Ravenpaw stood panting beside his mentor as their Clanmates' expressions shifted from shock to outrage.
"RiverClan? Can't those fish-brains keep their grubby paws off our territory?" Mousefur exclaimed incredulously.
"Of course not." Only Darkstripe could make such a languid drawl still ring with sarcasm. "After all, they think it's their territory."
The story of Sunningrocks was one every ThunderClan kit learned in the nursery. Long ago, at the dawn of the forest, the river that formed the border between ThunderClan and RiverClan had run on both sides of the rock pile, so that only the strong swimmers of RiverClan could reach it. Then, one day, the water on the ThunderClan side of the border had mysteriously dried up, leaving the forest cats with a clear, dry path to the rocks. ThunderClan had taken this as a sign from their ancestors that the rocks should be theirs, but RiverClan hadn't been ready to abandon their ancient claim.
The debate between the two Clans had become like a thorny bramble bush, unable to be easily uprooted or untangled. Where words had failed, they had turned to claws. Moon after moon, the rocks had been contested, yet neither Clan had ever managed to convince the other to back down.
Currently, ThunderClan held claim to the rocks. They had maintained that claim through the last two leaf-bares, ever since their former leader Sunstar had simply strode into RiverClan's camp and announced his intention to remark the borders. He had defended his actions by observing that ThunderClan was better able to hunt among the rocks, a skill they would need when prey became scarce during the cold seasons. All the forest cats had been surprised when RiverClan had respected the reasoning and stayed away from the rocks for so long. Ravenpaw himself hadn't been born yet in those moons, but he realized now just how much that particular defeat must have rankled the rival Clan.
Ravenpaw found his attention drifting away as the Clan meeting dissolved into bickering. He knew what the senior warriors would say. Tigerclaw would advocate for swift retaliation, and he wouldn't be without supporters. Cats like Whitestorm and Lionheart would advise caution, and Bluestar would more than likely agree. It would be unwise for ThunderClan to be too aggressive over what could still turn out to have been an innocent misunderstanding.
As the argument went on, Ravenpaw noticed only one other cat in the clearing who wasn't entirely focused on it.
Graypaw.
His fellow apprentice seemed uninterested in the debate, but not in the same way as Ravenpaw. Like their Clanmates, he had been startled by Tigerclaw's declaration, but he didn't look angry or offended like the rest of them. Instead, he looked almost afraid.
Ravenpaw could understand why Graypaw might be concerned. He himself had never liked the idea of fighting. But Graypaw had always wanted nothing more than to be a warrior in the service of his Clan. The thought of getting a chance to defend ThunderClan in battle should have excited him. So what was he so worried about?
Ravenpaw watched Graypaw out of the corner of his eye, careful not to let the other young tom know he was being observed. He saw Graypaw's eyes widen as the older cats spoke, until Graypaw suddenly turned around and dashed through the camp entrance into the forest.
Should I tell some cat? Ravenpaw asked himself. He let his gaze flick to the thorn tunnel, where he could just see the tip of Graypaw's tail before it disappeared, then to his mentor, who probably wouldn't appreciate being interrupted just then.
No, he decided, he'd leave it alone for now. It wasn't like Graypaw was breaking any rules: he knew the territory, and the warrior code didn't forbid apprentices from leaving camp without supervision.
In that split second of hesitation, the center of focus in the camp shifted to Bluestar as she leaped onto the Highrock, catching every cat's attention with a high-pitched yowl.
"Enough!" she called, putting every bit of authority she had into her tone. "I have heard all sides of this issue, and now I will need time with my senior warriors to decide how best to respond. Whitestorm, Tigerclaw, Redtail, and Lionheart, meet me in my den, please. As for the rest of you, I see that the fresh-kill pile is dwindling. Some cat ought to take out a hunting patrol."
"Right away, Bluestar," called Willowpelt. As the Clan leader disappeared beneath the Highrock with the cats she had summoned, the gray she-cat waved her tail to beckon a few of the cats nearest her. Longtail and Runningwind joined her as she padded through the gorse tunnel and out into the forest beyond.
