A thin layer of snow coated the ground. Iceslide padded through it, glancing over his shoulder every so often to make sure no cat saw him. It was snowing lightly. He hoped it would be enough to cover the tracks he was leaving behind with each step. He continued toward twolegplace, snow falling gently onto his pelt.

He knew it was risky going to twolegplace again. But it was the only place where he felt truly relaxed, and that was exactly how he needed to feel. Lilynose's death was still on his mind constantly, and he couldn't shake the guilt that dragged him down like a stone in the river. I should never have brought her here. He thought as he padded along the fence. He soon reached the gap in the planks leading into Juicy's yard, and he crouched and slipped inside. 

Last time I was here, Lilynose was with me. He thought with a pang on sadness. He padded into the frosty yard and looked around. Juicy wasn't out on the patio like he usually was. He saw that his chair was wet with a thin layer of snow. Kittypets probably don't like the snow. He thought. They want to stay inside where it's warm and dry. Juicy must be in the nest. 

He decided to look for Violet and the other kittypets who might be out. He padded around the side of the nest, crossing the first thunderpath and heading in the direction of Violet's home. His thoughts darkened again. Lilynose wasn't the only thing on his mind. Otterpelt's vision from yesterday was filling his thoughts with unease.

"Everyone's dead! So many dead! The blood!" The medicine cat's words echoed in his mind, frightened and desperate. He began imagining what she could have possibly seen, the camp filled with dead cats, her friends and family, their blood splattering the ground. Such a vision would have been terrifying. I can't imagine what it would be like to see that. He shuddered and tried to clear his head as he walked, but the dreaded thoughts took hold of his mind again. He remembered how Otterpelt had stared at him, and a quarter moon ago had begged him not to leave RiverClan territory. 

It seems like she thinks I'll cause all of this death she saw. Iceslide thought. But that's impossible! I would never kill anyone! And leaving RiverClan territory certainly wouldn't change that! I'm- He stopped in his tracks.

He could see Violet's twoleg nest just ahead, behind another nest. His gaze drifted to the thunderpath and rested on the place where Lilynose had died. He heard a dog barking faintly in the distance, but he didn't move. His eyes stayed fixed on the thunderpath, his heart aching as he remembered how furious and heartbroken she'd been with him. I wish I'd said something before she died... I wish I could have told her that I appreciated her, even if she wasn't my favorite cat. I-

The barking grew louder, and Iceslide pricked his ears, looking further down the thunderpath toward a small intersection. He couldn't see anything, but the barking remained frequent. He slowly relaxed. Relax, mouse-brain! it's not going to come here. Dogs are always tied up in-

BARK

He froze at an even louder bark and saw a cat appear, racing around the corner of the intersection. Sure enough, a huge black dog appeared close behind her, barking madly as it charged in pursuit of the cat. Iceslide instinctively spun and raced into the safety of a bush, looking out as the golden and brown she-cat bolted past him. The dog sprinted after her, howling and barking angrily.

That cat had better run! He peered out anxiously. Hurry! The she-cat had made a sudden turn, racing between two houses on the opposite side of the thunderpath from where Iceslide was. Clearly she hoped to lose the dog and run somewhere from there, but the dog skidded and scrambled on the frosty road as he ran after her between the houses. The she-cat let out a startled gasp. The gate to the yard was shut. The cat skidded to a halt and spun around, her amber eyes lit with alarm as the dog closed in, head low as he snarled at her.

Run! Iceslide silently willed the cat. Quick, you can get away!

The she-cat's eyes darted around as she looked for a way out. She leaped forward in an attempt to race around it and escape, but the dog spun and clamped its jaws down on her front leg. 

No!

The golden cat screeched out in pain and tried to pull free, but the dog snarled and twisted it's head, lifting her off the ground and shaking her by her leg before tossing her aside. She hit the wooden gate headfirst and fell into the snow, her eyes wide and stunned. She tried to get to her paws, but collapsed. The dog growled and barked as it paced around her, tail wagging with excitement. It wants to play with her. Eventually it's going to kill her! She can't get away!

I have to do something! Iceslide leaped out of the bush and ran across the thunderpath toward them without thinking. I can't let another cat die because I did nothing. I can't stand by and watch while this cat gets killed! Not if I can help it!

"Hey!" He yowled and leaped onto the dog's back without thinking. The dog let out a startled yelp and twisted around madly, trying to shake Iceslide off of it. He gasped and dug his hind claws into the dog's body, trying to fasten his front claws into the dog's collar. The dog snarled and spun, trying to twist its head backwards and snapping it's jaws at him. 

