Firestar knew he was seeing how loyal they were to their Clan, how determined to fight for their right to live in the gorge. In that moment he didn’t believe that anything, not even the rats, would overcome them.
“Cats of SkyClan,” he began, “when several Clans gather together, they exchange news of what has happened in the previous moon. We can’t do that, but we can share our news with one another. Does any cat have something to report?”
Leafdapple raised her tail. “I’d like to say how well Sparrowpaw’s hunting skills are coming along. He brought back more prey than any cat yesterday.”
“Excellent!” Firestar mewed, while Sparrowpaw licked his chest fur to cover his embarrassment.
“My apprentice is doing well, too.” Sharpclaw obviously didn’t intend to be outdone. “I promise you, she would have clawed my ear off this morning if Sandstorm hadn’t stopped her.”
“You just wait!” Cherrypaw muttered, only half joking.
“One day when Sandstorm isn’t around…”
Sharpclaw gave her an affectionate swipe across the haunches with his tail.
“Well done,” Firestar told her. “But please leave your mentor in one piece. We need him.”
Sandstorm stepped forward. “I’d like to say something about Petal, even though I know she isn’t a member of SkyClan. She volunteered to stay with the kits tonight, so that Clovertail could come here. And she’s been so helpful collecting herbs in the forest. I don’t know what Echo and I would have done without her.”
“I’ll mention it to her,” Firestar promised.
“There’s something else I want to say,” Sharpclaw meowed. “We haven’t seen so much as the hair of a rat since their leader spoke to us by the Twoleg barn. What are we going to do about them?”
“You know what we’re doing,” Firestar replied. “The patrols, the battle training—”
Sharpclaw lashed his tail. “But none of that is getting rid of the rats. Why don’t we go out there and sort them out once and for all?”
“It’s not the right time yet.”
“At this rate it will never be the right time.” Sharpclaw bared his teeth. “How long do you expect us to live with the threat hanging over us?”
“Not much longer, I hope,” Firestar replied. “I hate waiting as much as you do. If you’re willing, I think we should attack as soon as Patchfoot is fit.”
“It won’t be long,” Patchfoot put in. “I could fight now if I had to.”
“You’ll fight when Sandstorm says you can,” Firestar told him. “Sharpclaw, does that answer your question?”
Sharpclaw hesitated before giving him a curt nod. Firestar thought he still didn’t look happy about the decision, but as important as it was to know when to attack, it was just as important to know when to hold back.
When no other cat spoke, Firestar beckoned to Echo.
“Cats of SkyClan,” he called, “tonight, under this moon, we welcome a new Clanmate and make her a member of the Clan before the spirits of our ancestors. I, Firestar, leader of ThunderClan and mentor to SkyClan, call upon their warrior ancestors to look down upon this cat,” he went on. “She has walked with you in dreams, and I commend her to you as a member of SkyClan.” Leaping down from the boulder to stand in front of Echo, he went on. “Echo, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and serve this Clan, even at the cost of your life?”
Echo raised her head. “I do.”
“Then before the spirits of your ancestors I give you your name. From this moment you will be known as Echosong.
StarClan honors your wisdom and faith, and we receive you into SkyClan.”
He rested his muzzle on Echosong’s head, and she licked his shoulder in return.
“Echosong… Echosong…” The name swept across the Skyrock like a breeze, while the warriors of StarClan blazed down.
Thank you, Skywatcher, Firestar thought.
A few sunrises after the Gathering, Firestar padded down the trail to the river to find Sandstorm sorting out the day’s duties. The sun was shining, but there was a crisp tang in the air that promised frost. Leaf-fall was on its way, bringing darker days and less cover for prey to hide in.
“But I’m fed up with rat patrol!” Cherrypaw was protesting. “Why can’t I go hunting instead?”
“Because Sandstorm put you on rat patrol.” Sharpclaw gave her ear a sharp flick with his tail. “Don’t argue.”
Cherrypaw gave him a look of smoldering anger. “The stupid rats aren’t going to come anyway,” she muttered, just loud enough to be heard.
Firestar paused, narrowing his eyes. If the Clan was starting to think like this, they would quickly lose their battle edge. The sooner they could attack, the better.
“Leafdapple, it’s your turn to go on watch,” Sandstorm continued. “Sparrowpaw is up there now, so you can send him down for battle training.”
The tabby she-cat waved her tail in acknowledgment and set off up the trail toward the Skyrock. Sharpclaw followed her on the rat patrol with Cherrypaw and Shortwhisker.
When they had gone, Firestar padded up to Sandstorm.
“How’s Patchfoot?”
“A lot better.” Sandstorm twitched her ears to where the black-and-white warrior was standing a little way downstream with Rainfur and Clovertail. “He’s going on hunting patrol this morning, just to see how his shoulder holds up.”
“Good. I’ll have a word with him when he gets back.”
As he was speaking, Echosong appeared from her den, bounded lightly down the rocks, and went up to Patchfoot.
She gave his shoulder a careful sniff, then stood back as the hunting patrol waved their tails in farewell and set off downriver. Patchfoot seemed to be walking as well as any cat.
“Echosong has done a marvelous job so far,” Sandstorm murmured. “She just seems to know what’s right. And she learns so quickly! Soon there won’t be anything more I can teach her.”
But her words gave Firestar another reason to worry.
Without another medicine cat, how could Echosong learn everything she needed to serve her Clan properly? Sandstorm could teach her some things about herbs and treat-ments, but a true medicine cat’s training took many moons, and included mysteries that no other Clan cat knew about.
When the hunting patrol had gone, Echosong padded upstream and joined Firestar and Sandstorm at the base of the Rockpile. “I’m ready,” she mewed to Sandstorm.
Firestar flicked his ears inquiringly.
“I’m going to give Echosong some battle training,” Sandstorm explained.
Echosong nodded. “Sandstorm says medicine cats don’t usually fight, but they need to be able to defend themselves and their Clanmates.”
“You might have to, soon,” Firestar meowed.
They set off toward the training area, joined by Sparrowpaw, who came bounding down the trail from the Skyrock. At the top of the Rockpile, Firestar heard an excited squeal, and spotted Petal shepherding all five kits from the nursery. He waited for them to catch up, while Sandstorm and the others went on.
“We want to watch the training.” Bouncekit scrambled up beside Firestar. “Petal says we can.”
“I hope that’s okay,” Petal added. “It’ll give me the chance to do some training myself. You know, in case the rats attack.”
She lowered her voice and shot a nervous glance at Mint and Sage, stumbling after the older kits.
“Yes, that’s fine,” Firestar replied. Calling after the kits, he added, “Keep away from the fighting. There’ll be claws unsheathed, and I don’t want any of you hurt.”
“When can we learn to fight?” Tinykit asked as they went on up the gorge.
“Soon,” Petal mewed. “When you’re apprentices.”
“What about us?” Mint asked. “Can we be apprentices too?”