When Midnight Strikes

Sorry for not uploading in forever! I had a writer's block for this story, but I think it's cleared up now... anyways, here's the next chapter of When Midnight Strikes!

Chapter 7

Midnightpaw stared at the snow as it swirled through the air and landed on the cold, frost-covered ground. A small and weak sparrow sat near her black paws, and she slowly averted her gaze so she could look at the pathetic creature. It had been an easy catch.

Graypaw sat beside her, his gray fur fluffing up in the cold wind. He had far more luck than any of them had-three plump mice sat at his paws, looking as though they weren't even trying to escape the harsh leaf-bare. Her gray-furred friend had said that they were in a group near ShadowClan territory, which was odd.

Mice usually hide in their burrows around this time, Midnightpaw thought uneasily, glancing at Graypaw again. His green eyes were dark and confused as he stared down at his catch. He must've been puzzled as well.

The black she-cat looked away silently, staring at her own prey. How come she had found a small sparrow and Graypaw had caught three plump mice? Her mind went back to his explanation, as if trying to find a small detail that would explain the impossible.

Wait. Everything suddenly made sense. I was hunting in the forest... but Graypaw was hunting near-

"How did your hunt go?" Kestrelstar's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Midnightpaw lifted her head and merely tilted her head towards Graypaw's catch. His was the best anyways.

While the golden brown tabby leader admired her friend's catch, Snowpaw emerged from the bushes, leaves covering her white pelt. Her blue eyes glittered in annoyance when she saw Midnightpaw.

"Kestrelstar, what are we doing here?" her snow-white sister complained. "We're supposed to be battle training." When she said those words, Snowpaw cast a look to Midnightpaw, a smirk forming on her muzzle.

Fortunately, the ThunderClan leader saw the exchange. He narrowed his eyes at her sister and Snowpaw dropped her look of hostility.

"I wanted to review these two's hunting skills," Kestrelstar said, glancing back at Graypaw's three mice. "So far, they're doing perfectly."

"What about my catch?" Midnightpaw piped up, her fur bristling uneasily along her spine.

Kestrelstar looked at the small sparrow sitting near her paws, and he flicked his tail a bit uncertainly. "Not that great," he began quietly. "But I don't think you can really do better. Your pelt is too noticeable in the snow."

So is Graypaw's, she argued back mentally. Midnightpaw sighed, staring down at her paws. "Okay," she murmured.

Graypaw shot Kestrelstar a glare, his fur fluffing up. "Hey, Midnightpaw did the best she could!" he growled. "Just because she doesn't live up to your standards doesn't mean you can belittle her!"

"Yes it does!" A new voice entered the fray, and the black apprentice felt like a stone was weighing down her stomach. Yellowgaze emerged from the snow, her cream-yellow fur bristling. "He's the leader of ThunderClan!"

Midnightpaw felt a shiver run down her spine as Yellowgaze's cold amber eyes glanced at her. She couldn't really place the feeling of unease she always felt around her mentor, but it had just started recently after her last encounter with Snowpaw in the forest.

"Yellowgaze?" Kestrelstar's voice held an edge of relief in it. "It's good that you're here!" He smiled at her for a moment before frowning. "Where's Stormheart?"

"Oh, don't worry about him," Yellowgaze said, flicking her tail dismissively. "He said he saw some prey near the Twolegplace border."

Graypaw looked at Midnightpaw, his eyes holding confusion in them. She shared his feelings-how in the name of StarClan had Stormheart seen prey near the Twolegplace, of all places?

"Alright," Kestrelstar meowed, oblivious to their confusion. "Yellowgaze, review Midnightpaw's catch for me."

The cream-furred she-cat glanced at Midnightpaw's small sparrow, and then she narrowed her eyes hatefully. She immediately picked up the creature and tossed it farther away into the snow. Yellowgaze's amber eyes glowed in disapproval.

"W-what?" Midnightpaw stuttered, millions of feelings running through her mind at once. S-she threw away my sparrow like crow-food!

"It wouldn't have fed anyone anyway," the cream-colored warrior growled, lashing her tail. "And you'll have to go back to the Clan empty-pawed. Not that you were going to catch anything else anyway." Yellowgaze stared at her for a while, her amber eyes dark, and then she murmured, "Why can't you be like Snowpaw?"

Before Midnightpaw could say anything, Graypaw stomped forward, rage radiating off of him like heat. "How dare you say that to my friend!" he snarled, his fur spiking up. "You think you're so cool, prancing around with that yellow pelt of yours and insulting Midnightpaw with every little thing she does wrong! You're barely a warrior! You'd better go up to your apprentice and apologize or you'll wish you were never born!"

"Graypaw!" Kestrelstar's outraged hiss sounded a few moments after a stilled silence. "You are confined to camp for two moons for insulting a warrior!"

The gray-furred apprentice looked as though he didn't even hear him; his eyes looked confused, and his paws seemed frozen in place.

Midnightpaw silently nudged him and he snapped back into reality. He glanced at her, his green eyes full of sorrow. Graypaw then got to his paws, picked up his three mice, and traveled back towards camp.

Snowpaw shot her a smirk, but Midnightpaw promptly ignored it. She was too focused on Graypaw's retreating form. She knew he was trying to protect her, but he just made matters even more impossibly worse.