Spottedcloud
Spottedcloud didn't know if leaf-bare could ever get colder than this. She paused at the entrance of camp to shake off the clumps of snow that clung to her pelt, then continued on her way, taking her catch – two small, scrawny mice – into camp to eat.
Hazelstar hadn't bothered telling her warriors to bring any fresh-kill to queens or elders – if the Clan ever had any. The only queen at the moment was Ashpetal, and she wouldn't stay like that for long. Her kits were almost two moons old – almost ready to be apprenticed. Hazelstar had also decided that apprentices became warriors at six moons old. Spottedcloud had heard some things about the warrior code from Thrushwing, the oldest warrior in FallenClan, but Hazelstar had insisted that StarClan and the warrior code were just stories for kits, and didn't really exist.
Spottedcloud absently bit into one of the mice, feeling relaxed in the almost silent camp. The kits were asleep while their mother was out hunting for them, and most of the apprentices were either asleep or out training with their mentors.
The only noise Spottedcloud could hear was an odd rustling behind Hazelstar's den. Ears pricked curiously, she abandoned her prey and crept in the direction of the noise, dropping into a half-crouch.
Suddenly she poked her head behind the den and found herself staring into the eyes of two apprentices. Annoyed, Spottedcloud relaxed. "Mosspaw, Sootpaw, what are you doing back here?"
Sootpaw blinked sheepishly and stared at her paws. "Well, we… Birchkit told us that Hazelstar kept her own stash of prey back here. We just wanted to see if it was true."
Spottedcloud sighed. "Sootpaw, you're almost six moons and ready to be a warrior. A good warrior trusts her leader's word and not idle gossip from her Clanmates."
Sootpaw gave her chest fur a quick lick. "I know. I'm sorry, Spottedcloud."
"But Birchkit said it was really true!" Mosspaw piped up. "He said he and Swallowkit had seen it themselves!" She looked like she was about to say something else, but stopped herself.
Spottedcloud turned and padded out of the small space, motioning for the apprentices to follow. When they were all out in the open, Spottedcloud led them into Hazelstar's den.
The two apprentices flattened their ears nervously, and when Hazelstar saw them, she looked at Spottedcloud curiously.
Spottedcloud dipped her head respectfully before flicking her tail in the direction of the apprentices. "Hazelstar, I found these two rooting around behind your den. They were under the impression that you kept prey back there."
Hazelstar slowly rose to her paws, her eyes never leaving the apprentices. Finally, she spoke. "Both of you should know that each cat in the Clan must hunt for itself. You violate the warrior code by taking prey you haven't caught yourselves."
"That's not the warrior code," Mosspaw said quietly, meeting Hazelstar's gaze angrily. Spottedcloud blinked at the young apprentice in astonishment, and Hazelstar narrowed her eyes.
"It's not the warrior code," Mosspaw continued. "The warrior code says that queens and elders must be fed first, and that we must hunt for the Clan before taking prey for ourselves. The warrior code tells us to put others before ourselves. It never told us to only hunt for ourselves. You did."
Hazelstar fluffed out her fur angrily. "You will be confined to camp for two days," she growled. "During that time, you will not be allowed to eat any prey. You will have no opportunities to hunt, and you will be guarded at all times. Then perhaps you will think twice before addressing your leader that way."
Spottedcloud had to admire Mosspaw for speaking out against Hazelstar, but she was worried about the apprentice's punishment. Mosspaw was about three moons old, maybe a bit more, and she might not be able to survive starvation for two days.
"As for you," Hazelstar continued, looking at Sootpaw. "You will still receive your warrior name today, but you will guard Mosspaw for one day. You will not hunt while you are guarding her."
Sootpaw dipped her head gratefully. "I understand. Thank you, Hazelstar." She and Mosspaw scurried out of the den, and Spottedcloud was about to follow when Hazelstar stopped her.
"You've been doing a lot of duties around camp lately, Spottedcloud," Hazelstar murmured. "Can I ask you a question?"
Spottedcloud nodded, wondering where Hazelstar was going with this. The leader didn't normally have lengthy talks with other cats unless she was punishing them.
"Are you doing this for power?" Hazelstar's eyes were calm, but Spottedcloud could see a flicker of fear in them.
"Of course not," Spottedcloud replied, confused. "I'm still a loyal warrior of FallenClan."
Hazelstar sighed slightly. "Just make sure you stay that way," she murmured. "Thank you for your time, Spottedcloud. You may go now."
Spottedcloud looked curiously at Hazelstar before leaving. The usually powerful ginger she-cat looked tired and scared, like she had been running away from something for many moons and had finally given up. It worried Spottedcloud; even though Hazelstar could be cruel at times, she never seemed to falter, even when she was confronting cats who had disobeyed the false code she'd laid down.
When she was almost out of the den though, Hazelstar called her back again. "Tell Thrushwing and Nightstream to take their apprentices out for training when they get back from patrol. You will guard the camp with Scorchfrost."
Spottedcloud's ears twitched uncomfortably, but she nodded and left, bounding away quickly so Hazelstar didn't have time to think of anything else to say.
She met Scorchfrost as he was trotting over to his nest to eat a mouse he'd just caught. The mottled tom looked up warily, suspicion showing in his amber eyes, and he curled his claws around his mouse.
Spottedcloud flicked her tail. "Hazelstar wants us to guard the camp," she meowed. Scorchfrost eyed her for a moment longer before gulping down the scrawny mouse and following her over to the camp entrance.
