Icestar's belly felt warm. He was lying on his back, his face toward the sky as he rested in a patch of grass that bathed underneath sunlight. His fur heated against the fresh and cold new-leaf air; he felt grateful to have such a moment once again. Slowly, his eyes closed as he drifted off into a nap.

For a few moments, Icestar was able to remain like this. He felt relaxed, and his heartbeat steadied. After fixing up the camp, hunting and patrolling for so long, he hadn't been able to catch a moment of rest for what seemed like the entire two moons since the day of the battle. Recovering MoonClan had been more important above anything else, and rest wasn't easy. So finally, he felt like he had some peace . . .

Suddenly, a heavy weight landed on his belly, and his eyes opened quickly as he lost his breath, startled.

"Ha! I made it here first!" a high-pitched meow exclaimed. "You're so slow, Dewkit!"

As Icestar regained his vision, he recognized soft black kit-fur and a pair of light amber eyes staring down at him.

"G'morning, Icestar!"

"Ravenkit . . ." he gasped, his voice low.

"I-I'm not slow!" Dewkit stammered, cutting Icestar off. "Before I got the chance to say go, you went off on a head-start!" His white fur fluffed up as he stared at his sister with an angry expression.

Icestar felt slightly annoyed that his kits were already bothering him so early into the morning. Before Ravenkit had the chance to protest, he turned himself over, causing them to fall onto the ground with surprised squeaks. He looked down at both of them as they scrambled to their little paws. Dewkit sat down respectfully, scared of a punishment, but Ravenkit stared at Icestar with the same type of annoyance he had.

"What's with that look, Ravenkit?" he asked his daughter. "You seem—"

Ravenkit snorted. "I'm not mad."

Dewkit snapped his head towards her. "You obviously are, genius!" Icestar glared at him, and when the white-furred kit noticed, he looked down to his paws, ashamed. "Err, sorry."

"You better be sorry," Icestar said. When Ravenkit snickered, he added, "Both of you. Now tell me why you're bothering me again?"

"It was Ravenkit's idea," Dewkit mewed quickly. "She's the one who said that we should race, and whoever reached you first would win." His big dark blue eyes stared up at his father, trying to look convincing. "I—we're not in trouble, are we?"

Icestar took a deep breath, calming himself down again. Sometimes he wondered how he could contain his self-control, but it was probably because these were his kits. Ever since they became more independent, all they wanted to do was either mess with his head or compete with each other. Despite that, he still loved them with all his heart.

"Are they bothering you, Icestar?" a new voice rose up. Even though he recognized the voice, he turned around to see his silver-furred mate.

He nodded, accepting her warmth as she stood beside him. "They are, Silverleaf. I think they deserve punishment; did they come outside the nursery without permission?"

"They did," she said with a sigh. "Honestly, you two are a pain in the tail!"

Ravenkit stood up taller, her black fur sticking out at the end angrily. "That's not true, we're old enough to go outside on our own! We're almost two moons!"

"That's not old enough," said Silverleaf, shaking her head. "You've only began eating real prey a quarter-moon ago. Just because you get to do it like the other warriors, it does not make you a warrior." Her voice was stern. "I can take it from here, Icestar."

"That's really, really unfair!" shouted Ravenkit angrily, stomping down a paw.

Icestar sighed. His daughter was always more defiant than innocent little Dewkit, and she was the one who had always wanted to travel outside camp, hunt, and do everything she was not supposed to. She was loud and disturbing, too, but perhaps it was because she was just a kit. Icestar even felt a little bad for Dewkit, because whenever they did something they weren't supposed to, it was always Ravenkit who had convinced him.

"Let's go, kits," said Silverleaf, beginning to pad to the nursery.

Ravenkit scoffed. "I'm not going!"

"Just do what she says," snapped Dewkit, obviously annoyed at this point. "You're not the boss of anyone here."

"Says the one who's trying to boss me around," she exclaimed. Silverleaf stopped walking and gave Ravenkit a stern look. "Err—I'm coming, Silverleaf! I was just about to start walking!" She quickly raced ahead of both her brother and mother to get to the nursery.

Icestar sighed, shaking his head while also feeling a bit amused. Despite the trouble they caused he was glad to have kits like them, and especially such a good mate. He wondered what life would be like if his daughter, Lightkit, had survived that day that the battle had began. He missed her dearly even though he and Silverleaf never got to know her.

