Warriors: What Is There To Do?

Chapter 11- Hmmph! Toms are Mouse-Brains!

The day was getting progressively worse as Moonpaw and herself reached the edge of Shadowclan's territory, as if their emotions were affecting the weather so. Huge, angry-looking grey clouds were blocking out the sun and racing towards them, bring with them a cold and hungry wind that burrowed into the two apprentice's short fur and sending chills and the smell of upcoming rain.

Splitpaw was ashamed to say she was already tired, her paws were sore and she was huffing but she was being quiet about it as Moonpaw lead and held branches for her so she didn't have to jump. It was irritating her that he thought she wasn't able to care for herself, and she was just fine, but it made her smile on the inside that he was thinking about her enough to do it at all.

As the silver grey tom opened his mouth to speak, another strong blow of wind brought the sense of lightning, something that Splitpaw had only experienced once, and she really, really didn't want to think about it.

"We should find shelter for tonight. I doubt that this will be just a light storm," Moonpaw said, and although he had stated the obvious, he looked back for her opinion.

"Good idea; let's start looking, preferably somewhere where we won't get wet," is all she said, hating the feeling of water on her pelt and in her eyes. With that, they stopped trying to go forward and although it would've been smarter, one of Coalfoot's instructions for all Partners is to never split up; the farthest away they both felt comfortable with was about ten tail lengths.

The smells of sharp rain and lightning were getting too close for Splitpaw, and she was starting to shake.

"H-Have you found anything yet, Moonpaw?" she called, hating the stutter in her voice and wishing she wasn't so afraid of the upcoming storm.

"I think, but we may be pretty cramped," he called, and she rushed over on sore paws to where he was pointing with his tail towards.

Cramped was right; the few boulders that leaned against a fallen tree were barely enough for one warrior, and she doubted it would fit both of them.

"Is there any way we can make it bigger?"

Moonpaw looked around and went in search of things that would make staying there a little less uncomfortable while Splitpaw tried to look for any prey that was in the area. Any prey smart enough to realize the weather that was coming would be in their dens, safe, where Splitpaw wished she was. Trying to ignore the smell of lightning and rain, she focused on the scent of a squirrel. She breathed as deep as her chest would let her, focusing fully on the little brown ball of fur about five tail lengths away. Perfect! She crouched down, her back legs feeling awkward as they were squished down but ignoring the stiffness as she crawled forward, the leaves and debris of the forest floor brushing against her chin.

The squirrel stopped chewing on an acorn and looked straight at Splitpaw. Mouse-dung! Taking a deep breath, she was about to jump on it and hope for the best when a silver blur flew behind the prey and made it shoot straight toward her outstretched claws. Killing the squirrel with a somewhat clumsy bite to the neck, she looked up to see her Partner looking at her.

"That's why we hunt in pairs," he muttered, somewhat upset for a reason Splitpaw didn't understand. He gestured for her to take the squirrel and follow him, which she did without complaining about his bad mood, which was beginning to turn the air sour.

They reached the shelter just at the first raindrop pushed past the tightly packed pine trees and landed on her nose. Moonpaw had leaned a couple of broken branches against the already fallen tree and boulders, creating enough space for them to lie down on the hurried nests he had made.

"Thank you for the extra shade and the nest," she called as he went to survey the clouds outside, his eyes tired and wary.

"Thank you for the prey," his voice was flat and emotionless, and Splitpaw wondered why in Starclan he would bad mad. Did she say something? Do something, maybe?

The moody silver tom joined her and took a bite from the untouched squirrel, waiting for her to take the next bite, which she turned down.

"I'm not hungry," she lied, frowning as her stomach made protests to her mouth. She was actually starving, but maybe giving Moonpaw the squirrel would make him feel better; the last thing she wanted to do was sleep in the shelter next to a cat with the attitude of a fox.

"If you say so," he muttered, looking at her a moment longer before taking another bite, chewing and releasing smells so good her mouth almost flooded with craving.

The rain outside was beginning to pick up outside, and Splitpaw was trying to focus on the rain, the thin nests, anything to keep her from thinking about the squirrel less than a tail length being devoured by Moonpaw, her temporary Partner.

As if Starclan was intent on making her more uncomfortable in the situation she was in, her stomach made the loudest sound she didn't even know it could.

Moonpaw, mouth halfway for another bite of the quickly shrinking prey, froze and looked at her with an unreadable expression. Splitpaw decided the best approach was just to pretend that it didn't happen, and she continued to look out into the now outright downpour.

For several moments she felt no movement next to her before the air become breathable, and she felt the half-eaten squirrel land at her paws.

"You mouse-brain, starving yourself won't get us to the Moonstone any quicker."

"It wasn't about getting to the Moonstone; it was about your foul mood! I didn't want to sleep with it hanging on me like Greencough." She hated how cold her voice sounded, so she decided to look at him to get him to understand without making it worse, which was exactly what was happening.

"My 'foul mood' was because you went hunting without me! That is one of the first rules of having a Partner is hunting together, Splitpaw!"

"I'm sorry, I've grown up alone and that's how I'm going to want it for a while. You'd understand, if you went through what I did!"

Splitpaw hated how she was making it worse, but she couldn't stand it when cats accused her of something that wasn't her fault.

"Oh, get over it! You look like a freak to some cats, well get over it! You're in Shadowclan now, or are you still Riverclan? That's it; you're still one of the fish-eaters!"

What?

Splitpaw got right up in Moonpaw's cocky face.

"I was and will never be one of them again," she spat with such force that he craned his neck to get away from her. What had she done?! She ran out of the den and into the raid, her inner disgust drowning out the horrible feeling of water on her fur.

She heard the tom calling her name, but she was too busy sobbing and running, running away. She swept the fur out of her eyes, now drenched and hanging in her face, and ran on.

Then the lightning started.