Prey

Prey is a Clan term for the small animals that are caught for the purpose of consumption.

Details

 * The importance of eating is something that all of the Clans are concerned about every single day. They eat to keep up strength and maintain the health of the Clan as a whole. Each of the Clans have a hunting specialty, due to the terrain they are familiar with and the traditions the cats are raised by. Many different species are hunted by the warrior cats. Usually, after killing prey, a cat will give praise to StarClan for its life, and will bury it to keep it safe from other predators until they are ready to carry it back to camp. The remains (i.e. the bones, feathers, fur) are traditionally buried. Cats will not kill prey only for fun, without the intention of using it to feed oneself, or the Clan. The hunters may not eat until they have caught prey for the rest of the Clan. Traditionally, the weaker cats will be fed before the apprentices and warriors. The leader of a Clan must send more patrols before the cold weather strikes. In leaf-bare, prey is much harder to find.

Crowfood
"Crowfood" is the Clan term for prey that has left to become rotten and unfit to eat. Prey typically is considered Crowfood after about one or two days since it was killed. Clan cats will occasionally eat crowfood if they are desperate and starving, but they avoid it as much as possible as it usually causes bellyaches or more severe illnesses. The word "crowfood" can also be used as an insult, such as, "Shut up, you mangy piece of crowfood."

In the old forest, a source of crowfood was Carrionplace, where rotten prey could always be found, but it was known to carry sickness. However, ShadowClan sometimes resorted to eating it, as the warriors were used for fighting, not hunting.

=List of Prey Animals=

Frogs

 * Starlight: Littlecloud comments on his hunger and wouldn't mind eating a frog. That causes the other medicine cats to stare at him in surprise, but Littlecloud defends himself, saying, "They don't taste that bad!"
 * Secrets of the Clans: During the tour of the old ShadowClan camp, Boulder says to the reader "Oh, I see you've spotted a frog. I know they look pretty unappetizing - trust me, I was as reluctant as you to try them when I first came to the forest. But you should try them. Peel off the skin first - that's very chewy. Underneath, it tastes like if you mixed rabbits and fish together."
 * Into the Woods: Sasha watches a ShadowClan patrol consisting of Tigerstar, Rowanpaw, and Jaggedtooth chasing a frog. Rowanpaw comments that they're nasty, but Tigerstar says that distasteful or not, prey is prey.

Toads

 * Starlight: Littlecloud comments on his hunger and wouldn't mind eating a toad and the other medicine cats exclaim in surprise, but Littlecloud defends himself, saying, "They don't taste that bad!

Eagles

 * Moonrise: Stormfur almost gets caught by an eagle as he jumps across a gap on the way to the Tribe of Rushing Water.
 * Dawn: Marshkit almost gets taken by an eagle, but Brackenfur saves him by clawing at the bird until it loosens its grip.
 * Outcast: As Jaypaw crosses a gap on the way to the Tribe, an eagle screech startles him. Later, Pebble tells the cats that only cave-guards know how to fight attacking eagles.
 * Sign of the Moon: The Ancients, newly moved into the mountains, experience trouble with these birds. Jayfeather (as Jay's Wing) teaches them how to hunt the eagles by acting as bait.

Hawks

 * A Dangerous Path: Snowkit is taken by a hawk despite the other Clan member's attempts to free him.
 * Moonrise: Crag teaches Stormfur how to hunt hawks by saving him from one. Later, Stormfur catches a hawk to share with the other travelers.
 * Dawn: When all the Clans are starving, Tornear reports that WindClan had captured a hawk a few days ago.

Finches

 * Into the Wild: When Graystripe and Firestar are hunting, Graystripe is seen wolfing down a finch.

Thrushes

 * Into the Wild: Firepaw is seen killing a thrush and burying it for later.
 * Dark River: Cinderpaw covers for Lionpaw by saying he ate a stale thrush. Later, Whitewing is seen carrying a plump thrush back from a hunting patrol.

Sparrows

 * Into the Wild: Rusty is at his home watching baby sparrows.
 * Fire and Ice: Brackenpaw is seen plucking the feathers from a sparrow.

Crows

 * Into the Wild: Ravenpaw catches an old, yet big, crow, impressing Tigerclaw
 * Dark River: Brackenfur catches a crow after Hollypaw questions him about the new kits in ShadowClan and whether she would be able to fight them in battle.

Pigeons and Doves

 * Into the Wild: Firepaw hunts a pigeon, but then it is time to go. He wistfully looks back at the pigeon while walking back.
 * Rising Storm: Cloudpaw kills a pigeon before Fireheart is able to.

Magpies
Forest of Secrets: Cinderpaw offers to take Bluestar some fresh-kill and she grabbs a magpie. Upon lifting the bird off of the fresh-kill pile, its flesh falls away to reveal that it's covered with maggots.

Crookedstar's Promise: A magpie knocks Stormkit out of a tree. Later, Shellheart organizes a patrol to catch it.

Pheasants

 * Dawn: Shrewpaw chases after a pheasant over a Thunderpath, knowing that such a large bird would feed the Clan very well, and he is hit and killed by a monster. Thornclaw, Shrewpaw's mentor, explains this to Firestar when he returns to camp.
 * Fading Echoes: Sandstorm catches a pheasant on a hunting patrol.

Wrens

 * The Sight: Jaykit smelled out a wren with a belly alive with maggots in the fresh-kill pile and shows it to Leafpool, who praises him for finding it.

Robins

 * Into the Wild: When Smudge talks about Henry, he mentions that Henry caught a robin in the woods

Shrews (terrestrial)

 * Into the Wild: Graystripe says that Sandstorm and Dustpelt must have eaten a shrew while on duty

Water Shrews

 * Dark River-In Dark River Mistyfoot is seen stalking a water shrew. She is frustrated when it runs away, since her Clan is starving.

Rabbits

 * Into the Wild: Firepaw catches a rabbit for Yellowfang, Smudge mentions that wild cats that live in the woods eat live rabbits for breakfast, Sandpaw and Dustpaw catch a plump rabbit for the elders

Snakes

 * Sunrise: Honeyfern is killed by a snakebite while saving Briarkit.

Adders

 * Bluestar's Prophecy: Goosefeather tells Bluekit and Snowkit that Smallear is recovering from an adder bite.
 * Into the Wild: An adder is caught by Ravenpaw on a hunting assessment.

Squirrels

 * Into the Wild: When Graypaw catches a squirrel, he spits it next to Firepaw's finch, commenting that squirrels are too furry

Voles

 * Warrior's Refuge: Millie catches her first vole

Water Vole

 * Fire and Ice - Graystripe falls into the river while trying to catch a water vole. He later gets slightly annoyed at Firepaw for distracting him from his catch
 * Cinderpaw, Hollypaw and Berrypaw are on their assessment when Cinderpaw says that she caught four water voles