A raw, damp cold pushes its way through Graystar's fur as he pads along the Riverclan border. The sky is heavy with gray clouds and seems undecided between sending rain or snow onto the forest. Here, where the ravages of the fire have been worst, ash still covers the ground, and the few plants that have begun to grow back have shriveled again with the coming of leaf-bare.
It is the day after his announcement to the clan, and Graystar has left his new deputy in charge of the camp while he patrols the border alone. He wants some time by himself, to get used to being a leader and to think about what lies ahead.
Sometimes he feels he will burst with the pride of being chosen by Starclan to lead Thunderclan, but he also knows it will not be easy. Grief for Bluestar is a dull ache that will stay with him forever. And he is afraid of what Tigerstar might do next.
Graystar can not be comforted, as the other cats are, by the absence of any traces of ShadowClan in their territory. He knows Tigerstar will not rest until he has brought his enemy down—and news that Graystar is now the leader of Thunderclan will only fuel the fires of his revenge.
Walking through the forest along the Riverclan border, memories flood him of Fireheart, Ravenpaw and him being apprentices, and then becoming warriors without Ravenpaw by their side. How he fell in the river and nearly drowned until being rescued by Silverstream in leaf-bare long ago.
He is still sad that his first love is gone, but now he has Sandstorm by his side. And he's glad Silverstream approves of the relationship. But he can imagine no cat better than Sandstorm to be his love during this difficult time. After the ceremony, he confessed his desire to be mates with her, and that even though being leader has changed things, the thing that will never change is his reliance on her for comfort and support. Sandstorm was just as happy as he was and they shared a next together in his new den.
It feels wrong to live in the den Bluestar lived in, but it's tradition that he doesn't sleep in the warrior's den. Another change, asserting himself as different as his warriors. But his closest friends, Longtail, and Cloudtail don't see him too differently which is a relief.
Suddenly the thudding of paws on the forest floor makes him spin around, catching a glimpse of quick, multi color movement. Turning his head to where he saw the movement, he finds himself face-to-face with Tawnypaw.
It is a moment before Graystar recovers himself enough to speak.
"What are you doing here?"
"I followed you from camp, Graystar. I…I was curious about where you were going, and I wanted to practice my tracking skills."
"Well, they were very good. Except for the last bit."
Tawnypaw pouts, "I wanted to pounce on you, but I guess I forgot the stealth part."
Chuckling mews, "Don't fret about that. You did very well to come this far from camp to stalk me. I hardly noticed."
"But you were also lost in thought."
"That I was."
"What were you thinking about?"
He shrugs, "Just memories of the past and how some things are different now."
"Different how? You mean you and Sandstorm got together officially yesterday as mates?"
"Kind of. More like how the clan has this awe in their eyes whenever they look at me, not just the respect they had for me as deputy. I am glad my close friends aren't like that, but it's still weird seeing it from warriors who used to give me glares. By the way I talked to Mousefur about what happened….."
"You did?"
"Yeah. I figured it was a case of you being your brilliant self and outperforming her. But I wanted to make sure it wasn't because of the unwarranted hate some of the cats you and brother get from them."
He sighs, "And it was because of that. Tawnypaw I am so sorry for the clan putting you through this. I am glad I chose mentors who would all treat you nicely during training, but yesterday I wasn't here. And Mousefur, well she was being tough and snide on purpose. I had a serious talk with her about it, and how unfair it is for you and your brother to be judged from one bad parent when Goldenflower is amazing. I am sure in time the others will appreciate you for who you are as well in time."
Tawnypaw lashes her tail, and angrily mews, "Why can't they judge me for that now?"
"Because we clan cats are bad at forgetting things that have happened to us, especially shocking and hurtful things."
"I wish we were."
"But then we wouldn't remember the heroes that rose up to fight for our life right now, either. All the tales the elders have told are never spoken about, cats just becoming a star in an endless sea with no legacy, good or bad."
"I guess that's true. The elders always tell such interesting stories. Like about the three great clans that used to rule the forest."
"Yeah. Anyways, I've got to get on if I'm to finish patrolling the border before dark. Do you want to come with me?"
Tawnypaw's green eyes lit up. "Can I?"
"Sure. We'll do some training on the way."
"Great!" Tawnypaw meows enthusiastically.
She pads close to her mentor's shoulder as Graystar leads the way along the Riverclan border. He notices scraps of white drifting down from the sky. Snow! He thinks, glancing up at a sky where the clouds are darker than ever.
Hearing a surprised squeak from Tawnypaw, he turns around. A snowflake has landed on Tawnypaw's nose and is slowly melting. The apprentice flicks out a pink tongue and licks it off, her green eyes round with wonder.
"What is it, Graystar?" she asks. "It's cold!"
He lets out a purr of amusement.
"It's snow," he replies. "It comes in leaf-bare. If it goes on like this, the flakes will cover all the ground and the trees."
"Really? But they're so tiny!"
"There will be lots of them, though."
The flakes are already growing larger and falling more thickly, almost hiding the trees on the other side of the border and smothering the Riverclan scent.
Graystar knows that snowfall will bring more problems to the forest on top of the other threats they face. Prey will die in the cold, or huddle deep in holes where hunters can not follow. It will be harder than ever to feed the Clan.
His apprentice is watching the falling flakes with curiosity, a spark of wonder amidst those green orbs. Graystar sees her reach out one paw tentatively to dab at one of them.
A heartbeat later she is leaping and whirling with high-pitched mews of excitement, as if she is trying to catch every single flake before it reaches the ground. Graystar is surprised by a rush of affection from his apprentice. Normally she is more calm than her brother. It is good to see the young cat playing like a kit again, though. It makes him have hope for the future of Thunderclan because the young she-cat isn't as bogged down with the things going on in the forest. That she can play and still have fun despite the threats looming over them.