Another chapter! That makes… three for the whole summer so far? Wow keep up the good work, me … not. Sorry. Hope this one is good anyway. Not especially long but very deep. 'Scuse the typos, as always.

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Two sets of paw prints were punched into snow, winding through the trees. Little by little, the pockets were filled with the dust of new snow, until the path had disappeared entirely, and the forest was empty again.

"The ShadowClan border extends from Twolegplace to Highstones. WindClan controls the moors, and RiverClan the marshes. Got all that?"

"I think so. It's not very hard to remember."

Icefang looked over her shoulder. Redpaw was peering through the leaves of a juniper bush towards the wide-open basin of Fourtrees, the center of Clan territory. Her coat, sprinkled with crystal drops of melted snow, shone brightly against the surrounding white. Her eyes, wide with curiosity, were orbs of light lit on fire by the sunlight reflecting off the earth.

Icefang felt her chest tighten and warmth prickle her paws. She'd never come this close to feeling a connection to anyone in her life, besides maybe Eaglepaw. Even that was more of an association of convenience for them both. No deep affection there. This newfound feeling was very different for her. Since she had joined ThunderClan, she had made it her aim to keep her true self hidden from the rest of the Clan. Even Eaglepaw only knew small things that Icefang felt comfortable with revealing to her best friend.

Even though Redpaw was still very young, Icefang felt a kinship with her that she didn't share with any other cat. Redpaw's every movement or emotion seemed to mirror her own in a way that both frightened and excited Icefang. She'd never shared her self with anyone, until now. That was what it felt like. Like Redpaw was the same kind of cat, shared the same kind of soul. It was as relieving as it was surprising.

"ShadowClan is evil," Redpaw mewed, turning away from the juniper bush and bounding towards Icefang, her light weight making it easy to stay on top of the snow inside of sinking in like Icefang. She said it as more of a statement than a question, as if she already knew the answer.

"They say the cold wind blowing through the pines turns their hearts to ice," Icefang meowed with eerie intonation.

"And WindClan warriors are swift like rabbits," Redpaw hissed, leaping up to bat at an overhanging evergreen bough. She disappeared beneath the snow for a few moments after landing, emerging covered in ice. The only things visible were her two amber eyes, sharp and calculating. Icefang grinned and nodded agreement.

"RiverClan warriors are strong swimmers," Redpaw continued, wading through the snow at Icefang's heels as they trudged away form Fourtrees.

"That's how they catch fish, which make their pelts thick and glossy," added Icefang. She paused to lick the snow from her whiskers and glance back again at her new apprentice, striding determinedly through the heavy powder.

"But ThunderClan has courage and brains," Redpaw mewed with finality, her tail lashing over her head.

"Keep that to yourself. You let an enemy apprentice hear you bragging and you'll have to fight your way out of a bad mess," Icefang warned with a chuckle.

"I could take 'em!" Redpaw snarled, practicing a hunting crouch. "Every last one. Bam, bam, bam, like that!" She swung her tiny paws in the air like a boxing hare before tumbling backwards in a puff of snow.

"I see I have a lot of work to do," Icefang grumbled, pawing the snow out of a Redpaw-sized hole.

"I don't need lessons," came a muffled growl. "I'm a natural warrior! Aiyow!" Redpaw erupted from the ground in a shower of ice, cannoning into the base of a nearby pine tree and collapsing again. Icefang shook her pelt, feeling cold water beginning to seep towards her skin. It may have been her first experience with snow, but she already hated it with a passion.

"Careful," Icefang scolded her as she strode past the heap of red fur. "I don't want to have to tell Cinderstar that I lost my apprentice in the powder on our first day."

Suddenly Redpaw was at her shoulder, the snow shaken from her fur. "Cinderstar wouldn't even know who I was," she murmured, her voice suddenly subdued. Icefang shivered and kept walking, her gaze intent on the path before them.

"He's your leader," she mewed, trying to ignore Redpaw's sudden intensity.

"Oh I know," Redpaw meowed, looking around at the trees, leaves burdened with fallen snow. "But not like I remember him. I used to watch from the nursery when he came back from patrol, and I thought he was the most fearsome warrior in all the Clans, and that he must be invincible or something. He never looked old. Now he looks like a stinking elder on his way to Silverpelt." Redpaw's eyes flashed angrily. "It isn't fair."

Icefang turned to her with a hiss, stopping Redpaw in her tracks. "Don't talk about him that way. It's rude, and he is your elder, whether he looks it or not." She twitched her whiskers. Still, she thought wryly to herself, I have to agree. "Cinderstar is sick," she murmured to Redpaw. "And he won't be around for much longer so treat him with respect while he's still alive."

It seemed that Redpaw didn't miss the note of sarcasm in her tone. "I know you don't like him," she mewed, striding past. They'd been making their way toward camp, but now Redpaw was turning towards the sandy hollow. It was covered in snow, but it was still a good place to train. Icefang followed her at a slower pace, watching carefully as the apprentice padded over the snow.

