Edited ✔️

Following the trail was easy for Icestar the farther he got along.

He kept on the tracks, wondering where Goldenpaw was off to, when he realized that it lead off of MoonClan's territory. Why would she leave? he thought with worry. Is she so scared that she just abandoned us? He hoped it was not true—her mother would be devastated, and Amberpaw might not be the same again. Icestar knew what it was like to lose a sibling.

He continued to follow the trail carefully, making sure that he did not get it mistaken since he knew that his nose didn't work like it used to. The wind was getting stronger and stronger, he had to walk at a slower pace to keep on track. It wasn't so easy, though. Soon, Goldenpaw's scent was becoming harder to smell, and it started to become dangerous. Loose branches from the naked trees began to sway, indicating that they'd fall soon. Somewhere back in the forest, he heard the loud crash of a tree that fell from its roots.

It wasn't safe at all out here at all. He had to hurry, or something wrong could happen.

Suddenly, he heard a loud uneasy creak. Beside him, a tall leafless birch tree tilted to the side, and Icestar's eyes widened. It was going to fall! He burst from his spot, running as fast as he could just in time, before the tree crashed onto the snowy ground with a defeating boom. The impact made Icestar shake, but he continued on anyways, knowing that he could not turn back now.

Goldenpaw could be close!

Soon, he realized that the scent trail was leading to the cave of the Night Flower, the place where Icestar went to receive his nine lives. What was Goldenpaw doing over there? he wondered. Only leaders and medicine cats visited the Night Flower. He never heard of a warrior, let alone an apprentice, that had anything to do with it.

Icestar ran from his spot, ignoring the scent trail. He tried to remember the direction of the Night Flower, until the cave entrance was in sight. Quickly, he ran until he was in the cover of the rocks and the warmth from the outside. He sighed a breath of relief and turned to the tunnel that would lead there.

Gulping, he went through it.

Goldenpaw's scent swarmed strongly around him as he progressed farther down. When the space was wide enough, he spun around, knowing that she was here for sure. He followed her scent carefully, trying to ignore the sound of the howling wind behind him from the entrance of the cave. Soon, her scent became so strong that he knew she was close.

"Goldenpaw!" Icestar called, keeping his voice down for precautions. There was no reply, but Icestar felt her warm presence nearby, as well as a fear-scent. "Goldenpaw?" he called again, getting a little louder.

He spotted a lump of fur in the darkness, breathing weakly.

Alarmed, he ran up to her. "Goldenpaw!"

Her eyes opened. "I-Icestar?" she whispered. "What are you doing here . . .?"

He shook his head, pressing his warm body against her cold one. "What are you doing here, Goldenpaw? I just followed you." He looked around. "This is no place for a warrior apprentice."

"I had to talk to StarClan," she murmured, her claws digging in the ground. "They are so confusing . . . I don't understand what to do anymore." He listened to her, surprised. "I had a dream last night. There were cats fighting everywhere, blood pooling the ground from the dead and injured."

"Do you know who were fighting?" Icestar urged her.

She nodded. "DarkClan, MoonClan and . . . CloudClan."

Icestar's pelt bristled with alarm. "Why was CloudClan in the battle?" he murmured to himself. Unless . . . they are meant to help us! he thought. Or they are meant to destroy us along with DarkClan. He shut his eyes tightly. "Are you hungry?" he asked to Goldenpaw, trying to change the topic.

"I can't eat!" wailed the apprentice, forcing herself to stand up. "I must speak to StarClan before the battle. I have to know what to do!"

"Don't worry, you will know when the time is right," he said reassuringly. He slowly rested Goldenpaw on the ground once more. "Sleep. And in the morning, you'll have something good to eat."

Goldenpaw shut her eyes. "But I have to talk to StarClan—"

"Sleep," he said again, his voice becoming softer.

In enough time, her eyes closed, and her breathing relaxed, indicating that she was asleep. Icestar sighed with relief, knowing that she'd be okay now. He hoped that the storm would pass by dawn, so they can set out to MoonClan early. He didn't want to worry any cat, after all.

He got up, hoping that there was a mouse or two somewhere in the caves. He should have prey ready for Goldenpaw when she woke up, so she'd be strong enough to travel. Icestar had to be strong himself, for his muscles and bones were frozen and tired, and his belly was growling madly.

He scented the air, getting hungrier by the second. Shortly, he scented what he wanted. He could taste the smell of a mouse. Its squeaks were barely heard, but loud enough to make out in the echo of the closed walls. He began to follow its scent until it got stronger and the squeaking became louder. Finally, he turned up on a small hole in the rocky wall, large enough so he could fit his paw inside.

