THUNDERCLAN
LEADER FIRESTAR—ginger tom with a flame-colored pelt
DEPUTY BRAMBLECLAW—dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes
MEDICINE CAT JAYFEATHER—gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes
WARRIORS (toms and she-cats without kits)
GRAYSTRIPE—long-haired gray tom
DUSTPELT—dark brown tabby tom
SANDSTORM—pale ginger she-cat with green eyes
BRACKENFUR—golden brown tabby tom
SORRELTAIL—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with amber eyes
CLOUDTAIL—long-haired white tom with blue eyes
BRIGHTHEART—white she-cat with ginger patches
MILLIE—striped gray tabby she-cat
THORNCLAW—golden brown tabby tom
SQUIRRELFLIGHT—dark ginger she-cat with green eyes
LEAFPOOL—light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes, former medicine cat
SPIDERLEG—long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes
BIRCHFALL—light brown tabby tom
WHITEWING—white she-cat with green eyes
BERRYNOSE—cream-colored tom
HAZELTAIL—small gray-and-white she-cat
MOUSEWHISKER—gray-and-white tom
CINDERHEART—gray tabby she-cat
APPRENTICE, IVYPAW
LIONBLAZE—golden tabby tom with amber eyes
APPRENTICE, DOVEPAW
FOXLEAP—reddish tabby tom
ICECLOUD—white she-cat
TOADSTEP—black-and-white tom
ROSEPETAL—dark cream she-cat
BRIARLIGHT—dark brown she-cat
BLOSSOMFALL—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat
BUMBLESTRIPE—very pale gray tom with black stripes
APPRENTICES (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)
DOVEPAW—pale gray she-cat with green eyes
IVYPAW—silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes
QUEENS (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)
FERNCLOUD—pale gray (with darker flecks) she-cat with green eyes
DAISY—cream long-furred cat from the horseplace
POPPYFROST—tortoiseshell she-cat (mother to Cherrykit, a ginger she-cat, and Molekit, a brown-and-cream tom)
ELDERS (former warriors and queens, now retired)
MOUSEFUR—small dusky brown she-cat
PURDY—plump tabby former loner with a gray muzzle
SHADOWCLAN
LEADER BLACKSTAR—large white tom with huge jet-black paws
DEPUTY ROWANCLAW—ginger tom
MEDICINE CAT LITTLECLOUD—very small tabby tom
APPRENTICE, FLAMETAIL (ginger tom)
WARRIORS
OAKFUR—small brown tom
APPRENTICE, FERRETPAW (cream-and-gray tom)
SMOKEFOOT—black tom
TOADFOOT—dark brown tom
APPLEFUR—mottled brown she-cat
CROWFROST—black-and-white tom
RATSCAR—brown tom with long scar across his back
APPRENTICE, PINEPAW (black she-cat)
SNOWBIRD—pure-white she-cat
TAWNYPELT—tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes
APPRENTICE, STARLINGPAW (ginger tom)
OLIVENOSE—tortoiseshell she-cat
OWLCLAW—light brown tabby tom
SHREWFOOT—gray she-cat with black feet
SCORCHFUR—dark gray tom
REDWILLOW—mottled brown-and-ginger tom
TIGERHEART—dark brown tabby tom
DAWNPELT—cream-furred she-cat
QUEENS
KINKFUR—tabby she-cat, with long fur that sticks out at all angles
IVYTAIL—black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat
ELDERS
CEDARHEART—dark gray tom
TALLPOPPY—long-legged light brown tabby she-cat
SNAKETAIL—dark brown tom with tabby-striped tail
WHITEWATER—white she-cat with long fur, blind in one eye
WINDCLAN
LEADER ONESTAR—brown tabby tom
DEPUTY ASHFOOT—gray she-cat
MEDICINE CAT KESTRELFLIGHT—mottled gray tom
WARRIORS
CROWFEATHER—dark gray tom
OWLWHISKER—light brown tabby tom
APPRENTICE, WHISKERPAW (light brown tom)
WHITETAIL—small white she-cat
NIGHTCLOUD—black she-cat
GORSETAIL—very pale gray-and-white she-cat with blue eyes
WEASELFUR—ginger tom with white paws
HARESPRING—brown-and-white tom
LEAFTAIL—dark tabby tom with amber eyes
ANTPELT—brown tom with one black ear
EMBERFOOT—gray tom with two dark paws
HEATHERTAIL—light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes
APPRENTICE, FURZEPAW (gray-and-white she-cat)
BREEZEPELT—black tom with amber eyes
APPRENTICE, BOULDERPAW (large pale gray tom)
SEDGEWHISKER—light brown tabby she-cat
SWALLOWTAIL—dark gray she-cat
SUNSTRIKE—tortoiseshell she-cat with large white mark on her forehead
ELDERS
WEBFOOT—dark gray tabby tom
TORNEAR—tabby tom
RIVERCLAN
LEADER MISTYSTAR—gray she-cat with blue eyes
DEPUTY REEDWHISKER—black tom
APPRENTICE, HOLLOWPAW (dark brown tabby tom)
MEDICINE CAT MOTHWING—dappled golden she-cat
APPRENTICE, WILLOWSHINE (gray tabby she-cat)
WARRIORS
GRAYMIST—pale gray tabby she-cat
APPRENTICE, TROUTPAW (pale gray tabby she-cat)
MINTFUR—light gray tabby tom
ICEWING—white she-cat with blue eyes
MINNOWTAIL—dark gray she-cat
APPRENTICE, MOSSYPAW (brown-and-white she-cat)
PEBBLEFOOT—mottled gray tom
APPRENTICE, RUSHPAW (light brown tabby tom)
MALLOWNOSE—light brown tabby tom
ROBINWING—tortoiseshell-and-white tom
BEETLEWHISKER—brown-and-white tabby tom
PETALFUR—gray-and-white she-cat
GRASSPELT—light brown tom
QUEENS
DUSKFUR—brown tabby she-cat
MOSSPELT—tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes
ELDERS
DAPPLENOSE—mottled gray she-cat
POUNCETAIL—ginger-and-white tom
CATS OUTSIDE CLANS
SMOKY—muscular gray-and-white tom who lives in a barn at the horseplace
FLOSS—small gray-and-white she-cat who lives at the horseplace
OTHER ANIMALS
MIDNIGHT—a star-gazing badger who lives by the sea
PROLOGUE
