Hey, guys! Thanks for everyone who's reviewed so far. (: I uh, don't have much to say haha. I'mma just do review replies here, for now. (:

Koraki: Hahh, I liked Graystar, too. (: But her daughter is quite like her, as you'll see. (: And who knows, you may even see her again! (I don't know, either. Awkward) As for your not-too-keenness (?) towards Willowfall, well, she's actually not the only main character. (: She's important, but there will be several characters that certain chapters will be centered around. So you'll only have to deal with her sometimes. (: (: Thanks so much for reading! First reviewer whaddup. (;

The Last Sketch: Thankyouthankyou for reading. (: You always make my day, heartheart. (:

Moving to Mars: ...I don't remember if I already replied to your review or not? lolollll but anyway, thankyouthankyou for the compliments, super happy you like it so far. (: Hah, I'd better not jynx it.

Jayfeather4ever: I doubt that! I bet you're a great writer. (: Everyone's writing style is different, is all. (: Thanks so much for reading!

Onto Chapitre Un. :)

Chapter 1

Dead

[Olivepaw]

It was Leafbare. A thick layer of snow had covered the ShadowClan forest, and the lake was beginning to freeze. Birds had long since left the area, in search for warmer places, and mice and voles had buried themselves away or ran off. And so, prey was scarce. Scarcer, even, than most Leafbares, for it was one of the coldest ones the Clans had faced in years.

It was dark that day. The sun had set early, and thick clouds were covering the skies. A light, soundless snow came down as the cats of this forest gathered together in the shallow hollow they called their camp.

Situated in a semi-circle, they stood around the limp body of a light brown tabby. He lay in the snow, his amber eyes half-closed and a dark red mark on the top of his skull where he had been struck. He was dead, of course, and his name was Reedfur, one of the most respected warriors of ShadowClan. Naturally, everyone was shocked and horrified by his death. It was just so sudden. They say that he had slipped into the stream at the edge of their territory, hitting his head on a rock and drowning. They'd found his body a day later after sending out a search party.

A she-cat stepped forward, slowly approaching the warrior's body. Tall, slender and beautiful, flakes of snow hung from the cat's silver fur. Her light blue eyes scanned the clearing before they roamed down to the dead cat at her paws. She then leaned down, resting her chin on the warrior's head before silently backing away.

This was their leader, Minnowstar. She was the young daughter of the former leader, Graystar, who had been found washed up on the beach after she'd mysteriously disappeared for a week. She resembled her mother in practically every way- in both appearance and personality. She was strong and fiercely proud, willing to sacrifice anything for the sake of her Clan. As her mother had been.

From the crowd sat a dark brown tabby she-cat in the snow, her pale green eyes watching the scene before her. She shook her pelt at one point to try to get the snowflakes off, but it didn't work too well. She let out a short sigh, glancing to the tom that sat on her right. He was rather small in size, even for an apprentice, and had a light brown tabby pelt. His front left paw was white, and his deep amber eyes were silently glued to the scene in front of him.

The she-cat frowned, nudging the cat- Cedarpaw- the tiniest bit. But when he looked at her, she only saw fear and desolation in his eyes. She felt a pang in her heart, blatantly aware that there was nothing she could do to make him feel better about the death of his father. It was over.

Someone stepped forward. It was a pretty tortoiseshell she-cat, though her fur was ruffled and her usually bright green eyes were dull. It was Swallowflight, Reedfur's former mate and Cedarpaw's mother. She slowly walked forward before soundlessly collapsing into the snow beside the dead cat, burying her face into his fur and making not a single noise. Everyone watched, the air around them completely silent.

One by one, cats took their turns to mourn for the fallen tom, some murmuring a few words beneath their breaths. Olivepaw, the dark brown tabby she-cat, hesitantly stepped forward, feeling as if she was being intently watched as she walked up to where Reedufr lay. A bit awkwardly, she leaned down, tenderly touching her nose to the warrior's ear. She pulled away after a moment, not being able to find any words to say. She knew how wonderful a cat he was. He was loyal, kind, and considerate, looked up to by everyone in the Clan. He was generous and selfless, always putting his life at risk in every battle ShadowClan fought. Olivepaw knew that it would take some time for the Clan to recover from this, and she knew that the hole Reedfur left would take moons to fill back in.

She walked back to where she was sitting with Cedarpaw, looking at the tom quietly.

"Are you going to go up there?" she asked in a deep murmur. The tom made no reply. He just stood there, staring at his father, a small frown on his face. Olivepaw let out a short sigh, feeling useless. She couldn't do a thing. Cedarpaw was one of her best friends, and she couldn't stand seeing him like this.

A few hours passed, the sun now completely gone, dark clouds covering up the moon. Several cats were eating dinner, though there wasn't one sound to be heard in this camp. No one had said practically a word since Reedfur's body had been brought in on the backs of Owlwing and Briarclaw. Every cat in the Clan had felt a connection with the warrior. He was simply the best there was. Even so, no one said a thing.

