Rain's Quest Ice covered the pond. Moonlight filtered through the trees. And white pelts moved in the shadows. Suddenly, a flash of grey fur exploded from the darkness. Two snowy toms burst out after her, grabbing her by the scruff of her neck fur and carrying her away. I watched in horror as my brother, Sandy, at beside me. "Who was she..." he said, staring at the frozen expression on my face. I leaped down from the windowsill, tearing through the cat flap. Sandy ran after me. "Raindrop!" he yowled, "Come back!" running through the cat flap after me. Shaking my head, I knew that I would have to reveal my deepest secret-and maybe his, too. Leaping over fences, I felt I was running so fast I was becoming part of the warm spring wind. Maybe I was. I wish it would whisk me up and blow me away forever. The grey cat was my mother. She had been born when she was still part of the IceCats. Back then, she was the leader's child, so her grey fur had been excused. When the IceCats got a new leader, she had been banished from the forest for #life. She bore me, Raindrop and Sandy on the streets, and left us on the doorstep of a kind human. She me to keep Sandy away from the forest-he was only a kitten then. He thought it was because there were hawks that would carry him away and feed him to its babies. I knew the real reason. The IceCats only allowed white cats. That's why our mother was exiled. She must have come looking for us when she was captured. I ran into the trees at the edge of the forest, then stopped short. Two green eyes narrowed at us. A frost-white tail flicked backward and forwards irritably. And a harsh voice growled, "We don't appreciate your kind here."