Warriors: Power Of Three 1 - Sight (5 page)

“Well, it would be impossible to have a blind warrior—”

Brambleclaw began but Hollykit turned on him, her paws pricking with fury.

“No, it wouldn’t!” she spat. “Jaykit can smell and hear and sense everything that happens in the camp!” She glanced at Lionkit for support. “It’s like he can see things, but with his nose and ears instead of his eyes!”

She glared at her father, waiting for him to say something, but he only glanced at Squirrelflight, exchanging a look of sadness that made Hollykit tremble with indignation.

Suddenly she heard pawsteps pounding toward the camp.

A voice called from beyond the barrier. It was Thornclaw.

The golden brown tabby hurried through the thorns with Spiderleg, Poppypaw, and Mousepaw close behind.

Firestar left Brackenfur and Sorreltail and padded over to meet them. Brambleclaw joined him. “Any luck finding them?” the deputy asked.

“Poppypaw and Mousepaw chased one of the cubs over the border into ShadowClan territory,” Thornclaw reported.

“But there’s no sign of the other two.”

Hollykit’s ears burned with shame.

“The cubs are old enough to look after themselves,”

Thornclaw went on. “They could cause a lot of trouble in the future.”

Ferncloud pushed her way out of the nursery. “Are the fox cubs nearby?” she fretted.

“No.” Thornclaw shook his head. “We made sure of that.

There’s no fresh scent this side of the Sky Oak.”

Ferncloud looked a little comforted, but her ears still twitched nervously, and she hurried back to her kits, who were mewling in the nursery.

Hollykit caught Squirrelflight’s eye. Her mother blinked at her sympathetically. “Don’t be too hard on yourself,” she murmured. “Every cat makes mistakes. You just have to learn from them.”

“I will make it up to the Clan,” Hollykit promised.

“I know you will,” Squirrelflight assured her. “Why don’t you go and visit Jaykit? I’m sure he’d love some company.”

“Can I go too?” Lionkit begged.

“I don’t know if he’s well enough for both of you,”

Squirrelflight meowed. “You can go later. But don’t forget to tell Daisy or Ferncloud before you leave the nursery. That’s what Firestar said, remember?”

Lionkit lashed his short tail but didn’t answer. Instead he stalked toward the nursery.

“I’ll tell Jaykit you said hi!” Hollykit called after him.

“Whatever,” Lionkit grumbled, not looking back.

Hollykit nosed her way through the brambles into the shadows of Leafpool’s den. Jaykit was lying by the pool at one side of the den. He turned his jay-feather blue eyes on her as she entered.

“Hi, Hollykit.” His mew sounded tired. His pelt was slicked flat with poultices, making him look as small as a newborn kit. Hollykit felt a stab of pain. He had nearly died.

Jaykit flicked his tail. “There’s no need to feel so sorry for me,” he mewed.

Hollykit blinked. How was it that her brother always knew exactly what she was feeling? Sometimes it could be so annoying to have him sniffing out her private thoughts like an inquisitive mouse.

“I’m not going to die,” he went on.

“I never thought you would,” she lied. She padded to Jaykit’s side and smoothed the fur between his ears with her tongue.

“What did Firestar say?” Jaykit asked.

“We’ve got to stay in the nursery until he decides if we can become apprentices,” Hollykit told him.

“If? ” Jaykit echoed.

“If we do as we’re told and stay in camp, then I think we’ll be okay,” Hollykit assured him. She hoped it was true. She had never seen Firestar so angry.

“It has to be okay!” Jaykit struggled to his paws, then winced with pain.

“Are you all right?” Hollykit mewed in alarm.

Leafpool was mixing herbs in the far corner of her den.

“He’s just sore,” she meowed. “But he’s healing well.” Leaving her work, she joined the two kits. “I’ve been giving him comfrey to chew on.”

“Is that what you were mixing there?” Hollykit asked.

“I like to mix in a few heather flowers when I have them,”

Leafpool explained. “The nectar sweetens the mixture and makes it easier to swallow.”

“How did you learn all that?” Hollykit mewed, genuinely curious.

“Cinderpelt taught me,” Leafpool answered. There was sadness in her voice as she spoke about her mentor, but Hollykit was more interested in Leafpool’s skill. Having so much knowledge must make her feel very powerful—no other cat in the Clan knew herbs like she did. She had cured Brackenfur and Birchfall and now Jaykit. Imagine being that important to the Clan.

“Leafpool?” Brightheart called from the den entrance.

