Firepaw reached the edge of the ravine and looked down at the camp. He was panting and his paws were slippery with dew. He sniffed the air. He was alone. There was still time to speak to Yellowfang before the others returned from the Gathering. Silently, he jumped down the rocky slope and slipped through the gorse tunnel unnoticed.
The camp was still and quiet, apart from the muted snuffles of sleeping cats. Firepaw quickly crept around the edge of the clearing to Yellowfang’s nest. The old medicine cat was curled on top of her mossy bedding.
“Yellowfang,” he hissed urgently. “Yellowfang! Wake up; it’s important!”
Two orange eyes opened and glinted in the moonlight. “I wasn’t sleeping,” meowed Yellowfang quietly. She sounded calm and alert. “You came straight from the Gathering to me? That must mean you’ve heard.” She blinked slowly and looked away. “So Brokenstar kept his promise.”
“What promise?” Firepaw felt very confused. Yellowfang seemed to know more than he did about what was going on.
“ShadowClan’s noble leader promised to drive me from every Clan territory,” Yellowfang replied dryly. “What did he say about me?”
“He warned us that our kits were in danger as long as we sheltered the ShadowClan rogue. He didn’t say your name, but ThunderClan guessed who he was talking about. You must leave before the others get back. You are in danger!”
“You mean they believed Brokenstar?” Yellowfang flattened her ears and swished her tail angrily.
“Yes!” Firepaw meowed urgently. “Darkstripe says you’re dangerous. The other cats are scared of what you might do. Tigerclaw is planning to come back and . . . I don’t know. . . . I think you should go before they get here!”
In the distance Firepaw could hear the yowls of angry cats. Yellowfang struggled stiffly to her paws. Firepaw gave her a nudge to help her up, his mind still spinning with questions. “What did Brokenstar mean when he warned us to keep a close eye on our kits?” he couldn’t stop himself from asking. “Would you really do something like that?”
“Would I what?”
“Would you harm our kits?”
Yellowfang flared her nostrils and looked steadily at him. “Do you think so?”
Firepaw met her gaze without flinching. “No. I don’t believe you would ever harm a kit. But why would Brokenstar say such a thing?”
The noise of the cats was coming nearer, and with it, the scents of aggression and anger. Yellowfang looked wildly from side to side.
“Go!” Firepaw urged. Her safety was more important than his curiosity.
But Yellowfang remained where she was and stared at him. A calm look suddenly came into her wide eyes. “Firepaw, you believe I’m innocent, and I’m grateful for that. If you believe me, then others might. And I know Bluestar will give me a fair hearing. I can’t run forever. I’m too old. I shall stay here and face whatever your Clan decides for me.” She sighed and sank down onto her bony haunches.
“But what about Tigerclaw? What if he—”
“He is headstrong, and he knows the power he has over the other Clan cats—they are in awe of him. But even he will obey Bluestar.”
Rustling in the undergrowth beyond the camp boundary told Firepaw that the cats were almost at the entrance.
“Go away, Firepaw,” hissed Yellowfang, baring her blackened teeth at him. “Don’t make trouble for yourself by being seen with me now. There is nothing you can do for me. Have faith in your leader, and let her decide what happens to me.”
Firepaw realized Yellowfang had made up her mind. He touched his nose to her patchy fur, then crept silently away into the shadows to watch.
Through the gorse came the cats—Bluestar first, accompanied by Lionheart. Frostfur and Willowpelt were right behind them. Frostfur raced away from the troop immediately and ran toward the nursery, the fur on her tail bristling in alarm. Tigerclaw and Darkstripe strode into the clearing, shoulder to shoulder, looking grim. The others followed behind, with Ravenpaw and Graypaw at the rear. As soon as he saw his friends, Firepaw trotted out to join them.
“You went to warn Yellowfang, didn’t you?” whispered Graypaw when Firepaw reached his side.
“Yes, I did,” Firepaw admitted. “But she won’t leave. She trusts Bluestar to treat her fairly. Did anyone miss me?”
“Only us,” replied Ravenpaw.
Around the camp, the cats who had stayed behind began to wake up. They must have scented the aggression and heard the tension in the voices of the returning cats, for they all came running into the clearing, their tails held high.
“What has happened?” called a tabby warrior named Runningwind.
“Brokenstar has demanded hunting rights for ShadowClan in our territory!” replied Longtail loudly enough for all the cats to hear.
“And he warned us about a rogue cat who will harm our kits!” added Willowpelt. “It must be Yellowfang!”
Meows of anger and distress rose from the crowd.
