Ravenpaw's Farewell (6 page)

A small copse of trees appeared on the bank. Ravenpaw decided to hunt, hopefully for something that Bella would eat.

“We'll stop here for a while,” he announced. Riley plunged into the trees, gray tail waving. Bella lay at the edge of the path and scraped at the grass with her paw.

“I'm too tired to hunt,” she mewed.

“Then wait here until we come back,” Ravenpaw told her, trying not to show his annoyance. He whirled around and followed Riley into the trees. There were few scents of prey in the copse, but he managed to track down a mouse in a clump of bracken.

Ravenpaw hauled his catch back to where he had left Bella. The patch of grass was empty.

“Bella?” he called softly.

No reply. Then Ravenpaw heard the rumbling voice of a Twoleg farther up the river. He turned to see a full-grown male crouching on the edge of the bank beside a long pole, which hung out over the water. Bella was arching her back and purring in delight as she ate something from the Twoleg's hairless front paw.

Ravenpaw flung down the mouse and raced along the bank. “What do you think you're doing?” he screeched. “Get away from there!”

Bella spun around and glared at Ravenpaw. “He's giving me something to eat!” she hissed. “I was hungry!”

Ravenpaw leaped forward and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. It was tricky, as Bella was almost as tall as him. He was aware of the Twoleg stumbling away to the far side of the bank, making noises of alarm.

“Come with me!” Ravenpaw ordered through a mouthful of orange fur. He dragged Bella along the bank and into the shelter of the trees.

“What's going on?” gasped Riley, who was heading through the bushes toward them.

“Bella was taking food from a Twoleg!” Ravenpaw spat.

“What's wrong with that?” Bella yowled.

“You're supposed to be a wild cat now!” Ravenpaw snarled. “Twolegs are not your friends! And they are never a source of food!” He took a deep breath and tried to make his fur lie flat. “If you're going to be a warrior, then Twolegs must be your enemies.”

Bella flattened her ears at him. “That's mouse-brained! He
was being friendly and giving me treats!”

“You can't trust Twolegs,” Ravenpaw insisted. “They don't like warriors.”

Riley flicked his tail. “She didn't do anything wrong, Ravenpaw. She didn't know she wasn't supposed to take his food.”

“Look, these are the rules now,” Ravenpaw growled. “If you aren't going to listen to me, we may as well turn back.” He tipped his head to one side. “Is that what you want?”

Riley and Bella stared at him, frozen.

Ravenpaw nodded. “Come on, then. And don't stop for
anything
.”

He stomped out of the trees and headed along the riverbank once more. The Twoleg had gone, leaving behind a strong scent that made Ravenpaw's nose twitch. He could hear Riley and Bella trotting behind him, both still bristling at the way he had spoken to them.

That's not my problem,
Ravenpaw told himself.
They have to respect their mentor, or SkyClan won't have anything to do with them. I will have to start teaching them the warrior code.
The vastness of his task struck him again.

Do Riley and Bella have any chance of becoming warriors?

After another uncomfortable night's sleep, this
time under a bush on the riverbank, where they were disturbed by the sound of voles plopping into the river, Ravenpaw woke at dawn and managed to catch a fat young pigeon. Riley and Bella tucked in, Bella with her eyes narrowed as if she was making a point of showing Ravenpaw that she understood the rules about food.

Watching the young cats eat, Ravenpaw felt a pang of compassion. They were so far from home, and they were being very brave considering they were barely out of kithood. Perhaps there was a way he could get the day off to a good start.

“Would you like to learn a few battle moves before we set off?”
I hope I can remember a few!

Both cats' eyes lit up. “Yes, please!” mewed Bella, jumping to her paws.

“Real warrior moves?” Riley asked, and he purred when Ravenpaw nodded.

The path was wide and flat enough to make a good training ground.

“We'll start with the hunter's crouch,” Ravenpaw explained.
He dropped to his belly, keeping his hind paws tucked under him.

“We know about that already,” Riley meowed. “That's what we do when we're going to pounce on something.”

Ravenpaw looked up at him. “That something doesn't have to be prey, does it? It can be a useful way to attack an enemy, especially if you're lying in wait. Find your balance, breathe out, then go!” He sprang forward and landed almost on top of Bella.

“Awesome!” purred Riley.

“Now you try,” Ravenpaw puffed, trying to ignore the stabbing pain in his belly.

The young cats settled down onto their haunches and leaped forward one by one. Bella nearly fell over and Riley didn't cover much distance, but it was a decent start. Ravenpaw dragged a stick out of the hedge.

“Pretend that this is your enemy,” he panted. “I want you to land with your front paws on the back of its neck, here.” He indicated a lump on the stick.

Bella did well this time, dropping down with her paws lightly on her imaginary enemy's neck. Riley stumbled as he took off and ended up breaking the stick in two.

“Well, at least you wounded your enemy,” Ravenpaw commented, looking down at the splintered wood.

“Teach us something else!” Bella pleaded.

“Just one more; then we need to set off. Let's try a front-paw blow.” Ravenpaw beckoned to Riley with the tip of his tail. “Imagine we're face-to-face in battle. I'll reach up with
my front paw like this, fast as I can, and bring it down straight on top of your head. If I can't reach, I can rear up on my hind legs, but see how this leaves my belly exposed? You have to be quick for this move!”

Bella took Ravenpaw's place and lightly patted her brother's head. “Too slow,” Ravenpaw warned. “He would have known exactly what you were going to do. Riley, you can use the duck-and-twist move to get out of Bella's reach. Drop sideways, tuck your legs under you, and roll out of the way. Excellent!” he praised as Riley folded himself into a ball and tumbled to the edge of the path. “But don't fall in the river,” Ravenpaw added.

