As far as Robinear could tell, being a full member wasn't a lot different than being a trainee.

She still hunted, still deferred to the Leaders-- the only difference was that she now has a nest next to Thrushnose.

Not that she was complaining about that part.

The silver tabby yawned and stretched, then looked around for a hunting partner. Another difference between full members and trainees: trainees didn't have a minimum amount of prey to bring in. Full members did.

Thrushnose was still sleeping, and Robinear didn't really want to wake her. Instead, she made eye contact with Quailwhisker, who nodded. The two she-cats walked out of the den before beginning a conversation.

"Where do you want to go?" Quailwhisker asked.

Robinear flicked her tail. "I don't know...we should probably check with the Leaders, though. See if they have any prey requests."

Quailwhisker nodded in agreement, quickly walking toward the two Leader's dens, Robinear at her tail.

"Yes?" Marigoldflower poked her head out of the female Leader's den.

"Quailwhisker and Robinear, going on a hunt, Leader of the Flowers." Quailwhisker dipped her head in respect. "Do you have any prey requests?"

Marigoldflower paused, then turned back into the den. "Any requests?"

There was a pause before someone called back: "Birds?"

Robinear bit back a sigh of disappointment. Birds? We'll be out there all day...

Marigoldflower nodded. "Birds." She saw them turn toward the male Leader's den, and hurriedly added: "They're in here too. Just birds."

Robinear and Quailwhisker nodded and turned away from the den. They left the camp and headed toward Miracle Grove.

"Birds," grumbled Quailwhisker. "Why birds?"

Robinear flicker her tail. "They just wanted some, I guess."

Quailwhisker sighed. "I suppose."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, simply walking toward the grove.

Finally, Robinear felt the urge to break it. "Where's Owltalon?"

Quailwhisker turned to face her, seeming surprised by the question. "Oh, he's guarding the Lesser Leader's den."

"Oh." A pause, then: "Is he the reason you were so grumpy during training?"

Quailwhisker ducked her head and nodded. "Partly. But the main reason..." She suddenly fell silent, gesturing toward Miracle Grove.

Birdsong.

They were both dead silent as they approached the grove, paws barely seeming to brush the ground.

The key to being silent, Robinear thought, was trying to not touch the ground.

She heard the birdsong again, and she swivled her ears, trying to pin its location. Quailwhisker, on the other paw, had her nose twitching. She was trying to scent it.

The bird twittered again, and Quailwhisker and Robinear's heads both turned to the creature in unison. Robinear nodded slightly in Quailwhisker's direction, and the tortoiseshell crept quietly forward.

In a flutter of feathers, the bird alighted on the ground. It was a swallow, and it pecked insistently at something on the ground.

Robinear was so fascinated by the bird's actions that she nearly forgot Quailwhisker was stalking it. The tortoiseshell hunter leapt and landed squarely on it, then dropped it proudly on the ground.

"Got it!" she crowed, though not very loudly. Hunters were trained to never speak loudly.

Robinear gave her a nod of approval. "Good job!"

Quailwhisker purred. "Thanks." She flicked her tail thoughtfully. "How many more, do you think?"

Robinear bit back a sigh. "Another five, at least." She'd heard at least that many news of approval.

"May the Sun and Moon strike them down," Quailwhisker muttered. "We'll be here all day!"

Robinear's tail drooped, somehow already feeling exhausted. Isn't that the truth...

Well, best get to it.

Robinear pricked her ears, listening for birds, and the hunt began.

By unspoken agreement, the two hunters split up to cover more ground. The Miracle Grove was quite large, almost as large as the camp, and Robinear felt tiny among the trees.

Another bird call caught her attention, and the located the culprit quickly. It was a strange bird she'd never seen before-- a large dark grey bird with white tipped feathers and a strange feather sticking out on top.

What in the name of the Sun and Moon is that?

It didn't look that fast, it simply ambled along, snapping up bugs and seeds. But Robinear knew that looks could be deceiving, and treated it like she would any other bird.