A nose nudged his shoulder, snapping him from his thoughts. "Good morning, Icestar," greeted his sister, Lilyclaw. "Sharpfang has started to assign patrols, so it'll be time for everyone to go soon."

"Okay," Icestar replied. "I hope you catch good prey."

She nodded excitingly. "Of course I will! The Clan is still recovering from the loss of prey and the battle, so I'll try my best today." Eagerly, she walked off to meet her patrol near the warrior's den.

As he watched her go, he felt glad that she was adjusting well. At first when she had asked to join the Clan two days after the battle, the whole of MoonClan had been weary and skeptical of her joining, but now almost two moons later, she had made great friends with everyone and seemed to be happy. Unfortunately, it wasn't like that for Bloodpaw—a young apprentice they had saved from DarkClan and had let join the Clan. He was quiet most of the time and liked to bully the kits, but at the very most, he respected older warriors and hunted well; despite his differences Icestar believed that Bloodpaw would be able to completely immerse himself with MoonClan, just like Flameheart had. Both Lilyclaw and Bloodpaw were overall good additions to the Clan.

Sharpfang had also been appointed as Icestar's new deputy, due to his hard work, strength and long experience within MoonClan. The death of Ashtail would sometimes haunt Icestar, but he learned to go past the brutal murder of his previous deputy with the help of Silverleaf. He was grateful for having Sharpfang as the new deputy, and everyone agreed that he was the best choice.

Even though his kits were out of his fur, he couldn't go back to his nap now that he was on his paws. Maybe I should join a patrol? he thought, looking up into the bright sky. The days, though still chilly, were warming up slowly. Prey was quietly returning to the forest as well, and MoonClan was almost back on their paws from the long moons of hunger and battle last leaf-bare.

There is no more DarkClan bothering us, he recalled, So a hunt should be good . . .

He went off to the medicine den where he spotted Amberpaw working on her apprentice duties. She was helping Sweetheart along with Blackpaw to tend and sort through the herbs. Their sibling, Goldenpaw, had died in the battle two moons ago, and even though the dead apprentice's family had grieved for a long time and are still grieving to this day, Amberpaw had been the strongest among them.

He poked his head inside the den, only to be greeted by Berrykit. "Hi Icestar!" Sharpfang's young daughter said cheerfully. She was nearly six moons old now, but unfortunately, she had caught whitecough a few days ago and had to spend her time there until she got better.

"Hi Berrykit," Icestar purred. "How are you feeling today?"

She shrugged. "Like yesterday."

Sweetheart looked up from her work of assorting berries. "She's been improving greatly compared to yesterday, actually." The medicine cat sounded proud. "Little to no coughing! She's the quickest patient I've had to recover from whitecough."

"That's good to hear!" he said, impressed. In these past two moons, MoonClan lost no other cats since the Dark Battle. They had many losses in the fight, and had been weakened by the war, but he was happy and relieved that his Clan had managed to pull through.

"It's 'cause she's a kit," commented Amberpaw as she finished stripping leaves from their stems. "Kits usually have stronger systems than us older cats."

Berrykit's nose flared. "I'm no kit, I'm nearly an apprentice! Besides, you're an apprentice too!"

"My warrior assessment is near," said Amberpaw proudly. "You had better treat me with respect, because who knows if Icestar will make me your mentor?"

Berrykit opened her mouth to respond, but Icestar spoke instead. "All of that is to be determined, and it's unlikely that a young warrior will receive an apprentice."

"But Dawnheart and Volefur got apprentices when they were young warriors!" retorted Amberpaw. "If I work hard, maybe I can too!"

Sweetheart gave her an amused look before asking, "So, what brings you here, Icestar? It's unusual for you to stop by without reason."

He nodded. "I almost forgot, but I came for Amberpaw. I'm taking her out hunting," he replied. Blackpaw's ears pricked for a moment, before he continued to separate dead herbs from the healthy ones. "Do you want to come too, Blackpaw?" he offered.

Blackpaw shook his head slowly. "No . . . I'm content with finishing up our duties here," he said softly. "Amberpaw can go; I'll be here." And with that, he continued to do his work quietly, his tail wrapped around his paws neatly.

