Edited ✔️

This chapter is the moment everyone has been waiting for. Contains a little bit of loooove~
-_^ enjoy

Icetail padded beside Silverleaf as Amberpaw lead the way back to camp. They finished exploring two more places; near MarshClan's borders and near CloudClan's moors. Icetail knew that he'd have to show her near the borders of DarkClan too, but he decided he'd give it another quarter-moon so he'd know that Amberpaw would at least be able to defend herself if Dewstar's warriors tried anything bad. This made him think of when he was an apprentice. There used to be a lot of battles back then, but the numbers were ever increasing.

Icetail thought for a moment, before telling Amberpaw: "You can go ahead to camp if you want," he offered. "I'd like to see if you know the way back."

"Of course I know the way back!" said Amberpaw. "Why do you want to send me back to camp before you anyway?" She was dumbstruck for a moment before looking back and forth between Silverleaf and Icetail. "Oh. Alright, I'll go back."

She began to run in the right direction, her tail flicking with delight. Icetail just sighed, a bit embarrassed. She figures everything out, he thought. He turned to Silverleaf, but she was as clueless as a kit.

"Why'd you send her back?" laughed the silver she-cat. "Amberpaw could be mauled by a fox for all I know."

Icetail shook his head. "We're not that far from camp," he pointed out. "Besides, Amberpaw, I know you're hiding in the bushes." He flicked his ear towards patches of dying holly. Amberpaw's head poked out from her hiding spot, and she looked frustrated. "Go back to camp, Amberpaw."

"Come on," she whined. "I didn't think you'd scent me that fast."

"I bet he didn't scent you. He probably heard you step on a leaf or something," Silverleaf pointed out, remembering that he had better hearing than he did scent. "Anyways, you should get back. We'll catch up to you in a few moments."

"Fine," Amberpaw groaned. The ginger apprentice began to leave, padding through the undergrowth. Icetail listened until she was finally gone, feeling relief when they were finally alone.

"Okay, continuing," Silverleaf meowed, glancing at Icetail. "There must of been a reason other than to test her."

"There is," said Icetail, the tip of his ears becoming hot. "I just didn't want any kits lurking around or anything. That'd be rather uncomfortable."

"She's an apprentice," Silverleaf pointed out. "Not a kit. I bet she'd get mad if she found out that you called her that." Icetail nodded with agreement. A leaf drifted onto Silverleaf's head, crackling into a bunch of tiny pieces over her fur. "What was that?" she asked, ears twitching with alarm.

"You're covered in leaves!" he explained, letting out a small mrrow of laughter. "Here, let me help you get it off." He stepped forward and groomed her soft fur clean, smoothening it out before observing her. "It really looks like there are stars in your fur . . ." he purred.

"Or maybe you're slowly going to StarClan," Silverleaf joked.

"I'll take you with me," Icetail said before continuing to clean the leaves off of her fur.

Silverleaf shoved him onto the forest ground and pinned him down. "You won't take me to StarClan—not as long as I can help it!" She kept him pinned, and Icetail couldn't help but but to let out another mrrow of laugher. "What? What's so funny!"

"I can easily knock you off your paws," he meowed.

"No you can't."

"Of course I can," he said. "I've been in far more battles than you have." He kicked her over, and then pinned her down before she could even struggle. "See?" Silverleaf tried to kick him off with her back paws, but it was no use. She wouldn't dare unsheathe her claws, so she couldn't even land a scratch to free herself. Icetail smirked playfully.

Silverleaf rolled her eyes. "Get off me you stupid furball," she meowed. Icetail wouldn't let her up, and she sighed. But a moment later, her expression changed. "Hey, thank you, Icetail." Her voice was softer than before.

Icetail tilted his head. "For what?"

"For everything," Silverleaf said. "When I was a kit and I lost Ripplefur, you were basically my mother." Icetail snorted. "It's true! And when DarkClan took me when I was still a kit, you were the first cat I expected to see steal me back—and I was right. Thanks for saving me . . . all those other times too," she went on.

Icetail knew she was talking about both the falling branch incident, and the from Dewstar a couple moons ago when she was still an apprentice. These incidents almost had cost him his life as much as it did to her, allowing him to escape with nothing but a scar on his shoulder.

His face softened. "I told you I'd protect you forever," he mewed. He touched his nose to hers and closed his eyes. "And you'll protect me too, right?"

"Y-yeah," Silverleaf stammered, embarrassed. "You're too much of a reckless furball."

"I've heard that so much that I'm already used to it," Icetail said, amused.

