DEDICATION
Special thanks to Cherith Baldry
ALLEGIANCES
THUNDERCLAN
LEADER BRAMBLESTAR—dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes
DEPUTY SQUIRRELFLIGHT—dark ginger she-cat with green eyes and one white paw
MEDICINE CATS LEAFPOOL—light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes, white paws and chest
JAYFEATHER—gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes
ALDERHEART—dark ginger tom with amber eyes
WARRIORS (toms and she-cats without kits)
BRACKENFUR—golden-brown tabby tom
CLOUDTAIL—long-haired white tom with blue eyes
BRIGHTHEART—white she-cat with ginger patches
THORNCLAW—golden-brown tabby tom
WHITEWING—white she-cat with green eyes
BIRCHFALL—light brown tabby tom
BERRYNOSE—cream-colored tom with a stump for a tail
MOUSEWHISKER—gray-and-white tom
POPPYFROST—pale tortoiseshell and white she-cat
CINDERHEART—gray tabby she-cat
LIONBLAZE—golden tabby tom with amber eyes
ROSEPETAL—dark cream she-cat
BRIARLIGHT—dark brown she-cat, paralyzed in her hindquarters
LILYHEART—small, dark tabby she-cat with white patches, and blue eyes
BUMBLESTRIPE—very pale gray tom with black stripes
IVYPOOL—silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes
APPRENCTICE, TWIGPAW (gray she-cat with green eyes)
DOVEWING—pale gray she-cat with green eyes
CHERRYFALL—ginger she-cat
MOLEWHISKER—brown-and-cream tom
SNOWBUSH—white, fluffy tom
AMBERMOON—pale ginger she-cat
DEWNOSE—gray-and-white tom
STORMCLOUD—gray tabby tom
HOLLYTUFT—black she-cat
FERNSONG—yellow tabby tom
SORRELSTRIPE—dark brown she-cat
LEAFSHADE—a tortoiseshell she-cat
LARKSONG—a black tom
HONEYFUR—a white she-cat with yellow splotches
SPARKPELT—orange tabby she-cat
QUEENS (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)
DAISY—cream long-furred cat from the horseplace
BLOSSOMFALL—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with petal-shaped white patches
ELDERS (former warriors and queens, now retired)
PURDY—plump tabby former loner with a gray muzzle
GRAYSTRIPE—long-haired gray tom
MILLIE—striped silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes
SHADOWCLAN
(REFUGEES LIVING WITH THUNDERCLAN)
LEADER ROWANSTAR—ginger tom
DEPUTY TIGERHEART—dark brown tabby tom
WARRIORS TAWNYPELT—tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes
WINDCLAN
LEADER ONESTAR—brown tabby tom
DEPUTY HARESPRING—brown-and-white tom
MEDICINE CAT KESTRELFLIGHT—mottled gray tom with white splotches like kestrel feathers
WARRIORS NIGHTCLOUD—black she-cat
APPRENTICE, BRINDLEPAW (mottled brown she-cat)
GORSETAIL—very pale gray-and-white she-cat with blue eyes
CROWFEATHER—dark gray tom
APPRENTICE, FERNPAW (gray tabby she-cat)
LEAFTAIL—dark tabby tom, amber eyes
EMBERFOOT—gray tom with two dark paws
APPRENTICE, SMOKEPAW (gray she-cat)
BREEZEPELT—black tom with amber eyes
LARKWING—pale brown tabby she-cat
SEDGEWHISKER—light brown tabby she-cat
SLIGHTFOOT—black tom with white flash on his chest
OATCLAW—pale brown tabby tom
FEATHERPELT—gray tabby she-cat
HOOTWHISKER—dark gray tom
HEATHERTAIL—light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes
ELDERS WHITETAIL—small white she-cat
RIVERCLAN
LEADER MISTYSTAR—gray she-cat with blue eyes
DEPUTY REEDWHISKER—black tom
MEDICINE CATS MOTHWING—dappled golden she-cat
WILLOWSHINE—gray tabby she-cat
WARRIORS MINTFUR—light gray tabby tom
DUSKFUR—brown tabby she-cat
SHADENOSE—dark brown she-cat
MINNOWTAIL—dark gray-and-white she-cat
