Warriors: Rising Storm #1: Robin's Call

Chapter 12

Wind and snow buffeted against Shadepaw's face. A moon had passed since she found out her mother was expecting kits. Dustpaw, Harepaw, and Emberpaw's final assessment would be the next day, unless the weather was bad. Shadepaw was on a hunting assessment, but she knew it would be almost impossible to catch something in the blizzard. Her paws were covered in the thick layer of snow. Her face stung as she tried to face the wind. I'll catch a cold, not prey, she thought grumpily. She lifted her nose and caught the faint scent of vole above the smell of frost. I can't afford to lose this catch, I already lost that scrawny squirrel. 

Shadepaw followed the mouse's scent, to shortly find it under a tree's root. Resisting to twitched her tail, she stalked forward. She waited until it emerged slightly from under the root. Now! Shadepaw leaped and landed square on the mouse. She killed it with a swift bite to the neck. She saw ginger fur at the corner of her eyes. It was her mentor.

"Shadepaw, let's go home so your catch doesn't get cold," Clovergaze yowled over the wind. Shadepaw followed Clovergaze with her scrawny mouse dangling from her jaws. Most of the cats were shivering in their dens when they returned. 

The blizzard had died down, but it was still freezing. Shadepaw went to the medicine cat's den to place her catch on the fresh-kill pile. They always moved the pile in the medicine cat's den because it was the warmest den. There were only two other pieces of prey on the pile: a rabbit and a shrew. Shadepaw saw Addertail eating a small vole in her nest. "Join me," she invited, beckoning Shadepaw with her tail.

Shadepaw slowly padded over to her former mentor.

"You can have a bite, I know you might not eat anything besides this today." Addertail moved the vole closer to Shadepaw.

"The hunting patrols will be back soon," Shadepaw said stiffly, rejecting the vole.

Addertail shook her head. "You will eat now, the hunting patrols might come back empty-pawed."

Shadepaw scoffed. "You're not my mother," she hissed.

Addertail's eyes narrowed. "You better be happy I'm not," she sneered. "Last time I checked she gave you up for more kits."

That made Shadepaw flinch. Her fur brushed as she stomped out of the den, half blind with fury. She plopped down under the shade of her favorite tree and unsheathed her claws. Without thinking she sliced her claws down her foreleg. Pain pierced through her as her claws met her delicate flesh. Fresh blood dripped out of where she had struck. She took one claw and raked it down to make a fresh mark. The snow turned red as her blood stained it. Her claws were dripping with her own blood. She stood up, ignoring the pain she felt and the blood that dripped down. She saw Addertail looking at her in pure horror. She was aware of the stares her clanmates were giving her. She dismissed them and walked on, her tail dragging in the snow. She caught Robinheart's eye as she dragged herself into the apprentices' den. She plopped down, ignoring her pangs of hunger as she drifted off.

It was moonhigh when Shadepaw awoke. Carefully, she crept over the sleeping bodies of her denmates. Only a small amount of snow fell from the sky as Shadepaw padded across the clearing. Making her way to the dirtplace, she snuck out of camp. Shadepaw knew that Shatteredfang would be guarding tonight, and almost always he fell asleep on watch, so she wouldn't have a problem. Her black pelt helped her disguise in the shadows as she padded farther from camp. The blood on the wounds she created had dried, and it didn't hurt much now, but she knew they would leave scars. She thought of what Foxtuft had said about the rogues, which made her think of Eclipseheart. She felt a snarl forming on her face as she thought of the mangy rogue. He knew about the attack all along! she thought, a sudden wave of anger rushing through her. Why did I request he joined the clan? Foxtuft was right, they should attack right away. Her mind slowly began to form a plan, one that would get rid of Eclipseheart while also destroying the rogues.