The snow was unbearably cold against his pawpads, but Dewpaw pushed on. He could not risk being seen as weak, especially when the other trainees already had at least a moon of training on him.

"Let's go, the prey's not gonna' wait around!" Leo's voice boomed over them. Beside Dewpaw, Webpaw's lips drew into a snarl and she pushed herself forward, gaining on Soren and Hazel in front of them. Olive and Finch took up the lead, Crisp close behind.

Dewpaw ignored the pain in his back leg, trailing after Webpaw. He could feel Robin's quick breaths right on his tail, Oats' erratic pawsteps somewhere nearby. Crowpaw brought up the rear.

"Where are they taking us?" he huffed, breath rising up in a cloud. Only two days after his appointment to trainee status, leaf-bare seemed to be in full swing.

"No idea," Robin replied, levelling out with him. They continued racing forward, bounding through snow drifts and dodging around tree trunks.

They stopped short in front of a large brown wall. Gazing up with wide eyes, Dewpaw realized it was a fence – and they all needed to cross it.

Refusing to think about the last time he tried, and failed, to leap atop a fence, the grey tom bunched his legs up beneath him and sprang, hitting the top with his forepaws. His claws shot out, but not in time to keep him from sliding. He hissed in frustration as he hit the ground.

Robin looked back at him, balancing carefully on the edge. She gave him a quick nod and Dewpaw understood. He tried once more, claws unsheathing as he flew upwards, and grunted as Robin grabbed him by the scruff. Pushing against the wood with his hind paws, he helped her with his weight.

"Thanks," he said quickly before they both leaped down on the other side.

"No problem," she responded with a twitch of her whiskers. Oats was now in front of them.

By the time they reached their destination, Dewpaw's legs burned. He and Robin had managed to level out with Oats, though Crowpaw still arrived last.

"Looks like someone's cleaning out the shelter tonight!" Quartz announced, eyeing the black tom. Crowpaw just gave a nod, still catching his breath.

"Today, you will be hunting," Leo announced, stepping forward. "Once you have found a single piece, you are to bring it back here. Then, we will test your battle skills."

Dewpaw's mind raced as he took everything in. It was already nearing sunhigh! How were they to get through all of this before dusk?

"Let's go," Beaver said, flicking his thick tail. "You can hunt anywhere – the copse of trees, the little lake there, or through the snowdrifts."

"I spotted a hare earlier," Jaystrike added thoughtfully. "Perhaps someone will catch that." Dewpaw saw Olive's ears perk up immediately.

The trainees set off, each in a different direction. Dewpaw waited, watching the others. The quickest of the trainees – Olive, Finch, and Soren – headed for the snowdrifts. Hazel, Robin, Oats, and Webpaw found their way to the copse of trees, leaving Crisp and Crowpaw the small lake.

Dewpaw debated his hunting strategy. He wasn't quick enough to hunt hares on open ground, and his back leg prevented him from climbing or jumping up the trees. The lake seemed to be his best bet.

Aware of the mentors watching him, Dewpaw picked his way through the snow, fur already soaked through. The reeds surrounding the lake were half-frozen, their bulbous brown ends covered with frosty white. He could see Crisp stalking something on the other side of the frozen water; Crowpaw had disappeared.

Dewpaw settled himself beside the lake's edge, gazing at its thin covering. He had learned from Killian that it was called ice and only appeared in leaf-bare when it got cold. It prevented the water from moving and cats from hunting fish, something Dewpaw was surprised to hear Killian was quite proficient at.

Beneath the ice he could see dark shapes flitting about the lake's bottom, far out of reach. Maybe he would ask Killian to teach him to fish one day. For now, he would have to focus on catching land prey.

His crumpled ears were little help in helping him identify any possible hiding locations, so he instead scanned the area with his eyes, nose twitching all the while. There were voles somewhere nearby.

