- Duckpaw padded back from the stream, a bundle of herbs clamped between her jaws. She had gone out early this morning to avoid the heat of the day. Greenleaf was always welcome and meant plentiful herbs and prey, but some seasons it was much warmer than others, almost to the point of being unbearable. Especially in RiverClan's thick coats - sometimes she envied the thin coats of the other Clans in times like these. Though this greenleaf prey was also scarce. It was only the beginning of it, so Duckpaw could only pray that by leaf-fall there would be plenty to get them through leaf-bare.
A shriek disturbed her from her thoughts, and Duckpaw whipped her head towards the sound. Was that Blazeheart? Were they under attack? She broke into a run, dashing upstream towards the origin of the sound. Soon enough, Blazeheart was in sight, and the only two other cats were sodden forms on the shore of the stream. To Duckpaw's horror, she recognized the bodies and Stormtail and Bramblestorm. The scent of strange cat - rouges? - was heavy in the air.
"Were they killed by the same rouges that killed the other two cats?" She felt a pang of sorrow go through her at the thought. The medicine cat apprentice from ThunderClan, Rainpaw, had been the second victim. Rainpaw was only a moon older than she was, and they had been friends. She hoped the rouges were caught soon, and chased away.
(I wrote more than I was planning to, whoops.)
