Into the Wild (24 page)

Buoyed up with relief at being
home again, Firepaw and Graypaw sprinted ahead of the patrol into the ThunderClan camp. Frostfur was lying in the middle of the clearing, her head resting sadly on her paws. As the two apprentices bounded in she lifted her nose and sniffed the air. “My kits!” she cried. She leaped up and raced past Firepaw and Graypaw to meet the rest of the party as they emerged from the tunnel.

The kits rushed over to Frostfur and nuzzled into her side. She curled her soft body around them and licked them each in turn, purring loudly.

Yellowfang hung back at the camp entrance and looked on silently.

Bluestar strode up to the returning patrol. She glanced fondly at Frostfur and her kits and then turned her eyes to Whitestorm. “Are they all right?” she asked.

“They're fine,” meowed Whitestorm.

“Well done, Whitestorm. ThunderClan honors you.”

Whitestorm bent his head to accept her praise, and added, “But it was thanks to this apprentice that we found them.”

Firepaw lifted his head and tail proudly, about to speak, but
Tigerclaw's accusing snarl sounded from across the clearing.

“Why did you bring back the traitor?” The dark warrior stalked up to the patrol and stood beside his leader.

“She is no traitor,” Firepaw insisted. He looked around the camp. The rest of the cats had quickly gathered in the clearing to see the kits and congratulate the hunting party. Some of them had spotted Yellowfang and were eyeing her with looks of pure hatred.

“She killed Spottedleaf,” spat Longtail.

“Look between Spottedleaf's claws,” Graypaw suggested. “You will find the brown fur of Clawface, not Yellowfang's gray fur!”

Bluestar nodded at Mousefur, who darted away from the crowd, toward the spot where Spottedleaf's body lay, waiting for its dawn burial. The Clan waited in tense silence till she returned.

“Graypaw is right,” Mousefur panted, rushing back to the clearing. “Spottedleaf was not attacked by a gray cat.”

A murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd.

“But that doesn't mean she didn't help to take the kits!” hissed Tigerclaw.

“Without Yellowfang we never would have recovered the kits!” Firepaw spat, his exhaustion making him impatient. “She knew that a ShadowClan warrior had taken them. She was hunting for them when I found her. She risked her life returning to the ShadowClan camp. It was Yellowfang who thought up the battle plan that got us into the ShadowClan camp and gave us a chance to defeat Brokenstar!”

The cats listened to Firepaw's words, astonished.

“He's right,” Whitestorm meowed. “Yellowfang is a friend.”

“I'm glad to hear it,” murmured Bluestar, catching Firepaw's eye.

Frostfur's anxious meow sounded from the crowd. “Is Brokenstar dead?” she asked.

“No, he escaped,” Whitestorm told her. “But he will never lead ShadowClan again.”

Frostfur sighed in relief and returned to nuzzling her kits.

Whitestorm looked at Bluestar. “I promised ShadowClan we would leave them in peace until next full moon,” he explained. “Brokenstar's leadership has left their Clan in chaos.”

Bluestar nodded. “That was a wise and generous offer,” she meowed approvingly. The ThunderClan leader walked past Whitestorm and the rest of the patrol and approached Yellowfang. Yellowfang lowered her eyes as Bluestar touched the gray cat's rough coat with her nose.

“Yellowfang, I wish you to replace Spottedleaf as medicine cat to ThunderClan,” Bluestar meowed. “I'm sure you'll find all her supplies as she left them.”

The other cats began to murmur to each other, tails flicking with excitement. Yellowfang looked around at them anxiously and said nothing.

Frostfur glanced at the other queens before she met Yellowfang's gaze and slowly nodded her approval.

Yellowfang bent her head respectfully to the white cat before addressing her new leader. “Thank you, Bluestar.
ShadowClan is not the Clan I once knew. ThunderClan is my Clan now.”

Firepaw felt a surge of satisfaction that the old she-cat he had come to love would be his Clan's medicine cat from now on. Then his tail dropped as he realized that he would never again find Spottedleaf in her clearing, the sunlight gleaming on her soft fur, her amber eyes shining in welcome.

“Where's Ravenpaw?” meowed Bluestar suddenly, jolting Firepaw out of his bittersweet remembrances.

