The loner gazed at him solemnly for a long moment.
“There was a prophecy once about Firestar, too,” he meowed at last. “StarClan promised that fire would save the Clan, though they didn’t say exactly how. Firestar never understood it, never knew the prophecy was about him, until Bluestar told him just before she died.”
Brambleclaw met his gaze and could find nothing to say.
He had heard about the fire prophecy—every Clan cat had, as part of the stories told about their leader—but it had never occurred to him that Firestar might once have felt as confused as he felt now.
“There was a time when Firestar was a young warrior just like you,” Ravenpaw went on as if he could read Brambleclaw’s thoughts. “He often wondered if he was making the right decisions. Oh, yes, he’s a hero now, he saved the forest, but to begin with, his task looked as impossible as yours—whatever it might be. His prophecy has been fulfilled,” he added. “Maybe it’s your time now. Remember that StarClan don’t like to make things obvious. They send us prophecies, but they never tell us exactly what we should do. They expect us to show courage and loyalty to achieve what has to be done, just as Firestar did.”
Brambleclaw was puzzled by the reverence with which Ravenpaw, a loner who chose not to dwell in a Clan, spoke of StarClan. Disconcertingly, the black cat murmured, “Just because I live outside the forest doesn’t mean that I reject the warrior code. It is a noble path for cats to walk, and I would defend it as willingly as any warrior.”
He gave Brambleclaw a friendly nod as Firestar returned with Graystripe and Sandstorm. Brambleclaw murmured farewell and watched the four cats pad across the clearing and vanish into the gorse tunnel.
If the dreams were true—both of them—then an enormous task lay in front of him. He had no idea how he could find the salt water, except that he would need to follow the setting sun. And he did not know how far away it was: farther than any forest cat had ever gone before, that was for sure.
Ravenpaw’s words echoed in his ears. Maybe it’s your time now.
Had the other three cats dreamed of the sun-drown place too? What if he’s right? Brambleclaw asked himself. What should I do next?
Chapter 7
Brambleclaw emerged warily from the undergrowth at the edge of the trees above the riverbank, tasting the air for the scent of cats.
The traces of ThunderClan were all stale, though fresher RiverClan scents drifted across from the other side of the river. Hoping that no cat from either Clan would see him, Brambleclaw slipped swiftly down the bank to the water’s edge.
Brown water churned along past his paws. More rain had fallen during the day, though the clouds were thinning now to let pale sunshine through, so that the forest steamed. The river was swollen, half submerging the stepping-stones, and Brambleclaw had to brace himself before he dared leap out onto the first of them.
He was on his way to visit Feathertail and Stormfur. All day he had been thinking about the second dream, becoming more and more convinced that they had to travel to the sun-drown place before they could learn what StarClan had to tell them. The dream had been too real to ignore—he could still taste salt in his mouth, and he flinched as droplets splashed against his nose from the stepping-stone, expecting the same sharp tang. And they ought to leave at once; his fur prickled with a strange sense of urgency, warning him that there was no time to wait until the next Gathering. If the other chosen cats had also had the dream, they shouldn’t be hard to persuade.
He still had not told Squirrelpaw about the second dream.
Although he felt guilty that he was not keeping his promise, he was well aware that if she knew about the journey he was planning she would want to come too. And what would Firestar think if Brambleclaw dragged his daughter off into the unknown?
Water lapped cold around his paws as Brambleclaw landed on the first stone and crouched, ready for his leap to the next.
Before he pushed off, he scanned the far bank again.
Although there was friendship now between ThunderClan and RiverClan, he was not sure of his welcome if he trespassed uninvited on their territory. He would prefer to find Feathertail and Stormfur before any other cats knew he was there.
He managed to reach the next stone, and the one after that, shivering as cold water splashed up onto his fur. The next stepping-stone had vanished completely, with only a ripple of water flowing over it to tell him where it was. Keeping his gaze fixed on the spot, he leaped, but as he landed his paws slipped off the edge, and he found himself splashing into the river. He let out a yowl of alarm as his head went under.
Terror surged over him as he was plunged into bottomless, blue-green waves like those of his dream. Clawing his way upward, he surfaced to see reeds instead of sand-colored cliffs, and gray-brown water running in ripples, not waves.
The current was carrying him close to the opposite bank, and Brambleclaw struck out, kicking strongly across the flow of water. To his relief, his paws scraped on pebbles; a heartbeat later he managed to stand and flounder into the shallows.
Panting, he hauled himself onto the bank and shook himself vigorously.
Suddenly fresh RiverClan scent wafted into his nostrils; he dived into a clump of bracken and peered out between the fronds. A moment later he murmured thanks to StarClan as Feathertail and Stormfur—the two cats he wanted to see—appeared farther along the riverbank.
Brambleclaw plunged out of the bracken and stood shivering in front of them. “Hi,” he mewed.
“Great StarClan!” Stormfur looked him up and down.
“Have you been for a swim?”
“I fell off the stepping-stones. Feathertail, can I have a word with you?”
“Of course. Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Feathertail, have you had another dream?”
The gray she-cat looked puzzled. “No. Why, have you?”
“Yes.” Settling into the grass so they could talk more comfortably, Brambleclaw told them quickly about the sun-drown place and the cave with teeth, feeling his fur bristle with fear again. “I spoke to Ravenpaw this morning—you know, the loner who lives near Highstones? He says the sun-drown place is real. And he told me that StarClan’s prophecies are always vague. We need the faith and courage of warriors to understand them, and to trust that what StarClan wants us to do is right.”
“Which is what?” Stormfur queried.
“I… I think we should go to the sun-drown place,” Brambleclaw replied, his belly churning with tension. “That’s where StarClan will tell us what we need to know.”
Feathertail had listened in silence, her blue gaze fixed on his face. When he stopped speaking, she nodded slowly. “I think you’re right.”
“What?” Stormfur sprang to his paws. “Are you mad? You don’t even know where this place is.”
Feathertail flicked him with her tail. “No, but StarClan will guide us.”
Brambleclaw waited tensely. If Stormfur refused to agree, he might tell Leopardstar what was going on, and the Clan could stop Feathertail from leaving with him.
The gray warrior paced along the bank and back again, his tail fluffed up in agitation. “Faith and courage—we’d certainly need those if we went to this place,” he muttered. “I’m still not convinced that you’re right, mind you,” he added wryly to Brambleclaw. “But if you’re not, maybe StarClan will send another sign to turn us back.”
Feathertail’s blue eyes glowed. “Does that mean you’ll come with us?”
“Try to stop me,” her brother meowed grimly. He swung around to face Brambleclaw. “I know I’ve not had any dreams, but an extra warrior could be useful.”