Warriors: Power Of Three 4 - Eclipse (27 page)

Jaypaw stepped forward. “You promised—”

Lionpaw cut him off. “Let’s go, before we get into more trouble,” he hissed into Jaypaw’s ear.

“Kits!” Tawnypelt called to the nursery and Flamekit, Dawnkit, and Tigerkit charged out. “I promised you could say good-bye.”

Dawnkit held her muzzle up to Hollypaw, purring when Hollypaw ran her cheek along the top of her head. “Good-bye.”

Tigerkit arched his back and bounced toward Lionpaw.

“Next time we meet, I’ll be even bigger!”

Flamekit approached Jaypaw a little cautiously. “Bye.”

Ivytail marched past, sweeping the kits out of the way. “Go play with your own Clanmates,” she growled.

As Hollypaw followed her escort through the tunnel, she glanced back into the clearing. Blackstar and Sol were sitting with their heads close together, talking too quietly to hear.

“Stop!” Jaypaw swerved in front of Hollypaw and Lionpaw as they began to head down the slope toward the thorn barrier.

He ignored the surprise flashing from their pelts. “We can’t tell any cat what’s happened or where we’ve been.”

“Of course not,” Lionpaw agreed.

“Not about Sol, or being in ShadowClan’s camp. Not anything!” He had to know that they understood.

“I wasn’t going to,” Hollypaw mewed. He could sense her puzzlement and hurt—directed not at him, but at Sol. The stranger had abandoned them.

Jaypaw was confused by Sol’s change of heart too, but he refused to let Sol’s behavior change what he believed. It wasn’t Blackstar who was more powerful than StarClan. They were.

Evening shrouded the camp as they padded through the entrance. Jaypaw was relieved to hear the Clan only just beginning to stir. The warriors’ den rustled as Brambleclaw and Graystripe padded out. Kits mewled inside the nursery, and Icepaw and Foxpaw were nosing through the few remain-ing morsels on the fresh-kill pile.

“Where’ve you been?” Foxpaw called.

“Out,” Lionpaw replied.

“Did you bring back any prey?”

Jaypaw could hear Foxpaw’s belly rumbling. “Afraid not.”

Graystripe padded, yawning, across the clearing toward them. “Have you been out long?” he asked sleepily.

“No,” Jaypaw lied. He hoped no one noticed their nests hadn’t been slept in.

“Any sign of prey out there?” Brambleclaw put in.

Jaypaw shrugged. He had been too lost in his own thoughts to notice.

“Lionpaw!” Ashfur was stretching outside the warriors’

den. “I think we should hunt for our Clan, don’t you? Hollypaw? Why don’t you go wake Brackenfur? You might as well come with us.”

Jaypaw sensed Hollypaw’s heart sink. He felt sorry for his littermates. They’d managed to sneak out of camp unnoticed, but it seemed they were going to be punished anyway. “You’ll soon be in your nests,” he whispered to them.

“Not soon enough,” Hollypaw hissed back.

Jaypaw padded to his den, feeling a twinge of guilt. He was the one who’d made them leave camp, after all. He nosed through the brambles, breathing in the comforting smells of home—Leafpool’s scent, herbs, the damp rock where water dripped into the pool. Spiderleg was snoring in Cinderpaw’s old nest. And another cat scent drifted from the back of the den.

“Jaypaw? Is that you?”

“Squirrelflight?”

“We moved her inside.” Leafpool padded from beside the pool. “It was too cold to leave her out all night.”

Jaypaw stiffened. “What about her wound?”

“We moved her slowly,” Leafpool reassured him. “There was a little fresh bleeding, but I treated it once we’d got her settled.”

Ferns rustled around Squirrelflight. “Have you eaten, Jaypaw?”

“Not yet.” He was starving.

“Make sure you do.” Squirrelf light’s mew sounded a little stronger.

Leafpool’s tail brushed the ground. “I know how to take care of my apprentice.”

Jaypaw was surprised. There was a sharp edge to his mentor’s mew. She was never bad-tempered with her patients. But he was too tired and hungry to figure out what was bothering her. His mother sounded better, and that was all he cared about right now.

He padded to the fresh-kill pile and gulped down a dry sparrow, coughing as the feathers caught in his throat. Swallowing, he returned to the den. He padded to his mother’s nest and pressed his nose to her pelt. “See you later, Squirrelflight. I’ll be right here if you need anything.”

She stirred sleepily. “Okay, Jaypaw.”

Jaypaw crawled into his nest and closed his eyes.

“Jaypaw!”

A harsh mew woke him.

Branches crisscrossed overhead, glimmering silver in the starlight. StarClan’s hunting grounds. He got to his paws, feeling soft, moon-washed grass caress his pads.

