Warriors: Omen of the Stars #6: The Last Hope (10 page)

Mousewhisker’s tail flicked. “Why did Firestar have to send a patrol here now?” he grumbled.

Sunstrike stood on the edge of the small gorge cut by the stream. Foxleap faced her on the other side. Both warriors were bristling, ears flat.

Sunstrike bared her teeth. “No
WindClan
cat has crossed the border.”

Graystripe lashed his tail. “Are you accusing ThunderClan of crossing the scent line?”

Brackenfur dropped into a crouch—the same one Ivypool had spent the morning teaching Molepaw and Cherrypaw.
Don’t attack!
Guilt flooded through her. She didn’t want to start a fight. She just wanted to save her Clanmates from making a terrible mistake.

Harespring met Brackenfur’s gaze through narrowed eyes. “Onestar says we should challenge any cat we find on our land.”

“This is our land.” Brackenfur’s hindquarters twitched as he bunched his muscles.

“Stop!” Birchfall shot out from the gorse.

Foxleap spun around, his eyes wide. “What are you doing here?”

“Guarding the border.” Birchfall straightened up and signaled to Mousewhisker and Ivypool with his tail. Mousewhisker slid out from under the bush and, reluctantly, Ivypool followed.

Foxleap’s eyes narrowed. “How do you guard from inside a bush?”

“We were waiting to see if they’d cross.” Birchfall’s gaze slipped toward Sunstrike. The WindClan cats began to back away. Graystripe shifted his paws.

“No one’s crossed any borders,” Birchfall announced. “Let’s just all retreat.”

Foxleap growled. “Not till I’ve checked for WindClan scent on our land.”

Sunstrike’s ears twitched. “You won’t find any.” She turned and led her Clanmates back into the heather.

Foxleap was pacing the border sniffing every clump of grass. “There’s no sign of invasion.” He glanced expectantly at Ivypool, since she was the one who’d told him about WindClan cats crossing the border.

She looked away, relief flooding through her. “Not this time,” she murmured.

Foxleap sniffed the gorse once more, then left a scent marker. “Come on, let’s get back to camp.”

Ivypool was first into the trees. Her paws were heavy as stone and she wished she was still asleep in the sun beside the fallen beech. A pelt brushed hers and she turned to see that Foxleap had caught up with her. “Did you know they’d be there?”

She flinched. “No.”

“But there’s no sign of WindClan crossing the border.” Foxleap was frowning. “What made you call for a patrol? Did you overhear something in the tunnel battle?”

Ivypool shook her head. “It was just a hunch,” she muttered. “You know how tense it’s been between the Clans. I must have caught a whiff of WindClan scent while I was in the woods and I was just on edge—”

“… and you overreacted.” Foxleap finished her sentence.

“I suppose so.” Ivypool’s ear twitched.

“Well, it was a good guess.”

Ivypool glanced at Foxleap, her belly tightening as she saw doubt shadowing his gaze.
He doesn’t believe me.
Tail flicking with unease, Ivypool pushed harder against the ground and raced for home. Being a spy was forcing her to betray her own Clan after all.

How much longer will I have to live like this?

Jayfeather dropped the pebble a mouse-length
away from Briarlight’s nest. “Can you reach that?”

“Easy!” Briarlight leaned out, grabbed the pebble, and heaved it into her nest, the firm muscles in her shoulders curving under her pelt.

Jayfeather stuck his nose into her nest and picked up the pebble between his teeth. He strained to lift it out. He’d chosen a heavy one for today’s exercise. He dropped it half a tail-length from her nest. “What about this?”

Briarlight stretched out with her forelegs again, puffing a little this time, but she still scooped the stone back into her nest with nimble paws.

“Let me check your spine.” Jayfeather buried his muzzle into her pelt, feeling her muscles with gentle nips. They felt healthy and strong all the way down to the break. Beyond, they were lifeless and thin, but the fur covering them was sleek and shiny. “You’ve worked hard.” Jayfeather sat up. “As long as we keep up with your exercises, you’ll be fine.”

Briarlight flung the pebble out of her nest and began reaching for it again. “I want to be able to climb trees using my forepaws alone,” she puffed.

As she struggled to reach the stone, Jayfeather’s attention drifted. He’d been worrying all morning about the fourth cat. Mothwing was the only one who’d offered any help fighting the Dark Forest. It must be her. He cast his mind out, as though releasing a bird, and let it skim across the lake toward RiverClan territory. As it reached the camp, he blocked out the clamor of emotions and probed for Mothwing. He sensed Willowshine, counting herbs, and felt Mothwing beside her, but as usual he could not penetrate the mist that swathed the medicine cat’s thoughts like cobweb.

She has to be the fourth cat! She’s the only cat whose dreams were safe from the Dark Forest. She couldn’t be lured into their treacherous plans.

“Can you finish your exercises by yourself?” he asked Briarlight. “I need to go out.”

“Of course I can.”

Outside the den, the morning sunshine was warm on his pelt. Lionblaze and Whitewing were sharing a mouse beside the thorn barrier. Thornclaw and Sorreltail shared tongues at the edge of the clearing. Ferncloud and Daisy were gossiping outside the nursery, while Seedkit and Lilykit stalked fallen leaves in the shadow of the beech.

Lionblaze hopped out of the way as Jayfeather ducked into the entrance tunnel. “Where are you going?”

