We Walk a Perilous Path

[Tiger]

Nightshade trotted along the edge of the Thunderpath with her tail high in the air and a squirrel dangling from her mouth. Prey was always scarce at this time of year; by a rare stroke of luck, she had been hunting near the Thunderpath when a squirrel was struck by one of the monsters that ran on the path. Part of the rodent was flat where it had been struck, but the meat was good and fresh. She had taken a great risk in obtaining this fresh-kill, but times were desperate and she would certainly die if she was unable to eat. As she continued on along the road of death, she dimly realized an advantage of life as a rogue: even though there was no Clan to hunt for you, there were no other cats she was obligated to share her catch with. Of course, there was a cat she would share with no matter what.

[á£Îmaý---♫♥]

"Niiiiightshaaaaade!"
The cheerful yowl sailed through the air and over the soft bird calls. Any chance of further hunting was probably ruined by the tom's noisy call. Spider appeared ahead of the she-cat, his own tail held high in greeting. His long limbs covered the length between them in effortless bounds. Although he had eaten little with AquaClan living in the barn, he still retained his happy disposition. He hadn't caught any prey himself and so seeing the she-cat brought a much needed spring to his step. Purring, he touched his nose to her cheek and inhaled the mixed scent of Nightshade and the squirrel. Both were wonderful. "I couldn't find anything," he told her sadly. He had been thinking about going into the TwoLegPlace and searching for kittypet food. Even the dry pellets were looking good.

[Tiger]

"Spider!" Nightshade mewed, dropping the squirrel. She stretched her body out and fluffed her pelt to provide herself further insulation from the cold. Since the onset of leaf-bare, her body weight had dropped so she had less bulk to keep herself warm with. Having a slightly thicker pelt than she normally did helped compensate. "That's fine. I haven't been able to find anything myself for...oh, StarClan. Too long. You can have some of my squirrel." Her voice rose at the end of the sentence, as it typically did when she wanted to make an order without being too assertive. It would be considered rather clever if this wasn't just something she did because it sounded nice.