Poolpelt led her sister through the snowy trees, followed by the route she'd taken that morning.

It'll be quiet by the river, she told herself, out of the way of hunting patrols.
The sound of the water would sooth Feathershine.
And it would be sunny, so they could bask for a while.

Feathershine already looked happier, trotting through the breeze-rustled snowy forest. "I'd forgotten how good it smells," she chirped, taking another deep breath.
Suddenly she stopped. "Wait."
Poolpelt stopped, trying not to sigh. "What is it now?"

With a playful hiss, Feathershine lunged at her, giving her a shove that sent her tumbling against a frozen bramble heavy with blackberries. The fruit trembled as Poolpelt found her black paws.
"Why, you—!" She sprang out of the sweet-smelling thorns, bowling her sister to the ground, where they tussled like kits.

Feathershine pinned Poolpelt down. "Do you give in?"
"Never!" Poolpelt yowled.
She pushed with her hind black paws and rolled Feathershine off.

Feathershine landed softly with her paws and giggled. "We haven't done this since we were kits!"
Poolpelt purred, thinking of their fond memories together in the nursery.

Feathershine purred, sprinting off. "Race you!" She disappeared into the frozen undergrowth.
"You're on!" Poolpelt hurried after her sister, following her scent trail through the frozen undergrowth.

As the snow started disappearing under their paws, and snowy trees started turning into pine, she pushed through a clump of ferns, still fresh with Feathershine's scent.

"Feathershine?"
The pale white warrior was grooming herself behind a pine root, then looking up and grinning at Poolpelt. "Glad you catched up!"
Poolpelt purred. "You're too fast!"
Feathershine nodded.

Poolpelt thought for a moment as they looked at the sky.
She felt like Feathershine needed to hear this.

Poolpelt looked at Feathershine. "Feathershine, I'd just want you to know.. I'm glad your my sister. We may take different paths in our lives, but.. you'll always be my sister. If you're in any danger, I would always go there to save you. We've been sisters for the longest time and I'm glad. I'll always protect you until the day we die."
Feathershine's eyes brightened.
Poolpelt purred and put her black paw over Feathershine. "Enough of all this sappiness, you're my sister and I love you!"
Feathershine laughed. "I love you too, Poolpelt!"

Feathershine's ears then flicked and crouched, fur twitching along her spine, her jaws open to taste the air.
"Get down," Feathershine hissed, "I smell rouges!"
Great. Rouges just came in time to ruin the moment. Poolpelt thought irritated.

Poolpelt ducked beside her.
Sure enough, the scent of rouges was fresh on the breeze.

Poolpelt wrinkled her nose. More than one cat tainted the air. "Should I get a patrol?" she whispered.
"There are no more than three of them," Feathershine murmured. "We can take them ourselves."
Feathershine crept forward over the tree root and slithered under a bush.
Poolpelt slid in beside her.

Now she could clearly hear rouge voices muttering a few tail-lengths ahead.
"You should have never chased it over the road."
"But I nearly had it!"
"It's gone now."

Poolpelt peered through the leaves and saw three pelts huddled in a small clearing between the pines.
"Let's go back." A black tom spoke.
"No!" A tortoiseshell tom insisted. "I can still smell the squirrel. It's close."
The black rouge flicked his tail. "Don't you know? We're in forest cat territory, meaning we could be clawed out easily if we get caught!"
"I'm not worried about those forest cats," meowed a thick, glossy, and soft-furred brown she-cat with eyes the color of the sun.

"They'll be busy grooming themselves. We'll just get the squirrel and take it back over the road. They'll never know we were here."
"Mouse, just because you're not scared of forest cats, doesn't mean we are!" The black tom's eyes widened in fear.
The brown she-cat sighed. "Okay," she conceded. "Let's go."

The tortoiseshell stiffened. "No! I can smell the squirrel."
Paws skittered nearby.
The rouges pressed themselves to the ground.
"This way!" The tortoiseshell began to stalk, keeping low.

Feathershine growled, "If they think they're going to hunt on Clan territory, they've got another thing coming."

Feathershine leaped out from the bush and skidded in front of the rouges, her back arched and her claws unsheathed. "Stop right there!"
The rouges flinched away, tails brushing.
Poolpelt pelted after her sister. "Mangy crow-food eaters!" She bared her teeth, a growl rumbling in her throat.

The tortoiseshell blinked. "Is that it? Two cats? Not as scary as the stories."
"Scary enough to deal with you!" Poolpelt spat.

The black tom straightened, eyes gleaming. "You think so?"
Mouse snarled. "If you're from the stories, then I think we'll catch this squirrel and then go home."

"Oh no, you don't!" Feathershine launched herself at Mouse, knocking her sideways with a crashing blow from her forepaw.
The tortiseshell's eyes widened in shock.
Even Poolpelt was startled. "Feathershine...," she began.
"I've been stuck in camp too long to miss the chance for a fight," Feathershine spat.

There was no way Poolpelt was going to let her sister battle these trespassers alone.

The tortoiseshell tom was the first to run, screeching and running cowardly.
Springing forward, she lashed out with unsheathed claws at the black tom, slitting his nose.

She heard yowls from Feathershine.
"You don't escape that easily!"

She hoped Feathershine was doing fine with Mouse.

The black tom scrabbled to his paws. "Let's get out of here!" he yowled.
She then heard Mouse yowl. "Cowards! I'll finish this myself!"

Poolpelt snapped her head around to have her eyes widen in horror.

Feathershine's blood splurting out as Mouse slashes through her throat.