When sleep came, it came furiously, chaotic with images and sounds.

Poolpelt dreamed of stars swirling above a wind-tossed forest.
The gale tugged her fur as it swept from the moorland to the edge of the gorge where she teetered, staring down into the foaming torrent far below.

A blotch of pale white pelt was spinning in the crashing waters, flung downstream by the raging current.
"Feathershine!" Poolpelt's panicked screech was whipped away by the wind.
Below, her sister disappeared, sucked down by the water, then thrown up again just long enough to shriek, "Featherkit!"

Horror clutched Poolpelt's heart as she saw a smaller scrap spinning in the current farther downstream.
"My daughter!" Feathershine's yowl echoed from the towering walls of rock that channeled the water into a seething fury.

"No!" Poolpelt raced along the edge of the gorge, scrabbling over boulders, leaping ledges, heading downstream to where she knew the gorge opened into calmer waters.
She could reach Feathershine and Featherkit there, if the jagged rocks jutting midstream did not batter them to death first.

She felt their terror, sensed their paws churning helplessly against the massive flood as the water wrenched them down, filling their ears and eyes and noses.
She felt their aching lungs gasp for breath as they struggled to reach air.
She felt their fragile bodies slam past rocks and be dragged over grazing stone, buffeted by boulder after boulder as the current swept them mercilessly on.

Where the gorge ended and the water flowed out past gently sloping shores, Poolpelt waded into the shallows and peered upstream, searching for Feathershine and Featherkit.
The water drenched her pelt, tried to pull her away from the cliffs, but she dug in her claws, gripping the riverbed and praying to StarClan.

Feathershine appeared first, flung out of the canyon with her head barely above the water.
"Save my daughter!" Her terrified shriek was choked by the water as the river sucked her under again.
"Feathershine!" Hysterical, Poolpelt tried to wade toward her sister, but the torrent pushed her back.

A scrap of pale white fur bobbed toward her.
Featherkit.
She could save her. The tiny shape hurtled toward her, her paws flailing, her squeals piercing the air.
I won't let you die.

Plunging in up to her chin, Poolpelt lunged for her as she passed, grabbing her scruff in her teeth and pulling her close. Poolpelt churned her black paws until she felt the riverbed beneath them, then dragged her, limp, onto the bank.

"You're safe now," she gasped, coughing water. "It's all right." Her mew grew fierce as she willed her to open her eyes. "I won't let anything hurt you, ever!"
But Featherkit lay still, water bubbling at her lips, and streaming from her pelt.
Poolpelt fought down a wave of panic. Wake up! I saved you! She shivered as she felt the chill of water running in rivulets down her neck.

"Fox dung!" came Springleaf's complaint. "It was raining last night."
Poolpelt sat bolt upright.
She leaped out of her nest and bolted from the den, running down the slope of the warriors's den.

"Featherkit!" she called as she scrambled into the night-shadowed nursery.
Eyes flashed in the darkness, round with alarm.
"Poolpelt?" Ashfall's frightened mew sounded from the darkness. "What's wrong?"
Poolpelt scanned the den, searching for Featherkit's pale white pelt. "Where is she?" she demanded.
Oh StarClan, I can't lose her as well!

"Poolpelt!" A delighted mew sounded from Ashfall's nest and Poolpelt saw Featherkit's pelt glowing in the darkness. "What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night!"
She raced to her, curling herself around her small body, wrapping Featherkit to her and closing her eyes gratefully. Thank StarClan, it was only a dream.
"Oof, you're squashing me!" Featherkit protested.
She wriggled, then yawned and relaxed against Poolpelt's flank.
Hardly daring to breath, Poolpelt watched her sleep until the dawn light began to filter through the stone den.

She woke up with a start, her eyes wide. "I thought I'd dreamed you'd come to see me," she chirped. "I'm so glad you're here. I've missed you."
She stretched up to lick her cheek and Poolpelt felt a stab of guilt.
How could she have wanted to abandon her? She was all she had left to remind her of Feathershine.

