FuzzWarriors 5

Shinepaw crouched. She slowly crept forward toward the unaware mouse. Suddenly, the frog hopped away at a slight sound from the bushes behind Shinepaw. Growling, Shinepaw turned around. "I know you're there, Butterflypaw." Shinepaw meowed, exasperated. Grumbling, Butterflypaw crept out of the shadows and shook the freezing snow of her fur. "I'm gathering herbs for Leaffrost," she mewed inocently. Shinepaw shook her head. "Get back to camp. You shouldn't be out, it's freezing!" Shinepaw muttered, shivering from a blast of bitterly cold air. "Plus," she added as Butterflypaw stalked away, "you scared away my frog!" She lifted her nose into the air, and a faint scent caught her attention. "Water mole!" she said to herself excitedly. It was leafbare, and any sort of prey was counted for. She crept through the tangle of thorns and bushes and emerged in an open area near the river. The reeds rustling in the wind, Shinepaw edged closer to the mole, which was drinking water from the thinly iced over river. Unexpectingly, a tree branch snapped and fell to the ground with a crash. Calming herself, she kept her pace slow when creeping up on the mole. Tensing , Shinepaw pounced at the prey before it could escape. She shivered and turned around to go back to camp. When she arrived, she could sense the worry in everyone's eyes. Brakentail, Runningclaw, and Fuzzypelt worked unresting on the camp walls, which had been partly destroyed in the last storm. "We'll all be glad when leafbare is over!" mewed Leaffrost tiredly, tending to sickness almost constantly. Shinepaw curled up in the corner of her nest, and squeezed her eyes closed.