Torn clouds streaked the stars. Branches whisked the night-black sky and showered leaves over the shadowed glade. Wind hollowed the shallow clearing while, around its rim, bushes stirred and rustled as though wolves paced through them. At the center of the glade, an old she-cat hunched her shoulders against the growling air. Starlight sparkled on her matted gray pelt. She flattened her ears as two feline shapes padded down the slope to join her. "Yellowfang." A white-pelted she-cat spoke first. "We've been looking for you." "Lionheart told me." Yellowfang lifted her chin. Rain specked her muzzle as the medicine cat blinked at her former mentor. "What is it, Sagewhisker?" Sagewhisker answered sharply: "We've been talking." "The whole of StarClan has been talking," her tortoiseshell companion cut in. "Every cat thinks you should have stopped it." "The battle between ThunderClan and ShadowClan?" Yellowfang flicked her tail. "Do you think I have that much power, Fernshade?" Sagewhisker leaned forward. "You could have sent a message to ThunderClan." "If you had, Russetfur might not have died." Fernshade stepped closer. There was a hint of claws in her words. "I trained her, you know." "I hadn't forgotten," Yellowfang rasped. Fernshade narrowed her eyes. "I'm the one who's going to have to fetch her." Yellowfang's shoulders sagged. "She was old," she murmured. "Maybe she'll be glad to join us." Sagewhisker lashed her white tail. "No warrior wants to die. Especially in a battle that should not have happened." Fernshade curled her lip. "You knew what the cats from the Dark Forest were doing. There was no need for Firestar to challenge Blackstar over that worthless stretch of grass. Did you want cats to die?" Wind swirled through the hollow, tugging ears and tails, as Bluestar's mew sounded from the top of the slope. "Enough!" The ThunderClan leader stalked down to greet the others. She nodded to Sagewhisker and Fernshade in turn. "The battle was unfortunate, but it was a lesson we needed to learn." Sagewhisker met her gaze. "A lesson in what?" Bluestar stood with her paws rooted in the streaming grass. "We know what we're up against now. The Dark Forest cats can change the destinies of the Clans. This battle would not have been fought if not for them." Yellowfang shuddered. "I should have known the Clans would suffer the moment I saw Brokenstar in the Dark Forest." Sagewhisker jerked her head toward her former apprentice. "And whose fault is it that he is there? Or that he was ever born at all?" Her eyes glittered. "You broke the warrior code and kitted him. What did you expect?" Yellowfang flinched. "Blaming each other won't help." Bluestar brushed past Yellowfang, drawing her tail over the old cat's knotted pelt. "We've all made mistakes in our time." Fernshade's whiskers twitched angrily. "Not every cat breaks the warrior code!" Bluestar didn't blink. "Mistakes are where we learn the most," she meowed evenly. "And we can learn from this battle. We must set aside old grievances. The Clans must join forces." "Brokenstar has already punished me more than I ever deserved," Yellowfang muttered. "And now he's trying to punish me again by destroying the Clans I once called my own." "This isn't about you!" Sagewhisker snapped. "Whatever's going on in the Dark Forest affects us all. We need to deal with it before it does any more harm to ShadowClan!" A growl rose in Bluestar's throat. "Not just ShadowClan! Firestar lost a life, too!" Lightning flared. The cats crouched and blinked upward, pelts bristling. As thunder rolled in the distance, more cats began to slink into the glade."Lionheart!" Bluestar called. There was relief in her voice as she saw her old friend lead Mudfur and Oakheart down the slope. "What's going on?" Lionheart stopped beside Bluestar. "We know the Dark Forest was behind the battle between ShadowClan and ThunderClan," Bluestar told him. "ThunderClan started it!" Fernshade growled. "The cats from the Dark Forest started it!" Bluestar reminded them. She glanced at Yellowfang. "Not just Brokenstar. Tigerstar and Hawkfrost, too." Oakheart narrowed his eyes. "Do we know who they're training?" His slick RiverClan pelt was starred with beads of rain. Yellowfang showed her cracked and stained teeth. "Brokenstar will claim any soul he can reach." "What if they recruit a Clan leader?" Fernshade growled. Mudfur, the old RiverClan medicine cat, shook his head. "We can no longer trust any cat." "Or Clan," Sagewhisker muttered darkly. Mudfur stiffened and tasted the air, ears pricking. "Who's there? Mudclaw? We weren't expecting to see you here." The cats turned to watch the WindClan warrior hurry down the slope. "I came as soon as I heard. What's the plan? How are we going to deal with the Dark Forest cats?" Grass ripped beneath Bluestar's paws as she unsheathed her claws. "We must persuade the Clans to join forces and fight this threat together." Sagewhisker flattened her ears. "How will they know who to fight?" "Why don't the Dark Forest warriors just come and fight us, if they're so hungry for a battle?" Fernshade snarled. Lionheart stared over the rippling grass. "Because that would be too easy. They know they'll hurt us much worse if they attack the Clans we left behind." "Is there no other way to defeat them?" Oakheart fixed his questioning gaze on Bluestar. She froze for a moment as though she were scanning his thoughts. Then she blinked. "Tigerstar has only ever