Icestar crouched down, knowing that the mice were hiding inside. He stuck his paw in, and swiped with claws outstretched. His claws met with one of the mice, and he pulled it out, killing it swiftly before it escaped. He knew that there were more, though. He stuck his paw in again, and smashed one of them against the wall, holding in place while it struggled wildly. He stuck his claws in its neck, and when he felt it was limp, he pulled it out and put it beside the one he killed before. He looked inside. Two more were left. Simultaneously, his claws swiped against the belly of one and the neck of the other, and he pulled them out, satisfied with the catches. One for him, one for Goldenpaw, and two more for the Clan.

Icestar made his way back to her, and cuddled up beside her, keeping the mice close to protect his prey. He fell asleep moments after, his eyes heavy and his mind whirling, eager to rest.

By the time Icestar woke up again, Goldenpaw was still asleep. By the sound of it, the storm must have calmed down a little. He was relieved. He nudged Goldenpaw until her eyes opened, and told her, "Eat up, Goldenpaw. We're going back home."

The apprentice yawned, sitting up. "Do I smell mice?"

Icestar pushed one of the bodies towards her. "They might not be so warm, but they are enough to fill you up." He grabbed himself one, and began munching on it. "I caught four just after you fell asleep."

"It's good," she sighed, eating her own share.

Icestar nodded, and a thought came to mind. He wondered if she had another dream, or if she found an answer like she wanted. Despite his curiosity, he decided not to bring it up just in case he put the idea in her head that they could still visit the Night Flower. Another disturbing thought crossed his mind: why had Goldenpaw been the one to receive the dream? What is StarClan thinking, putting this into her mind?

When they finished eating, they hid the bones and scraps behind a rock, and Icestar picked up the two limp bodies in his teeth as he led the way out. Goldenpaw was silent, but he led anyways, keeping a fast pace. He wanted to get back to MoonClan as quickly as possible, even though he spent the night away from them. He knew how worried his Clanmates and friends must be, and he didn't want to cause them the trouble of searching for him and Goldenpaw.

When they had reached the forest, the sun was already starting to climb high since the trip to the Night Flower was a long one.

The scenery felt completely changed. Shock swelled into his body as he glanced at his surroundings. There was snow everywhere, thicker than anything he had seen before. Several trees lay limp on the ground, with roots sticking out from the dirt and into the air, towering over him. Worst of all, the forest was deadly silent.

He padded on, noticing how close Goldenpaw was sticking to him. He could pick up a fear scent from her. "What happened?" she whispered, her eyes wide as she looked around the trees and the undergrowth.

"Another storm happened," he responded, giving a sigh. "They keep on coming. It began to brew as soon as we were searching for you."

"Oh no!" gasped Goldenpaw. "Did anyone get hurt? I shouldn't have ran away like that . . ."

"I doubt anyone got hurt," Icestar responded, hoping that he was right.

Goldenpaw sighed with relief. The two of them kept on walking, their senses alert to the dangers of the forest. Icestar led her through the trees, making sure she was sticking close to him. The mouse in his jaws were becoming uncomfortable to carry, but he went on anyways. After some time, they crossed up on a hill of snow.

Icestar began to climb down it first, but he tumbled inside the light, thick snow as soon as he set paw on it. He yelped with surprise, and the snow buried on top of him as he fell in. The leader immediately felt cold, and he gasped for air, but the snow immediately choked down his throat. The frost burned his eyes, and his fur felt uncomfortably wet.

"Icestar!" yowled Goldenpaw. She stuck her paws into the snow, digging as quick as she could. Icestar struggled, flailing his forepaws until he felt the cold air. Goldenpaw grabbed Icestar's scruff, attempting to pull him out, but he was too heavy. He managed to poke his head through, and gasped for air after he spit out the two mice, coughing out water and shaking the snow off his head. "A-are you okay?" Goldenpaw whimpered.

"I'm fine—just cold," he managed. His pelt was shivering from the wet snow that quickly melted to the touch of his fur. "I need to get out of here before I freeze to death," he muttered, more to himself than to Goldenpaw.

"How do I help you?" she asked him. "The snow is to deep. I can fall in too if I try to set my paws there." She looked worriedly down to him, her pelt shaking even though Icestar was the cold one.

He looked around, and then spotted a dead tree. He had an idea. "Go get that branch sticking out of the dead tree over there," he meowed, pointing his nose in the direction he was looking. "Then, stick it down here and pull as hard as you can. It'll help me climb the snow."

