Warrior cat sneak peeks

Warriors :Dawn of the Clans;A Forest Divided

CLEAR SKY'S CAMP

 LEADER CLEAR SKY—light gray tom with blue eyes 

LEAF—black-and-white tom 

QUICK WATER—gray-and-white she-cat 

NETTLE—gray tom 

THORN—mangy tom with splotchy fur 

ACORN FUR—chestnut brown she-cat 

KITS 

BIRCH—brown-and-white tom 

ALDER—gray-and-white she-kit 

TALL SHADOW'S CAMP 

LEADER TALL SHADOW—black, thick-furred she-cat with green eyes 

GRAY WING—sleek, dark gray tom with golden eyes 

JAGGED PEAK—small gray tabby tom with blue eyes 

DAPPLED PELT—delicate tortoiseshell she-cat with golden eyes 

SHATTERED ICE—gray-and-white tom with green eyes 

CLOUD SPOTS—long-furred black tom with white ears, white chest, and two white paws 

LIGHTNING TAIL—black tom 

THUNDER—orange tom with amber eyes and big white paws 

HOLLY—she-cat with prickly, bushy fur 

MOUSE EAR—tom with ears the size of a mouse's, missing part of one ear 

MUD PAWS—tom with four black paws 

KITS 

OWL EYES—gray tom 

PEBBLE HEART—dark gray tabby tom with amber eyes 

SPARROW FUR—tortoiseshell she-kit 

EAGLE FEATHER—brown tom 

STORM PELT—gray tom with blue eyes 

DEW NOSE—tabby she-kit with white-tipped nose and tail 

RIVER RIPPLE'S CAMP 

LEADER RIVER RIPPLE—silver, long-furred tom 

NIGHT—black she-cat 

DEW— she-cat with a short, thick gray coat and bright blue eyes 

WIND RUNNER'S CAMP 

LEADER WIND RUNNER—wiry brown she-cat with yellow eyes 

GORSE FUR—thin, gray tabby tom 

SLATE—gray she-cat 

KITS 

MOTH FLIGHT—she-kit with green eyes 

DUST MUZZLE—gray tom-kit 

ROGUE CATS 

STAR FLOWER—golden she-cat with green eyes 

SNAKE—gray tom

PROLOGUE 

Cold mist pooled in the moonlit hollow. It swirled like water around the paws of the cats pacing restlessly beneath the oaks. Clear Sky watched them from the edge of the clearing. Their pelts seemed to sparkle as though dusted with starlight. He shivered as he caught sight of Gray Wing, waiting at the far side of the clearing. The dead outnumber the living, Clear Sky thought, as he glanced toward the shallow mound at the edge of the hollow. Beneath the slow-settling earth lay the bodies of cats he had once hunted beside, killed in the Great Battle. The spirit cats paused and glanced at him, then began moving once more, murmuring to one another in hushed whispers. Above them, the four great oaks creaked in the wind, their frost-whitened branches stripped clean by the cold. Leaf-bare gripped the earth like a wolf holding prey. The earth felt like stone beneath Clear Sky's paws. Couldn't the spirit cats have summoned him to a greenleaf clearing, where warm winds could bathe his fur? After all, this was a dream. A dark gray she-cat split from the others and padded toward him. "You came." "Yes, Storm. I came." Clear Sky's heart ached with familiar grief. How different his life would be now if he hadn't let her leave the forest when she was heavy with his kits. "But why have you called me here?" Storm's gaze hardened. "We're growing tired of waiting." Waiting? For what? Before Clear Sky could ask, bracken cracked on the slope. River Ripple was pushing his way through the frosty stems, his thick gray pelt silvered by the moonlight as he made his way down to the smooth earth at the bottom. Close by, Tall Shadow blinked near the roots of an oak. She looked surprised as though just awakening. Thunder's ginger pelt glowed in the shadows. The spirit cats must have summoned all the leaders to the dream. Fur brushed the frost-wilted grass behind Clear Sky, and he turned to see Wind Runner slip silently past him. She had separated from Gray Wing's group. Had the spirit cats called her too? Clear Sky shifted his paws uneasily. The living stood separately while the dead stood together. Were the spirit cats all that united them now? "Well?" Storm's sharp mew jerked him back from his thoughts. "What?" "We told you to grow and spread like the Blazing Star. . . ." Storm glanced back at the living cats. "You haven't begun yet. Is fear holding you back?" "Never!" Clear Sky puffed out his chest. "But how far can we spread? We already rule the forest and the moor. We recruit more cats whenever we can." He thought of how his own group had grown since the last dream. "It's not enough!" An angry mew sounded beside Storm. Clear Sky stepped back in surprise as he looked down and recognized the clear, bold gaze of a young cat he thought he'd never see again. The last time he'd seen this kit, her brown pelt had clung to jutting ribs. Hunger had killed her in the mountains before she'd ever left their mother's nest. Now she stood, chin high, eyes blazing. Her sleek pelt sparkled in