretching his muscles in the slight warmth that the sun brought. "A perfect day for travelling." He grinned at Shadefrost but his eyes were still dark and worried.

Softear turned to Foxwhisker, who was sheathing and unsheathing his claws impatiently. "Do you need anything?" he asked.

Foxwhisker shook his head and gave his ginger fur a few licks. "Could we leave now?" he mewed. "The sooner we get to the mountains the better." Shadefrost could see that her clanmate was anxious to learn the meaning of his dream. She felt the same way. The mysteries of the Flying Star and the Snow Stripe clouded her mind and she longed for answers to clear it.

Softear nodded. "Alright," he said. "We can hunt on the way." The white tom padded towards the hole in the bushes that marked the camp's exit. Foxwhisker, Shadefrost and Poolheart followed.

They climbed swiftly up the rise that encircled the camp. From the top of the slope they could gaze across the whole of WaterClan territory. Softear pointed north-west with his tail. "We're going to go in that direction," he meowed. "We'll cross the river via the stepping stones and then head up to the foothills. Then we shall leave you."

Foxwhisker nodded. "That sounds good," he said, turning to Softear. "How long will that take?"

"We'll reach the mountains by sunhigh, if we go at a slow pace, sooner if we run."

"Let's run then!"

Foxwhisker leapt forward and began to pelt across the marshy terrain. The others followed. Shadefrost ran beside Poolheart, her paws rarely touching the ground for more than a second. She felt the air rush past her face, she felt the exhilaration of running. She could sprint like this for hours. She let out a yowl of joy and raced forward, overtaking the other cats.

She heard Poolheart laugh behind her. "Not so fast!" She heard his pawsteps coming closer and felt his warm breath on her shoulder. Growling, she swerved sideways, intending to block off the grey tom. But he was faster than she had expected and crashed into her side with a resounding thump. Shadefrost gasped as the wind was taken from her lungs and her paws crumpled beneath her. She and Poolheart rolled down a dip in the land and came to a stop in a muddy ditch. He landed on top of her but his weight was removed almost instantly. "Shadefrost?" he gasped, his voice concerned. "I haven't hurt you, have I?"

Shadefrost spat mud out of her mouth. "No," she answered. "I'm fine." She pushed herself to her paws and surveyed her pelt. "Hey!" she mewed. "You've got me all muddy!"

Poolheart's eyes widened with alarm. "Oh, I'm so sorry!"

"I was joking." Shadefrost smiled at the handsome tom. Then she pushed him in the mud. "There you are!" she laughed. "Have a mud bath!"

Poolheart grinned and pushed himself to his paws, his pelt now caked with mud. He leapt out of the ditch. "Come on!" he meowed.

Shadefrost purred and allowed him to help her out of the hole. Her eyes met his blue ones and she was surprised to find tenderness in them. Coughing, she quickly stepped back from the tom.

Foxwhisker and Softear skidded to a halt beside them. Foxwhisker stood between her and Poolheart, growling at the dark grey tom. "Did you hurt her?" he snarled. "Because if you did I'll..."

Shadefrost stepped forward and laid her tail on her clanmate's shoulder. "It's fine Foxwhisker," she mewed. "I'm not hurt."

Foxwhisker looked at her. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, caringly rasping his tongue over her ear.

Shadefrost purred and rubbed her cheek against his. "I'm fine."

"Well if you say so." The ginger narrowed his eyes at Poolheart and draped his tail over Shadefrost's shoulders, leading her away from him. Poolheart glared back resentfully.

The four cats did not run again. Instead, they traversed the marshy ground at a brisk trot. Shadefrost padded beside Foxwhisker. Her clanmate was tense and had one eye permanently fixed on Poolheart, who walked behind them with his head downcast and his tail trailing in the dust. Shadefrost did not get what had sparked the sudden rivalry between the two toms. She pondered over it while she walked and came to the conclusion that Foxwhisker was just being overprotective and Poolheart resentful because the ginger tom had snapped at him.

They reached the river as the sun was halfway to sunhigh. Softear stopped them at its banks. "We shall rest and hunt here," he meowed. When Foxwhisker opened his mouth to protest, the fluffy white cat cut him off. "I know that you want to reach the mountains fast, Foxwhisker, but we are making good progress. We'll easily be there before sunhigh. And, I don't know about you but I'm starving. I could do with a nice fish."

Foxwhisker looked irritated but agreed. "Alright, we'll stay here, but only as long as it takes to eat."

There was a hiss behind him. "Who gave you the right to order us about?"

Foxwhisker turned to look at Poolheart incredulously. "What?"

"We deserve a longer rest than that," Poolheart snarled angrily. "I'm not taking orders from you."

Foxwhisker lashed his tail. "Well, you don't have to," he growled. "You can go back to your camp if you want."

Poolheart bore his teeth and the two toms glowered at each other, their fur bristling. Shadefrost could see Foxwhisker's shoulders, tense, ready to pounce. She stared horrified at her clanmate, willing him not to attack Poolheart. They could not deal with injuries now.

Softear leapt in between the two angry cats. "Stop this," he yowled. "We should be working together not fighting." He turned to glare at Poolheart. "Show more respect, Poolheart. We are escorting Foxwhisker and so we must be prepared to take orders from him."

At the senior warrior's words, the handsome grey tom bowed his head. "I'm sorry Softear," he said, each word sounding forced. "I am tired. I don't know what came over me."

Softear nodded. "That's better Poolheart." He looked over at the WoodClan cats. "We shall hunt now. Foxwhisker, you shall hunt with me and Shadefrost will hunt with Poolheart."

Foxwhisker did not look at all pleased with the arrangement, but he did not complain and instead followed Softear to the river bank.

Shadefrost padded over to Poolheart. "Hey," she mewed.

"Hi," the tom replied but he was not looking at her. His gaze was fixed angrily on Foxwhisker.

Shadefrost laid her tail on his shoulder. She felt his body tense and then relax. He turned to look at her. She was quite surprised at the expression on his face, a kind of affectionate fascination. She flicked an ear and asked, "What was that with Foxwhisker?"

Poolheart's eyes darkened. "I don't know," he said, but there was an edge to his voice that portrayed a lie. "I guess it's hard to be away from my clanmates, especially Featherpaw. It makes me irritable."

Shadefrost felt a question burning on her lips. "Do you love Featherpaw?" She gasped, mortified that she had voiced the query out loud.

"Of course I do," Poolheart purred. His eyes clouded passionately. "We're very close."

A mixture of emotions rose in Shadefrost's belly and she could not find words for them. A small, "oh," popped out of her mouth.

Poolheart looked at her. "I mean, we're closer than most siblings."

Shadefrost's head snapped upright. Poolheart was related to Featherpaw! "Featherpaw's your sister?"

The dark grey tom nodded. "Yeah, my younger sister."

"So you're not mates?"

Poolheart's answer was instant. "No." He gazed at Shadefrost, his eyes serious. "I don't have a mate, Shadefrost."

Shadefrost suddenly felt uncomfortable under the intensity of his gaze. She shuffled and looked towards the river. "So, we're hunting fish?"

Poolheart ripped his eyes off her, to stare at the river. "What else?" he purred. "All the water voles are in their dens for leafbare but the fish always remain." He led the way towards the swirling waters and bent down to gaze into their depths.

Shadefrost joined him. "What are you doing?" she asked, as Poolheart shifted his position.

"I'm making sure my shadow doesn't fall on the water," the WaterClan tom mewed. "If it does, the fish will be alerted to my presence." He found a position where he could be unseen by his prey and slowly lifted his paw in the air. There he waited, still as stone, and then suddenly his paw flashed into the water. A large fish spun through the air and landed with a thump on the river bank, thrashing, desperately trying to return to the safety of the water. Poolheart pounced on the writhing prey and sunk his teeth deep into its throat. The fish gave a few more involuntary flaps of its tail and then lay still. Poolheart dropped it on the ground and returned to Shadefrost's side. "Would you like to hunt one?"

