Warriors Deadly Echoes: A Dangerous Hour

Chapter 23

Paws padded through the grass. Hollowcreek had decided to take a break for a day, and go on a casual hunting sessions with her Clanmates and littermates. Dovefeather had a thoughtful look which changed to a cheery one. "I'm going to go hunt with Kinkstem and Shystep. Between the three of us that makes... at least six pieces of prey if we both catch two!" She meowed.
"Well done, Dovefeather. I know I trained you well." Kinkstem purred. The three she-cats padded away.
"I'm going to try fishing with Rivertalon." Liongaze meowed.
"You can do that. I like my prey with fur and whiskers." Brownclaw meowed and followed after Crouchfoot and Stonewhisker.
"Want to tag along lass?" Rivertalon asked Hollowcreek.
"Sure." She meowed and followed her brother and the smoky black tom, who was notorious for his fishing skills. She recalled one time when her uncle Bash had knocked a squirrel clean from a tree with his paw one day. Hollowcreek, Rivertalon, and Liongaze all crouched beside the water. A fish swam inthe water. Liongaze quickly plunged in and lifted a struggling fish in the water with his jaws. "I got one!" He meowed with glee.
Suddenly, Hollowcreek slipped and fell into the water with a loud screech. Her head bobbed up the surface as she sputtered and coughed water. "Hargh! Hargh-argh!" She flailed her paws to herself afloat. She felt teeth meet her scruff as Rivertalon pulled her up. "Are you alright lassie?" The smoky tom asked. Her fur was sleeked to her sides.
"I'm fine. Maybe fishing isn't my thing." She mewed.
"If it makes you feel better, when Vinewhisper and Rivertalon took me fishing once, I fell on my face!" Liongaze mewed trying to cheer his sister up. She gave an amused purr. Rivertalon had a limp fish in his jaws. "Come on. Let's take these back to the camp." They all began walking back.

Bravestar had called a Clan meeting. "The threats of Darktalon haven't targeted us in some time, but that doesn't me we shouldn't take precaution. You can never be too prepared. Even though prey has been, unusually lacking, we can do this." He meowed and flicked his tail for the Clan meeting to be over. For a couple of days, there had been less prey. Brownclaw's whiskers twitched. "It's clear he's mad that I ate one of my catches during a hunt." He muttered. Dovefeather's ears pricked and she turned to her brother. "You did what?!" She hissed.
"If you'd have come fishing with me and Rivertalon, dad wouldn't have snapped at you yesterday." Liongaze mewed. The brown tom threw himself onto his side, batting at a tuft of grass. "I told you, you can have all of those slimy things with fins in the world. I do warm prey. Or snakes." He gave a smirk and looked at a scar on his leg with pride.
"You went into ViperClan territory?!" Liongaze gasped. Browclaw tapped his tail to his brother's muzzle. A snake had bit him, thankfully it was venomous. As ViperClan territory was prone to multiple dangers. "Where's the fun in hunting in one's own territory when there's different types of prey?" He asked.
"But you ate your catch. It's for the Clan." Dovefeather pressed, her white pelt ruffling. The tom shrugged. "I'll just take a piece from the fresh kill pile and pretend I caught it. No one will know." He told his siblings.
"You got dragonflies in your ears if you think that's going to work." Liongaze mewed.
"Anyway, it's not like mom and dad would care. They're too busy worrying about Darktalon and his rogues." Brownclaw pointed out. He gave a quick glance at Hollowcreek then went back to batting at his grass tuft. Hollowcreek narrowed her eyes, her ears twitching.
"You're not going to meow in my ear at me like those two are you?" He asked his other sister. "Of course not!" She hissed, clearly annoyed. He blinked and flicked his tail. "Well, okay.. maybe I do need to be a bit careful. I just want to have some fun and forget all of this.." he muttered.
She moved around uncomfortably, her paws kneading the ground beneath her.
"What if... mom's next? Or dad looses one of his nine lives again?" He asked his littermates. "Can we please not talk about this, I'm already nervous as it is." She meowed.
"R-right.. sorry Hollowcreek. You're he medicine cat so this must be hard.." He mewed softly.
She nodded, her eyes full of worry. Brownclaw purred and saw Tigerfur playfully fighting with her sister, Eaglespring. Dovefeather looked to Hollowcreek. "Think he has a chance?" She purred in amusement.
"Maybe." Hollowcreek meowed, her whiskers twitching.
"The day he gets a mate, is when I can talk to a squirrel and it can let me eat it." Liongaze mewed, his ears twitching.
Hollowcreek let out a purr of amusement at her brother's comment.