Warriors: Omen of the Stars #6: The Last Hope (29 page)

Blackstar curled his lip. “My Clan will join.” He began to pace around the others. “But there will be one condition.”

“Very well.” Firestar pricked his ears.

“On ShadowClan territory, ShadowClan is in charge of any warrior from any Clan.” He scowled at Firestar. “Even a Clan leader.”

Firestar nodded. “Okay.”

Jayfeather sat down beside Kestrelflight. Willowshine, Littlecloud, and Mothwing gathered around them. “StarClan will be pleased,” Jayfeather meowed as the other medicine cats murmured their approval.

Firestar faced the Clan leaders. “We need to make a battle plan.”

“Where do you think the Dark Forest will attack first?” Mistystar asked.

Lionblaze shrugged. “It could be anywhere or everywhere at once.”

“Patrols must move through all the territories night and day,” Onestar suggested. “There must be no borders to block their way.”

Blackstar’s eyes glittered. “Enemy patrols moving freely through my territory?”

“We’re not enemies now,” Firestar reminded him. “I suggest there be one patrol in each territory made up of warriors from all four Clans. I’ll send three warriors to each of your camps at dusk.”

Mistystar stiffened. “So soon?”

“We must be prepared,” Firestar insisted. “Will you each send three warriors to ThunderClan?”

Dovewing watched the leaders nod, their gaze shadowed. She felt cold to the bone.

“How do we know which cats we can trust?” Onestar narrowed his eyes. “Harespring keeps coming home with unexplained injuries.”

“Troutstream has been bad-tempered lately,” Mistystar admitted.

Onestar glared at her. “I don’t want your traitors on my territory!”

“And I don’t want
your
traitors on RiverClan land,” Mistystar spat.

“We don’t know that they
are
traitors!” Dovewing exclaimed. “We should be concentrating on the battle, not trying to guess who our enemies are.”

Blackstar frowned. “But what if they tell our plans to their Dark Forest allies?”

“It’s a risk we have to take,” Firestar growled. “We must trust that enough Clan cats remain loyal to make our plans work.” He began to pace. “Battle patrols must focus on protecting the camps of each Clan. Each camp must be defended by warriors from all four Clans. We must keep our kits and elders safe.”

Onestar flexed his claws. “Once the camps are secure, then the patrol must draw the attackers away.”

“We’ll need messengers,” Blackstar added. “To share news or offer reinforcement.”

“The swiftest two cats from each Clan will be messengers,” Firestar decided.

Onestar circled the ThunderClan leader. “They must swear not to be drawn into battle. They must only carry news. I don’t want a camp lost because help doesn’t arrive in time.”

Blackstar nodded. “Agreed.”

“Good.” Firestar turned and stared through the trees, across the water. “Go home,” he growled. “Prepare for battle. It will strike everywhere at once, but remember that we are fighting together. Not alone.”

As he spoke, Dovewing saw the ferns at the far side of the clearing move. She froze as she spotted a pair of green eyes flash.
Tigerheart?
As Blackstar, Mistystar, and Onestar headed into the long grass, she glanced nervously at Firestar.

“Come on.” The ThunderClan leader began to pad after Onestar. Lionblaze fell in beside him and Jayfeather followed, his eyes glazed with tiredness.

“I’ll catch up!” Dovewing called.

As her Clanmates disappeared into the grass, she hared across the clearing and dived into the ferns. Tigerheart backed away, his eyes wide.

“What are you doing here?” Dovewing demanded.

“Did you really hear all the way to the Dark Forest?” Tigerheart’s mew was barely a whisper.

“You know I did!” There wasn’t time to explain. “I’ve told you about this before.” Anger surged through her. He wasn’t supposed to be here. Didn’t he ever follow rules? Or take anything seriously?

“But I’ve never actually seen you use your powers.” Tigerheart blinked. “It was great!” He moved closer, thrusting his muzzle toward her cheek.

Dovewing jerked away. “What are you doing?”

“What I always do!” Tigerheart protested. “What’s the matter? Nothing’s changed between us, has it?”

Doesn’t he realize the Clans are on the verge of being destroyed? Or is he here to spy for the Dark Forest?

“I don’t know.” Dovewing’s paws pricked.

“We can have one more night together, can’t we?” Tigerheart pleaded.

“No, we can’t.” Pain stabbed at Dovewing’s chest. “I have to concentrate on the prophecy! There’s a battle coming.” A lump rose in her throat. “I don’t know who to trust anymore!”

Tigerheart shot to her side, pressing close. “You can always trust me.” The warm scent of him made her shake. “I
love
you!” he breathed.

Dovewing wrenched herself away. “This isn’t the time.” She shook her head. “I have a battle to fight.” She met his gaze. “So do you.”

“What about afterward?” he murmured.

“There will be four Clans again.” Dovewing shut her eyes tight. “You’ll belong to ShadowClan and I’ll belong to ThunderClan, and … and maybe that’s how it should be.”

Tigerheart stabbed the earth with his claws. “You can give me up so easily?”

Dovewing shook her head. “There’s nothing easy about this,” she hissed. “How can you be more worried about us, with everything that’s going on? You know what’s happening better than most cats!” It was as if she was looking at him for the first time: a ShadowClan cat, and a Dark Forest warrior. A cat who thought her powers were cool, but had no idea how important the prophecy was.
What am I doing?

