Lilyfall sat as she washed her tail, grooming herself. Shadewhisker snorted by her side. "I admit, brave thing you did, begging your mother and Clan leader with your brother to take in those cats." He rasped. Spiderscar shook her pelt. "Prey-stealers." She mumbled.

"Oh be quiet. That Quill tom is quite the hunter Mintwhisker tells me." Littlepelt meowed as she joined in the chat, munching on a squirrel.

The hunting patrol entered the camp. Quil carried a fat squirrel. Lilyfall's eyes widened. Blacksky padded beside him. "I still can't believe you managed to knock that squirrel out of that tree with one paw!" She meowed. The ginger tom flattened his tufty ears in embarrassment and was about to put his contribution on the fresh-kill pile.

"Wait!" Meowed Clearwhisper stopping him. "Take that to the elders' den." He instructed. Quill looked around. "Okay!" He meowed and padded in Lilyfall's direction. Once he was at the entrance, he put it down at her paws.

The white she-cat blinked slowly as she drew the squirrel close to her. "Thank you." She mewed. The ginger tom nodded his head. "You're welcome." He replied. Turning, the tom walked away.

"My my, eyeing him I see?" Shadewhisker purred in amusement. Lilyfall snorted. "As if! No way." She snapped and bit into her squirrel after removing some fur. The creamy brown tom gave a mrow of laughter. "Don't think we don't see it." He rasped.

"He is quite handsome. Strong legs, long claws from what Brownstripe has told me." Littlepelt mewed. Lilyfall snorted. "That she-cat barley has good taste in prey much less toms." She mumbled.

"I'm just saying, who knows, Clearwhisper worries about you. He's been thinking you need someone by your side." Shadewhisker mewed. Lilyfall stared at the elderly tom. "A she-cat can have no mate. Not that there's anything wrong with love, I just don't see what all the fuss there is about it." She meowed.

"When you get a mate, you'll understand." Littlepelt commented as she and Spiderscar began to share tongues. Lilyfall blinked and looked around. "Fang seems to really love Bristlekit and Twigkit." She meowed; the cream and gray tom was batting a mossball and the two siblings scrambled over one another to see who could catch it first. Ebonytail watched with a soft, approving smile on his maw.

Olivepad came into camp with a border patrol. Icestar padded to her deputy. "Report?" She meowed. The mottled black she-cat shook her head. "All we smelled was PeakClan stench." Her voice was filled with disgust.

"Did you freshly mark the border?" The white she-cat asked. Mintwhisker nodded her head in reply. "Yep."

"PeakClan will learn to stay away from us this time." Icestar growled. Clearwhisper drew to his mother. "StarClan is watching over SnowClan in this harsh winter. They are blessing us each and everyday." He meowed.

Dawntail pressed herself into Clearwhisper's fur. "You're so positive." She purred in a praising tone. Lightningstrike snorted in reply. "It'll take more than positivity to get us through this season." He meowed.

"If you ask me, I think this leaf-bare is the harshest yet." Spiderscar rasped. Lilyfall swallowed a mouthful of her squirrel. "At least our Clan is adjusting. Bet PeakClan and BoulderClan never been through a cold like this." She pointed out.

"At least we have kits in our nursery." Shadewhisker meowed. Lilyfall swallowed her squirrel. "Yeah, more cats to listen to the time you got a scar behind your ear." She joked.

"I don't understand these types of affairs," meowed Smita, the mottled tawny she-cat who had joined their Clan with Fang and Quill. "All of these rules and borders create a fuss for you all doesn't it?" She meowed to Violetpool who was watching her kits play.

"These rules and borders keep us all alive. Especially in the cold season like this. Where leaf-bare is harsh and yet so beautiful." The silver and white queen meowed.

"I love snowy days though," Quill purred as he stared up at the sky. "It always looked clean and fluffy."

"You loved everything. And still do, bramble-brain." Fang joked, jabbing at his companion's shoulder with a paw. It was freezing, yet Lilyfall thought that Quill somehow made it warmer.