Rowanpaw watched from in a tree, claws digging into the bark of the branch he clutched to, looking downward at the small brown form desperately climbing higher and higher, closer and closer to him. Then, just as he always remembered, one of her back paws slipped from the wood. But what he never saw the sudden fear in her eyes, the fearful yellow glow turn to absolute horror. Her second paw slipped, and her gaze found his.

"Help me," she whispered, her mew tiny and scared. "Don't let me die, Rowanpaw. Don't fail me."

Her front claws unhooked from the trunk, and she fell. He reached desperately, but she was far from his grasp. Sparkkit twisted in air, her claws flashing in fear, and then she slammed into the ground.

"Why didn't you save her?" a voice whispered from above him. It was an achingly familiar voice, one that burned each piece of his broken heart. He slowly looked up, feeling completely empty as he looked into that wonderful yellow gaze, with that brilliant ginger fur. Emberheart looked at him sadly. "Why didn't you save me?"

"I couldn't," he murmured quietly, hating the sound of his own mew. "I wanted to... I'm sorry."

"'Sorry' doesn't bring us back," Sparkkit responded, walking smoothly along the branch Emberheart sat on. Both their gazes watched him, burning into his messy fur.

"You let us die," Emberheart meowed, shaking her head softly in disbelief. "You could have saved us, but you let us die."

"Why did you let me climb the tree?" Sparkkit asked, looking so small and weak, her ribs still evident under that thin form. "Why did you bring me out in the first place? It was all your idea; making me leave the camp, when we knew there was going to be a storm. Did you want me to die, did you want me to suffer?"

"No! Never!" he cried, his claws hurting from how much he curled them into the pine tree under him. He felt like he was swaying, his mind dark and empty.

"Why didn't you hunt more?" Emberheart asked softly. "If you had caught even one more mouse, Heronclaw could've gotten something to eat. I would still be alive, and I could watch my kit grow."

"We'll see her soon, won't we?" Heronclaw walked close to her, white pelt dull. He looked like skin pulled tight over bones, eyes bulging from his thin, starved face. "Hopekit will die just like I did."

"I won't let her," Rowanpaw promised weakly.

"Blazepaw will come, too," Emberheart murmured. "He'll starve and you'll watch the life fade from his body."

"Everybody will die," Sparkkit murmured. "Soon, you'll be the only cat left."

"Completely useless," Emberheart murmured, turning her cold gaze to the cat she had once considered family. "You can't save anyone--not even yourself."

"Poor you," Sparkkit hissed. Rowanpaw jumped, pressing against the trunk of the pine tree. His best friend had appeared right beside him, barely a whisker length away. She looked so small, so starved, her eyes narrowed with hate. "You're such a failure. Just like your mother." She launched toward him. Her claws dug into his fur, tearing into his flesh as she pushed him from the branch.

He felt the lightness of himself, twisting through the air. He caught a brief glimpse of the ground before turning and seeing the two cats he loved most in the world. And suddenly, he was slamming in the earth.

Rowanpaw leaped awake, scrabbling in his tough, uncomfortable nest. His claws flashed through the dry bracken, breathing harsh and quick.

"Hey!" In an instant, Blazepaw was in front of him. "Hey, just calm down. You're okay, it's okay. You're safe." He put a paw on Rowanpaw's shoulder, holding him still. "Just breathe--everything's alright."

The claws on his chest began to loosen, and he did his best to slow his breathing, focusing on his brother's face to calm himself. "I'm fine," he finally murmured.

Blazepaw didn't look convinced and pressed his muzzle against Rowanpaw's cheek. "I'm here. And I'm not going to leave you."

Rowanpaw took a deep breath of his brother's scent, then let out a long, slow breath. "I'm fine," he said again, though he knew it was more truthful this time. "What time is it?"

"Early, just a little after sunrise," Blazepaw answered. "The snowstorm last night was awful. Blew a lot of snow into camp, made it pretty cold. Hopefully all the kits are okay, being in a cave probably isn't helping. Stone can become so cold."

Rowanpaw nodded. Though his nest kept him slightly warm, the side of his body that was facing upward was traced with a chill. He fluffed his fur and forced himself to a sit, shivering as he did so. "Maybe some prey died in the storm," Rowanpaw murmured, beginning to lick down his dirty fur.

