Treacherous Skies

Chapter 10

Hailstorm padded across the camp, Clovertail right behind him. Over the past few days, the fresh-kill pile had grown larger and larger, and the whole Clan was well fed every day.

Hailstorm sat down and grabbed a mouse, while Clovertail picked a vole.

"Don't you love this weather?" his sister asked.

Hailstorm nodded. "I just wish Echoheart were here."

"I know," Clovertail murmured, sighing. "She and Whispersong will come back. I know it."

Hailstorm nodded absently, then he took a bite of the mouse.

"Hailstorm?" Hailstorm turned around at his name and saw Twigfoot padding over to him. "Can you join my hunting patrol?"

"Sure," Hailstorm nodded.

"Am I going?" Clovertail asked.

Twigfoot shook his head. "You're going to help Raypaw collect fresh moss for the nursery."

"Oh, okay," Clovertail sighed, clearly disappointed. "But that's an apprentice's job," she muttered.

"And how many apprentices do we have?" Twigfoot asked sternly.

"One, I know, I know," Clovertail meowed.

"Just until Aspenleaf's kits become apprentices, we need more warriors doing apprentice duties. If it makes you feel better, Clovertail, I'm having Sparrowtail and Sunfur collect moss for the elders and Meadowheart and Prairiefoot for the warriors' den."

Clovertail nodded, padding across the clearing to Raypaw, who was sitting beside Bronzepelt.

"Come on, Hailstorm," Twigfoot meowed. "We're leaving."

"Who else is coming?" Hailstorm asked, trotting beside his father.

"Creekfall and Sparktail."

"Oh," Hailstorm meowed, suddenly thinking of Echoheart, and how she'd promised to go hunting with him, then never returned from her walk that night. Hailstorm sighed.

They met Sparktail and Creekfall by the bramble barrier, where Creekfall was trying to tell Pinekit and Needlekit that they weren't going hunting with him.

"But Father!" Needlekit complained. "Raypaw taught us how to hunt!"

"Oh, did he now?" Creekfall asked incredulously.

"Yes!" Pinekit nodded. "He did!"

"Well, I'm sorry; you still can't come. Now go find Rosekit."

"Rosekit is always looking at Sagetail's kits! She never wants to play!" Pinekit complained.

"Well ask her," Creekfall meowed, sounding annoyed.

"Fine," Pinekit meowed stiffly. "Let's go, Needlekit. We don't want to hunt with them anyway."

"We don't?" Needlekit asked his brother, following him in confusion across the clearing and toward the nursery.

"Kits," sighed Creekfall, shaking his head.

Twigfoot twitched his whiskers in amusement, then meowed, "Let's go."

Twigfoot took the lead, Creekfall and Sparktail right behind him. Hailstorm stayed at the back, listening to the wind in the trees. Clouds hovered by the Pointed Mountain in the distance, gray and dark; they seemed to be rolling in toward the forest, and Hailstorm hoped they weren't snow clouds.

Suddenly Hailstorm spotted movement to his left. He stopped, his ears swiveling. Then he saw it. A robin was hopping across a log, looking for food. Hailstorm licked his lips, then stalked forward and sprang. The bird let out a cry of alarm, but Hailstorm soon silenced it.