“Silence!” ordered Bluestar, leaping onto the Highrock. Instinctively, the cats settled in front of her.
A loud screech made every cat turn its head toward the fallen tree where the elders slept. Tigerclaw and Darkstripe were dragging Yellowfang roughly from her nest. She shrieked furiously as they hauled her into the clearing and dumped her in front of the Highrock. Firepaw felt every muscle in his body tense. Without thinking, he dropped into a low crouch, ready to spring at Yellowfang’s persecutors.
“Wait, Firepaw,” growled Graypaw in his ear. “Let Bluestar deal with this.”
“What is going on?” demanded Bluestar, jumping down from the Highrock and glaring at her warriors. “I gave no order to attack our prisoner.”
Tigerclaw and Darkstripe instantly let go of Yellowfang, who crouched in the dust, hissing and spitting.
Frostfur appeared from the nursery and pushed her way through to the front of the Clan. “We got back in time,” she meowed with a gasp. “The kits are safe!”
“Of course they are!” snapped Bluestar.
Frostfur seemed taken aback. “But . . . you are going to throw Yellowfang out, aren’t you?” she meowed, her blue eyes wide.
“Throw her out?” spat Darkstripe, unleashing his claws. “We should kill her now!”
Bluestar fixed her piercing blue eyes on Darkstripe’s angry face. “And what has she done?” she asked with icy calm.
Firepaw held his breath.
“You were at the Gathering! Brokenstar said she—” Darkstripe began.
“Brokenstar said only that there is a rogue somewhere in the woods,” meowed Bluestar, her voice menacingly quiet. “He did not mention Yellowfang by name. The kits are safe. For as long as she is in my Clan, Yellowfang will not be harmed in any way.”
Bluestar’s words were met with silence, and Firepaw heaved a sigh of relief.
Yellowfang looked up at Bluestar and narrowed her eyes respectfully. “I will leave now, if you wish it, Bluestar.”
“There is no need,” Bluestar replied. “You have done nothing wrong. You will be safe here.” The ThunderClan leader lifted her gaze to the crowd of cats that surrounded Yellowfang and meowed, “It is time we discussed the real threat to our Clan: Brokenstar. We have already begun to prepare for an attack by ShadowClan,” Bluestar began. “We’ll carry on with those preparations, and patrol our borders more frequently. WindClan has gone. RiverClan has given hunting rights to ShadowClan warriors. ThunderClan stands alone against Brokenstar.”
A murmur of defiance rippled through the cats, and Firepaw felt his fur prickle with anticipation.
“Then we’re not going to agree to Brokenstar’s demands?” meowed Tigerclaw.
“Clans have never shared hunting rights before,” Bluestar answered. “They have always managed to support themselves in their own territories. There is no reason why this should change.” Tigerclaw nodded approvingly.
“But can we defend ourselves against a ShadowClan attack?” asked Smallear’s tremulous voice. “WindClan didn’t manage it! RiverClan won’t even try!”
Bluestar met his old eyes with her steady gaze. “We must try. We will not give up our territory without a fight.”
All around the clearing, Firepaw saw the cats nodding in agreement.
“I shall travel to the Moonstone tomorrow,” Bluestar announced. “The warriors of StarClan will give me the strength I need to lead ThunderClan through this dark time. You must all get some rest. We have a lot to do when daylight comes. I wish to talk with Lionheart now.” Without another word, she turned and strode toward her den.
Firepaw noticed the look of wonder that had entered the eyes of some of the cats when Bluestar had mentioned the Moonstone. Now the Clan cats hurriedly gathered in groups, meowing in hushed voices full of excitement.
“What’s the Moonstone?” Firepaw asked Graypaw.
“It’s a rock deep underground that shines in the dark,” whispered Graypaw. His voice was hoarse with awe. “All Clan leaders have to spend one night at the Moonstone when they are first chosen. There, the spirits of StarClan share with them.”
“Share what with them?”
Graypaw frowned. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I know only that the new leaders have to sleep near the stone, and as they sleep, they have special dreams. After that, they have the gift of nine lives, and take the name ‘star.’”
Firepaw watched Yellowfang limp back to her shadowy nest. It looked like Tigerclaw’s rough treatment had aggravated her old injury. As he trotted back to the apprentices’ den, Firepaw decided to ask Spottedleaf for more poppy seeds in the morning.
“So what happened?” mewed Dustpaw eagerly, popping his head out of the den. He seemed to have forgotten how much he resented the new apprentice in his eagerness to hear about the Gathering.
“It’s like Longtail said. Brokenstar demanded hunting rights. . . . ” Graypaw began.