understood violence." Oakheart looked away. "That's all any Dark Forest cat understands," Bluestar pressed. "If we try to reason with them, they will see it as weakness." Sagewhisker snorted. "Just as long as no one's blaming ShadowClan for Brokenstar." She glanced at Yellowfang. "As far as I can see, it's ShadowClan who's suffered most this time," Fernshade added. Thunder cracked overhead. Sagewhisker nudged Fernshade. "You'd better fetch Russetfur." As she spoke, the skies opened. Rain pelted the glade, and the cats scattered, racing for the shelter of the trees. "Fernshade!" Yellowfang called after the tortoiseshell warrior. Fernshade skidded to a stop and glanced back. "What?" Rain blurred Yellowfang's gaze. "Have a safe journey." Her voice cracked. "And tell Russetfur that I'm sorry."
CHAPTER 1
A yowl sliced through the shriek of battle, sharp with grief more than rage. Dovepaw ducked out of Toadfoot's way and spun around. Firestar! The ThunderClan leader was being dragged away across the battle-crowded clearing. The grass glistened crimson behind him. Birchfall sank his teeth farther into Firestar's scruff and heaved him over Spiderleg's shoulders, then helped to carry him away into the trees. Horror pulsed through Dovepaw. Around her, the fighting was shuddering to a stop as cats sheathed their claws and stared in bewilderment. Firestar's deputy, Brambleclaw, his broad shoulders wet with blood, padded toward Blackstar. The ShadowClan leader didn't look up. His head was bent over a dark ginger pelt. Brambleclaw dipped his head. "The battle is won," he growled. "The clearing is ours. Do you concede or shall we fight for it again?" Blackstar flashed a look of burning hatred over his shoulder. "Take it," he hissed. "It was never worth the blood that has been spilled here today." As Brambleclaw backed away, Dovepaw recognized the ginger pelt. Russetfur! Is she dead? The ShadowClan deputy lay unmoving, apart from the blood that trickled from her lips. Her Clanmates began to step carefully past the ThunderClan warriors and head for the pines. Scorchfur, Tigerheart, and Rowanclaw stopped beside their leader. While Scorchfur nudged Blackstar to his paws and guided him gently into the trees, Tigerheart grabbed Russetfur's pelt and slowly, gently, heaved her onto Rowanclaw's shoulders. Then in silence they followed their battered Clanmates into the mist-wrapped trees. Dovepaw stared after them, the energy draining from her as she saw Tigerheart's tail snake into the shadows. She looked around for Ivypaw. Her sister was helping Blossomfall limp toward the forest. "Come on, Blossomfall," Ivypaw was murmuring to her Clanmate. "Jayfeather'll fix you up." There was no hint of their past quarrels in her mew. Squirrelflight was checking Leafpool's wounds, while Leafpool scanned the battlefield, her eyes round with worry. "Lionblaze is okay," Squirrelflight reassured her sister. Brightheart lay panting on the grass, her one good eye so wide that a circle of white showed around the blue. Cloudtail nudged her with his muzzle. "Come on, you'll feel better once you start moving," he urged. Brightheart let out a low moan as she hauled herself to her paws. Bumblestripe, one ear torn, surveyed the flattened grass. "I think we showed them," he declared. Hazeltail glanced at him with scorn in her eyes and pressed closer to Mousewhisker, lapping at her sister's bleeding, ruffled fur. "Showed them what?" she muttered between licks. "How much blood can be spilled in a pointless battle?" Only Lionblaze looked uninjured. A smear of blood stained his flank, but Dovepaw knew it wasn't his. She frowned, doubts flocking into her mind like starlings. Lionblaze was part of the prophecy, like she was. His power was the ability to fight any cat, any creature at all, without being hurt. Why couldn't Lionblaze have saved Firestar? What's the point of having all that power if he couldn't help his leader? In front of her, Brambleclaw crossed the stained grass where Russetfur had lain, and touched the tip of his tail to Lionblaze's shoulder. "Russetfur was too old for this battle," he murmured. "It wasn't your fault she died." Lionblaze hung his head. Oh, StarClan! Dovepaw's belly tightened. Lionblaze killed Russetfur? Her mentor looked shattered, his eyes dull. She hurried to his side and pressed against his flank. She felt utterly helpless. Her power was the ability to hear and see things that were happening far away, much farther than other cats could sense; she should have known what ShadowClan had been up to. Instead it had been her sister, Ivypaw, who had told Firestar that Blackstar was planning to invade ThunderClan's territory and steal more land for hunting. Had StarClan sent a dream to Ivypaw because Dovepaw had refused to use her powers to spy on the other Clans? Maybe if Dovepaw had been listening and watching, as Lionblaze had asked, she'd have known what ShadowClan was going to do. She could have warned Firestar about it before there was no choice left but to fight. Could I have prevented this? She felt Lionblaze's warm breath as he touched his muzzle to the top of her head. "Come on," he whispered wearily. "Let's go home." Dovepaw pressed close to Lionblaze as they trudged on heavy paws through the whispering trees.