APPRENTICE, BREEZEPAW
MALLOWNOSE—light brown tabby tom
PETALFUR—gray-and-white she-cat
BEETLEWHISKER—brown-and-white tabby tom
CURLFEATHER—pale brown she-cat
PODLIGHT—gray-and-white tom
HERONWING—dark gray-and-black tom
SHIMMERPELT—silver she-cat
APPRENTICE, NIGHTPAW (dark gray she-cat with blue eyes)
LIZARDTAIL—light brown tom
FOXFACE—russet tabby tom
HAVENPELT—black-and-white she-cat
PERCHWING—gray-and-white she-cat
SNEEZECLOUD—gray-and-white tom
BRACKENPELT—tortoiseshell she-cat
JAYCLAW—gray tom
OWLNOSE—brown tabby tom
ICEWING—white she-cat with blue eyes
QUEENS LAKEHEART—gray tabby she-cat (mother to Harekit, Dapplekit, Gorsekit, and Softkit)
ELDERS MOSSPELT—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat
ROGUES
(DARKTAIL’S “KIN”)
LEADER DARKTAIL—a strong, muscular tom, with white fur broken up by black spots around his eyes
MEDICINE CAT PUDDLESHINE—brown tom with white splotches
THE “KIN” RAIN—long-furred gray tom with green eyes
RAVEN—long-furred black she-cat
ROACH—silver gray tom
NETTLE—brown tabby tom with long, spiky fur
NEEDLETAIL—silver she-cat
SLEEKWHISKER—sleek yellow she-cat
JUNIPERCLAW—black tom
SPIKEFUR—dark brown tom with tufty fur on his head
YARROWLEAF—ginger she-cat with yellow eyes
WASPTAIL—yellow tabby she-cat with green eyes
STRIKESTONE—tabby tom
DAWNPELT—cream-furred she-cat
BEENOSE—plump white she-cat with black ears
SCORCHFUR—dark gray tom with slashed ears
BERRYHEART—black-and-white she-cat
CLOVERFOOT—gray tabby she-cat
RIPPLETAIL—white tom
SPARROWTAIL—large brown tabby tom
MISTCLOUD—spiky-furred, pale gray she-cat
BIRCHBARK—beige tom
LIONEYE—yellow she-cat with amber eyes
SLATEFUR—sleek gray tom
GRASSHEART—pale brown tabby she-cat
PINENOSE—black she-cat
VIOLETPAW—black-and-white she-cat with yellow eyes
QUEENS SNOWBIRD—pure white she-cat with green eyes (mother to Conekit, Gullkit, and Frondkit)
ELDERS OAKFUR—small brown tom
RATSCAR—scarred, skinny dark brown tom
MAPS
CONTENTS
Dedication
Allegiances
Maps
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
&
nbsp; Chapter 22
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Credits
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PROLOGUE
The sun edged its way above the horizon, casting a flood of golden light over the grassy hollow where Alderheart stood. Blinking in the dazzling rays, he glanced around and tried to work out where he was. He couldn’t remember ever having visited this hollow before, and a pang of apprehension seized him as he wondered if he had managed to wander away from ThunderClan territory without realizing it.
In the bottom of the hollow was a small pool, the surface glittering in the sunlight. Straggling bushes surrounded it, and when Alderheart looked more closely he spotted a group of cats huddled in the shelter of the branches. A small, silver-gray tabby she-cat lay stretched out in their midst. Alderheart thought he had seen her somewhere before, but the other cats were all strangers to him.
Hesitantly, Alderheart began padding down the slope into the center of the hollow. “Greetings!” he called out as he drew nearer to the group of cats. “Can you tell me where . . . ?”
His voice trailed off as none of the cats reacted to his approach—it was as if they could neither see him nor hear him. A spark of excitement fizzled through Alderheart.
I must be having a vision! Are these the cats of SkyClan? But I don’t really recognize any of them. . . .
