Warriors: Power Of Three 5 - Long Shadows (26 page)

“Thanks, Leafpool,” Brambleclaw mewed. “Have you enough for the sick cats as well?”

“Yes, plenty,” Leafpool replied. “I’ll send Jayfeather to the Twoleg nest with them. There’s something else,” she added.

“Can you ask the hunting patrols to look out for young prey?

That’s easier for the sick cats to eat, and now that we’ve got the catmint they’ll start to feel hungry again.”

“No problem,” Brambleclaw replied. “You all heard that, right? Sandstorm, will you lead a patrol for the Twoleg nest?

Take Spiderleg, Berrynose and . . . er . . . Ashfur. Now, we need a border patrol to go over to the ShadowClan border. I’ll lead it, and—”

“You do realize,” Berrynose broke in, “that you’ve just assigned Ashfur to both those hunting patrols? Is he supposed to split himself in two?”

“Oh, mouse dung!” Brambleclaw exclaimed. “Sorry, Ashfur. You can—”

“Ashfur, for StarClan’s sake!” Squirrelflight broke in. Jayfeather winced at the fury spilling over from her. “Can’t you speak up, instead of standing there like a tree stump?”

“Sorry, but—” Ashfur sounded startled.

“‘Sorry’ catches no prey,” Squirrelflight snarled. “Why didn’t you say anything? Can’t you see how much pressure Brambleclaw is under? Does the Clan deputy have to sort everything out on his own?”

“Hey, Squirrelflight . . .” Brambleclaw sounded embarrassed by his mate’s fierce defense.

Squirrelflight ignored him. Jayfeather realized that her anger was fueled by frustration that she still wasn’t fit enough to hunt or patrol, as well as fear for her father and her Clanmates. “There’s more than one cat that would like to be deputy if anything happened to Brambleclaw,” she spat.

“You’re all quick enough to blame Brambleclaw for his mistakes, but would any of you like to be in his position now?”

“Squirrelflight, be quiet,” Brambleclaw interrupted again, more forcefully. “It’s no big deal.”

Squirrelflight let out a furious hiss, spun around, and stalked off toward the warriors’ den. Jayfeather felt a glow of pride in her for speaking up. He was proud of his father, too, for taking on all the leadership responsibilities and holding ThunderClan together while Firestar was ill.

“Sorry about that, Ashfur,” Brambleclaw went on. “You go on leading the camp patrol. Sandstorm, you can have Mousewhisker instead.”

“Very well.” Ashfur’s voice was cold; he collected his patrol together and left.

For StarClan’s sake, get over it! Jayfeather thought. Brambleclaw made an honest mistake.

Padding with Leafpool back to his den, he couldn’t help wondering whether there was more to the quarrel than he realized. So much fury from Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw so quick to make amends, Ashfur clearly not forgiving him . . .

Had Jayfeather missed something really obvious between these three cats?

He shook his head to clear it. Whatever the problem was, they could deal with it themselves. It had nothing to do with him, that was for sure.

Gray-green clouds hung low over the forest and the air felt thick and clammy. Hollyleaf ’s pelt prickled with the warning of an approaching storm. As she padded through the forest at the rear of Ashfur’s hunting patrol, the looming storm clouds seemed to echo the uneasiness inside her. However much she tried to push her worries away, she couldn’t ignore the feeling that something was wrong.

Two nights before, Brambleclaw had chosen her to attend the Gathering. Blackstar had been there, but he had said nothing at all about Sol, or his decision to let ShadowClan live by the warrior code once more. Brambleclaw had taken Firestar’s place with the three Clan leaders, telling them briefly that Firestar was sorry he couldn’t come, but without explaining why.

What else are we hiding from one another? Hollyleaf wondered.

She was reminded of one secret as the patrol was passing the Twoleg nest. Lionblaze emerged from inside, along with Honeyfern and Rosekit. The tiny cream-colored kit bounced through the opening and hurled herself into a drift of dead leaves, squealing with excitement as they crackled around her, and batting them up into the air.

“Steady,” Lionblaze mewed. “You don’t want to wear yourself out before you get back to camp.”

Rosekit sat up, a dead leaf clinging to the top of her head.

“I’m fine!” she announced. “I want to catch some prey for my mother.”

Purring, Honeyfern nudged her out of the pile of leaves and gave the tiny kit’s pelt a quick grooming. Lionblaze padded up to his sister.

“More cats going home?” Hollyleaf asked.