CHAPTER 2
Jayfeather reached a paw into the far corner of his medicine store. He could smell stale marigold tucked beneath the rock; it was the last of his supply and so old that he wasn't sure it'd be strong enough to keep infection from Sorreltail's wound. But he clawed it out anyway and pawed it together with the last of his dried oak. "This might sting," he warned Sorreltail. The tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat had been sitting patiently beside Briarlight's nest. "That's okay." From the echo of her voice, Jayfeather could tell she was watching the dozing young warrior. "Her breathing sounds rough." Briarlight had fallen asleep before sunset despite the steady flow of injured warriors and apprentices through the den. Sorreltail was the last, having insisted on waiting until the others had been treated, though the gash in her shoulder was deep and still oozing blood. Jayfeather pressed on the poultice and reached for cobwebs to cover it. "She has a chest infection," he explained, draping sticky white strands across the wound. "I'm not sure whether to make her exercise harder to clear her chest or to let her rest and fight it from inside." Sorreltail brushed his shoulder with her muzzle. "Have you asked Leafpool?" Jayfeather flicked his tail crossly toward the wads of bloodstained moss and herb fragments that littered the den floor. "Does it look like I've had time?" "I just wondered," Sorreltail replied mildly. "Besides," Jayfeather muttered, "Leafpool's busy checking injuries." "I suppose." Sorreltail got to her paws. "Thanks for the herbs." Regretting his sharpness, Jayfeather touched her flank with his tail. "Do you want poppy seeds to help you sleep?" "No, thanks." Sorreltail padded away. "Brackenfur's snoring lulls me better than any medicine." Jayfeather had treated the golden warrior earlier, snapping his wrenched shoulder back into place before sending him to his nest with strict instructions not to move until sunrise. The rest of the Clan had been spared serious injury. Only Firestar's wound had required careful attention. The tear in his neck had been closed with cobwebs and firmly bound. It would heal, but the life that had seeped away could never be replaced. Jayfeather pictured the faint warrior in StarClan, a little less transparent now, his flame-colored pelt one shade more vivid against the greenness of StarClan's hunting grounds. As Sorreltail limped from the den, Briarlight stirred. "What a mess," she rasped over the edge of her nest. "How are you?" Jayfeather sniffed her, relieved to find that her ears were cooler. "Sleepy. How's Firestar?" Briarlight blinked. "Asleep in his den," Jayfeather told her. "Sandstorm's watching over him. He'll be fine in a few days." "If only Russetfur hadn't attacked him." Briarlight had heard all the gossip from the other warriors. "Then Firestar would be fine, and Lionblaze wouldn't have killed Russetfur." Jayfeather tensed. "Russetfur was too old to be fighting!" The brambles swished, and Jayfeather breathed the familiar scent of Lionblaze. The warrior padded heavily into the den. "I should have realized that before I attacked her." "What else could you do? She was killing Firestar." Jayfeather shook out his fur and crossed the den to greet his brother. "Is Dovepaw okay?" "She's fine," Lionblaze reassured him. "Still quiet. But fine." Dovepaw had returned from the battle shivering and speechless with shock. Jayfeather had offered her thyme, but she'd refused, saying she was just tired. Unlike her Clanmates, who were keen to share every battle move, Dovepaw had sat silently while Jayfeather checked her over, only mentioning when prompted that Lionblaze had saved her from Dawnpelt. Is it fair to make apprentices fight alongside warriors? Worry for Dovepaw tightened Jayfeather's belly. Sometimes she seemed so young. At least Ivypaw was okay. She seemed rather pleased with herself, actually. And with only a bruised tail to show for her run-in with ShadowClan's fiercest warriors. But she hadn't mentioned her dream again. The dream she'd blurted out to Firestar where ShadowClan had invaded ThunderClan territory and set the forest streams running with blood. In fact, when Jayfeather had slipped into Ivypaw's thoughts, it had vanished from her mind. How could she forget a nightmare so vivid that it had sparked the battle between ThunderClan and ShadowClan? Jayfeather turned his blind blue gaze on Lionblaze. "Was it worth it?" "The battle?" Lionblaze stiffened. "Of course!" "But to lose two lives over a worthless piece of grass!" "We've sent ShadowClan a message they won't forget." "At what cost?" Jayfeather sighed. "We must not turn soft now." Lionblaze's voice dropped to a whisper as Briarlight's attention pricked across the den. "Who knows where the next blow might fall?" Jayfeather's shoulders sagged as Briarlight began coughing again. Lionblaze nosed him toward his patient. "We can't afford to ignore any signs now," he hissed. "Go on, see to Briarlight. We'll talk later." As his brother swished out of the cave, Jayfeather began massaging Briarlight's flank with his paws. Her coughing subsided, and she laid her chin on the side of her nest, her breath quickly easing into sleep. "Is she okay?" Leafpool's hushed mew sounded at the den entrance. She padded over to Briarlight's nest. "A little cooler." Jayfeather could hear Leafpool scraping cobwebs from her paws. He could tell by the scent that she'd been repatching Cloudtail's gashes. "How's