3: Elders and kits must be fed before apprentices and warriors.

Dusklily, Maplefrost and Willowstrike padded with the medicine apprentice, Cougerpaw and Maplefrost's apprentice, Eaglepaw. It felt like an eternity after the ShadowClan incidence, even though it was only a couple moons. Dusklily crunched through the snow and purred with amusement anytime Eaglepaw tripped on a branch and got snow in her nose. Dusklily helped Willowstrike find shriveled up herbs, while Maplefrost taught Eaglepaw battle moves.

"Thanks for the help, Dusklily." Willowstrike smiled warmly, and Cougerpaw squeaked softly as a bee landed on her nose.

"Thats a sight to see in Leaf-Bare.." Dusklily saw the bee and flicked her ear slightly.

"So is this.." Willowstrike murmured, brushing away snow to reveal pawtracks.

"What is that..?" Dusklily mewed, and Cougerpaw ran towards the source happily.

They followed for a couple minutes before they found a fox, holding some rabbits in its jaws. Two baby foxes were mewling for food, and they looked blind and deaf. The fox set the rabbits down and the babies ate them quickly. Suddenly, the fox pricked its ears, hearing the swish of the cat's tails on the snow, but they ran away before the fox found them. Cougerpaw stumbled and landed on a rabbit, and she squished it. Hungrily, she realized she killed a rabbit and dug into it. Eaglepaw did, too, and so did Beepaw, one of the other apprentices that likes to wander if they weren't training with Owlstar. Dusklily couldn't help herself to dig into the hide, too, and the warm but sharp taste of blood hit her mouth.

"Hey!" Owlstar yowled to the feasting cats. "You're supposed to take that to Frostflower! She didn't get any prey today!"

Uh-Oh.. Dusklily and Eaglepaw exchanged glances, realizing they broke a code.

Why is the world so cruel? Dusklily thought.