Shadefrost looked nervously at him. She had never hunted a fish before. "I've..."

"Never hunted a fish before?" Poolheart finished her sentence.

"Yeah."

"That's alright," the grey tom assured her. "I'll teach you." He led her over to the water's edge and signalled for her to crouch. Gently, he nosed her body sideways, so that her shadow did not cast over the river. Then, he pushed her paw into the air. It hovered there, ready to strike. "Okay," he whispered, looking into her eyes. "When a fish swims past, hook it out the water with your paw. Be sure not to throw it forwards though, otherwise it'll just land back in the water. Fling it over your and be quick to bite its neck otherwise it'll get back to the river. Okay?"

Shadefrost nodded, absorbing the information. Poolheart mewed something else but she was too concentrated on her task that she didn't make out the words. She let her hearing expand out across a small stretch of the river, listening to frogs splashing in the shallows, reeds stirring into the wind, and then a ripple as a fish's tail beat the water. She tensed as the ripple came closer and closer. She stared intently at the water before her nose, watching it roar past at a rapid speed. The fish eventually swam into view. Shadefrost watched it until it was right under her nose. Then, she pushed downward with her paw toward it. But she must have leaned too far forward because, alerted by her shadow, the fish swam frantically downstream. Shadefrost's paw, which had expected meet the fish's scales, instead flew through the water. Overbalanced, she wobbled on the bank for a few moments, and then went crashing into the river.

Shadefrost gasped one breath of air before the roaring torrent pushed her under. She kicked out frantically with her paws, but the current was stronger than her, and it held her suspended under the surface. Her lungs were bursting for air but water had filled her mouth and she couldn't take a breath. She felt her back scrape roughly against the river bed and bubbles erupted from her gaping jaws. Darkness started to cloud her vision, closing in on her, suffocating her. I'm going to drown, she thought blankly, before her eyes shut.

And then, something, some kind of angel, lifted her from the darkness. Her head broke the surface and she was being propelled towards the bank, a cat's teeth in her scruff. She felt herself being hauled from the water and she lay gasping for air on the river bank. "Shadefrost?" Her saviour was calling to her. She groaned and coughed up water. "Shadefrost, are you okay?"

Shadefrost coughed again and opened her eyes to see Poolheart looking down on her, worry verging on panic flashing in his dark blue eyes. His pelt was dripping wet. It was him that had saved her.

Still gasping for air, she nodded. "I'm okay."

Poolheart laid his nose on her cheek. Warmth seemed to spread through Shadefrost from that point of contact, even though the harsh winds were chilling her wet pelt. "Thank StarClan," the grey tom mewed. "I thought I'd lost you."

Shadefrost rolled onto her stomach. Pawsteps sounded through the ground as Foxwhisker and Softear raced towards them. Poolheart drew back from her at their approach, his fur bristling slightly.

Foxwhisker nearly cannoned into her. "Shadefrost!" he yowled, worry etched painfully in his voice. "Are you alright?"

Shadefrost nodded. "I'm fine," she mewed. "Thanks to Poolheart."
Foxwhisker lashed his tail. "Thanks to Poolheart," he snarled. "Foxdung!" He turned on the dark grey tom. "How could you let her fall in?"

Poolheart growled. "I didn't mean to!"

Foxwhisker was furious. "I didn't mean to," he imitated bitterly. "She could have been killed!"

Poolheart raised his hackles. "I saved her, didn't I?" He took a step towards Shadefrost, the anger in his eyes replaced with concern. "Are you sure you're alri...?"

Foxwhisker leapt in between them, snarling. "Stay away," he warned. "You've caused enough trouble already."

Shadefrost had never seen her clanmate so angry. He was usually so gentle and kind. His fury scared her. She stood up and laid her tail on his tense shoulder. "Stop it," she cried.

Foxwhisker, momentarily distracted from Poolheart, turned to look at her. "What is it?" he asked, his voice softer now.

"Poolheart's done nothing wrong," she mewed, looking deep into his eyes in an attempt to sooth him.

They darkened with resentment. "But he let you fall in!"

"He didn't mean to," Shadefrost insisted. "It was my fault really."

"It wasn't your fault," Foxwhisker snarled, ripping his gaze from hers so that he could glare at Poolheart. "It was his."

The dark grey tom bristled. "I'm sorry if you feel that way," he hissed. "But I've done nothing wrong." He whipped around and stalked to sit beside Softear, who was scrutinising the scene with wary eyes. Shadefrost watched as the two WaterClan toms sunk their teeth into fish and whispered to each other, occasionally shooting glances at her and Foxwhisker.

She turned on her clanmate. "What was that all about?"

Foxwhisker hissed. "What do you think?"

"It wasn't Poolheart's fault," Shadefrost growled. "It was mine." She shivered as a blast of wind beat her frozen pelt.

Foxwhisker noticed to movement and the irritation of his eyes turned to concern. "Are you cold?" he asked, curling his muscular body around her.

Shadefrost nodded. "Very."

Foxwhisker licked her ears lovingly. "Was it scary? Under the water, I mean."

"It was." She shuffled closer to the ginger tom, the heat from his pelt warming her soaked fur. "I thought I was going to die."

Foxwhisker purred sympathetically. "Are you hungry?" he asked.

"Yes."

"I'll go and get a fish." He got to his paws. Without his body wrapped around hers, the world seemed cold and dark again.

Foxwhisker padded over to the WaterClan cats. Poolheart bared his teeth in a snarl but the ginger tom ignored him and addressed Softear. The white cat nodded and Foxwhisker padded back to where Shadefrost was shivering, two fish hanging from his jaws.

"Here," he said, dropping one at her paws. "Eat." He curled his body around her again.

She purred as warmth seeped into her joints. "I've never eaten a fish before."

"Me neither." Foxwhisker looked at her tenderly. "Shall we try? Together."
Shadefrost nodded and simultaneously the two of them attacked the fish. It tasted slightly salty and was warm as it slid down their throats. But, for Shadefrost, it was nothing compared to a freshly killed mouse.

"Not bad," Foxwhisker mewed, taking another bite. "But nothing compared to a mouse."

"My thoughts exactly." The two of them purred in amusement and rubbed cheeks.

Shadefrost felt a cat's gaze burn her pelt and swivelled her eyes to see Poolheart, watching them with resentment and something else in his blue eyes. Foxwhisker followed her eye line, growling as he set sight on the grey tom.

Shadefrost looked at him. "What's your problem with Poolheart, eh?"
Foxwhisker ripped his gaze from the WaterClan cat. "Nothing," he murmured.

She shook her head. "Nothing. Foxwhisker, you and I both know that's not true. If I had been with Softear when I fell in, you wouldn't have snapped at him."

Foxwhisker flicked an ear. "I might have."

"You wouldn't have and I know there's more behind this," Shadefrost said, twining her tail with his. "Come on Foxwhisker, you can tell me."

Foxwhisker shifted uncomfortably, then mewed, "I don't trust him and..." He lowered his voice. "I'm jealous."

"Jealous!" Shadefrost sputtered. "What? Of Poolheart?"

Foxwhisker nodded. "Yes, of Poolheart. He obviously likes you and..."

Shadefrost almost choked on a fishbone. "Poolheart?" she gasped. She glanced over to where he was sitting with Softear. He was still looking at her with his handsome, handsome eyes. She shook her head and turned back to Foxwhisker. "I don't think so," she meowed. "He's from WaterClan."

Foxwhisker growled. "Yeah, so. Blackwing was from CaveClan and he still loved Fembrook."

"But..." Shadefrost glanced back at Poolheart. How could such a handsome tom like her? How had this happened? She'd only known the grey tom for a moon.

"You're a beautiful cat, Shadefrost," Foxwhisker mewed.

She shook her head. "I don't think so."