“Yes,” Tigerclaw chimed in, “where is my apprentice? Strange that he should disappear along with Brokenstar.” He looked meaningfully around the Clan.

“If you think he might have been helping Brokenstar,” Firepaw meowed boldly, “then you are wrong!”

Tigerclaw stiffened, a menacing gleam in his yellow eyes.

“Ravenpaw is dead,” Firepaw went on, dropping his head as if weighed down with grief. “We found his body in ShadowClan territory. From the scents around him, he must have been slain by a ShadowClan patrol.” He looked at Bluestar. “I will tell you everything later,” he promised.

Yellowfang shot Firepaw a questioning look. Firepaw returned her gaze with a silent plea for her to hold her tongue. She twitched her ears briefly in understanding and looked away.

“I never said that Ravenpaw was a traitor,” hissed Tigerclaw. He paused and allowed an expression of sorrow to cloud his eyes before he turned to address the rest of the Clan. “Ravenpaw might have made a fine warrior. His death has come too
soon, and his loss will be felt by many of us for a long time.”

Empty words!
thought Firepaw bitterly. What would Tigerclaw say if he knew that Ravenpaw was safe, far beyond the forest, catching rats with Barley?

Bluestar broke the silence. “We will miss Ravenpaw, but we shall mourn him tomorrow. First there is another ritual that must be performed—one, I know, that Ravenpaw would have taken pleasure in.” She turned to Firepaw and Graypaw. “You have shown great courage tonight. Did they fight well, Whitestorm?” she asked.

“Like warriors,” Whitestorm replied solemnly.

Bluestar met his yellow-eyed gaze and gave a slight nod. Then she lifted her chin and fixed her eyes on Silverpelt's swath of stars. Her voice rang out, clear and measured in the hushed woods. “I, Bluestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn.” She looked down at Firepaw and Graypaw, narrowing her eyes. “Firepaw, Graypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your lives?”

Firepaw felt something stir within him, a fire that burned in his belly and rang in his ears. He suddenly felt that everything he had done for the Clan so far—all the prey he had stalked, all the enemy warriors he had fought—had been for the sake of this single moment. “I do,” he replied steadily.

“I do,” echoed Graypaw, his fur bristling with excitement.

“Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior names: Graypaw, from this moment you will be known as Graystripe. StarClan honors your bravery and your strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan.” Bluestar stepped forward and rested her muzzle on top of Graystripe's bowed head. He bent lower to give her shoulder a respectful lick, then straightened up and walked over to join the other warriors.

Bluestar stood and studied Firepaw for a long moment before speaking. “Firepaw, from this moment you will be known as Fireheart. StarClan honors your bravery and your strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan.” She touched her muzzle to his head and murmured, “Fireheart, I am proud to have you as my warrior. Serve your Clan well, young one.”

Fireheart's muscles were trembling so much that he could hardly stoop to lick Bluestar's shoulder. He purred hoarsely to show his thanks, then slipped away to stand beside Graystripe.

Meows of tribute sounded from the crowd, and the voices of the Clan rose in the still night air to chant the new warrior names. “Fireheart! Graystripe! Fireheart! Graystripe!”

Fireheart looked around the Clan, seeing faces that had grown so familiar over the last few moons. He listened to them as they called his new name and felt overwhelmed by the kindness and respect he saw shining in their eyes.

“It is almost moonhigh,” meowed Bluestar. “In the tradition of our ancestors, Fireheart and Graystripe must sit in silent vigil until dawn, and guard the camp alone while we sleep.”

Fireheart and Graystripe nodded solemnly.

As the rest of the Clan began to melt away back to their dens, Tigerclaw pushed past Fireheart. The ThunderClan deputy slowed as he passed and hissed quietly into his ear, “Don't think you can outwit me, kittypet. Be careful what you tell Bluestar.”

A cold shiver ran down Fireheart's spine. Bluestar had to know about Tigerclaw's treachery!

As Tigerclaw headed back to the warriors' den, Fireheart left Graystripe sitting alone in the clearing and bounded after Bluestar. He caught up with her outside her den. “Bluestar, I know I'm breaking the vow of silence, but I must speak with you before I begin my vigil.”

