Ice woke up with a jolt. Her paws were itching and she felt like her pelt was suffocating her. Something was wrong. She leapt up and shook out her fur. She padded out of her den and broke into a run as she left the camp behind. She glanced up at the sky, branches crisscrossing the bright blue color. It was far past dawn and the sun was almost at its highest. Why had she slept so late? Ice skidded to a halt as she escaped the forest and broke out into a small clearing. The trickling sound of water nearby told Ice that she was near a stream. She padded closer and leaned down to lap up a few mouthfuls. Suddenly, a shriek sounded close by. Ice jerked her head up, water dripping from her whiskers as she glanced around warily. The wail sounded again, even closer than before. Ice sniffed the air, struggling to find some scent of her Clanmates. There was only a faint scent of Storm, Bramble, and Maple. They had probably been the dawn patrol. But she didn't recognize the cry as one of theirs. It was a loner. An intruder! The fur on Ice's neck rose and a growl sounded from deep in her throat as she padded forward. Ice felt her claws slide out and prick the grass beneath her paws. Suddenly, a gray she cat leapt out of the trees across the clearing. Her light blue eyes were stretched wide with terror and her fur was fluffed up. A small white she kit, whose eyes weren't even open yet, dangled from her jaws. Another gray tom kit clung to her back. When she spotted Ice, her eyes lit up with fear. Ice crept forward, letting her muscles relax and her fur lie down. "It's okay. I won't hurt you. What's wrong?" She whispered to the terrified she cat. "Fox!" She gasped. The she cat's chest heaved as she fought for air. Ice darted forward to help her. "It's okay. I won't let it hurt you. Are you hurt?" She asked. The gray she cat shook her head slowly. "Not me. The fox...my kit! You must help her!" She whimpered. Ice cocked her head, confused. A sudden understanding dawned on her as she noticed the kits on the she cat's back. They were both shaking and whimpering. "What's your name?" Ice asked. The gray she cat looked at Ice, confusion clouding her blue gaze. "Feather. This is Misty, and that's Moss." She said, her voice trembling. She waved her tail to the white she kit first, then the gray tom. "I'm Ice." She told Feather. Moss jumped down from his mother's shoulders, his paws unsteady as he couldn't see yet. Ice leaned forward and licked the tom kit between his ears. Suddenly, Ice spotted a bright red slash on Feather's neck. The she cat was gasping for air and struggling to stand. Ice was trying to help her stand, but Feather collapsed onto the ground. "Are you okay?" Ice asked her immediately. Feather didn't reply. Her paws were shaking and her fur stood on end. Ice licked at the wound on the she cat's neck. Moss and Misty crowded around their mother, still trembling violently. Ice glanced at them, her heart breaking for them. Suddenly, Misty's eyes snapped open. They were bright blue. Beside her, Moss had done the same. His eyes were a striking green color, green as the grass. Ice purred happily. Then, they glanced at Feather, who was shaking uncontrollably now. "Feather! Come on, get up! You have to!" Misty whimpered softly. She padded closer to her mother, shoving her pink nose into her fur. Suddenly, Feather fixed her unsteady gaze on Ice. "Take care of my kits. Treat them as if they were your own." She whispered. Ice nodded gently, suddenly understanding what was happening. Grief flared in her chest for Feather and the kits. She knew Feather wasn't going to survive. Blood was seeping through her soft gray fur already. Suddenly, a shudder passed through the gray she cat's flanks. Then, she was still. Her eyes were still open, but they were glassy and focused on something in the distance. Feather was dead. Ice remembered what the she cat had said. There was a fox somewhere in the forest! And she had said something about a kit that needed help....Ice had to find them! Ice licked Misty and Moss gently. "Stay here with your mother's body. Don't go anywhere." She told them softly. With a finally glance at them, she raced off into the trees. She followed Feather's fear scent through the forest until she reached a small meadow beside a pool of water. Ice sniffed the air, trying to find the fox scent. Finally, she caught a whiff of it. She smelled kit scent with it, tainted with fear. Ice bared her teeth and growled as a small fox stumbled into the clearing. She was doing this for Feather! The kit was clamped in its jaws, whining feebly. It was