Olivepaw was sitting quietly in the nursery, her brother Ratpaw beside her. He was a handsome tom, with a silky pelt of dark gray and glowing amber eyes. She knew that he was by far the most popular apprentice, and she could see why. He was funny, outgoing, smart- quite like Reedfur, in fact. She also knew that sisters Snowpaw and Frostpaw both liked him, and were constantly fighting over him. If Ratpaw was aware, then he didn't show it.

The siblings were sitting beside their mother, Bramblestripe, a very dark brown she-cat with a few black flecks along her pelt, pale green eyes dull with fatigue. She looked so much like her daughter.

Curled up in a small ball, nestled up to the queen, was a tiny, brown tabby kit- Oakkit. His eyes were clenched together, and he was fast asleep, little whiskers twitching every now and then. Bramblestripe had only had two kits in this litter, but Oakkit was the only one who had even had the chance to take a breath or let out a mewl. And as distressed as the queen was over her stillborn daughter, she was grateful that Oakkit had survived and she was raising her with all the love that a mother should show. Olivepaw and Ratpaw often helped her, because their father was... out of the picture.

"It's such a shame what happened to Reedfur," Bramblestripe murmured softly as she continually licked the top of the sleeping Oakkit's head.

"Oh, isn't it terrible?" squeaked Lightstream, a pale ginger queen with a white belly and paws. She was very young, and had only been a warrior for a few days before she learned that she was pregnant. Her kits had yet to come, but anyone could see that her stomach was growing. Her mate, Darkstorm, was sitting beside her, his lean, black body wrapped around her as he tried to keep her warm. The she-cat shook her head fretfully; "I hope this isn't a sign from StarClan telling us what's to come. Leafbare is simply the worst!"

"Shut up a bit, will you, Lightstream?" came the hoarse voice of Bluepelt, a stunning gray tabby whose attitude didn't match her appearance. "My kits are trying to sleep."

Lightstream flattened her ears and lowered her head, and Darkstream quickly licked her cheek in comfort before sending the other queen a glare.

"I feel awful for Swallowflight and Cedarpaw," murmured Ratpaw, his eyes glowing. "It must be so hard..."

"Yeah," muttered Olivepaw. "Especially after what happened to Waterkit-"

"Olivepaw, please," sighed Bramblestripe. "Don't talk about that. No one wants to hear that awful story again." The apprentice flicked her ear.

"I'm just saying," she mumbled. "I hope they're dealing with this alright. It wasn't easy for them the first time, to say the least."

Ratpaw frowned, looking away. Everyone in the nursery was silent for a few moments.

Olivepaw sighed, getting to her paws. "I'm going to get something to eat," she murmured, giving quick nods to the others before she turned and walked out into the snowy night.

The she-cat shivered as she met with the cold air, and she padded forward, footsteps soft in the snow as she kept her head down, making her way to the small freshkill pile in the middle of camp. It was flurrying lightly. By that time, most of the Clan had gone indoors.

She passed by the medicine cat, Willowfall, along the way; she was heading towards her den. Olivepaw dipped her head, slightly, and though Willowfall noticed, she didn't do or say anything. The apprentice watched her slightly curiously as the older cat continued, vanishing into her den.

Olivepaw reached the food stock to see that all that was left were two tiny mice, now freezing cold. She frowned slightly and picked one up with her teeth, raising her head.

Across the way, at the edge of camp, right before the land sloped up, sat Cedarpaw. His tail was wrapped around his paws, and he was perfectly straight, his ears flattened slightly and his amber eyes staring blankly out into space. His light brown pelt was speckled with white snowflakes, but he didn't move an inch. Olivepaw frowned, hesitating a little before she made her way over to where he was.

She stopped when she was standing a few whiskers in front of him, and she gingerly put the mouse at her paws.

"Have you eaten recently, Cedarpaw?" she asked quietly. He made no response. He didn't even look at her. He was just staring ahead, into the darkness.

A cold wind swept by, and Olivepaw shivered again; the tom, however, didn't move at all. The she-cat sighed and sat down beside him, ears flattened as a snowflake landed on her nose. She looked over at him.

"Cedarpaw, you need to eat. Please. At least take-"

"Dead," came the soft voice of the other apprentice, his tone so pure and light and innocent despite what he was saying.

It was the first word he'd said all day.

Olivepaw stared at him, blinking slowly. "What?"

"...Dead," he whispered after a few seconds, a little quieter.

The she-cat frowned and lay her head against his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," she rasped. "And I know that there probably isn't anything I can do to make you feel better, but I hate seeing you like this, and-"

"Dead," he said again. Olivepaw stopped talking. She just sat there beside him as snow continued to fall.

They stayed that way for a long time.

So, like I kind of said in Koraki's review reply, the point of view will switch off every chapter out of several main characters who you will soon learn more about. Sorry if it ever gets confusing. (;

Review and get an Olivepaw plushie? (:

Till next time!

Pearls