Edited ✔️

a/n yes, it is true you may recognize something from Bluestar's Prophecy here. When I wrote this chapter over a year ago, I had just finished reading Bluestar's prophecy and I realized how similar Icepaw and Bluestar's feelings were because they went though something similar. So thus, I took inspiration from the real warriors series, but I only did it this once. Don't be mad because I never did it again XD (sorry:,)) I swear it was just this one time. Anyways, on with the chapter.

Icepaw chased after the squirrel he was after. It scurried up the tree, and he leaped after it, clawing the bark hard with his claws as he scrambled up the tree. It's fluffy gray tail was last seen as it entered a hole, too small for him to fit. He growled to himself, thinking, Mouse dung!

Icepaw released his grip on the bark and slid backward down the trunk of the naked dead oak tree. The squirrel had been too quick for him and already had disappeared in it's safe cozy nest, where no predator would be able to catch it. He was angry at himself for missing such an important piece of food.

He sighed as he got to the bottom, his paws instantly sinking into the thick snow on the forest floor. A moon ago or so, snow had already begun to fall and MoonClan wasn't at their best with prey. That squirrel was just another loss for his Clanmate's hunger—he cursed at himself for that.

Fireshade laughed a bit and ducked as snow fell from the branches of the trees. "Don't worry, Icepaw!" he called down to the apprentice. He was climbing up another tree. "Squirrels are harder to catch in thick snow."

Well obviously! Icepaw thought angrily as he sniffed the air for more prey. Why does Fireshade and the other mentors treat me like Ashtail gave me no training?

He wished that he had Ashtail back, but his old mentor was still in the medicine den. He never treated Icepaw like he was stupid. He knew very well that Icepaw could hunt and knew about the prey and the weathers. Mousetail and Sparrowheart always said that it was good since he'd learn from three different cats with three different experiences, but that wasn't true. They'd never pay as much attention to him, and more to their other apprentices. They treated him like he didn't matter.

Icepaw kept sniffing the air, and caught a whiff of mouse. It wasn't much, but it was something. He crouched down, making sure he was low to the ground. His belly touched the cold frosty floor of the snow, and he stalked forward, tracking the delicious scent of prey. If only he had caught that squirrel, MoonClan would do the tiniest bit better.

He heard the squeaks of the mice under a tiny burrow in the tree. The bark looked easy enough to rip through and snatch them up. Perhaps there were more than just two merely scrawny mice in there? Icepaw hoped as walked towards it, their scent and sounds became louder.

Maybe his paw would fit inside the hole? He didn't know what to do to get them out of there, but as soon as he got to the burrow, he forced the bark to rip from the oak tree, and spotted three mice about to leap out of the entrance past Icepaw. They were headed for the snow.

Not if a hungry MoonClan apprentice can help it! he growled in his mind, snatching one up with his claws. It was instantly dead, pierced in the belly by Icepaw. He went for the other and bit down hard on it's neck, also careful so he couldn't let the blood run through and out. Icepaw snatched the last one as well and looked down at the three mice in pride. They were small, but at least something.

Mousetail arrived, holding a small gray squirrel in his mouth. "Impressive catch, Icepaw," he complimented, setting down his own prey. "This hunt is doing well."

Icepaw shrugged, not replying. He stalked towards a bush and buried them in a small hole he can easily remember. He didn't want to forget where he put his prey in this time of weather. Dawnpaw had also caught something. By the look of it, she carried a plump starling in her mouth, proud with her catch.

The Clan would be fed today.

He left the spot where he buried his prey, and sighed deeply. It was cold. Colder than he had ever felt. Icepaw wished that it was green-leaf again, curled up close by Dewkit and Featherbreeze. Grief pierced his heart as he remembered the unfair battle between MoonClan and DarkClan, including Icepaw's reckless acts. There was not a day he'd go without thinking about it.

Dewpaw padded up from behind. "Look," he said with pride, holding up a gray squirrel the size of Mousetail's. "Now we have two of them!"

Dawnpaw's eyes glittered. "Nice catch!" she said, admiring the fresh kill. "Is this enough for the Clan?"

Fireshade leaped down from the tree, grunting in anger that he had missed a thrush up in the snowy branches. "I don't know yet. Give it more time. I need to find a way to lure out the prey. Having caught nothing is aggravating."

Mousetail shrugged. "Go ahead, we need more prey for the Clan anyways," he said. "Dewpaw, Icepaw, Dawnpaw, come with me. Maybe we can hunt somewhere else. We've already covered this part of the territory."

"Sure," Dawnpaw said cheerfully, walking besides Dewpaw and her mentor.

Icepaw sighed. "Can I just go back to camp?" he muttered, but to himself so he wouldn't start conflict. He hoped that nobody heard him. He wished he had Ashtail back more than ever now. When would Brightstar appoint his new mentor? It has been two moons now. . . .

