At these words, Leafstar exchanged a glance with Waspwhisker, and Hawkwing guessed that she had already told her deputy that Curlypaw had gone to join Parsleyseed.
“I understand we do not want to make the wrong decision,” Hawkwing continued. “But I’ve had the feeling for a long time that there has to be a better place for us to be than this. And I can’t ignore it any longer.”
As Hawkwing spoke, Waspwhisker’s eyes narrowed and his shoulder fur began to bristle. “You’ve got a feeling?” the deputy challenged him. “And because of this feeling we all have to set out again, going StarClan knows where?”
“Echosong didn’t think it was right, either,” mumbled Plumwillow.
“Isn’t any other cat sick of traveling!?” Waspwhisker hissed.
“Waspwhisker, that’s enough,” Leafstar mewed with a twitch of her tail-tip. “I don’t like what Hawkwing is saying any more than you do. But I have to admit that the same thoughts have been going through my mind.”
A jolt of surprise throbbed through Hawkwing. I expected a real argument with Leafstar. But here she is agreeing with me.
“I keep expecting life to get easier here by the lake,” Leafstar continued, “but… it doesn’t. And I can see that some of our young cats are losing touch with StarClan.”
Like Curlypaw, Hawkwing thought, remembering what his former apprentice had said the night before.
“And…” Leafstar went on, “Fidgetpaw hasn’t had any visions since Echosong left. Now I understand what Echosong meant about losing her connection to StarClan. I can’t help but think that if we were surrounded by other Clans, we would be better able to keep our faith in StarClan strong.”
Waspwhisker had listened carefully to everything his Clan leader said, and now he gave a reluctant nod of acceptance. “What do you want to do, then?” he asked.
Leafstar hesitated, her eyes deep pools of thought. Hawkwing felt as though a whole family of mice were chasing each other in his belly as he waited for her decision.
Finally the Clan leader drew herself up and took a deep breath.
“The only solution is to leave,” she announced.
Waspwhisker’s eyes stretched wide with amazement. “Leave now?” His shoulder fur began to bristle. “For StarClan’s, sake, Leafstar, it’s nearly leaf-bare. We had a terrible time traveling from the gorge to here, and that was in newleaf. What cat can imagine wandering in the wilderness for moons in the coldest weather, when prey is the most scarce?”
“But that’s the worst that could happen,” Hawkwing pointed out. “It’s possible we would meet up with Echosong very soon, and find our place by the lake where the other Clans live, before leaf-bare. It’s early yet—there’s still a moon or two of leaf-fall ahead.”
“Oh, yes,” Waspwhisker meowed with a scowl, his voice heavily sarcastic. “This journey has gone really great for us so far—and you’re saying the worst won’t happen?”
Hawkwing winced. He realized how stupid he had been, after all the Clan had been through, to speak so optimistically.
“We mustn’t lose faith,” Leafstar insisted. “I know it will be a difficult journey, even if it is a short one. But we must remember what is at stake here: the future of SkyClan.” Gazing at Hawkwing, her amber eyes softened. “It was brave of you to bring this up,” she meowed. “A bit more like the Hawkwing I know.” Before Hawkwing could ask her what she meant by that, she turned away.
“I’ll go speak to Fidgetpaw about preparing traveling herbs.”
The sun had gone down, and twilight was gathering. Hawkwing watched as Leafstar leaped up to the branch of an oak tree that jutted out over the camp. His belly churned in anticipation of what was coming.
“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here underneath this tree for a Clan meeting,” she called.
In response to their leader’s voice, the cats of SkyClan began to emerge from their dens. Waspwhisker bounded over to the tree and sat next to the trunk, looking up at his leader. Hawkwing padded over to join Plumwillow as she appeared at the entrance to the nursery. Her kits peered curiously around her, even though it was time for them to sleep. Sparrowpelt and Tinycloud sat nearby, their pelts brushing, while Fidgetpaw slid out of the medicine cat’s den, and went to sit with Birdwing, Sagenose, and M acgyver.
As the rest of the Clan assembled they glanced uneasily at each other, whiskers twitching and shoulder fur beginning to rise. And no wonder, Hawkwing thought. It’s never good news when the Clan leader calls an unexpected meeting at this time.
“The lake was never meant to be our new camp,” Leafstar began. “It was simply somewhere to regroup, while we waited for a new sign from StarClan, or figured out once and for all what they were asking of us. And now, dogs and Twolegs give us trouble, and our young cats have begun to drift away from Clan life.” She paused for a moment, closing her eyes briefly, then continued, “It is past time for SkyClan to leave this place, and resume our quest to seek out the other Clans.”
A gasp of astonishment rose from the assembled cats. For a moment they were stunned into silence. Then Sparrowpelt rose to his paws.
“I’m sorry, Leafstar,” he meowed, “but if you weren’t my Clan leader, I’d tell you there must be bees in your brain. Leave? When we finally have a decent place to live, and all the prey we can eat?”
“And monsters, and Twolegs, and dogs,” his mate, Tinycloud, reminded him. “Your bees are swarming if you think this is where StarClan intended us to be.”
“It’s still a bad time to go,” Birdwing pointed out. “Leaf-bare will be on us soon, and we don’t even know where we’re going.”
“And worse things might happen if we stay,” Leafstar responded. “M y mind is made up. Our destiny has always been to be reunited with the other Clans. I am leaving in the morning, with any cats who want to come with me.”
An uncomfortable silence fell at the Clan leader’s words.
Clovertail voiced what Hawkwing—and, he guessed, the rest of his Clan—was thinking.
“If we don’t follow our leader, then it’s the end of SkyClan.”
“It might be the end of us anyway,” Sagenose pointed out.
“Who knows what dangers might be waiting for us out there?”
“We’ve had our fair share of danger,” Rileypool agreed. “But if any cats stay here, they won’t be part of our Clan anymore. Do you want to be a kittypet, Sagenose?”
The older warrior’s only reply was an irritated lash of his tail.
“Of course we’re coming with you, Leafstar,” Waspwhisker declared in a tone that didn’t invite argument.
A murmur of agreement rose from the other cats, and Hawkwing sensed relief that the Clan deputy had made the decision for them. Some of them, like Tinycloud and Rileypool, even looked excited at the thought of seeking out other Clan cats.
Reedkit let out a disappointed wail. “But why can’t we stay?” she whined. “I like it here by the lake.”
Hawkwing, sitting with Plumwillow and the kits, bent his head and touched his nose to hers. “Don’t worry,” he mewed. “We’ll live by a new lake someday. One with fewer Twolegs.”
“But I heard that Twolegs like to leave out nice food for cats,” Finkit piped up.
Hawkwing exchanged a concerned glance with Plumwillow.
“There’ll be plenty of nice food where we’re going,” Hawkwing reassured Finkit. “And it always tastes better if you catch it yourself!”
“Will you teach us, then?” Dewkit asked eagerly. “I won’t mind leaving if we can be apprentices and you’ll be our mentor!”