"That's brilliant!" exclaimed Goldenpaw. "Hold on, I'll be right back." The MoonClan apprentice raced off, and Icestar shifted uncomfortably. He tried to paw his paw out while she was gone, but it was no use. If he tried anything stupid, the snow would come tumbling back down. He would get suffocated by the freezing snow once more, and his pelt will become even more damp. Icestar definitely did not want that.

After a couple more moments, Goldenpaw returned with the dead branch in her jaws. Icestar swore he couldn't feel his tail-tip by now, and was eager to make his escape from the cold, harsh snow. The golden-furred apprentice lowered the dead branch down to him, and he grabbed it with his jaws, giving it a tug so that Goldenpaw could know he was here. She pulled as hard as she could, and Icestar forced his muscles to pull through himself. He pawed at the snow once more, trying to climb his way out since he had support now. His shoulders and neck strained, but he kept on pushing himself.

Goldenpaw grunted with effort as she tried to get him out, but Icestar could feel her slowly sliding closer to the deep pit of snow. He was close—he had to hurry before the both of them fell in at the same time!

"Hurry, Icestar!" Goldenpaw gasped. "I don't think I can hold it for much longer," she managed to say through the branch that was in her mouth.

Icestar, daring not to respond in case he'd fall again, found a solid ground. It must be a rock, buried under the snow! He pulled himself closer while still holding onto the branch at the same time, and put one of his paws on its cold, frost-bitten surface. Then, as quick as he could, he leaped just before Goldenpaw had reached her limit, grappling his paws to hard surface, struggling to climb the rest of the way up.

Goldenpaw collapsed to the ground, her shoulders shaking with exhaustion. "That was a lot of work—you're sure heavy, Icestar!"

"I'd appreciate it if I could get some help here," he grunted from his spot. His claws dug into the earth just underneath the snow. "I can't climb up from here! There's ice all underneath and I'd just slip on it."

"Oh right! I'm so sorry," she gasped, rushing towards him.

"Hurry, I'm falling!" Icestar exclaimed, feeling his forepaws loosen up. A sharp feeling entered Icestar's leg as Goldenpaw sunk her teeth into Icestar's scruff. As she tried her best to pull him out, Icestar struggled to climb even more until finally he got onto solid, safe ground. He gasped as soon as he made it. His back leg was getting no better. The sharp sting worsened, and he hissed with pain.

Goldenpaw seemed to realize it, too. "What's wrong, Icestar? Are you frostbitten?"

His claws scrunched the ground. "I think so, but don't worry. It'll pass in a few moments. Thanks for helping me, by the way. I couldn't have done it without you." He gave her his best purr.

Pride shone on her face. "It would have been bad if you froze to death nine times," she remarked.

"Yeah, it would've," he murmured his agreement. "We better hurry to camp, but in a different direction. I'm sure everyone's worried, and I don't want that to happen again." He gave his frostbite a quick lick, wincing with pain, but he forced himself to ignore it. After all, it wouldn't linger as soon as he got a chance to warm up.

He began to lead Goldenpaw down the forest, padding in a different direction so that he wouldn't fall again, and this time, with more caution. They passed up a slope, and weaved around a tight set of trees before Icestar began to scent something. He turned to Goldenpaw, wondering if she scented it as well, and he could tell that she did.

"Do I smell Fireshade?" she murmured, hope glimmering in her eyes. "And Nightrose, too! Dear StarClan, I worried them, didn't I?"

"We were all worried for you, Amberpaw the most," Icestar told her gently.

She looked down to her paws, guilt gleaming in her eyes. "I shouldn't have tried to go to the Night Flower. I don't know the answer to my dream yet . . . but a cat did speak to me. I'm sorry I didn't tell you this earlier."

He looked down, interested. "What did this cat look like?"

"Oh, she was beautiful. A light gray she-cat with blue eyes," Goldenpaw told him. "She looked a lot like Dewstar . . ."

Icestar's heart pounded in his chest. "Featherbreeze," he murmured to himself. It seemed that Goldenpaw heard, though, because she pricked her ears with interest. "Oh, sorry. That was Featherbreeze—my mother." His voice trailed off as he sunk into his own thoughts. Why had she visited Goldenpaw?

"Your mother was beautiful," Goldenpaw said, not sensing Icestar's longing. "Well, she visited me last night, and she just told me that things'll be alright for me." She sighed. "If Featherbreeze hadn't told me that, I might have still been hunting for the Night Flower. I was so hungry for answers, that . . ."

"It's okay. Every cat will understand," he said firmly. "Don't feel guilty."

"Alright," she finally meowed.