Icestar gazed at the apprentice with sympathy. He had been like that ever since the war, especially because his sister hadn't survived it. He wished that he could do something for Blackpaw, but he knew that wounds to the heart took their own time to heal. After all, it took Icestar many moons to get over the death of his mother, before learning not to dwell on the dead.

"Can Flameheart come with us?" Amberpaw asked as she finished cleaning up her paws on a wet piece of moss.

Icestar was briefly amused; Amberpaw had been latched on tightly to Flameheart like a tick ever since they fought together. "Unfortunately, I saw him leave on a patrol earlier, but I will have Bloodpaw and Skypelt join us for today. So how about it?"

She groaned. "Any cat but Bloodpaw!"

Sweetheart shook her head disapprovingly. "Amberpaw, you must accept that Bloodpaw is now a MoonClan cat. Though he may be mean and a pain in the tail, he's no longer of DarkClan—and they don't even exist anymore."

"I'm not saying that he's disloyal," she mumbled, "It's just that no cat likes him. Well, except for the older warriors."

Icestar rolled his eyes. "He's still a work in progress."

"What does that mean?" Amberpaw questioned.

He completely dismissed the matter, annoyed. "It means that we're trying to help him become closer to the Clan—anyways, that's not the point. The more we do this, the closer you'll be to becoming a warrior." Amberpaw's ears pricked with interest. "If you prove to me today that you can be mature, I can assure you that your assessment will be soon."

Quickly, the apprentice's head nodded. "I'd really like that!"

"Have a good hunt," Sweetheart said as they left the den.

Once Icestar was under the sun again, the chill of the medicine den quickly left his spine as he went around to find Bloodpaw. He spotted the young tom laying down beside a clump of ferns, his reddish wind-swept fur reflecting the sunlight off his pelt. Bloodpaw's eyes opened, which contrasted from his colors as a light, cold blue. Their eyes met, and Bloodpaw didn't avert his gaze for a second. Icestar didn't blink.

You don't intimidate me, the leader thought as he approached the former DarkClan apprentice. Bloodpaw looked up as Icestar's shadow loomed over him.

"Yes?" Bloodpaw asked.

"Come on up, we're going hunting," Icestar said.

"With who?"

"My apprentice, your mentor." He looked at the camp entrance, where Amberpaw had already gathered Skypelt. "You like to hunt, right?"

The apprentice stood up, and licked his paw, running it over his untidy fur behind his ears. "I like to fight just as much." He gave a long yawn and stretched, before he padded on ahead to the camp entrance.

Even though Icestar himself disliked the things Bloodpaw tended to say, he was—at the very most—respectful and obedient. He seemed to understand that leader's word was law, and he even listened to older cats with better ears than the other two apprentices. DarkClan must have been strict on ranks, Icestar thought, recalling how Ripplefur and Mudclaw had been mistreated.

I believe Bloodpaw is a good asset no matter what cats might think of him, he concluded. He remembered the day when that same red pelt first turned up in their camp; he was shredded and with a messed up paw, eyes round and full of fear. Out of sympathy and a newfound tendency to look for the good in cats, Icestar had agreed to let the young Bloodpaw join. After all, he was just a young apprentice and had nowhere else to go, and had learned nothing but the messed up ways of DarkClan.

Bloodpaw deserves this chance with us, he thought.

As Icestar caught up with Skypelt and the rest of the patrol, he led everyone outside the camp, already tasting the forest scents. It was like the first day he had taken a step outside camp as an apprentice; everything was new, ready to be explored.

"We're going to DarkClan's—err, StreamClan's borders today," Icestar said, quickly correcting himself.

"Why not DarkClan's?" asked Bloodpaw, tilting his head to the side like a curious kit. Except his eyes weren't full of curiosity. They sparked with defiance and strength and a need for acceptance.

Icestar stammered through his words. "Well, where the old cave of mosses use to be, I heard there was a good hunting spot."

"We already hunted there yesterday," pointed out Bloodpaw. Amberpaw shot a glance of annoyance at him, as if she wanted to force him to shut it. "I heard from Rainwhisker that DarkClan's old territory is striving with prey."

"The trees haven't recovered from that forest fire . . ."

"Don't try to avoid going just because that's where I was born," Bloodpaw snapped. "Flameheart was born there too and he had no problem going on that patrol there with Rainwhisker yesterday."

But Flameheart is different than you, thought Icestar, also feeling slightly annoyed.