The reeds behind him rustled and Dewpaw turned, fur bristling. His back leg hit the ice and a sickening crack broke the air. A coldness more chilling than anything he had ever felt before hit him and the tom started forwards, right into the reeds.

The bird burst upwards, shrieking in distress, but the tom's weight crashed down onto it. Though his entire body shook with surprise, his instincts kicked in. He silenced it with a quick bite to the neck.

Dewpaw remained in the shelter of the reeds, back leg stinging as some semblance of warmth returned to it. He glanced down at the bird, noting the streak of red on its otherwise glossy black feathers.

Then, it hit him.

He'd caught something.

By accident, no less, but it was still freshkill.

Suddenly invigorated, the grey tom got to his paws, carrying his catch proudly back to the meeting place.

Olive noticed him first, the brown-and-white-hare at her paws forgotten. She scowled as he dropped the blackbird beside it. Finch's eyes widened.

"How'd you manage to catch that?" he asked jealously. The small mouse at his paws was a meagre portion.

Dewpaw shrugged nonchalantly. "I used my weight." He flicked his tail at his damaged back leg, hiding the other, still wet one, from view. Olive and Finch did not look convinced but Quartz and Beaver nodded enthusiastically.

"Good work!" Beaver said, nosing the bird. "That'll feed two or three cats tonight."

The newly appointed trainee puffed his chest out proudly.

Soren arrived next with a shrew, then Hazel with a thin bird. Webpaw limped back, complaining about a wrenched claw through the squirrel clamped in her jaws. Crowpaw and Oats both brought back mice, while Crisp brought back a vole. Robin, dragging a crow through the white landscape, returned last.

Leo's eyes lit up at the sight of the freshkill pile the trainees had managed to gather. "I honestly didn't think you would all manage to catch something," he commented, glancing up at the trainees. Dewpaw shifted uncomfortably, hoping Leo's pointed look was not reserved for him alone.

"Now, on to battle training!" Quartz announced. "Dewpaw, since you're the newest apprentice, I'd like you to start. Crowpaw can be your opponent."

Jaystrike's eyes flashed as Dewpaw stepped towards him, unsure of what to do. He had never been formally trained in fighting, only having watched a couple of the trainees' training sessions. Yet, from what he knew, Crowpaw was one of the weakest fighters amongst the group.

With Jaystrike at his back, and Crowpaw and Quartz across from him, Dewpaw took up a stance he believed would aid him in fighting the black tom. Ignoring the other trainees' snickers as best as he could, he launched himself at Crowpaw.

The snow, too slippery beneath his paws, caused him to land a foxlength short of the other tom. Crowpaw lunged forward quickly, catching Dewpaw on the head with a sheathed paw.

"Retreat!" Dewpaw heard Jaystrike call, but the grey tom could not stand the thought of backing down. He lashed out, hitting Crowpaw's shoulder before scuttling back as fast as he could. His opponent followed, moving to land a blow to Dewpaw's face, but the tom dodged beneath the outstretched paw, going for Crowpaw's chest.

Though the tom was older, his thinness made him rather light. Using his full weight, Dewpaw drove him back, leaping back as the tom brought his paw back down.

Quartz's face showed surprise at Dewpaw's perseverance and the grey tom only continued his assault. Crowpaw hit him time and again, peppering his shoulders, head and flank with blows but still Dewpaw grit his fangs and continued on. Any jab was a small victory in his mind.

Finally, Crowpaw stepped back, breathing heavily. Dewpaw caught his own heart racing, breath coming out in clouds before him.

"I can't beat him," Crowpaw managed to get out, coughing.

Dewpaw's eyes widened as Quartz held his gaze. "Dewpaw is the winner!"

Robin yowled his name first, the others quickly following suit. Jaystrike praised him the loudest, but when Dewpaw turned to thank him he found himself frozen in place. The grey tom had his eyes fixated on Crowpaw, a burning resentment deep within. Afraid to speak, the trainee just nodded his thanks to everyone.

