Tragedy {A Warrior Cats Fanfiction}

» Chapter Thirty «

Kestrelfur came back into camp with the rabbit in her jaws, glad that she wasn't coming back empty pawed. She made sure to give Badgermask—who was scowling—a look as she trotted past.

      She set the rabbit down in the fresh-kill pile and wondered what she was supposed to do next. She wasn't sure what you were supposed to do after a hunt in GladeClan.

      "Did you catch that rabbit?" asked Harestar, coming up beside her. Kestrelfur jumped; she hadn't seen the GladeClan leader pad over to her. "I didn't mean to scare you." He shot her an apologetic look as though he had given her rotten fresh-kill.

      Kestrelfur looked over her shoulder to make sure Badgermask wasn't listening, then turned back to Harestar. "No. I just found it under my paw, already killed, so I brought it back to camp."

      Harestar bit his lip. "I hope you don't mind... but I was the one who caught the rabbit. I saw you heading in that direction so I placed it there, hoping you would find it. I didn't want you to feel bad—or look bad."

      Kestrelfur's gaze flickered to Badgermask for a second. "But why were you hunting? You're the leader."

      "I prefer helping my clanmates in patrols," said Harestar, licking his paw. "It doesn't feel right to watch them do it while I sit at camp doing nothing."

      Kestrelfur nodded, though she didn't understand why he would do work when he didn't have to. If Kestrelfur were leader, she would sleep in and then go run around in the trees. The only work a clan leader has to do is promote clanmates at ceremonies, punish someone if they messed up, and speak at Gatherings.

--

Kestrelfur had to wake up early the next day to assign patrols, which turned out to be a disaster.

      "Um... you're Fawnbreeze, right? Could you go on the dawn patrol?" said Kestrelfur.

      "But you already assigned me on a hunting patrol," said Fawnbreeze. "Though I'd rather do the dawn patrol because I was on the hunting patrol yesterday."

      "Alright, you're on the dawn patrol," said Kestrelfur. "And... Darkrunner. Go on the hunting patrol; take your apprentice with you."

      Darkrunner mrrowed with laughter and amusement. "I don't have an apprentice, featherbrain."

      "Oh. Then who has an apprentice?"

      Someone raised her tail, with a cat nearly her size standing next to her.

   "Alright, you go on the dawn patrol instead of Darkrunner," said Kestrelfur, wondering if that was enough for the patrol.

   "Me?" asked the she-cat.

      "Yes," said Kestrelfur, exasperated.

      "But you just told me I was supposed to go on the hunting patrol," said Darkrunner.

      "Yes, and I changed my mind," said Kestrelfur, starting to feel stressed.

      "But you told Flowertail to go on the dawn patrol in my place," said Darkrunner. "So which is she going on, the dawn patrol or the hunting patrol?" He spat the last words out harshly, as though it were meant as an insult. He tilted his head to the side, waiting to see how she would handle this.

   "The hunting patrol," said Kestrelfur. "Now can you lead it and get started so I can see who's left?" She directed her attention to the one she assigned to it earlier.

   "Me? Lead it?" asked the she-cat, supposedly the one named Flowertail.

      "Yes," said Kestrelfur, almost hissing.