Author's Notes: Here comes chapter three! Please read, review, and enjoy. I like to know that people enjoy my writing, and I can't know unless you tell me!

Disclaimer: I STILL don't own either Warriors or Zelda.

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Chapter 3: Hunting and Odd News

"Why would WindClan be on this side?" Millie wondered out loud. "They must be up to something, but what?" It was definitely a cause for alarm.

Link and Millie had caught scent of WindClan on the ThunderClan side of the border, and now the two were nosing around, trying to find any information useful.

"It seems they just crossed the territory, walked around, and left," said Link. "But why would they do that...?"

"I'm not sure," said Millie with a frown, "but we need to report this to Firestar." They nodded to each other, and bounded off through the forest that was becoming increasingly familiar to Link.

The camp was stirring slightly as cats rose from their nests and exited their dens. The dawn patrol had left not long ago towards the ShadowClan border, and a morning hunting patrol was being organized. Firestar was in the middle of the clearing, assigning warriors to the daily jobs.

"Firestar!" Millie called as she and Link entered the clearing. The ginger tom looked up, green eyes curious. "Link and I found WindClan scent on our side of the border!"

"Really?" asked the leader, instantly on his feet and alert. "I'll send a group to investigate further. In the meantime, Link, would you like to go on a hunting patrol?"

"Me?" asked Link, tipping his head to the side.

"If you're going to be in ThunderClan," the leader spoke, "you're going to have to learn to hunt like a ThunderClan cat. You'll go on the patrol with Sandstorm, Cloudtail, Lionblaze, and Berrynose." Firestar indicated with his tail a group of four cats that were gathered near the thorn tunnel. Link nodded in reply.

"Bye, Millie," he said as he turned around to head out.

"See you, Link," said Millie with a smile.

Link approached the group of cats, feeling a little shy around the four experienced warriors.

"Firestar says I'm supposed to go on the hunting patrol with you," he spoke quietly. Sandstorm, a pale ginger she-cat, stepped forward.

"I'm leading the patrol," she said with a flick of her tail. "I'll show you how to hunt like a Clan cat. You'll get the hang of it, I'm sure."

With that, the she-cat turned around and headed through the tunnel. The rest of the cats followed, with Link at the end of the group. Link felt his paws tingle a little at the thought of his first hunting patrol with the warriors.

I just hope I don't make a fool of myself! he thought. It would be difficult to earn the respect of the Clan cats if he was stumbling on his paws and scaring off the prey.

Not much was said as the cats traveled through the woods. They were headed off in the direction of ShadowClan, and this part of the forest was still new to Link. They traveled on a path, one probably created from extensive walking down that way. Link could hear the scurrying of tiny claws over the leaf-covered ground, small forest creatures going out to find food. Link found himself scrunching his nose up at the thought of hunting them. When he was a wolf he could talk to the animals, and it would be a difficult thing to kill them once he saw that they had personalities and families. He couldn't talk to any of the animals here though, and that seemed for the better.

"Okay," said Sandstorm, halting the patrol in a small clearing. "We'll hunt in this area for now." The group disbanded, the warriors going their different ways into the woods. Sandstorm was left, and she turned around to look at Link. "ThunderClan cats are known for their stalking skills, and they use the undergrowth to their advantage when hunting prey. This is a basic technique, the hunter's crouch." Sandstorm dropped to a crouch, her belly pressing to the earth and her tail held still. She crept forward silently, then got up. "Now you try."

Link crouched down, trying to imitate the she-cat's moves as best as possible.

"Not bad," said Sandstorm, "but keep your tail still. If it rustles the bushes while you're stalking, you'll scare off the prey." Link silenced his tail. "Better. Now try to move forward without making a sound."

Link stepped forward soundlessly, or close to it. As he walked, though, a twig snapped under the weight of his back paw.

"Watch out for sticks and twigs," Sandstorm cautioned. "If you were stalking prey right now, it would've run away." Link nodded and tried again, this time watching out for anything that could make a sound under his paws. "That's the idea," said Sandstorm with a nod of approval. "See that leaf over there?" she asked, motioning with her tail. "Try to pounce on it. Time your jump well, and make sure you know the distance."

Link saw the leaf that she mentioned lying a few feet in front of him. He crouched and moved forward, until he was fairly sure that he was at a good jumping distance. He pounced, bringing his front paws squarely down on the leaf. It was slightly instinctual, just like when he had first transformed into a wolf.

"Not bad at all," remarked the ginger warrior. "Now let's see if you can do that with real prey. Here, do you smell anything?"

"A mouse," said Link after a short pause, "in the bushes over there."

"Right. Now as I said before, use the undergrowth to your advantage."

