A gust of wind ripped through the air sending snow everywhere. It ruffled the white fur of Icekit's soft pelt. She shivered and pressed into Fernstar's side.

"Why don't we go to my den? You can rest in there for a little while," the clan leader told the kitten. Icekit nodded and followed her as she headed to an opening below Highrock and brushed past the lichen covering the entrance.

"You can lie down in my nest. I'm sure you are cold." Fernstar gestured to a mossy nest a few tail-lengths away. Icekit stepped over to the nest and sat down in the moss, wrapping her tail tightly around her stomach. Fernstar sat down next to her soundlessly. She kept her face calm, but her eyes hid a storm that the kit could not see. Icekit moved around restlessly unable to get comfortable in the moss.

"Are you ok, Icekit?" Fernstar mewed, her soft gaze meeting the kit's.

Icekit hesitated before responding. "I-I don't feel so good." Fernstar nodded sympathetically, unsure of what the kit meant by that.

"Does something hurt?"

"Everything feels kind of wrong, but my tummy really hurts," Icekit murmured honestly.

Anxiety. She's so young. What are Blizzardmoon and Rainwhisker doing to her? No, she's just a kit; they get sick all the time. "Why don't you try to get some rest. I'll leave you in peace." Icekit sighed and put her head down on her forepaws. Fernstar gave her a gentle nuzzle and headed out of the den. She glanced back to see the white kit surrounded by moss.

Fernstar left Icekit to sleep and barely made it out of her den before she bumped into a calico tom-cat. He jumped, amber eyes glowing from the sudden movement.

"Oh sorry, Fernstar!" the tom replied. "I didn't see you there."

"No, that was my fault, sorry Cedarflame," the leader dipped her head slightly. "Have you sent out the morning patrols yet?" Fernstar asked, noticing that many of the warriors were in the camp.

Cedarflame gave her a confused look. "Uhh yes, it's sunhigh, Fernstar. They're already back." Fernstar looked up to the full sun overhead and took a deep breath. "What have you been doing all morning?"

"Oh, nothing really. I just feel out of the loop today." She tried to straighten up, but found no use in acting for her deputy. "Have Rainwhisker and Blizzardmoon returned to camp?" She scanned the clearing, but didn't see either cat.

"I don't think so. Did something happen while I was on patrol?" Cedarflame asked, his muscles tense.

"They got into another fight."

Cedarflame narrowed his eyes. "Do you have any idea what to do with those two?"

"No, I do not." Once again she caught herself staring off into space. "I'm really worried about Icekit."

"Icekit? She's only two moons. She'll be fine."

"I have her sleeping in my den right now. She was crying earlier and said she didn't feel well."

"Don't worry! At worst she has a stomachache. She's a kit; it's normal."

Fernstar just sighed. "I'm going to go hunting, Cedarflame. I need to get out."

"Okay. Do you want to lead a hunting patrol?"

"I'd rather go alone."

"Okay then. Have fun," Cedarflame responded as the leader walked away. He felt uneasy as he watched her pad away but did not say anything more.

Fernstar left the camp and found herself dashing through the forest. She raced around trees avoiding the fallen branches and enjoying the cold beneath her paws. The wind whipped at her face sending snow flying, but she kept running. She didn't know where she was going, only that she was going. Going and going and going, away from all of her problems back at camp.

At last, she came to a stop and took a deep breath of cold air. She had run pretty far up the mountain, close to the northern edge of their territory. Fernstar sniffed the air, wondering if any prey would be out after the previous night's snow. The scent of mice wafted into her nose and in seconds she was moving. Spotting the small creatures behind a tree root, she slowed down. Pulling her body down, she stalked it until her stomach almost touched the snow. As she got closer, the she-cat got ready to pounce.

Suddenly, she leaped forward, her paws landing squarely on the biggest mouse as the others fled. She unsheathed her claws and killed it swiftly with one blow. Leaving the mouse in a little hole of snow, she walked around searching for the rest of the its family. Fernstar smelled two mice immediately and headed after one. Catching the prey easily, she carried it back to her first catch and buried them over with some more snow.

Then she set off in the opposite direction, following her nose to the last mouse. This one was a bit harder to find but eventually Fernstar spotted it sitting between two tree roots. Crouching down again, she inched her way over to the tiny mouse. A breeze ruffled the air and it shivered ever so slightly. Fernstar's hindlegs had already left the ground when she suddenly decided to pull back. Her front paw hit the tree root and the small mouse scurried off. The mouse had been ever so young, maybe only a few dawns old, and now it would live its first moon alone. The forest must seem huge to the mice. How they navigate it was a complicated secret.

***

As the sun left its full state overhead, Fernstar headed back to camp with her two adult mice along with a white vole. She set the prey on the fresh-kill pile and headed to her den for a grooming and some time to think. 

"Fernstar?" Icekit whispered from her nest. She had forgotten that the kit was still there.

"Oh hello. I'm sorry to startle you." Icekit was sitting uncomfortably with her paws tucked under her stomach. "What's wrong?"

Fernstar came closer to Icekit and saw that underneath her fluffy pelt she was trembling. "My tummy hurts."

"Okay, don't worry. I'll take you to Willowpool. Come on." Icekit stood up and quietly followed her to the medicine den where a gray she-cat was busy organizing herbs.

