CotS #1: The Dark Path (currently being rewritten)

Chapter Five

"Hey, hurry up, you two! Quit lollygagging and dawdling!"

I jumped, whipping around. I hadn't realized the patrol had left. Sunbright was looking back, an annoyed expression on her face. I nudged Amberfire and both of us trudged after the patrol. Flametail and Ashdust were carrying Dawnstream's body, since Flametail was her brother, and Spidertail and Iceflame were carrying Spiketail's body. I suddenly remembered no one had retrieved the fox I'd killed.

"Do we eat fox?" I asked Amberfire.

The orangey-red warrior cocked her head. "I don't think so," she replied uncertainly. "Why?"

"I mean, I did kill one," I chuckled, almost to myself, but I was surprised to see Amberfire was smiling.

"Tell me about it," she meowed. "I'm sure you had a pretty sweet plan!"

"I made it up on the spot!" I responded with a laugh.

I went into a detailed description of the fox fight, all the while listening absent-mindedly to the chirping of birds and rustles in the undergrowth. I mumbled my story around the rabbit and mouse and Amberfire took the rabbit from me.

"Oh, hey, how did all this earth appear out of nowhere?" Amberfire suddenly asked.

"What?" I said.

"It was winter!" Amberfire exclaimed. "Then there are trees, and that bramble bush? How in the name of STARCLAN?"

"Amberfire!" Iceflame scolded from the front.

"The trees, Iceflame! The leaves, the plants-!"

"Quiet!" Spidertail hushed. "It's normal! After all, it's spring!"

Amberfire argued. "For that to happen overnight-!!"

"Drop it," I meowed firmly. I didn't know how the sudden spring had come either, but I didn't want to cause Amberfire any trouble. Besides, it was probably StarClan's way of telling us they didn't want any of us to die this winter.

~

I gulped down a scrawny mouse despite there being rich, plump prey in the pile for me to choose. After all, I'd eaten prey every day during winter, and some hadn't. Didn't they deserve the plump prey that was now available?

Duskypaw watched me with a worried expression, but I shrugged his worries away. What did I gain from telling him anyway? He was just a silly apprentice like me, not someone I could confide in. What was up with him, anyway?

Iceflame had reported the fox fight to Stonestar, but I noticed she'd said Sunbright and Spiketail killed it, and that Spiketail had died a hero's death. I wasn't too sure about that, but cats could think what they wanted. I really didn't care, even if, truly, I was the one who had killed the fox. Was she trying not to make cats afraid of me?

"Three apprentices are getting new mentors today," Stonestar announced. "Unfortunately, the afternoon held the death of Minnowpelt. It's a very sad occasion. Littlecloud left to become a kittypet and Minnowpelt... anyway, Stormpaw, Duskypaw, Mistpaw, come here."

I obliged. I saw Mistpaw had tears in her eyes – how close had she been to Minnowpelt? Unless the Minnowpaw I knew had visited her as a kit, which I thought was very unlikely, they shouldn't know each other. So, Mistpaw had teared up for no reason. That was quite embarrassing, especially since she was in front of the Clan. I could see Sandwhisker already looking quite close to laughing.

"Stormpaw," Stonestar meowed quietly, "You'll be a warrior in about a moon. I'm making you a warrior early because you're excellent. I'll follow up on your training, and be your mentor."