Path Оf А Warrior

Chapter Six

Shadowstar and Pebble Heart decided not to tell any other cat, not even Raven Pelt, about Pebble Heart’s dream.

“If what you saw is a vision from StarClan, trouble will find us soon enough,” Shadowstar had told him grimly, “and if it was just a dream, there’s no reason to worry the Clan.” Pebble Heart had agreed, but Shadowstar knew that, like her, he was sure the dream had been a warning.

As she and Raven Pelt padded toward ThunderClan’s territory, she decided not to think about it. All she could do was try to protect her Clan, and she would do that with or without StarClan’s warning.

Instead, Shadowstar would help Raven Pelt learn how to be a Clan leader.

“We’ll talk to Thunderstar about the territory up near the Highstones,” she told him now. “If he thinks that SkyClan should consider moving there, it’ll help all the Clans to come to an agreement.”

Raven Pelt’s whiskers twitched in confusion. “But it’s not a very good territory.”

“No,” Shadowstar agreed with a sigh. “But it’s an option, and the other Clans will never give up territory. Not without blood being shed. If SkyClan does end up losing its own territory, surely it’s better for them to stay close instead of ending up with nowhere to go.”

Raven Pelt’s tail drooped. “I guess.”

“A leader has to think of their own Clan first,” Shadowstar told him gently. “But we should try to treat the other Clans as fairly as we can.”

As they came out of the pine forest near the Thunderpath, Shadowstar’s spine prickled, and she shivered. Something was wrong. She sniffed the air, and then looked around, half expecting to be attacked. Just like yesterday, she’d caught a familiar whiff of cat over the Thunderpath scent. A scent that smelled like …

Quick Water?

No, she decided. I must be imagining it. After all the danger she’d run into around Thunderpaths, she was seeing trouble where there wasn’t any. Quick Water had been exiled; she wouldn’t dare intrude on any Clan’s territory now.

Side by side, she and Raven Pelt crossed the Thunderpath. The sun was shining brightly, and a warm breeze rustled the leaves of the trees overhead.

The scent seemed stronger here. I am imagining it, Shadowstar told herself. Aren’t I?

Raven Pelt stopped suddenly and opened his mouth to scent the air. “Do you smell that?” he said. “I think it’s Quick Water’s scent. If she’s left Clan lands, shouldn’t it have faded by now?”

“It should have,” Shadowstar said grimly. So, she hadn’t been imagining it. Quick Water must be hanging around ThunderClan territory. Was she trespassing, unwilling to go off alone onto rogue lands? Or was ThunderClan sheltering the cat who had murdered Sun Shadow?

She began to hurry. “We need to talk to Thunderstar.”

Just across the ThunderClan border, Shadowstar caught sight of a black-and-white pelt through the underbrush. “Leaf!” she called, and the tom trotted out of the bushes, trailed by a smaller white-and-yellow she-cat.

“Hello, Shadowstar, Raven Pelt,” Leaf meowed, dipping his head respectfully. “What brings you onto ThunderClan territory?”

“We need to speak to Thunderstar,” Shadowstar told him. “Will you escort us to your camp?”

“Of course,” Leaf answered amiably. “Blue Whisker, why don’t you go ahead and let Thunderstar know we’re coming?” The younger cat flicked her tail in acknowledgment and hurried off. Well, if Quick Water’s in their camp, she’ll be long gone by the time we get there, Shadowstar thought, watching her go.

When they arrived at ThunderClan’s camp, the clearing was almost empty, not just of Quick Water, but of most of ThunderClan. No cats were relaxing or sharing prey. Thunderstar sat at one end of the clearing, his deputy, Owl Eyes, and four of his toughest warriors beside him.

Shadowstar eyed them. “What’s going on?” she asked. Her pelt was prickling with apprehension, and Raven Pelt pushed closer to her, protecting her side. She had always liked Thunderstar. But then, she had always liked Quick Water, too. Is this an attack? she wondered, and then, sickeningly, Am I leading another deputy to his death?

