"Hawkfire! Hawkfire!"

As she crossed the quarry, Pyrekit and Onekit came tearing toward her. She hopped clear as they swarmed around her legs. "I can't play now," she told them briskly. "I have to see if there any patrols available."

Onekit pouted, "but you just woke up! It's okay if you miss one."

"It's not okay, it's my duty."

Pyrekit stared at her with round, pleading eyes. "Give us a badger ride, please?"

Onekit clung to her leg, "yeah, Tallwhisker says we're too big now."

Hawkfire felt a pang as she met the young cat's gaze. She hated disappointing them, and was always too soft on kits after her kittenhood. "Fine," she conceded, and crouched down. Before she had the time to protest, the two kits had scrambled onto her back. They clung to her fur with thorn-sharp claws and she winced slightly.

Hightail purred outside the elders' den. "Come and see this, Robinpelt. Hawkfire's bringing us some prey."

The dark ginger tom grunted, "Finally, I'm starving." He licked his chops, amusement sparkling in his eyes.

"You're not going to feed us to them, are you?" Onekit squeaked and wriggled on her back.

Hawkfire's whiskers twitched, "Of course I am. Don't you know? The elders love the taste of fresh kit."

"No! No!" Onekit squealed in horror. "I want to get down."

Stomping her paws like a badger, Hawkfire carried the kits toward the elders.

"You're just in time, I was starting to get hungry," Hightail meowed.

"No!" Pyrekit and Onekit cried in unison. Hawkfire felt the kits scrabble along her spine. Just then, Mosskit raced over and rammed into Hawkfire. She fell onto her side and groaned in exaggeration as the tiny she-cat attacked her.

"Get her!" she yowled and Pyrekit and Onekit joined in. Their tiny claws tickled her stomach until she couldn't take it anymore.

"Okay, okay! You guys win! Sheesh, I was only pulling your tail in the first place," she puffed and staggered back up.

"You're evil," Onekit pouted and hid behind his brother who was trying to act brave.

"I can't believe you actually thought she was going to feed us to the elders," Pyrekit giggled and his brother shot him a glare.

"You were scared too!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!

"Was too!"

Hawkfire sighed, "break it up you two, don't fight." She glanced down at Mosskit who was scratching herself. This kit is rather strong, I can see some future potential in her.

Hightail broke into her thoughts, "do you know how Cedarbelly is doing? I haven't seen him lately." She shook her head remorsefully and he slumped his shoulders.

Robinpelt scowled, "that old tom is probably halfway to StarClan by now."

Hightail swung his head around and snarled, "don't you say that! He will live!" With that he spun around and stalked into the den. Robinpelt blinked in surprise, as did Hawkfire. He must be really worried for Cedarbelly. They are close friends after all. Hawkfire turned around and saw Lightningmask trot over to her just then.

"Hey," he mewed cheerfully. "Want to come play on the ice with us?"

"The lake is already frozen?"

"Yup, Cloudchaser just checked it this morning and he says it's completely covered in a thick sheet of ice."

Hawkfire twitched her tail-tip, "alright then." She met up with Softpaw, Cherrypaw, Applepaw and Ravenpelt. The other warrior was hunched over in a miserable expression and heaved a gust of air as they went over.

"Remind me why I have to go?"

"Because Moonface is on a patrol and won't be able to help watch over the apprentices, nor is anyone else," Lightningmask meowed matter-of-factually. Ravenpelt continued to mumble but Hawkfire payed no mind to him. She leaned over towards Lightningmask and shoved her snout in his ear.

"How did you ever survive with him as your mentor?" she whispered.

No clue," he whispered back.

"Can we go now?" Softpaw bounced on her toes impatiently. Her sister was sitting close to Applepaw with her tail wrapped around her paws neatly, only a slight quiver exposing her excitement.

"Yeah, let's go." Lightningmask led the way and Hawkfire padded beside Applepaw.

"Applepaw," she meowed.

"Yeah?" he skirted around a snowbank before coming back around.

"Aren't you nearly six moons old by now? Will you be made a warrior soon?"

"I hope so," he smiled at the thought. "I can't wait. I'm sick of Ravenpelt bossing me around." He glanced behind him to make sure his mentor didn't hear and continued. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss Gentleleaf. She at least was nice to me, bothersome, but nice." Hawkfire purred at that.

"Have you visited her kits yet? They're so sweet."

"Yes, they are. In fact, I was showing them some neat moves from my training sessions." Applepaw attempted to swipe his forepaws in the air, but tripped on a root and sank into the snow. She snickered and grabbed his scruff, hauling him out. He spat out a mouthful of snow and licked his chest fur quickly.

"I tried that," he mumbled and she had to smother a burst of laughter with her tail.

"Obviously."