Brackenfur's shoulder?" He was worried that wrenching it back into place might have damaged more than it fixed. "Did you get a chance to look at it?" "Y-yes." She hesitated. "What do you think?" Jayfeather's belly knotted. In the past, her question would have been a test. Now Leafpool sounded like she really wasn't sure. Why mumble like a nervous apprentice? It was as though she was frightened of putting a paw wrong. His mind drifted back to when she used to boss him around in this very den. He'd answer back, and she'd snap in return. The air would fizz and crackle as he rebelled against her overcautious fussing. The memory hurt. He'd known Leafpool in those days; he'd been able to predict her every objection. Since he had found out that she was his mother, he felt as if he didn't know her at all. Ignoring her question, he dismissed her. "Will you check on Firestar, please?" He lifted a paw to wash. Leafpool's whiskers brushed his toes as she dipped her head. "Of course." Stop acting like a mouse! Jayfeather thought indignantly, while he tugged a sprig of thyme from between his claws. The brambles swished, and Leafpool's pads scuffed away across the clearing. Jayfeather paused from washing and listened to his Clanmates settling down for the night. Poppyfrost was washing Molekit and Cherrykit inside the nursery. Purdy's rumbling mew droned in the elders' nest. Brackenfur was snoring just as Sorreltail had predicted. Blossomfall was fixing her nest in the warriors' den underneath the fallen beech; perhaps she was trying to make it the way it was before the tree had crashed into the hollow. Jayfeather shuddered as he remembered the day it had fallen. Its roots had been loosened by rainfall, and the great tree had slid from the top of the cliff and smashed down into the camp, crushing the elders' den and demolishing the thornbush where the warriors used to sleep. Longtail had died. Briarlight had been crippled, her back broken so that she could no longer feel her hind legs. It was only Dovepaw's powerful hearing that had prevented more cats from being killed or maimed. For half a moon the Clan had worked to rebuild their home, clearing twigs, leaves, and branches as much as they could. They had rebuilt the elders' den by weaving the old honeysuckle tendrils around a frame of splintered wood. The beech still spanned the camp, its trunk like a spine, its boughs a rib cage jabbing into the clearing, its roots gripping the bramble nursery like claws. Every night was filled with the sound of leaves and twigs being tugged and adjusted as the warriors worked on their nests in their new den beneath the strongest bough of the fallen tree. Jayfeather was still finding it hard to navigate the camp, tripping on unexpected branches or piles of twigs that had been brushed to one side but not yet cleared. Longtail, the blind elder, would have struggled even more to adjust. Perhaps he was lucky to be with StarClan, luckier than Briarlight. She had a chest infection now because she couldn't run and hunt like her Clanmates. She could only drag herself to and from the clearing, her hindquarters dead as fresh-kill. Jayfeather shook himself. Fretting wouldn't help. He rinsed his paws in the pool, shuddering at the chilliness of the water, then padded to the bracken pile beside Briarlight's nest.As Jayfeather curled into the smooth stems and closed his eyes, Ivypaw's dream pricked his thoughts. Why had StarClan set this battle in motion? He couldn't shake the nagging suspicion that StarClan would never share dreams with Ivypaw. Why choose her and not one of the Three? I'll talk to Lionblaze about it in the morning. Tired to the tip of his tail, he let his mind drift into sleep. The stench of decay made him shudder. Blinking open his eyes, he found himself in the Dark Forest. Shadows pressed like dark pelts around him. He glanced nervously over his shoulder. What was he doing here? Was Tigerstar planning to recruit him? No. Tigerstar was no fool. He tasted the air. A familiar scent bathed his tongue. Stiffening, Jayfeather peered through the gloom. "Hello!" A cheerful mew sounded in a clearing ahead. Ivypaw? A gruff mew answered her. "Sorry if I scared you today." Who is she talking to? "You didn't scare me at all." Ivypaw didn't sound frightened or even surprised to be in the Dark Forest. "I knew you wouldn't hurt me. You're one of the Clanmates, aren't you?" The Clanmates? Crouching low, Jayfeather ducked into the mist and crept forward. Ivypaw stood a fox-length away, ears pricked, tail high. Beside her, Jayfeather recognized the broad shoulders of a dark brown tabby. Tigerheart! The ShadowClan warrior leaned close to the ThunderClan apprentice. "I saw you with Hawkfrost the other night while I was training with Brokenstar. I never guessed you'd be one of us." One of us? Jayfeather crept closer. Tigerheart circled Ivypaw. "You're good." Ivypaw fluffed out her chest as Tigerheart went on. "It was a shame our Clans had to fight, though. How did that happen?" Tell him about your dream! Paw steps scuffed in the shadows, and cold fear traced Jayfeather's spine as a rumbling mew interrupted the two young Clan cats. "Come on, Ivypaw! You're wasting time!" Jayfeather's breath caught in his throat as he recognized the speaker. Hawkfrost. Tigerstar's son, endlessly furious that he had been killed by his half brother, Brambleclaw, when he was trying to take Firestar's remaining lives and leave ThunderClan leaderless and vulnerable for his and Tigerstar's