“That’s right,” Lionblaze replied. “There’s just Millie and Briarkit left now, and Firestar. He won’t leave until every cat is back in camp.”

“It was great that Jayfeather found that catmint,” Hollyleaf remarked, her eyes narrowing as she watched her brother’s reaction.

“Er . . . yeah.” Lionblaze looked uncomfortable.

His behavior convinced Hollyleaf of what she had suspected already: that there was some secret about the catmint, and both her brothers were involved in it.

Why won’t they tell me? We shouldn’t have secrets from one another.

“Everything will be fine now,” Lionblaze went on quickly as if he wanted to avoid any questions. “The catmint here is starting to sprout again, so there’s enough for Millie and Briarkit. They’re getting stronger every day.”

“That’s good. But what—”

“Hollyleaf!” Ashfur’s impatient yowl cut off her question.

The gray warrior had turned back, and was waiting for her a few tail-lengths along the old Twoleg path.

“I’ve got to go,” she meowed to Lionblaze, certain that she spotted a flicker of relief in his eyes as she spoke.

“See you later,” he replied, and headed back to camp beside Honeyfern, with Rosekit frisking ahead of them.

Hollyleaf watched them go, then padded along the path to join Ashfur.

“You’re going to hunt today and not tomorrow?” he asked scathingly as she approached.

“Sorry,” she muttered. “I just wanted a word with Lionblaze.”

Not that it did me any good, she thought, as Ashfur snorted and led the way deeper into the forest, after the rest of the patrol.

She was still no closer to finding out what Lionblaze and Jayfeather were hiding from her.

The air had grown heavier still by the time the patrol returned to camp. A hot breeze had sprung up, folding back the leaves that still remained on the trees. Hollyleaf ’s pelt was fluffed the wrong way and the scents of the prey she was carrying choked her as if she had a mouthful of crow-food.

Huge, tepid raindrops began to fall as Ashfur led his patrol through the tunnel. One of them splashed onto Hollyleaf ’s nose when she emerged into the camp; she twitched her whiskers irritably to shake it off. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

Good, Hollyleaf thought as she carried her prey to the fresh-kill pile. The air will be fresh again after a storm.

She glanced up, only to squeeze her eyes tight shut as a jagged bolt of lightning split the sky. Thunder crashed right overhead and suddenly rain started to pound down, splatter-ing on the earth floor of the hollow and plastering Hollyleaf ’s pelt to her sides within a couple of heartbeats.

A wail went up from the warriors’ den, and Cloudtail stuck his head out. “What’s happening?”

Too terrified to run for shelter, Hollyleaf flattened herself to the ground. She caught a glimpse of Spiderleg streaking through the rain to the warriors’ den with Mousewhisker hard on his paws.

Another bolt of lightning crackled across the sky. Hollyleaf stared in shock as a tree on the edge of the hollow burst into flames, red tongues of fire roaring upward. Even the torrents of rain couldn’t quench it. Blackened leaves fell into the hollow; with a terrible groaning sound a blazing branch tore itself free and plummeted down to land with a crash a tail-length from Hollyleaf. Yowling in fright, she leaped to one side, can-noning into Thornclaw.

“The forest is on fire!” he screeched.

Yet another claw of lightning tore the sky apart. An ear-splitting crack sounded above the roar of the thunder, and Hollyleaf saw a tree begin to topple, its roots ripped out of the earth as flames devoured its branches. Blazing leaves and twigs rained down into the clearing.

Panic-stricken caterwauling rose around Hollyleaf. She spotted Brambleclaw racing across to the nursery, and Sandstorm splashing water with her paws over a burning branch, trying to stop the flames from reaching the warriors’ den.

Graystripe yowled, “Millie!” and shot into the tunnel on his way to the Twoleg nest.

The moment his thick gray tail vanished, Firestar appeared at the mouth of the tunnel and raced into the center of the clearing. His f lame-colored pelt was darkened by the rain and streaked with mud, but he held his head high and let out a commanding yowl.

“Get out! All of you get out! You’ll be trapped if you stay in here!”

Cats began to emerge from their dens. They splashed across the clearing, weaving or jumping aside to avoid the fiery debris that still rained down around them.

“Head for the Twoleg nest,” Firestar ordered. “We can shelter there.”

Brambleclaw emerged from the nursery, carrying Bumblekit; Daisy followed him with Blossomkit. Rosekit and Toadkit stumbled along beside their mother. Mousefur padded out of the elders’ den with her tail over Longtail’s shoulder to guide him. Icepaw and Foxpaw, their eyes wild with terror, were shoved toward the barrier of thorns by their mentors.