Foxwhisker laid his head on top of hers. "You are," he assured her. "And Poolheart's really into you. I think he wants to be more than just friends." The ginger tom laughed involuntarily. "And I'm so jealous. I've never felt this much jealousy before in my life." He lifted his head and looked deep into her eyes. "And you know why?" He paused then licked her nose. "It's because I love you more than anything. And if you do love Poolheart and want to be with him, I don't think I'll be able to stand it. I think..."

Shadefrost slapped her tail over his mouth. "Hush," she breathed. "I don't love him. I love you and nothing's ever going to change that."

Foxwhisker purred and great happiness and relief sparked in his eyes. He rested his head on top of hers again and she twined her tail with his. She loved his closeness and his warmth, she loved him, she really did. But as she gazed across at Poolheart, many feelings started to whirl around her body. Did the dark grey tom actually want to be, as Foxwhisker had phrased it, more than friends? Did he really love her?

---

The cats set off for the mountains a few hours before sunhigh. Shadefrost padded behind Poolheart and narrowed her eyes at the WaterClan tom. Questions flew through her brain, begging to be voiced out loud. But she kept her mouth closed, too embarrassed to confront Poolheart about his feelings in front of Foxwhisker.

The ginger tom walked beside her now, staying close to her side and growling whenever Poolheart so much as glanced at her. Although a part of her was touched by her clanmate's concern, Shadefrost could not help but feel a little dubious that he could even think that she would want to be with Poolheart. For one, the dark grey tom was in WaterClan and Shadefrost knew that cross-clan relationships very rarely worked out. There was also the large point that she loved Foxwhisker more than anything in the world.

The landscape took on a steeper tone as the journeying cats approached the foothills. The mountains were very close now and Shadefrost was astounded at the sheer size of them. She felt a tremor of uncertainty roll up her spine as she spotted a huge mountain, its peak emerged in the clouds. How in StarClan were they ever going to find a flying star or whatever it was in such a gigantic place?

As they traversed the foothills, the weather became colder and not even the bright sun could keep the chill from soaking through Shadefrost's still damp pelt. She shivered and Foxwhisker drew even nearer to her, pressing his side against hers. Drawing a tongue over her ear, he mewed, "We're almost there."

She nodded. "Yes, the mountains are even bigger than I thought they would be. I don't know how we will find the flying star in there."

Foxwhisker's pelt prickled slightly. "I know but remember we don't know what the flying star is yet. It could be a StarClan warrior or something else." He looked at her. "Hopefully it's big," he joked.

Shadefrost purred in amusement. "And what about the stripe of snow?" she asked, her voice taking on a serious tone.

"I don't know what that is either," Foxwhisker mewed, shaking his head. "I wish that StarClan could just tell us what they want us to do."

"I know." Shadefrost laid her tail on his shoulder. "But it doesn't work like that. StarClan always send their messages in code form."

Foxwhisker nodded. "I think our best bet to find the cats in my dream. I just know that they will help us to discover the answers to our questions."

Shadefrost nodded. "That sounds good."

She glanced up and noticed that Softear and Poolheart had drawn several foxlengths ahead. Flicking her tail over Foxwhisker's shoulder, she raced to rejoin the WaterClan cats, feeling drops of water fly from her pelt as she did so.

As sunhigh approached, the four cats padded to the top of one of the hills and found themselves looking at two of the smaller mountains. A narrow pathway wound through the two peaks, leading to the taller mountains. Shadefrost felt a shiver of apprehension run through her body at the thought of walking along the valley. This was where their journey really began.

In front of her, Softear stopped, his limbs stiff and his fur prickling in fear. "This is where we leave you," he said, turning to the WoodClan cats. "I will not go into the mountains ever again."

Shadefrost blinked at him with interest. "You've been to the mountains before?"

Softear nodded. "Yes. I was there when Streamfur died."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Shadefrost mewed. "Were you close?"

Softear shook his head. "No, not really. But he was a good cat, worthy of being deputy or maybe even leader. I had a lot of respect for him." The white tom closed his eyes, absorbed by his memories. "And I always think, what if it had been me who had slipped and fell? I would never have seen the birth of my kits or earned my warrior name."

Shadefrost shivered. "Are the mountains really that dangerous?"

"Yes." Softear looked deep into her eyes. "And you shouldn't go there but since you have made your minds up well... I fear for your lives."

There was a short but uncomfortable silence. Then Foxwhisker coughed. "Well, um, we'll be very careful."

Softear shook his head. "Mice are careful," he meowed. "But they are still killed and eaten by predators. That's what the mountains are like; predators. You can be as careful as a mouse but they will still stalk up on you and kill you. You may think that badgers are fearsome predators or foxes but they are nothing compared to the mountains." The white tom took a deep breath. "A mountain is the most fearsome predator of all."

Another silence. "We're not afraid," Foxwhisker hissed but his fur prickled and his shoulders were tense.

Softear shrugged. "If you say so. But you must be extremely careful and watch out for falling rocks and eagles. If you see an eagle made sure that it cannot attack you from above."

Foxwhisker nodded. "Well I guess this is goodbye," he mewed. "Thanks for the escort and advice." Padding forward, he touched noses with Softear. "We'll be very careful, I promise."

Softear nodded. "You better be!" He glanced at Shadefrost. "And you better look after her. She's a decent cat."

Foxwhisker nodded while Shadefrost scuffed her paws in embarrassment. "I'll watch her with my life."

While the other two toms conversed, Poolheart approached Shadefrost. "Don't go," he mewed, his eyes sad. "You might die."

"I've got to go Poolheart." Shadefrost blinked forcefully at him. "It is the will of StarClan."
Poolheart sighed. "I suppose." He leant forward and laid his head on top of hers. The contact sent shivers down Shadefrost's spine. "You have to be very careful, Shadefrost," the grey tom continued. "Promise me that."

Shadefrost suddenly felt unwilling to leave Poolheart behind, as if a part of her would stay with the WaterClan tom. Then, she felt Foxwhisker's eyes burning into her and became aware of the pain that she was causing her clanmate by being so close to Poolheart. She quickly drew away from the dark grey tom. "I will be careful."

Poolheart opened his mouth to say something but then shut it again. His eyes danced with frustration and pain. "Goodbye Shadefrost," he meowed finally, his voice barely more than a whisper. "I will miss you."

Shadefrost purred. "I'll miss you too." She stepped quickly forward to press her nose to his.

A sharp mew sounded behind her. "Shadefrost, we need to go."

Shadefrost turned to see Foxwhisker, looking at her with jealousy in his eyes. "Yeah," she said hastily. "I'm coming." She turned briefly to Poolheart. "Goodbye."

Poolheart's tail drooped in the mud. "Bye," he murmured quietly.

Foxwhisker narrowed his eyes at the WaterClan cat. "Thank you, I suppose," he meowed, but his voice was tense and dishonest.

"You're welcome," Poolheart growled, baring his teeth, as if he was challenging the ginger tom.

Foxwhisker's fur bristled slightly and he whipped around and started to pad down the hill. With a last glance at Poolheart, Shadefrost followed him.

---

Poolheart's POV

I stare as she walks down the hill, her pace brisk so that she can catch up with him. What use is he? He can't protect her. She's going to die if only he is there, I just know it. I don't know what she sees in him. Doesn't she notice how vain he is? How his pelt bristles with jealously every time I so much as glance at her? She doesn't have to be with him, she could be with me. We could be...

I shake my head. It's never going to happen. She's a loyal cat; she would never have a cross-clan relationship, never. Even if she did, it would only cause her pain and suffering. She's better off with that Foxwhisker. Their pelts are brushing now as they descend into the valley, their eyes shining as they share tender glances. How I wish that I could take his place so that my fur could touch hers and I could look lovingly into her eyes.

My head reels as I think of the contact we just shared, her soft ears brushing against my chin, her sweet scent flooding into my nose. She's so beautiful, her leaf green eyes perfectly shaped, her tail long and feathery, her slender body covered in glossy black and white fur... I shiver at the very thought of her and my heart jolts with longing every time I set eyes on her.