Bluestar looked at Fireheart and shook her head. “This is an important ritual, Fireheart. You can speak to me in the morning.”

Fireheart dipped his head in acceptance. Tigerclaw was not a problem that could be solved overnight anyway. He returned to Graystripe's side in the middle of the clearing. The two friends exchanged glances, but said nothing.

Fireheart looked at the moon above his head. His orange coat glowed silver in the cold light. Around him, the bushes and trees were draped in mist that brushed damply against his fur. Fireheart closed his eyes and recalled the dreams of his kittenhood. The cool forest scents in his nostrils were real now, and the life of a warrior stretched ahead of him. He felt unrestrained joy flood up from his paws and surge through his body. Then he opened his eyes with a jolt. Another pair of eyes was shining back at him from the warriors' den.

Tigerclaw!

Fireheart stared back without blinking. He was a warrior now. He had made an enemy of the Clan's deputy, but Tigerclaw had made an enemy of him. Fireheart was not the same naive young cat who had joined the Clan all those moons ago. He was bigger, stronger, faster, and wiser. If he was destined to oppose Tigerclaw, then so be it. Fireheart was ready for the challenge.

Fireheart shivered. His flame-colored fur was
still greenleaf-light; it would be a few moons before it was thick enough to keep out cold like this. He shuffled his forepaws on the hard earth. The sky was finally growing light as dawn crept slowly in. But even though his paws were cold, Fireheart could not suppress a glow of pride. After many moons as an apprentice, he was a warrior at last.

In his mind, he replayed yesterday's victory at the ShadowClan camp: Brokenstar's glittering eyes as the ShadowClan leader backed away, hissing threats, before fleeing into the trees after his traitorous companions. The remaining ShadowClan cats had been grateful to ThunderClan for helping them to get rid of their cruel leader, and for the peace ThunderClan had promised them while they recovered. Brokenstar had not just brought chaos to his own Clan—he had driven the whole of WindClan from their camp, right out of Clan territory. He had been a dark shadow in the forest since before Fireheart had left his kittypet life to join ThunderClan.

But for Fireheart, there was another shadow troubling his mind: Tigerclaw, ThunderClan's deputy. Fireheart shivered
again as he thought of the great ThunderClan warrior who had terrorized his apprentice, Ravenpaw. In the end, Fireheart and his best friend, Graystripe, had helped the frightened apprentice to escape into the Twoleg territory beyond the uplands. Afterward, Fireheart had told the Clan that Ravenpaw had been killed by ShadowClan.

If what Ravenpaw said about Tigerclaw was true, it was best if the ThunderClan deputy believed his apprentice had died, for he knew a secret Tigerclaw would do anything to conceal. Ravenpaw had told Fireheart that the mighty tabby warrior had murdered Redtail, the old ThunderClan deputy, in the hope that he would become the new deputy . . . which, eventually, he had.

Fireheart shook his head to clear it of these dark thoughts and turned to glance at Graystripe sitting beside him. Graystripe's thick gray fur was ruffled up against the cold. Fireheart guessed he was looking forward to the first rays of sunshine too, but he didn't say this out loud. Clan tradition demanded silence on this night. This was their vigil—the night when a new warrior guarded the Clan and reflected on his new name and status. Until last night, Fireheart had been known by his apprentice name of Firepaw.

Halftail was one of the first cats to wake. Fireheart could see the old cat moving among the shadows in the elders' den. He glanced toward the warriors' den at the other side of the clearing. Through the branches that sheltered the den, he recognized the broad shoulders of Tigerclaw as he slept.

At the foot of Highrock, the lichen that draped the
entrance to Bluestar's den twitched, and Fireheart saw his Clan leader push her way out. She stopped and lifted her head to sniff the air. Then she padded silently out of Highrock's shadow, her long fur glowing blue-gray in the dawn light.
I must warn her about Tigerclaw
, thought Fireheart. Bluestar had mourned Redtail's death with the rest of the Clan, believing him to have been killed in battle by Oakheart, the deputy of RiverClan. Fireheart had hesitated before, knowing how important Tigerclaw was to her, but the danger was too great. Bluestar needed to know that her Clan was harboring a cold-blooded murderer.

