Dovepaw spun around, startled. The orange she-cat’s eyes blazed as Blossompaw found her paws and padded, shamefaced, back across the clearing.
“How dare you?” Squirrelflight scolded. “What must StarClan think?”
“Oops,” Briarpaw whispered, pressing close to Dovepaw.
Millie jumped out of the ferns, her eyes darting from Squirrelflight to Blossompaw.
Blossompaw was limping slightly. The gray warrior darted to her daughter’s side. “Are you okay?” She sniffed at Blossompaw’s leg.
“It’s fine,” Blossompaw assured her. “I just landed awkwardly.”
“What were you doing?”
Blossompaw hung her head. “I wanted to know what it was like to sit in the Great Oak. Squirrelflight made me jump by shouting at me and I fell out.”
Millie shot an angry glance at Squirrelflight. “There was no need to frighten her! She could have hurt herself badly.”
“She shouldn’t have been sitting in the tree in the first place,” Squirrelflight pointed out.
“She’s just a ’paw,” Millie reminded Squirrelflight.
“She’s old enough to know better!” Squirrelflight turned as Jayfeather emerged from the ferns. “Will you check Blossompaw?” she asked. “She’s had a fall.”
Firestar slid from the bushes. “Who’s had a fall?”
“It was nothing,” Blossompaw mewed, as Jayfeather checked her leg. “I’m fine.”
Firestar’s gaze swept from Squirrelflight to Millie, their pelts ruffled.
Graystripe padded ahead of him, tasting the air. “Yuck!” He wrinkled his nose. “I don’t know if this place smells worse when it’s empty or when the other Clans are stinking up the air.”
Dovepaw was grateful for the gray warrior’s humor after all the bickering. Squirrelflight and Millie had retired to different parts of the clearing. Brambleclaw took himself off to sit underneath a beech tree far from both she-cats. Whitewing padded into the clearing and glanced from Squirrelflight to Millie, uncertainty clouding her gaze, then chose a shadowy spot beside a clump of ferns, midway between them. Jayfeather took his place among the roots of the Great Oak, where the other medicine cats would gather once they arrived. Birchfall paced the edge, sniffing warily, while the rest of the patrol sat to one side, their tails flicking in silence.
The air smelled of rain despite the clear sky. Dovepaw shivered as a breeze sent a flurry of leaves drifting down into the clearing. She was almost relieved when she heard undergrowth rustling on the far side of the island and smelled the fishy tang of RiverClan. They were leaving their camp and heading for the clearing.
She noticed Firestar following her gaze to the reed beds beyond the trees and watching the sleek forms of the RiverClan cats emerge. He lifted his tail in greeting as Mistystar led her Clan into the clearing. Petalfur broke ranks immediately and raced over the leaf-strewn clearing, skidding to a halt beside Dovepaw while her Clanmates weaved among the ThunderClan cats and began sharing tongues.
“Hi!” The gray-and-white RiverClan she-cat puffed out her chest and lifted her chin. She seemed to have grown at least a mouse-span after her experiences on the journey upstream. “How’s training?”
“Great!” Dovepaw was pleased to see her, and even more pleased to be greeted like a friend by at least one of the patrol who had helped find the river. And yet Jayfeather’s words rankled in her mind. Not all cats think that one adventure makes every one friends forever. She pushed the thought away. She could be friendly without being disloyal to her Clan!
“Aren’t you finding everything is boring after our adventure?” Petalfur’s eyes sparkled.
If only! Lionblaze was pushing her so hard to hone her powers that she hardly had time to find anything dull. “I have a really good mentor,” she mewed, conscious of Lionblaze’s gaze flicking over her. Was he scared she was going to give something away?
Her discomfort sharpened as she scented WindClan crossing the fallen tree and heading for the clearing.
“Are you okay?” Petalfur’s eyes were round.
“What?” Dovepaw had been peering anxiously over her shoulder, wary of seeing the WindClan warriors who had watched her being unceremoniously marched home from the WindClan camp. She stiffened as Petalfur’s gaze strayed past her.
“It’s only WindClan!” The RiverClan cat hailed a familiar face. “Hi, Sedgewhisker!”
But the WindClan warrior turned pointedly away. “What’s gotten up her nose?” Hurt glinted in Petalfur’s amber eyes.
Dovepaw wanted to explain that Sedgewhisker’s coldness was directed at her, not at Petalfur. But she couldn’t bring herself to confess her ill-planned expedition into WindClan territory. And now Brambleclaw was staring at her, his eyes narrowed. I bet he’s wondering what Onestar will say about my crossing the WindClan border. She wished Ivypaw were with her.
“Cheer up.” Petalfur’s mew startled her. “WindClan has always been prickly. If they don’t want to speak to us, there’s not a lot we can do about it.”
Dovepaw flicked her tail. Petalfur was right. If her Clanmates wanted to snipe at one another and WindClan wanted to sulk, so what? She couldn’t forget her most important mission tonight. Tigerheart had promised to tell her what he’d been doing in ThunderClan territory. She searched for his scent, surprised to find it close and fresh on the cool night breeze. ShadowClan had reached the island.
As they padded into the clearing, Blackstar at their head, Firestar glanced up at the moon. Clouds were crowding the horizon. The ThunderClan leader bounded up the Great Oak, settling on the low branch Blossompaw had fallen from. Onestar and Blackstar scrambled up after him. Mistystar glanced up the thick trunk, as though looking for clawholds, then hauled herself up and settled beside the other leaders.
Dovepaw watched the cats gathering at the foot of the tree, looking for Tigerheart’s dark tabby fur. She caught a tiny glimpse of him, his pelt merging with his Clanmates’, until a knot of RiverClan cats shouldered between them, blocking her view.
“Tigerheart!” she hissed. But he didn’t turn around. Instead, sharp claws tweaked her tail.
“Ow!” Dovepaw looked over her shoulder.
Sandstorm was looking at her sternly. “It’s time to sit down. The leaders are about to speak.”
Frustrated, Dovepaw peered through the jumble of pelts and ears to where Tigerheart sat. Snowbird’s white fur glowed beside his slick, dark pelt. She tried to catch his eye, but Redwillow slid in beside them and Tigerheart disappeared behind his Clanmate’s wide, tawny head. Reluctantly Dovepaw turned to watch the leaders.
Onestar padded to the center of the branch. Dovepaw anxiously held her breath. Please don’t mention me! “The return of the lake has been a blessing from StarClan,” he began.
“I suppose the cats who went and found it had nothing to do with it,” Blossompaw muttered under her breath.
“Our brave warriors who unblocked the river have returned safely and are happy to be with their Clan once more.” The WindClan leader’s gaze swept over the ThunderClan cats, and Dovepaw found herself hunching into her shoulders as he went on.
“WindClan will be forever grateful for the courage and strength of its brave warriors.”
Briarpaw pressed against her. “He’s acting like WindClan did it alone,” she whispered. “What about you and Lionblaze and Tigerheart and—”
“Hush.” Squirrelflight glared at them before turning back to the Great Oak as Onestar continued.
“As leaf-bare approaches, it’s important we secure our borders. Rabbits are running well, but if leaf-bare is harsh, we must protect what is ours.” He stared down at ThunderClan. “Any trespassers will be dealt with severely.”