They're disappearing from my sight now, a mountain blocking them from view. I long to grab hold of the peak and wrench it from the ground so that I can continue to gaze upon her radiant form.

I feel a touch on my shoulder and turn to see Softear. "We should go now," the senior warrior mews. "We need to get back to camp by sundown."

I nod slowly but do not move. My paws are latched in place and my eyes follow her tail as it disappears behind the mountain. She is gone.

I feel like I'm being torn in two. Half of me wants to race back to camp, across the marshes, and continue to be a loyal warrior, to share fresh-kill with my sister, Featherpaw, to forget all about her. But I know that is impossible. My heart longs to run after her, to explore the feared mountains, to be at her side always. But my head tells me to return to my clan, to be loyal to them, not myself.

I think of my name, Poolheart, and the answer is there.

Softear speaks to me again. "Are you coming Poolheart?"

I suck in a deep breath and whisper, "No."

And then I am running, racing down the hill, my eyes fixed on the place where her feathery tail disappeared from my sight. She might be far away by now but I'll find her. I know I will.

I hear Softear call after me but I have no fear of pursuit. My clanmates are too scared to follow me. I'm scared too. I've heard the stories, stories of Streamfur and Toadtail. They died in the mountains and I could as well. But I'm not concerned for myself, this isn't about me, it's about her.

I don't trust Foxwhisker. He doesn't know anything about the mountains. Not that I know much about them but I do know how to kill an eagle. I would never let anything touch her, she'll be safe with me. I'm willing to give my life for her. And I know why. It's because I love her.

I love her so much.

---

Shadefrost's paws scraped against bare rock as she and Foxwhisker made their way up the mountainside. The higher they climbed, the colder it got and patches of ice had begun to appear on the rock face. Avoiding them was probably a good idea. It was a long fall into the valley if they slipped.

It was a few hours after sunhigh, and the two WoodClan cats had been climbing since then. After they had passed the two first peaks, Foxwhisker had suggested that they should climb higher into mountains to get a good look at their surroundings. Shadefrost had not objected so the two of them had begun to climb the nearest peak.

Shadefrost was objecting now. Her head spun every time she glanced downwards. The valley that they had walked along before looked like it was as thin as a tail and the first two smaller mountains had been left far behind. The rock face horribly exposed to the wind, which sent torrents of cold air slamming into her body, freezing her to the core. There was also the small matter that they were now edging along a ledge only a couple of tail-lengths wide.

Foxwhisker padded in front of her, his tail held high for balance. If he was afraid he didn't show it, his fur lay flat on his back and his shoulders were relaxed. Shadefrost wandered how he could be so calm when they were hundreds of foxlengths in the air with only a thin strip of rock in between them and a lethal fall.

A gust of wind crashed into her side, sending her stumbling towards the drop. Yowling in terror, she tottered there, before regaining her balance. Her breath coming in short gasps, she pressed herself against the rock face, too petrified to move. A couple of loose rocks skittered over the edge and plummeted down to the floor below. Shadefrost thought of how easily she could have followed them and shuddered. That had been too close.

Foxwhisker turned around and made his way back along the ledge. "Shadefrost? Are you okay?"

Shadefrost shook her head. "There was wind and it almost made me fall and..." She shuddered uncontrollably.

"It's alright," Foxwhisker mewed. He glanced at the setting sun. "We've got to get moving Shadefrost. We can't be stuck on this ledge at sundown. We wouldn't be able to see in the dark." He started to pad along the ledge again but stopped when Shadefrost did not follow him. "Please Shadefrost," he meowed. "Come on."

Shadefrost shook her head. "I can't," she stammered, her teeth chattering from both fear and cold.

Foxwhisker laid his tail on her shoulder. "You can," he mewed softly. "I know you can Shadefrost. Don't worry, you won't fall. Not while I'm here." His voice was smooth and reassuring. "Look up," he said. "Not down. We're almost there. I can see a larger ledge farther along this one. We can stop there."

Shadefrost followed his gaze and saw that he was right. The narrow ledge ran across the mountainside for a few foxlengths before it thinned out and disappeared into the rock face. Just above it was a wider outcropping where a cat could lie down without fear of falling. She glanced back at her clanmate. "Okay," she murmured. "Let's go."

Foxwhisker led the way back along the narrow pathway. Shadefrost followed him shakily, praying to StarClan that the wind would not return. When the ledge became perilously thin, they stopped and searched for a way to reach the wider outcropping. But the rock face was smooth and weathered with no footholds. Foxwhisker sighed and turned to Shadefrost. "We're going to have to jump."

Shadefrost stared at him. This time he had gone too far. "You've got to be joking." There was no way she was leaping up there when one slip meant a lethal fall.

Foxwhisker looked at her, his eyes pleading. "I know you can do it," he mewed. "You're an agile cat."

Shadefrost shook her head. "There's no way I'm jumping."

Foxwhisker lashed his tail impatiently. "Well you'll have to stay here when darkness and cold come," he teased. "And the wind will carry shards of ice that will dig into your pelt and you'll become so numb that you'll fall over the edge and shatter into a million pieces on the valley floor."

Shadefrost slapped her tail over his mouth. Terror caused through her body. Anything was better than what Foxwhisker had just described. "Okay, okay," she snapped. "I'll do it."

Foxwhisker grinned. "Great. I'll go first." The ginger tom measured the jump, then bunched his muscles and leapt into the air. For a terrible moment, Shadefrost though that he had jumped short but he eventually landed carefully on the wide ledge. Blinking down at her, he yowled, "Come on, it's easy."

Shadefrost felt her heart beat loudly. Her breath came in nervous gasps. Running her tongue over her teeth, she too measured the leap. "Don't look down," she murmured. "You'll be fine if you don't look down." Balancing skilfully on the narrow outcropping, she took a deep breath and jumped. She seemed to hang in the air for moons before crashing down awkwardly on the wider ledge.

Hissing, she pushed herself to her paws. "That was terrifying," she meowed, turning to Foxwhisker. But the ginger tom wasn't looking at her. He had padded out to the rim of the outcropping and was surveying the scene with wide eyes.

"Shadefrost," he murmured. "Look."

Shadefrost joined him at the edge and gasped. The view before them was breathtaking. The mountain range spread out for as far as the eye could see. The mountains themselves were magnificent, their sides scarred with glaciers and their peaks encrusted with snow. Valleys forged their way through the giant rocks, like long claw marks in the landscape. Wisps of cloud encircled some of the larger peaks and the setting sun reflected off the condensed water, making it glow in vibrant shades of pink and red. A stream trickled through a valley to the east, eventually widening into the river that ran through WaterClan territory. To the west lay the biggest mountain of all, its sides completely covered in ice and its peak invisible through a mask of cloud. There were no words to describe the sheer size of the mountain range, no words whatsoever.

"Wow," breathed Shadefrost, entranced by the view. Suddenly, a gust of icy wind slammed into her side, braking through her daze. She glanced at Foxwhisker. "I now deem our task impossible," she meowed, her whiskers twitching in sarcastic amusement. "Foxwhisker, there is no way that we are going to find the flying star in here, even if it is the size of a twoleg monster."

To her surprise, Foxwhisker shook his head, his eyes alive with excitement. "The stream," he mewed, thrusting his tail in the direction of the trickling water. "In my dream, I walk along a valley with a stream running through it."

Shadefrost frowned. "How does that help?"

Foxwhisker stared at her incredulously. "Shadefrost, don't you see? If we just follow the stream it should lead us to the cats in my dream!"

Shadefrost shook her head, wandering briefly how she could have been so mousebrained. "You're right," she said, her voice high-pitched with excitement. "If we can just get down to the stream then we can follow it." She smiled up at her clanmate. "Maybe this won't be so impossible after all."