"I just think another cat could do a better job. Cinderstar has served ThunderClan very well, but his time is over. We need strength, especially now, after all the things that have happened."

Redpaw glanced over her shoulder at her mentor and nodded sagely. "Remember my sister Poppykit? She died in the fire. But you saved me didn't you? I think I remember." A small smile flashed across her face. "I'm glad you're my mentor."

"I'm glad you're my apprentice," Icefang mewed back, grinning herself. She felt a sharp urge to tell Redpaw what she had done that day, letting Tanglethorn die beneath the fallen tree. It wasn't pride that made her want to revel her actions, though she wasn't ashamed of what she had done, more like a need to confide in someone no matter the secret. But she kept her jaws shut and allowed Redpaw to pull ahead. The she-cat was too young to know these things, but someday Icefang would tell her everything, and they would plan together.

When they reached the hollow, Icefang was pleased to see that the circle of trees shielding the open glade had also blocked out much of the snow, so the sandy clearing was only covered in a thin dusting. It wasn't ideal, but then again Redpaw was tired and there wasn't a lot more she could learn her first day.

"What about Brightpool?" Redpaw questioned as soon as they had padded into the shelter of the glade. Trees blocked out the pale afternoon sun, making dappled patterns on the earth. The snow had stopped falling while they walked, and the clouds were beginning to clear.

"Why do you want to know all this?" Icefang asked, padding in circles as she surveyed their surroundings with a practiced eye. "You're barely an apprentice and already you're scoping out Clan politics. Aiming to be deputy already, Redpaw?"

The apprentice smiled and twitched her whiskers. "Maybe. I paid attention when I was little. Never missed a Clan meeting."

"Kits can't even attend Clan meetings," Icefang retorted, wondering if Redpaw was either very full of herself or completely delusional. She also felt a stab of regret. She would have liked to grow up in ThunderClan, in the comfort of the warm nursery, her brothers and sisters nestled around her, her mother protecting her. As always, thoughts of her family brought up the image of the bloodied body of the kittypet that Icefang had attacked during a fit of blind rage when she was younger. As it had turned out, that she-cat was her mother. Icefang had felt no kinship with her then, and didn't remember any warm feelings toward her mother, but now for a moment she wished that she could have known her better.

"Just because we can't attend Clan meetings doesn't mean we can't hear them," Redpaw replied matter-of-factly. All of you warriors yowling about your problems, you were like barking dogs. But it doesn't matter. What matters is the future of our Clan, right?" She blinked at Icefang expectantly.

The white warrior gazed coldly back. She wasn't sure whether to be afraid or proud to have a genius for an apprentice. And an evil genius at that, Icefang muttered in her mind. And even if Redpaw wasn't turned towards evil yet, if Icefang really wanted the she-cat to follow in her footsteps, she would walk that path soon enough.

This thought sent another jolt of fear through Icefang's heart. Before today she had never used the word evil to describe her actions. She still didn't believe it for herself, but surely if other cats knew they would call her evil. Icefang wondered how she would explain herself if her deeds were ever exposed. Of course they were for the good of the Clan, but none of her stupid Clanmates would see that. It was raw truth that they couldn't swallow, she knew that. Her pelt prickled. When I'm leader, Icefang vowed, I will never lie. About anything. And if my warriors can't accept the truth, they will accept the consequences. Yes. She liked that. It even had a nice ring to it.

"Look, are you going to teach me anything or not?" Redpaw snapped suddenly. "I'm sorry I brought up Cinderstar and Brightpool. I do want to learn things. I may pay close attention but I don't know how to hunt… yet."

Icefang shook away her heavy thoughts, returning to the present. The sun was shining fully now, reflecting off the snow and brightening the forest from the ground up. Light danced on the underside of the leaves above them, like the reflection of water on stones.

"Mm. Hunting?" Icefang mewed, looking back at Redpaw. The she-cat was sitting in the center of the sandy hollow, her tail curled around her paws. In this light her coat was especially stunning. Dark ginger streaked with tawny and ochre, unlike the fur of any Clan cat. Icefang cast a quick glance down at her own paws, almost invisible against the white of the snow. I'm not ugly, she told herself, unsheathing her claws. Her gaze flashed to her tail as she waved it before her face. Maybe I'm beautiful. I don't know why else Stonepelt would say he loves me. That thought called up a sucking emotion, sort of like disappointment but a little bit more… jealous. After all, why would anyone love her after the things that she'd done? They might not know outright, but as the elders sometimes said, "It's the deeds that make the cat, and not the other way around."

Icefang swallowed a deep breath, letting the biting cold fill her lungs and chase away the ache, before blinking a few times and padding closer to Redpaw.

"I'm not a brilliant hunter," she explained, dropping into the familiar position for stalking mice, "but I did pay attention as an apprentice." She flicked her ears and smiled at Redpaw. "Copy me."

Redpaw's eyes lit up with excitement, and she flopped toward the ground in a clumsy impression of Icefang's form.

"Um," Icefang meowed, getting to her feet and surveying the red apprentice's wobbly stance. "Not bad." Redpaw grinned.

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