Runningshadow opened her eyes to the glaring sunlight through the warriors' den entrance. A warrior had just walked out. Runningshadow stood up and stretched. She walked outside and noticed that the camp was empty, except for Whiteglance. The gathering will be tonight, no doubt that Runningshadow is going, along with her littermates. Runningshadow yawned and snapped her jaws shut. "Hey, Whiteglance, wanna hunt?" She called to him.
Whiteglance whipped around. "Sure, why not?" He beckoned Runningshadow with his tail and prodded out of camp with Runningshadow. "Where should we hunt?" Whiteglance asked.
"How about… Sunningrocks?" Runningshadow suggested.
"Okay…" Whiteglance waited a few moments, "Race you there!" He took off running on the path to Sunningrocks.
Runningshadow lurched forward and caught up to him. She pounded her paws against the soft soil. Whiteglance seemed to slow down as Runningshadow sped up. He wasn't giving up was he? Or maybe he was just going to let Runningshadow win. Runningshadow looked forward and she scrambled to a stop. Thorns were just a half whisker-length away. Whiteglance stirred up dust in his wake as he sped by. Runningshadow swerved out of the way of the thorns and pounded forward. She kept at the same pace as Whiteglance, and tried to go faster and faster. Her blood roared in her ears. She leaped over a log as Whiteglance missed his window and his back legs got caught. Runningshadow skidded to a halt as she realized she had won. The Sunningrocks loomed over her. Runningshadow jumped onto the top of the rocks and waited for Whiteglance to rush into the clearing.
But little did Runningshadow know that he had been hiding right out of her field of vision when she wasn't paying attention to the tree line. Whiteglance snuck up the rocks and stationed himself behind Runningshadow. He leaped forward and pushed Runningshadow off the rocks. Runningshadow shrieked as she fell and landed on the ground thankfully on all fours. She whipped around and saw Whiteglance laughing harder than ever. Runningshadow growled and leaped up and landed on him. He yelled, scared of the sudden pressure on his shoulders. Runningshadow walked off of him, making sure to step on his stomach.
"Wow, thanks." Whiteglance coughed. "Are we going to hunt or what?" He stood up.
"OK," Runningshadow peered down into the cracks of the Sunningrocks. She stuck a paw in one of the cracks and pulled out a mouse.
"Nice catch!" Whiteglance commented. He sniffed the air and his eyes locked on the RiverClan border. Runningshadow turned her head and saw three cats at the border. Her tail swept the ground and her hackles rose. "Maybe they're just patrolling…" Whiteglance noticed Runningshadow's fur had risen.
"Yeah… just patrolling… that's what Spottedpelt said when ShadowClan tried to take Snakerocks." Runningshadow's tail lashed back and forth.
Whiteglance lowered his tail and flattened his ears. "They're fine, see? They're walking off."
Runningshadow sat down and started grooming. "Fine." She smoothed her fur and picked up her mouse. "I'm going to bury this OK?" Whiteglance nodded. Runningshadow jumped down off Sunningrocks and walked over to the tree line. She chose a tree to bury the prey at. Her paws worked at the ground, digging up the soil. Runningshadow placed the mouse in the shallow hole and brushed the soil over it with her paw.
Runningshadow heard a hiss from behind her. She whipped around, somewhat expecting Whiteglance to be fooling around with her. Runningshadow raced through the line of trees and saw Whiteglance standing atop the Sunningrocks, his tail bushed. The RiverClan warriors swam across the river with powerful kicks. Runningshadow leaped onto the Sunningrocks beside Whiteglance. "I told you…" She meowed through gritted teeth.
"It doesn't look like a battle patrol still…" Whiteglance waited for the RiverClan cats to land on the banks before jumping down to confront them.
"Good morning, I am Redthorn, this is Splashheart," Redthorn motioned his tail to the white-and-ginger she-cat. "and Stormcloud." He waved his tail over to the light gray tom. "We wish to speak with Whitestar."
Runningshadow lashed her tail side to side. "I don't think so." Whiteglance bared his teeth and started to growl.
"Do we look like an attack patrol?" Redthorn kept his fur flat, so did his clan mates.
Runningshadow sighed, "What is it that you need to speak with Whitestar about?"
"I'm sorry, but these are for leader's ears only." Redthorn shook his head slightly. After a few moments of silence, he stood up. "May I speak with Whitestar?" He asked again.
Runningshadow forced her fur to lie flat. "I can't believe I'm doing this." She turned to Whiteglance. "You keep them here, I will fetch Whitestar." Whiteglance nodded, but said nothing. Runningshadow turned and walked back into the tree line. She picked up her prey she had caught and raced back to the camp.
Runningshadow stopped infront of the camp entrance. She sighed and walked in, calmly. Her paws led her to the fresh-kill pile where she set her prey down. Runningshadow walked over to the leader's den. "Whitestar?" She called.
"Come in, Runningshadow." Whitestar called back.
Runningshadow pushed her way through the vines and sat down infront of her father. "RiverClan cats wish to speak with you. There are three."
"Where are they?" Whitestar asked, curiously.
"By the shore on our side of the territory."
"I will come with you."
Whitestar walked back into the camp, every one anticipated the news. He leaped up onto the High Rock and called a meeting. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey please meet below the High Rock to hear my news." It wasn't necessary to say it, all the cats were tuned in. "As you may have heard RiverClan cats have wished to speak with me. I listened to their words. They wish to have hunting rights on our side of the shore. Only that, not Sunningrocks, only the shore." Mixed murmurs of the clan rose. "I have decided that they may have the shore, only the shore." Murmurs rose in protest and in agreement. "I made sure they knew we aren't weak, don't worry. Meeting dismissed." Whitestar leaped off the rocks and returned into his den.
Runningshadow leaned over to Whiteglance. "In my opinion, it was a wise choice. I see no problem with them having the shore of the river."
Whiteglance nodded. "I think so too. They do own the river after all…"
Runningshadow chuckled a bit. "I don't think we're going to learn to fish anytime soon." She stood up and stretched. "I think I'm going to hunt a little bit." She walked over to the entrance of the tunnel and disappeared through it.