Link crept under the brambles, dropping once more into the hunter's crouch. He snuck quietly through the bushes, keeping his tail as still as possible. He spotted the mouse, but it didn't see him. Getting as close as he dared, he prepared to jump. Springing into the air, he came down with a light thud! right onto the mouse. He quickly bit its neck before it could make an alarm call and scare off the other prey.

"Good kill," said Sandstorm from behind him. "With leaf-fall and leaf-bare fast approaching, prey will become scarcer and scarcer. We need all the fresh-kill we can get."

Link assumed that "leaf-fall" and "leaf-bare" meant "autumn" and "winter" to the warrior cats. What she said was true. A few of the leaves were already beginning to turn red and brown.

"Well," spoke Sandstorm again, "I think you can take it on your own from here. Just dig a hole to store your prey until you can get back to it." With a nod to the tortoiseshell, the she-cat bounded through the woods and out of sight.

---~-~---

It had been a rather successful hunting trip. Cloudtail and Berrynose had each caught some mice and voles, Lionblaze brought back a plump squirrel and a few larks, Link brought his mouse and a vole, and Sandstorm had brought back four huge mice. She almost couldn't carry them all back to the camp. The patrol set its prey on the fresh-kill pile, each warrior taking a piece of prey for themselves.

"Go ahead and take one, Link," said Sandstorm. "Cats can only take prey after first feeding the Clan, and you've done your part."

Link nodded, feeling a little proud of himself. He selected his first ever prey, but hesitated slightly before biting into the mouse. He had never eaten meat raw before. What if the animal was sick? The other warriors didn't seem to mind, and they happily munched on their fresh-kill. Link took a slow bite into the mouse, feeling his teeth break the skin and arteries. His teeth hit bone, sending a small shiver up his spine. Did he really want to eat this? Well, there was no other food source around, so he had no choice. He took another hesitant bite, slowly chewing the meat and swallowing.

Wow... he thought. It tastes...good!

He ate a little faster now, knowing fully well that if he were a Hylian, the meal would've sickened him to no end. But as a cat, the flavor was a whole new thing to him. He finished his prey and licked his whiskers, looking around the clearing. Cats were burying the bones of the eaten kills, so Link followed suit. Now the other cats were washing themselves and each other. Link thought the concept was a little counter-intuitive...washing yourself with your own spit. But it was a cat thing to do, and as long as he was going to be a cat, he had to at least give it a try. He licked his left paw, drawing it back over his head and ears.

Across the clearing, Link was being watched curiously by Lionblaze. Lionblaze had spotted the minute hesitation in the loner as he first bit into his prey, however slight it was.

Why would he pause? Lionblaze questioned. What, was he eating kittypet food before he came here? He doesn't smell like kittypet though...in fact, he smells kinda odd.

Lionblaze's brother, Jayfeather, had told him that he was suspicious of the golden tortoiseshell. There was something weird about that cat, and the blind tom had been intent on finding out what.

"What're you looking at, Lionblaze?" It was Hollyleaf, Lionblaze's sister. Her bright green eyes were curious as she trotted over to her brother.

"It's that loner, Link."

"What about him?"

"Well...have you noticed anything strange about him?"

"Aside from the smell, not really." Hollyleaf tipped her head to the side. "Has Jayfeather said anything?"

"Yeah, he thinks there's something weird about that loner too. Jayfeather says he smells like...wolf."

"Really?" Hollyleaf asked, eyes widening.

"Yeah. I can't smell it, but you know how keen Jayfeather's senses are. I trust him on what he says."

"What do you think he'd have to do with wolves?" Hollyleaf wondered aloud.

"I don't know..." The two siblings sat, eyeing the golden tom curiously. What was he hiding?

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Jayfeather, Hollyleaf, and Lionblaze walked with the group of cats down the strip of sand near the lake. The full moon shone down brightly, setting the waves that lapped the shore alight with silver. Silverpelt twinkled down from above, the spirits of their warrior ancestors watching closely on the night of the Gathering. Hollyleaf looked up as the island ahead became more defined, and soon enough, the ThunderClan cats were at the tree bridge. They crossed one by one, sure of their footing. Hollyleaf remembered the first time she crossed the tree bridge, and how she nearly fell off into the icy water. She was used to it now, though, and falling was no longer a worry.

RiverClan and ShadowClan were already in the clearing, chattering excitedly as old friends saw each other once more. The ThunderClan warriors entered the throng of gathered cats, blending right in to the assembled groups. Elders told stories to wide-eyed apprentices, cats shared tongues and gossiped, and a low buzz seemed to vibrate the very air itself. Hollyleaf stood with her brothers, looking up at the moon that was reaching its highest point in the sky.

Where is WindClan? she wondered. It's not natural for them to take this long...

