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Leaf-bare, such a cold and cruel season. It was hard enough in the clan, with cats constantly hunting and warm nests maintained by weavers. How much harder was it out there for a cat alone? Were her kits out there somewhere, struggling to survive? Did the go to bed with empty bellies?

The search continued, as it would until they were found or until she died. Irisfrost stared out at the endless snow blanketing camp. If only they'd gone missing when there was snow on the ground to capture their prints. How much easier would it have been, how much faster would they have reunited? Then again they were born in new-leaf, and she couldn't have fallen pregnant much sooner than she had. 

She pushed the though aside, and headed from her nest to the base of the Sky Tree. Dawnclaw was waiting there, she could see his pelt as snow slowly started to gather on him.

"Dawnclaw." Irisfrost kept her voice low as she sat next to him, close enough that their coats almost touched. She wasn't quite sure why he'd asked her here, but she was eager to learn. He was perhaps one of the last cats truly invested in helping her search for her kits, and he'd promised to eventually talk to Hailstar about expanding the search beyond the borders. "Is everything alright?"