The cats left in the clearing drifted apart, heading to their dens or the fresh-kill pile. Ravenpaw stood still for a moment, wondering what he should do. With his mentor already busy, he had no training to look forward to right then. Besides, he had just patrolled half the territory. Hadn't he earned a rest?
Ravenpaw sat patiently as the queens and elders took their pick of the meager fresh-kill left over from the previous day. The warrior code dictated that those cats ate first, out of the honor they were owed for their services. Once there were no more cats left to take prey before him, Ravenpaw strode up to the pile and chose a mouse for himself. He gulped it down in only a few bites. The meat was a bit stale, given the time it had spent in the middle of the clearing, but Ravenpaw didn't feel sick, and he was glad to have some food in his stomach.
With nothing else left to occupy him, Ravenpaw decided to head for the apprentices' den and lie down in his nest. He rose to his paws and padded over. As he got closer, he could hear two cats inside having a lively discussion. The voice of his brother, Dustpaw, echoed within, followed by that of the Clan's only female apprentice, Sandpaw.
Pushing his way in through the den entrance, Ravenpaw sat in his nest and curled his tail around his legs, glad for the moment of rest and doing his best to ignore his fellow apprentices as they jabbered on.
"They haven't directly challenged us yet," Sandpaw was saying. "Bluestar isn't that aggressive. She'll decide to wait, and that'll be it."
"She has to see what's happening!" objected Dustpaw. "RiverClan doesn't want us to have the rocks. They were only waiting until we thought we were safe. ThunderClan has to fight for what StarClan gave us."
"What do you think, Ravenpaw?" Sandpaw asked. "What should we do?"
Ravenpaw startled, surprised to be included. "Oh, I don't know," he responded weakly. "There'll be a battle, I guess."
Dustpaw flicked his tail across Ravenpaw's ear, causing Ravenpaw to flinch backwards and almost tumble out of his nest. "Stupid furball! Of course there'll be a battle! Those stinky RiverClan cats need to learn not to mess with us!"
Why can't they have learned already? Ravenpaw wondered morosely. Why do we have to go through this so often?
From his kithood, Ravenpaw had hated the idea of battle. He didn't think it made him a bad apprentice; after all, he still wanted nothing more than to provide for his Clan. He just thought there were ways to do it that didn't involve spilling so much blood.
Dustpaw and Sandpaw went on chattering, but Ravenpaw wasn't listening anymore. The thought of so many cats, with so many claws unsheathed to tear each other apart, made his stomach turn. Perhaps I shouldn't have eaten that mouse. He was thankful when Bluestar's voice echoed through the camp once again, summoning every cat back to the clearing.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather below the Highrock for a Clan meeting!"
The other two apprentices jumped to their paws and dashed off, their tails twitching back and forth in excitement. Ravenpaw poked his head out of the den entrance, watching them join their mentors in the growing mass of ThunderClan cats. All eyes were on Bluestar, who had strode to the edge of the Highrock. Her sleek blue-gray fur shone in the near-sunhigh light.
With all the focus on her and her announcement, no cat noticed Ravenpaw hanging back as he took a place on the very edge of the gathered cats. He had hoped that Graypaw might have returned by then, so they could sit and listen together. But the young gray tom still wasn't in camp, and Ravenpaw began to worry.
Where did he go? Ravenpaw wondered. If he stays out too much longer, he'll be in big trouble.
But Ravenpaw couldn't dwell on his friend for long. The Clan leader was about to speak.
"I have heard the arguments of my senior warriors," she began, "and I have come to a decision on what we should do."
The ears of every cat in the Clan pricked up, the better to listen intently as Bluestar went on.
"While I trust Tigerclaw's report of the RiverClan scent at Sunningrocks, no cat has seen their warriors on our side of the border since we last reclaimed it. We cannot know whether this is a declaration of hostility or simply a wayward apprentice. Therefore, ThunderClan will not resort to battle at this time. We will be on our guard, but we will not confront Crookedstar or any of his cats yet."
