✧ Devious Fates ✧ | COMPLETE WARRIOR CATS FANFICTION STORY |

// Chapter Thirteen

Spottedpelt crouched low on the ground, fixing her gaze on a vole that scurried around in a patch of ferns. She lunged using the energy from her haunches and soared through the air for a heartbeat, before killing the vole with a swift bite to the back of the neck.

She had been sent on a hunting patrol; and Vinestar had said Tigertail would catch up with her after he is finished with his border patrol. Spottedpelt dragged the vole a few tail-lengths away and buried it under soil. She then sniffed around in search for prey.

She let scents in the air waft into her nostrils. There was the stale scent trail of dogs that led up to a twoleg den. Spottedpelt's fur bristled. Were those the dogs that took a life from Vinestar? She had sensed great reluctance among her Clanmates after Vinestar lost a life from the dogs. She had sent the patrol up to the back of the moor where the vicious creatures apparently lurked. Members of WindClan repeatedly blame her. Should I be the one to judge? I still don't understand why I would be deputy.

The scurrying of tiny legs knocked the golden she-cat out of her musing, where she lifted her head and pricked her ears. Mouse! She lowered her body to the ground, feeling the soft stems of grass brushing her underbelly.

Spottedpelt made a swift leap, peering open her jaws, ready to bite down on her prey's neck. The mouse suppressed an alarmed trill, dashing across the moor in a panic as Spottedpelt landed awkwardly on the ground. Mouse dung! The spotted she-cat stammered onto her paws, watching with narrowed eyes. It's lucky for this much prey to be scurrying around this much in WindClan, she came to the conclusion of in her mind. Greenleaf isn't going to last long. But here I am, wasting prey that has been given.

Doubt clouded Spottedpelt's mind again. She was not a great fighter; was she not going to be able to sustain enough food for her Clan, too? She shook her head, lifting her muzzle to let scents flow into her nose. She hoped for a hare, but there seemed to be little signs of the fresh scent. She scavenged around, dipping her head to check under rocks for any dens of prey animals where their scent thrived.

She strolled further through the rolling expanse, nearing towards the side of their territory flooded with sand. She trekked further, only to feel a strange scent that ebbed into her nose. It had a tang of sweetness to it; but the scent seemed a bit stale.

Spottedpelt kept low to the ground, following the scent. Her eyes widened. Catmint! A small, stone overhang held a trampled supply of catmint. Spottedpelt's heart sunk. The purple stems were shriveling up and were maliciously and purposely trampled over. Who would do this?

She sniffed around for any scent. The catmint's scent seemed to obliterate the others, but the fragrances around it were drowned with WindClan. It seems no other Clan did this. But maybe I was just too late.

Spottedpelt lowered her head and shuffled along the stalks. She tore a dead stem out of the ground, digging past the ones that were shriveled in a murky violet shade up to search for more. She stuck her nose inside. Her heart started to pound. Does this mean we won't have any supply for greencough?

As the dappled she-cat was still prowling around the catmint store, the soft scuffing of other paws against grass filled her ears. Another WindClan scent cascaded into her nostrils, followed by a gasp.

Spottedpelt veered around in a bit of confusion. Tigertail watched with a horrified expression, as if he just caught the spotted she-cat in a murder. The limber she-cat then realized it looked like she had ravaged the stalks. Her heart surged with terror. No! Please, I can't be blamed for something else! A feeling of helplessness sunk into her stomach.

Tigertail broadened his shoulders and rose his muzzle. For a heartbeat, to Spottedpelt's imagining, he looked like a spitting image of Vinestar. "What do we have here?" Tigertail inquired, his eyes blazing.