"Mouse got your tail?" Webpaw joked to Crowpaw as they all headed back to the camp. Crowpaw shrugged her comment off, though his fur bristled.

"He got beat by a cripple," Finch said, giving Dewpaw a sly look. "What kind of trainee is he?"

This time, Crowpaw scowled, but kept his mouth firmly clamped around his mouse.

"I just got lucky," Dewpaw said quietly, but the others didn't hear him.

"You've got a lot of work to do if you want to pass the assessments," Olive offered, not too kindly.

Dewpaw, feeling guilty about the others' teasing, moved to walk closer to Crowpaw. Instead, the trainee broke out into a run, leaping the fence in one quick movement and disappearing into the bushes on the other side. Dewpaw gazed after him, confused.

"He's got a lot to think about," Jaystrike muttered through the blackbird in his jaws.

Still, the guilt weighed heavily on the grey trainee.

His back leg, still very cold from his fall into the lake, made movement awkward and jumping the fence was incredibly difficult. By the time he reached camp, Dewpaw felt ready to drop into his nest and sleep for a moon.

Instead, he headed for the healer's. He hoped Mothpelt was not too angry with him for refusing to be her apprentice; it appeared that he might make it as a trainee with Quartz. After he got some herbs from Mothpelt that would hopefully stop the chills running through his body, perhaps he would tell Cinderblossom all about training.

He stopped short when he saw Cinderblossom talking to Mothpelt in hushed tones. Not wanting to disrupt their conversation, Dewpaw turned to leave. Then, he heard his name.

He hid himself in the shadows, watching. Mothpelt appeared to be consoling Cinderblossom. He stretched forward, hoping to catch their words.

"He'll be fine," Mothpelt assured the grey she-cat. Dewpaw tilted his head, assuming Cinderblossom might just be worried about his training.

"Do you know how taxing it is, worrying about him day in and day out?" Cinderblossom sobbed, curling her tail over her stomach. "He was the only one who survived."

It felt as if a stone had been dropped into his stomach, weighing him down. Dewpaw blinked, flinching back. He wished he could move, especially when the next words came out of her mouth.

"It's so hard being a mother to a kit I never wanted."

This time, the jolt that ran through him thrust him upwards and Dewpaw turned tail, fleeing the scene. He pelted through the makeshift camp, leaping the fence without much trouble, aided by the adrenaline coursing through him. His claws stung as he thrust them into the chilled wood, but pulled himself up all the same.

Then, he was off across the tops of the fences, running whichever way they took him. He struggled to keep his balance, slipping more times than he cared to count, but he kept moving at all costs.

By the time he stopped, breath rushing out of him in great sobbing gasps, he did not know where he was. The fear hit him quickly. Before him lay an icy river, a thin bridge crossing it to his left. Across the river, he could see only more fences, stretching on forever.

It was growing dark, the sun all but gone from the sky. A yellow haze hung over the horizon, broken by blue the colour of jay's wings. The longer he watched the colour fade from the sky, the more aware he became of the cold rolling in, touching everything in its grasp.

He shook as chills hit him. Glancing around, he looked for something – anything – that might shelter him. Only fences stood at his back; the river before him would provide little protection. Strength fading quickly, he padded towards the bridge.

As he approached it, a rank smell hit him. Wrinkling his nose, he continued forwards, only to find that the smell seemed to be coming from beneath the bridge itself. Along with it came the only source of warmth.

Sighing, Dewpaw followed the scent until he found a round tunnel. It smelled terrible but, glancing at the ice below, he knew it was his only hope of warmth for the night.

Shivering growing worse, the grey tom took one last gulp of fresh air and entered the tunnel.

// Oh my gosh, school starts tomorrow and I am so not ready... Chapter updates from now on will only be on Sundays, unfortunately, as school takes precedence. Expect a Lightpaw chapter this Sunday!