As Snowfall finished getting the ticks off the elders he dropped the ball of moss soaked in mouse bile. He was still being punished for talking too much at the gathering. Poppynose chuckled as she padded past him to the fresh-kill pile. Snowfall sighed and lay down on his belly. He licked his paws and then remembered the mouse bile as the horrible taste filled his mouth. He sprinted over to the fresh-kill pile and grabbed the first thing he saw. The rabbit's flavors seeped onto his tongue and covered the disgusting taste.
"I knew you would do that." Poppynose giggled. Snowfall shook his head around, trying to get the thought that he had just licked mouse bile out of his mind. He stuck his tongue out at his mate like he was an apprentice and Harestar caught it out of the corner of his eye. Snowfall froze, he already had five moons of apprentice duty, as well as not being able to go to the gatherings and he didn't want anything else added onto it. Harestar glanced at the prey beside Snowfall and then the moss ball and his gaze lightened from anger to amusement. "Don't lick your paws clean after you've used mouse bile, wash them clean in water."
Snowfall dipped his head in thanks and was leaving to wash off his paws when Poppynose spoke. "I think he's been punished enough. From what I heard, he only spoke once. Nightclaw and Softpaw did all the talking."
"This is true." Harestar agreed. "Okay, Snowfall, you're back to being a warrior. As your first warrior task, I would like you to join my patrol and I in a raid of Shadowclan. They've been stealing our prey and need to be taught a lesson."
Snowfall gulped and nodded. What if it came down to him and Nightclaw? He followed his leader and the rest of the patrol out of camp and to the Thunderpath. They crossed it quickly and lay behind some bushes to wait for a patrol. Not too much later, they heard voices.
"I smell Windclan." Once cat meowed and Snowfall recognized it as Cinderstream. Two other cats replied and Snowfall recognized them as Froghop and Whitestripe. He sighed in relief because Nightclaw wasn't there, and Windclan had one more cat there than Shadowclan did. Harestar gave the signal and Snowfall burst out of his hiding spot with Sagefur and Foxtail alongside him.
"Attack!" Harestar yowled. Snowfall blinked in disbelief when he saw three more Shadowclan cats behind the original three. Snowfall's stomach dropped when he saw Nightclaw advancing menacingly toward him. As the other cats began clawing and scratching one another, the two brothers circled each other slowly.
"They ordered me to fight you." Nightclaw whispered. Snowfall nodded and they jumped at each other with claws sheathed. They rolled over and over until they were in the bushes.
"Why were you and your clanmates stealing our prey?" Snowfall asked. Nightclaw shrugged. "I think they just wanted to prove that they were better than you."
Snowfall nodded angrily. "All the clans think that Windclan are weak, but we're not."
"We should probably get back into the battle." Nightclaw whispered. "We look like we didn't battle at all. You claw me and then I'll claw you."
"Where do you want it?"
Nightclaw wrinkled his nose in disapproval, but replied. "On my shoulder, not too deep, and then my back. Don't make it hurt too much."
Snowfall nodded and slashed Nightclaw quickly on the shoulder. The silver tom winced, but didn't make a sound. Snowfall sliced him down his back and that made Nightclaw react.
"Foxdung." He growled. "That hurts. Where do you want it?"
"Nowhere, I have to impress the she-cats back at camp you know?" Snowfall meowed jokingly. Nightclaw snorted and slashed his side, hard. Snowfall yowled and they heard Froghop yowling too.
"Shadowclan retreat!"
Nightclaw shrugged. "Now you guys have some self-confidence. See you later Snowfall."