Skypelt gave Bloodpaw a look of disapproval. "That is no way you talk to your leader. I suggest you apologize to him right now," he ordered.

Bloodpaw stared at Icestar indifferently. "I'm sorry, Icestar."

The leader simply shook his head. "It does not matter much; DarkClan it is. Bloodpaw is right, he'll have to face that place sooner or later."

"I think near the cave of mosses was a good place to hunt," Amberpaw chimed in, trying to defend Icestar. "You don't have a right to boss our leader around, Bloodpaw." Her ginger fur was sticking up in the back, and her tail was flicking.

Bloodpaw rolled his eyes, but he didn't say anything.

"It's okay, Amberpaw, we're going to DarkClan," Icestar said. "Let's get a move on before we lose time."

He began to lead his patrol through the forest, and Amberpaw caught up right to his side, obviously not eager to be sticking near Bloodpaw. Skypelt trailed behind with his apprentice behind him as he explained to him the current conditions of his old home. When Icestar turned to look at him, his eyes were a bit sad, but he nodded with understanding and pretended as if he did not care.

"It's surprising that Icestar and Dewstar were really brothers," meowed Bloodpaw as they continued to walk. Icestar's ears pricked, curious. "I mean, I wasn't there when Sandstar died, I was born after that. But during Dewstar's leadership, he treated us like . . . nothing. A Clan that only had to be strong."

"A Clan has to be strong," Skypelt replied.

"But that was it," Bloodpaw continued, "That was all DarkClan was. That's why we lost the battle; MoonClan's bond with the forest was too strong to be destroyed. There's something that goes around the camp much different than how I was raised, and that is friendship. Dewstar was truly evil."

Icestar's memory returned to that night during the battle, where Dewstar has fallen to his death.

"I'm glad Icestar killed him," Bloodpaw meowed. "We can finally live in peace."

Dewstar's confession and fears whispered within Icestar's head, and he thought, I never killed him! And he and I were never different! We both ended up doing what we had to, to protect someone we cared about! Despite knowing this, he definitely did not have the ability to confront any cat about what he learned and experienced that night. His memories would only be understood by him alone.

"It's terrible that Icestar named his kit after Dewstar, too," Bloodpaw said, his voice more monotoned.

Amberpaw whirled around, clearly hearing what he had to say. "Listen here, Bloodpaw! Just because Dewkit's name is the way it is, that doesn't mean he was evil like Dewstar!" Her fur was standing up with rage.

Icestar whirled around, staring at all three of his patrol cats. "That's enough!" he ordered. "I don't want to hear a single word about Dewstar anymore, got it? And do not bring Dewkit into this discussion!"

Skypelt stared at Icestar with surprise, since the leader normally never snapped at his Clanmates like that. Amberpaw simply looked guilty, and Bloodpaw grew silent.

He took a deep breath. "Listen, Amberpaw, you're going to have to get use to Bloodpaw being in our Clan, alright? Though it's been two moons, I know he's a loyal cat." Then, he looked at Bloodpaw. "You're going to have to be more respectful to other apprentices, and especially the kits. No more bullying, got it?"

"Yes, Icestar," they both mumbled at the same time.

"Good," he said. "Skypelt, try to keep your apprentice close to you once we enter DarkClan's borders. Even though the territory is becoming prey-rich, some trees are unstable, so we'll have to be careful."

Skypelt nodded and said, "Bloodpaw, you heard our leader."

"Amberpaw, stick close to me too," Icestar called over his shoulder as he crossed the border. "Don't forget that we aren't here to argue, we need to hunt for MoonClan."

Amberpaw gave a respectful nod and caught up beside her mentor's side, her mouth parted slightly as she smelled the forest around her. Skypelt went off into a different direction, already aware about what time to meet back.

Icestar himself looked around, wondering where to find a safe place to catch some prey. MoonClan was still healing from their strike of hunger last leaf-bare, especially since the battle was not long ago. He wanted every cat to be ready and on their feet by the time the hot season arrived, especially because he didn't want his kits to have a sad early memory.

He could hear the flapping of birds above head on the trees, and he looked up. For a moment, he was tempted to jump up on the branches after it, but he suddenly remembered how DarkClan's trees were unstable, and that it was not a good idea to be trying to climb them.

I'll try to stick to the ground, the leader thought. It's safer, anyways.

