Warriors: Rise of the Shadows (Book 1)

Chapter Thirty-Six

The night sky was black as five shapes traveled into the forest, their intentions on doing some nighttime hunting. But something more sinister and bloody would happen tonight.

Sweetscent crouched down, stalking a shrew when she leaped, snapping its neck with a bite to the throat. Lifting her muzzle, her eyes were dark as she looked at an orange-red tabby tom in front of her.

"Fine catch, deputy." Sneered the tom, his eyes glinting with malice. "Go catch more, if you're so lucky."

"We don't follow orders from you, Rushsplash." Growled a golden brown tabby she-cat, standing behind the oblivious sneering tom with her blue gaze fixed on his.

"We take orders from honorable and noble leaders, of which you are not." Added a tortoiseshell she-cat, stalking out of her position from the right with another golden brown tabby she-cat coming out on the left.

"What is this?" Snarled Rushsplash, looking around with his claws unsheathing. He turned to the deputy, who was now standing over her catch.

"We don't need you, any of your allies with our broken leader." Spat Sweetscent, the five cats approaching the tabby tom. "You're trapped, Rushsplash. And you won't get out of here alive or at all."

The others snickered at her comment and sprang, tearing the tom to pieces as Sweetscent watched coldly, unable to tear her gaze away.

**********

"Where is Rushsplash?" Wondered Nightclaw as she sat beside Larchstar, who was licking her pelt to make it sleek and shine. "He's been gone since last night." She turned to her new mate, eyes worried. "Do you think he left the Clan?"

Larchstar shook his head and continued to lap at her black pelt. He pulled away after a few more licks and looked around the camp. "You're right, he has been gone awhile," he realized, narrowing his eyes.

Sweetscent was sharing a thrush with Sparrowgorse, looking up at the sound of the two cats. She shifted uncomfortably and focused on eating her meal. 'Now they know he's gone, but what will they do?' She thought, taking another bite into the bird, chewed, and swallowed.

Pearpelt and Honeypelt were chatting quietly when a yowl made everyone's attention to the camp entrance where Ripplethroat and Duskclaw were dragging Rushsplash's limp body into the camp.

Sweetscent looked to Honeypelt and Pearpelt, seeing the knowing look in their gazes as they looked right back. Turning her head to Larchstar, she saw the stunned look on his face. Inwardly, she smirked in satisfaction but a twinge of guilt wormed its way into her belly and she shook it away, sitting up.

"What happened?" Demanded her furious leader, his ablaze. "How did Rushsplash die without defending himself?" Larchstar fixed his green gaze onto Ripplethroat and Duskclaw as they dropped his body down. "We thought he was slain by a rogue or loner, but it smelled familiar. As if he was killed by a member of our Clan." Growled Duskclaw, tail lashing. Larchstar snorted and shook his head, leaping at the tom. His claws dug into Duskclaw's throat and the tom yowled in pain and fell limp, dead. Lifting a blood-soaked paw from his dead Clanmate and licked it clean. "Anyone else thinks my Clan has a murder among its ranks?" He snarled and went on when no cat spoke up. "Good, go on with your duties. Rushsplash and Duskclaw were weak anyway."

Sweetscent flinched as he kicked the tom's body and flicked her tail. 'Two down, more to go.'