“Not yet.” He was starving.
“Make sure you do.” Squirrelflight’s mew sounded a little stronger.
Leafpool’s tail brushed the ground. “I know how to take care of my apprentice.”
Jaypaw was surprised. There was a sharp edge to his mentor’s mew. She was never bad-tempered with her patients. But he was too tired and hungry to figure out what was bothering her. His mother sounded better, and that was all he cared about right now.
He padded to the fresh-kill pile and gulped down a dry sparrow, coughing as the feathers caught in his throat. Swallowing, he returned to the den. He padded to his mother’s nest and pressed his nose to her pelt. “See you later, Squirrelflight. I’ll be right here if you need anything.”
She stirred sleepily. “Okay, Jaypaw.”
Jaypaw crawled into his nest and closed his eyes.
“Jaypaw!”
A harsh mew woke him.
Branches crisscrossed overhead, glimmering silver in the starlight. StarClan’s hunting grounds. He got to his paws, feeling soft, moon-washed grass caress his pads.
“You’ve been looking for answers again, haven’t you?” Yellowfang was sitting beside him. Her eyes gleamed accusingly.
Jaypaw stretched and yawned. “I wouldn’t be much of a medicine cat if I didn’t.”
Her paw clouted his ear.
“Ow!”
“I’m still your elder!” Yellowfang glared at him. “And I’m trying to teach you something important.”
Jaypaw rubbed his ear, indignant. “What?”
“Be patient!” She shook out her disheveled fur. “Answers will come to you in time.”
“Why shouldn’t I know what’s going on?” Jaypaw dug his claws into the grass. “It’s not fair if I can’t even be curious!”
“Curiosity must be tempered with patience,” Yellowfang insisted. “Knowledge is wasted on those without the wisdom to know how to use it. And wisdom comes only with time.”
The same old excuses. Frustration welled in Jaypaw’s belly. You think you know everything, but one day I’ll be more powerful than you.
He stared at the battered old she-cat, the words ready on his tongue. She stared back, her chin high, her gaze unflinching.
Jaypaw let his fur lie flat. He couldn’t bring himself to tell her about the prophecy now.
Yellowfang leaned closer, and Jaypaw had to force himself not to duck away from her foul breath. “Serve your Clan,” she murmured. “Trust StarClan, and everything will be revealed in good time.”
Jaypaw looked up. The glade was crowded with cats, their fur sparkling with starlight.
“Listen to Yellowfang,” Bluestar urged him.
Whitestorm gazed down at him, his eyes glowing with warmth. “She’s telling you the truth.”
“All will be revealed in time.” Lionheart swished his thick tail.
“We are watching you,” Yellowfang reminded him.
Jaypaw snorted softly. What was starry fur but a trick of the light? They were just a bunch of dead cats. He was alive.
So were Lionpaw and Hollypaw. And Sol. Didn’t that make them stronger than StarClan already?
Yellowfang leaned forward, hissing as though she could tell what he was thinking. “You don’t know what’s best for your Clan, Jaypaw! Just remember that!”
Chapter 22
The sun woke Lionpaw. He blinked open his eyes, his pelt hot from the rays streaming through the den roof. Flinching from the brightness, he rolled over in his nest. His muscles were stiff.
Ashfur had kept him out hunting all day, and when he’d finally reached camp, already weary from the battle and the hunt for Sol, he had sunk into his nest, too tired to do anything but close his eyes.
Hollypaw was still sleeping. She had been stumbling with exhaustion by the time they’d got back.
He checked his pelt for scratches. The only trace of the battle was the blood and fur still wedged in his claws.
“Hollypaw!”
Cinderpaw was calling into the den. Lionpaw scrambled from his nest and slid out of the entrance. “What is it?” he whispered.
“Brackenfur wants her to help me clean out the nursery,” Cinderpaw mewed.
“Let her sleep.” Lionpaw glanced at Hollypaw’s mentor sitting beside Ashfur, sharing a piece of the fresh-kill they’d caught last night. “I’ll talk to him.”
He padded across the clearing. “I’ll help Cinderpaw with the nursery,” he offered.
Brackenfur looked up, swallowing. “Is Hollypaw okay?”
“Just tired after the battle.” Lionpaw felt his pelt growing hot. No one knew that, after the battle, they’d trekked through half of ThunderClan territory, not to mention ShadowClan’s.
“Has Leafpool checked her injuries?” Brackenfur’s eyes darkened with worry.
“It’s just a few scratches.” Lionpaw groped for an excuse for Hollypaw’s tiredness. “But she didn’t sleep well because she was worried about Squirrelflight.”
Brackenfur nodded. “Well, let her sleep now. You can help Cinderpaw instead.”
Ashfur twitched his tail. “But don’t dawdle. We’re going on the next border patrol.”
“Okay.” Lionpaw hurried back to Cinderpaw. “You go and find fresh moss,” he mewed. “I’ll start clearing out the old bedding.” He glanced at her injured leg. “Can you manage by yourself?”
Cinderpaw rolled her eyes. “Of course.” She turned to the entrance, muttering under her breath. “I wish everyone would stop treating me like a three-legged cat.”
Foxpaw was outside the nursery showing Icepaw a battle move. He rolled onto his back and kicked out with his hind legs. “Then a RiverClan warrior tried to leap on top of me, but I rolled out of the way.” He jumped to his paws. “And I gave him a real nip on his hind leg. I bet he can still feel it.”
Icepaw looked impressed. “I wish I’d been in the battle.”
“Someone had to guard the camp,” Foxpaw mewed kindly.
Lionpaw squeezed through the nursery entrance, the prickers scraping his pelt.
Daisy looked up, her eyes flashing with worry. “It’s only you.” She sighed as she recognized Lionpaw.
Toadkit and Rosekit tumbled toward him.
“Will you teach us some battle moves?” Toadkit begged.
Rosekit churned her paws as though she were fighting off an enemy. “We need to be ready if WindClan invades again.”
Daisy’s fur bushed out. “They won’t, will they? Not after the sun vanished like that.”
“I doubt it.” Millie was lying on her side while her kits fed. A cough shook her body, startling the kits away. Briarkit mewled angrily and squirmed back for more milk. Bumblekit sat up and yawned, his eyes hardly open, while Blossomkit snuggled into the moss and fell asleep.
“You should see Leafpool,” Daisy advised. “You’ve been coughing all night.”
“It’s just something tickling my throat,” Millie meowed. “I probably swallowed a feather.”
Daisy leaned forward and sniffed at Millie’s muzzle. “You feel a bit feverish.”
“I’ll fetch Leafpool once I’ve cleaned out your bedding,” Lionpaw offered.
Toadkit looked crestfallen. “I thought you were going to teach us battle moves.”
“Sorry, Toadkit. I’ve got to go on patrol after I’ve finished here.”
“It’s not fair,” Rosekit complained. “You get to do all the fun things, while we’re stuck in here.”
Lionpaw sighed. Cleaning out dens and patrolling borders wasn’t fun. He wished he were back in the battle, fighting for his Clan with the power of the stars pulsing in his paws. “Why don’t you ask Foxpaw to teach you?” He glanced at Daisy. “I need to clean out your bedding anyway.”
Daisy got to her paws slowly, as though reluctant to leave the nursery. “I suppose we all need some fresh air.” She glanced at Millie, who was coughing again. “You should stay inside.”