SNOW FELL SLOWLY  from the sky, turning the once green grass a white color. The treetops seemed as if they were frozen in time, stuck in place, not moving one mouse-length. Nothing seemed to disturb the peaceful forest. 

Only...

Small puffs of frozen air rose from a smaller clearing, deep hidden underneath the once thick grown plants. Only the twigs and sticks seemed to stay in place. 

A crunching sound seemed to fill one's hearing. Grunting, panting, running.

The ShadowClan camp was in full winter mode. Warriors running back and forth, digging the nearly frozen earth and filling it with prey. 

An older looking cat ran back and forth from what seemed like the entrance with weird leaves and herbs dangling from its jaws, while a younger cat followed in its footsteps. 

"Mother! Blackkit's dug under the nursery wall again. She's sticking her head out as usual." 

A huff, a squeak and a pull. That's everyday's rutine now. 

"Blackkit!! What have I told you about digging under the wall?" An older looking queen glared down at the small jet-black kit that squirmed underneath her paws. 

"I was just looking!" she huffed angrily and tried to swat the older cat's paws away. 

"I told you to stop doing that!" the queen continued angrily. "The warriors have so much on their paws right now. They can't use up all of their or the apprentice's time on building nursery walls!" 

Blackkit squealed in annoyance and glared at the older she-cat. 

"I was just looking at the white stuff that fell from the sky, stop making such a big fuss over it!" 

"That's no way to speak to your mother." a second queen rose from her nest and stalked over. She bared her teeth in a snarl and glared at the small kit. 

"Easy Emberheart. I'll take care of her, don't you worry." The ginger and black striped she-cat picked Blackkit up by her scruff and placed her gently on her paws. She curled her bushy tail protectively around her young kit's black body and looked at the other queen. 

"That kit is going to be the reason of my kits catching a cold, going around and digging under everything. She's been nothing but trouble ever since she opened her eyes. Control her, Dawnbreeze! Or make your other kit watch out for her!" Emberheart continued. 

Suddenly, a loud shriek was heard from outside, making Emberheart spike out her fur. "That sounds like Seedkit.." she muttered worriedly and hurried outside the nursery.

"Why don't you control your own first.." Dawnbreeze muttered and walked after her  with  Blackkit hot on her tail. 

The sun stung Blackkit, making her close her eyes and rund blindly after her mothers smell. She soon stumbled into a furry body, sending them both to the ground with a huff. 

"Ow! My tail! You're stepping on it!" hissed the other cat to Blackkit. 

"Oops, sorry." Blackkit scrambled up to her paws and looked at the cat, she had run head-first into. 

"Sorry Lionpaw.." she muttered and lowered her gaze. 

Lionpaw was recently made apprentice, and Blackkit missed playing with him in the nursery and around in camp. 

The always bad-tempered black and brown tabby tom looked at Blackkit, his eyes visibly softening as a purr rumbled in his chest. 

"Oh, of course its you Blackkit. No one is as clumsy as you are!" he purred, amusement lighting his green eyes. 

Blackkit felt hot under her fur, even though the weather was ice cold and the white stuff feel from the sky. Everything around her was frozen, But she was sweaty?

"It's okay, why are you looking so sad?" He asked and tilted his head to the side. "Now come help me carry this moss over to the elders den. Since you're the reason I dropped it anyway.." 

Blackkit couldn't help but squeal in delight. "Really Lionpaw? I can help you?" 

"Yes, please go help Lionpaw. Seedkit has twisted his paw, so I have to watch Sagekit and Blossomkit while he is in the medicine cat's den with Emberheart." 

Blackkit looked at her mother and nodded happily. She picked up a wad of moss, and followed the apprentice, who was heading towards the elder's den. 

Mid-step, she paused and looked back, waving her tail high up over her head to catch her mother attention. 

"Sohrry abhout the whall abd all the digghing!" she said, her jaws clamped shut over the moss. 

Her mother purred in amusement and rolled her eyes.                                                                                      "No you're not. Now go, Lionpaw is already in the den!" 

Blackkit flicked her tail goodbye and ran as fast as her legs could carry her towards the elders den, which is made out of bramble thickets, just like alle other dens in the ShadowClan camp. She slipped inside the den and crawled over to Lionpaw, who was sorting through old and new moss. 

"Thanks Blackkit." He said softly and blinked at her, making the two elders look at each other with a bewildered look. 

"Why have you all gone quiet?!" Slateleaf, the eldest cat in camp muttered and fixed her blind gaze on Blackkit. 

"Oh, nothing. Lionpaw was just being unusually nice to Blackkit." Mossystreak purred and licked her brown and black spotted fur. 

"No I wasn't!" Lionpaw snapped and fluffed his tail in embarrassment. 

Blackkit backed slowly out of the den, and ran towards the nursery. But then, she stopped. The snow crunched funnily under her paws. It was wet, like rain, but solid enough for her to scoop a pawful up and examine it up close. 