"That's why I woke you," Blazepaw explained. "Hazelfur and Bloomcloud are going to bring us out to hunt through the snow for dead prey. Maybe we'll find something living, but I doubt it. Carppaw and Frondpaw are on a hunting patrol with their mentors, though, so maybe there might be something from them when they get back."

Rowanpaw tiredly checked the den to confirm that, yes, the two littermates who they grew up with were gone. The log den was empty except for the two brothers. "Where's Wishpaw?" He didn't actually care about the answer that much, but he liked talking to Blazepaw.

His brother shrugged. "I don't know. She wasn't here when I woke up, so maybe Brownear took her out to train."

Rowanpaw snorted. "Yeah, sure, and hedgehogs fly." He finished cleaning himself and stood up, giving one last shake of his pelt before following his brother from the den, shivering when the cold stone touched his pads. He looked to the camp entrance and saw that Blazepaw had been truthful--the snowstorm last night had flooded the entrance to the camp with a thick layer of snow over the rocks, though there were pawprints leading up to the cave entrance that showed patrols had already left for the day, most likely the dawn patrol and Leafpelt and Duskfang with Carppaw and Frondpaw in tow.

Hazelfur and Bloomcloud were waiting for them, and stood when they got close. "We'll head toward the Gathering hollow and scan most, if not all, the territory in that direction. Hopefully, we'll find something living or dead. Keep your noses ready, the snow will hide a lot of the scents," Hazelfur told them.

Blazepaw nodded excitedly, and with a flick of her tail Hazelfur led the patrol off. Bloomcloud limped slightly as she went after the younger warrior, her eyes glazed. Blazepaw looked at her with a worried gaze and pressed against her side. Bloomcloud gave a very soft purr and nuzzled his head, but she didn't move away. Instead, she actually seemed to lean on him slightly as they went up the rocky pathway.

"Hey, wait!"

The group paused and looked back as Brownear trotted over from the leader's den. "Where's Wishpaw? She wasn't in the log." He looked grumpy, and Rowanpaw guessed he had been reprimanded by Dawnstar for how he treated Wishpaw. But Rowanpaw knew his training was right--he had to be harsh with her, or she would never learn to be a real warrior. She never brought in any prey, and acted more like a medicine cat than anything else. We don't need another medicine cat--we need more hunters.

"Haven't seen her," Hazelfur answered. "When did you see her last?"

"Last night," Brownear growled, flicking his tail. "I sent her out for some solo hunting to get her out of my fur."

In an instant, Hazelfur looked worried. "Who was on guard last night?" she asked the tom, hurrying back down the rocks.

"Brackenfoot," Brownear responded. "He's still sleeping in the den. You don't think Wishpaw was mouse-brained enough to stay out all night, do you?"

"That storm came fast," Bloomcloud said weakly. "She could've gotten lost." Worry spiked her mew.

"Brackenfoot!" Hazelfur called to the warriors' den, searching the clearing despite how easy it was to see everything.

The tom emerged after a moment, shaking the sleep from his body. "Something wrong?"

"Did you see Wishpaw when you were on guard?" she called.

The tom shook his head. "No, nor did Hickoryclaw, who was on watch before me. He would've said so if she had come back to camp. Is she missing?"

"She went out late yesterday and no one has seen her since," Hazelfur responded.

"Should we tell Dawnstar to get a search party together?" Bloomcloud asked.

"I'm sure she's hiding in a log or something," Brownear growled. "She'll come back sooner or later."

"It was a dreadful storm, we almost froze in here. I couldn't imagine what it would be like out there overnight." Hazelfur shivered, letting out a breath.

"So, search party?" Brackenfoot meowed.

"No," Hazelfur decided after a moment. "Most cats are already out of camp. Besides, we're going out to search for prey killed by the storm. If she's out there, we'll likely find her."

"Unless she went toward the Old Twolegplace," Bloomcloud meowed softly.

"She could've," Brackenfoot meowed. "Territory's softer over there, she might've felt more at home. I'll take Birchsplash and Hickoryclaw with me to look over that way. Let me tell Dawnstar."

