|| The Prophecies Begin || Book 1 Of 6 || Warriors fanfic

~~Chapter 5~~

Firepaw and I stopped and listened for the roar of the tree-eater, which we had heard before.

"The Treecut place will be silent for a few moons more, until the time of greenleaf," explained Graypaw, noticing our pause.

We padded on through the pine forest.

"Twolegplace lies in that direction," meowed Tigerclaw, flicking his thick tail to one side. "No doubt you can smell it, you two. Today, however, we will head the other way."

Eventually we reached another Twoleg path that marked the far edge of the pine forest. We quickly crossed over into the safe bushes of the oak woods beyond. But I still sensed anxiety in the other cats.

"We're approaching RiverClan territory," whispered Graypaw. "The Sunningrocks are over there." He pointed with his soft muzzle to a treeless mound of boulders.

I felt my fur stand on end. This was where Redtail had been slain.

Lionheart stopped by a flat gray rock. "This is the boundary between ThunderClan and RiverClan territory. RiverClan rules the hunting grounds beside the great river," he meowed. "Breathe deeply, Firepaw."

The pungent smell of unfamiliar cats hit the roof of my mouth. I was surprised how different it smelled from the warm cat scents of the ThunderClan camp. And I was also surprised to realize just how familiar and comforting the ThunderClan scents seemed to me already.

"That is the smell of RiverClan," Tigerclaw growled beside Firepaw and I. "Remember it well. It will be strongest at the boundary, because their warriors will have scent-marked the trees along here." With these words, the dark tabby lifted his tail and sprayed his own mark on the flat rock.

"We'll follow this boundary line, as it leads straight to Fourtrees," Lionheart meowed.

He set off quickly, away from the Sunningrocks, followed by Tigerclaw. Graypaw, Firepaw and I trotted after them.

"What is Fourtrees?" Firepaw panted.

"It is where the territories of all four Clans meet," replied Graypaw. "There are four great oaks there, as old as the Clans—"

"Be quiet!" ordered Tigerclaw. "Don't forget how close we are to enemy territory!"

The three apprentices fell silent and I concentrated on walking silently. They crossed a shallow stream, keeping their paws dry by leaping from boulder to boulder across the pebbly riverbed.

By the time they reached Fourtrees, Firepaw was panting and my paws ached. I wasn't used to traveling so far. He was quite relieved when Lionheart and Tigerclaw led us out of the thick woods and stopped at the brow of a bush-covered slope.

It was sunhigh now. The clouds had cleared, and the wind had dropped. Below, in the dazzling sunlight, stood four enormous oaks, their dark green crowns reaching almost to the top of the steep slope.

"As Graypaw told you," meowed Lionheart to Firepaw and I, "this is Fourtrees, where the territories of all four Clans meet. WindClan governs the high ground ahead of us, where the sun sets. You won't be able to catch their scent today—the wind is blowing toward them. But you'll learn it soon enough."

"And ShadowClan holds power over there, in the darkest part of the forest," added Graypaw, flicking his head sideways. "The elders say that the cold winds from the north blow over the ShadowClan cats and chill their hearts."

"So many Clans!" Firepaw exclaimed. And so well organized, he added to himself, remembering Smudge's lurid tales of wildcats wreaking terror in the forest.

"You see now why prey is so precious," meowed Lionheart. "Why we must fight to protect what little we have."

"But that seems foolish! Why can't the Clans work together and share their hunting grounds, instead of fighting each other?" Firepaw suggested boldly.