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The sun dips low beyond the horizon, the orange glow on evening casting a warm light on Froststar as the white tom sits on a rugged tree stump, tail neatly wrapped around his paws and sky blue eyes tilted upwards to watch the light snowfall.
The frozen wasteland of IceClan's territory stretched out in front of him, a meadow blanketed in snow, rabbit burrows scattered across the large expanse. The pine forest and its thin river that flows all the way past the nearby twolegplace and into the distant mountains which loom over the little valley, their imposing size making Froststar feel small. Sitting alone amidst the emptiness of Leaf-bare.
There's the old, abandoned barn, standing tall despite the cracked windows and splintered wood. Froststar remembers it's walls and hay protecting him from the biting cold and howling winds when he was just a few moons old, no memory of what came before. A group of IceClan warriors found him, shivering and hungry. If he focused, he could still hear the shocked gasps and calls, cats searching for the parents of a lone kitten. None ever showed.
So he stayed with the Clan, playing in the nursery with the other kits, training with his fellow apprentices and fighting or hunting side by side with the warriors. It had been a good few seasons since he had been made deputy and then leader. Well, it was hard to tell the passage of the seasons. Leaf-bare never letting up no matter how much the warm sun tried to chase it away.
Time showed itself in the tiny flowers that would fight their way through the thick snow in what IceClan perceived to be Newleaf. Butterflies emerging from their cocoons in Greenleaf and the harsh rains of Leaf-fall. The way the temparature would drop down low in the actual Leaf-bare. Little things.
It was not easy for the Clan to survive and thrive, losing many to the challenges of their territory alone. Not to mention the dangers that brought themselves to them, enemies wishing for their end with sharp claws and teeth. Yet, through the many stories told by the elders and nursery queens, the many stars of StarClan shimmering in the night sky and the thickness of the once thin trees surrounding their camp, it was clear that IceClan persevered.
Froststar admired his Clans will to stay alive, to keep fighting for their place in the world. Each and every cat, from the tiniest kit to the grumpiest elder, would never simply lay down and roll over. Whatever future challenges awaited them, he knew his Clan were ready.
But, something had felt off lately. He could sense it like an incoming storm, something big that would put the mountains to shame. What could it possibly be?
"Froststar? Froststar!"
The white tom blinked, shaking himself out of his thoughts before turning to face the newcomer. Doveshadow, the medicine cat, was looking right at him, concern shining in the white and black tom's pale green eyes.
"You've just been sitting there staring at nothing, are you okay?" The tom asked, voice kept carefully neutral. As if he was afraid of scaring the leader off.
For a moment, Froststar said nothing, Doveshadow growing more worried by the second. The white feline had been doing this a lot recently, sitting completely still, lost in thought. Froststar didn't want to worry him more by telling him of his fears, that the Clan was headed for disaster. It would just sound weird anyway, there had been no signs from StarClan so everything should be fine, no future catastrophes.
"I'm alright," he meowed, keeping his voice light but noticing Doveshadow's ears droop slightly. He probably didn't believe him.
"If you say so." Yeah he definitely didn't believe that Froststar was telling the truth, but he didn't call him out on it either.
"I do say so, now we should organize some hunting patrols, the fresh-kill pile is getting low." If the medicine cat noticed the quick change of topic, he didn't mention it, falling silent as he followed Froststar back into camp and towards the deputy.
Froststar must just be feeling nervous for this Leaf-bare, nothing else was coming to hurt his Clan, right?