The winter morning's air was crisp. Snow crunched beneath her paws as Eclipsepaw continued her trek. Her destination was the large mountain in the north. It was well away from any clan's territory. 

She sighed. She almost missed them. Well, more like she missed Avalanchepaw and Snowrunner. They were her only friends. 

She also missed having a warm and sheltered place to sleep. Out here, there was almost no protection from the elements. Most nights she went to sleep shivering and awoke with her fur dusted in ice. 

Her paws were frozen, the fur on them soaked from the snow. The day that they were finally dry and warm could not come soon enough. 

Far ahead of her, barely visible through the trees, the mountain stretched towards the sky. Eclipsepaw was sure that she would find peace there. 

With that thought in mind, she carried on. 

***

No, no, no.

Heavy paws thundered behind her, and a growl shook the forest.

Eclipsepaw was running as fast as she could, but three strides for her was one for the massive bear behind her. 

She had never seen a bear aggressive before. When she'd go on patrols with Snowrunner, if they encountered one they normally turned around and left immediately. But when she saw her first bear as a new apprentice, Snowrunner made her sit and observe. The bear then was rubbing his back on a tree and lounging in the sun. 

This bear had awakened the moment her nose had touched its fur. She had been looking for a place to sleep for the night before she began going up the mountain, and had found a cave. When she went inside, she noticed the bear and had thought it was dead. 

It was not, and now she might die. 

It was getting closer; she could feel its hot breath on her heels.

She tried to push her legs to go faster, but she was too tired. And then she was flying through the air. 

It all happened so fast. Her back slammed into a tree, bark and leaves showering down around her as she thudded onto the cold ground. 

The bear roared again as Eclipsepaw fought to remain conscious. She waited to be torn apart but the giant claws never came. 

It continued to roar, but she also heard hissing and yowling. 

Who...? She struggled to sit up, blinking furiously to attempt to clear her vision. All she could make out were vague shapes and the bear running away. 

"Hey, are you alright?"

One of the shapes approached her, and she fell back, her spine brushing against the tree. The edges of her vision began to darken. The last thing she heard before she passed out was frantic voices calling for a healer.