Hollyleaf looked around for Lionblaze and Jayfeather, but she couldn’t see either of them among the fleeing cats. Jayfeather would need help to get out, she thought, trying to control her fear. And what about Squirrelflight? Her wound was still hurt-ing, and she hadn’t regained her full strength yet.

Struggling through the pelting rain, the glare of flame all around her, Hollyleaf splashed across to the medicine cats’

den. She met Leafpool by the bramble screen, her jaws full of herbs; Jayfeather was just behind her.

“Go and help the others!” Hollyleaf gasped to the medicine cat. “I’ll bring Jayfeather.”

Leafpool gave her a nod of acknowledgement and raced for the tunnel.

“I can bring myself, thanks,” Jayfeather muttered furiously.

“Don’t be a mouse-brain!” Hollyleaf spat back at him.

“There’s fire out there. Now stop complaining and grab my tail.”

Wincing as her brother’s jaws closed around her tail-tip, Hollyleaf turned toward the tunnel. Suddenly Lionblaze loomed up out of the rain.

“You’re here,” he panted with relief. “Let’s go.”

Together the three cats headed for the tunnel. By now the clearing was empty; it looked as if the rest of the Clan, even Firestar, had already left. Will they make it to the Twoleg nest?

Hollyleaf wondered. Or will they scatter into the forest? Is ThunderClan going to break up after all?

She and her brothers were halfway across the clearing when lightning clawed across the sky from top to bottom. The barrier across the entrance to the camp crackled and burst into flame. The tunnel vanished in a throat of fire.

Hollyleaf stopped, frozen in horror. “We’re trapped!”

Staring around wildly, she tried to think what to do. The camp was littered with blazing branches, and more were cascading down from the lightning-struck trees around the hollow. The warriors’ den was already smoldering; there was no shelter there.

“The apprentices’ cave . . .” she gasped, even though she knew it was too shallow to give any real protection if the fire spread.

“No. Over here.” Squirrelf light’s voice spoke behind her; Hollyleaf whirled around to see her mother waving her tail urgently toward the rock wall. “There’s another way out.”

Hollyleaf was ashamed of the relief that swept over her, as if she was still a kit who needed her mother to look after her. Leading Jayfeather, she followed Squirrelflight around a clump of brambles that grew against the wall of the hollow.

Lionblaze brought up the rear.

To Hollyleaf ’s surprise, the rock behind the brambles had crumbled away. Peering up through the rain, she saw straggling bushes and grass growing in cracks, all the way to the top.

“It’s a secret way out of the camp!” she exclaimed. “And we never knew about it!”

“Thank StarClan,” Squirrelf light retorted drily. “You were enough trouble as kits and apprentices, without this.” Then her voice changed, growing tense again. “Jayfeather, you come first. Follow my voice. It’s not a difficult climb.”

“We’ll come behind and catch you if you fall,” Lionblaze assured his brother.

“I’m not a kit!” Jayfeather snapped, though Hollyleaf could see he was shaking with fear.

Squirrelflight scrambled up through the bramble thicket and clung there, calling out to Jayfeather so he could follow.

Jayfeather struggled up behind her, swinging out on a tendril of ivy when his hind paws lost their grip.

“Mouse dung!” he spat, scrabbling to get his balance again.

Squirrelflight went on guiding him upward, her voice calm now, even though she must have been terrified that one of them would fall as they climbed higher.

Hollyleaf and Lionblaze followed. Though Squirrelf light had said the climb was easy, Hollyleaf was convinced that the pounding rain was about to wash her off the rock face, or lightning would strike the thorns she clung to. Darkness, the glare of f lame, and the crash of thunder surrounded her.

She lost sight of her Clanmates, and thought she would never reach the top.

But at last she heard her mother’s voice again. “Well done!”

Teeth met in her scruff as Squirrelflight dragged her onto the top of the cliff. She lay there panting for a moment, watching her mother helping Lionblaze to scramble up beside her. Jayfeather was lying on his side, his eyes closed and his sides heaving.

“Come away from the edge,” Squirrelflight warned. “The rock is crumbling.” She turned, leading the way through the bushes.

Hollyleaf nudged Jayfeather to his paws. “Just a bit farther and then you can rest.”

Her brother bared his teeth in a feeble snarl; she could see that he would never admit how hard he had found the climb.

“You can lean on my shoulder if you like,” Lionblaze offered, coming to stand on Jayfeather’s other side.