Warriors: Omen of the Stars #6: The Last Hope (28 page)

The island clearing was empty. Lionblaze paced, his tail twitching, while Jayfeather sat in the center beside Firestar. Dovewing padded nervously around them until the grass swished and Onestar slid out. Kestrelflight was at his side.

The WindClan leader circled the clearing, keeping his distance from the ThunderClan warriors. “It seems that our medicine cats are in charge of the Clans now.”

Firestar dipped his head. “They know things we don’t.”

Kestrelflight crossed the clearing and sat beside Jayfeather. “We have seen our enemy,” he explained to his leader. “You have not.”

“Not
yet,”
Firestar added grimly.

Lionblaze sniffed the undergrowth at the edge of the clearing, ears pricked. “There’s some ShadowClan scent here.”

Onestar glanced at him. “Probably left over from last full moon.”

Lionblaze narrowed his eyes. “Probably.” He padded back across the clearing.

Dovewing moved aside to let him sit beside Firestar. She pricked her ears and listened. Mistystar was coming, Willowshine and Mothwing beside her. Their paw steps crunched on the shore near the tree-bridge. Blackstar and Littlecloud were already rustling through the long grass on the island. Dovewing listened harder. The RiverClan camp buzzed like a beehive while ShadowClan chattered inside their bramble walls like starlings. She reached for WindClan and heard anxious whispers whipped away by the wind.

“They shouldn’t have gone alone.”

“What’s Firestar up to this time?”

“It must be a trap.”

“But Firestar is a noble warrior.”

“Firestar wants to rule all the Clans. He always has.”

They were scared of him! Dovewing twitched, surprised.
But he’s your last hope!

Blackstar emerged from the grass. Littlecloud padded after him, chin high.

The ShadowClan leader’s gaze narrowed when he saw Lionblaze. “Why have you brought warriors?”

Firestar wrapped his tail over his paws. “I’ll explain when Mistystar gets here.”

Blackstar glanced over his shoulder at the trembling grass.

Mistystar padded out, leading Willowshine. “Willowshine insisted I come,” she growled. “She says the Dark Forest warriors are planning to invade Clan territory.” Her eyes glittered with disbelief. “Has she gone mad?”

Mothwing nosed her way from the grass. “Willowshine has never been wrong before.”

“But how can the dead threaten the living?” The RiverClan leader halted in the middle of the clearing.

Blackstar stayed near the edge. “Littlecloud told me they’ve learned to cross into our territories.”

“That’s impossible.” Onestar circled his medicine cat.

Jayfeather’s tail whipped from side to side. “How dare you question your medicine cat?” His gaze swept like fire over the leaders. “Do you think we’d lie?”

Mistystar shifted her paws. Onestar flattened his ears. Only Blackstar replied. “StarClan and the Dark Forest have always been beyond our reach. Now you tell us we are part of a war between them?”

“Not just between them,” Firestar growled. “The Dark Forest has declared war on all the Clans. We must unite against them.”

Onestar scowled. “Is that why you brought warriors with you? To force us to join you?”

“I brought them because they’re part of a prophecy,” Firestar explained. “Many moons ago I was told that the kin of my kin would be born with the power of the stars in their paws. For a long time I didn’t know what that meant. Now I do.” He nodded toward Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Dovewing. “The time has come. These are the kin of my kin, and each has a special power that will lead them to fulfill the prophecy.”

Blackstar leaned closer, flattening his ears. “What power?”

Lionblaze lifted his chin. “I cannot be defeated in battle.”

“I can sense thoughts and walk in dreams,” Jayfeather told him.

Dovewing’s breath quickened as all four leaders turned to her. “I—I can hear things that are far away.”

“What do you mean?” Mistystar demanded.

Dovewing felt her tail droop. This felt more like an admission of guilt. “I could hear your Clanmates now if I tried.”

Mistystar’s pelt bushed. “You’re a spy!”

“I would never spy!”

Blackstar showed his teeth. “Really?”

