“I doubt it,” Firestar told her; there was regret in his voice as if he, too, would have been comforted by that explanation. “It was a clean wound, like a hunting warrior would make on their prey.”
“You’re saying that a cat killed him?” Cloudtail’s voice rang out disbelievingly.
“WindClan!” Thornclaw yowled. “They must have found him by the border and killed him. We should attack them now!”
Caterwauls of agreement followed his words; it was several moments before Firestar could make himself heard again.
“We mustn’t act too quickly,” he warned his Clan. “There was no WindClan scent on Ashfur’s body. In fact, there’s no evidence at all that he was killed by a cat from another Clan.”
Frozen silence filled the clearing. When Brackenfur broke it, his voice was shaking. “Are you saying that one of us killed Ashfur?”
Jayfeather’s heart thudded as he waited for Firestar’s reply. His littermates tensed beside him, and he could hear Squirrelflight trying not to gulp for air as if she were being smothered.
“Do any of you know a reason why anyone in ThunderClan might want Ashfur dead?” Firestar asked.
Beside him, Lionblaze and Hollyleaf quivered under the weight of what they knew. A little farther away, Squirrelflight held her breath altogether. Jayfeather knew they were all thinking of the scene on top of the cliff, when Squirrelflight’s terrible secret had been shared in storm and fire. That, and that alone, had to be the reason for Ashfur’s murder.
Now, for their own sakes and the sake of their Clan, they must all conspire to keep the truth hidden forever.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Cherith Baldry
About the Author
ERIN HUNTER is inspired by a love of cats and a fascination with the ferocity of the natural world. As well as having great respect for nature in all its forms, Erin enjoys creating rich mythical explanations for animal behavior. She is also the author of the bestselling Seekers series.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
WARRIORS
Book One: Into the Wild
Book Two: Fire and Ice
Book Three: Forest of Secrets
Book Four: Rising Storm
Book Five: A Dangerous Path
WARRIORS:
THE NEW PROPHECY
Book One: Midnight
Book Two: Moonrise
Book Three: Dawn
Book Four: Starlight
Book Five: Twilight
Book Six: Sunset
WARRIORS:
POWER OF THREE
Book One: The Sight
Book Two: Dark River
Book Three: Outcast
Book Four: Eclipse
WARRIORS MANGA
The Lost Warrior
Warrior’s Refuge
Warrior’s Return
The Rise of Scourge
Tigerstar and Sasha #1: Into the Woods
Warriors Field Guide: Secrets of the Clans
Warriors Super Edition: Firestar’s Quest
Warriors: Cats of the Clans
Credits
Jacket art © 2008 by Wayne McLoughlin
Jacket design by Hilary Zarycky
Copyright
WARRIORS: POWER OF THREE #5: LONG SHADOWS. Copyright © 2009 by Working Partners Limited. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub © Edition OCTOBER 2008 ISBN: 9780061973710
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