Warriors Secrets of The Shadows: Foes of The Winter

Prologue

Snow slowly fell again. It was the second sunrise this quarter moon that the snow made it's slow descend on cats of the forest that it covered. A bulky black and white tom whacked away a bone with a paw, curling his lip. "This is useless!" He spat. Just then, another black and white cat at the head of a patrol of other cats padded into the camp.
"It's about time you got back Sneakingfoot!" Hissed a black tom next to his bulky clanmate from the warrior's den.
A white pelted she-cat stretched with a yawn and asked, "Where's the prey?"
"Isn't it obvious Hollyheart? We have none." Meowed a calico she-cat.
Hollyheart snorted. "Well sorry Mosspuddle." She rumbled.
"We would have made our reaches to our newly sprayed hunting grounds if ScarClan weren't a bunch of mouse dung, crow brained," A thin tabby growled until a tri-colored she-cat next to him snorted.
"What's the point of hunting there Cinderfrost? All we ever got there was a bunch of crow-food thanks to fat loners eating their way right into the forest ok our grounds." She growled bitterly. "Aspenspark's right.. Why bother?" Muttered a tortoiseshell apprentice standing by her mentor.
"This is the second sunrise that you have brought no prey for the clan." Rasped an elderly tom, known as Clawpelt.
"Well what are you gonna do about it, hissed a russet pelted apprentice.
"Lichenpaw stop it!" Mosspuddle ordered.
"Well isn't that just great Sharpfrost." A pale orange she-cat meowed to a pale gray tabby tom.
A mottled brown she-cat stood face to face with the bulky black and white warrior. "Badgerfang, we are trying as hard as we can, but the winter either freezes prey over, or hides it from us." Her tail twitched.
"Really Bloomfur? Is that your excuse? Or are you just not looking hard enough?" He challenged.
Bloomfur's hackles rose. "I am too hunting! Plus I don't see you doing anything!" She retorted, getting in a crouch to leap at him. A dark brown tabby she-cat stood between to the two cats. "Bloomfur, don't stoop to his level." She soothed.
Badgerfang huffed and padded away lashing his tail.
Beetail nuzzled into Bloomfur's neck. "You're doing a great job to me if it makes you feel any better." She mewed. Bloomfur purred.
An angry yowl rose above the arguing of hungry AshClan cats, and a ginger tabby tom swiftly made his way up on the Great Rock to face his clan despite the frosty stone. "Cats of AshClan! We are a Clan for a reason!" He yowled. Some cats silenced to look up at him. "We stick together! We are warriors! Have you all forgotten that with this snow clogging up your ears?!" He looked down, his leaf-green eyes now angered slits.
The cats murmured and looked down. "But Foxstar, we're only trying to hunt! It's the other Clans getting in the way!" Baderfang declared, as two or four yowls of agreement rose.
"And how is that? Are they stealing prey from our camp right under our noses?!" The leader asked.
"They chase us as we hunt!" Shrieked Cinderfrost. "You remember the day we chased those puny ScarClan kits!" His claws clogged up snow.
"Exactly! Kits! Meaning they posed no threat!" Beetail snarled.
"Enough!" Foxstar yowled and cats finches.
Beetail and Cinderfrost whipped their heads up to Foxstar.
"We are Warriors! We do not argue like spoiled kits!" He yowled loudly.
Not a cat argued with him then. Silence gripped the camp.
"I want two hunting patrols out now!" The leader's demand was clear and firm.
"I'll take one. Darkpoppy, Rowanfoot, Brackentail, Slatepelt, Rainpaw, Shortfur." Beetail meowed. The cats she had named padded behind her. "Ok. Do not come back without at least three peices of prey and I do not want another report about my Warriors chasing kits!" He ordered.
"Yes Foxstar." She nodded her head and padded out, feeling Sneakingfoot's eyes on her tabby pelt.