Littlecloud darted forward. “You’re missing the point!”

Jayfeather backed him up. “They were given powers to
save
the Clans, not harm them.”

Blackstar wove around Lionblaze, a growl rumbling in his throat. “So you can never be defeated, eh?” He stopped and stared at the golden warrior. “Rowanclaw told me he shredded you.”

“I
let
him!” Lionblaze snapped. The muscles beneath his shoulders rippled.

Blackstar backed away and looked at Firestar. “Suppose we believe you about this prophecy?” he growled. “What is it all for?”

“Why have you kept this secret from us until now?” Onestar put in.

“The time was not right before,” Firestar snapped.

Blackstar flexed his claws. “And what makes it right now?”

Willowshine padded to Dovewing and touched her shoulder with her muzzle. “Can you hear as far as the Dark Forest?” she whispered.

Dovewing stiffened. “I—I don’t know.”

“Will you try?”

Dovewing nodded and stretched her ears till the tips ached.

Blackstar narrowed his eyes, staring at her. “What’s she doing?”

Willowshine met his gaze. “She’s showing you your enemy.”

Dovewing’s throat tightened. What if her power failed her? She reached out from the island, letting her hearing spread in every direction at once. The murmurings of the Clans swept over her; every movement and word crashed in like waves but she kept reaching farther, past the Clans and into the darkness at the edges. Slowing her breath, she forced herself to relax, opening her senses and letting whatever lay beyond the darkness seep in.

A distant yowl sounded from far away. Tensing, Dovewing focused her hearing on the cry and rushed toward it, every sense raw. She gasped as trees blurred at the edges of her vision. The sounds of the forest formed images in her mind, which sharpened and strengthened as she hunted deeper. Spindly undergrowth grew in tangled heaps. An eerie light glowed just strong enough to make them out. She glanced up and saw only darkness.
The Place of No Stars!

“I’ve reached it!”

Onestar gasped. “You can actually hear what’s going on there?”

Littlecloud meowed, “Don’t disturb her.”

“But do you really expect us to believe she can visit the Dark Forest in her thoughts?” Blackstar whispered.

Mothwing shook out her pelt, filling the air with the scent of herbs. “You believe that all the cats in StarClan can see beyond normal boundaries,” she pointed out. “Why should one living cat not be able to do the same?”

“Hush!” Mistystar quieted them, and Dovewing concentrated harder.

A deep growl sounded beside her. “Dig your claws deeper into the muscle! He must feel fire touch his bones!”

Dovewing jerked her attention toward it. A scarred warrior, torn-eared and matted, loomed from the shadow. A tortured yowl screeched through the trees. Was this where Ivypool came every night? Dovewing’s heart lurched. “They’re training for battle,” she breathed.

“They train every night,” Jayfeather put in.

Willowshine twitched beside Dovewing. “They’re as brutal as dogs.”

“They have no warrior code,” Littlecloud added.

A bloodcurdling shriek made Dovewing flinch. Instinctively she tried to snatch her thoughts away from the Dark Forest, but Willowshine pressed against her till she could feel the steady beating of her heart. “Keep going,” she whispered.

She focused on the scarred warrior again, and this time she saw another tom beside him. Two more wrestled on the slimy ground ahead of them.

“We need to shred every Clan cat who ever lived.”

Dovewing stared at the dark tabby who spoke. His shoulders were massive and his claws were longer than she’d ever seen.

“She’s found Brokenstar,” Jayfeather reported.

“How do you know?” Onestar gasped.

“I can see into her thoughts.” Jayfeather’s breath touched Dovewing’s cheek. “He’s talking to his Clanmates.”

“What’s he saying?” Blackstar demanded.

Dovewing began to quote Brokenstar’s words. “Destroying the puny warriors who huddle like mice around the lake will be fun, but when we kill StarClan … that will be the final revenge.” The growl in his throat suddenly turned into a wild purr, so loud it hurt Dovewing’s ears. She shrank away, turning her ears to another part of the forest.