own cruel ambition. "You fought well today," the former RiverClan warrior growled. "But you got the move wrong when you attacked Scorchfur. Never turn on two legs when you can manage on one!" He beckoned Ivypaw away with his tail. She followed without question, disappearing after him into the mist. Hawkfrost's growl shot back from the shadows. "Wait there, Tigerheart. Brokenstar's coming for you soon." Jayfeather stared in horror, his paws frozen to the chilly earth. As the mist swirled around him, mews and growls began to rise from the shadows; young voices chirped with questions and called for approval while older mews snarled in reply, urging them on, pushing them ever harder. It was the noise of training sessions from any Clan by the lake—except this wasn't the lake, it was the Place of No Stars. Jayfeather glimpsed sleek, oily pelts wrestling in the shadows and smelled RiverClan. Beyond a line of gray ferns, lither shapes reared and swiped at each other. WindClan, too? "Unsheathe your claws!" "Fight like a warrior, not a kit!" The scents of decay swamped Jayfeather's tongue. Then Breezepelt's mew rose from the shadows. "I wish I'd fought in the battle today." The WindClan warrior sounded tense with frustration. "I'd have fought on your side if I'd been given the chance." Who is he talking to? Jayfeather tasted the air, reaching through the foul tastes of the Dark Forest and shuddering as he recognized a ShadowClan scent. Breezepelt was swearing allegiance to a ShadowClan cat! Another shape moved between the trees. Jayfeather spotted the long dark spine moving through the mist like a snake. Yellowfang had given this cat a name on his last visit to the Dark Forest—a name she had spat from her tongue like poison. Brokenstar. "Don't worry, Breezepelt," the black-furred warrior growled. "There'll be many more chances to fight. We'll destroy the warrior code. Once it's gone, there'll be no limit to what we can achieve."Breezepelt growled excitedly as Brokenstar went on. "With no mouse-hearted rules telling us what to do, we can rebuild the Clans stronger than ever." Jayfeather shivered against the dread hollowing his belly. Clan cats, cats who lived beside the lake during their waking moments, surrounded him. He could feel their warm hearts beating, quickened by the lies of the dead. There was no hiding now from what was happening: Cats from every Clan were being trained by Dark Forest warriors to rise against their Clanmates, trained to break every part of the code the Clans had long fought to protect.
CHAPTER 3
"Mouse dung!" Lionblaze grumbled under his breath as Birchfall, snoring, flopped his legs onto Lionblaze's belly for the third time. I wish I could sleep! Lionblaze heaved Birchfall away roughly. He got to his paws. "Ouch!" A sharp twig jabbed Lionblaze between the ears. The roof was low and as prickly as a hedgehog, bristling with twigs that still needed to be trimmed. The whole den needed trimming. Lionblaze wrinkled his nose. The air was rank with the stench of combat-weary warriors. Unease tightened his belly as he thought about the battle. Russetfur shouldn't have died. The skirmish over the Twoleg clearing should have played out till the strongest Clan had claimed the territory. Death had no part in a fight over boundaries. Lionblaze brushed past Millie, tucked into a ball beside the entrance, and pushed his way out of the den, cold air nipping his nose. He blinked, relishing the chill, pulling free of the trailing branches that dragged at his pelt. The clearing glittered in bright moonlight. Frost silvered the cliffs that circled the camp, and the ground felt like stone. Lionblaze's warm pads stung for a few paw steps, then grew numb with the cold. He paused and listened. In the medicine den, Jayfeather soothed Briarlight as she coughed. Molekit was purring in the nursery, probably warming himself with Poppyfrost's milk. The battle seemed like another world away. A faint crack sounded from the top of the hollow. Lionblaze jerked his gaze upward and saw a piece of grit catch the moonlight as it fell. It landed with a tiny snick on the frozen clearing. Something's up there. Lionblaze headed for the barrier. Jayfeather had warned that the Dark Forest was rising against them; no sign could be ignored. "Lionblaze?" Cinderheart squeezed from the den entrance behind him. "Are you okay?" Lionblaze glanced over his shoulder. Cinderheart's gray tabby pelt was still ruffled from her nest. "Did you hear something out there?" The thorns rustled, and Hazeltail slid into the hollow. "What's up?" Firestar had assigned her to guard the entrance with Graystripe. The ThunderClan leader always doubled the guard after battles. "Have you seen or heard anything tonight?" Lionblaze glanced back up to the top of the hollow. Hazeltail followed his gaze. "No." "Has Graystripe?" "Did someone say my name?" The gray warrior peered in through the barrier. His fur was fluffed up against the cold. "Has anything happened while you've been on watch?" Lionblaze pressed. "Nothing." Hazeltail stretched, stifling a yawn. "It's been silent as the stars all evening," she agreed. "Why? Are you expecting something?" The fallen speck of grit glinted on the frosty ground. "It's probably just prey," Lionblaze muttered. "Mmm, prey." Graystripe licked his lips and ducked back out of sight. Hazeltail shook out her fur and padded through the thorns to join him outside. Cinderheart eyed Lionblaze. "Shall we go and check?" Lionblaze hesitated. "It'll