The stuff melted almost instantly, turning her paws wet and cold. 

"What.." She looked around the camp in wonder, as it transformed from the familiar soft colors to a sharp white. 

"That's snow, Blackkit."

Dawnbreeze's sweet smell filled Blackkit's nostrils, and she felt her mother sit beside her on the snow. 

"Is it going to stay for ever?" the small kit asked and shook her paw, sending water droplets everywhere. 

"No, this only comes in leaf-bare. It dissapears in new-leaf and stays away in green-leaf. Then, when leaf-fall arrives, it turns cold once again, and starts snowing in leaf-bare. Just like right now." 

Blackkit nuzzled into her mother, seeking her warmth. 

"Let's go inside, my dear. I will bring you a small mouse so you can eat it. You are five moons old after all. It is time that you stopped drinking milk completely." 

Blackkit squealed and jumped in excitement. 

She was used to eating a small piece of meat a day, but now, she was going to stop drinking the milk.

"Go to the nursery. I'll bring a mouse, and follow right after." Dawnbreeze twitched her whiskers and nudged her kit gently with her nose towards the bramble thicket. 

"Yes mother!" Blackkit squeaked and ran towards the nursery. 

The young kit, alongside her brother Shadowkit, both ate mouse until they felt as if they were about to burst. By now, Shadowkit was already asleep, but she was still wide awake. 

The earth beneath the nursery wall had been filled with earth again, and the nursery was warm and cosy once more. 

Blackkit felt her mothers tongue on her back, grooming her lazily. She nuzzled into her chest and exhaled slowly. 

"You're still up dear?" Dawnbreeze asked her. 

"Yeah, I can't fall asleep." Blackkit muttered and looked at her mother. 

"And why is that?" the queen asked her softly. 

Amber eyes met silver, misery shining clearly in Blackkit's. 

 "I was just thinking, in a moon, I'll be made an apprentice with Shadowpaw, and we won't see you as much and you'll go back to being a warrior, and what if we dont have time for each other anymore?" Blackkits voice rose in a small wail with every word she uttered. 

"Hush, my love. I will forever have all the time in the world for you two. Maybe we'll even go patrol the border and hunt together. Don't you worry, dear. I won't stop being your mother, just because you grow up." Dawnbreeze blinked lovingly at Blackkit and licked the top of her head. 

"Go to sleep Blackkit. and look forward to another great day I ShadowClan." 

✦✦✦

Blackkit woke up the next day at dawn, feeling energized and well rested. She stood up and shook her body, sending moss scraps flying everywhere. She yawned and looked around. Everyone were asleep. 

She tip-toed around her mother and nudged Shadowkit. 

"psst, Shadowkit! It's dawn, come on wake up! Shadowkit! Shadowkit!" 

Shadowkit grunted tiredly and blinked open his amber eyes. "What do you want Blackkit?" he asked tiredly. 

"It's dawn! Let's go patrol the borders." she hissed, mischief shining in her eyes. 

"But haven't the warriors gone out?" he rose from beside Dawnbreeze and shook his fur, just like  Blackkit had done earlier. 

"No, not yet. Let's go wake Sagekit. She'll want to go too." 

"Alrigt, I'll wait outside." 

Blackkit nodded and stalked silently to where Emberheart slept with her kits. 

She nudged Sagekit with her nose, waking her quietly. She woke up, as soon as Blackkit's nose touched her fur. Not asking any questions, she followed Blackkit outside, and gave a small excited jump as soon as her paws touched the snow. 

"What are we doing today?" Sagekit asked excitedly and waved her tail back and forth. 

"Patrol." Blackkit answered. "The warrior's haven't left yet, so I thought maybe we should do it instead." 

"Yeahh! Maybe Kestrelstar will make us apprentices too!" 

"Come on, Sagekit. We're only five moons. And you're four. Kestrelstar would never break the warrior code. You know we have to be six moons-" 

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up Shadowkit. You've told us that a million times by now." Sagekit muttered and rolled her eyes. Shadowkit half closed his eyes and bared his lips in a snarl. Sagekit saw him getting ready to attack her and lowered her ears. 

"Hey! Stop it you two. Let's go!" Blackkit whined and flicked her tail.  She walked in a fast pace towards the entrance of the camp, making the others forget all about their problem and run after her. 

Walking out, Blackkit, Sagekit and Shadowkit all looked around in wonder. The snow, the forest, the pine trees. It all looked... 

"Perfect..." Blackkit muttered. "This is perfect." 

The forest looked just like she had imagined it. With the gigantic pine trees, the earth, the bushes, twigs, stones. Everything.

"Woww!" Sagekit widened her eyes in wonder. "Look at all that snow!" 

Shadowkit squeaked excitedly and ran. 

"Hey! Where are you going?" 

Blackkit and Sagekit ran after him, purring and squeaking in happiness. 

They stumbled around in the territory until they found a small clearing, filled with fresh snow. Shadowkit ran and jumped into a large heap, disappearing completely , only his tail stuck out from behind like a small twig. 