Mousetail led them to a clearing not far off from their hunting spot. It was bright, white snow covered almost everything. How would they hunt here, out in the open? Every cat knows clearly that prey is hunted in the trees, since they live and dwell in the forest—not in the open.

The patrol scattered, Dawnpaw and Dewpaw staying together. Mousetail went in a completely different direction, and Icepaw was on his own again.

He looked up into the white frosted sky, which outlined the tall trees. Perhaps there was something near the bigger trees? He padded in that direction, sniffing the cold air to see what was out there. He passed the clearing, back into the forest in the cover of the trees. Did he scent . . . vole . . . or was that a mouse?

It was stale. Icepaw kept creeping up in the forest floor, tracking down any scent. He was still guilty about losing the squirrel. That piece of prey could of been better than anything else he would've caught. Finally, he found the vole scent. It was stale with a mixture of something else. Curious, Icepaw followed the scent.

He ended up in front of a small burrow, but big enough to fit a full grown cat. It wasn't, though, big enough for a badger. Hmm, he thought as he padded close to it. There was a fresh scent of something he did not recognize. Was that a fox scent?

"Icepaw!" a voice harshly whispered. It was Mousetail. "Get away from there!"

Icepaw looked over to see Dewpaw's mentor standing over, a small distance away from the burrow. But he was too late. A full grown fox stumbled out of the den, yawning, half asleep. A second later, it spotted Icepaw and growled, tucking it's tail between it's legs, and flattening it's ears, barring it's teeth.

Mousetail shrunk back in fear. "Run!" he called to Icepaw, who was frozen in his spot. Mousetail growled too and ran up, shoving the apprentice so he could move.

Icepaw gasped as soon as he did, and began to do what Mousetail said. The two pounded through the forest, with a fox at their heels. Icepaw turned to see the red creature. "It's gaining on us!" he warned.

Mousetail hissed. "We have to get away from the camp, Icepaw!"

Icepaw nodded, and followed Mousetail as he changed directions. Icepaw knew it wasn't gonna stop following them. He could scent Dawnpaw and Dewpaw. They passed them, but were far enough to let the fox know that the only two creatures in the forest were the two cats it was chasing.

"What do we do?" said Icepaw with a shrill of horror.

Mousetail stopped running and swung back, turning to the fox. Icepaw stopped too, knowing what that meant. They had to chase it off and fight it. "I will attack it and you will catch it from the back," said Mousetail.

Icepaw nodded, and the senior warrior charged to the full grown fox, claws unsheathed. He leaped at it, but immediately it snapped at Mousetail, making him fall and roll over. The fox towered over him. Icepaw snarled and bit hard onto the fox's tail, making it whimper loudly. Just as it did, Fireshade and the other two apprentices came crashing to the clearing where Mousetail and Icepaw fought.

Fireshade hissed to himself, sprinting to the fox and pinned it down from the back. Icepaw had just realized that he did not follow Mousetail's orders. Oops, he thought. Mousetail leaped to his paws, and scratched the fox in the face, making it stumble back with shock. Dewpaw and Dawnpaw joined Icepaw, flanking him.

"We have to help them!" exclaimed Dawnpaw, trembling with fear.

Dewpaw nodded with agreement. "Come on!" he said, running up to the fox with unsheathed claws. Icepaw followed his brother. The fox flipped over and squished Fireshade underneath him, nipping Mousetail's leg.

But before it could even get up, Icepaw and Dewpaw pinned it down, but not hard enough so Fireshade can squirm from underneath. He was panting hard, probably since the wind was knocked out of him. Icepaw knew foxes were tough, but not this tough!

"Icepaw, Dewpaw, keep him down!" shouted Mousetail, scrambling up as well. "Fireshade, Dawnpaw, help me out!"

"Got it!" Icepaw said, pinning the fox down harder. It struggled roughly underneath him, growling and whimpering as well as his claws dug into its thick fur. Mousetail nipped at it's snout just as the fox managed to push off the two apprentices. It was whimpering, covered in scratches and blood.

Mousetail and Fireshade charged at it, but it turned, running off into the direction of CloudClan.

"We got 'em!" Dawnpaw cheered, her eyes blazing with triumph. "I can't wait to get back to camp and tell the others."

Icepaw stayed silent. That fox didn't put up much of a fight, he thought.

Mousetail nodded in agreement to Dawnpaw. "We must report back to camp immediately to tell Brightstar," he said, beginning to walk away from the clearing. "Let's go retrieve our prey."

They began to pad away in silence. Icepaw's pelt stung, just as he realized that the fox had scratched his chest slightly, hard enough to have him bleed. It stung against the cold, but he held his thoughts to himself, not wanting to sound like he was complaining. The whole Clan already gossiped too much about him.

Icepaw walked up to the spot where he buried his three mice. He dug it up and took the three by the tail in his mouth, happy to find out that it was still warm.