He opened his eyes and stared at Silverleaf in amazement and surprise. He didn't expect to feel so happy especially after the death of his father. But when Silverleaf was around, he felt like he could be or do anything he wanted. The effect that she had on him made his heart flutter with feelings he didn't know he could ever have. 

"Silverleaf," Icetail murmured. "I love you."

Her tail entwined with his. "I love you too, Icetail." He let her up, and she shook the dirt from her pelt. "Thank you for always being there for me. I love you so much."

Icetail pressed his pelt against hers' and purred. "You've always made me feel that I could be a better cat." He paused for a moment. "In the future, we'll have kits, Silverleaf, and we'd grow to be elders together, too . . ."

"You love thinking about the future," she said amused. "I don't think I want that many kits." He could feel her heart pounding fast.

For a few moments, they both sat together basking in the brief peace—Silverleaf with her head in his chest, as if she was trying to listen to his heartbeat, and Icetail, pressing close to her warm fur.

"I really want to stay like this for a long time," sighed Icetail.

"Too bad we have to go back to camp," murmured Silverleaf. Icetail nodded, but he did not move his spot. "The sun is setting," Silverleaf went on, pointing to the sky with her ears. "We have to go now. For Sparrowheart."

He licked her between her ears, knowing that she was right. He was happy right now . . . He hasn't been this close to Silverleaf in moons. "We can leave when you'd like, before the moon rises."

"Just a little while longer," she mewed quietly. "Your fur is so warm, I don't want to move."

"Your's too."

For moments longer, they talked as they remained together. When the sun was barely over the horizon, they both decided to go back in time Sparrowheart's vigil. She led him in the camp, and no cat seemed to notice that they were even gone except for Brightstar and Amberpaw.

Brightstar immediately padded up to him. Her gray fur rippled over the movement of her muscles, and her short tail flicked. "Welcome back, Icetail," she meowed. "Where were you?" She turned to Icetail's mate, and curiosity sparked her eyes. "Out with Silverleaf, I suppose?" She was smiling teasingly.

Amberpaw opened her mouth to probably say something that Icetail didn't want to hear, so he answered before she could. "The moon is about to rise. Is everyone back at camp?" He had completely changed the subject, not wanting to share any of what happened.

What happens between us is between us, he decided. He'd never liked gossip anyway. Silverleaf must of picked up what Icetail was thinking and remained by his side without saying a word. She pressed closer to Icetail.

"You were the last to return," meowed Brightstar. She gave a deep sigh. "And you should come to my den, too. There's someone who you should see, as my deputy."

Icetail nodded and touched Silverleaf's nose with his. "I'll be right back," he promised.

All that was in Icetail's mind was Silverleaf as he followed his leader to her den. Brightstar gestured inside, and Icetail went. The first thing he saw was Thornheart, standing right beside Sweetheart.

His thoughts faded away and his eyes widened, fur going on end. "Where were you?" he demanded to the younger warrior. "If DarkClan hadn't taken you, where could you have possible been all this time?"

Thornheart's head hung with shame. "I'm sorry, Icetail."

"Brightstar, where was he?" Icetail asked, turning to his leader.

Sweetfur answered for her. "Thornheart was sneaking away," responded the MoonClan medicine cat. "He was meeting with a StreamClan she-cat. You won't believe what we had found there."

"What?" Icetail asked.

"Tell him, Thornheart," snarled Sweetheart.

Thonheart's eyes were on his paws. "I-I had kits . . . with the StreamClan warrior," he mewed with shame. "I was out with her, looking after them just for a few days, until I was found and taken back here."

That's breaking the warrior code! he thought, his fur still on end. He felt especially disturbed for the fact that he was only a young warrior. He hadn't been named Thornheart for more than two moons! He didn't know that the young tom was capable of disrespecting the code so quick in his life.

"What are we going to do about this, Brightstar?" Icetail asked, turning to his leader. They couldn't be distracted from Sparrowheart's vigil that night.

"Lower your voice," scolded Brightstar. "Not everyone knows what happened. Only the warriors who were out on the search patrol know."

"Well, whatever this is about, we can't ignore it," murmured Icetail. "Where is the queen right now?"

"She's nursing the kits in the nursery," responded Sweetheart. "She only had two, so we thought that it wouldn't crowd Sagepelt."

Icetail's eyes met with his leader's. "I'm sorry, Brightstar," he said with a sigh. "Today is not about figuring things out with a StreamClan queen. Right now, we have to honor Sparrowheart. The moon is already coming up. Can we figure this out tomorrow?"

Brightstar nodded. "As you wish."