Foxwhisker nodded. "We'll be fine once we get to the stream but we have to travel down there first." He surveyed the mountainside. "We can't go back down to that narrow ledge, we'd fall. And I don't think there's any other way down."

Shadefrost followed his eye line and saw that he was right. The rock face was smooth with nothing to jump down onto. She sighed. "I guess that we'll have to carry on going up, to the summit, and then climb down the other side."

Foxwhisker dipped his head. "That sounds like our best bet but we can do that at sunrise. For now, we need to rest." He inspected the outcropping.

Several large boulders were scattered over it, casting long shadows over the cold ground. Foxwhisker padded over to one of them and nosed under it. "This one has room for two cats," he mewed. "There's a dip in the ground that we can squeeze into." Wiggling his tail, he pushed his way under the boulder.

Shadefrost nodded and was about to follow him when a shift in the breeze made her pause. Pricking her ears, she listened for the disturbance. Swish, swish. Her heart beats quickened in fear. She often listened for a disturbance in the wind when she was hunting sparrows and jays but the beats that their wings made were small. These shifts were large and approaching fast. Shadefrost whipped around and gasped.

The largest bird she had ever seen flapped above her head, its eyes glistening with glee and its sharp talons glinting in the fading sunlight. Folding its massive wings into its side, it plummeted down towards her, its feathers ruffling in the wind. Shadefrost heard Foxwhisker desperately cry her name but she could not move towards his voice, her paws glued in place as the wings of death bore down upon her. Her mouth opened in a long and frantic cry and the talons reached out for her face.

---

Poolheart's PV

I can see the eagle diving from where I stand, on the summit of the mountain, heading for her. Her face is contorted in fear, her lips open in a long and terrible wail. She has only seconds left. And that mousebrain Foxwhisker is just standing there, doing nothing.

Fear and anger clutch my belly in their awful claws. I can't let her die. If she dies then there is no point in living. It's not that far a leap to the ledge where she faces her death. I can do it.

I spring off the mountainside, my powerful legs propelling me far into the air. Wind rushes past my face as I fall, my eyes fixed on the terrible scene below me.

I crash into the eagle moments before it's upon her and we both spiral towards the outcropping. It stretches out with its talons and claws at my face. Pain sears through me as it rips a jagged line across my cheek. Blood drips into my eyes but I do not slacken my grip.

We hit the ground hard and roll towards the edge. I hear a faint crack in one of my paws but do not feel any pain. I'm too angry to hurt. I claw savagely at the eagle, ripping out pawfuls of feathers and snapping its wings. It squawks in agony. If feel my hind legs slip over the edge of the outcropping and release the eagle in a desperate bid for survival. Falling over the edge would be fatal. The eagle, its power of flight destroyed, plummets down the mountain to its death. I'm so close to following it. I clutch the edge with one forepaw. The other hangs uselessly at my side, broken. I scrabble frantically with my back paws, but I cannot propel myself upwards. My paw begins to slip...

Suddenly, I feel teeth in my scruff, pulling me to safety. I lie breathlessly on the floor, blood dripping from the gash in my cheek, pain searing through my injured paw. But I am completely content and that's all that matters.

I saved her.

---

Shadefrost let Poolheart drop to the ground. Her limbs were stiff with shock. Death had been so certain but he had dropped out of the sky and saved her. Gratitude warmed her heart.

Foxwhisker raced over to her, his eyes wild with panic. "Shadefrost," he cried. "I'm so sorry. I should have saved you... I..."

Shadefrost slapped her tail over his mouth and purred shakily. "It's okay."

Foxwhisker nodded but did not look convinced. "Are you okay?"

Shadefrost opened her mouth to answer but stopped when Poolheart stirred. A groan escaped his lips and he mumbled, "Shadefrost."

Shadefrost gasped and crouched down beside him. "Poolheart?"

Poolheart's eyes opened a slit. "Shadefrost?"

"Yeah, it's me."

The gray tom looked at her happily. "I knew it was you," he purred. He rolled onto his stomach and shook his head, splattering blood on Shadefrost's pelt.

"Poolheart, you're bleeding!"

Poolheart raised a paw to his face and felt the deep slit there. "Foxdungy eagle," he hissed. He tried to raise himself to his paws, but crumbled with a gasp of pain.

Shadefrost looked at him, concerned. "What's wrong?"

"My paw," he hissed, lifting his left forepaw gingerly off the ground. "I must have hurt it when I landed."

Shadefrost nosed it tenderly. "It looks broken."

Poolheart winced. "That's great, just great."

Shadefrost murmured sympathetically. "We have to get you to a medicine cat as soon as possible." She turned to Foxwhisker. "Do you think the cats in your dream will have a medicine cat?"

Foxwhisker stiffened and his eyes, already shadowed, darkened further. "You talk as if he's coming with us."

"Isn't he?" Shadefrost said. "Where else would he go?"

"Back home?" Foxwhisker suggested. "To his clan."

"He can't!" Shadefrost protested. "What about his paw?"

Foxwhisker bared his teeth. "That's his problem."

Shadefrost stared at him, shocked. "How can you be so unkind?"

"Shadefrost, we have to journey too," Foxwhisker mewed, his voice softer. "Poolheart would only slow us down."

Shadefrost hissed, unsoothed by the ginger tom's words. "So we should just leave him to make his way to his clan injured. Foxwhisker that's not fair. Poolheart only has a broken paw because he saved me. Don't you think he deserves a favour in return?"

"Poolheart may have saved you but that doesn't make me trust him," Foxwhisker snarled. "He's a WaterClan cat!"

"He would never betray us," Shadefrost retorted, a strange certainty driving her words.

"How do you know?"

Not waiting for her answer, Foxwhisker skirted round to face Poolheart. "Why are you here?" he snarled, his hackles raised.

Poolheart, still sprawled on his stomach, bristled. "I acted of my own accord, if that's what you mean," he hissed. "My clan has nothing to do with it."

"Why are you here?" Foxwhisker repeated, growling.

Poolheart's eyes glinted. "I..." The gray tom broke off with a nervous glance at Shadefrost. "I wanted to help, that's all."

Foxwhisker lashed his tail. "Help do what? Help kill us? Your clan will be so proud."

"I told you," Poolheart roared, raising himself unsteadily on three paws. "My clan has nothing to do with it. I want to help you take care of Shadefrost."

"What?" Foxwhisker screeched, incredulously. "Why would you care about her? She's not in your clan."

"I..." Poolheart lowered his head, thinking. "Just because she's in a different clan doesn't mean we aren't friends."

Foxwhisker snarled and tensed his muscles. "Are you sure that you don't want more than that?" he cried, his voice raw with jealousy. "Because I tell you now, if you set a whisker on her then I will personally claw out your throat!"

Poolheart stared appalled at the ginger tom. "We're just friends," he protested, but something about his eyes was uncertain. "Nothing more."

Foxwhisker was not abated. "You're lying," he yowled.

Shadefrost watched horrified as her clanmate bunched his legs and sprung at the injured cat before him. Gasping, she flung herself in front of Poolheart. The impact as she and Foxwhisker met was breathtaking. The two WoodClan cats crashed to the ground and wrestled there for a moment until Foxwhisker pinned Shadefrost to the cold rock, digging his claws deep into her shoulders. She writhed in pain. "Foxwhisker, you're hurting me!"

Foxwhisker gasped and hastily sheathed his claws. "Shadefrost," he mewed. "I'm so sorry."

Shadefrost wriggled out of his grasp and backed away from him, blood trickling down her shoulders. "What's wrong with you?" she hissed, her voice shaking in shock and terror. What had happened to her gentle Foxwhisker?

"No!" Foxwhisker took a step towards her but she took another step back, towards Poolheart. "Shadefrost, no, I thought you were him! I would never hurt you."
Shadefrost crouched beside Poolheart and felt his fur bristling against hers. "Even still," she murmured. "The fact that you could do that to Poolheart, when all he's done is help us, that's... that's..." She broke off and stared at Foxwhisker.