"Run!" He yowled to the she-cat who lay there, staring at him in surprise. "I'll distract it!" 

The golden she-cat tried to get up, only to collapse, letting out a grunt of pain and frustration. She can't run! He realized in alarm as the dog snarled and barked furiously at Iceslide. I can't hold on forever!  With a furious snarl, the dog shook Iceslide off of its back. He rolled through the snow and stumbled to his paws, letting out a gasp. Oh no!

A growl rumbled deep in the dog's throat, its dark eyes gleaming with excitement. It had lost interest in the golden she-cat, who was struggling to get up. It's tail wagged as it cornered Iceslide against the wall of the twoleg nest. He backed into it and tensed, his fur bristling with fear. The reek of the dog's breath filled his nose as it closed in, teeth bared. I can't beat it! He thought in terror. StarClan, help me!

The yowling of a twoleg caught his attention. He turned to see a male twoleg running toward them, sounding angry. Iceslide shrank back in fear, but to his relief, he only seemed interested in the dog. That must be the dog's twoleg. 

The dog started toward Iceslide, but before he could reach him, the twoleg grabbed the dog's collar, yowling at it angrily. The dog flattened it's ears as it was scolded, casting a longing look at Iceslide. The twoleg began dragging the dog away by its collar, and the dog tried to get back to him until they reached the sidewalk, where it gave up and walked calmly alongside the twoleg as though nothing had happened.

Iceslide's heart pounded rapidly. He took a deep breath and sighed in relief, slowly relaxing. Thank StarClan... He quickly ran over to the she-cat, looking down at her anxiously. "Are you okay?"

She was a dark golden and brown she-cat with black ears and paws, as well as the tip of her ragged tail. She looked young, very close to his age. She was laying on her stomach against the wooden gate, breathing quickly. She shot Iceslide a glare. "Leave me alone!" She spat at him, and Iceslide stepped back, startled.

"You're hurt," He meowed, looking at her foreleg. He could see drops of blood in her golden fur and speckled in the snow near the leg. "Can you stand up?"

"Of course I can," She snarled. "Back off, kitty!"

"I just saved your life!" He pointed out, twitching his tail in annoyance. "You could show a bit of respect. I could have died."

She narrowed her amber eyes. "Yet you're standing here meowing at me."

Iceslide snorted. Why did I help this arrogant fleabag? But he knew he never would have let her die. The she-cat suddenly let out a growl of pain, and he grew sympathetic and crouched, sniffing at her wound. "It doesn't look too bad, but it must be hard to put weight on." He stood and she glared at him, pain glistening in her eyes. "Let me help you get home," He urged. "I don't think you're well enough to walk."

"I can walk," The she-cat snapped. "I don't need your help!"

"Okay then." Iceslide sat down and looked at her calmly. "Go ahead."

The dark golden cat glared at him sharply and grunted as she stood, trembling. She started forward only to gasp out in pain and collapse into the snow, letting out a hiss. "Fox-dung!"

Despite her rudeness, he couldn't bear to see her in pain. "See?" He stepped toward her. "Come on, let me help you get home," He paused. "Or would you rather stay here and wait for another dog to come along, or a twoleg to scoop you up?"

The she-cat let out a growl of annoyance, but it was clear that she saw no other option than Iceslide's offer. "Fine," She grumbled reluctantly, lashing her tail. "Help me up."

You're welcome. He thought and stepped closer to her, nudging her up with his muzzle. "Lean on me," He meowed, and she reluctantly did, holding up her wounded leg. "Let's go."

They slowly started to head out toward the sidewalk. Iceslide was about to turn left when she hissed at him. "It's that way, idiot!" 

He let out an irritated growl as he changed direction. The golden she-cat rolled her eyes. "I hope no cat sees me. It's shameful enough, needing help from a kittypet!" She spat the word "kittypet".

Iceslide lashed his tail. "I'm not a kittypet," He meowed, trying to keep his fur flat. "I'm a clan cat."

She snorted in amusement as she limped onward against him. "What dung is that?"

"There are five groups of cats. We call them clans," Iceslide explained. "There's ThunderClan, ShadowClan, WindClan, RiverClan, and SkyClan. I'm a warrior of RiverClan."

The she-cat rolled her eyes. "Isn't that lovely? And I suppose you all live in harmony somewhere?" She purred in amusement.

He grew irritated at her scorn. "We all live together in a forest," He growled. "We don't always-"

"A forest?" The golden she-cat stopped, her amber eyes flashing with interest. "Is that so?" When he nodded, she paused, looking thoughtful. "And these clans of yours... Are they big groups?"

