CHAPTER 28-It's Cold Today

Stoneteller's eyes widened. "You're leaving already?"

Dewstep nodded. "Our clanmates will be wondering where we've gone."

It had been a few more days, and the dark grey snow clouds had almost thinned out.

"But I wanted to stay a little bit longer," Snowstorm whined. Dewstep cuffed him in the head and meowed, "We can't. Brightheart and Cloudtail must be worried about us. Amberlight, too."

Stoneteller stood up and peered outside. The cold wind whipped his fur. "The weather doesn't look that bad," he observed. "You could make it back to the Lake in a few days if you hurried."

I stared outside, my tail curled around my paws. The wind was awfully cold and strong, but at the least the snow had stopped falling. The white blanket lay silently around the curves of the mountain, quiet and still. Everything in the pale grey dawn was mute. Nothing stirred, and all was quiet except for the steady shhhh of the endlessly flowing waterfall.

Dewstep shook his fur and padded outside the den. "Alright then, let's go."

"Hold on, let me get a bite to eat before we leave," Snowstorm mewed. He bounded over to the pile of prey in the other room and disappeared.

Stoneteller watched him leave, and then he blinked at me warmly.

"Have a safe journey back," he mewed. I dipped my head and breathed, "Thank you."

As I turned to go, he called, "Ashley, wait."

I paused and looked back, startled. The tom hesitated, and then mewed, "Be safe. And try your hardest, alright?"

I nodded. The words of the prophecy suddenly came echoing back at me, and I asked, "You said that I would meet a winged lion, a snake with golden scales, a ball of shining fire, and a leopard that was afraid of its own shadow. Do you know who they are?"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't. You'll be able to find out soon, though."

Dewstep called, "Come on, Ashley! We have to get going now!"

I yelled, "Coming!" and sprinted over to him.

Snowstorm was with him, his cheeks stuffed full of food.

As we padded out into the white world with the snow crunching underneath our paws, Stoneteller stared at us from the entrance of the cave.

Suddenly, a movement flickered from behind him, and Silver Sheen on Water skirted after us.

"Wait!" she shouted. "I never got to say goodbye yet!"

She skidded to a halt beside me and panted, "I...want to wish you good luck, Ashley." She blinked at me with her clear blue eyes. "And remember, whatever happens, everything will be alright."

I licked her forehead and smiled. "Thanks a lot."

She grinned back. "You'll visit sometime again, right?"

Snowstorm nodded. "Of course. The food here is good, after all."

Dewstep nudged him roughly in the side and looked at Silver. He dipped his head and said, "Thank you very much for your kindness and hospitality. We'll never forget."

Silver nodded. "Take care." She dashed back to the opening of the mountains.

The ice and snow made everything slippery, so we made our way down slowly and carefully. The frost hung thickly in the air. Snowflakes whirled and snagged onto my black fur, looking like stars caught in the vast expanse of a dark universe.

The sun must be high up in the middle of the sky when we finally reached the foot of the mountains.

My paws felt so cold that I couldn't even feel them anymore. Dewstep narrowed his eyes up at the grey sky. "The winds are picking up," he warned. "Although, I guess it's safe to keep going."

We continued on our way. I flicked my ear and gazed up at the falling snowflakes, mesmerized at their beauty, until Snowstorm called for me to hurry up.

The wind continued to lash at us, but other than that, everything was quiet. Until the blizzard started.

At first the change was subtle, hardly noticeable. And then the breath of the wind got colder, and the soft snowflakes turned into sharp, thin needles that scratched my numb cheeks and eyes.

The wind howled and roared in my ears, blinding me and turning everything into a blurry white screen. I couldn't see the others in front of me, only the faint outlines that could be cats.

Snowstorm yowled something, but the blizzard drowned out his voice. I stumbled on blindly, desperate to find them. My heart pounded furiously, resonating fear.

And how cold it was. Every step only made my legs colder, and they were so stiff that they could barely bend. I had to close my eyes so that the snow wouldn't get in them. I wish I could close my ears to, so I could drown out the howling and roaring voices of the wind. "Where are you?" I shouted. No one answered, or perhaps the noise deafened my sense of hearing.

I grew more afraid. Even though I was too numb to feel anything, I could sense the cold stalking me, ready to sink its frozen claws into me and leave me white and freezing in the middle of the blue blizzard.

The wind whistled and roared and yowled and hissed.

Ssssssss...vraaaaaahhh...haaaaah...it whispered.

I stumbled and fell, but urged myself to keep going. I can't die here.

And then after a few more steps, I fell, but couldn't bring myself to get back up. Nestled in the snowdrifts, I somehow felt warm, as if a spark had ignited inside me. It was strange.

Come on, get up, I told myself. My paws wouldn't budge. After all, even if I stood up again, the wind would only beat me back down. I didn't have anything to return to.

The icy needles whipped past my face. My eyes began to droop. I began to grow sleepy. As the frozen claws readied itself to pounce, I only felt warmth and a wave of drowsiness. Was this what it felt like to freeze to death?

Out of the blueness of the storm, the fierce hush of the wind, I heard a voice, and it sounded so out of place that I immediatley snapped to attention.

"Well, what have we got here?" the voice said.

And then I felt safe hands wrap around me and hold me tight, carrying me out of the harsh, freezing depths, out of the blue.