Tanglestar opened her eyes, and the first thing that registered in her mind was the warm sun beating down on her pelt.
She stretched and stood up. She felt better than the day before, probably since she was back in LeafClan territory and had eaten something.
Feeling a growling in her stomach, Tanglestar decided to hunt. Thankfully there would be more prey here than in the mountains.
She scrounged through the undergrowth, scenting the air every few steps. After a couple minutes, Tanglestar scented a robin. She spotted it at the roots of a tree, and was testing the air when something rustled in the bushes near her. Before she could scent the air, a cat pounced on the bird, killing it in one swift motion.
When the cat turned to face Tanglestar, she meowed in delight.
"Hawkmask!"
Hawkmask bounded towards the she-cat, with the bird in his mouth. He dropped it when he reached her.
"You're back! Did you get the stone?"
The leader nodded.
"Good. Let's go back to camp."
"Actually…" Tanglestar paused, "don't tell anyone I'm here. I'll come back tomorrow, but there's something I need to do tonight. Ok?"
Hawkmask lowered his head, disappointed. "Ok, I guess. See you tomorrow?"
Tanglestar nodded, "thanks. Don't tell anyone."
"Right."
Hawkmask gave his leader a farewell lick on the shoulder before disappearing into the sunlit forest.
Tanglestar grabbed the bird and headed back to the bush where she slept. She laid down and started munching on the bird, thinking about what to do the rest of the day. The only thing that would keep her out of trouble would be sleeping… so sleep it would be.
The sun had barely set, and Tanglestar had already started towards the river. It wasn't very far now, she could hear the water rippling over the stones. She pushed through a bush, and there was the river, a dark moving mass in the faint starlight. Standing on the other side were three cats that Tanglestar recognized with ease: the apprentices and Frostpelt.
Thank you for reading!