Snowpaw and Bear spent the next day climbing down from the gigantic tree that they had slept in the previous night.

As they climbed down the tree, they would laugh, tell jokes, share stories, fall in love.

Snowpaw couldn't have felt any happier than she was as they slid down the rough branches.

All she could think about was the future. It would only be a few days now until she and Bear would run off together.

They'd have kits, Snowpaw was sure of that. She would have three girls, one with a frosty white pelt and two with a brown tabby pelt. She guessed that she and Bear would decide the names of the tabbies, but Snowpaw knew that she would name the white one Snowkit, after her mother.

It was a silly daydream that Snowpaw had thought of, but it was as if her future was so close, yet so far away.

Whether or not Snowpaw ever had kits or had three girls, she would definitely care for them with love, never letting them frolic on their own.

"Snowpaw."

Snowpaw's thoughts were interrupted by Bear's charming mew. She pricked her ears and looked at the tom. "Yes?"

"We're almost near the ground," Bear said.

Snowpaw looked down, seeing they could easily jump from here, but she didn't want this moment to end. "Why don't we just walk down?"

"Not jump?" Bear asked. "I thought you were a wild she-cat," he laughed.

Snowpaw rolled her eyes and laughed. "I just don't want this moment to end...with you," she spoke.

Bear's smile faded. "It won't. I promise. We'll leave in the next few days, and then we'll be off and about, side-by-side. And the best part is that we'll go on adventures together."

"Maybe we'll even have kits running around," Snowpaw smiled.

"You're--"

Snowpaw's eyes widened. "StarClan, no! It was just a little daydream of mine since I never had a good kithood."

"Are you suggesting that we're mates now?" Bear smirked.

"We are right?" Snowpaw suddenly froze up inside. Had she gone too far? Did he only think of her as a friend? No, that couldn't be. They had admitted their love to each other only the night before.

"Does this answer your question?" Bear asked as his tongue lightly licked her cheek.

Snowpaw smiled. "I guess that's a 'yes' then."

"I'm jumping," Bear said.

"J-jumping? Are you sure?!" Snowpaw asked. She was worried her mate wouldn't land right. What if he broke his leg, or paw, or...died?

"Relax Snowy, it'll be fine. Let's do it at the same time then," Bear said.

"One," he breathed.

Snowpaw tensed up as she looked at the soft ground beneath the branches. Could she really land on her feet?

"Two," Bear said.

Snowpaw closed her eyes. Please help me StarClan she thought.

"Three!" Bear yelled.

And she leapt, and it felt amazing. It was as if she was a bird, flying away from the past. And she landed on her paws. Bear did too.

Bear laughed. She laughed. They collapsed onto the ground in laughter, staring up at the tree. Had they really climbed that tree?

Then Bear turned towards her with the same look on his face, and they both smiled and laughed into the evening sun.

It had been a few days since their big tree experience, and Snowpaw had been excited to get away.

Sure, she had not felt that way in the beginning, but she was beginning to get more excited now.

She gazed into the stars as Bear slept next to her.

Tomorrow would be their last day in the forest, and the next day they would leave.

She had already decided that she would spend her last day prowling around the woods with Bear, as if it were her final good-bye.

As Snowpaw gazed into the starlight sky, she thought of Silverwhisker and Stonecloud as the stars winked at her.

The she-cats. Boy, she would miss them. Surely they would follow her wherever she went, right?

Guilt still filled her from those few sunrises ago when they had left her. But they would forgive her. They had to. They were StarClan! StarClan always forgave. Or that's what she had been taught.

Snowpaw yawned and realized how tired she was. With a sigh, she gazed up at the stars one last time, then settled down besides Bear. A light moan came from his mouth, but it only took the soft hum of Snowpaw's voice to make him fall asleep again.

Snowpaw rested her head near his as he fell into sleep.

Snowpaw dreamt she was back in the woods with her little plant that had not grown.

Snowpaw gazed around in the woods, pricking her ears for some type of sound.

"Hello? Hello?!" she called.

A sudden sound came from her plant, and when Snowpaw gazed down the plant lit into flames, a familiar laughter coming from it.

As Snowpaw gazed closer, she recognized the laughter as Bear's. Horrified, she ran away from the plant, Bear's laugh still following her.

Her bright forest was now lighting in flames, and Snowpaw was in tears as she ran through it, looking for a way to escape, Bear's laugher following her.

A burning tree fell down next to her, and a loud roar split through the air.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?!" Snowpaw screeched.

She let tears slide down her face as it began to rain, and the flames turned into ashes.

She looked up, seeing Silverwhisker and Stonecloud float nearby her.

Flashbacks filled Snowpaw's mind of her training sessions, all the fun, the laughter, but none of Bear.

"A loud roar," Silverwhisker spoke.

Suddenly, Snowpaw woke up. Bear stared feel into her eyes, and Snowpaw nearly screamed.

"Are you okay? You were moving around a lot in your sleep."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Snowpaw said nervously. But she wasn't. What had the message meant? She only knew one thing. She couldn't leave this forest. It was her home.

But Snowpaw knew she had no choice. She would have to go with Bear if she wanted to be happy. She promised to pay respect to the woods that had raised her the next day.