"Look what I've learned." Featherkit scrambled away from her and crouched on the stone floor, her tail straight and belly pressed on the stone floor in a perfect hunting crouch.
"That's great," Poolpelt purred. "Who taught you that?"
"Thornwing," Featherkit mewed proudly.
She blinked at her, her blue eyes's so much like her mother's. "Will you teach me some battle moves?"
"When you're a little older."

Lakekit was struggling out of Swiftfur's nest. Her black pelt gleamed in the pale dawn.
Featherkit scrambled over to her. "Do you want me to show you the hunter's crouch?" she mewed.
Lakekit nodded and hunkered down while Featherkit steadied her tail. "You have to keep it really still," she muttered through the mouthful of fur.

"Thank you for looking after her so well," Poolpelt mewed to Ashfall.
The gray queen lifted her head. Splashkit, Robinkit and Riverkit stirred against her belly with mews of protest. "She's a lovely kit," Ashfall purred.
Poolpelt felt a stone lodge in her throat. "I wish I'd visited more often."
Ashfall touched the tip of her tail to Poolpelt's shoulder. "Kits are very forgiving," she murmured. "She won't remember what you didn't do, only what you did. You can change everything if you want to."
Poolpelt gazed into her blue eyes. "I do."

"Attack!" Featherkit gave a warning yowl and launched herself at Poolpelt.
Her tiny claws prickled her pelt as she dangled from her fur.
Growing like a badger, she stomped around the den, pretending to try to throw her off while she squeaked with delight.

Fur scraped at the entrance.
"Dad!" Featherkit greeted her father with a happy mew as the tom padded into the nursery.

Blackfrost looked over his daughter's head and scowled at Poolpelt. "What are you doing here?"
"Just visiting Featherkit," Poolpelt said simply, confused why he was scowling at her.
"Icestar wants you on patrol," Blackfrost told her. "You should go." He narrowed his eyes. "The sooner, the better."

He turned to Featherkit, and tumbled her out of the nursery with a hefty paw. "Now, young warrior, are you ready to practice those battle moves I showed you?"
He pushed his way out after his kit. "You never know when some mangy DawnClan furball is going to steal into camp."

Poolpelt followed, her ears twitching. Featherkit was too young for battle training. "She might get hurt!" she protested.
Blackfrost was already urging the young kit to rear up on her hind legs. "Come on, my little warrior. See if you can duck this." He swiped a paw close to Featherkit's ear.
Poolpelt caught up to them. "Stop! She's not ready!"

Blackfrost curled his lip. "How would you know?" he challenged. "You've hardly looked at her in the last moon."
Poolpelt flinched.
"I'm all she has now," Blackfrost went on. "And I'll bring her up to be a warrior the Clan can be proud of."
"She has me, too!" Poolpelt argued.

But Blackfrost was already shooing Featherkit away.
Poolpelt watched them go, feeling hollow.

She could swear she heard Flowertail murmur, "A darkness has ice sharp as claws," she whispered. "Don't let Featherkit get hurt by them."
Poolpelt turned, but the medicine cat was already shambling away, mumbling to herself.

Was she warning her about Blackfrost?
Surely Featherkit was safe with her father?
Poolpelt and the whole Clan trusts him, and he had proved to be strong and loyal.

She looked back at him with uncertainty prickling her pelt.
He was instructing Featherkit again. "Now when you dive, try twisting at the last moment."
Was the young kit really ready for such an advanced battle move?

"There you are, Poolpelt!" Icestar called to her from below Highrock. "I'm organizing the patrols." Springleaf, Bladewing, Briarfang and Briarpool were around her.
Amberleaf and Thornwing paced back and forth.

Shaking her whiskers to clear her thoughts, Poolpelt padded over to join them. "Where's Rainpelt?" The IceClan deputy usually managed the patrols.
"She's sick," Icestar told her.
"Haven't you noticed how thin she's been looking lately?" Springleaf commented.