A large rustling in the bushes behind her signaled the arrival of the fourth and final Clan. There was something odd about their appearance, though. Their eyes were wide, and their fur was ragged and unkempt. Something had spooked them, very much. Onestar made no hesitation to jump onto a low branch of one of the tall trees, and the other leaders followed. The brown tabby tom yowled, signaling the start of the Gathering.

News was shared by the leaders of new kits and warriors, and a few introductions were made. Onestar, however, kneaded the branch with his forepaws in anxiety the whole time. What was going on with the WindClan cats?

"Now then," Firestar spoke sternly, "WindClan scent was found on the ThunderClan side of the border. Onestar, what is the meaning of this?"

The other leader didn't speak for a moment, eyes trained on the branch under him. He then lifted up his head, bright eyes hard.

"I and a few of my warriors spotted a strange creature while out on a patrol. One of the apprentices got a little too excited in trying to chase it off the territory, and ran right onto ThunderClan. It will not happen again."

"Strange creature?" asked Firestar. "Would you care to elaborate?"

"It was almost like a Twoleg kit, with black and white markings and fiery red fur on the top of its head. It wore a strange thing on its head, and its eyes were red like blood. And...it floated above the ground."

"Floated?" Firestar asked incredulously. "Are you sure?"

"Positive!" Onestar spoke, somewhat indignantly. "It moved around freely, its feet not once touching the ground! It seemed to be looking for something, and it called out in a strange voice. We couldn't tell what it was saying before we...drove it off." Something about the way he spoke let on that "driving it off" wasn't exactly how the situation played out. However, he would speak no further on the matter. He merely hopped down from the branch, ending the Gathering.

The WindClan cats left the clearing immediately, leaving confused meows in their wake. The island was buzzing even more so now than at the start of the Gathering. Hollyleaf didn't know what to think now, but the whole thing seemed pretty hard to swallow. A floating Twoleg kit? The more she thought about it, the more completely mousebrained it seemed. With a sigh, she followed the ThunderClan cats as they headed off the island and back to their camp. She and her brothers didn't say much as they left, each cat's mind far too preoccupied for conversation.

---~-~---

Jayfeather had a suspicion.

The warriors had just gotten back from the Gathering, and the cats that had remained at camp were beginning to rise from their nests and greet them. The attending warriors passed on news and gossip to the others who didn't go to the island, and surprisingly, Onestar's peculiar news didn't show up very much.

They probably think it's absolute nonsense, he thought to himself. But I wonder...

Jayfeather found the scent of Link on the edge of the clearing, and the tom was sitting alone.

Perfect, the blind cat thought with a small smile.

"Hey, Link," called Jayfeather as he approached the tortoiseshell.

"Yes?" asked the loner curiously.

"You'll never guess what the leader of WindClan said at the Gathering!" spoke Jayfeather as he sat down near Link. "He said that his patrol spotted a weird creature near the border. It was the size of a Twoleg kit, had black and white markings, and floated. Of all the mousebrained ideas!"

Jayfeather heard Link stiffen suddenly at his words.

Aha, I knew it! He does know something about that creature! And I bet it has to do with that Twoleg that appeared in his dream, too. The one that spoke cat...

"Yeah," said Link after a moment. His voice was shaking ever so slightly with excitement that he was trying his hardest to mask. Link seemed a fair liar, and if it weren't for Jayfeather's heightened sense of hearing, he probably wouldn't have noticed anything unusual about the tom's voice. "That's pretty weird. I wonder where he dreamed that out of?"

Jayfeather nodded and walked away, eager to tell his siblings what he learned. Thankfully, no cats were near them, but he kept a hushed voice just to be safe.

"I talked to Link about what Onestar said at the Gathering," he spoke hurriedly.

"And?" questioned Lionblaze, knowing something significant was coming.

"He got all stiff, and when he spoke again, there was excitement in his voice. He was trying to hide it though, which makes me all the more suspicious. Obviously, he knows something about that creature that he's doing his best to keep a secret."

Lionblaze and Hollyleaf were silent for a moment, not sure what to say to that.

"What could it mean?" Hollyleaf wondered out loud.

"I don't know yet," said Jayfeather, shaking his head. "It only makes me more determined to find out what he's hiding."

The three siblings sat together a little while longer under the moon, then went back to their nests.

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Link couldn't sleep, and he only stared up at the sky above him.

That must've been Midna that the patrol saw! It had to be! No other being I know floats and has those markings. She must be here, looking for me. And from the sound of it, she's close by...Midna, where are you?

Link closed his eyes, and after a period that seemed like ages, he slowly drifted into a very restless slumber.

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Post-Notes: -gahasp!- Could it be? Midna?! Oooooh... Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it!

--Your good buddy,

Player4