"Oh, and Goldenpaw? Try and keep quiet about your dreams. I might talk to Sweetheart, your parents, and Ashtail about it, but don't try and give Amberpaw any funny ideas," he ordered.

"I won't," she promised.

Icestar nodded. "Good." He began to follow the scent of his Clanmates now that they have finished talking, and Goldenpaw began to follow him, her eyes still looking down and her paws trembling. She reminded Icestar of himself when he was an apprentice. He always wanted answers to the strange dreams that he had, and even went to the extreme for it.

After a few more minutes, things got quiet between them. Icestar was trying to focus on the scent of the search patrol, and Goldenpaw was silent the whole trip. He changed course from going to the camp and began walking into the direction of StreamClan. He was glad they didn't choose to go to DarkClan's borders.

More minutes passed as Icestar followed the scent, and it started to become stronger and stronger. He was more careful than before, because there was more snow closer to the StreamClan border than the rest of the territory. With caution, he padded through the cold snow, his frostbite still stinging. He felt proud of himself for managing to ignore it for so long, even though it hurt so much.

Finally, Icestar heard a voice. He stopped in his tracks, causing Goldenpaw to crash into him.

"Ashtail!" the voice called. It was the voice of a she-cat, Silverleaf. Icestar's fur bristled. What was she doing out of the nursery, especially in this weather? "I scent them!" she gasped.

"Where?" Ashtail ordered.

Icestar ran from his own spot, and Goldenpaw kept close behind. Finally, he stumbled into a small clearing. All around, cats from his Clan was gathered; Silverleaf, Ashtail, Amberpaw, Dawnstripe, Blackpaw, Fireshade and Nightrose. He was surprised to see them all here, sitting close together.

Every cat looked surprised, and Amberpaw rushed up to them, her eyes clouding with relief. "Goldenpaw!" she cried. "You're back!" She crashed into her sister, nuzzling her.

"I-it wasn't like I was missing . . ." she murmured, a little embarrassed. Despite this, she nuzzled Amberpaw back. Blackpaw went to join them, as well as Nightrose, who began to bombard her with questioning.

Icestar left his spot to let them have their moment, and turned face-to-face with Fireshade. "It turns out that she wasn't running out of fear," he meowed to Goldenpaw's father. "Just for answers."

Relief filtered into Fireshade's eyes. "I'm glad, then," he said with a sigh. "She's almost a warrior, and I always wanted her to be brave." He paused, then looked up into Icestar's eyes. "What answers was she searching for . . .?"

"I will explain everything back in camp," he murmured, his voice low. "Along with Ashtail and Sweetheart. For now, we must start our trip back."

"Alright," Fireshade agreed. "I'll go greet her now." He left his spot, and padded over to his daughter, a purr escaping his throat.

Now that that is done, Icestar thought, time to talk to Silverleaf. He went over to his mate, brushing past Ashtail and Dawnstripe who were quietly talking together in quiet tones. He overheard something about Swiftbreeze, but decided to ignore it. After all, what he was doing seemed more important.

"What are you doing out of camp?" he asked as soon as he greeted her. "It's dangerous for you."

"It's not like the kits are due any time soon," she replied with a shrug. "I was worried, is all."

"But still," Icestar insisted, his voice trailing off, "I was okay."

"I wouldn't have known," she replied, shaking her head. "It was too restless just waiting in camp—I had to stretch out my legs in the forest."

He sighed, pressing his muzzle against hers. "At least nobody's hurt."

* * *

Back at camp, everyone seemed relieved at the return of not only Goldenpaw, but also Icestar. He dropped the two mice he caught on the fresh-kill-pile, and Amberpaw was leading Goldenpaw to her nest. "You must be exhausted!" Amberpaw was saying.

"No, I already slept," Goldenpaw replied, trying to break free from the apprentice den.

Dawnstripe, though, came just in time before Amberpaw could protest. "I'm sure she's feeling all rested up. How about a hunt, Goldenpaw?" her mentor asked.

"I'd love to!" Goldenpaw exclaimed, rushing past Amberpaw.

Amberpaw ran right to Icestar as soon as Goldenpaw was gone. "Can we please go with them, Icestar?" she asked longingly. "Without you here, it was boring! Nothing to do, no cat to train with . . ."

"Yes, that's fine," Icestar replied with a sigh. Amberpaw was too restless and loud—he had to try to teach her to be more quiet and graceful. Maybe it'll happen when hedgehogs fly, he told himself in his mind. "Let's go." And when I get back, I'll speak to everyone. This can't go unnoticed about Goldenpaw, Icestar decided.