Chapter 3
It had been a several sunrises since the 'Loner Battle', as Thunderclan was now referring to it as. Breezetail shook out the morning dew that had settled on her fur. Mist seeped into the den, and she could hardly see across the camp to the entrance, the fog was so thick. Adderclaw stepped into view, beckoning her with his tail. Standing and giving her legs a quick stretch, she trotted over to the white-and-orange mottled tom. "Yes, Adderclaw?" she smiled.
"Tigerstripe wants us to go on a hunting patrol. It'll be fun with the mist, though. Up for a friendly competition?" He grinned.
"Won't be very friendly when I snatch the prey right out of your claws, will it? They don't call me Breezetail for nothing!" She growled playfully, referring to her half-clan roots. Tigerstripe was full Thunderclan, but their father left his mother and mated with a Windclan she-cat, producing a swift-stalking she-cat named Breezekit.
"Yeah? They don't call me Adderclaw for nothing, either. My deadly fangs and fast claws aren't just for battle tricks." He smirked, shooting off into the wall of mist.
"Hey! No fair!" She laughed and gave chase after him.
Her paws pounded into the ground while her claws tore up the earth with ease. She faintly picked up a scent of rodent. She turned, barely dodging trees as they lunged out at her through the cloudy air. She stopped, straining her ears to listen. Hearing the tiny squeaks and the pattering of mouse paws, she pounced. Her claws sank into the tiny body. Satisfied, she thanked Starclan and buried in under the nearest tree roots. But how am I to remember what tree it is, with all the mist?
A feather floated by, and she snatched it out of the air. Its scent was strong, easily found in the mist. Smiling, she placed it by the tree roots, placing a stone over it so it wouldn't float away. Smelling more prey, she bounded off.
Soon, she came up to a pile of prey. Frowning, she circled it, taking inventory: 2 crows, 3 mice, and a sparrow. Who caught this?
Suddenly, something launched itself at her. Yowling, she twisted and turned as she landed on her back. She looked up into the amber eyes of Stone. "Stone?"
"Breezetail? What are you doing here?" he laughed.
"I should ask the same." She smiled.
"Hunting. For Patch, but, I was only going to take a piece or two. Leave the rest for you guys to find. Actually, I wanted to-"
"Don't worry, Breezetail! I'm coming!" Adderclaw's voice echoed in the mist.
"Go! If he finds you…just go! I'll get rid of him." Breezetail hissed. Stone gave her a quick lick on her cheek before scampering in the mist. She grabbed the sparrow quickly.
Adderclaw emerged, claws out and fur erratically bristled. He stopped growling, looking at her pile, then the sparrow in her mouth. He then started to laugh hysterically.
"What's so funny?" she asked.
"I thought you were being attacked, not attacking. Are you sure that wasn't an 'I'm-about-to-be-killed-by-a-cat!' sparrow imitation?" He busted out laughing again.
She laughed along with him. "Yeah, I guess. How much did you catch?"
"Only two mice. You definitely got me beat! Need help?"
Nodding, she stepped back. "I have more. You start getting this pile, and I'll go get the rest."
"Jeez, I know you won already, Breeze! No need to run it in!" He said with a playful tone, grinning before grabbing a mouthful of prey and turning tail. Breeze? That's new. She chuckled and shook her head, smiling. "Stone? What did you want to ask me?"
The grey tom padded back over, frowning. "Who was that?"
"Oh. That's just Adderclaw. A friend. Just a friend." She said, giving the fluffed-out Stone an odd look. "So…what did you want to say earlier?"
"Oh, yeah! I want…" He looked away shyly. "I want to…to show you my den! It's not that far away, and I thought, well…maybe, you'd like to…"
She licked his cheek, causing him to fall silent. "I trust you. Let's go." He smiles, setting his chin on the top of her head. They're tails twine together, and they pad off toward Horseplace.
Adderclaw came back to the pile. "Breezetail! I-" He stopped, sniffing. "Breeze? And..." he sniffed again. "Loner! They have Breeze! I-I got to tell someone!" He raced back to camp with the speed of an adder's strike. Don't worry Breeze. I'll save you.