Eager to know what his vision had to tell him, Alderheart drew closer to the clump of bushes, noticing that his paw steps did not even bend the grass blades beneath them.
As he padded forward, Alderheart could see that the silver-gray tabby had a long gash down her flank. The flesh around it was swollen, and pus oozed from the wound. The tabby was very thin, her pelt dull and almost colorless; her breathing was shallow, and her eyes looked glassy with fever. Once again he felt that odd sense of familiarity, as though he really ought to recognize her.
I wish I could help this cat, Alderheart thought. Chervil or marigold for the infection, some borage leaves to bring down her fever a little . . .
But in his vision he was helpless, with no way to communicate with these cats or find the herbs for them. All he could do was watch as one of the tabby’s companions dipped a scrap of moss into the pool and held it to her mouth so that she could drink.
“Is there anything we can do for you?” one of the other cats asked her.
Wearily, the silver tabby shook her head. “Maybe dandelion or borage,” she murmured. “But I don’t know where you would find them here. My time is almost up. The infection is too strong. . . . There’s nothing any cat can do now.”
Her eyes closed. One of the other cats bent over her and gave her ears a gentle lick.
Alderheart almost thought that the tabby had died, but a moment later she roused again.
“I wish I could protect you all,” she mewed, her voice shaking and filled with guilt. “We’re so far from the gorge . . . and we haven’t been able to find the home that StarClan wishes for us.” Suddenly she startled, looking over her Clanmates’ heads. “Frecklewish! Have you found us at last?”
The other cats looked eagerly in the direction she was staring, but disappointment clouded their eyes when they saw no cat there. Alderheart understood that the tabby’s fever was causing her to hallucinate. The cat who had been licking her said gently, “She’s not here. You know we never found Frecklewish after we were driven from the gorge. I fear that she must be dead.”
Another cat nodded. “We looked everywhere.”
Alderheart realized that the dying tabby must be their medicine cat. Pity for her Clanmates clawed at him: they looked so thin and ragged, and it sounded as if they had struggled hard to find themselves new territory.
They’ve been through so much, he thought. And losing their medicine cat will only make things more difficult.
The cat’s name was on the tip of Alderheart’s tongue, and suddenly it felt vitally important for him to remember it. But he was distracted when the silver-gray tabby let out a gasp and struggled to sit up. Her eyes widened, her gaze fixed on something on the horizon. Alderheart wanted to turn and see what it was that she saw, but he couldn’t tear his gaze from her face.
“They’re coming . . . ,” she whispered, seeming to relax; then she forced herself upright again, her legs trembling and her tail flailing. “You must look for the blood trail in the sky! Follow the blood trail!” she rasped out.
The effort had taken the last of the tabby’s strength. She sank back onto the grass, her eyes fluttering shut. Her breathing slowed, then stopped.
“Echosong!” The cats who surrounded her flung back their heads and sent wails of anguish up to the sky. “Echosong!”
Echosong! Alderheart’s suspicions were confirmed. No wonder she looks familiar—I’ve seen her in a vision before! And I know her name . . . Sandstorm spoke of her. She’s SkyClan’s medicine cat . . . which means these cats are all that’s left of SkyClan.
The vision began to fade into a swirling gray mist, and as he lost sight of the grieving cats, Alderheart felt certain that SkyClan still desperately needed help—more than ever, now that they were without a medicine cat.
Opening his eyes in the apprentices’ den, Alderheart saw pale dawn light filtering through the ferns that screened the entrance. He lay still for a moment. His vision had convinced him not only that his Clan must help SkyClan, but that SkyClan definitely had something to do with the prophecy.
It’s time to do something, Alderheart thought, hauling himself to his paws and shaking moss and bracken out of his pelt. I’ll talk to Bramblestar about it as soon as I can. But I’m afraid that won’t be until after this morning’s battle. . . .
CHAPTER 1
Cats of all four Clans were massed as one on the ShadowClan border. All around her, Twigpaw could hear the faint rustling, as their paws shifted in the grass, and taste their mingled scents. “So many warriors!” she whispered. “All four Clans together . . .”