Riley and Bella took turns practicing the front-paw blow and duck-and-twist. Bella had good reach with her long legs, but Riley's broad shoulders gave him more power, and he was surprisingly fast given his sturdy build.

“We'll make warriors of you yet!” Ravenpaw exclaimed. “Good work!”

Riley looked at him, his flanks heaving. “That was fun!”

“I can't wait for our first battle!” Bella mewed.

Ravenpaw shook his head. “Never wish yourself into a fight,” he murmured. “It will come soon enough.” For a moment he thought of Violet, how terrified she would be to know that her kits were preparing for danger.
It's better to be prepared,
Ravenpaw told himself. “Come on, you two. Let's keep going.” He flicked his tail, and the two cats fell in behind him.

Farther along the river, they reached an abandoned Twoleg den made from crumbling red stones. There was no trace
of Twoleg scent in the air, and the den was completely silent. Ravenpaw glanced at his companions.

“Want to explore?” he suggested.

“Yes, please!” Riley meowed.

Ravenpaw followed them inside. The floor was strewn with broken stones and dotted with large Twoleg relics. A jagged wooden slope led up to another level, and above that Ravenpaw could see glimpses of sky through holes in the roof.

“Watch this!” yowled Riley. He sprang onto the nearest Twoleg relic, then bounced onto the wooden slope. It creaked under his weight, so he leaped down onto the floor, sending up a puff of dust. “That was fun!” he gasped.

“I'll chase you!” Bella mewed, bounding toward him. Riley skidded around and set off at a sprint, hurtling past Ravenpaw so fast that his fur was flattened.

Ravenpaw started to worry that something would overhear them. He opened his mouth to warn them to be quiet, when a shadow filled the doorway behind him. Ravenpaw whirled around, claws out, ready to fight. He stared in astonishment.

“Barley!”

Ravenpaw's first thought was to fling himself at his old friend and cover him with joyous licks. But he held back, remembering their bitter words the last time they had seen each other.

Barley spoke first. “I'm so sorry,” he blurted out. “I should never have tried to stop you from helping Violet's kits. You are brave, and generous, and I don't deserve you. . . .”

Ravenpaw bounded forward and pressed his muzzle against
Barley's cheek. “Don't be such a mouse-brain. You were right to be concerned. It's been hard, but we're okay.” He felt a lump in his throat. “Even better now that you're here.”

Barley nuzzled the top of his head. “I left not long after you did. I thought that the barn was my home, but my home is wherever you are.” He took a step back and blinked at Ravenpaw. “I . . . I thought you were leaving because you didn't want to be with me anymore.”

“That will never happen!” Ravenpaw meowed. “I'm sorry I left without you. I've missed you every step of the way.”

“Whoa! It's Barley!” Bella came tearing down the wooden slope. Her brother's paw steps thudded overhead, and Ravenpaw glanced nervously at the trembling ceiling.

With a clatter, Riley rushed down to join them. “Are you going to come with us to SkyClan?”

Barley nodded. “I couldn't let you have this great adventure without me, could I?”

“It's been amazing!” Bella mewed, to Ravenpaw's surprise. “There was this really fierce dog, and we had to hide in the hedge!”

Barley looked alarmed.

“It's okay,” Riley put in. “We stayed super quiet until the dog went away. Ravenpaw made sure we didn't come out till it was safe.”

“And he's taught us great battle moves!” Bella exclaimed. “We can do the hunter's crouch, the front-paw blow, and the duck-and-twist!”

Barley glanced at Ravenpaw. “I'm glad to hear he's been
looking after you,” he purred.

Bella nodded. “Yes, but he's
really
bossy,” she added.

“As he should be!” Barley meowed. “He knows all about living in a Clan, so you must listen to everything he says.” He looked around the abandoned den. “Now, are you planning to make a camp here, or should we keep going?”

“Let's go!” yowled Riley, racing out the door with Bella on his heels.

Ravenpaw blinked affectionately at Barley. “You certainly know how to motivate them!”

The black-and-white tom ran his tail over Ravenpaw's flank. “I'm so proud of you for doing this. You're right; they deserve to choose the life they lead. Just as we did, a long time ago.”

Side by side, they padded into the sunshine. Ravenpaw forgot the tiredness in his legs as he trotted beside Barley. Riley and Bella took the lead, calling back to let the older cats know about every new scent, every ripple in the river, every crushed leaf.

“They're certainly observant,” Barley commented as they all stopped to look at a dragonfly that Bella had spotted on a reed.

As dusk fell, they reached a shallow pool fed by a low waterfall. Ravenpaw and Barley settled onto warm, flat boulders and basked in the final rays of the sun while the young cats played at the edge of the water, chasing rainbows in the spray. Riley ventured too far from the shore with one leap and vanished into the pool with a splash. Bella squeaked in horror,
but a moment later her brother emerged, scattering drops of water, with a wriggling fish in his jaws. He scrambled out and dropped it triumphantly beside Ravenpaw and Barley.

“Look what I caught!” he announced.

“Caught? Or did it land in your mouth when you fell?” Barley teased.

“Whatever happened, it's the best fresh-kill we've had in a while,” Ravenpaw purred. “Well done, Riley!”

The gray tabby shook his fur, making Bella spring away with a yelp as water spattered her pelt. Ravenpaw let them start eating first. He was conscious of Barley standing very close to him as they watched the young cats tuck in.

“I can't believe how well they've settled into living wild,” Barley murmured. “You've done a great job.”

“They've been very brave,” Ravenpaw replied. “I'm proud of them.”

Barley leaned against him, smelling warm and soft and familiar. “You should be,” he whispered.