Splinter

Splinter is a black-and-white tom.

Path of Stars

 * While Slash’s Cats steal prey from Clear Sky and Sparrow Fur, Splinter follows Beetle out from behind a tree with rippling fur. Slash tells the Early Settlersthat poor Splinter is upset that their hunting patrol only have one catch. Splinter agrees they are supposed to be great hunters, and glances at the scrawny rabbit mockingly. Slash tells Clear Sky to give their squirrel and they’ll leave them alone, and Splinter softly growls for now. A fight breaks, and Beetle and Splinter jump away from each other, eyes wild with excitement as they watch Slash fight. He ends up landing beside Splinter while Clear Sky gives up the squirrel. Splinter grabs it from between his jaws, and follows behind Slash away. At Slash’s Camp, Slash flicks his tail to Splinter and Beetle, who are waiting and watching silently from the head of the camp. The rogue leader tells Splinter to come and choose what to eat. Splinter hurries while licking his lips. Slash urges the tom again, complimenting on the day’s work and saying he deserves a good meal. Splinter grabs and drags away a plump pigeon. Lightning Tail and Thunder, who are spying on the camp, are angered by this as only Slash’s friends get the good prey and the rest are left with scrawny food and scraps. Thunder also notes that only Slash, Beetle and Splinter look well-fed while the rest are skinny.


 * Slash goes away to eat alone with Splinter and Beetle, so the tom’s follow with their own prey and settle with the leader. Slash tells Splinter to keep the other members of the group hungry so they’ll do what they say. Splinter rips some flesh of the pigeon his eating and says he doesn’t understand why they are bothering to feed them anything at all. Slash mutters they have their uses. Splinter and Beetle soon falls asleep, bellies bulging with the meal they have just eaten. During a battle with some of the Early Settlers, Splinter, along with Slash, and most likely Beetle face Wind Runner. Slash nods to Splinter and tells him to go for the she-cat’s throat. Gorse Fur, Wind Runner’s mate rush inbetween the three toms, giving Splinter a shove. Splinter then receives a rake from Wind Runner’s claws along his flank. Glancing over his shoulder while streaking away, Splinter gives a hiss and chases Wind Runner. Gorse Fur in turn chases after Splinter, causing confusion. Gorse Fur soon returns, announcing they chased off Splinter and that he won’t be returning anytime soon. Gray Wing is thankful one is gone, but there’s still seven remaining. Raven later comments that Slash gave Beetle and Splinter the best food while leaving the scraps for the rest of the group.


 * At Slash’s camp, Splinter faces Beech for battle training. Slash tells Beech to block his first blow and she nods, not taking her eyes off Splinter. The tom bares his teeth and asks Slash sarcastically if he should still go easy on her. Slash snaps no and glares at Splinter, but purrs when he sees the amusement in Splinter’s eyes. He tells him that Beech needs to learn that if she is slow, she’ll get hurt. Beech braces herself for the tom’s attack while Splinter crouches with eyes in slits and ears flattened. Slash asks if that’s the best scary look, so Splinter shows his teeth and fluffs up his fur. Slash says that’s better and flicks his tail, a signal for Splinter to leap to Beech. Paw flailing, Splinter crashes into Beech, but she ducks to escape one of Splinter’s swinging blows. Splinter however manages to snag a claw on Beech’s ear tip, so she rolls away. Splinter quickly tries to rear up and slam his front paws down but is too slow. Beech leaps and ducks behind the tom, while Thunder, who’s spying again, wills the she-cat to defeat Splinter. Beech gives a flurry of blows on Splinter as he turns. He tries to back away, but Beech keeps attacking. Slash pins his paw on Beech’s tail, a long enough distraction for Splinter leap into Beech and dig in his claws into her fur. The rogue kicks out Beech’s paws from beneath her and rolls her to the ground. The rogue keeps battering Beech with merciless swipes until Slash signals, and Splinter backs away.


 * Moss bravely pads forward and darts his gaze at Splinter, Slash and Beetle, wanting a training session. While he practises with Beetle, dogs burst into the camp and both Splinter and Beetle leap in front of Slash to protect him. The three toms fight beside a yellow-eyed tabby to drive a russet mongrel to the entrance. One after the other, they swipe at the dog in a relentless barrage until the dog becomes confused. Beech races to fight a dog, still bleeding from the fight with Splinter. Beetle, Slash, Splinter and the tabby finally drive the russet dog away. Afterwards, Splinter and Beetle hold back Lightning Tail to stop him helping Beech who’s badly injured. After Beech dies, Lightning Tail glares at Beetle and Splinter for holding him back. Slash says that Beech was worthless, and Splinter agrees she was a waste of food. Fern remembers Red and asks where he is. Splinter mockingly meows that he ran away. Slash asks who would lead dogs into camp. Splinter narrows his eyes, replying that he could have done it on purpose. His ear twitches as he says if he was being pursued by dogs he wouldn’t go to camp, he would lead them away. Slash finally asks what Thunder is doing at his camp, and Splinter pads closer, saying he thinks he is a spy.


 * Moss and the rest of the group confronts the three toms on the their treatment, glaring at Beetle and Splinter as they move closer to Slash and glare back. Slash decides to leave and abandon his group, asking Splinter and Beetle if they are coming with him. Splinter lifts his chin and asks why they would stay. Slash glances at Splinter and says to get out as it stinks of fear. Splinter, Beetle and Snake follow until Swallow asks to join. Slash accepts so all the tom’s file after him. Thunder wants to claw their ears off, thinking of them as heartless cowards. Later, Lightning Tail reports to Gray Wing who went with Slash, including Splinter. At the Four Trees Slash interrupts one of the Early Settlers’ meetings, and Splinter, Beech and Snake move from below the Great Rock, emerging from the shadows to face the cats. Later at the Thunderpath, Snake, Slash, Splinter, Ember and Beetle face the Early Settlers with hackles high. Slash and his cats soon rush across the Thunderpath, fleeing the territory.

Trivia

 * Despite appearing in Path of Stars, Splinter is not listed in the allegiances.