(This little chapter will introduce all the characters and the homes and stuff)

This is the river where they fish and hunt

The clan lives in little rock dens

This is where the kits and apprentices learn balance and grace, by balancing on icebergs. Yikes.

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Blizzardstar stepped out from her cave, breathing in the crisp, cold morning air. She fluffed out her tail, looking around. Most cats were still asleep at this early hour, but she could see Weaselbounce and Sleetleap cleaning the fish that they had caught during last night's hunt. Blizzardstar shoved one paw into the freshly fallen snow, rubbing it with the other paw to make sure all traces of the blood from the fish was gone from her snow white paws. 

She let out a loud, long yawn, blinking her yellowish eyes, squinting into the bright sunlight. Yesterday had been so quiet. A huge snowstorm had hit, and now the entire landscape glittered in bright snow. She glanced around suspiciously, trying to figure out if anything was wrong. Nothing. 

She spotted Foxface and Lichennose patrolling the entrance to the camp, but there was nothing suspicious there.

Everything was a peaceful as it had been yesterday. And the day before that. And every day since she became leader. Suddenly, she heard a yell. 

"HEY. Easy!" Sprucepaw yelped, skidding into the clearing. "You said no claws!" She looked frantically around at the short shrubs, tapping her paws impatiently. 

"I'm the older one!" Firpaw said, launching out from behind the kit's den onto her back. 

"AUGGGHHHHHH." Sprucepaw yelled. Sleetleap jumped a mile, but then glanced over at the two apprentices, shook her head and turned back to the fish. "GET OFF." Blizzardstar smiled at her two children, stretching out another paw, working out all the kinks. Sprucepaw finally threw Firpaw off of her, then shot towards the iceberg field. Blizzardstar shook her head smiling. 

Her eyes caught a glimpse of white and brown, and she turned with a flare of suspicion towards its source. Elkheart. Her ears flattened, but she tried to look cheerful. After all, Elkheart had never really done anything wrong. 

He was sitting by the main fire on a lichen covered log. Coldpaw and Puffpaw were sitting on the other side of the fire, surrounded by the three kits. Minkkit and Fluffkit were sitting on top of Puffpaw's back, though he looked a little uncomfortable, and Icekit was sitting close to the fire, looking up at Elkheart with glittering eyes. Blizzardstar hesitated, but then padded over to where Sleetleap and Weaselbounce were. 

"What's he talking about?" She asked Weaselbounce. The queen frowned, flicking her fluffy tail irritably. 

"Oh the same old story he tells them. Gossip. Rumors. Clan deaths. Load of mouse dung if you ask me." She snapped. Blizzardstar looked over at Sleetleap, who nodded ruefully. She took a deep breath, nodding and turning away from the two, who went back to chatting. Blizzardstar slunk towards Elkheart and the others on silent paws. 

Even the crunch of the new snow didn't give her away. She positioned herself right behind Elkheart, cocking her head to listen. 

"The whole clan, one by one." Elkheart was saying in a low, dramatic voice. "It started with their leader turning up dead one morning. One by one, the clan was picked off. Paranoia spread, they exiled their own. Their deputy. The clan was in shock until it was only three left. The healer, a she-cat named Ivyeyes, an apprentice and an elder. The apprentice was exiled. The murderer then finished off the elder, Foxtail." Fluffkit and Minkkit clutched each other, shaking. 

"So the murderer was the healer?" Minkkit squeaked nervously. "But . . . what happened to her?" Elkheart flicked his tail, shrugging. 

"No one knows." He said dramatically. "But a few months later, a member of StoneClan found Ivyeyes lying dead in a pool of blood, and the remains of a camp nearby. When StoneClan investigated more, they found MistClan's ruined camp lying abandoned not very far away. They assumed Ivyeyes went back to FireClan, but then was murdered by the very ones who hired her." Everyone shuddered. Even Blizzardstar felt a cold claw weave its way up her spine. 

"W-would that ever happen to us?" Fluffkit piped up, gulping nervously. 

"Of . . ." Elkheart hesitated. "Well it's always possible." 

"WHAT?!?!?!?!" Icekit suddenly shrieked, loud enough to echo across the tundra. "YOU MEAN IT COULD HAPPEN HERE?! THE WHOLE DEATH AND MURDERY THING." Elkheart, realizing his mistake too late frantically shook his head. 

"No, no no, NO. That could NEVER happen here. MistClan wasn't too stable. Um . . . it could never happen because we have a SMART, completely CAPABLE leader like Blizzardstar." His voice went sort of mocking on that last phrase. Fluffkit looked up, spotted Blizzardstar, and nudged Minkkit with a giggle. Minkkit then nudged Icekit and they all started giggling. 

"Why thank you, Elkheart." Blizzardstar interjected loudly. "I had no idea you thought of me that way!" Elkheart's whole body stiffened and he flicked his tail. 

"Well . . . yes." He said softly. Fluffkit and Minkkit nearly collapsed with giggles. Elkheart frowned at them. "Kits," He said sternly. "Go to your mother's." The kits all groaned. 

"Awwwwwwwwww." 

"Go." Elkheart said more sternly. Icekit popped up and grabbed Minkkit, yanking her away from Fluffkit. He then dragged his sister over to Moosetrod, who was just coming out of the queen's den. Moosetrod smiled and encompassed her two children, though her eyes were tired. Fluffkit stared at Elkheart for a moment, still grinning before she poked her brother between the shoulders and he growled at her. But she let out a little mew and pawed at his ears and he finally stood up and walked back to the queen's den, dropping off his sister before padding back to the apprentice's den. Blizzardstar narrowed her eyes at Elkheart, who turned to look at her with slitted eyes. 

"I thought you were supposed to be patrolling the Eastern border." Blizzardstar said icily. "Not telling kits gossip." Elkheart's ears flattened. 

"It's not gossip. I heard it from Sealfur, who heard it from his friend in StoneClan. It's true. There really was a murderer." Blizzardstar felt her pulse jump nervously, and she let it build. You never can be too careful. She thought, looking around thoughtfully. 

"Well still, that is not for kit and apprentice ears. You should think before spreading . . . stories around our clan. Moosetrod has enough trouble getting her kits to sleep at night. You don't need her having to deal with terrified kits too!" Elkheart looked thoughtfully over at the queen's den, then shrugged.

"I did go to the border though." He said with a tiny smirk. "All quiet." Blizzardstar smiled gently. 

"See, that was easy. You could've just said that without the attitude and sarcasm." She narrowed her eyes, a single eyebrow raised, her tail puffed out. Elkheart rolled his eyes, picking up a tiny rock from the packed snow and hurling it into the closest fir tree. 

"Well I'm sorry oh great and powerful one." He said sarcastically. Blizzardstar frowned at him, then flicked her tail, stalking away. Elkheart turned back to the flames, both of them instantly transported to before they were like this. 

When they were the best of friends. 

But as Blizzardstar padded back into the Leader den, her cold, lifeless cave, she turned instantly and looked back at the clan. The kits were playing in one giant pile. Lichennose and Coldpaw were meeting, stretching together to get ready for the day. The two queens were lounging by the fire, eating their early meal and chatting. Firpaw and Sprucepaw were leaping around in the small trees scattered around their territory, their laughter echoing off the surrounding mountains. 

Blizzardstar nodded. Life here was . . . well, she couldn't say perfect, but it was great. Everyone was kind to each other, more or less . . . and everyone got along. 

The clan was unbreakable. 

Unbeatable. 

Nothing could change that.