“Brackenfur’s coughing again.”

“I’ll give you some honey to take to him,” Leafpool replied.

“Can you see to Jaykit for me, Hollykit? A wash will help his stiffness. Just avoid the poultice patches.”

“Okay.” Hollykit wrinkled her nose at the thought of putting her tongue near the tangy-smelling goo plastered over her brother’s pelt. But she began to wash him anyway as Leafpool fetched a leaf wrap of honey from the back of the den and gave it to Brightheart.

“Not so roughly!” Jaykit complained. “I’m sore all over.”

“Sorry,” Hollykit apologized, lapping Jaykit’s pelt with softer strokes.

“You’re not as gentle as Spottedleaf,” Jaykit moaned.

Hollykit stopped licking. “Who?”

“Spottedleaf,” Jaykit repeated. “Leafpool says she’s one of our warrior ancestors. She came to me in a dream and poked me all over with her nose.”

“How can you dream about a cat if you’ve never met her?”

Hollykit asked, puzzled.

Leafpool padded back from the den entrance and sat down. “Are you telling Hollykit about Spottedleaf?”

Jaykit nodded.

“Who is she?” Hollykit mewed.

“She was the ThunderClan medicine cat when Firestar first joined the Clan,” Leafpool explained. “She died before I was born, but she comes to my dreams just like she did with Jaykit.” Hollykit noticed that the medicine cat’s eyes were glittering with excitement. “Spottedleaf was very wise. She’s never stopped looking after her Clan. I guess that’s why she came to see Jaykit, and why she still visits my dreams.”

“Does Cinderpelt visit you too?” Hollykit asked.

Leafpool shook her head. “Just Spottedleaf. She helps me find the answers to questions that are worrying me, and she warns me if something threatens the Clan.”

Hollykit was surprised to hear Leafpool talk so warmly about a cat she’d never met in real life. “You talk about Spottedleaf like she’s a friend.”

“Our warrior ancestors can be our friends.”

Jaykit let out a moan. “I hurt.”

“I’ll fetch more comfrey,” Hollykit offered. She bounded over to the pile of herbs and carried a mouthful back to Leafpool.

“Thank you,” Leafpool meowed. “Can you fetch some poppy seeds, too? You’ll see them at the back. They’re tiny, round black seeds.”

“Okay.” Hollykit hurried to the back of the den and searched among the piles of herbs until she found the poppy seeds. “How many?” she called.

“Five,” Leafpool answered. “Pick them up by wetting your paw and dabbing the pile.”

Hollykit followed her instructions, shaking the extra seeds from her pad, and hopped back to where Jaykit lay. He licked them from her paw, his eyes growing sleepy.

“Is he all right?” she asked, worried.

“He will be,” Leafpool reassured her. “But we should let him rest.”

Hollykit did not want to leave the medicine den.

Excitement was buzzing in her paws. Leafpool could cure sick cats, and share tongues with her ancestors, and warn the Clan leader of troubles ahead. If Hollykit wanted to be important to her Clan, perhaps becoming a medicine cat was the way to achieve it. After the disastrous adventure with the foxes, maybe she wasn’t cut out to be a warrior at all.

She padded away from Jaykit but lingered at the bramble-covered entrance. “Leafpool,” she called quietly.

“Yes?” Leafpool padded to her side.

“When do medicine cats take on an apprentice? Is it only when they get old?”

Leafpool looked seriously at her. “I can take an apprentice anytime.”

“But would your apprentice have to stay an apprentice until you . . .” Died? Hollykit could not bring herself to say the word out loud.

Leafpool’s whiskers twitched with amusement as she guessed what Hollykit was trying to ask. “No,” she purred.

“Once a medicine cat apprentice has learned enough, he can take his proper name and assume full responsibilities, even with his mentor still alive.”

Hollykit wondered why Leafpool had said he. “Do you have someone in mind already?”

Leafpool flicked the tip of her tail. “I’ve not decided anything yet.”

Before Hollykit could say anything else, she heard Ferncloud calling her from the nursery.

“You’d better go,” Leafpool meowed. “You’ve been in enough trouble for one day.”

Her pelt prickling with frustration, Hollykit pushed her way through the brambles and raced back to the nursery. She had just discovered how she wanted to serve her Clan, how to make sure that what she did really mattered. She wanted to be the next ThunderClan medicine cat!

Lionkit woke in his nest. A draft ruffled his golden pelt.

Where’s Jaykit?