Poolpelt realized that for too long she hadn't noticed much apart from her own grief. "Is Flowertail treating her?"
Icestar nodded. "She says she can make her more comfortable."
"Does she know what's wrong?"
Icestar's eyes darkened. "No, but she says this bout should pass in a few days, like the others."
Rainpelt has suffered other bouts of sickness?

Poolpelt suddenly felt anxious. Leaf-bare lay ahead like a lion waiting in ambush. It was no time to be ill. "Blackfrost told me you wanted me for patrol," she mewed to Icestar.
"The dawn patrol's left now."
"Sorry." Poolpelt's tail dropped. "I'll go with the next one."

Icestar shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I was glad to hear you were visiting Featherkit." She glanced over at the pale white kit, still training with her father. "You can go hunting with Blackfrost instead."
Poolpelt's heart sank.
At least it would get Blackfrost away from his daughter for a while.
Not that she wanted to separate Featherkit from her father, of course.

The treecutplace monster growled in the distance as Poolpelt followed Blackfrost through the snowy pines.
At this time of year, when the snowy undergrowth elsewhere in IceClan's territory was brittle and flattered by rain, the snowy forest around Tallpines was as good a place as any to try to track prey.

"Of course, Icestar will have to make a move on Icerocks soon." Blackfrost had been proclaiming that their new leader should run DawnClan all the way out of the ravine, and Poolpelt was tired of listening.
"The other Clans are expecting it," he went on. "They'll think we're weak if we let those sun-faces hold on to our territory through leaf-bare."

Poolpelt halted as Blackfrost disappeared behind a neatly piled stack of wood.
She scented squirrel.
She crouched with her ears pricked and heard the scampering of tiny paws.
She spotted its gray pelt bobbing over the soft, snowy floor.
Hardly big enough to feed the elders, but it would have to do.

She turned her attention back to the squirrel.
"Invaders!" Blackfrost's yowl sent the squirrel scooting up a snow-filled tree.
Fox dung!

Poolpelt bounded onto the pile of cut wood. "What is it?"
She peered down at Blackfrost, who was scanning the snow-filled woods with his hackles up.
When she tasted the air, she could scent nothing but the sour tang of Twolegplace and the kittypet stench that went with it.

Blackfrost dropped to his belly. "Kittypet invasion," he hissed. "Follow me."
Poolpelt bounded down the log pile and followed.
There was only a slight scent of kittypet—not exactly an invasion.
She didn't see why Blackfrost was making such a fuss.

"It smells like a kit," she pointed out.
"Kits turn into cats," Blackfrost growled.
"Not in one afternoon."

He turned on her. "Do you want to share our prey with those spoiled fatties?"
"That's not what I said," Poolpelt replied calmly. She sat up. "Let's get back to hunting."

But Blackfrost had already crossed the border and was darting toward a Twoleg fence.
He climbed up and stalked along the top.
"Come back!" Poolpelt hissed. "That's not our territory!"
"There are no kittypet scent markers warning me to keep out," Blackfrost spat.

She scooted after him. "Keep your voice down!"
"Are you scared of them?"
"I just don't see why you need to start a fight!"

Blackfrost leaped down and faced her. "You know what your problem is, Poolpelt? You're soft. Soft on warriors from other Clans and soft on kittypets. I've seen you talk to Sunspots at Gatherings, AND I saw you talking to Goldenfur last night. Do you care about your Clan at all?"
"Of course I do!" Poolpelt hissed. How dare he make her defend her loyalty? "And I wasn't exactly having a friendly chat with Goldenfur!"

"Well, I need more proof before I let you near Featherkit." Blackfrost headed back into the snowy trees.
Poolpelt hurried after. "She's my kin, too!"

"You weren't there when she needed you," Blackfrost snarled. "I was. Just keep away from her... or I'll make you."