candle in the wind {aw}

It was a warm day for leafbare. The trees stood as dark, scrawny skeletons, and the ground was covered in damp snow, but the sun was out and shining. Cinderheart took a few pawsteps forward and raised her head to the impending light. It soothed and warmed her, although her paws were very cold. Cinderheart hated the cold. She spent as much time as possible back at the camp, and much of that in the warrior's den. There were other cats to talk to there. So she couldn't explain to herself why she was here now, by the river. The swiftly moving current kept the water from completely freezing over, and there were still fish swimming beneath the surface. Cinderheart sighed. She wasn't hungry, and she wasn't assigned to bring back fish for the clan. But maybe Milkstar would enjoy being surprised, if she helped the clan.

However, she didn't want to disrupt the workings of the clan or make anyone mad, and she couldn't bring herself to face the icy cold of the river. So she just sat, occasionally lifting a paw and shaking the snow off it. She wasn't thinking about anything in particular, just enjoying the day.