“You’ve been looking for answers again, haven’t you?” Yellowfang was sitting beside him. Her eyes gleamed accusingly.

Jaypaw stretched and yawned. “I wouldn’t be much of a medicine cat if I didn’t.”

Her paw clouted his ear.

“Ow!”

“I’m still your elder!” Yellowfang glared at him. “And I’m trying to teach you something important.”

Jaypaw rubbed his ear, indignant. “What?”

“Be patient!” She shook out her disheveled fur. “Answers will come to you in time.”

“Why shouldn’t I know what’s going on?” Jaypaw dug his claws into the grass. “It’s not fair if I can’t even be curious!”

“Curiosity must be tempered with patience,” Yellowfang insisted. “Knowledge is wasted on those without the wisdom to know how to use it. And wisdom comes only with time.”

The same old excuses. Frustration welled in Jaypaw’s belly. You think you know everything, but one day I’ll be more powerful than you.

He stared at the battered old she-cat, the words ready on his tongue. She stared back, her chin high, her gaze unflinching.

Jaypaw let his fur lie flat. He couldn’t bring himself to tell her about the prophecy now.

Yellowfang leaned closer, and Jaypaw had to force himself not to duck away from her foul breath. “Serve your Clan,” she murmured. “Trust StarClan, and everything will be revealed in good time.”

Jaypaw looked up. The glade was crowded with cats, their fur sparkling with starlight.

“Listen to Yellowfang,” Bluestar urged him.

Whitestorm gazed down at him, his eyes glowing with warmth. “She’s telling you the truth.”

“All will be revealed in time.” Lionheart swished his thick tail.

“We are watching you,” Yellowfang reminded him.

Jaypaw snorted softly. What was starry fur but a trick of the light? They were just a bunch of dead cats. He was alive.

So were Lionpaw and Hollypaw. And Sol. Didn’t that make them stronger than StarClan already?

Yellowfang leaned forward, hissing as though she could tell what he was thinking. “You don’t know what’s best for your Clan, Jaypaw! Just remember that!”

The sun woke Lionpaw. He blinked open his eyes, his pelt hot from the rays streaming through the den roof. Flinching from the brightness, he rolled over in his nest. His muscles were stiff.

Ashfur had kept him out hunting all day, and when he’d finally reached camp, already weary from the battle and the hunt for Sol, he had sunk into his nest, too tired to do anything but close his eyes.

Hollypaw was still sleeping. She had been stumbling with exhaustion by the time they’d got back.

He checked his pelt for scratches. The only trace of the battle was the blood and fur still wedged in his claws.

“Hollypaw!”

Cinderpaw was calling into the den. Lionpaw scrambled from his nest and slid out of the entrance. “What is it?” he whispered.

“Brackenfur wants her to help me clean out the nursery,”

Cinderpaw mewed.

“Let her sleep.” Lionpaw glanced at Hollypaw’s mentor sitting beside Ashfur, sharing a piece of the fresh-kill they’d caught last night. “I’ll talk to him.”

He padded across the clearing. “I’ll help Cinderpaw with the nursery,” he offered.

Brackenfur looked up, swallowing. “Is Hollypaw okay?”

“Just tired after the battle.” Lionpaw felt his pelt growing hot. No one knew that, after the battle, they’d trekked through half of ThunderClan territory, not to mention ShadowClan’s.

“Has Leafpool checked her injuries?” Brackenfur’s eyes darkened with worry.

“It’s just a few scratches.” Lionpaw groped for an excuse for Hollypaw’s tiredness. “But she didn’t sleep well because she was worried about Squirrelf light.”

Brackenfur nodded. “Well, let her sleep now. You can help Cinderpaw instead.”

Ashfur twitched his tail. “But don’t dawdle. We’re going on the next border patrol.”

“Okay.” Lionpaw hurried back to Cinderpaw. “You go and find fresh moss,” he mewed. “I’ll start clearing out the old bedding.” He glanced at her injured leg. “Can you manage by yourself?”

Cinderpaw rolled her eyes. “Of course.” She turned to the entrance, muttering under her breath. “I wish everyone would stop treating me like a three-legged cat.”

Foxpaw was outside the nursery showing Icepaw a battle move. He rolled onto his back and kicked out with his hind legs. “Then a RiverClan warrior tried to leap on top of me, but I rolled out of the way.” He jumped to his paws. “And I gave him a real nip on his hind leg. I bet he can still feel it.”

Icepaw looked impressed. “I wish I’d been in the battle.”

“Someone had to guard the camp,” Foxpaw mewed kindly.

Lionpaw squeezed through the nursery entrance, the prickers scraping his pelt.

