Blizzardstar sat calmly, keeping watch over the IceClan camp; his dream had frightened him more than he wanted to admit. The ground was blanketed in a fresh layer of snow, giving the clearing and the trees around it a very pristine appearance. The only marks in the new snow were Blizzardstar's huge paw prints, tracing around his den to the High Branch. His perch in the tall, half dead pine tree gave him the most perfect view of the entire camp, as well as the best place to hold meetings for the clan.

Watching over his camp atop this ancient branch seemed to calm his nerves. He could see practically everything at this height. To the left, he could see the warriors den, which was a large sweeping bush at the base of a tall oak tree. The apprentice's den was a few rabbit hops to the right, a smattering of shallow scoops in the earth among many tall stems of catmint and horsetail. Blizzardstar thought he could almost see the tip of Brokenpaw's black tail poking out from the tops of the leafy stalks.

The nursery was directly across the clearing from the warrior's den, a deep cave underneath the roots of an enormous oak tree. Soft squeaks from Quietstorm's litter could barely be heard on the chilly breeze. The medicine cat den, a large hollow boulder with a crack stretching horizontally across its face, was only a short distance from the nursery. Blizzardstar squinted his eyes, trying to make out Tinypool's silver pelt in the darkness.

The elders' den was somewhat secluded, sitting closer to the apprentice's den on the opposite side of Tinypool's den. They lay underneath a very low pine tree, the lowest branches barely tall enough for a cat to crawl under. Last was Blizzardstar's den, hidden in the hollow tree which he now perched upon. If he looked down at just the right angle, he could see his flattened nest in the middle of the rotted trunk.

As his gaze swept over the camp several more times, he noticed that his warriors had begun to stir in their den. Wildflight was sitting close to an old stump, already waiting to organize the day's patrols. Blizzardstar knew that his deputy was used to her daily routine. He usually tried to stay out of her way until she had finished her duties.

Suddenly, a rustling could be heard from the apprentice's den. The tall stems were waving wildly, and flashes of fur could be seen through the leaves.

"That's enough." Blizzardstar heard Wildflight growl as she stalked over and pulled a tiny white cat, Webpaw, away from the other apprentices. Sometimes he could be such a trouble maker.

Carefully, Blizzardstar clawed his way back down his tree and into the snow bank nestled against the trunk. Seeing as Wildflight had the patrols taken care of, he decided he would slip through the trees surrounding the camp and visit the scene of yesterday's battle. Hopefully he could find the light that Mudstar was talking about.

He jumped out of the thick pile of snow and slid around his tree, finding himself staring out into the open forest. Tall pine trees with branches weighted with snow stretched away into the distance. Blizzardstar breathed in deeply, feeling the cool morning air tickle his nose. This was HIS forest; not even Breezeclan would be foolish enough to try and survive in this prickly pine grove.

Taking one more quick look back into the camp, he sped away through the trees. The cool air felt amazing blowing through his fur, helping his nerves to relax and unwind. He didnt't exactly know what to do when he got there. But he couldn't stop now, not with the sting of snow against his pads urging him onward.

He raced past dozens of trees and rocks, leaping over the deepest snowbanks. After awhile the trunks seemed to blur at his sides as he ran steadily onward. Then suddenly, the trees thinned out to a snow covered field. Blizzardstar realized he had reached the border and was crossing the scent line. The snow was still stained with blood and chunks of fur littered the ground. Blizzardstar took a deep breath, looking at the steep hill that rose like an enormous snow bank at the edge of the field. Taking a slow step backward, he glanced back nervously towards his territory.

If an enemy patrol were to find him here, he wasn't sure what would happen. But Mudstar's message was still echoing in his ears, forcing him to continue padding into BreezeClan's territory. He wasn't exactly sure where to start looking. Mudstar had been very vague, not giving him much direction on where to search for the light. As he started to sniff around for any unusual smells, BreezeClan scent swamped his senses. He could feel his heart skip with panic, his fur rising along his spine. What would they say, finding the leader of their rival clan trespassing on their land? Blizzardstar had enough problems as it was, without having hostile Breezeclan warriors on his tail. He turned to race back to the tree line but a feminine voice made him freeze in his tracks.

"Blizzardstar? What are you doing on my territory?" The large white tom turned towards the voice, noticing a delicate calico she-cat. Her fur was striking shades of black, orange, and white; looking like dappled sunlight on the forest floor. As she grew closer, he noticed she looked equally curious and confused.

"I just got a little lost," he mewed hastily, hoping she didn't notice his whiskers twitching with tension. She took a few tentative steps forward, sniffing his pelt lightly. As she neared, Blizzardstar inhaled her scent; fragrant like morning dew and ripe spring berries. He could feel his heartbeat quicken as her muzzle grazed over his neck fur. He hoped she wouldn't notice how uncomfortable he felt. As she stepped back and gazed into his eyes, he could sense that her emotions were whirling like a fierce storm.

"You should return to your territory, before one of my clanmates sees you," she urged after several heartbeats, "my apprentice is near and he will definitely report your intrusion to Oakstar." He felt a tiny twinge of regret. For some strange reason, he had not hoped that was what she would say.

He could scent the other BreezeClan cat's scent in the air, getting closer every second. Taking one last look at the she-cat, he turned and raced away towards the safety of IceClan territory.  After he had reached the cover of the trees, he stopped to catch his breath. His mad dash back to the pine trees had left his sides heaving for air.

He looked back out of the pine trees towards the hillside, hoping to see that she-cat's dappled coat once more. He had been so overcome with panic that he hadn't even recognized who he was talking to. As he thought back on it now, dread started to creep across his fur. That she-cat was Spottedrose, the daughter of Oakstar!

His fur shivered all over at the thought of her telling Oakstar about him trespassing on their territory. Then he recalled their unusually close encounter on the hillside, and how her closeness had made him feel. He dared to think that she would stay silent. He knew that if she was an IceClan warrior, he wouldn't have been able to resist the connection that he had felt. For a brief second, he thought how crazy it would be for him to have feelings for a BreezeClan cat.

Only in silly nursery tales, did cats of different clans fall in love. They all ended horribly, with violence and death. This wasn't out of the ordinary, battle and blood shed was a common occurrence in these lands. IceClan and BreezeClan had been at war for countless seasons, fighting particularly bloody battles over land and prey to feed and shelter their kin. In the most recent skirmish, BreezeClan had lost many cats, including their skilled medicine cat, Lilybloom. She had been mistaken for a battling warrior and was killed by an unknown IceClan warrior.

Blizzardstar knew her death was unfortunate, but Mudstar had been clearly upset in his dream the night before. The old leader had been sure that her death was not just an accident. He remembered Mudstar told him that violence and blood shed was not the way they were meant to be, that he must choose the right path. Maybe peace would rule the forest, and then Blizzardstar could be content to watch his kin live long and prosperous lives. Maybe he could grow to respect the BreezeClan warriors.

Of course, Oakstar would be eager to shed blood over the death of Lilybloom. Blizzardstar knew that the BreezeClan leader wouldn't forget for many seasons. He would certainly urge many more battles to avenge their old medicine cat.

If Spottedrose were to tell Oakstar about this incident, Blizzardstar could assume a battle was sure to quickly follow.  His heart felt sick at the thought of his warriors fighting after Mudstar's dreadful omen that previous night. There was always the chance that Oakstar could have received an omen in his dreams as well, but Oakstar was a very heard headed tom. There was also the chance that Spottedrose would stay silent. But he felt that either of those choices were just short of a miracle.