"Fernstar, Icekit," she dropped the herbs and turned to greet the newcomers. "To what do I owe this visit?"

Fernstar motioned to Icekit. "She says her stomach hurts."

Willowpool padded over to the kit and asked, "what happened? Talk to me."

"It-it just hurts," she cried, falling into a sitting position.

"Have you had any milk today?" Icekit shook her head no. "Maybe you are hungry then."

Icekit closed her eyes and shook her head. "No, I-I-" she swallowed hard as a convulsion shook her small frame.

"Oh, come here, come." Willowpool nudged the kit towards the corner of the den and gently brushed her tail against Icekit. Her stomach churned and she suddenly vomited into the bushes. "It's okay. Get it out." She threw up a little bit more and fell back onto her haunches, gasping for air. "Just breathe." Icekit's throat burned as she hyperventilated. "It will be okay. Keep breathing." Willowpool wrapped her tail around Icekit until she calmed down.

"Do you feel a bit better?" Willowpool asked. Icekit gave a slight nod although her stomach still ached. "You told me that you didn't have any milk today..."

"No, but I had some mouse with Blizzardmoon."

"That was probably it then. I know it's exciting to eat fresh-kill, but you have to be careful since you are still young. I think you should stick mostly to milk and only have a few bites every few days."

Icekit nodded. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's not your fault. It's, umm, I will talk to your parents." My parents... Where were they? Had they come back or were they still quarreling in the forest? "You should probably rest, Icekit. Why don't you go lie down in that nest and I'll get you some juniper berries." Icekit obeyed as Willowpool went into the herb store. Fernstar still stood in the entryway of the medicine den, unsure how to help.

Willowpool came back and pawed Icekit two red berries. "I know they don't taste good, but they'll help your stomach calm down." Icekit licked up the berries and almost gagged at the sour taste. Willowpool licked Icekit's muzzle. "It's okay. Just swallow." With effort, she swallowed the berries and then lay down in the moss. "Good. Are you feeling better, worse or the same?"

Icekit quietly answers, "I think a little bit better. I just feel dizzy."

"That will subside." Willowpool tucked the moss up against the kit's sides to keep her warm. "Try to close your eyes. You'll feel better when you wake up." Icekit shuffled around until she was comfy in the moss and then shut her eyes. Willowpool sat next to her, gently rubbing her pelt until sleep overcame her.

When Icekit was definitely asleep, Willowpool stood up. "Do you want to share a bird?" Fernstar's gaze snapped from the sleeping she-kit to her medicine cat and she gave a slight nod. The two exited the den slowly and Willowpool fetched a small bird from the fresh-kill pile. She dragged it towards a sunny spot and Fernstar sat down next to her. Willowpool took a bite of the prey and nudged it towards Fernstar. "It's a good one for leaf-bare." The clan leader did not move. "What's wrong?"

Fernstar didn't answer for a moment. "I think I'm more worried than I should be," she mumbled. Willowpool nodded for her to go on. "I don't know if you saw earlier, but Blizzardmoon and Rainwhisker were back at it."

"Yes, I saw them. They both seemed pretty worked up," Willowpool meowed.

Fernstar nodded. "I honestly don't know what to do about them. Everyone knows that things weren't working out between them and I'm glad that they separated, but the fighting hasn't come to an end. I thought things would resolve themselves with time, but it seems to be getting worse, especially with poor Icekit in the middle of it. Now she's become the source of their fighting and I think she knows it too."

Willowpool touched Fernstar with her long tail. "You are right, but we must respect their feelings. It was hard on both ends and when they found out that Rainwhisker was carrying. We knew that things would get complicated and they would need their time. I think that this is something the two must resolve on their own, but it may be easier when Icekit's out of the way. The sooner she gets apprenticed, the less Blizzardmoon and Rainwhisker will have to interact and the less they have to fight over."

"That is true. It's so hard to gauge how much she understands. I don't think anyone really pays her much attention, but recently I've been noticing how sad she always seems."

"Yes, Icekit is young. She must be lonely with no other kits around, but Amberwing is due soon and then she'll surely be much happier with friends around," Willowpool explained.

"Perhaps."

"Have some bird." Willowpool nudged the half-eaten bird over and Fernstar flinched.

"I'll pass." Fernstar stood up. Maybe I can try to speak with Blizzardmoon or Rainwhisker alone. "Do you think I should talk to Blizzardmoon and Rainwhisker separately?"

Willowpool sighed. "You need to eat something first. Fernstar, you look out for your clan well and are very empathetic. Empathy is a trait that isn't seen in many leaders and what makes you so humbling and kind. It's because of your spirit that SnowClan is so close. I know that you feel terrible seeing two clanmates fighting and want to fix it, but I don't think that this is an issue you can resolve." Fernstar nodded. "It must be frustrating though."

"Yes, you're probably right. I guess I'll eat a bit." Fernstar leaned down and took a bite of the cold bird. It tasted pretty bland, but she made sure to eat a good portion as to not concern her medicine cat. 

"I'm going to go check on Icekit and resume organizing the herb store. Why don't you distract yourself a bit and go on patrol with some clanmates?"

Fernstar took a look around camp and agreed. "Okay. Thank you, Willowpool."

The dappled, gray she-cat smiled. "Just doing my job." She winked at Fernstar and headed back to the medicine den.