Tigerclaw emerged from the warriors' den and met Bluestar at the edge of the clearing. He murmured something to her, his tail flicking urgently.

Fireheart stifled his instinctive meow of greeting. The sky was growing light, but until he knew for sure that the sun was above the horizon, he dared not break his silence. Impatience fluttered in his chest like a trapped bird. He must speak with Bluestar as soon as he could. But for now, all he could do was nod respectfully at the two cats as they passed him.

Beside him, Graystripe nudged Fireheart and pointed upward with his nose. An orange glow was just visible on the horizon.

“Glad to see the dawn, you two?” Whitestorm's deep meow took Fireheart by surprise. He had not noticed the white warrior approaching. Fireheart and Graystripe nodded together.

“It's all right; you may speak now. Your vigil is over.” Whitestorm's voice was kind. Yesterday he had fought side by
side with Fireheart and Graystripe in the battle with ShadowClan. There was a new respect in his eyes as he looked at them.

“Thank you, Whitestorm,” Fireheart meowed gratefully. He stood and stretched his stiff legs one at a time.

Graystripe pushed himself up too. “Brrrrr!” he meowed, shaking the chill from his fur. “I thought the sun would never come up!”

A scornful voice mewed from outside the apprentices' den. “The great warrior speaks!”

It was Sandpaw, her pale orange coat fluffed up with hostility. Dustpaw was sitting beside her. With his dark tabby pelt, he looked like Sandpaw's shadow. He puffed out his chest importantly and mocked, “I'm surprised such heroes even feel the cold!” Sandpaw purred with amusement.

Whitestorm shot them a stern look. “Go and find something to eat; then rest,” he ordered Fireheart and Graystripe. The older warrior turned away and padded toward the apprentices' den. “Come on, you two,” he meowed to Sandpaw and Dustpaw. “It's time for your training.”

“I hope he has them chasing blue squirrels all day!” Graystripe hissed to Fireheart as they headed toward the corner where a few pieces of fresh-kill remained from last night.

“But there aren't any blue squirrels,” Fireheart mewed in confusion.

“Precisely!” Graystripe's amber eyes gleamed.

“You can't exactly blame them. They did begin their training before us,” Fireheart pointed out mildly. “If they'd fought
in the battle yesterday, they'd probably have been made warriors too.”

“I suppose.” Graystripe shrugged. “Hey, look!” They'd reached the fresh-kill pile. “One mouse each and a chaffinch to share!”

The two friends picked up their meal and looked at each other. Graystripe's eyes suddenly sparkled with delight. “I suppose we take it to the warriors' side of the camp now,” he meowed.

“I suppose we do,” Fireheart purred, padding after his friend to the patch of nettles where they had often watched Whitestorm, Tigerclaw, and the other warriors share fresh-kill.

“Now what?” asked Graystripe, gulping down his last mouthful. “I don't know about you, but I think I could sleep for half a moon.”

“Me too,” Fireheart agreed.

The two friends got to their paws and made their way toward the warriors' den. Fireheart stuck his head through the low-hanging branches. Mousefur and Longtail were still asleep on the other side of the den.

He pushed his way inside and found a patch of moss at the edge. The smell told him it wasn't a sleeping place already used by another warrior. Graystripe settled down beside him.

Fireheart listened as Graystripe's steady breaths relaxed into long, muffled snores. Fireheart felt equally exhausted, but he was still desperate to talk to Bluestar. From where he lay, his head flat to the earth, he could just see the camp entrance.
He stared at it, waiting for his leader's return, but gradually his eyes began to close, and he gave in to his longing for sleep.

Fireheart could hear a roaring around him, like wind in tall trees. The acrid stench of the Thunderpath stung his nostrils, together with a new smell, sharper and more terrifying. Fire! Flames lapped at the black sky, throwing glowing cinders up into a starless night. To Fireheart's amazement, silhouettes of cats flitted in front of the fire. Why hadn't they run away?

One of them stopped and looked straight at Fireheart. The tom's night-eyes glinted in the darkness and he lifted his long, straight tail, as if in greeting.