The clearing rang with murmurs of approval as Bluestar took a step back from the edge of the Highrock. Their leader had made a wise choice, not to antagonize a rival Clan without evidence.
"But what if they do it again?" asked Darkstripe. "How many times are we going to let them get away with it before we do something?"
"I have thought about that as well," said Bluestar. "Redtail will lead a special patrol of warriors to watch the rocks tonight. If they spot any RiverClan cats on our territory, they will drive them away."
Darkstripe dipped his head and took a step back. Even he could recognize the wisdom in Bluestar's judgement.
"That is all I have to say," finished Bluestar. "ThunderClan will go about its business as usual unless RiverClan gives us reason to do otherwise."
With that, the Clan leader leapt down from the Highrock, and the crowd of cats dissolved once more.
Redtail padded up to Tigerclaw, beckoning with his tail to draw the dark tabby warrior a little ways away from the rest of the gathered cats. Ravenpaw angled his ears toward them, wondering what the Clan deputy had to say.
"Tigerclaw, I'd like you to join my patrol," Redtail said. "If RiverClan crosses the border again, I'll need strong warriors to push them back."
"Of course," Tigerclaw replied, his voice a low growl. "ThunderClan must be able to defend itself."
"Calm down," the deputy cautioned him. "It hasn't come to that yet."
Tigerclaw snorted but didn't object. Suddenly, his gaze turned toward Ravenpaw, who almost flinched backward in surprise. Had he been caught eavesdropping?
But Tigerclaw wasn't angry. Instead, a new light had come into his eyes, as though he had just had an idea.
"Should I bring Ravenpaw along?" he asked Redtail. "He's never been out of camp at night before."
Say no. Please, say no, Ravenpaw silently urged Redtail. He couldn't meet either cat's eyes, his mentor's or the deputy's, or they would surely sense his fear. Tigerclaw, as usual, seemed far too keen on the idea of fighting. Would he force Ravenpaw into doing something dangerous?
"Hmmm," Redtail mused. "He's still young."
"I've been training him for a moon and a half by now," Tigerclaw told him. "My apprentice can take care of himself. And this will be a valuable experience for him. He'll have to deal with night patrols or Clan relations at some point. Why not now?"
Redtail considered the argument, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. When he next spoke, Ravenpaw's heart sank.
"Very well," he said. "You make a good point. Ravenpaw can come with us. Still, his battle moves have yet to be assessed. If we get into any fighting, keep him out of it."
Tigerclaw sat back on his haunches, apparently satisfied. Ravenpaw, meanwhile, was anything but.
Ravenpaw gazed forlornly up at the sky, wondering whether StarClan had a sense of humor. He was almost certain they had to; after all, they had allowed ThunderClan's most skittish apprentice to be trained by its most bloodthirsty warrior.
Please let this end without fighting, he thought, hoping his ancestors could hear him. Why can't all the Clans just get along?
- - -
The half-moon glowed on smooth granite boulders, turning them silver. The silence was broken only by the ripple of water from the swift black river and the whisper of trees in the forest beyond.
Ravenpaw opened his jaws wide in a yawn. He had been crouched beneath the bush for so long that his legs had begun to feel stiff, and there was a nasty itch along his spine where the leaves brushed against it.
His mentor gave a low growl from beside him. "Stop fidgeting," he said. "Do you want the enemy to know where we are?"
What enemy? Ravenpaw wondered. We haven't seen any other cats since we got here. This whole mission is just a big waste of time.
He didn't speak his thoughts aloud; Tigerclaw would only get angrier.
Trying his best to ignore his discomfort, Ravenpaw fixed his eyes on the pile of rocks. He knew he should be watching for any sign of RiverClan warriors, but he had too much else on his mind to concentrate properly.
Graypaw had returned to camp around sunhigh, not long after the uproar over RiverClan's trespassing had finally died down. Ravenpaw had hoped to question him in private, to find out why his friend had run away, but Lionheart had taken Graypaw out for hunting practice before Ravenpaw had had an opportunity.
