“Sunfall, is all quiet on the borders?”
“Yes,” Sunfall replied. “Did the prey run well for you?”
Pinestar nodded. “StarClan was good to me.”
Lionpaw was surprised. Pinestar didn’t smell of fresh-kill, just flowers and crushed grass. Sunfall had told him he’d done well on the patrol today; Lionpaw hoped Pinestar would invite him on a patrol soon so he could show the leader how much he had learned.
But Pinestar rarely went out with other cats; he preferred to patrol alone, he said, so he could hear and scent more clearly. Lionpaw was very frustrated. How would Pinestar know the best warrior name for him if he never saw him hunt or fight? He would only be an apprentice for two more moons, so there wasn’t much time.
Lionpaw woke early the following morning, before any of his denmates. Outside the den, the air was clear and cold, with a hint of mustiness that suggested leaf-fall was on its way. The clearing was empty but the gorse tunnel was quivering as if a cat had just gone through. Lionpaw pushed his way in, wondering if whoever it was would like some company.
A reddish brown shape was just reaching the top of the ravine.
Pinestar! Perhaps this was Lionpaw’s chance to show off some of his skills. He bounded up the rocks behind him, intending to call out when he reached the top, but by the time he got there, Pinestar had vanished. Lionpaw looked around. A fern was bobbing more strongly than the breeze was blowing, and the ThunderClan leader’s scent drifted just above the dewy grass. Lionpaw put his nose down and followed the trail. He decided to see how far he could track Pinestar without being spotted. That would be a great way to show how good he was at stalking!
Staying far enough back to be out of sight and treading as softly as he could, Lionpaw followed Pinestar across the territory, past the treecutplace, and into the thinner trees. It was harder to track through the pine trees without being seen; Lionpaw had to rush between fallen branches and sparse clumps of bracken, hoping Pinestar didn’t look back. He was so busy concentrating on not stepping on any crackly twigs that he didn’t realize where he was until he looked over the bracken and saw Twoleg fences in front of him. They were right at the edge of the forest! But where was Pinestar? Lionpaw stretched his neck out from his hiding place and sniffed. The trail was still there—and it led straight out of the forest.
Had Pinestar chased a kittypet out of ThunderClan’s territory? Lionpaw was sure he would have heard something like that. He crept through the long grass that grew under the outermost trees and sniffed the bottom of a wooden Twoleg fence.
Pinestar had definitely climbed up here—there were scratchmarks on the wood. It looked as if this was a regular climbing place.
Lionpaw clawed his way up the wooden fence and looked down into the little square of Twoleg territory. Short green grass
was edged with strong-smelling flowers, and a strange, leafless tree stood in the center holding bright-colored Twoleg pelts. Just past the leafless tree, the grass turned into flat white stone, where two spindly wooden objects stood on skinny legs. They each had a flat ledge at the top of the legs, and on one of the ledges a red-brown shape was curled, with a tail hanging over the edge.
Lionpaw nearly fell off the fence.
What was Pinestar doing in the Twoleg territory?
Lionpaw was about to jump down and call to him when a flap in the Twoleg nest swung open and a Twoleg appeared. Lionpaw ducked behind some flowers, trying not to sneeze as the pollen tickled his nose. The Twoleg made some noises, and to Lionpaw’s astonishment, Pinestar replied.
“Oh, thank you, I love it when you rub my ears! Could you do my back as well? That’s perfect!”
Lionpaw peered around a leaf. The Twoleg was bent over the spindly object, stroking Pinestar’s fur with one pink, hairless paw.
If Pinestar hadn’t been purring, Lionpaw would have thought he was being attacked. But he was enjoying it.
Pinestar rolled onto his back so that his hind legs dangled over the edge of the ledge. His head tipped back and Lionpaw caught a glimpse of his eyes, closed in delight. Suddenly afraid of being seen, Lionpaw scrambled back over the fence and dived into the long grass. He wanted to run all the way back to the camp and forget what he had seen, but he knew he couldn’t do that. He had to ask Pinestar what he was doing.
“Lionpaw! What are you doing here?”
Pinestar was standing on top of the fence, looking down at him.
“I… er…” Lionpaw stammered.
Pinestar sprang down and looked closely at him. “Did you follow me?”
“Yes,” Lionpaw admitted. “I wanted to show you my stalking skills.”
“Well, I didn’t notice you, so they must be good! Now, I expect you’re wondering what I was doing with that Twoleg.”
Lionpaw nodded. Every hair on his pelt seemed to be on fire.
Pinestar began walking back into the trees, and Lionpaw trotted to catch up. “The kittypet that lives there has been causing trouble for the last moon,” Pinestar explained. “Straying into the forest, scaring our prey—not that he catches any, of course. But I decided to see how he liked it when I went onto his territory—and
I wanted to give him a warning to stay away for good.”
Lionpaw felt a little knot inside his belly relax. He had guessed this was the reason Pinestar had gone over the fence!
“He wasn’t there, just my luck,” Pinestar went on. “Then I heard the Twoleg coming, so I jumped on that ledge and pretended to be another kittypet so she didn’t get suspicious. It was hard work, I can tell you!”
Lionpaw nodded. His leader was so brave and clever! Lionpaw would never have thought of pretending to be a kittypet!
“You won’t say anything to the others, will you?” Pinestar checked. “I don’t want any other warriors trying this. It’s far too dangerous.”
Lionpaw shook his head. “Oh, no. I won’t say a word,” he promised. His tail bristled with excitement. Pinestar must trust him as much as a warrior! Maybe his name would be Liontrust, or Lionloyal, because of the great secret they shared.
“I knew it!” Sunfall hissed. Keeping low so that his orange pelt was hidden by ferns, he looked back at Lionpaw. “Go back to the camp and tell Pinestar we’re being invaded! Those RiverClan warriors have deliberately crossed the border. We can’t let them get away with it. Pinestar needs to send a fighting patrol here at once.”
Lionpaw nodded and whipped around. He squeezed past
Bluefur and Tawnyspots and pelted back along the trail that led to the ravine. He jumped down the rocks in one giant leap and burst through the tunnel. “RiverClan is attacking us!” he yowled.
Several heads appeared around the clearing. “Where’s Pinestar?” Lionpaw panted. “He needs to send a warrior patrol.”
“I thought he was with you,” meowed Thrushpelt. “I’ll take the patrol to Sunningrocks; you go find Pinestar and tell him what’s going on.”
Lionpaw spun around and raced out of the camp. He could guess where Pinestar was: defending their territory against that pesky kittypet! Well, he’d have to focus on RiverClan right now, before those fish-faces took over all of ThunderClan. Lionpaw ran through the pine trees and threw himself at the wooden fence.
He slithered down the other side, unable to stop on the top, and landed in a heap among the flowers. Shaking earth off his fur, he looked out.
Pinestar was standing on the white stone, eating a pile of brown pellets. The Twoleg was standing over him, showing its teeth and making soft, friendly noises. Pinestar swiped his tongue around his jaws and looked up at the Twoleg, curling his body around its hind legs. “That was delicious!” he meowed. “Is there any more?”