The cats of ThunderClan were clustered around Twigpaw, their gleaming eyes and bristling fur showing that they were ready for battle. Twigpaw let her gaze travel over them: the Clan leader, Bramblestar, with his deputy, Squirrelflight, beside him; Lionblaze, his muscles rippling under his golden tabby pelt; Cloudtail with his mate, Brightheart, and their daughter Whitewing; Larksong and his littermates, Leafshade and Honeyfur, proudly awaiting their first chance to fight for their Clan as warriors.
Twigpaw pressed close to Ivypool’s side, nervously sheathing and unsheathing her claws. The dawn light was growing stronger, but shadows still lurked under the trees, making the ShadowClan territory ahead look even darker and scarier than usual.
Ivypool dipped her head to speak softly into Twigpaw’s ear. “After the Great Storm, Bramblestar proposed a new addition to the warrior code.” Her eyes shone with pride in her Clan leader. “He said that though the Clans must all remember their separate histories and traditions, in times of dire need all should stand together so that no Clan should ever fall. And if this isn’t a time of dire need,” she added wryly, “I don’t know what is.”
“Do you really think we can drive the rogues out of ShadowClan territory?” Twigpaw asked. She tried to stop her voice from shaking, even though her mouth was dry and her heart pounded so hard that she thought every cat must be able to hear it.
Ivypool brushed her tail reassuringly over Twigpaw’s shoulders. “Your first battle is always tough,” she meowed. Her silver-and-white pelt was as neat as if she had just groomed it, and her voice was full of confidence. “But stick close to me, and I’ll look after you.”
Relief flooded through Twigpaw, and she blinked gratefully at her mentor. I’m so happy to be Ivypool’s apprentice, she thought. She always has my back.
“Cats of all Clans . . .” Bramblestar’s voice rang out across the assembled cats. “The time has come to take the rogues by surprise and force them out of ShadowClan territory.”
“Yes,” Rowanstar agreed. The ShadowClan leader’s voice was quiet but invited no argument. He stood at the front of the crowd, his ginger fur beginning to glow as the light strengthened. His mate, Tawnypelt, had positioned herself close beside him. “We must get rid of the rogues once and for all. The future of the Clans depends on it!”
Onestar, the leader of WindClan, glared at Rowanstar and gave an irritated lash of his tail. “That’s an interesting order,” he meowed, “coming from the cat who allowed the rogues to live on his territory for moons, until finally most of his Clan decided they would rather follow Darktail! Maybe, Rowanstar,” he added, “you could stop issuing orders to cats who are cleaning up your mess.”
Rowanstar’s neck fur bristled and he drew his lips back in the beginning of a snarl. “And just maybe,” he retorted bitterly, “WindClan cats could mind their own business.”
“You made it our business!” Onestar snapped.
“Enough!” Mistystar of RiverClan thrust her way between the two furious leaders, holding herself with authority. “What hope do we have if we fight among ourselves? Rowanstar is right about one thing: the rogues must be driven out. They killed Furzepelt, they enticed ShadowClan warriors away from their Clan, and now they’ve stolen ShadowClan’s territory. It’s time to get rid of these fiends once and for all.”
“Exactly,” Bramblestar agreed, his voice level. “So please can we stop blaming one another, and work together to drive out these rogues?”
He glanced from Rowanstar to Onestar and back again. Onestar dipped his head in acquiescence, while Rowanstar turned aside, breathing heavily and shaking out his fur.
Seeing the leaders fight like that only made Twigpaw more nervous; she felt as if she had a belly full of mice that were chasing one another’s tails.
“Are you ready?” Ivypool asked.
Twigpaw hesitated. “I’m worried about my sister,” she confessed at last. “Poor Violetpaw is with the rogues now, and she’s bound to be caught up in all of this. What if she gets hurt?”
“Violetpaw is strong and smart.” A new voice chimed in; Twigpaw turned her head to see the ShadowClan deputy, Tigerheart, standing just behind her, with her Clanmate Dovewing by his side. “She’ll be okay,” Tigerheart continued reassuringly. “And none of the cats here would seriously injure an apprentice.”