the starlight; firm muscle showed beneath. His throat tightened as he gazed at his younger sister. "Fluttering Bird!" he rasped. "It's you!""Of course it's me." Her yellow eyes blazed. "I must go and speak with Thunder." Storm dipped her head and backed away, leaving Clear Sky alone with his sister. "It's so good to see you—" Fluttering Bird cut Clear Sky off. "Listen, you mouseheart!" Clear Sky stiffened. She was still a kit. How dare she speak to him like that? And yet  . . . He frowned, puzzled. How long had she been with the spirit cats? She still looked like a kit, but she could see things he couldn't. His pelt rippled uneasily. Could his younger sister be wiser than him now? She held his gaze. "There were still leaves on the trees when we told you to spread like the Blazing Star. You talked about it, but you've done nothing!" "We've survived," Clear Sky argued. "Food is scarce and leaf-bare's here." Fluttering Bird's ears twitched. "You should be thinking of your kits and your kits' kits. Strength doesn't come from cowering in hollows and glades like frightened prey." Clear Sky leaned over her, pelt bristling. "I never cower!" "Then act!" Fluttering Bird stood her ground. "Follow your hearts! They will lead you home." Clear Sky frowned. "You want us back in the mountains?" "Not your old home!" "Then where?" "We can't make every paw step for you. That will weaken you all! We have told you all you need to know." Fluttering Bird's gaze scorched into his. "Now you must start thinking for yourselves." Clear Sky stared past her, his gaze lighting on Tall Shadow as she shared words with Moon Shadow, Hawk Swoop, and Jackdaw's Cry. Wind Runner was with her lost kits. She nuzzled them, and he could hear her urgent purr throbbing through the cold night air. Her mew was sharp with grief. "My dear kits. Come closer. We won't be together for long." Thunder paced to and fro, lifting his head eagerly as Storm padded to join them. Fox, Petal, and Frost crowded around River Ripple, their soft mews lost in the breeze. Gray Wing was several tail-lengths away, speaking with Shaded Moss and Turtle Tail. How separate they seemed. "We traveled here together," Clear Sky murmured, half to himself, "but now we don't even share prey." Sadness tugged in his belly. "And who's to blame for that?" Fluttering Bird growled. "You turned against your own." "That's not true!" he snapped back. "I've always done what I thought was best! I tried to take care of my own." "Then why do you stand here alone?" Fluttering Bird demanded. "Who do you have to care for you?" Clear Sky swallowed, unable to answer her. Gray Wing seemed suddenly far away, the clearing stretching like a deep gorge between them. Thunder had not even met his eye since arriving in the hollow. Clear Sky knew they still silently blamed him for the battle and for taking One Eye into his group and nurturing him until he became a threat to all the cats. There was a time when they wanted to be near him. But he had driven them away. And now? Would any of them come now if he needed them? He stared at Fluttering Bird. Was she trying to hurt him? "Why are you saying this?" "You have followed your head, not your heart, Clear Sky." She flicked her tail. "Each cat here has a home waiting. Even you. But you have to find it for yourselves, and you must find it soon." "How?" Where was home? How would they know when they found it? "Follow your hearts." Fluttering Bird began to fade before his eyes. He stiffened. Not yet! The other cats were fading too, growing transparent as the dream began to disappear. The stars blurred above his head and the hollow grew hazy. "Fluttering Bird!" Clear Sky struggled to see her. "Where should our hearts lead?" Who do you have to care for you? Her words rang in his mind. Did she want him to be close to his kin once more? Perhaps the only way to spread and grow like the Blazing Star was to join forces—be like a Tribe once more. Darkness swamped him, and he blinked open his eyes. He was back in his nest again. He gazed across the moonlit hollow where the forest cats had made their camp. His hackles smoothed as calm enfolded him. I understand! Fluttering Bird was trying to tell him how foolish he'd been to split from the others and mark out his own territory. Determination surged through him. Wide awake now, he stood and crossed the clearing. He slipped past the brambles that shielded the camp, then bounded out into the forest. Starlight sparkled on his pelt as he glanced up at the sky. I understand now, Fluttering Bird! I must draw the cats close—together once more—so that we can grow strong and spread like the Blazing Star.