"Look at him." Sagekit purred and twitched her whiskers. "That looks so funny!" She ran after Shadowkit and jumped on top of him, sending him deeper into the pile. 

"Wait for meee!" Blackkit yelled and jumped too. 

The three of them played around in the snow, until their paws had turned solid. 

"I c-can't f-f-feel m-my nos-e-e." Blackkit tried to lick it warm, but her tongue seemed to have frozen too.

"My paws hurt!" Sagekit wailed and started tripping.

"I'm hungry." Whined Shadowkit. His belly grumbled, making the two she-kits stare at him.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Is that the only thing you think about? Eating? Aren't you cold?" asked Sagekit. 

"No. Not really. You see, my fur is nice, thick and warm. Unlike you two. She-cats are always weaker than us." he said and stood taller. 

"No we're not!" Blackkit said and yowled, attacking her brother head first. She crashed into his body, and they both rolled around in a small play-fight, until Shadowkit was drenched in snow. Blackkit stopped her attack, as she noticed him shiver. 

"Awwh look what you did Blackkit. Now I'm all cold and wet." He pouted and shook his fur. 

The three kits huddled together, seeking warmth. 

"I wanna go home."

"Yeah, me too."

"Me three." 

They heard fast steps approaching. Blackkit stuck her nose up and opened her mouth slightly, tasting the air. 

"I think they're coming for us, from camp. I smell them." She squeaked happily. 

The kits stood up, and ran towards the sound on shaky frozen paws. 

"We're here!" Shadowkit yowled. 

The twigs before them shook, and out came a paw, followed by another. Whoever was trying to reach them was stuck in the bush. 

"What's that stench?" Sagekit muttered, and sniffed the air.

"Maybe it's you." Blackkit said and purred in amusement. 

"No!" Sagekit shook her head and growled at Blackkit. "I've never smelled this before!" 

Suddenly, a flash of red shot out from the bushes. The creature before them looked like a mix between a dog and a cat. It was kind of ugly, but that wasn't the worst. 

"Ugh, that thing stinks! Doesn't it share tongues with anyone?" Blackkit said and examined the animal. 

The thing gave a loud bark, and bared its teeth, snarling at them. 

"I don't think we should wait and see what it's going to do.." Shadowkit muttered and backed away slowly. 

"I agree." Sagekit widened her eyes in fright. Her ears lay flat on her head, and she started shaking. 

"Don't worry Sagekit. I'll protect you!" Blackkit said and unsheated her claws. 

"Why are you saying, what I'm supposed to say?" Shdowkit muttered and fluffed out his fur. 

"Hey, isn't that thing called a fox?" Sagekit wailed. 

The fox barked and growled at the kits, making them all scream in fright. Only Blackkit, stayed still. The fur on her spine rose, her tail fluffed out and her ears lay flat on her head. 

"Blackkit! RUN!!" Shadowkit screamed at his sister, worry and fright making his voice high pitched. 

"DON'T YOU COME ANY CLOSER FOX!" Blackkit yowled and attacked. She was small, so she ran in between the fox's forelegs. Coming out of the other side, she bit its big bushy tail and was swept off her paws. 

"BLACKKIT!" 

The two kits wailed in fright as Blackkit was thrown off. She flew across the clearing and bumped her head into a tree.

"Oww." she moaned and felt dizzy. Sagekit ran over to her and played beside her. 

A loud yowl suddenly interrupted the fox's attack on Shadowkit, who had faced it bravely. His fur was fluffed out as he growled. 

A patrol from ShadowClan burst into the small clearing, with Boulderfur in the lead. 

"Father!" Shadowkit exclaimed happily and ran towards the big tom. 

Littlebelly,  Adderstripe and Doeclaw jumped  into the clearing. As soon as they spotted the fox, they attacked with bared teeth and unseated claws. They fought it while Boulderfur picked Shadowkit up by the scruff. He hurried over to where Sagekit was crouching beside Blackkit. 

Boulderfur dropped Shadowkit and bent down to sniff his daughter. 

"Blackkit? Can you hear me? Are you alrigt?" He asked her worriedly and picked her up by her scruff. 

"Ow my head!" she wailed and shut her eyes. "My head hurts."

"You're bleeding." Sagekit said, her eyes turning into two big frightened moons.

"Really?" Blackkit asked tiredly, yet suddenly feeling excited. "Where's the blood? Can I see?" she asked them drowsily and tried to touch the top of her head with her paw. 

"Hush!" her father said harshly and covered the two kits with his body.

The three warriors soon drove the fox away. Doeclaw and Adderstripe both ran after it, to make sure it went all the way out, they said. 

"Are the kits okay?" Littlebelly asked and bent down to sniff Shadowkit and Sagekit. 

"Yeah, only this one seems a little hurt." Boulderfur said, speaking weirdly because of having Blackkit's fur in his mouth. 

"Let's go home, little ones."

✦✦✦