"What, don't want me with you?" Brownear said coldly.

Brackenfoot flicked his brother's flank with his tail. "I'm sorry, but I doubt she'd want to see you right now. Besides, we still need a guard." He headed off for Dawnstar's den.

"Let's get moving," Hazelfur said, heading back up the rocks and leading her Clanmates out of camp. The marsh ground was hard from the cold night, and it was the nicest thing Rowanpaw had ever felt. The snow was cold and hid his paws, but he wasn't sinking into the mud. He headed rather calmly after his patrol, mouth open in the search for prey, despite being so close to camp.

As they went on, Hazelfur ordered them to spread out in order to cover more ground. They headed straight for the Old Thunderpath, sniffing the snow and air for dead prey and their missing Clanmate. For a while, they found nothing, but as they got closer to the edge of their territory Bloomcloud tripped over something hidden in the snow. She managed to stay on her paws, and nosed through the white powder with her muzzle.

"What's there?" Hazelfur called. After a moment, Bloomcloud raised her head to reveal a snowy thrush, feathers wet and ruffled. The body was stiff, but plump enough for a few cats to get a comfortable stomach.

"That's amazing!" Blazepaw mewed. "It would've been so hard to catch something like that if it were alive."

"It's very good luck," Hazelfur responded to him. "Sometimes, leaf-bare can be a blessing for us, mostly for the snowstorms. Prey can die quite easily in the cold, so we always search for it. It'll freeze quickly, though, and be inedible after a day or two in the snow. That thrush was a good find. Congratulations, Bloomcloud." She nodded to the she-cat.

She dipped her head back, setting the thrush back down on the ground. The snow compressed around it, but it stayed up slightly. Bloomcloud sniffed it closely, then raised her gaze to the trees. "It's a female--it might have young."

"Unlikely in leaf-bare," Hazelfur murmured, "but possible. It wouldn't have gone far from her nest. Might've even fallen from it. Blazepaw, Ratpaw, scan the nearby trees."

The two apprentices headed closer, turning their eyes upward. It was easy to spy through the bare branches, and it didn't take long for Rowanpaw to spot the small nest in the crook of a pine tree. "Found it!" he called, going to the tree and digging his claws into the bark.

"Be careful!" Blazepaw said instantly, rushing over. Rowanpaw looked at him and saw the fear in his eyes, full of memories. He was remembering Sparkkit. His dream rushed back to him, and he remembered the feeling of falling, of twisting helplessly in the air. Unable to help it, Rowanpaw stepped back, swallowing.

Hazelfur came forward, running her tail along his spine. "Don't worry, I'll go check. You two search around to see if any of the young fell out and died."

Angry at himself for being so scared, Rowanpaw turned away and began to search the snow around the bottom of the tree. He passed Blazepaw a few times, and his brother continued to shoot him a sad, worried glance. This was a fear they both shared--heights. It was obvious to Rowanpaw his brother's was worse, but it was evident in both of them.

"Found a hatchling!" Blazepaw called, pulling a tiny, snowy bird from the ground. It had young feathers but was also a little fluffy. It was a small meal, but still something.

There was a scared call from the tree, and the three cats looked up to see two tiny shapes fluttering helplessly into the air. The two young thrushes were struggling to fly away, barely staying up. Hazelfur bunched her muscles from the bird's nest and leaped for one of the hatchlings, catching it in her jaws and managing to catch a branch from a nearby tree.

The other thrush began to beat its wings rapidly but lost flight after a moment and fell toward the ground with a skrill call. It hit the snow lightly and struggled through the thick powder, flapping one wing desperately, the other stuck under snow. Rowanpaw hurried over and scooped it up with his jaws, cracking its frail neck without breaking the skin.

He had the sudden urge to either eat it swiftly or run away with it, but he forced himself to head back to his Clanmates. Hazelfur reached the ground and nodded her thanks to him, and said through the tiny bird in her jaws, "let's bring these back to camp, then we'll head back out and keep looking for prey and Wishpaw. The queens and kits will eat better than usual."

