Chapter 4

                A shadow of grief hung over the cats. The somber look on their faces revealed that to Minnowstream. She kept a close eye on Littlepaw, who was lagging behind at the back of the group. The once talkative and energetic apprentice now seemed dejected and miserable. He hadn’t spoken at all since Ratpaw’s tragic death.

                They trekked on with little chatter, glancing warily at the Thunderpath, as if they expected one of the monsters to veer off of it and race towards them.

                The rough gray trail stretched on for countless tail-lengths, its various twists and turns only making the journey longer. Shortly after they began following the Thunderpath, Goldenshine’s kits were complaining about the wearisome adventure. Hearing the queen call her name, Minnowstream swished her tail as a signal to halt and turned to face the golden-furred she-cat with frustration. “My kits are tired and hungry,” the queen meowed.

                The queen’s word reminded Minnowstream of her hunger. “So are the rest of us. Tell your kits to grow up and deal with it!”

                Goldenshine raised her head defiantly. “They’re only kits,” she insisted. “We need to give them some fresh-kill and then stop for a rest.”

                Minnowstream bared her teeth and shoved her nose in Goldenshine’s face. “If your kits can’t keep up, then stay here by yourself because we aren’t stopping! Pebblestar was right; you shouldn’t have come with us! Your kits have done nothing except slow us down!”

                Crowkit and Emberkit stared at the silver she-cat with wide, frightened eyes. “Sorry, Minnowstream,” Emberkit whispered. “We…we can keep walking.”

                Crowkit lifted his chin and stubborn determination sparked in his eyes. “Yes we most certainly can! We’re almost apprentices after all!”

                Minnowstream sighed and shook her head. “No, you’re still kits. I imagine you’ve long since been exhausted. I’m afraid I can’t provide food but Streamwhisker can carry one of you. Goldenshine, you take the other.”

                Her mate, a gorgeous dark gray tom, hurried forward and gently grabbed Emberkit by the scruff. “Thank you, Minnowstream,” Goldenshine purred.

                Minnowstream ordered the Clan to resume walking. “I apologize for being so short-tempered. It’s j-just…you know, Ratpaw…”

                Goldenshine nodded with understanding. “First Deerpaw stayed behind and then Ratpaw was slaughtered by the monster. If anything like that happened to Crowkit or Emberkit, I’d be in a much worse mood than you are now.”

                “My Clan needs me,” the silver she-cat sighed dejectedly. “I cannot afford to be depressed in such dire times.”

                Every pawstep grew harder as they continued traveling through the dark hours of the night. The Thunderpath became less active with only a rare monster passing by. Minnowstream began to wonder if the stone trail stretched on forever and if they would ever reach the forest.

                Soon, the kits weren’t the only ones complaining of exhaustion. Finally as the first rays of dawn sunlight seeped over the horizon, the forest appeared in the distance. Minnowstream had never been a fan of trees but they looked nicer now than the river did after a long border patrol. They stumbled wearily into the woods and quickly found a small clearing. It wouldn’t have been large enough for ThunderClan, WindClan, or ShadowClan so perhaps it was a blessing that the traveling cats were such a small group. The warriors collapsed gratefully onto the leafy ground. Minnowstream curled up at the base of an oak tree and closed her eyes but Willowstorm prodded her in the side with a paw. “We are all tired and hungry,” her sister meowed. “I will go hunting and Dusktail has agreed to go with me.”

                Minnowstream shook her head. “No, Willowstorm. We all need to rest for now.”

                “No, we must eat. Especially you! I know you haven’t eaten in almost three days now.”

                “Willowstorm…”

                “We’ll bring back lots of fresh-kill, I promise.”

                “Willowstorm, you’re as tired as the rest of us. Could you please just listen to me and hunt in the morning?”

                “I’ll see you when we get back!”

                “Sleep now and hunt later so that…”

                “Bye, Minnowstream!”

                “But Willowstorm…”

                Willowstorm apparently wasn’t listening. She marched off with Dusktail following close behind. To Minnowstream’s surprise, the two warriors’ tails briefly entwined and Dusktail whispered something in her ear. Has my sister finally found a mate? Minnowstream shook her head. No, it can’t be. Willowstorm just said the other day that she’ll never fall in love because it would distract her from her duties as a warrior.

                Under normal circumstance, Minnowstream would’ve never been capable of falling asleep on the hard ground. After all, she accustomed to the warm, soft bedding in the warriors den. Also, if things were like they were only a few sunrises ago, she could’ve never rested with the icy claws of hunger gripping her stomach. But only moments after closing her, darkness came and Minnowstream drifted into a brief, dreamless sleep.

                When Minnowstream woke, all was silent. Her cats slept peacefully inside of the clearing. She glanced at the sky and groaned inwardly. It wasn’t even sunhigh yet!

                Minnowstream was feeling too restless and hungry to go back to sleep. She rose to her aching paws and silently crept out into the forest. Her fur got snagged on a bramble and with annoyance, she pulled free, leaving behind a tuft of silver fur.

                Minnowstream was starving. Her hunger was so bad that she thought her paws felt weak beneath her. I need to eat soon. We all do. I suppose I should hunt. If Willowstorm, Dusktail, and I catch enough prey, maybe every cat will be able to have a few mouthfuls.

                Minnowstream blundered through the forest. Frustration nearly overwhelmed her as she tripped over a tree root, probably scaring away all of the prey nearby.

                She moved on, carefully placing each paw. Finally, she spotted a mouse. Scanning the ground for any twigs or other obstacles, she slid slowly towards it. With a swift swipe of a forepaw, she dispatched it. The rich odor drifted into her nose and Minnowstream became once more painfully aware of her hunger. Before she realized what she was doing, she had leaned down and ravenously tore off a mouthful of meat. Well, I guess there’s no point in spitting it out.

                She swallowed with a sense of guilt rising up deep inside. “Forgive me, StarClan. I never intended to eat but I couldn’t resist.”

                “It’s okay. After all, you must keep your strength up. I know you’re so important.”

                At first, Minnowstream thought it was a reply from her warrior answers. But a StarClan warrior would’ve never said those words with such a mocking and sarcastic sneer. She lashed her tail and searched for the cat. She determined it was a tom because it was a masculine voice. She looked to the right since those words came from that direction. “Who’s there?” she snarled. “Show yourself, unless you’re a coward.”

                An amused purr came from her left this time. “Great catch by the way. You got real talent, although I think my kits can do better!”

                Minnowstream bristled with indignation. “Hey, I caught it!”

                The cat snorted, this time sounding like it was behind her. “Sheer luck! I mean, seriously, how have you survived this long with such pitiful hunting skills?”

                “Show yourself!” she spat, unsheathing her claws. “I may not be so gifted in hunting, at least in this setting, but if you want to test my fighting skills, go ahead!”

                The tom chuckled, at her right again. “Wish granted!”

                Before Minnowstream could brace herself for an attack, a black-and-white blur exploded out of the bushes in front of her. The breath was knocked out of her upon impact and she tumbled to the ground.

A/N: Really long chapter this time, I worked hard on it for you guys! :D You learn important stuff about characters. Like Ratpaw, Deerpaw, and Littlepaw are Minnowstream's kits and Streamwhisker is her mate. Willowstorm tries to never show emotions and seems to like Dusktail.

Plus, cliffhanger! (YAY!) What do you think is going to happen and who do you think this mysterious tom is?