“To see Mothwing.”

Alarm flared from Lionblaze. “I’ll come with you.”

“No, thanks.” He didn’t want his brother arguing all the way around the lake that Hollyleaf was the fourth cat. “This is medicine-cat business.”

“But you’re not supposed to be a medicine cat anymore,” Lionblaze called after him.

“StarClan will protect me.” Jayfeather scooted through the tunnel, aware of his own lie. Brambleberry had told him that StarClan could no longer see the cats by the lake. For them, the darkness had fallen already. “Tell Firestar where I’ve gone.” He listened for Lionblaze to follow, relieved when he heard only a sigh of resignation drifting through the thorns.

“If you’re not back by dusk, I’m coming to look for you,” Lionblaze called.

“You won’t need to.”
I hope!

He headed for the shore. He’d follow it through WindClan territory. He opened his mouth to taste the air, checking the shore for WindClan warriors. There was a trace of familiar scent…

Onestar!

Jayfeather tensed. The WindClan leader was standing at the water’s edge a few fox-lengths ahead.

Jayfeather approached cautiously. “Greetings, Onestar.”

Onestar didn’t move. “Jayfeather.”

“I’m sorry for trespassing on WindClan land.” Jayfeather dipped his head. “I’m on my way to speak with Mothwing.” He tensed, expecting anger to flare from Onestar’s pelt. But the WindClan leader’s fur stayed unruffled.

“You may pass in peace,” Onestar told him. “Although I thought the medicine cats no longer spoke to one another.”

“That is StarClan’s wish,” Jayfeather meowed. “Not mine.”

“You would go against StarClan?” Onestar sounded surprised.

“Yes.” Jayfeather made no apology. “If it means keeping the peace between the Clans.”

He heard pebbles shift as Onestar sat down. “The Clans have always fought, but this is the first time the medicine cats have been divided,” the WindClan leader said heavily. “I feel as if something bad is coming.” Onestar’s gaze seared Jayfeather’s pelt. “The water is calm,” he murmured. “But currents pull beneath the surface. Though they can’t be seen, they have the power to drag cats to their death.”

“Not if you know where they lie.” Jayfeather leaned forward. “Watch your borders, Onestar, but keep an eye on your own Clan, too.”

Pebbles cracked as Onestar turned to face him. “Are you saying that my warriors aren’t loyal?”

Jayfeather backed away. “Any cat can be tricked into disloyalty.”

Onestar’s breath billowed in Jayfeather’s face. “Are you talking about Sol?”

“No.” The threat from the Dark Forest was far more dangerous than a troublemaking loner. “Just look out for unusual behavior among your warriors.”

Fury sparked from the WindClan leader’s pelt. “I trust my Clan with my life!”

Jayfeather bent his head. “Forgive me.” He slunk past Onestar and walked on toward the RiverClan border. His fur prickled as he felt Onestar’s angry gaze follow him along the shore.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have tried to warn him.

The scent line at the RiverClan border reached down to the water’s edge, marking the stones on the shore. Jayfeather crossed it.

“What are you doing here?”

Jayfeather spun around, claws unsheathed. He could smell the fierce scent of Beetlewhisker. Troutstream and Mintfur were bristling beside him.

Jayfeather lifted his tail. “I’m here to speak with Mothwing.”

“You’re not a medicine cat anymore.” Beetlewhisker’s fishy breath grazed Jayfeather’s cheek.

Jayfeather stifled a shiver. He’d heard Beetlewhisker training in the Dark Forest. “ShadowClan doesn’t make decisions for StarClan,” he hissed. “Only StarClan can deny my power to heal.”

Mintfur murmured to her Clanmate. “I think Mistystar should decide.”

“I guess.” Distrust edged Beetlewhisker’s mew. Jayfeather suddenly wished Lionblaze was with him after all.

Troutstream strode forward. “Come on.” The she-cat nosed him uphill and Mintfur and Beetlewhisker fell in beside them.

“There’s a tree-bridge here.” Troutstream’s pelt brushed Jayfeather’s whiskers as she leaped up ahead of him. Jayfeather smelled the stale sap of a fallen trunk. It must span the river that carved RiverClan’s camp from the mainland. He scrambled up after her, digging his claws into the peeling bark, and followed her gingerly, his heart lurching as the log rocked under the weight of Mintfur and Beetlewhisker behind him. The river swished beneath him. It would wash him into the lake if he fell.

When he felt the trunk divide into brittle branches, he knew he’d reached the other side. He gathered his haunches under him and leaped forward, hoping to clear the top of the fallen tree. He landed clumsily among some trailing twigs but Troutstream steadied him.

“This way.” She led Jayfeather through tall grass. RiverClan scent bathed him as they reached a clearing. He could sense shock flash around him from the cats in the camp.

“Why’s
he
here?”

Heronpaw was silenced by Rushtail. “Listen and you might find out.”

“Welcome, Jayfeather.” Mistystar’s pelt scraped against twigs as she squeezed out of her den. “Have you come to see Mothwing and Willowshine?”

Jayfeather dipped his head. “Yes, if I may.”

“He’s got no right!” Beetlewhisker snarled.

Jayfeather could feel warmth flooding from Mistystar. At least she was pleased to see him. “He has the right of StarClan,” she cautioned her warrior. Her tail-tip touched Jayfeather’s flank. “I’ll take you to the medicine den.”