Fireheart trembled as a memory burst into his mind of the words that Spottedleaf, the former ThunderClan medicine cat, had said to him before her untimely death: “Fire will save the Clan!” Could it be something to do with the strange cats that showed no fear of fire?

“Wake up, Fireheart!”

Fireheart flicked up his head, startled out of his dream by Tigerclaw's growl.

“You were mewing in your sleep!”

Still dazed, Fireheart sat up and shook his head. “Y-yes, Tigerclaw!” With a pang of alarm, he wondered if he had repeated Spottedleaf's words out loud. He had dreamed like this before—dreams so vivid that he could taste them, and which had later come true. Fireheart certainly did not want Tigerclaw to suspect him of having powers that usually StarClan gave only to a medicine cat.

Moonlight shone through the leafy den wall. Fireheart
realized he must have slept through the whole day.

“You and Graystripe will join the evening patrol,” Tigerclaw told him. “Hurry up!” The dark tabby turned and stalked out of the den.

Fireheart let the fur relax on his shoulders. Clearly Tigerclaw didn't suspect anything unusual about his dream. But while Fireheart's secret was safe, he was equally determined to expose the murderous truth about Tigerclaw's role in Redtail's death.

Fireheart licked his lips. Graystripe lay beside him washing his flank. They had just finished sharing a meal beside the camp clearing. The sun had set and Fireheart could see the moon, almost full now, gleaming in a cold, clear sky. The past few days had been busy. It seemed that every time they lay down for a rest, Tigerclaw sent them out on patrol or a hunting mission. Fireheart had stayed alert, looking for a chance to talk with Bluestar alone, but when he wasn't on one of Tigerclaw's missions, the ThunderClan leader always seemed to have her deputy at her side.

Fireheart began to wash his paw, his eyes flicking around the camp, searching hopefully for Bluestar.

“What are you looking for?” meowed Graystripe through a tongueful of fur.

“Bluestar,” Fireheart answered, lowering his paw.

“Why?” Graystripe stopped washing and looked up at his friend. “You've had one eye on her ever since our vigil. What are you planning to do?”

“I have to tell her where Ravenpaw is, and warn her about Tigerclaw,” Fireheart meowed.

“You promised Ravenpaw you'd tell them he was dead!” Graystripe sounded amazed.

“I only promised to tell Tigerclaw he was dead. Bluestar should know the whole story. She needs to know what her deputy is capable of.”

Graystripe lowered his voice to an urgent hiss. “But we only have Ravenpaw's word that Tigerclaw killed Redtail.”

“Don't you believe him?” Fireheart couldn't help feeling shocked by his friend's doubts.

“Look, if Tigerclaw lied about killing Oakheart in revenge for Redtail's death, that means Redtail must have killed Oakheart himself. And I can't believe that Redtail would have deliberately killed another Clan deputy in battle. It goes against the warrior code—we fight to prove our strength and defend our territory, not to kill each other.”

“But I'm not trying to make accusations against Redtail!” Fireheart protested. “It's Tigerclaw who is the problem.” Redtail had been the ThunderClan deputy before Tigerclaw. Fireheart had never met him, but he knew Redtail had been deeply respected by all the Clan.

Graystripe didn't meet Fireheart's gaze. “What you are saying has implications for Redtail's honor. And none of the other cats have a problem with Tigerclaw. It was only Ravenpaw who was scared of him.”

An uneasy shiver ran down Fireheart's spine. “So you think Ravenpaw made the story up because he didn't get along with
his mentor?” he meowed scornfully.

“No,” mumbled Graystripe. “I just think we should be careful.”

Fireheart looked into his friend's worried eyes and began to wonder. He supposed Graystripe did have a point—they had been warriors for only a few days, so they were in no position to start hurling accusations at the Clan's most senior warrior.

“It's okay,” Fireheart meowed at last. “You can stay out of it.” A twinge of regret flickered in his belly as Graystripe nodded and returned to washing. Fireheart believed that Graystripe was wrong to think it was only Ravenpaw who had a problem with Tigerclaw. Fireheart's own instincts told him that the ThunderClan deputy should not be trusted. He had to share his suspicions with Bluestar, for her safety and the safety of the Clan.