Underpaw

Chapter Six

A/N: sorry for the delay, I promise to make it up to you. Thanks! And also I just want to say that Lightning's age is a middle aged apprentice and Marigold's is six moons.
~ S.B
Lightning led her and Shine down a long tunnel which seemed to go on forever. Then a shimmer of light filtered down from the hole which she had come in earlier.
As the patrol led on Marigold longed to run and fell grass beneath her paws one last time, but of course she couldn't leave the patrol. So, she quickened her pace till she was walking in sink with Shine. It's time for me to figure what's going on here. "So Shine, tell me why does the colony send out patrols like this?" Marigold wondered out loud. She tried to sound casual but there was tension in her voice, Shine didn't seem to notice.
"Because Snow says that we have to." Shine meowed looking straight forwards. Marigold sighed, "but what is her reason?"
"Snow says we have to because we're always getting more kits to join us, so since hunting ourselves soul take to long, we take it." Shine kept looking forwards as she said this. Lightning stopped. Shine and marigold almost bumped into him.
Ahead of them there was a large cardboard box with two cats inside. One of them -a orange tabby tom- was asleep huddled close to the ginger and black she-cat.
Lightning took a step to them. "Taxes please" he meowed. The she-cat looked at him, there was a sick look in her green eyes. She coughed and threw over a mouse and a puny little squirrel. Lightning had tried to thank her but he was interrupted by her growling and hissing at him.
They traveled to three other places, all of the prey they had gotten was small and looked weak. Surly Queen Snow did to want this!
As they returned to the tunnel Marigold was holding a vole and a shrew hanging by the tails in her mouth, Shine had a small rabbit you could see the rib bones and Lightning had the taxes from the two in the box.
The patrol entered the main hollow and dropped the prey on the pile, Lightning ordered Shine to bring the shrew to the pile in the training area.
Then Snow padded out from behind them, Marigold didn't see her there, but she and Lightning bowed anyways. Snow didn't look happy, "Lightning come with me." She growled. Lightning looked a thus paws quickly and then followed.
Marigold's curiosity was flying everywhere, I have to find out what she wants with him!
But that's called spying, and spying isn't nice!
I'll lose my tail if I don't find out! So Marigold silently followed them into Snow's den and as the two walked into the forbidden room, Marigold listened outside.
"Why is it that your tax patrols always bring back scrawny useless prey?!" Snow demanded.
"We go to the lesser cats along the alleys, away from the roads." Lightning replied, how could he be so calm?
"Well than stop! I don't want to waste previous time hunting for useless prey when me and the pure ones could start planning!" Planning? What planning?! Snow stormed out, somehow not seeing Marigold plastered to the wall. Then Lightning padded out, and he took his soft amber eyes, and met them with her hazel.