Even though he was a young warrior – about ten moons – he was strong and prepared to defend his Clan with his life. Spottedcloud could remember when he had been just a small kit. Hazelstar and Softfeather had found him while they were on patrol. A few moons later, they'd found Mosspaw and Darkpaw – Mosskit and Darkkit then – at the camp entrance. It was interesting, to say the least. Maybe some cat knew about FallenClan and was trying to help increase their numbers by leaving kits in their care.
Spottedcloud doubted this, though. It was likely just some young queen who hadn't planned on having kits and wasn't ready to take care of them, so she'd left them with FallenClan instead.
Scorchfrost tensed and his ears pricked as cats approached. Spottedcloud could hear them, too, but it was only the patrol returning. She stopped Thrushwing and Nightstream as they padded into camp and told them Hazelstar's orders; the two senior warriors nodded and took their prey over to their nests to eat.
A noise from over near the nursery alerted her, and she looked up to see Swallowkit and Birchkit tussling in the snow, letting out squeals of delight. Their mother Ashpetal watched them with sad eyes. They would be apprenticed any day now, and there was no telling who Hazelstar would choose to mentor them. Cherrynose would have been a good mentor, but she'd told Spottedcloud that she was expecting kits and was going to move into the nursery soon.
As for the other cats without an apprentice – Spottedcloud was one, of course, and Scorchfrost, but the younger warrior was too inexperienced. Would Hazelstar choose to mentor one of the kits herself?
Spottedcloud dismissed the thought immediately. Hazelstar rarely interacted with her own Clan except when she was ordering patrols about or dealing with a troublesome apprentice. Besides, Spottedcloud had a feeling that Hazelstar wouldn't dare leave camp to go train an apprentice, anyways.
Mosspaw was sitting a little ways off in her nest, with Sootpaw standing watch over her. The smaller, mottled she-cat looked miserable and it showed in her amber eyes when she looked up slightly to meet Spottedcloud's gaze.
Spottedcloud quickly turned away and tried to assume the same position as Scorchfrost, straightening her back and shoulders and staring ahead blankly, only moving when she needed to scratch at her ear.
It was a terribly boring position, and Spottedcloud soon relaxed to stretch her near-frozen paws out, stifling a yawn. She had no idea how long she and Scorchfrost had been standing guard, but it was already sunset, and she was starving.
She walked away from the camp entrance and caught sight of Flamepelt getting ready to sleep. She meowed a quick apology and explained that she wanted to go hunting. The ginger warrior looked slightly annoyed, but he nodded and took her place at the guard post Scorchfrost's ears twitched as Flamepelt settled down beside him, but he kept staring straight ahead.
Spottedcloud had to stifle a purr of laughter at the young warrior's solemn expression as she passed by. The crisp, cool air of leaf-bare immediately alerted her senses and she quickly caught the scent of a mouse scuffling around for food under a tree. Instinctively dropping into a crouch, she shuffled closer to the mouse until she was close enough to attack it. She pounced on the mouse easily, cutting off its loud squeal of shock when she quickly sank her teeth into the soft flesh on the back of its neck.
Satisfied with her catch, Spottedcloud dropped the mouse and examined it. It was small and scrawny, like all the prey during leaf-bare, but it would do. She picked it up and carried it back to camp, a bit disappointed that she hadn't managed to find more prey. She would have liked to give something to Mosspaw, even if it was against Hazelstar's orders. She also didn't think that Hazelstar's treatment of the young apprentice was fair. Softfeather, one of FallenClan's senior warriors, used to tell Spottedcloud stories when she was an apprentice, saying that in the time of the ancient Clans, apprentices were maybe punished by having to look after the elders for a few moons, or being confined to camp for a moon, but still allowed to eat.
Poor Mosspaw wouldn't get to eat for two days.
Spottedcloud soon made her way over to her nest, which was close to Hazelstar's den. Hazelstar had complained about it before, saying that she didn't like any cat so close to her den, but Spottedcloud had assured her that she only used her nest for sleeping, not plotting against her leader. That had seemed to satisfy Hazelstar, but she had still been suspicious of Spottedcloud for a few moons, going as far as to appoint Thrushwing and Nightstream as bodyguards.
Spottedcloud snorted softly at the memory as she bit into the cold flesh of the mouse. Hazelstar seemed to be afraid of everything these days. She was always suspecting other cats of opposing her or trying to kill her.
Finishing off the mouse, Spottedcloud yawned and curled up, shivering as the wind buffeted her short, dappled fur. Tomorrow Ashpetal's kits would be apprenticed, she was sure of it, and a small part of her hoped that she would finally get her own apprentice.
She hoped that she would get Swallowkit – the small she-kit was generally calm and patient, and always thought things through instead of getting into trouble all the time like her brother. Spottedcloud had lost track of the number of times Birchkit had been brought to Hazelstar's den. The young tom had always emerged with wide eyes and fluffed-out fur, and he had always promised to never get into trouble again.
But trouble followed Birchkit wherever he went, and every time he was caught he was brought to Hazelstar to have a stern talking-to from the leader, and every time he emerged completely terrified. Spottedcloud remembered being confused when he left Hazelstar's den shaking. The huge ginger she-cat could be imposing and cruel sometimes, but she wasn't all that terrifying. Birchkit's fear of her was mostly unneeded.
Sleep gripped Spottedcloud tighter with every passing moment, and even though she tried to stay awake, she finally fell asleep; the last thing that passed through her mind was a sudden image of Hazelstar standing at the camp entrance, her unsheathed claws dripping blood.
