Foxpaw was wandering through the forest. It was coated in snow. Up ahead he could see a beetle. It was crawling along a leaf. He watched and relized what was wrong. Where the beetle was crawling the snow and ice was disapering. He could hear screams of cats and a growl. A fox! Lurking in the shade of the trees in leaped. Foxpaw turned and ran blindly. He heard yowls of cats in pain. Suddenly the ground sloped and sent him tumbling. He crashed heavily on the packed dirt beneath him. He heaved himself back onto his paws. A loud, powerful voice came to him "If it isn't stopped, sun will rise and dominate all!" The voice quieted to a whisper, "Only one, third born of the three, has the power to stop it."
"What? If what isn't stopped?" Asked Foxpaw bewildered.
"The one who doesn't exist." The voice replied before fading away. Foxpaw jolted awake, kicking Darkpaw in the belly. She let out a startled yelp. Foxpaw sat up, panting. Darkpaw looked at him as though he was mad. Darkpaw had acted rather odd after the battle. Not talking much, which was really unusual, eating less, seeming generaly depresed about something. But whenever Foxpax tried to ask what was up she just brushed it away and said it was nothing. "Sorry," panted Foxpaw to her, "nightmare."
She nodded quickly before leaving the den leaving him to wonder about his dream. Was it a prophecy? Did it mean all was lost? The one who doesn't exist, how do you stop that? Thoughts swirled around him. Worries. He was so busy he didn't hear Nightpaw calling him for hunting. "Fine! Be that way!" She spat spitefully at last, jerking Foxpaw out of his thoughts. "Wha..?" He mewed.
"You are meant to be hunting with us, but there is no way I'm hunting with you!" Nightpaw stalked purposefully out of the den. Foxpaw slumped his shoulders. With Nightpaw being so hostile, Darkpaw not talking to him, Snowpaw dead to most of the world and Greyear still in Fluffytail's den Foxpaw only had one cat left to talk to. He left the apprentice den and crossed the camp to the warrior den. "Mom?" He called nervously inside. Icedrop slipped out, "Yes dear?"
"I...I just want to talk to you," he began. Icedrop sat down and Foxpaw settled next to her. She began to wash his fur in slow rythematic movements. "I, umm" he tried to find a good place to start. "Its about Snowpaw, isn't it?" Icedrop questioned lightly.
"Yes, partly" he answered thankfully. Most of his worries were about Snowpaw, but he wondered what the dream meant. He decided not to mention the dream. "It just, he's not eating, or talking, or anything!" I'm so worried."  Foxpaw burst out.
"He's sad, there is very little you can do for him." Icedrop answered. "Just keep letting him know you're there for him, that he can talk to you. You might not relize in now, but your friendship is helping alot." Icedrop tucked her white paws underneath her and wrapped her long, fluffy tail around her paws. The pale morning light shone into the camp. Foxpaw started to wash his reddish, brown fur with soft strokes. Icedrop stood up, "I hope I helped, Snowpaw will get over it eventually." She mewed before padding across the packed dirt in the camp to join Bearnose and Mosspelt on dawn patrol. Foxpaw got to his paws. A chilly wind made him shiver. He could see Dawnflower sharing tongues with Stripestar at the entrance of the leaders den. Sandfur came out of the nursery to share tongues with her mate, Gingerheart. Leafpetal's three kits came tumbling out of the nursery, Thornkit, Eaglekit Pricklekit. They bounded playfully around in the early sun. "Hey, intruder!" Screeched Eaglekit and threw himself at Thornkit. The two bundled around.
Pricklekit looked like her mother while Thornkit and Eaglekit both looked like their father Smokebranch, who had died in an accident on the thunderpath when Foxpaw was just a kit. Smokebranch had had smokey grey fur and amber eyes. It was almost creepy how much they resembled him.
Eaglekit had managed go pin Thornkit to the ground. "Ha!" He mewed, "I won!" Thornkit scrambled to his paws irritably. Foxpaw wandered towards the entrance the camp. Leafbare was almost upon them and it promised to be a cold one. He considered going hunting, wishing he had someone to hunt with. Suddenly Fluffytail pushed past him. In her mouth she was carrying some herbs. She walked straight over to the elders den. Foxpaw felt a thrill of foreboding. Leafbare always brought sickness. He decided to go out hunting anyway, the clan needed it. He slipped out of camp and into the forest. He picked up the scent of mouse. He dropped into a hunters crouch and stalked forward before, he leaped and caught it squarely under his paws. Its pretty scrawny but it would do. By the time he headed back to camp he had caught two more mice and a vole.
When he entered the camp he new something was not right. The acrid stench of fear was strong. A group of cats was crowded around the dirtplace tunnel. He could hear a wail of grief. He dropped his kill and ran across the camp. He pushed through the crowd and saw it. Lying on the ground, fur soaked in blood, eyes glazed, was Icedrop.