Sandpaw and Dustpaw sat and listened, but Firepaw was watching the camp. He could see the silhouettes of Bluestar and Lionheart sitting close together outside her den, talking urgently.
Then he noticed the small shape of Ravenpaw at the entrance to the warriors’ den. Tigerclaw stood beside him. Firepaw saw Ravenpaw’s ears flatten as the young cat flinched away from Tigerclaw’s fierce words. The dark warrior loomed over him, twice his size, his eyes and teeth flashing in the moonlight. What was he saying to Ravenpaw? Firepaw was just about to creep nearer and listen when Ravenpaw backed away, turned, and ran across the clearing.
Firepaw greeted Ravenpaw as he reached the apprentice’s den, but Ravenpaw hardly seemed to notice him. Instead, he pushed his way inside the den without a word.
Firepaw got up to follow him when he saw Lionheart approaching.
“Well,” meowed the ThunderClan deputy, striding up to the apprentices. “It seems that Firepaw, Graypaw, and Ravenpaw are about to reach another important stage in their training.”
“What’s that?” mewed Graypaw, looking excited.
“Bluestar wishes you three to accompany her on her journey to the Moonstone!” Lionheart didn’t miss the look of disappointment on the faces of Dustpaw and Sandpaw, because he added, “Don’t worry, you two; you’ll make the journey soon enough. For now, ThunderClan needs your strength and skill at the camp. I will remain here also.”
Firepaw looked past Lionheart to his leader. She was moving from one group of warriors to another, meowing instructions to each. Why had she chosen him for this journey? he wondered.
“She wants you to rest now,” Lionheart continued. “But first go to Spottedleaf and collect the herbs you will need on this expedition. It’s a long way. You will need something to give you strength and quell your appetite. There will be little time for catching prey.”
Graypaw nodded, and Firepaw dragged his gaze away from Bluestar and nodded too.
“Where is Ravenpaw?” asked Lionheart.
“He’s in his nest already,” replied Firepaw.
“Good. Leave him to sleep. You can fetch herbs for him,” meowed Lionheart. “Rest well. You leave at dawn.” He flicked his tail and walked back to Bluestar’s den.
“Well, then,” mewed Sandpaw. “You’d better go and see Spottedleaf.”
Firepaw listened for sourness in her voice, but there was none. There was no time for jealousy now. All the cats in the Clan seemed to be united against the threat from ShadowClan.
Firepaw and Graypaw walked quickly toward Spottedleaf’s den. The fern tunnel was dark. Not even the full moon penetrated its thick covering.
Spottedleaf seemed to be expecting them as they emerged into her moonlit clearing. “You have come for some traveling herbs,” she meowed.
“Yes, please,” Firepaw answered. “And I think Yellowfang needs more poppy seeds. She seemed to be feeling her wounds.”
“I will take her some after you have gone. And your traveling herbs are ready.”
Spottedleaf indicated a pile of carefully made leaf wraps. “Enough for the three of you. The dark green herb will stop your hunger pangs during the journey. The other will give you strength. Eat them both just before you leave. They’re not as good as fresh prey, but the taste won’t last long.”
“Thanks, Spottedleaf,” mewed Firepaw. He leaned down and picked up one of the parcels. As he bent his head, Spottedleaf stretched over and gently rubbed his cheek with her nose. Firepaw breathed in her sweet, warm scent and purred his thanks.
Graypaw picked up the other two and the friends turned and headed back through the tunnel.
“Good luck!” Spottedleaf called after them. “Travel safely.”
They arrived at the entrance to their den and dropped the bundles.
“Well, I just hope these herbs don’t taste too revolting!” muttered Graypaw.
“It must be a long way to the Moonstone. We’ve never been given herbs before. Do you know where it is?” Firepaw asked.
“Beyond Clan territory, at a place called Highstones. It lies deep underground, in a cave we call Mothermouth.”
“Have you ever been there before?” Firepaw was impressed that Graypaw knew so much about this mysterious place.
“No, but all apprentices have to make the journey there before they become warriors.”
The thought of becoming a warrior made Firepaw’s eyes gleam with excitement, and he couldn’t help standing a little taller.
“Don’t get your hopes up. We still have to finish our training!” Graypaw warned, as if reading his thoughts.
Firepaw looked up through the canopy of leaves at the stars glittering in the black sky above. Moonhigh had passed. “We should get some sleep,” he mewed. But he couldn’t imagine being able to sleep with the thought of tomorrow’s adventure spinning through his mind. Attending the Gathering, a journey to the Moonstone—how far away his kittypet life seemed now!