be freezing in the forest." Cinderheart shrugged. "A run will warm us up." "But it's the middle of the night." He didn't want to share his unease with her. And what if there was something there? He felt a protective surge rise in his chest. "You stay here. I'll check." Cinderheart's eyes flashed in the moonlight. "I'm not a kit!" Flustered, Lionblaze flicked his tail. "I didn't mean—" Cinderheart marched past him. "And I'm not going to stand here till my paws freeze to the ground!"Lionblaze sighed as she stalked toward the camp entrance. If Cinderheart was going to be stubborn, there was nothing he could do about it. He followed her to the barrier. "We'd better be on the lookout for ShadowClan," he warned. "They might still have a taste for ThunderClan blood." Cinderheart glanced back at him sharply. "You think?" She pushed her way through the tunnel. Lionblaze snorted, annoyed with himself. She was right; he was treating her like a kit. "Where are you two going?" Graystripe challenged as they emerged from the wall of thorns. "Can't sleep," Cinderheart explained. "Be careful," Hazeltail cautioned. "We won't stay out long." Lionblaze's breath billowed in front of him. "It's too cold." He followed a narrow path through the frosty bracken and up through the trees. At the top of the hollow, they emerged from the forest into moonlight. Lionblaze sniffed at the grass edging the cliff top. It was limp with frost, and he could smell nothing but frozen leaves and ice. "Are you okay?" Cinderheart's mew was hushed with concern. "What do you mean?" "About Russetfur." Cinderheart tipped her head to one side. "About her dying." Lionblaze stiffened. "About me killing her, you mean?" "You had to save Firestar." "I don't want to talk about it." Lionblaze turned back to the grass, following the glittering stalks around the hollow's edge toward a fallen branch. He could only smell ThunderClan scents. No sign of intruders, or prey. "You have to talk about it," Cinderheart persisted. "Every other cat will be talking about it. You can't just pretend it didn't happen." "It shouldn't have happened!" The words burst from Lionblaze, anger flooding quickly after. He sprang onto the fallen branch and turned on his Clanmate. "I never meant to kill her!" He tore at the bark, ripping chunks out with his claws. "I was just trying to save Firestar! But I didn't even manage to do that. He still lost a life!" Cinderheart flinched from the spray of splinters. "You did save Firestar." Her voice was firm. "Who knows what Russetfur would've done next? She might have taken all his lives." Why was she making him remember? He was suddenly back in the battle, Russetfur struggling in his grip as he tried to rip her from Firestar. He shuddered as he felt her grow limp beneath his claws. Why had StarClan let him kill her? Cinderheart kept pushing. "Every warrior knows they might die in battle. Why are you so upset? Are you afraid ShadowClan will retaliate?" Her dark blue eyes reflected the stars. "Why should they? Death happens. Clans have more to worry about than losing a warrior." "She was their deputy!" Lionblaze snapped. Cinderheart met his gaze. "She was old." Lionblaze's anger weakened its grip. He was suddenly sorry he had let his temper get the better of him. "A true warrior doesn't kill to win," he murmured. "Remember the code?" Cinderheart blinked, her pelt smoothing, then turned and stared into the trees as though watching a thought drift into the forest. "Maybe times are changing," she breathed. Lionblaze stiffened. "No!" Cinderheart shifted her paws. "What do you mean?" Lionblaze pressed. "The warrior code is the same as it always was. How can something that important to all the Clans change?" Cinderheart shrugged. "Can't you feel it?" "Feel what?" Lionblaze felt his pelt start to prickle. Had Dovepaw given something away about the prophecy? "Something . . ." Cinderheart seemed to be searching for the right words. "Something feels different. The battle was so vicious—too vicious for a fight over boundaries—almost as if it was just the beginning of something much worse." Her eyes were round, dark pools. Lionblaze stared at her. Was she the only cat to feel this way? He was used to the prophecy: There will be three who will hold the power of the stars in their paws. He'd known for moons that ancient enemies were stirring. The Clans were on the edge of darkness. The knowledge colored every moment for him now; it shaped every thought. But the rest of the Clan must be protected from knowing. It was more than they could comprehend, more than they could cope with, however hard they trained, however much they believed in the warrior code. "Have you had a dream? Some warning?" he demanded. "If you have, you should tell Firestar." Cinderheart shook her head. "No. It just feels wrong that Russetfur tried to kill Firestar. She was a fine warrior. Why try and kill him? She must've known StarClan would disapprove." Lionblaze leaned forward as she went on."It was like something darker was driving ShadowClan." A shriek from the trees made them both spin, fur on end, claws unsheathed. A white owl wheeled from between the trunks. It dived toward them, the air from the downbeat of its wide, snowy wings lifting their fur as it swooped past. "What in the name of StarClan?" Lionblaze gasped. A wing tip whipped against his muzzle, and he fought to keep his balance on the branch as, with another shriek, the owl whirled away over the hollow. With a startled yowl, Cinderheart