Thunderstar flicked his ears, a friendly gesture. “Nothing’s going on,” he mewed. “I just wanted these cats to hear what you had to say. You’ve been up to check out the land by Highstones?”

Shadowstar narrowed her eyes. “We did plan to talk to you about that,” she meowed. “But right now I’m more worried about something I scented while crossing your borders. Are you … Are you sheltering Quick Water?”

The big ginger tom stiffened. “ThunderClan has the right to allow any cat we like onto our lands,” he told her. “You and Skystar can’t exile cats from our territory.”

Dropping into a crouch, Shadowstar felt her ears flatten, as Raven Pelt tensed beside her. “Do you know what Quick Water did?” she hissed. “She tried to kill me. She did kill Sun Shadow!” This must have been what Pebble Heart’s vision was about. The threat to ShadowClan—to all the Clans—wasn’t gone.

She wouldn’t tell Thunderstar that Quick Water had managed to kill her once. No other Clan needed to know, or guess, how close she was to the end of her nine lives.

At her hostility, the cats beside Thunderstar rose to their paws, but Thunderstar waved his tail at them. “Sit down,” he ordered. “Shadowstar, I know what you think happened—”

“What I think?” Shadowstar yowled, outraged. “I know what happened.”

“And I saw it, too,” Raven Pelt added. “Quick Water attacked Shadowstar.”

Thunderstar shifted his paws uncomfortably. “Quick Water says she didn’t do it, and I believe her,” he meowed. “You were probably attacked by a rogue who wanted that territory for herself, one who resembled—”

Shadowstar broke in again. “I know Quick Water and I know her scent,” she hissed. “Do you really think I would mistake a rogue for her?”

“It was raining, wasn’t it?” Thunderstar challenged her. “And with the smells from the Thunderpath, you couldn’t have caught her scent well.”

Hot rage swept over Shadowstar, and she breathed slowly, willing herself to calm down. She and Raven Pelt couldn’t win a fight against these ThunderClan warriors, not alone. “Quick Water is a danger to the Clans,” she meowed, glaring into Thunderstar’s eyes—amber, she noticed. “Even if you don’t care about my life, or the threat to ShadowClan, sheltering a cat who tried to kill me could drag all the Clans into battle. Is that what you want?”

Thunderstar flicked his tail. “Your threats won’t change my mind,” he mewed evenly. “I believe Quick Water, and, if this leads to battle, at least my conscience will be clear.” His eyes softened and his voice turned pleading. “You have to understand: I’ve trusted Quick Water all my life,” he added. “She’s lived through everything the Clans have had to face. She deserves the benefit of the doubt, doesn’t she?”

Shadowstar felt her shoulders slump. “You’ve known me just as long,” she meowed. “And I thought you trusted me.”

Thunderstar looked apologetic, but he didn’t drop his gaze. “I believe Quick Water,” he mewed again. “And I will protect her.”

Shadowstar brushed her tail across Raven Pelt’s back. Time to go. “This isn’t over,” she told Thunderstar, who nodded solemnly. She was afraid for a moment that the ThunderClan warriors would spring at her, but she and Raven Pelt left the camp unchallenged.

As they headed back toward their own territory, Raven Pelt asked apprehensively, “What happens now?”

Shadowstar felt a heavy dread settle in her gut. Her mind cast back to one of her earliest memories of Thunderstar—a time when he was known only as Thunder, and she was a cat called Tall Shadow. She’d just killed Fircone, a rogue cat, in front of him, and explained that she’d had no choice. We must fight or die.

Was she walking closer to another such day? Was it her final death she could feel right now, circling above her like a hawk?

“We can’t let Quick Water stay in the forest,” she told him. “She’s a threat to ShadowClan. If we can’t make Thunderstar see reason … we may have to fight.”

Fight or die …