A white she-cat was slinking through the trees, complaining.

“Why do we have to train in this stinking forest?”
Dovewing repeated the warrior’s words.
“Why can’t we train on our own land?”

“Is that a
Clan
cat?” Mistystar exclaimed.

“Why would a Clan cat be in the Dark Forest?” Onestar snapped.

Dovewing focused harder, until she recognized the snowy pelt.
Icewing!
It was a RiverClan warrior.
I can’t betray her!

Dovewing shut off the sound, and pressed closer to Willowshine.

“Thank you, Dovewing.” Firestar’s gentle mew sounded in her ear. She opened her eyes, relieved to see the island clearing.

Mistystar was staring at her in dismay.

Onestar didn’t move, his gaze leveled at Firestar. “How do we stop them?”

Firestar straightened up. “We fight.”

“And we’ll win!” Blackstar hissed. “They don’t stand a chance on our territory. We know our own land like we know our own markings.”

Dovewing got to her paws. “They know it, too,” she ventured.

“What?” Blackstar turned on her.

“They’ve been sending patrols onto every Clan’s territory to scout out the best places to ambush and fight,” Dovewing told him.

“Have you heard them?” Blackstar hissed.

Lionblaze flattened his ears. “The scents you found?” he snapped. “They were from the Dark Forest. This enemy is better prepared and more deadly than any we’ve faced before.”

Mistystar tipped her head. “There were Clan scents mixed with the rogue stench.”

“They’ve recruited Clan cats,” Lionblaze told her.

“Never!” Blackstar spat. “ThunderClan might have traitors among its warriors, but not ShadowClan!”

“They’ve been recruited from every Clan,” Firestar told him grimly.

“You must have seen them!” Onestar challenged Dovewing. “Tell us who they are!”

Dovewing shifted her paws. “I—I can’t say,” she stammered.

Blackstar padded toward her. “Are you a traitor, too?”

“Of course she isn’t!” Firestar stepped in front of her. “No one’s a traitor yet. We don’t know which side any cat will choose until the battle begins.”

Onestar prickled. “But if we know who they are, we can be prepared.”

For the first time Mistystar looked frightened. “Tell us who you’ve seen, Dovewing.”

“They must be punished.” Blackstar hissed.

Dovewing dug her claws into the earth. “I can’t tell you,” she meowed steadily. “Firestar’s right. They haven’t betrayed anyone yet.”

Firestar flicked his tail. “They believe they are training for the sake of their Clan. They don’t realize they are being prepared for our destruction.”

“Then they’re fools,” Blackstar snarled.

Mistystar swished her tail. “They may be foolish, but Firestar is right. Until they turn their claws on their own Clanmates, we cannot condemn them.”

“Some are only staying because Brokenstar has threatened to kill any cat who betrays him,” Lionblaze explained. “You’ve had a glimpse of how ruthless the Dark Forest warriors are. Their recruits might be too scared to disobey their new leader. We must be ready to fight our own Clanmates.”

Onestar tilted his head. “Or free them.”

“So what do we do about the Dark Forest?” Blackstar demanded.

Lionblaze stepped forward. “We must stand together.”

Blackstar backed away. Mistystar glanced at her paws.

“How can we trust one another?” Onestar asked quietly.

Firestar glanced at the medicine cats, then back to the leaders. “The time has come to fight our greatest enemy,” he declared. “We can fight alone, or we can stand together. We’re stronger side by side, as we were for the Great Journey. Uniting against the Dark Forest is our only hope.”

Silence gripped the clearing, broken only by the fretful song of a sparrow high above them.

“Very well.” Mistystar dipped her head. “RiverClan will join ThunderClan in this battle.”

Dovewing suddenly realized she’d been holding her breath. She let it out, her chest aching.

“WindClan will join the alliance.” Only Onestar’s tail-tip moved, twitching as though caught by a breeze.

Firestar turned to Blackstar. “We will do what we can to defend you, even if you choose not to join.”