After a bit more looking around, Amberpaw padded up to him proudly with a squirrel in her mouth. "Look what I caught!" she exclaimed. "Great, isn't it?"

"That's good," he praised her, admiring the plump squirrel between her jaws. "It's enough to feed the elders, at least."

Amberpaw nodded with excitement. "When will my warriors assessment be?" she asked, tilting her head. "I can already fight and hunt as well as a warrior! Am I still not good enough?"

Icestar saw his apprentice's bright eyes, and purred. "No, Amberpaw. You're just as well as any warrior can be—after all, if it wasn't for you, MoonClan wouldn't be standing to this day." He recalled how Amberpaw brought CloudClan into the Dark Battle to aid MoonClan. It must have been scary for her, leaving her Clan to run all the way to their camp, but he admired her quick-thinking and her bravery.

"Then what's taking so long?" she said, dropping the squirrel at his paws. "I have to become a warrior! My apprentice days should be long gone, don't you think?"

"That's true," Icestar agreed. "You're the most qualified apprentice. Don't worry, it'll happen soon."

In that moment, she had brightened up, and her tail lifted into the sky with pleasure. "Yes!" she cheered. But then, she paused. "Wait, what do you mean I'm the most qualified apprentice?"

Tiny paw steps scuttled in the hollow of a tree, and the scent of mice filled the air. Icestar crouched down so he could catch them. Before he crept forward, he whispered, "Bloodpaw's much too young and Blackpaw has not been showing any improvement these last two moons."

He pressed his belly to the ground, moving forward very slowly and quietly. DarkClan didn't have any undergrowth to hide from prey, so it was harder to hunt there despite the new prey that came into the forest. He had to make sure that they weren't seen or spotted somehow.

"That's because he's still upset about Goldenpaw." Amberpaw stopped herself. "Wait, what am I saying? It's as if I don't care that she died at all!" Her ears flattened back with guilt.

"Nonsense!" Icestar murmured, before he dashed from his spot. The mice had no time to react as he pounced into the hollow. There were two of them—one which was already darting past his paws, but the other was trapped at the corner of the den, squeaking madly.

Icestar hooked his claws into its thin, tiny tail, and it scratched at his paws as he bit into its spine. To his delight, it stopped moving. He picked it up into his mouth and turned around, discovering that Amberpaw had caught the other one. It hung limp from her mouth, and she briefly seemed proud about it despite her thinking about her sister.

"Good job, Amberpaw! You're doing a better job than me!" he praised, and her face brightened like the sun.

She dropped her catch by her squirrel. "Well, I told you that my skills were acceptable."

"Never said they weren't." Icestar walked past her and sniffed the air after he dropped his prey by her. "Let's catch one more thing before we return to the border—"

Icestar's words were cut short the moment he heard a loud boom in the distance. His ears pricked, trying to pinpoint the sound. Birds overhead flew into the sky, and prey scuttled away quickly into the safety of the forest. Oh no, did anybody get hurt? he thought worriedly, waiting in his spot.

After a moment of waiting, a red pelt was seen darting through the trees.

"Icestar!" yowled Bloodpaw as he hurtled closer. "A-a tree fell on Skypelt!"

Icestar froze. "Is he okay?"

Bloodpaw stopped running, and began to pant with exhaustion. "Y-yes . . . he's okay, somehow." Relief seemed to wash over Icestar. "But his back paw is stuck and he's in a lot of pain."

"I knew we shouldn't have hunted here!" growled Amberpaw as she picked up her prey again.

Icestar remembered the day he fought Dewstar. The trees were loose back then, too, and Dewstar's whole body had gotten suck under a great tree on fire. Icestar didn't know how he did it, but somehow he managed to grab his brother free and escape . . . perhaps from the pressure of a little time, or the adrenaline of the battle. But it was only for Dewstar to end up dead at the cliff-side. That very memory sent a chill up the leader's spine.

He shook the memory away. "L-lead the way, Bloodpaw," Icestar murmured as he grabbed his own prey.

"Icestar, are you okay?" Amberpaw asked with concern. "You look a little sick."

He walked past her and began to follow Bloodpaw. "I'm fine, now keep up! We've got to help Skypelt!"

a/n: it feels so good to write with fresh new ideas. I hope this chapter is as good as the last book's first chapter! Please let me know if there are any mistake, don't hesitate to correct me. (1/1/16)