Where did he go? Ravenpaw couldn't stop thinking about it. It isn't like him to be so secretive. He's my best friend. If he was having problems, he'd tell me . . . right?
But Ravenpaw didn't get much time to think. Suddenly, Tigerclaw stiffened beside him, bringing him back to reality. Ravenpaw followed his mentor's gaze, and it didn't take him long to see what Tigerclaw had seen. Something---multiple somethings---were moving across the river, their figures barely discernible in the dark of the night. The ripples they sent through the water were the only thing that gave away their position.
There was a stirring in the shadows, and from all around lithe dark shapes crept stealthily over the rocks---the shapes of cats. And there was no question about where those cats had come from.
RiverClan! Ravenpaw realized. So it's true. There is going to be a battle. His heart sank.
One of the newcomers, a bracken-colored tom, turned his head to face the spotted she-cat beside him. "You were right, Leopardfur. This was almost too easy."
"What did I tell you, Oakheart?" his companion replied. "ThunderClan can't stop us from taking these rocks."
So that was Oakheart, deputy of RiverClan, thought Ravenpaw. He gulped; Oakheart was well-known as one of the most formidable cats in all the Clans.
"Those lazy forest cats can't be bothered to get up from their nests," Leopardfur continued.
The warriors around her chuckled heartily.
"That's enough,' said Oakheart. "We left our scent on these rocks last night as a warning, and they haven't done anything. Now it's time to remark the borders, and show ThunderClan that they can't stand in the way of StarClan's will."
Tigerclaw looked to Redtail, and the deputy dipped his head. Redtail pointed his tail toward the rocks in a silent signal to his warriors, and the patrol leapt forward as one, halting only tail-lengths from the rival Clan.
"ThunderClan!" Leopardfur shrieked. "It's an ambush!"
Every cat tensed themselves for battle, and for one heart-wrenching moment, Ravenpaw waited to see which of them would make the first strike.
Unsheathed claws glinted in the moonlight. Wary eyes flashed. And then, as if on a silent signal, the warriors leaped at each other, and suddenly the rocks were alive with wrestling, screeching cats.
Tigerclaw leaped on top of Oakheart, pinning the RiverClan deputy to the ground and lifting his head triumphantly.
"Oakheart!" he growled. "How dare you hunt in our territory? The Sunningrocks belong to ThunderClan!"
"After tonight, Tigerclaw, this will be just another RiverClan hunting ground," Oakheart spat back.
Every other ThunderClan warrior had already flung themselves into battle, but Ravenpaw hesitated. This was exactly what he had been afraid of. He cast a glance at his mentor, still hissing angrily at Oakheart, then turned to look over his shoulder at the dark forest beyond.
A shrill yowl of alarm from Mousefur jolted Ravenpaw out of his thoughts. "Look out!" she called. "More RiverClan warriors are coming!"
Ravenpaw and Tigerclaw turned to see several sleek wet bodies sliding out of the water below the rocks. The drenched RiverClan cats bounded silently up the shore and hurled themselves into battle without even stopping to shake the water from their fur.
Tigerclaw glared down at Oakheart once more. "You may swim like otters, but you and your warriors do not belong in this forest!" He drew back his lips to show his teeth as the RiverClan deputy struggled beneath him.
Mousefur cried out again. This time, the only sound she made was a desperate scream of terror as a wiry RiverClan tom pinned her flat on her belly and lunged toward her neck with jaws still dripping from his swim across the river.
Tigerclaw heard the cry and let go of Oakheart. With a mighty leap, he knocked the enemy warrior away from his Clanmate. "Quick, Mousefur, run!" he ordered, before turning on her attacker. Mousefur scrambled to her paws, wincing from a deep gash on her shoulder, and raced away.
Tigerclaw spat with rage as the RiverClan tom sliced open his nose. He lunged forward and sank his teeth into the hind leg of his enemy. The RiverClan cat squealed and struggled free.
Ravenpaw's head swiveled from side to side, taking in the scene around him. The two Clans had been evenly matched in number, but RiverClan's reinforcements had given them the advantage.