"Hey, come on slowpokes! You're falling behind!" Ravenpelt called over his shoulder and the two scurried over to the group that was several paces ahead. After a few heartbeats, they reached their destination.

The lake mirrored the heavy, grey sky on its frozen surface. Barren trees were oblique to the bold sun, a surge of wind picking up leftover ice particles and scattering them on her thick pelt. Icicles dangled from the shadowy skeletons of trees as well. It seemed as if time stopped and she was viewing a motionless world, no movement stirring around them apart from her visible breath billowing in the air. She inhaled deeply, taking in the sharp tang of leaf-bare. Cold, she thought and fluffed out her pelt.

Softpaw and Cherrypaw were gaping in awe at the scenery. "Everything's so still," Softpaw breathed.

"It's beautiful," Cherrypaw whispered in a mesmerized tone.

Hawkfire purred and shuffled a bit closer to Lightningmask, exchanging warmth with him.

"Great, now that you saw it, can we go back home?" Ravenpelt growled and everyone glared at him.

"I got a better idea. Let's go play!" Lightningmask yowled and sped down to the lake, the apprentices eagerly following him.

"Make sure you test the ice again!" Hawkfire shouted after them and tumbled down the miniature slope. She gingerly placed a paw on the ice, leaning forward to increase the pressure, but nothing happened. Lightningmask was already further ahead and he tried turning around to get to her.

"Come on!" he yowled and she hopped on, relieved to find the ice firm beneath her paws.

"We could walk right over to RiverClan territory now if we wanted," she murmured. She looked back at Ravenpelt who was grooming himself by the shore. I suppose we won't be able to get to him play with us, oh well. She saw some slick, shiny stones near the black warrior and idea sparked inside her mind.

"Hey! I know what we can play!"

"What?" Lightningmask mewed.

"Let's play prey-stone."

Applepaw shook his head, "what's that?"

"It's some game that was made up by ShadowClan long ago, but has become quite popular among all the Clans."

"Never heard of it," Softpaw yawned.

"What's the rules?" Cherrypaw asked.

"The stones will be the prey, and all that ice between those two holly bushes will be substituted as the prey-hole," Hawkfire instructed and pointed her tail at the bushes. "That's the place where the stones will be safe. One team will try to put it in there to win, while the other will attempt to stop them to win. If the other team catches the first, they'll swap places."

Everyone nodded their heads in understanding.

"Make sure you pass the stone to your teammate if your opponent blocks your path," she added.

"Okay, sounds simple enough," Lightningmask smiled.

"Where are the stones?" Applepaw meowed.

"I'll go get them." Hawkfire scrambled to the shore and sped past Ravenpelt who hardly glanced at her. She grabbed a stone in her mouth and raced back. She spat the small rock out on the lake and passed it to Lightningmask who caught it with an expert paw. Hawkfire ran across the gleaming whiteness, then flung herself and skidded, spinning on her belly across the ice to her Clanmates. Yowls of amusement followed her from where they stood watching. Even Ravenpelt was enjoying himself.

"How should we break up the teams?"

"How about, you three against Lightningmask and I?" suggested Hawkfire.

"Apprentices versus warriors? I'm in!" Softpaw squealed with delight and the three 'paws huddled in a group.

"Too bad Ravenpelt isn't playing, we could use his help," Lightningmask sighed.

"Oh, well. We'll win either way!" She watched as Cherrypaw fell back to guard the prey-hole. She quickly realized that it would be impossible to just slide the stone past them. Instead she turned and began batting the stone away from them.

"Keep up with me!" she called to Lightningmask. He scampered a few tail-lengths away from her and stayed level as she pushed the stone farther out on the lake. The ice was freezing under her pads, slightly dusted with snow, but wonderfully slippery.

As Hawkfire picked up speed, she stopped lifting her paws and let them skate over the surface instead. The wind rippled her fur and she felt as if she were flying. She let herself glide, then shoved the stone towards Lightningmask. He stopped it and spun around. "Let's attack!" he yowled.

Hawkfire turned and, while matching with her teammates speed, headed back to Applepaw and Softpaw. They were crouched on the ice, eyes narrowed on the stone, ready to lunge and stop it before it whisked past them.

"Here!" Lightningmask sent the stone back to her. Hawkfire caught it, not missing a step as she skated forward. She batted it back to Lightningmask. He was ready and parried it toward her. Applepaw and Softpaw looked from side to side, trying to follow the stone as it flicked between Hawkfire and Lightningmask faster and faster, all the while closing in on the prey-hole.

Hawkfire fixed her gaze on the gap between the two apprentices, and with an almighty shove, hurtled the stone across the ice. It whizzed toward the prey-hole, as straight and swift as a diving hawk. She slowed to a halt and watched it near the goal with excitement rising in her stomach. We did it!

