Splashclaw yawned as he padded out of the warrior's den after a long night. His mate Hawktalon stepped out of the den with him, nuzzling his shoulder. Her shoulder was still sore from being scratched the previous night in a fight with WindClan. Their leader, Leopardstar, was accusing Tallstar, WindClan's leader, of stealing their fish. During Leaf-Bare, all the clans were starving, so it would not be uncommon for WindClan to do such a thing. His only daughter, Leafcloud, stepped out after her parents and wiped her paw over her dreary eyes. Splashclaw had a son, Waterpaw, but he was killed by a WindClan cat. Splashclaw had always blamed himself for it. "Last night was harsh." Splashclaw sighed. "Yeah, I heard!" Leafcloud appeared beside them. Blackclaw, the clan Deputy, walked in front of them. "Leafcloud! You ready for a Hunting Patrol?" He called as he didn't look away from in front of him. Leafcloud nodded and padded after him. Leafcloud was slim like her mother, and a slightly lighter gray then Splashclaw. She had both of their light blue eyes, and she was rather young, just newly made a warrior. "I wish when we were young and care-free." Hawktalon sat down outside the Warrior's Den with Splashclaw and began grooming his head with her tongue. Shadowfur appeared and walked past them. "Come on. There's no time to be sharing tongues." Splashclaw sighed an stood up. He walked with Hawktalon to the fresh kill pile and grabbed a dead trout and sat down to eat it, while Hawktalon grabbed another fish to eat as well. Before they could relax, Leopardstar approached them. "Hello, Splashclaw. Hawktalon. I know you have just been back from the fight with WindClan, but you're our strongest warrior that isn't badly injured. WindClan fought another one of our patrols this morning, so I'd like you to take some cats with you and patrol the edge of the territory for WindClan invaders." Splashclaw sighed and stood up. "Come on, Hawktalon." Brownfur padded grumpily from the Medicine Cat's Den. "Oh, no you don't! I need to have a better look at her shoulder! It may be infected." Hawktalon sighed also and followed Brownfur to his den. Leopardstar turned towards the entrance and flicked her tail to order Splashclaw to follow her. Smokeheart and Goldentail were waiting at the entrance of the camp. Smokeheart was Splashclaw's childhood friend. His fur was gray like Splashclaw's, but a bit darker, closer to black, but still not quite black. His eyes were raven-black, and his fur was very thin, plastered to his coat, unlike Splashclaw's raggedy, messy pelt. Goldentail was his mate. She was a slender she-cat with light brown tabby fur and round amber eyes. Smokeheart smiled and licked Splashclaw behind the ear. "Hey, you're coming on the patrol, too? Awesome!" Leopardstar led the way out the camp and into the woods. Him and Smokeheart chatted along the way, stopping to lay a scent marker on a tree every so often. As they approached the Thunderpath, large monsters of multiple colors zoomed by on slick, black, round paws. Twolegs rested inside of their bellies. They met a ShadowClan patrol on the other side and greeted them politely. As they made their way back, Splashclaw's nose twitched as he picked up the scent of another cat. Leopardstar noticed it too, and held her tail out to halt the others. A tiny, light brown bundle of fur slipped out of the bushes. It landed awkwardly on it's stomach and looked up embarrassed. "Stonekit, what are you doing?" Smokeheart, his father, stepped forward. Stonekit shuffled his paws and looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to see what it was like outside the camp..." Goldentail snorted angrily and scooped him up by the scruff of his neck in her mouth. "I suppose we'll have to carry him home." She sighed through the fur. Smokeheart flicked his son over the head with his tail. "What will your older sister think?" Stonekit looked as if he were going to object, but he went limp and let himself be carried by his mother. Splashclaw watched the little kitten and remembered when Leafcloud an Waterpaw were tiny scraps of fur like him. "Hold on!" Leopardstar paused again, and the cats stopped as well. Splashclaw's eyes widened in fear as he recognized what his leader had scented. He could feel Smokeheart and Goldentail do the same. "What is it-" Smokeheart shushed Stonekit with his tail. The little kit had never smelled this before, so it's only natural he wouldn't understand the danger they were in. Leopardstar flexed her claws and bunched her muscles, as if she were about to pounce on a mouse. Suddenly, a huge bundle of black and white fur barged through the reeds and yelled fiercely. All five cats froze and stared up at it's tiny, beady eyes. Leopardstar yowled and raised her tail in signal to attack, and show no mercy. "Badger!"