Jaykit usually slept beside him, but there was an empty space there now.

Then he remembered.

Lionkit felt sickness surge in his belly as he pictured Jaykit lying limp at the side of the clearing. He’s going to be okay, he reminded himself.

But in the clearing, watching Leafpool and Brambleclaw crouch by his body, Lionkit had thought that his brother was dead. A shiver ran down his tail. He nudged Hollykit, who was still sleeping beside him, her black pelt almost making her invisible in the darkness. “It’s cold without Jaykit.”

“He’ll be back soon,” she murmured, not opening her eyes.

“But it’s weird when he’s not here.”

“He’s only on the other side of the clearing, and he’ll be back in a day or two.” Hollykit rolled over. “Go back to sleep.” Within moments her breathing deepened and she was asleep again.

Lionkit still felt a tug of sadness. Jaykit should be with them, just like always.

He closed his eyes but the image of his brother lying in the clearing filled his mind again. It was my idea to leave the camp.

Jaykit could be dead, or the fox cubs could have chased them into the hollow. What a mess!

Lionkit got to his paws. He needed fresh air to clear his head.

He peered through the shadows to where Daisy slept. Her long, creamy fur blended into Ferncloud’s dark gray pelt.

Ferncloud’s whiskers were twitching as she dreamed, her two kits snuggled against her flank. Neither queen would be pleased at being woken just so he could ask permission to leave the den; besides, he’d be back before they woke.

With a flick of his tail, he picked his way past Hollykit and squeezed through the prickly entrance.

Cold night air stung his nose, and the frosty ground made his paws ache as he padded around the edge of the camp. Prey scents drifted from the forest. A bird chattered an alarm call far away. He glanced up at Silverpelt, spread across the inky sky. He was glad StarClan had let Jaykit stay down here with his Clanmates. Perhaps he could look in on his brother.

Leafpool would be asleep by now.

Lionkit kept to the shadows, painfully aware that he was not supposed to be outside the nursery without permission.

As he crept along the stretch of thornbush that sealed the camp, his heart seemed to pound in his chest loud enough to wake his Clanmates. When he scanned the clearing, Lionkit realized with a start that he was not the only cat awake so late.

A shape was stirring on the other side of the clearing. The lithe outline of a cat peeled away from the shadows, followed by another.

Lionkit ducked under a branch, relieved to find a small space inside the prickly barrier where he could hide. He peered through the twigs at the emerging shapes: Dustpelt and Spiderleg were padding side by side into the pool of moonlight that lit the center of the camp.

“They’re nearly here,” the long-limbed warrior told Dustpelt.

“Good,” Dustpelt meowed.

Lionkit strained his ears, listening. Frozen leaves crackled beyond the camp wall. He felt the thorn barrier tremble as Stormfur and Brackenfur pushed their way through the entrance tunnel into the camp. The moonhigh patrol had returned.

Dustpelt hurried toward them. “Anything to report?”

“All quiet,” Stormfur replied.

Lionkit pressed himself further into the thorns. He could always say he had slipped out only to make dirt, but he was not ready yet to be sent back into the nursery.

Brackenfur held a mouse between his teeth. He dropped it. “It’s good to be out hunting again,” the golden tabby purred.

“Did you patrol the new border at the edge of the clearing?” Spiderleg asked.

Brackenfur nodded. “ShadowClan have marked it well,” he meowed. “But there’s no sign they strayed onto ThunderClan territory.”

Dustpelt narrowed his eyes. “They’d better not. It’s bad enough Firestar gave them that piece of land in the first place.

If I catch any ShadowClan cat on the wrong side of the border I’ll rip his fur off!”

“They wouldn’t dare!” Brackenfur growled.

“They dared before Firestar gave them the territory,”

Spiderleg pointed out. He glanced at the scar on Brackenfur’s flank, a reminder of one of the vicious quarrels the two Clans had fought over the stretch of open ground on either side of the stream running down from the Twoleg clearing.

ShadowClan had always laid claim to the territory, and Firestar had finally granted it to them at the last Gathering to save further blood being spilled over a stretch of land that was too bare to offer good hunting.

“It wasn’t worth fighting over,” Stormfur commented.

“Firestar was right to give it up.”

Dustpelt snorted. “ThunderClan has never given up territory before!”

“No,” agreed Brackenfur.

Spiderleg turned in an agitated circle, tail lashing, but Brackenfur went on. “However, the land was too exposed, and the Twolegs will be there soon, once it’s greenleaf.”