pelted into the trees, her tail bristled like gorse. Lionblaze hared after her. He started to call to his denmate, to reassure her, but he stopped himself. Running would wear out her fear soon enough. Besides, the cold night wind felt good in his fur. He felt powerful. Trees blurred around him; branches trembled as he passed. Cinderheart's tail, a fox-length ahead, was already beginning to smooth, snaking behind her as she plunged through a stand of bracken. He followed, the frozen stalks scraping his pelt. Cinderheart swerved as they burst from the bracken. The forest floor dropped away in a short steep slope that Cinderheart leaped in an easy stride, landing lightly and racing onward. She veered to skirt a knot of bare brambles. The trees grew thicker around them as they headed deeper into the forest. Lionblaze let Cinderheart lead, enjoying the warmth of her wake, matching her pace, concentrating only on the ground beneath his paws. When Cinderheart began to slow, he slowed too, flanks heaving, breath coming in hard gasps, as together they pulled to a halt. Lionblaze was surprised to see the abandoned Twoleg nest, dark against the darker trees. He hadn't realized they had run so far. They trotted past in silence and headed up the oak-lined slope behind the stones. Brambles sprang in front of them, but Cinderheart kept pushing her way through until she stumbled into a tiny clearing. Behind her, Lionblaze stopped with a jolt. "What is it?" Cinderheart asked, turning. Lionblaze stared around the cramped space, hedged by thorns. He had been here once before. Then the sloping ground had been flat and grassy, dipping down in the center to a hole. Now the hole was gone, and instead of smooth grass, rocks and mud had set like a scab on the forest floor. Lionblaze felt sick. Somewhere below that wounded earth lay his sister Hollyleaf's body. This was where she had fled into the tunnels after finding out that Leafpool was their real mother. The entrance had collapsed and disappeared behind a mudslide, trapping her forever. "What is it?" Cinderheart's whiskers brushed his. Lionblaze shook his head. Only he and Jayfeather knew the truth of Hollyleaf's disappearance, the reason she had vanished underground: not just because of Leafpool, but because she had killed Ashfur, the only cat apart from them and Squirrelflight who knew, in order to keep the secret. When Ashfur's death changed nothing in the storm inside Hollyleaf's head, she had announced the truth at a Gathering, then returned to confront Leafpool one final time before fleeing to the tunnel. As far as her Clanmates were concerned, she had died in a tragic accident, and Ashfur's murderer was still unknown, presumed to be a passing rogue. Lionblaze had been so excited when he'd first seen the tunnels. The wonder of them! A secret place to meet and have fun. Now he stared at the fractured earth and wished Heathertail had never found them. Guilt pricked his pelt as he remembered playing underground with the pretty WindClan warrior while they were both still apprentices. A growl rumbled in his throat. If Heathertail hadn't discovered the tunnels, Hollyleaf might still be alive. "Lionblaze?" Cinderheart's anxious mew brought Lionblaze to his senses. His paws ached, and he realized he had been digging his claws deep into the frozen earth. "What is it?" Cinderheart was staring at him with her head to one side. "Are you still spooked by the owl?" "I guess so." Lionblaze unhooked his claws from the earth and smoothed his fur with a few licks. "Let's check the ShadowClan border," he suggested, hoping to distract her. "We're almost there." "Not still scared they're after our blood?" Lionblaze glanced at the lightening sky, ignoring her teasing. "It's nearly dawn," he meowed. "We can do an early patrol and report back to Firestar." Cinderheart looked relieved. "You sound like a warrior again." She brushed past him. "You had me worried." Lionblaze fell in beside her. "Worried about me?" "Why not?" She stopped and gazed at him seriously. "You're a good friend." Maybe more than a friend? Before he could summon the courage to say it out loud, she darted away. "I'll race you!" she called. Lionblaze gave chase, keeping up easily as Cinderheart swerved between the trees. Would he ever have the nerve to tell her he wanted her to be more than a friend? His fur prickled with frustration. He could be the bravest warrior in all four Clans, but the thought of telling Cinderheart how he felt drained every drop of courage from him. Stars glimmered between the trunks ahead. They were nearing the edge of the forest. He quickened his pace. "Hurry up!" He pulled ahead of Cinderheart, pretending to tease. Truthfully, he wanted to reach the Twoleg clearing before she did. They had fought for it and won it, but he still didn't trust ShadowClan. There was no way he was going to let Cinderheart run into a trap. He stopped at the edge of the trees, signaling to Cinderheart with his tail to keep back. She ignored him and crouched at his side as he peered across the frost-whitened grass. "I wish Firestar had never asked for it back!" she muttered. Lionblaze snapped his head around and stared at her, shocked. She shifted her paws. "I just mean it's impossible to patrol." There was an apology in her mew, as though she sensed she'd spoken too hastily. "ShadowClan can see us patrolling the moment we set paw out of the forest, and the hunting's so poor, and the Twolegs are here all greenleaf—" She broke off.