Daisy looked up, her eyes flashing with worry. “It’s only you.” She sighed as she recognized Lionpaw.

Toadkit and Rosekit tumbled toward him.

“Will you teach us some battle moves?” Toadkit begged.

Rosekit churned her paws as though she were fighting off an enemy. “We need to be ready if WindClan invades again.”

Daisy’s fur bushed out. “They won’t, will they? Not after the sun vanished like that.”

“I doubt it.” Millie was lying on her side while her kits fed. A cough shook her body, startling the kits away. Briarkit mewled angrily and squirmed back for more milk. Bumblekit sat up and yawned, his eyes hardly open, while Blossomkit snuggled into the moss and fell asleep.

“You should see Leafpool,” Daisy advised. “You’ve been coughing all night.”

“It’s just something tickling my throat,” Millie meowed. “I probably swallowed a feather.”

Daisy leaned forward and sniffed at Millie’s muzzle. “You feel a bit feverish.”

“I’ll fetch Leafpool once I’ve cleaned out your bedding,”

Lionpaw offered.

Toadkit looked crestfallen. “I thought you were going to teach us battle moves.”

“Sorry, Toadkit. I’ve got to go on patrol after I’ve finished here.”

“It’s not fair,” Rosekit complained. “You get to do all the fun things, while we’re stuck in here.”

Lionpaw sighed. Cleaning out dens and patrolling borders wasn’t fun. He wished he were back in the battle, fighting for his Clan with the power of the stars pulsing in his paws. “Why don’t you ask Foxpaw to teach you?” He glanced at Daisy. “I need to clean out your bedding anyway.”

Daisy got to her paws slowly, as though reluctant to leave the nursery. “I suppose we all need some fresh air.” She glanced at Millie, who was coughing again. “You should stay inside.”

Millie nodded. “I am rather tired.” She curled around her kits and closed her eyes.

As Daisy followed Toadkit and Rosekit out of the den, Lionpaw began picking through her bedding, pulling out stale scraps of moss. Millie’s breathing was hoarse, and the air around her smelled sour.

Lionpaw pawed together the dirty moss and gathered it in his jaws. Then he wriggled backward out of the nursery and dropped it outside. Cinderpaw was trotting through the thorn tunnel, fresh moss dangling from her jaws.

“I haven’t done Millie’s nest yet,” Lionpaw called. “I think she’s sick.”

Graystripe, sunning himself beneath Highledge, scrambled to his paws. “What’s wrong?”

“She has a cough,” Lionpaw mewed. “I was just going to fetch Leafpool.”

Graystripe was already hurrying toward the nursery. “Be quick,” he ordered, his tail bushing out.

Lionpaw padded to the medicine cats’ den. A strong smell of herbs drifted through the brambles. He nosed his way in, blinking to adjust his eyes to the gloom.

“Leafpool?”

The medicine cat was crouching beside Spiderleg, her paws green with ointment. “What is it?”

“I think Millie’s sick.”

Leafpool rubbed her paws on the moss of Spiderleg’s nest.

“I’ll put some more on later,” she promised the warrior.

“I’m feeling much better,” Spiderleg assured her.

“Good,” Leafpool meowed. “But stay in your nest. You’re healing quickly, but I want to be sure you’re completely healed before you go back to the warriors’ den.” She turned back to Lionpaw. “Are the kits okay?”

“They seem fine.”

Leafpool was rinsing her paws in the pool when Jaypaw padded into the nursery with a bunch of leaves in his jaws.

“Sort them out for drying,” Leafpool told him. “I have to check on Millie.” The medicine cat pushed her way out through the brambles.

Jaypaw began to lay out the leaves beside a gap in the cave wall.

“Did you sleep okay?” Lionpaw whispered. He wondered if StarClan had told Jaypaw anything about the vanishing sun.

“You mean, did I dream?” Jaypaw snapped. “Why can’t you just say what you’re thinking?”

Lionpaw blinked, surprised by Jaypaw’s tone. “Have you got a thistle stuck in your tail?”

“Sorry,” Jaypaw mewed. “It’s been a busy night.”

Lionpaw glanced at Squirrelflight sleeping in her nest at the back of the den. “Is she better?”

“She’s getting there,” Jaypaw mewed. “But I have to change the dressing a lot to stop infection.”

“Do you want me to fetch some more cobwebs?” Lionpaw offered.

“Cinderpaw brought back plenty this morning, thanks.”

While I was sleeping. Lionpaw’s pelt prickled with guilt. He should be doing more to help his Clan. He padded to his mother’s nest and sniffed at her fur, comforted by her familiar scent.

“Lionpaw?” Squirrelf light opened her eyes. A purr caught in her throat. “How are you?”

“Fine,” Lionpaw mewed.