still alive! Ice let out a yowl and leapt forward. She sank her claws into the fox's shoulders, hissing desperately. She hauled herself onto its ginger back, sinking her teeth into its neck. She finally made the fox drop the kit. Ice watched its small body plop onto the ground. She got a glimpse of the kit. It was a small gray, black, and white she kit with blue eyes like her sister, Misty. She mewled and writhed around. Fury blazed through Ice. This fox had killed Feather and almost killed her kits, too! Her thoughts flashed back to Feather's limp body. She wondered where the queen was now. Ice shook her head to clear it and sank her teeth deeper into the fox's neck. It let out a howl of pain and struggled to get free. Ice gripped tighter with her teeth and claws. The fox suddenly slumped to the ground, and that was when Ice noticed a deep slice in its chest. Feather must have done that. Pride flashed briefly in Ice's belly. The gray she cat had fought fiercely for her life and her kits'. But it had cost her her own life. Then, grief overwhelmed her. She had barely known Feather, but she felt like she had known her her whole life. Now, she was gone, having given up her life for her kits. Ice sniffed the fox. It was dead now. She hissed into its ear. "That was for Feather." Then, she turned and grabbed the kit by its scruff. "Where's my mother?" The kit whimpered. Ice sighed sadly. "I'm your mother now." She replied. She took the small kit back to where her dead mother was. Once they reached the clearing, she let the kit down gently. The she kit let out a soft wail of grief as she spotted her mother's body. "She'll need a name." Ice whispered to herself. "Feather." She said. "Her name is Feather." Ice padded forward and touched her nose to the dead she cat's. "We'll miss you, Feather. I saved your kit and they'll all be safe now." Ice promised. She turned to the kits. Misty, Moss, and Feather we're sitting silently together, their gazes fixed on their mother's dead body. "It's okay, kits. I'll take care of you. You'll be BloodClan warriors now." She told them gently. Misty and Moss looked up. "Warriors? What's warriors?" Moss asked. Ice purred happily. "A warrior is a cat who fights and hunts for his Clan to keep them safe and healthy." She told him. Feather leapt to her paws. " I want to be a warrior! I'll shred any fox that comes near my or my littermates!" She exclaimed with a sad glance at her mother's body. Ice nodded approvingly. "You'll all be great warriors." She promised. "Come on. Let's go back to camp." She said. She picked Feather up in her jaws and leaned towards the ground to help Misty onto her back. The tiny she kit sank her claws into Ice's shoulders for grip. Moss lifted his chin proudly. "I can walk all by myself!" He purred. His sisters glared at him. Ice began to pad towards camp.

Once they reached camp, she let the kits down. Cats were crowding around them, their gazes filled with confusion. Fang padded up to Ice. "Kits? Where did you find them?" He asked. Ice began to tell him the story on what happened. When she finished, she glanced around at her Clan. "I'll just tell them their mother was killed by a fox." She said, glancing down at the kits. "Hopefully, they'll forget about her and they won't ask questions about their real mother. I'll raise them as my own. Would you act as their father?" She asked Fang. His eyes widened in shock. Then, he dipped his head. "I'd be honored." He replied. He touched his nose to Ice's and padded away to tell the Clan about the kits. Ice felt her heart swell with joy. She felt as if she couldn't be happier. She had a mate and kits of her own. It didn't matter that she didn't really birth them. She would raise them like her own. Ice purred and padded over to the nursery, where Hazel had taken them. She poked her head in and watched as the kits talked to Clover and Honey. Tiger was snoring gently in his sleep, his tail tip twitching. Moss, Misty, and Feather all had their own nest to share together. They were curled up now, fast asleep. Ice purred and glanced at Hazel, who dipped her head to Ice. She stepped back out of the den and turned towards her own den. Tomorrow, Ice would make Dandelion's kits apprentices. She decided it was past their time to be made apprentices. Ice stepped into her den and curled up in her mossy nest. She closed her eyes and rested her tail over her nose. Before she could fall asleep, a thought popped into her head. She had forgotten all about her plan! Tomorrow, she decided. I'm definitely gonna do it tomorrow. Then, she let sleep wash over her.