His eyes were maddened with jealousy and grief. "Shadefrost I... I love you! I'm just so jealous. It takes over me, makes me a cat that I'm not."

Shadefrost frowned. She loved Foxwhisker too but she had never thought that he could be so aggressive and violent. She remembered that Rootheart was his father but... Foxwhisker wasn't like Rootheart. She knew that. She looked up at the ginger tom. "Why are you so jealous?" she asked.

Foxwhisker looked deep into her eyes. "Because I love you so much and I don't want to lose you."

Shadefrost felt Poolheart stiffen beside her. Ignoring the movement, she meowed, "You're not going to lose me. I love you too." She padded over so that she was only a tail length away from her clanmate. "But I'm still hurt. I can't believe that you don't trust me."

Foxwhisker took a step towards her. "Shadefrost, I do trust you!"

Shadefrost backed away so that the gap was the same. "No you don't," she mewed coldly. "If you did then you wouldn't be jealous. You would know that I would never be with any other tom but you." She gave him one last glance and then turned so that she looked out over the mountains. "I think we just need to be apart for a while," she mewed. "Until things calm down."

There was a scuffle as Foxwhisker sunk to his haunches. "Okay," he said, his voice sharp with pain. "If that's what you want."

Shadefrost nodded and grief flowed through her body. She didn't want to think about being apart from the tom she loved but she knew that it was for the best. She lowered her head and busied herself by licking the blood from her pelt. She winced at its metallic twang.

Suddenly, she felt a pelt brush hers and turned to see Poolheart gazing at her with affectionate eyes. "Are you okay?" he prompted.

"I'm fine." Shadefrost eyed the cut on his cheek and the way his paw hung limply in the air. He looked exhausted. "Are you tired?"

"Yeah," he mewed, blinking. "But you and Foxwhisker can sleep first. I'll keep guard."

Shadefrost nudged him. "Keep guard, with that paw. No way! You can sleep and me and Foxwhisker will take turns guarding." Poolheart opened his mouth to argue but Shadefrost flicked her tail gently over his mouth. "No buts, you're sleeping."

"Okay, if you're sure."

Shadefrost nodded and her neck fur prickled. A cat was watching them. Turning, she saw Foxwhisker glaring at Poolheart with such loathing and jealousy that she wouldn't be surprised if his eyes caught fire. She twitched her tail, Foxwhisker still didn't trust her. Couldn't he see that she was only friends with Poolheart? She padded over to the ginger tom. He glanced at her, his body stiff and his eyes blazing with pain. "Do you want to take guard duty first or second?" she asked him, trying not to convey her agony that resided in her eyes.

Foxwhisker coughed. "I'll guard all night," he said, looking down at his paws. "You can have a nice long sleep with Poolheart."

Shadefrost drew away, stung. "How can you say that?" she cried.

Foxwhisker shook his head. "Sorry," he muttered. "But I'm being serious. I want to do guard duty." He looked sadly away.

Shadefrost felt waves of grief tear through her body. Just that morning they had been so close and now... this. She longed to press up against him and feel his purrs reverberating in her ears but she knew that she couldn't. She could never truly love Foxwhisker if he didn't trust her. "Okay," she meowed flatly, beckoning Poolheart with her tail. "I'll see you at sunrise."

Foxwhisker nodded. "Yeah." The two of them stared at each other for a moment but then Foxwhisker gaze hardened and flicked to look at Poolheart. The dark gray tom returned the venomous stare and brushed up against Shadefrost. Jealousy flickered in Foxwhisker's eyes.

Poolheart leaned heavily on Shadefrost as they made their way to the boulder, a mixture of exhaustion and pain making his paws uncoordinated. Shadefrost crouched and squeezed into the dip under the rock. Poolheart let out a hiss of pain as he followed her. The dip was small but well sheltered from the harsh mountain winds. Poolheart's pelt rubbed up against hers and the two cats shared what warmth they had.

Poolheart purred. "This is cosy."

Shadefrost did not respond. Her eyes were fixed on the entrance, where she could just make out Foxwhisker's ginger pelt fluffed out against the cold. She longed to press against him, to warm him, for him to warm her.

Poolheart's head butted her flank. "Hey," he murmured gently. "You're not okay, are you?"

Shadefrost shook her head. "Seriously Poolheart, I'm fine."

Poolheart sighed. "You're not, I can tell." He shuffled closer to her, so that his whiskers brushed her cheek. "It's okay," he murmured. "It's okay to be upset. I can see that you and Foxwhisker are close."

Shadefrost turned to him, her eyes despairing. "I love him so much," she mewled. "But I need him to trust me. I don't know why he can't see that I would never love any cat more than him."

Poolheart's eyes flashed briefly in the semi-darkness. "You're sad," he meowed. "You're sad because of me."

"No!" Shadefrost touched her nose to his cheek. "It's not your fault." She paused and looked into his eyes. "I'm happy that you're here. You saved me. Thank you."

Poolheart shrugged modestly but his dark blue eyes glinted happily. "I couldn't let you die."

"Why did you follow us?" Shadefrost asked.

Poolheart smiled. "I was worried for you," he said, flicking her flank with his tail. "I thought you might get hurt so I tracked you along the valley. I lost your trail at the base of this mountain, so I decided to climb it to get a better view. I went up the other side of the mountain and spotted you from the summit."

Shadefrost blinked. "It's a good thing you did or I'd be dead." She eyed the cut on his cheek. "Does it hurt?"

Poolheart shrugged. "Not much. I should clean it."

Shadefrost placed her paw over his. "No," she breathed. "Let me." Carefully, she leaned towards him, her tongue extended. She gently lapped away the blood that matted his cheek fur, ignoring how stiff his body was and how he quivered each time her tongue touched his face. She moved on to the cut, clearing it from the grime of the eagle's claw. Poolheart stayed perfectly still, not wincing once.

"Thank you," he purred, as she moved away from him. His eyes glowed.

Shadefrost touched her paw to the gash. "Does it hurt now?"

Poolheart rubbed his cheek along her leg. "Not now."

Shadefrost's breath caught in her chest. The dark gray tom was so close, his handsome eyes boring into hers. She felt a sudden urge to snuggle into his chest fur and for him to wash her ears and tell her that everything was going to be okay. But then she remembered Foxwhisker, keeping guard outside. She could never do that to him. Coughing, she drew away from Poolheart and laid her head on her paws. There was a movement beside her as Poolheart adjusted his position and suddenly his pelt touched hers. It was soft, warm and comforting. Shadefrost snuggled closer and closed her eyes, letting sleep wash over her in an engulfing tide.

---

Poolheart's POV

The moonlight is strong on the mountain and it filters into the dip, making her fur shine gloriously. She looks so beautiful as she slumbers with her head resting lightly on her dainty paws. Her black and white pelt ripples as she slowly breathes, the moonlight radiating off its glossy surface. How I long to see it reflected in her perfect, leaf-green eyes. But part of me doesn't want her to wake. I don't want to see the pain in her gaze... pain for him.

Her words echo in my ears like unwanted demons. I love him so much. I squeeze my eyes shut and shake my head, trying to ignore the voice that resides there. Can't he see that I could never be with any other cat but him? My body shakes in jealousy. I know how Foxwhisker feels; I know the envy that flows through his veins. It runs in mine too.

A blast of cold air storms through the entrance of the makeshift den and she stirs in her sleep, her fur fluffing up against the cold. I shuffle closer, pressing my pelt close to hers, and draping my foreleg over her shivering shoulders. I pull her into my chest fur, where I am warmest. She relaxes immediately and purrs in her sleep, resting her head on my muscular shoulder. I stiffen, she's so close, her sweet scent drifting into my nose. I breathe in deeply, savouring the smell and gently rest my head on hers so that her soft ears tickle my chin. Relaxing, I close my eyes and wait for sleep to wash over me.

