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

I secretly gave Iceleaf some more prey, then went to visit Emuwing and Cocoaleaf. I ran into Cocoaleaf first.

"Do you know what's going on?" she asked. "Emuwing is so nice during training, but she isn't doing anything about this! I mean, look at Iceleaf! And all our warriors! Stonestar is starving them!" She looked around wildly, as if expecting someone to eavesdrop. No one was, but her expression was still wild and terrified. 

"They get all the leftover prey," I told her, trying to calm her down. Hopefully that was a good thing, but it would also make it seem like they only got the scraps.

Cocoaleaf glared at me. "But there's never much! Just the odd mouse or shrew, and that's hardly enough for Iceleaf! She's expecting kits!" Cocoaleaf was hysterical now. She kept glancing left and right and when she spotted Stonestar walking across camp her eyes burned with fury.

I sighed. "Believe me, Cocoaleaf. I never wanted any of this to happen."

She sighed. "You're the only decent cat in this bunch, Stormdawn."

After that, I took Swanpaw out for training. I suddenly remembered Plumwhisker was tagging along. She'd been training with Heathermist and Fallowpaw for some reason, but now she was back on track. I wondered why she'd followed Heaethermist and Fallowpaw in the first place, but I certainly wouldn't argue.

"All right, you two can spar it out," I said. Great StarClan, Plumwhisker was older than me! What was going on? I didn't want to train a cat so much older than me! By my standards, Plumwhisker was ancient!

The two sparred, and Plumwhisker completely destroyed Swanpaw. I could see the anguish in my white apprentice's eyes.

"Can I have a break?" she asked me softly, her eyes pleading.

I nodded. "Go have a drink by the stream." Happily, Swanpaw obliged and ran off to quickly drink from the shallow stream.

Then I turned back to Plumwhisker. "You and me are fighting now."

Her eyes narrowed and she lunged. I twisted to the side and used my back legs to whack hers, and she fell to the ground with an oomph! Giving her no time to recover, I jumped to my feet and swiped her across her mouth, then kicked her hard in the chest. She lay, winded, on her side.

I looked at her and cocked my head. "You're going to need to be stronger."

Plumwhisker proved a decent warrior, but no match for me. I trashed her every time, even if she demolished Swanpaw. I gave Swanpaw one-on-one training whenever I could (which was all the time, because I disliked Plumwhisker), and her skills were improving rapidly. Thank StarClan for that, because Plumwhisker was showing no signs of improvement in learning our forest techniques, and she couldn't fight that well at all. I was getting incredibly frustrated with her.

"Alright, let's go hunting," I said, giving up on training Plumwhisker in battle.

Plumwhisker curled her lip. "What's the point? No matter how much I bring back, I only ever get a mouse!"

"Maybe you and Swanpaw can share something plump," I said. "If Swanpaw takes it, and agrees to share with you..."

"I don't," Swanpaw snarled hatefully.

I whipped around. "Huh?" Swanpaw was normally so gentle and softspoken, never hateful of anyone, but the way her lip curled and she spoke so hatefully...

"Can you and I talk, alone?" Swanpaw asked.

"Okay. Plumwhisker, go join Lightcry, Heathermist and Fallowpaw." I turned back to my apprentice. "Yes?"