Mousetail padded in the front of the patrol. "Let's get moving," he said to Fireshade, Dewpaw, Dawnpaw and Icepaw. "We got to get to camp as soon as we can. Neither of us know when or if the fox is coming back."

"Alright," said Fireshade, as they walked swiftly back in the direction of the camp. They hadn't traveled that far, thankfully. Icepaw had already scented his Clanmtes. He followed everyone, keeping as a rear of the patrol.

Dawnpaw eagerly lashed her tail. "Volepaw won't be so happy that he missed out," she said, keeping her head high proudly with her prey that she caught. "He and Sweetpaw had to do apprentice duties all day!"

"Thankfully that isn't us," Dewpaw snorted.

"It will be us tomorrow, Dewpaw," sighed Icepaw. "Remember what Mousetail and Vinetail said?" Dewpaw groaned. "It isn't that bad, you know. Cutting moss for a whole moon taught me how to strike my blows so that I'd hit a cat rather than the air."

"But real battle training teaches you how to do your blows in the first place!" argued Dewpaw. "Sometimes I wish I were with you in that DarkClan battle. We would've beaten them!"

"What, would you being there change things?" snapped Icepaw, his eyes narrowing. "Well sorry for not knowing that you were MoonClan's best fighter!" Why did Dewpaw always have to bring up that DarkClan battle? Featherbreeze died that day . . . and every day it would tear Icepaw down. He would never stop grieving, but Dewpaw had seemed to get over it.

"Why so mad?" snarled Dawnpaw. "Just because you're jealous of Dewpaw doesn't mean you have to be so rude!"

"Me, jealous?" hissed Icepaw. "Well fine, I'm jealous to the guts. Everyday I seem to be falling apart all over again cause of that battle! Dewpaw can't understand—he didn't see her die in front of him. He didn't know the terror of being outnumbered so badly by cats who want to kill you! He will never know what I went through!"

Icepaw pushed passed them angrily. Why did Dewpaw have to ruin his days so much? Why did he steal all of Icepaw's friends? Why does he get the attention? There's no cat that Icepaw felt close to anymore. He felt so alone.

"Icepaw, wait!" called Fireshade, running after Dewpaw.

Icepaw sped up, not wanting to talk to anyone. The only cat who would truly understand him right now in this moment would be Featherbreeze.

"Stop right now!" Fireshade called again, running up.

Icepaw stopped suddenly. "What?" he snarled, turning to look to Dawnpaw's mentor. The patrol went ahead of them, leaving the two alone. "I don't want to be bothered, if you haven't noticed."

Fireshade sighed. "Will you stop being so depressed, Icepaw?" he asked, dropping his vole. "I mean, it's leaf-bare and all . . ."

Duh!

"And the only things that should be on our mind is to hunt and feed our Clan," Fireshade added, "to make sure that they are on their paws. . . ." His voice faded, and he sighed. "Let's get back to camp."

He must've given up on talking to Icepaw, since he didn't reply. The two walked side by side back to camp in silence, holding their prey. Icepaw wanted to eat and go to sleep, forgetting that Featherbreeze died. Hee wanted to dream about her . . . and talk to her . . . to see her live again. But that was never going to happen. Perhaps he'd only see her in StarClan one day.

His thoughts whirled.

The camp entrance was just ahead. Icepaw padded quicker, wanting to get there as quick as possible to eat his share of the fresh-kill.

As soon as he got into camp, he could see Brightstar standing on top of her den. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, join beneath the Moonrock for a Clan meeting!" she called once the patrol had fully emerged into the clearing.

Icepaw shrugged, padding into camp and dropped his mice onto the fresh kill pile. Fireshade dropped his vole, and they both found their places in the center of the camp.

"I've called you all together for two important announcements," she said, looking all around the camp. "One, we will be increasing patrols near CloudClan borders because of a roaming fox. Two, I have decided who will mentor Icepaw."

Icepaw froze. Really? He had came back from a bad day to this? He suddenly felt eager and nervous. He was finally going to get his own mentor! But what if was some cat who didn't mentor all that well? He wished he still had Ashtail.

Brightstar looked around the gathering of cats for a second. "Icepaw's new mentor will be me," she finally said.

Everyone froze and snapped their gazed toward him. He suddenly felt small in his own pelt, eyes wide.

The leader leaped off her den and padded over to Icepaw, closing the gap in between them touching noses. He accepted it—but was a bit uncertian about his mentor. He shouldn't be thinking like this! Being mentored by your leader was an honor!

"I promise . . . to work hard," he whispered.

Brightstar nodded. "That's good," she meowed, locking her blue eyes into his amber ones. "I will accept no less than that, Icepaw." She paused. "Training with me starts tomorrow. I don't think you have benifited much from being mentored by three cats at once."

"Yeah," Icepaw murmured breathlessly. At least some cat understands . . .