"I've got it!" yelled Applepaw to his denmate and flung himself across the ice. He slid on his belly as quick as a snake, and stopped the stone dead with an outstretched paw. Shoot! She scuffed the ground as Lightningmask groaned.

"So close," he muttered.

Yowling in triumph, Applepaw hurled it back towards them. It zipped past Hawkfire, shooting toward the middle of the lake. Hawkfire turned, paws skidding, and gave chase to the stone as it whirled onward.

With a rush of satisfaction, she saw it slow down and slide to a stop. Dropping onto her belly, she glided to it.

Crack! The world split beneath her. Hawkfire gasped, terror gripping her chest as she felt the ice heave under her paws and tip her into the icy water. She threw her paws up and tried to grasp the edge, but she didn't reach it in time and slid into the freezing depths with a shriek. The water instantly turned black, and dragged at her coat so cold, that it felt like claws were piercing her hide. Above her, the light faded as the water sucked her down. Not again, StarClan help!

Hawkfire began to churn with desperate paws, fighting to reach the surface. She blinked, focusing on which way the bubbles around her were drifting, then headed upward with a surge of hope. Her paws thudded against a solid wall.

No! She could see light beyond the expanse of whiteness and scrambled towards it desperately. This time, her claws ripped against the jagged underside of the ice. She saw movement above her, shadows over the ice. Faint yowls called out her name as the paws thundered above her. I'm down here! she thought and prayed that they could hear her struggling. Then the water began to pull her down again.

Too tired to fight against it, Hawkfire let her paws grow still and allowed the water to cradle her body. Her fur rose like seaweed upward, rippling in the currents. As the noise and chaos faded, she felt numbness spread throughout her body. Such quiet. Such calm.

Suddenly, the water began to churn. Flecks of ice and bubbles floated around her, and she saw silky black fur waft near her. Lightningmask? Had her Clanmate fallen in too? Claws tugged at Hawkfire's fur as Lightningmask grabbed a hold of her. He was trying to pull her up.

Through the darkening depths, Hawkfire could see Lightningmask's brown eyes that seemed to be pleading with her. She stared back. It's hopeless, she thought. The ice has blocked us in. Despite his flailing, they continued to drift downward.

Then Hawkfire saw another pair of eyes. There was a third cat in the water. The other cat grabbed her scruff and tugged together with Lightningmask to pull her up. They finally broke through the surface and she felt Lightningmask's claws unhook from her pelt. She was dropped on the ice and when she tried to breath, found that she couldn't suck in any air at all. New panic aroused within her as her lungs screamed even more furiously than before.

She could still see though. Applepaw, Softpaw and Cherrypaw dashed over while meowing frantically, but her ears were too clogged with water to hear what they were saying. Lightningmask was moving his mouth at Ravenpelt who only furrowed his brow. Lightningmask glanced down at her and bit his lip. She hardly felt his paws pushing on her chest as her eyes were starting to roll into the back of her head. Suddenly, her mouth sprung open and she spewed out water. Coughing she shook her head to clear out her ears. They grew warm as the water poured out and her head fell back down.

"Hawkfire? Hawkfire, speak to me! Say something!" She flicked her eyes back to Lightningmask who was worriedly crouched over her.

"I'm alive," she croaked. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Do you have a habit of nearly drowning?" he finally mewed in a shaky voice.

"Apparently." The cats surrounding her gave a timid laugh that died quickly. She inhaled deeply, relishing the cool air flowing back in her lungs. "Cold," she whispered hoarsely.

"Let's get you warmed up." Lightningmask ducked his head and started grooming her fur in the opposite direction. The others joined in and soon enough, feeling returned to her numb body. Pain shot through her as she struggled to get up, weary from her near drowning experience.

"Applepaw, run back to camp and tell Duckfeather to prepare for Hawkfire," Ravenpelt instructed his apprentice who shot off.

"Here lean on me," offered Lightningmask and she gratefully accepted. They trudged back to the ThunderClan camp slowly, Hawkfire trembling with cold all the while. When she entered the camp, her Clanmates instantly swarmed her.

"Are you okay?"

"What happened?"

"You poor thing." Hawkfire blocked out their concerns and shuffled towards the Medicine Cat's den. Duckfeather was waiting by the entrance and led them inside to a nest tucked against a wall. She sunk down on her knees and closed her eyes, her eyelids heavy boulders.

"What happened?" Duckfeather's gruff voice scratched at her ears.

"We were playing a game on the lake, when all of a sudden, we just saw Hawkfire disappear. We searched and I found a hole in the ice and dove in to rescue her."

"Hmm." She heard leaves rustling and then a soft, pungent smell wafting up her nostrils. "Eat these." Hawkfire lapped up the herbs without complaint and laid her head down on the spongy moss.

"Will she be okay?"

"Yeah, she just needs rest." Hawkfire didn't hear anything else because she had just drifted into a calm sleep.