"Oh, definitely," Iceslide meowed, surprised by her sudden interest. He assumed she was used to living alone in twolegplace and felt curious a life outside of that. "Each clan is filled with warriors, queens, kits, apprentices..." He let out a purr. "RiverClan is overflowing with cats!"

The she-cat nodded slowly. "I see..." She studied Iceslide as they continued onward. "And what's a RiverClan cat doing here in twolegplace?"

Iceslide hesitated, wondering what she would think of his carefree spirit. "I like to explore," He admitted. "I get away whenever I can to come here. I've made a lot of friends outside of the clan." He glanced at her. "Perhaps you'll be one of them." Though right now the she-cat seemed like a pain in the tail, maybe they'd end up getting along.  "All my life, I've wondered about life outside of RiverClan."

"Ah," The golden and brown she-cat narrowed her eyes. "Curiosity killed the cat."

It hasn't yet. Iceslide dipped his head, amused. He looked ahead as they walked. "How much further?"

"It's on the outskirts of twolegplace," She replied. He was surprised that she seemed more friendly now. "We're almost there." She paused, studying him. "What's your name, forest cat?"

"Iceslide," He replied, and she snorted in amusement.

"What a strange name!" She purred, her eyes gleaming. "Do all you clan cats have funny names like that?"

He lashed his tail in annoyance, but tried to stay calm. "Well, what's your name then?" He demanded.

The golden she-cat looked at him, her amber eyes glittering. "My name is Poisoned Sap."

***

The sun was setting by the time they got there. They had reached an old abandoned twoleg nest surrounded by overgrown grass. The door was parted halfway, covered in moss and mold. The concrete steps were broken and cracked. 

He stared at the rundown twoleg nest. "You have this whole place to yourself?"

Poisoned Sap purred and shook her head, staggering against him. "Oh no, I live here with my brother and his group of cats. We needed to move here because there was so little prey in the last town we lived in." She twitched her tail. "I think my brother would like to meet you." She nodded toward the nest. "Let's go."

Iceslide hesitated. I don't want to go in a twoleg nest... But at least this one doesn't have any twolegs in it... He headed up the cracked steps with Poisoned Sap and through the door. 

The scent of many cats immediately filled his nose. Ripped and dusty twoleg furniture lined the walls. It was fairly dark inside, but he looked around and saw that the place was filled with cats. They were resting on the couch, sitting in corners, on shelves and under chairs, their eyes gleaming in the shadows. He guessed there were at least thirty cats here.

He and Poisoned Sap padded further into the room. She continued to lean on him. Several cats noticed them, looking at Iceslide in confusion. "Who's that?" A tom growled.

"I've never seen him before!" A she-cat added from where she lay with three kits. The kits stared at Iceslide nervously, backing up against their mother.

"Poisoned Sap!" A furious snarl rang out from the shadows, making him jump. A tom leaped down from a couch and approached them.

Iceslide let out a startled gasp, his fur standing on end. This was unlike any cat he'd seen before. He was a big broad shouldered black tom with white stripes on his sides. But what had alarmed him was the accessory he wore. A skull was rested over his head, blocking his face from view. Judging by the look of it, Iceslide guessed that it was from a fox, or perhaps even another larger cat. The empty eye sockets of the skull concealed the tom's eyes in shadow, so all that could be seen were the dark black holes.

"Yes, Bone Shred?" Poisoned Sap stumbled against Iceslide as she dipped her head. 

The tom stopped in front of her and stared her down with his black gaze. "Why have you brought this cat here?" He snarled, swinging his head to Iceslide, and he froze nervously. "Who is he?"

"I-I-" Iceslide stammered uneasily as the cats stared at him.

Poisonedsap laid down on her stomach, letting out a sigh as she relaxed her wounded foreleg. "This is Iceslide," She meowed as Bone Shred watched her, tail lashing. "He lives with a large group of cats in a forest not far from here." Her eyes gleamed. A few cats exchanged looks as she said this, while others stepped out from the shadows, staring at Iceslide.

Bone Shred's tail slowly stopped moving. He raised his head slowly. "I see." His black hollow gaze moved to Iceslide. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Iceslide." His voice grew smooth and calm.

"Y-yes..." Iceslide shuffled his paws as he tried to avoid looking at the tom's skull, his fur still ruffled.

The black cat noticed his unease and chuckled. "It's the skull, isn't it? It's meant to frighten enemies, to keep my cats safe." He waved his tail toward the other cats in the room. "It seems to work, given your reaction to me." He sounded amused as he looked at Iceslide.

"Err, I'm sorry," Iceslide meowed, slowly calming. "I've never seen a cat like you."

"And I've never seen a cat like you." Bone Shred tipped his head. "A forest cat. Very interesting."