But she moves before it can. She squirms beneath me, yawning as she drifts out of her slumber. I remain completely still and squeeze my eyes tightly shut. She mustn't know I am awake. I don't know how she feels about me yet and she might get angry if she knows I am so close to her on purpose. I feel my leg slip from her shoulders as she raises herself to her paws. Something wet rasps my cheek and I realise that it is her tongue. Her purrs reverberate in my ears. I long to open my eyes so that I can gaze affectionately into hers but something tells me that I shouldn't. I should remain 'asleep'.

Her fur swishes past mine as she pads out of the dip and into the night air. I hear her teeth chatter and open my eyes slightly to check that she has really exited the den. She has and my eyes snap fully open. Rolling onto my stomach, I peer out onto the outcropping.

Foxwhisker is seated there. I can see why she's attracted to him – He's strong yet slim, his muscles rippling under his shiny ginger pelt. His eyes gaze intelligently out into the mountains and the wind ruffles his perfectly pointed ears. He's just an ordinary tom, probably popular among his clanmates and striving to be the best warrior he can be. But he has so much more than me; he has her. And because of that I just can't stand him.

She approaches him quietly, settling down about a tail length away. He does not look at her as he mews, "W hat do you want Shadefrost?" His voice is flat and emotionless.

She glances at him, her eyes pain filled but still as beautiful as ever. "I've been thinking," she meows, redirecting her gaze so that she is looking at the floor. "I think we should tell Poolheart."

I prick my ears in interest as my name is mentioned, sitting up slightly in the dip.

Foxwhisker sets his shoulders stiffly. "I don't agree."

She twitches her ears in annoyance. "Poolheart is travelling with us now; he has the right to know."

"And I have the right to who I do and who I don't tell about my dream." Foxwhisker's answer is instant.

Hidden away in the dip, I frown. Foxwhisker had told Ripplestar that Fallenstar had received a dream, not himself. This is all very strange. Slowly and painfully, I raise myself to my paws.

Out in the mountain air, she lashes her feathery tail. "Poolheart will figure it out anyway. What's he going to think when we reach the cats from your dream?"
Foxwhisker bares his teeth in a growl. "Do you think I care what he thinks?"
"You should care!" She's angry now, I can almost feel it radiating off her pelt. "If you won't tell him then I'll tell him myself."

He leaps to his paws and slaps his tail over her chest. "I don't want you to tell him."

She squirms against his grip. "He should know!"

"I don't trust him!"

"Well I do!"

"Shadefrost, if you dare tell him I'll..." He trails off and stares longingly into her eyes. Both of them are breathing heavily, their gasps the only things breaking the intense silence.

Quietly, I slip out of the dip and onto the outcropping, ignoring the agony that bites at my ankle. Taking a deep breath, I mew, "Tell me what?"

---

Foxwhisker's eyes bored deep into Shadefrost's, filled with love and agony. Frozen, she stared deep into their pale blue depths. Her breath came in sharp gasps, his tail restricting her lungs. He was also breathing heavily and his mouth formed silent words that would never be spoken.

A pebble shifted behind them and a voice mewed, "Tell me what?"

Foxwhisker gasped and leapt away from Shadefrost, whipping around to face the speaker. "Poolheart!" His face contorted into a fierce snarl. "You were eavesdropping, you filthy piece of foxdung!"

Shadefrost stared in shock at the handsome gray tom. His face stared defiantly back at Foxwhisker's. "So what if I was?" he hissed. "You're keeping something from me."

Foxwhisker lashed his tail. "You have no right to know."

"Apparently I do!" Poolheart's eyes flashed angrily. "You've lied to my leader, Foxwhisker, after she was so welcoming to you. What kind of a cat does that?"

Foxwhisker's eyes flickered momentarily, embarrassment and regret sweeping across their surfaces. "I did what was necessary."

"Necessary?" Poolheart yowled. "So what was it Foxwhisker? What was it that made it essential for you to lie?"

"WaterClan has no business meddling in WoodClan affairs."

Poolheart spat viciously. "WoodClan? This has nothing to do your clan. It's obviously very personal otherwise your medicine cat would have received this dream not you." He gestured wildly with his tail. "Look around you Foxwhisker! We're in the middle of the mountains. The clans mean nothing up here. It's just me, you and Shadefrost. This is your clan now." He eyed Foxwhisker. "I'm with you, Foxwhisker, I'm on your side and you'll have to deal with that whether you like it or not!"

Foxwhisker opened his mouth to retort but Shadefrost got there first. "Oh for StarClan's sake," she cried, frustration boiling in her belly. "Would you just tell him Foxwhisker? Please."

Foxwhisker glanced at her and slowly nodded his head. "Okay," he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. "I'll tell him for you; for you and only you."

Shadefrost gave him a grateful look. "He needs to know."

Foxwhisker merely nodded.

He turned reluctantly to Poolheart. "I told your leader that StarClan had sent Fallenstar a message saying that there were cats in the mountains and that they had a message for him. I told Ripplestar that Fallenstar had sent us to receive this message." He paused and took a deep breath. "That is not entirely true."

"Fallenstar did not receive a dream from StarClan – I did. In my dream I walk along a path between two mountains. A stream trickles under my paws. I walk along the path until I get to a single fir tree. Then I jump up onto this really narrow ledge right above my head. I make my way along the ledge and it disappears into a vertical drop. I look over the drop and I see a camp of cats. Three of the cats see me and they make their way up the cliff. They're impossibly agile. I try to run but my paws won't let me. I watch as the cats come towards me but just before they reach me it all goes black. It's so black that I can't even see myself. A voice rumbles in my ears saying, "You must go to the mountains Foxwhisker and help the flying star reach his full potential. But beware a stripe of snow for it is hiding something unexpected and familiar." I try to call out to the voice but it only fades and leaves me in darkness." Foxwhisker paused, shuddering at the memory of his dream. Sympathy rose in Shadefrost's chest, but she felt distant from Foxwhisker after their fight and feared approaching him.

The ginger tom eyed Poolheart critically. "There you go, that's the truth. Are you happy now?"

Poolheart frowned. "Do you know what it means? The dream?"

Foxwhisker hissed nastily. "What do you think?" Shadefrost stiffened, fearing another confrontation. Spotting the movement, Foxwhisker sighed. "We have no idea what the dream means," he continued in a calmer voice. "We want to find the cats that I saw and ask them about it."

Poolheart's laugh was humourless. "You want to find a group of cats in a place like this? Have you seen the size of the mountains?"

Foxwhisker growled. "Yes we have seen that dilemma. But we have come up with a solution."

Poolheart looked surprised. "What?" he asked, shifting his weight off of his injured paw.

"In my dream there is a stream," Foxwhisker explained. "We believe we've spotted the stream on the other side of this mountain." The ginger tom flicked his tail towards where the rushing water lay.

Poolheart's gazed in that direction. "I see," he murmured. He shot a glance at Foxwhisker before turning to Shadefrost, gazing at her with intellectual eyes. "But how can you be sure that it's the right stream?"

Shadefrost's breath caught in her chest as she stared back. "I-I don't think we can be sure," she mewed, captivated by his deep blue eyes. "But it's the best chance we have."

---

Wind howled through the peaks, carrying torrents of snow and ice. It swirled around the mountaintops before plummeting down to the ground below and pummelling the forms of three cats moving slowly through the valley. One was padding slightly ahead of the other two, its fur fluffed up against the cold. Behind it, a dark grey tom hobbled over the rocky surface, leaning heavily on the shoulder of a black and white she-cat.

The grey tom shouted over the snowstorm. "Shadefrost, I'm so sorry. I'm slowing us up."

"Don't be," the black and white cat replied. "There's nothing to be sorry for Poolheart. You saved me."

"I still feel bad about this," Poolheart yelled. "At least let me stand on the other side of you. I can shield you from the wind."

