Icekit watched her brother leave with their mom and once they were out of sight, she turned and sprinted into the reeds, crouching down low as she spotted a small twig. She waved her tail in the air and hissed softly, then pounced and landed on the twig, cracking it. She bit it and pranced around in victory, celebrating her conquering of the stick. She was awesome. 

She tossed the stick into the sandy earth and gazed up at the sky, admiring the way the pale blue colour was inter-cut with fluffy white clouds. She saw cool things in the clouds, like running cats, mice, and fish. A soft breeze rustled through the camp, fluffing her pale white fur and sending the reeds into a gentle sway. Her ears pricked as a soft murmur reached them, and slowly the murmur grew into a call. 

She ran off, thinking that the voice was calling her. She followed the sound to a secluded corner, her ears perked as she looked for the cat calling her. Everything seemed distorted and strange, and everything was murky. She couldn't hear her mother looking for her frantically, nor could she hear the sound of the heron circling ever closer. 

No, she was too intent on watching herself. Her past self. She was playing by the water, her sharp eyes focused on a bulrush head, her coat still covered in kit fuzz and her body language still innocent, never having been exposed to fighting or hatred. A white and grey dappled cat watched her intently from the other side, but she could see through the cat. It was almost as if it wasn't there, it was an illusion. 

Suddenly, searing pain brought her back to reality, and she screamed. It was ear piercing, almost as sharp as the claws tearing through her back. She howled in pain, blood clotting her fur. She whipped around, clawing at the heron gripping her. She struggled violently as her white pelt slowly turned red, agonizing pain blooming in her spine and back, flaps of skin torn from her sides as she cried out. Warriors burst out of the undergrowth, launching at the heron and knocking Icekit to the ground. 

She heard fighting and scathing hisses, and a loud cry as the heron was killed. The warriors rushed around her as she flailed wildly, howls ripping from her mouth as blood seeped from her back. Her vision went dark, and the last thing she saw was the white cat from the memory fading into the air.