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

Chapter Fourteen

"Hey, Stormdawn. Not everyone's eaten, and you haven't gone on a single patrol today."

I looked up.

It was Cloudysky. Again. Like always, bothering me when I was peaceful.

"Such as you?" I asked. "You mean, you haven't eaten, so I should go hunting with you? I'll do solo hunting, thank you very much."

His eyes widened with hurt, but he said nothing.

"Be hurt," I jeered. "You can be hurt all you want. In this world, you have to be"

I stopped. I could hear a rustling in the bushes, a long way away. I got up and started walking out. Cloudysky called after me. But, for all he knew, I was suddenly going solo hunting. What I knew I was doing, was hunting the enemies that had dared come near our camp.

"Come with me." I motioned to Swanpaw.

She frowned.

"You might need to go back for reinforcements. I need you," I insisted.

Swanpaw got up and followed without further ado.

The two of us trekked through the forest. Swanpaw let out the occasional yawn. It wasn't even that late yet. Still, maybe Heathermist's training was tiring. I kept my ear to the ground after a while, bending down and pressing my body against the ground. Swanpaw regarded me strangely. I would too. I could hear the pawsteps from a mile away. Well, not literally. But I could hear them coming, two at a time, frenzied jumping and cackling of cats. I could hear their unsheathed claws scraping the forest floor. I could see them now. I looked past at least three dozen trees and bushes apiece to see their tails, but I saw them, very simply saw them. They were there, right there, coming.

"Swanpaw, go back and tell them where we are," I told her.

Her eyes hardened. "We've been in this situation before. They might not be friendly. I should be with you."

"If they're dangerous, we need reinforcements sooner. All the more, hurry!" I told her.

She nodded finally, shooting away back to camp. She was probably wondering why I'd brought her if she would be uselessly zigzagging back to camp. Well, I honestly had no idea. I should've brought a whole battle party. The Clan was going to think I was ridiculously crazy now. Smiling to myself, I sat down and waited. Waited patiently for them to arrive. Just like the situation with the CloudClan cats. It was exactly the same, I was sitting there waiting instead of walking to meet them. Lazily.

"Hey, boss. There's a cat there. Waiting and smiling like a hooligan."

"Shut up, Australia!"

"America, I'm pretty sure that lone cat heard that."

"All three of you shut up!"

I looked up expectantly, and cats began to descend from the trees and come out of the bushes.

"Oh, look," he said plainly. "Let's kill her before she goes back for reinforcements."

They surrounded me from all sides. I smiled simply at them. "I already got reinforcements," I responded quite plainly.

"Did you?" the leader's eyes narrowed.

"What's your name?" I asked, in a friendly manner.

"New Zealand," he told me. "It's Zeal for short."