Starlight

Chapter 2

Rockfang led the patrol across the marshy shore at a steady trot. Feathertail tilted her chin up, tasting the prey-scented air and basking in the warmth of the pale leaf-bare sun on her fur. Her paws itched to run, like she had done so many times with her friends, but she forced herself to keep to the pace Rockfang had set, knowing they had a long way to go.

"This is no good," Squirrelflight grumbled as she slipped into yet another boggy hollow. She stopped and flicked water from her hind paw with a disgusted expression on her face. "We'll all end up with webbed feet if we live here."

"It might not be so bad for RiverClan," Feathertail mewed. "But there won't be much prey on ground like this, but maybe ShadowClan could find use for it."

"We don't have to use all the territory around the lake," Tawnypelt pointed out. "There's plenty of space, so it doesn't matter if no cat wants this bit."

"As long as there's something better up ahead," Crowfeather added.

Feathertail paused to scan the land around them. On one side the land rose steeply to a ridge of hills. The Twoleg fence and the horses were behind them now, and beyond that the grassland sloped up until it vanished beneath a thick growth of gorse and other bushes. Ahead, the swampy ground stretched along the lakeshore. In the distance Feathertail could see a wooded spur of ground jutting out into the lake, and more trees right ahead.

"It looks as if we'll be out of the marshes soon," Brambletuft meowed.

"Can't we climb the hill, Feathertail?" Squirrelflight asked. "Please. I'm sick of wet paws."

"There'll be prey up there, too," Tawnypelt mewed longingly. "What do you say, Feathertail? We could use a good hunt."

"We're supposed to be patrolling the lake," Brambletuft protested.

"And the area around it," Crowfeather reminded him.

"It couldn't hurt to move away from the lake every once in a while," Feathertail mewed. "It won't help us at all if we stick to the shore the entire time. Why don't we head up to the ridge. We can hunt along the way, and—"

A quiet cough interrupted her, and Feathertail felt her fur grow hot under Rockfang's level stare. "S-sorry, Rockfang," she stammered. "I mean, if that's okay with you."

An amused purr erupted from Nightcloud. "It might be best if you lead, Feathertail. It's clear these cats are used to taking orders from you."

"Oh, it's not orders!" Feathertail exclaimed. "We just discussed things, mostly, while we were traveling."

"She means we argued," Tawnypelt meowed dryly. "At least, some of us argued." She gave a hard look at Squirrelflight and Crowfeather.

"What, us?" Squirrelflight's eyes opened wide and her tail curled up. "Never!"

Stifling a mrrow of laughter, Feathertail hesitantly led the way up the slope to the drier ground. She thanked StarClan that Hawkfrost, Rockfang, and Nightcloud understood that they had fallen into a habit of organizing themselves on their journey, without the typical hierarchy of leaders and deputies and senior warriors. It felt good to be traveling with mostly just her friends again, though she felt Stormfur's absence like a sharp bramble wrapped around her heart. She wondered what it would be like when the Clans separated and she might lose her friendship with Tawnypelt. Would the empty place in her chest go on growing forever?

There was prey among the bushes farther up the slope, and it did not take long for all five cats to hunt successfully and settle down to a good meal.

"Mmm. . ." Squirrelflight murmured, lying on her side and splaying out her paws in a luxurious stretch. "That was the tastiest mouse I've eaten in moons. Now I could do with a good, long sleep."