A dark ginger tom sat on top of a hill, looking over the wreckage. The two-leg monsters were awake and mounds of dirt filled their paws as they dug into the ground. Tall, metallic structures seemed to have grown from the earth. His eye darted to the mountains, and in his mind, he pictured Snowshimmer. With a sigh, he turned around and padded back into the brush.
There were dogs. Dogs everywhere. Dog ripping into the fur of her new clan mates. Dogs with blood dripping from their long fangs. The smell of blood was unbearable. Snowshimmer looked around for an escape, but she was completely surrounded. Then, she felt a sharp pain in her hind leg. She was caught. The dog's teeth sunk deeper into her white fur and she was pulled her deeper into the battle. Snowshimmer tried to struggle free, but the dog was too strong. Blood pooled around her, plastering her white fur to her body in thick chunks. Her vision slowly blackened, and all became silent.
Snowshimmer woke with a start. It was just a dream. But the screams; they were so real. It was almost as if she had been given a taste of the future.
Goldenleaf smiled brightly. "You are doing very well, Icepaw!" she cooed. "But next time, pounce sooner." The tortoiseshell she-cat crouched down and demonstrated the proper pouncing technique. "Alright?"
Icepaw raised an eyebrow, but he imitated his mentor as best as he could. "Very good!" she mewed. The white tom glanced over at his sister. Dewstep was still trying to teach her how to stalk her prey quietly. He chuckled to himself. /With luck, maybe she'll master it before I become a warrior,/ he thought, and chuckled again.
He turned to see Goldenleaf watching him silently. "Let's take a break for a while, Icepaw," she suggested. She was overly cheery today, as usual. It made Icepaw sick. He nodded stiffly and padded away with a few sharp tail flicks.
Firepaw, who had not even started his training, sat in the shade, encouraging his sister. The light ginger tom jumped as Icepaw sat beside him. "How badly has she been doing?" he asked. Firepaw looked at him with a grave sort of confusion.
"She's slowly getting better," he replied softly. "You should have more faith in her." Icepaw snorted at this remark, which made Firepaw jump again.
Eventually, Dewstep proposed a break, which Bloodpaw reluctantly accepted. "Why don't we do eat?" she asked her brothers. Firepaw agreed, but the white tom narrowed his eyes.
"I'm not hungry," he said sharply and padded off.
Firepaw watched him leave. "What is wrong with him?" he asked his sister, but Bloodpaw shook her head.
"You know what's wrong with me, Firepaw?" the white tom whispered to himself. "You are. You and Bloodpaw." He chuckled. "I can't wait until I'm a warrior. Maybe things will change..."