What was he supposed to do? Redtail had been very clear that he shouldn't get drawn into the fighting, but didn't ThunderClan need every warrior they could get? The idea of facing off against another cat terrified Ravenpaw more than anything. He had practiced battle moves before, of course, and he knew most of them well, but he had never had to test them against an opponent with more skill than the other apprentices.
As Ravenpaw debated, he backed toward the edge of the rocks, hoping he could get to safety before any cat noticed him.
From the top of the rocks, Redtail stared at the battle raging all around him. "Tigerclaw!" he yowled as his eyes settled on the dark tabby warrior. "This is useless! There are too many RiverClan cats!"
Tigerclaw leapt to his deputy's side. "No, Redtail. ThunderClan will never be beaten! This is our territory!" He shook his head impatiently, scattering the drops of blood that had welled around his muzzle.
"ThunderClan will honor your courage, Tigerclaw, but we cannot afford to lose any more of our warriors," Redtail urged. "Bluestar would never expect us to fight against these impossible odds. We will have another chance to avenge this defeat."
He met Tigerclaw's amber-eyed gaze steadily, then reared away and sprang onto a boulder at the edge of the trees.
"Retreat, ThunderClan! Retreat!" he called.
For a few moments, the clearing dissolved even further into chaos as the ThunderClan cats broke away from their enemies and ran for the trees. RiverClan's warriors stood still, stunned, unsure if they should give chase.
Ravenpaw had never been so relieved. He bounded across the short stretch of ground between him and the rest of the gathering patrol. There was only one cat missing.
Where's Tigerclaw? He's so strong, and he fought so fiercely. Surely he isn't . . .
Ravenpaw's heart stopped for a moment until he located Tigerclaw, silhouetted against the darkness of the forest. He stood halfway between the rocks and his patrol, looking back at the bloodstained battlefield. His face was grim, his eyes furious slits.
The brown tabby warrior's tail lashed in barely concealed anger as he watched the RiverClan patrol stretching themselves out on the rocks as they examined their wounds. Oakheart and the cats around him seemed almost confused, as though they couldn't believe the battle had been so easily won.
Then Oakheart yowled a jubilant cry, and all his Clanmates raised their voices and joined in.
Tigerclaw's muscles tensed as the caterwauling went on, as if he were tempted to leap straight back into battle.
"Tigerclaw," Redtail warned him in a low voice. "It's over . . . for now."
Tigerclaw spun to confront the deputy. "You can choose to be weak, Redtail, but I won't. If you're too soft to protect what's rightfully ours, some cat has to step up."
"I never said we wouldn't fight for the Sunningrocks," Redtail said evenly.
"Then why are we running away?" asked Tigerclaw.
"Mousefur is injured," said Redtail. "She needs to see Spottedleaf as soon as possible."
"Then send her back," growled Tigerclaw. "We don't need warriors who aren't fit to defend their territory."
"Look around you, Tigerclaw," said Redtail, and Ravenpaw could tell the deputy was losing his patience. "Continuing this battle would be pointless. We'd still be outnumbered even if Mousefur or Ravenpaw could join us. Bluestar won't let this stand. She'll send a larger patrol next time, and we will reclaim our territory."
Tigerclaw didn't seem convinced, but he raised no further objections. He and the deputy held each other's gaze for several seconds, Redtail staring impassively into Tigerclaw's bloodthirsty glare. At last, the dark tabby averted his eyes, breathing hard, and seemed to force himself to be calm.
"Very well," he said. "Let's go, then."
He no longer seemed angry, but something in his voice still chilled Ravenpaw to the bone. Tigerclaw had always been a little too eager for battle, but would his instincts lead him to disobey a direct order?
Surely he wouldn't try anything foolish . . . right?
Then the patrol was on the move again, and Ravenpaw was forced to follow.
- - -
So there you have it, folks. We are now caught up to the first book's opening scene. This is where it gets exciting.
Please keep the feedback coming. I know I'm not the most consistent writer, but seeing how much y'all love this story keeps me coming back to it.
See you in the next one.