* * *

Icetail's nose was touching his father's dead body. For some reason, when he didn't think about Sparrowheart earlier, he felt at ease. But now, as he remained with Sparrowheart's corpse, his heart felt heavy again.

His father's gray fur shimmered lightly under the moonlight, and Icetail grieved. I've lost all my family in MoonClan, he thought, pain gripping his chest. He knew that he had a sister somewhere in DarkClan, and that Flameheart's mother was his own mother's sister, but even so, the pain of loosing the cats he grew up with was unbearable.

He buried his head in his father's fur, not wanting to move. There was no warmth in the air, neither in the dead deputy's body.

He could hear the soft mews of the kits in the nursery. The StreamClan she-cat was talking softly to Sagepelt. She must of felt worse than Thornheart. Being away from your birth Clan was just as terrible as losing a cat you loved. He pressed closer to Sparrowheart.

Are you watching over me now? he thought. Are you right beside Featherbreeze, looking over MoonClan and protecting us? The moon was at it's highest peak in the sky, surrounded by countless of bright stars. He parted from his father and looked up at the sky in wonder. Silverpelt was shining as bright as ever. He knew deep down that Sparrowheart was a star among them, close to the moon with the rest of his Clanmates that had ever passed.

He felt a tail softly rest over his spine, and he turned to see Silverleaf standing close by, her eyes watching Sparrowheart with grief and sympathy. Icetail smiled gratefully towards her. That's right. We're mates now; everything we do is shared in between the two of us.

"It's time for the elders to bury him," she meowed softly. "Look."

She pointed to Thrushclaw and Stripeeyes, who were both padding over. Right beside them was Mousetail and Sweetheart. They must be on the way to help the two elders. He dipped his head in respect to them before padding to the warriors den. Silverleaf followed quietly behind.

Everyone in the den looked as if they were sleeping, but he knew deep down that most of them were faking it. Just like him, they were all trying to get over the loss of the previous deputy. He lied down in his nest, and Silverleaf cuddled up beside him. He was grateful to her warmth.

He knew that tonight was not going to be so restful.

* * *

Icetail hadn't dreamed in a long time up until now. He was padding through a forest of lush green, and the air smelled like a combination of oak and pine. He knew that he was in the forest of MoonClan. Just up ahead, he could see the camp. Everything was the same, yet so different.

He padded through the entrance, expecting to be greeted by his Clanmates, but no cat took notice of him. Icetail saw some cats he did not recognize, and some cats that he knew for a very long time. He gazed at the nursery, and his eyes widened at what he saw.

Featherbreeze was within the den, cradling three new-born kits. He realized at that moment that he was only looking at the past. He walked up to his mother, and looked down at the kits. Two of them were pawing at each other angrily.

"Dewkit, Icekit, stop," Featherbreeze growled.

Icetail immediately realized that he was looking at himself and his brother. He didn't recognize himself at first because he looked so . . . little. Even Dewkit looked different.

"You two should try and be more like your sister. Honestly," she went on with a sigh, "all you two do is fight. Lilykit is so peaceful unlike the both of you."

Icekit smiled as he saw Lilykit. Her fur was darker than Dewkit's but lighter than Icekit's, and she had faint dark gray tabby marks covering her pelt. She was very beautiful.

Why am I looking at such memories? he thought. These memories are not even mine. He couldn't have been aware of his surroundings as a newborn kit.

He sighed. This memory was so peaceful, he could live here forever.

Suddenly, the MoonClan camp disappeared, and Icetail reappeared in a moon-bathed clearing. He looked around swiftly. "Now where am I?" he asked out loud.

"You're in StarClan," responded a cat who was all too familiar.

Icetail's paws trembled, and his eyes were wide. He turned swiftly and saw Featherbreeze, looking as beautiful as ever. He hadn't seen his mother ever since she had died. He felt weak as if he couldn't stand. Looking at her in a memory was not the same, but talking face-to-face . . . that was completely different. He could barely believe his eyes.

"I was showing you my memories," Featherbreeze went on. "That was the happiest moment of my life; it was peaceful and calm. It was a moment in time right before DarkClan had attacked us for my kits."

"Why did you show me that memory?" he whispered.

Featherbreeze approaches, touching her nose to his. He accepted her warmth that he missed all too much. "Because, my son, I wanted to remind you that in the midst of a war, you can find and make peace. I wanted to tell you that hatred is not the answer to everything. Even in the midst of a battle, we must all remember one thing."

"What must we remember?" Icetail asked.

"We must not become a monster in order to defeat a monster." Featherbreeze's eyes blazed. "You can never forget that, Icetail."