Looming Darkness

Chapter 6

The first snow of leaf-bare swirled from the sky, and a light gray fog was hovering amongst the treetops. Echoheart shivered beside Hailstorm as they walked back from a barely- successful hunting patrol, her pelt pressed against his in an effort to maintain their warmth.

Meadowheart's kits had been born a quarter-moon ago, and since then, the weather had cooled significantly. Frost was constantly appearing on the trees, and the fog hardly ever left.

A snowflake landed on Echoheart's nose, and she licked it off, shivering.

She carried a limp, puny mouse, and Eaglefeather had a chickadee in his jaws. Hailstorm, Sparrowtail, and Rosepaw had nothing.

By the time they returned to the camp, a thin layer of snow had frosted the ground, and everyone's pads were frozen, except Echoheart's; the freezing cold weather in the mountains with constant snow, ice, and frigid rocks had made Echoheart's pads stronger, since they'd been in that type of weather for there for nearly four moons, including the journey to and from the mountains.

Eaglefeather immediately went to the nursery to give Meadowheart his chickadee, and Echoheart dropped her mouse on the shrinking fresh-kill pile. Then she turned, leading Hailstorm to the warriors' den, where they could warm up. They passed Whispersong and Bumblefrost, who were talking quietly to each other.

Echoheart blinked as she noticed something. Why was Whispersong's belly getting so full? Was she stealing prey that was supposed to be for their other Clanmates? Anger rose up inside her. That didn't seem like something Whispersong would do; but she needed to ask.

"I'll be right there," she meowed to Hailstorm, who nodded, teeth chattering, and disappeared inside the warriors' den. Echoheart turned to Whispersong. "Can you take a walk with me?"

Whispersong glanced up, looking wary, but she nodded. She touched noses with Bumblefrost, then followed Echoheart outside the camp.

"It's so cold; why couldn't we talk right there?" Whispersong stammered, shivering.

Echoheart narrowed her eyes against the frigid wind. "Because I don't want any cat overhearing us."

"Did you find out something about the prophecy?" Whispersong asked eagerly.

"No."

Whispersong flinched from Echoheart's curt reply, then murmured, "Oh."

Echoheart stopped by a patch of thick pine trees; there wasn't any snow underneath them, and they looked like they offered shelter from the bitter-cold weather, so Echoheart quickly ducked and went under them. Whispersong followed her hesitantly.

"It is warmer under here," Whispersong commented in what seemed like an effort to lighten the mood.

Echoheart didn't answer. She watched her sister for a moment, then asked, "Have you been eating more prey than you should? Stealing what should be the elders' and the queens'?"

Whispersong looked shocked. "No," she meowed defensively. "Why would you think that? I'd never do that!"

"Then explain to me why you've gotten fat," Echoheart retorted.

"Fat?" Whispersong snarled, recoiling as if Echoheart had clawed her.

"It's no secret that your stomach is so big!"

Whispersong froze. "Who else has noticed?"

"Why?" Echoheart narrowed her eyes.

"Who else has noticed?" Whispersong demanded.

"Probably no one, but why do you care who's noticed? Have you been stealing prey?" Echoheart spat.

"Of course not!"