The cats followed her without complaint, heading back for camp quickly. Hazelfur and Rowanpaw had warm prey, and they wanted to keep it that way. It didn't take long to get back, with the hardest part being the jumps back to the entrance. Bloomcloud almost slipped off the tallest rock, but Blazepaw dropped his thrush and rushed forward, gripping her scruff and pulling her up. She blinked gratefully at him, watching him for a long, proud moment.

Hiding his anger, Rowanpaw hurried into camp. Why was Bloomcloud still pretending? She wasn't their mother, just a warrior they barely knew. Yes, she was acting as Blazepaw's new mentor since Heronclaw died, but the look she gave the young tom was not one of a mentor, it was one of family. And she had no right to do that.

When they padded into camp, they instantly noticed Clovertail's dawn patrol with Hawktail and Juniperfur had returned, for the three cats were waiting in the clearing, crouched in the clearing. Clovertail raised herself up, revealing a rat under her stomach. "Is Wishpaw really missing?" she asked as they approached.

"Sadly, yes," Hazelfur answered, setting down her thrush. "We didn't get far before finding these, but we'll head back out there."

Bloomcloud nodded in agreement, setting down her frozen thrush and settling over it.

"I hope she's alright," Clovertail meowed, then added, "good catches. More than just the nursery will eat tonight. We found two rats and frog while on patrol."

"Bloomcloud found the mother thrush, and Blazepaw that baby. Oh, Blazepaw, set the thrush down and lay on top of it. It'll warm its meat and make it easier to eat." The apprentice nodded and did as he was told. "Two were alive in the nest. I caught one in the air and Ratpaw killed the one that fell to the ground."

"Thank you, StarClan," Clovertail whispered, casting her gaze to the stone ceiling for a moment. "Juniperfur, why don't you take the warm prey to the nursery and spread it evenly between the kits and queens. Bloomcloud, Blazepaw, go ahead and give your prey to me and Hawktail, we'll warm them so we can give them out when they're warm. Then Hazelfur can lead you back out in search for Wishpaw and frozen prey."

Instantly, the cats nodded and did as she said. Juniperfur took the thrushes from Hazelfur and Rowanpaw, while Blazepaw made the point of giving his hatchling to Dawnstar without looking at his father. When Bloomcloud gave over the mother thrush, the four cats headed out again. But they paused almost instantly when they saw three cats entering camp.

Birchsplash came first, eyes dull and fur softly covered in snow, his tail draped low. Hickoryclaw was next, but the black tom instantly turned around and reached back to outside the camp, dragging back a limp ginger body. As he dragged it away from the edge, Brackenfoot leaped up, and together the two toms brought the dead cat into the clearing.

Clovertail stood from the frozen prey without care and approached them softly. Rowanpaw watched emotionlessly as she reached her muzzle low to touch Wishpaw's frosty ginger fur. "Where did you find her?" she asked softly, raising her muzzle from the dead she-cat.

"Near the pond," Hickoryclaw answered hoarsely, eyes filled with sadness. He had come from the Old Twolegplace with Wishpaw, and had been good friends with the she-cat. "She was under some bracken, probably trying to hide from the cold."

"She didn't deserve to die with an apprentice name," Clovertail murmured.

"No, she didn't." Dawnstar had appeared from her den. She passed the prey without mentioning it, and gave the dead she-cat a soft lick on her messy coat. "She was much too old to have such a name, but her lack of training was against her. StarClan, please, accept her with honor. She could've made a great warrior one day."

Brownear, who had arrived from the warriors' den, looked skeptical, but yet kept quiet. Rowanpaw couldn't help but agree with him. Wishpaw had never truly gotten anything right, except for helping Bloomcloud with her breathing after the training session. But that wouldn't keep her alive forever.

She was a waste of prey. We're better off without her. He stood up and went to the prey Clovertail had left. He crouched down over it, pressing his warm belly against the feathers. It was cold, but he didn't mind the feeling. At least it let him feel something. Once they were soft enough to eat, he could finally go back to the nursery and get to see Hopekit again.

Oh, Rowanpaw, my dear boy.

Question #1: Do you think, with training, Wishpaw could've had a chance to become a good warrior?

Question #2: Do you think it was Brownear's fault Wishpaw died, since he was the one to send her out the day before?