Fishstar woke in the morning with a dry throat.
Despite how damp and cold Leaf-fall had been so far, the last two days had been quite the opposite. Sunlight beat down on RiverClan's camp, bright and brilliant. It was strange to feel dry ground underneath her paws as she emerged from her den. Fishstar had to squint to look around the camp. The weather was certainly odd, but to the RiverClan leader, the sun was a welcome change. She knew the heat probably wouldn't last very long, but she was grateful for it. She despised the dreary cold and sogginess that accompanied Leaf-fall.. Never mind the slew of annoyances that came with Leafbare.
The camp was always bustling with activity at this time of the year, but today it was extra busy. Hunting patrols were being organized and sent out as often as possible, since everyone figured that prey would be plentiful due to the warm weather. Snatching up a small perch to eat as a morning meal, Fishstar joined a large patrol of warriors and set of into the marshes to hunt.
By midday, the silver she-cat had grown weary, and decided that it was a good time for a brief rest. Parting from the rest of the patrol, Fishstar wandered through the reeds and stumbled upon a small pond. It wasn't very large, but it was still cold. A relieved sigh escaped the RiverClan leader as she drank, relishing the coolness trickling down her parched throat. Once she'd had her fill, she returned to her patrol and resumed hunting.
After a long day of fishing and snagging frogs, the patrol finally returned to camp. Jaws loaded with little fish, Fishstar plopped them all down next to the rest of the fresh-kill, situated in a patch of shade. Her muscles ached from being out so long, so she decided to settle down on a rock and have a nap.
A little while later, she woke up to the sounds of chatter. A couple of kits were sitting around bickering, and warriors were still entering the camp with prey, speaking amongst themselves and eating in the shadows of the tall vegetation around them. It was then that Fishstar realized that she hadn't eaten anything since sunrise. Now that she thought about it, though, she wasn't hungry.
Perhaps I drank too much, she decided, stretching and moving into a sitting position.
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