Shadefrost gritted her teeth as snow barraged into her side, chilling her to the bone. "No Poolheart, you're tired, hungry, and cold. You're in a lot of pain as well. There's no way I'm letting you suffer anymore for me."

Poolheart hissed. "But you're tired and hungry too. Please Shadefrost, I want to help."

Shadefrost frowned. There was truth in Poolheart's words. It had been two days since they'd left the outcropping on the mountain and started following the stream. After no more than a few hours of travelling, a snowstorm had sprung up, making it impossible to hunt or sleep properly. Shadefrost could not remember what it felt like to be warm or have a full belly. She was chilled to the bone and her stomach complained with every agonising step she took. She was on the verge of collapse but at the same time she was sure that Poolheart was suffering much more than her. Every movement the tom made was accompanied by a hiss of pain and Shadefrost was reminded all too often that it was her that had caused his injuries. Keeping him out of the storm's punishing winds was the least she could do.

She turned to face him, looking deep into his liquid eyes. "You've helped more than enough already Poolheart."

"No I haven't," the handsome grey tom mewed, stubbornness etched deep into his voice. "I..."

Shadefrost slapped her tail over his mouth. "I suffer more seeing you suffer," she said. "It is because of me that you are in pain."

Poolheart shook his head. "Shadefrost seriously, it's not your fault. I was the one who jum..." He was cut off as his paws slipped on some unforeseen ice. Unable to keep his balance, he crashed heavily to the ground, giving out an agonized yelp as his broken paw became trapped beneath him.

Shadefrost gasped. "Poolheart!" She bent down beside the tom. "Are you okay?"

Poolheart gritted his teeth. "I'm fine." Hissing, he attempted to raise himself to his paws but his hind legs buckled under the stress. Sighing, he let his head fall to the floor and closed his eyes.

Terrified, Shadefrost nosed his muzzle. "Poolheart? Come on, get up."

The WaterClan tom shivered uncontrollably. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I'm sorry Shadefrost, I just can't." He opened his eyes a slit. "Go, go on without me."

"No!" Shadefrost mewled. "I can't just leave you here!" She peered desperately through the torrent of snow, trying to catch sight of Foxwhisker. The ginger tom was nowhere to be seen. She turned back to Poolheart, feeling panic rise in her chest. "Don't worry," she whispered, touching her nose firmly to his forehead. "I'll be right back."

She spun around and raced up the valley, gritting her teeth as the stream under her paws froze her pads. She couldn't see more than a foxlength in front of her. "Foxwhisker!" she yowled.

Pawsteps – and her clanmate emerged through the snow in a glorious blur of ginger fur. "What is it?" he asked, his voice high-pitched with worry. "Are you okay?"

Shadefrost quickly touched her nose to his, thankful that he was there. He purred at the contact but his shoulders were tense. "I'm fine," she mewed. "But Poolheart, he fell."

Foxwhisker growled. "The mousebrain, how did he manage to do that?"

"Foxwhisker!" Shadefrost was angered by the venom in her clanmate's voice. "I'm scared Foxwhisker. He can't get up. I need you to come. Please."

Foxwhisker's fur bristled. "Alright," he meowed. "I'm coming. I'm not just going to let him die, even if he is a total mousebrain."

Shadefrost sighed, relived. "Thank you Foxwhisker." Whipping around, she led her clanmate back to where Poolheart had fallen.

There was a considerable build up of snow on the grey tom's pelt as he had not moved since Shadefrost had left him. "Oh StarClan," she breathed, rushing forward to crouch at his side. She quickly brushed the white from his body.

He stirred beneath her. "Shadefrost? Is that you?"

Shadefrost nodded vigorously, pressing her nose to his cheek. It was unbearably cold.

"It's so dark Shadefrost," murmured Poolheart slowly. "It's so dark where I am."

Fear sparkled in Shadefrost's chest. "No," she yowled, licking Poolheart's limp form in a vain effort to warm him. "Don't die, please don't die."

Poolheart's body racked with shivers. "I'm so cold," he breathed.

"No!" Shadefrost pressed her pelt close to his. She glanced up at Foxwhisker, her breath coming in panicked gasps. The ginger tom surveyed the scene before him, his eyes dark, his teeth bared. "Please," Shadefrost yowled at him. "Do something. He's dying!"

Foxwhisker blinked slowly. "Move," he hissed, his voice deep and unfamiliar.

Shadefrost frowned at him. "Why?" she asked, hissing as snow clouded her vision.

Foxwhisker flicked his tail at her. "Just move," he growled.

Shadefrost reluctantly shuffled away from Poolheart. The grey tom's breathing was weak and his pelt was soaked with melted snow. He shivered uncontrollably. Shadefrost felt panic threaten to overwhelm her – what would she do if he died?

Foxwhisker took a long hard look at Poolheart, his eyes masked with loathing, and suddenly lunged foreword and dug his teeth into the grey toms shoulder. Shadefrost leapt to her paws as Poolheart let out a cry of pain. Yowling, she leapt at Foxwhisker, bowling him away from the injured cat and pinning him down. "Are you out of your mind?" she screeched.

Foxwhisker did not struggle under her grasp. "Pain," he said flatly. His eyes burned intensely into hers.

Shadefrost dug her claws deep into his shoulders, hissing when he didn't even wince. "You know," she cried, her stomach churning with nausea. "I used to love you Foxwhisker! But now, now you're a completely different cat. Why would you do that to Poolheart? Why?"

Foxwhisker's eyes flashed, revealing the mental agony that he was feeling. "Swallowfeather told me," he hissed, his body tense. "Pain can wake even the deepest sleeping cat. I didn't do that to hurt Poolheart; I did it to save him."

Shadefrost went numb with shock. "Foxwhisker," she gasped, realising her mistake. "I'm sorry, I..."

"Is that what you think of me?" Foxwhisker cried out in agony. "You think that I would deliberately hurt another cat?" His eyes bored deep into hers, pools of hurt and longing. "We used to be so close, Shadefrost. But now, now something's gone wrong. We don't know each other anymore."

Shadefrost felt pain rip through her as she realised the truth in her clanmate's words. Grimacing, she released him from her grip. "Foxwhisker, I'm so sorry."

"I still love you," Foxwhisker said, his voice hoarse. "I'll always love you Shadefrost."

Shadefrost did not hear his words. "I was so sure that we were meant to be together. I loved you so much."Her voice cracked and she swallowed to regain it. "But if we can let a cat like Poolheart come between us then maybe this is not meant to be."

Foxwhisker stiffened and leapt to his paws. "What are you saying?" He gazed desperately at her.

"I'm saying that we can't keep doing this Foxwhisker," she mewed, each word hurting like claws to her heart. "I'm sick of fighting and I'm sick of your jealousy. I need to be with a cat that can trust me and that cat is obviously not you."

Foxwhisker took a step towards her. "Please," he begged, softly. "Please don't do this to me Shadefrost."

Shadefrost backed away. "I have to. I'm sorry Foxwhisker."

"But I love you." Foxwhisker's mew was pleading, his eyes were desperate.

Shadefrost sighed and turned away from him, waves of agony ripping through her. "That doesn't matter anymore," she said, only just loud enough to be heard over the roaring wind. "We just have to face it Foxwhisker. It's over."

Sorry it had to end on such a downer.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I do appreciate it even if I'm not writing this anymore:)

I'm probably not going to update this again. I'm currently writing something of my own thats not a rip off warriors and I just don't have time for this anymore. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed writing fanfics, it entertained me for many years but I feel that I need to write my own ideas if I am ever going to mature as a writer. I hope you understand and thanks to everyone who has read this so far. I hope you enjoyed that last VERY, VERY long chapter.

BTW, if anyone wants to take up this idea and finish it, feel free. I'd really like to see how it ends up. Just PM me and I'll tell you how I was going to finish it and you can tweak it if you want:)

Bye and thank you!

Featheredwing.