He looked around at the other cats who sat in the shadows, watching him with interest. "You all live together?" He looked at Bone Shred, recalling the authority he seemed to hold. "You must be the leader?"

"That's right." He nodded. "I give these cats shelter, food, and protection." He raised his head. "My skull and name send fear through any cat who dares threaten them. We try to live in peace."

That's nice. Iceslide thought. It's a bit like a clan in a way. "It sounds like a good system," He dipped his head respectfully.  

"It is," Poisoned Sap purred from where she lay, licking her foreleg. "Bone Shred is a fine leader."

Bone Shred dipped his head to his sister. "Well done bringing him here, Poisoned Sap," He purred. "I'm glad to have met such a cat." He turned back to Iceslide. "I hope we get along fine."

"I'm sure we will," Iceslide responded politely.

"I'm sorry we can't offer you any prey." Bone Shred dropped his gaze and flicked his tail toward a small pile under an old wooden table. The sight of it made Iceslide feel sick. Four or five small rodents were rested there as well as a couple scraps of twoleg food, flies buzzing around them. "I need to feed my own cats before any guests, and we're hungry enough. Many of us will die in leaf-bare."

Iceslide nodded, looking around at the cats. "Prey must be scarce in twolegplace." His heart ached as he realized how thin the cats were. Most had ribs showing through their dull fur. He saw a very thin elderly tom curled up in a corner, coughing and shivering. 

The queen was laying with her chin on her bony paws. Her three thin kits raced over to the tiny fresh kill pile. Two of the kits snatched up a scrawny mouse.

"It's mine!" One of them hissed as he dragged at the mouse. 

His sister leaped at him. "No, I want it!" She clawed at him, and Iceslide watched in shock as the two kits fought with tooth and claw over the mouse. 

"I want some!" The third kit whimpered and stepped toward them. "I'm hungry!" He tried to sniff the mouse, but his sister turned and raked her claws across his ear. He whimpered and backed away as his siblings began eating the mouse.

The mother of the kits turned and licked him on the head. "I'm sorry, dear," She murmured. "You can eat something tomorrow."

Iceslide's heart broke at the sight of the starving kits. "You're all so hungry," He meowed quietly. "Why don't you all become kittypets? Any twoleg would feel sorry for-"

Several cats hissed in objection to this. "A kittypet!" One tom scowled. "Disgusting!"

"I hate twolegs!" An elderly she-cat spat.

Bone Shred's tail was lashing angrily. "There's nothing more shameful than surrendering your life to a twoleg!" He spat. "They're cruel, horrible creatures! We would rather die than live among their kind."

"I-I can understand that." Iceslide's tail drooped with sadness. These poor starving cats... I wish I could do something. He grew thoughtful. Maybe I can help... He looked at Bone Shred. "There's lots of prey in my territory. What if I caught some for you and brought it here?"

 The cats exchanged hopeful and surprised looks.  "Really?" A weak tom croaked. "You would help us?" 

The queen had lifted her head, her yellow eyes hopeful. "All of my kits could have a meal every day!" She looked down at her litter. "Oh, that would be a miracle!"

Bone Shred sat down, studying Iceslide thoughtfully. "You would do that?" 

"Of course!" Iceslide meowed, confident in this decision. "I couldn't let any cat starve. I want to help you."

The rogue leader hesitated. "We wouldn't want to cause you any trouble..."

He shook his head. "No trouble at all." He stared at him. "Please, let me help all of you. No cat should have to live like this."

Bone Shred was quiet for a moment. The cats looked at him hopefully. He gave a nod. "Very well. Thank you, Iceslide," He purred. "You're very generous, and you have my deepest gratitude."

"I'll bring some prey for you tomorrow night," Iceslide promised. I'll have to catch it at night so that the clan doesn't see me. He thought. It'll be exhausting, but worth it. I need to help these cats.

"That sounds great. We look forward to your return," Bone Shred meowed smoothly.

Iceslide dipped his head and turned away. Many cats greeted him on his way out, thanking him for his offer.

"Thank you!" A she-cat purred happily. "You have no idea what this means for us."

"You're a lifesaver!" A tom added, his eyes filled with gratitude. 

The three kits scampered up to Iceslide, staring up at him with wide eyes. "Will you catch something for us too?" One of them asked hopefully.

He let out a purr. "Of course! I'll catch you the juiciest mouse I can find." He waved his tail at the cats as he headed for the door. He paused and looked over his shoulder at Poisoned Sap. "Goodbye!" He called.

The golden she-cat purred, her amber eyes glowing in the darkness. "See you soon, Iceslide."