She stalked up to it carefully, taking care to make sure her pawsteps made no sound.

She leapt.

The silver tabby only barely snagged the strange bird's wing as it took of with a surprisingly quick reaction. It gave a pitiful squawk before Robinear ended its misery with a bite to the neck.

She dropped it, breathing hard. She turned to see her companion pounce on a jay, the bird barely making a noise.

"Quailwhisker?" she called. "Do you know what this is?"

Quailwhisker padded over, dropping her catches beside her. "Yeah! That's a quail!"

A quail?

"Huh. Never seen one before," replied Robinear.

Quailwhisker nodded. "Yeah, they're pretty rare, and hard to catch! Good job, by the way."

"Thanks." A quail. You don't see those every day.

Quailwhisker glanced at the three birds at their feet. "Do you think three is enough?"

Robinear was about to reply when she heard another bird. She held up her tail for silence, then walked swiftly toward the sound.

She spotted it, now, a thrush-- no, two thrushes!-- roosting in the tree.

"Quailwhisker," she hissed, beckoning her forward with her tail.

The tortoiseshell joined her, amber eyes lighting up when she spotted the bird. "Perfect," she purred.

The first thrush ventured out of the tree cautiously before quickly beginning to eat. Ordinarily, this would be when Robinear pounced, but there was another variable.

The thrush on the ground called out some sort of "all clear" call to their companion in the tree. It fluttered down to join its friend with its meal.

Robinear met Quailwhisker's gaze and nodded slightly. In unison, the two hunters crept forward five steps and pounced.

They both landed squarely on their prey.

Quailwhisker let out a purr of satisfaction. "Five should be enough, don't you think?"

Robinear nodded before she realized something. "But it's three pieces of prey per hunter," she sighed.

Quailwhisker flicked her tail. "Just catch a mouse or something on the way back."

Of course. "Good idea."

The two she-cats began walking back to camp, catches just barely held. Quailwhisker had managed to tuck two birds under her chin and held one in her mouth.

Impressive.

After a while, though, Quailwhisker needed a break. She deposited her catches rather unceremoniously on the ground and sat down with a thump.

Robinear dropped her catches as well. "You alright?"

Quailwhisker nodded. "Just tired. Can we rest a bit?"

"Sure." Robinear paused a moment, trying to remember what they'd been talking about earlier. "What was that earlier? About Owltalon being part of the reason you were grumpy?"

Quailwhisker sighed. "Right. Well..." She paused, a pained expression on her face. "You're not the only one who's lost a sibling."

Oh.

Robinear recognized her own sadness reflected in Quailwhisker's eyes. "I'm sorry...who was it?

"His name was Brownkit," Quailwhisker choked. "And I killed him."

A beat.

Robinear resisted the urge to rear back. Quailwhisker killed her brother?

"I didn't know what I was doing...my Tester just taught me the killing bite and didn't tell me what it did..." Her new trailed off.

Oh no.

"It wasn't your fault, Quailwhisker. It was the Leader's," Robinear spat, trying to reassure her.

Quailwhisker relaxed. "You're right."

Then she realized what she'd said.

This could be considered treason.

Quailwhisker looked at her in terror, and they both looked around frantically for anyone who might have overheard. The tension drained from their bodies when they saw nothing.

Robinear shuddered. "I shouldn't have said that." She paused, then added, "But I meant it."

Quailwhisker nodded. "Me too."

The two picked up their prey and walked back to camp in silence, their treasonous words hanging between them.

I've committed treason. Treason.

Why do I feel like it's right?

New chapter here! Hope you enjoyed!

What did you think of Quailwhisker's revelation? Do you agree with Robinear? Any predictions?

Oh, and thank you for the comments on FloraClanCharacters xD Willowpaw is getting offended by all the death threats.

Until next chapter!

~Ember

P.S.: Pic above is how I imagine Greyfur (and yes, I drew it xD)