Warriors : Rise of the Weather [2] : The Brightest Star (OLD/DISCONTINUED)

Chapter Two

Snowdrift slowly awoke, glittering sunlight shining down on him through a crevice above. Blinking his blue eyes against the blinding glow, he took in his surroundings, snow spraying from his head as he lifted it.

Where am I? The white tom thought in alarm, leaping to his paws and scattering snow from his pelt. He glanced around frantically, his gaze resting on Streamflower's curled form. Before he could ponder any further, memories came pouring back into his mind like a waterfall, and with a relieved sigh he sank to his belly. He and his mate had ventured off on a journey to find the brightest star. It had been nearly half a moon since they had set out on their travels, and the previous night a vicious blizzard had struck. He and Streamflower had been forced to take cover in a shallow ravine to remain from freezing to death, but it had only provided a small amount of shelter against the blistering wind and raging snowfall.

Snowdrift gave a shake of his head, huffing a sigh. Glancing back down at Streamflower's sleeping form, he touched his nose to her forehead. Crouching down and fixing his gaze to the blinding sky outside, the white tom pounce into the air, his paws scrabbling against the ledge before he hauled himself out of the shallow ravine, shaking scraps of snow and dirt from his bright fur.

Emerging into the snowy landscape, the white tom let his gaze scan over the frosted ground, trying to decide where the best place to hunt would be. The positive side to no longer living in a clan was that he didn't have to worry about caring for twenty other cats. It was just him and Streamflower.

But that doesn't dismiss the fact that I miss them. He thought to himself, his head bowed for a brief moment. A few faces flashed across his memory, and he gave a bitter smile, but his heart cracked and his face fell as he remembered Littleshine's lifeless body, crumpled and bloody in a hollow of jagged rocks.

With a pang of regret coursing through his veins, Snowdrift gave his fur a brisk shake. The white feline lifted his head and tasted the air for prey. The strong scent of frozen water bit at his nose, like hundreds of little needles stabbing at it. Along with the smell came a warm gust of wind, signaling the near end to leafbare. Wrinkling his muzzle with a small sneeze, he detected a squirrel further along, and prowling forward he tried to pinpoint the scent.

As he searched for the animal, a sparrow darted across his path in midflight. Before the bird could soar out of reach, Snowdrift reared onto his hindlegs and swiped it out of the air, its terrified cry filling the former warrior's ears. Flattening his ears against his head, he dragged down the bird and dispatched it with a firm bite around the neck, its wings battering at his face crumpling and growing lifelessly still.

Panting, Snowdrift dropped the bird to the ground and licked some blood from his face. The bird was scrawny and feathery, not much meat on its bones but enough to fill a cat's belly for a few hours.

I'll give this to Streamflower. Snowdrift told himself, crouching to the ground to dig a small hole. Once done, a shallow dip gaped ahead of him, and the tom dropped the sparrow inside before kicking soil over it. Turning back to the squirrel trail, he snuck along with his fur smoothed along his spine. The only part of him that stood out in the snow was his blue eyes, sharp and intent on finding his prey.

He spotted the squirrel only moments later, it's head high and alert. An acorn hung loosely in one of its tiny claws, a small hole gaping in the ground ahead of it where it had scraped relentlessly for the small morsel of food. It's breathing was quick and rapid, it's head bobbing with every breath. It's tail twitched sharply, and it lowered itself to all fours. It abandoned the acorn on the pure white snow, ready to make a bolt for the trees.

Just a little further. Snowdrift thought determinedly, his heart beginning to race as his haunches stiffened with strain. The snap of a twig behind Snowdrift quickly alerted the rodent, and with panic-stricken eyes it darted towards the cover of a tree.