Spinning around, she crashed through the ferns and raced across the clearing. She heard Tigerheart call after her, but she didn’t look back.

Her mind whirled. Tigerheart was training in the Dark Forest and he knew the Clans’ battle plans. And now she had rejected him. What if the ShadowClan warrior decided to make her suffer in return?

Lionblaze followed Firestar into camp, breathless
after the race from the island. A cold wind had whipped them all the way home. He ducked through the thorn tunnel, Dovewing and Jayfeather on his tail.

“There’s a battle coming,” the ThunderClan leader growled.

Brambleclaw jerked around. Daisy thrust her head out of the nursery. “Battle?”

Outside the elders’ den, Purdy wrapped his tail around Mousefur as Firestar crossed the clearing.

The ThunderClan leader leaped onto Highledge. “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather to hear my words.”

The Clan was already flooding the clearing, pelts pricking. Molepaw and Cherrypaw pressed together, their eyes round as they stared up at Firestar. Poppyfrost shuffled closer to Berrynose.

Cloudtail hurried to the nursery to find Brightheart. “Stay inside,” he ordered his kits as they peered out like tiny owlets.

Lilykit popped her head out beside them. “I’ll make sure they stay in their nests,” she promised earnestly.

“Me too,” Seedkit squeaked from behind.

The brambles at the entrance to the medicine den rustled as Briarlight thrust out her muzzle. Jayfeather hurried toward her, Millie on his tail, while Blossomfall and Birchfall lingered at the edge of the crowd, glancing nervously at Mousewhisker as he settled beside them.

“Clanmates, we face an enemy stronger than we have ever known!” Firestar yowled. “The danger comes from dead cats as well as living. The Dark Forest has sworn to destroy the Clans.”

“How can dead cats harm us?” Mousefur croaked.

Firestar looked steadily at the elder. “The warriors in the Place of No Stars have found a way to cross into Clan territory.”

Ferncloud gasped.

“That’s impossible!” Cloudtail growled.

“Oh, StarClan,” Blossomfall whimpered to Birchfall.

He met her gaze, frozen until Mousewhisker murmured in his ear. Birchfall shook the young warrior away, eyes narrowing in disgust as though Mousewhisker had asked him to eat crow-food. Lionblaze watched Mousewhisker shrink away. What could the young warrior have said?

Firestar leaned over the lip of Highledge. “You’ve all smelled the scents and seen the paw prints in the forest.”

“They’re just rogues!” Dustpelt snarled.

Firestar returned the tabby tom’s gaze. “Have you forgotten the scent of Tigerstar?”

Dustpelt stared at him. “I … I thought I imagined it.”

Firestar went on. “A battle is coming that we have to win, for the sake of every warrior that ever lived. We must fight alongside the other Clans, because this enemy threatens us all. ShadowClan, WindClan, and RiverClan will each send three warriors here at dusk to join our patrols. We will send three warriors to their camps.” He glanced down at his deputy. “Brambleclaw, you choose who will go.”

Thornclaw’s tail brushed the earth. “Won’t ShadowClan just take advantage of this to steal our territory?”

“If they do, all will be lost,” Firestar muttered darkly.

“How will I protect my kits?” Brightheart wailed.

Cloudtail pressed against her. “I won’t let anything harm them!”

Ferncloud lashed her tail. “Nor will I!”

Sorreltail lifted her chin. “No one will hurt ThunderClan kits.”

Ivypool walked to the front and turned to face her Clan. Lionblaze saw her take a breath and steady her trembling paws. “I know how they fight. I can teach their moves to the Clan.”

Blossomfall huddled closer to Birchfall.

“How do you know?” Dustpelt hissed.

“I sent her to spy.” Firestar leaped down the rock tumble and stood beside Ivypool. “She knows more about our enemy than any cat. Learn from her.”

Mousewhisker gaped at her. “You were
spying
in the Dark Forest?”

Cherrypaw’s eyes grew as round as moons. “You’re so brave!”

Lionblaze narrowed his eyes. Had Firestar asked Ivypool who else had been training in the Dark Forest? He glanced around his Clanmates, searching faces for a glimmer of guilt. Some of them must have visited the Place of No Stars with Ivypool, trapped by Tigerstar’s lies and Brokenstar’s false promises. His claws sank into the wet ground and he felt the fur rise along his spine.

Firestar lashed his tail. “We will win this battle because we are fighting for our lives and the lives of our Clanmates. Our enemies are already dead. They fight only out of hate and that will be their weakness.”

“We’ll beat them!” Cloudtail yowled.

Molepaw reared up and raked the air with unsheathed claws. “I’ll shred any Dark Forest warrior I lay my paws on!”

Firestar nodded. “Then let’s start training. For victory!”

The Clan broke into clusters, murmuring like anxious pigeons. “We need to teach the elders and queens some defensive moves,” Lionblaze told Brambleclaw. “I’ve already thought of some tactics Daisy can use even though she’s never had warrior training.”

“Good.” Brambleclaw scanned the Clan. “Spiderleg can train Mousefur and Purdy. He’s known them longest. They won’t mind taking orders from him.”