Warrior Cats: The Quiet Snow

A dark ginger she-kit with blue eyes scampered across the camp to the elder’s den. An elderly she-cat with graying whiskers and brown and white fur let her ice blue gaze rest on the young kit.

“Hello Emberkit,” she rasped. “What do you want to hear today?” Emberkit thought for a little while.

“Spiritheart, mommy once mentioned something about…snow? What is it and what’s the story of snow?” Spiritheart chuckled, and then stopped. She had a feeling this was going to be her last story ever told to the young kits. And the story of snow was her favorite one.

“I’ll tell you what the story of snow is, dear Emberkit.” And she began this tale:

Long ago, there were four clans, but instead of the ancient Thunderclan, Shadowclan, Riverclan, and Windclan, they were the clans of the seasons, but they didn’t have –clan at the end of the clan name New Leaf, Green Leaf, Leaf Fall, and Leaf Bare.

All of the season clans had a special characteristic about them. They lived in different regions and had special things that set them apart from the other clans using their season.

New Leaf had the bloom of all plants and herbs. It had beautiful scenery and the rain clouds sent water to all rivers and ponds.

Green Leaf had the most sunlight and gave the most life to the nature of the land. Many days, apprentices trained under the long sun and shade.

Leaf Fall made all the leaves change color and fall from the trees.  It was always a beautiful to see the leaves fall from the trees on a gentle breeze.

But Leaf Bare did not have a special talent. Why didn’t they? It was a simple but difficult question. Leaf Bare spent moons trying to find their talent.

One day some kits were playing in the large camp and one she-kit stopped as something wet landed on her nose. But it wasn’t the rain that New Leaf clan brought. It was small and white. So small and fragile she almost missed another one in front of her eyes.

“Look!” she cried out. The small fragile crystals, they called them, flew down and glowed when the sun was behind them. They glowed and sparkled as all the kits stood in awe. This was the first time that the crystals fell from the sky. The first she-kit’s mother came over and gazed as well.

“Snow, my dear, I think you have discovered Leaf Bare’s special talent.” She murmured. The leader and all the warriors thought of a name for these crystals. They thought all day and night. But at Moonhigh, they fell asleep.

At the next morning, the crystals had stopped falling. All the kits were so disappointed. The whole clan, including the leader, sulked until the next Gathering. There when the Leaf Bare leader was about to speak, the young kit, Snow, who has grown to be an apprentices of Leaf Bare, turned her head down and couldn’t watch the Gathering for all the other clans had their special talent following them. She felt tears in her eyes when she felt a familiar and joyous wetness on her muzzle. She raised her head, the only to do so in whole clan and cried out in happiness.

“The Crystals are back!” she yowled. Only the Leaf Bare cats knew what this meant. They all raised their heads and cried out as well as the crystals fell from the sky on the Leaf Bare cats. All the clans were happy that Leaf Bare had finally found their talent: To make these crystals.

The leader of New Leaf let out a silencing yowl. “We are all happy that Leaf bare has finally found their talent. But what shall you call these “crystals”, Leaf Bare cats?” she said.

All of the Leaf Bare cats pondered this again, but the leader had decided to call these crystals the name of the first cat to find them.

“One of our apprentices had found these crystals when she was kit. I declare we called the crystals Snow!” He declared. Snow stood up and padded to her leader. “Snow, you have neared the end of your apprentice days and your warrior training is nearly complete. For finding these crystals, do you accept the life of a warrior and to protect your clan even at the cost of your life?”

Snow nodded and said, clearly and heard all across the Gathering territory, for this was the first time an apprentice was named a warrior at a Gathering, “I do.”

“Then, by the powers of Starclan  our warrior ancestors, I, Gust, leader of Leaf bare, declare this cat, Snow, the title of a warrior from this point on. Tomorrow night, she will stand her vigil to protect her clan while we sleep!”

Snow looked delighted as Gust laid his head on her head and she licked his shoulder in tradition. She then stepped back and started singing:

One day as a little kit,

 I saw these crystals floating from the sky.

We all stood in awe,

As we saw them fly.

Against the sun’s rays,

They glowed with our praise.

It was wonderful,

That we found our talent at last.

From this time on,

Leaf Bare will control these crystals!

The deputy sang with her beautiful voice:

Gust and I,

Have thought about the control of snow.

And we declare that you, Snow,

Shall control the weather,

Of the crystals called Snow.

Who glow in the sunshine!

The clans sang together:

Leaf Bare has finally found their crystals,

That shine in the light!

One cat called Snow,

Will control

The crystals of the light!

Snow waited for a pause and sang loud and clear:

When I was a kit,

I found the quiet snow!

And from then on, the cat Snow has lived forever in Starclan, controlling the snowy weather during the Leaf Bare season.

Spiritheart felt herself glowing with pride as Emberkit’s eyes grew wide as a snow flake landed on her nose. Then slowly, she felt her strength slipping away. She used that last bit of her strength to give a snowfall for that day and told Emberkit:

“Tell this story to the other cats and I am Snow’s descendant. I can control the snow as well…”

Her eyes closed and felt Emberkit’s paws pressed against her flank in a shake to get up. Spiritheart heard Whitetiger and Snowbelly telling Emberkit that there’s nothing the little kit could do to save Spiritheart.

My time has come to join you, Snow. I have waited for so long to meet you.