A shiver ran through Hollypaw and she dug her claws hard into the tough moorland grass. Squirrelflight was talking so matter-of-factly about stories Hollypaw had heard since she was in the nursery! It was as if her mother and father belonged in a legend. Crowfeather, too, though it was hard for Hollypaw to reconcile the brave warrior, StarClan’s chosen, with the suspicious, bad-tempered, skinny cat who stood in front of her. No wonder Breezepaw is so grumpy. He got it from his father!
“Squirrelflight, greetings.”
Hollypaw whirled to see Whitetail returning with Onestar and Ashfoot, the WindClan deputy. It was Onestar who had spoken; he padded up to Squirrelflight with his head and tail held high.
“Greetings, Onestar.” Squirrelflight dipped her head.
“You’re welcome to our camp.” The WindClan leader sounded friendly, though there was surprise in his amber eyes. “What can we do for you?”
Squirrelflight launched into a more detailed explanation of how the Tribe cats had come to ThunderClan looking for help. Crowfeather listened with the same disgruntled expression, while other WindClan cats gathered around. Hollypaw spotted Heatherpaw, and gave her a nod; Breezepaw had reappeared too, standing beside his fellow apprentice.
“So Brambleclaw and I thought that all the cats who went on the first journey should go now and help the Tribe,” Squirrelflight finished. “Brambleclaw has gone to ShadowClan to speak to Tawnypelt, and I came here to tell Crowfeather.”
Onestar narrowed his eyes. “He would be away for a long time, perhaps a moon or more.”
“And I have an apprentice,” Crowfeather reminded him.
“True. All the same, I think you should go,” Onestar meowed. “The Tribe of Rushing Water gave us food and shelter on the Great Journey. Without their help, many cats would have died, and we might never have found this home by the lake. Besides,” he went on, ignoring Crowfeather as he tried to interrupt, “the mountain cats were kind to Tallstar when he was on his last life. We would honor him by helping them now.”
Crowfeather looked taken aback. “But what about Heatherpaw’s training?”
“Whitetail can take over as her mentor,” Onestar decided.
“She will be without an apprentice, since I think it would be a good idea if Breezepaw went along with you.”
Oh, no! Hollypaw thought. You might be fed up with him, but we don’t want him either, thanks.
“What?” Breezepaw exclaimed. His eyes stretched wide with dismay.
“You’re so lucky!” Heatherpaw put in, with a sigh of envy.
“I’d give my tail to go.”
“Well, I don’t want to!”
“Don’t worry, you’ll be coming back,” Hollypaw snapped.
“How do you know that?” Breezepaw’s ears flattened and his tail drooped. “I think my Clanmates just want to get rid of me.”
He sounded so miserable that Hollypaw felt a rush of pity for him, but it lasted no more than a couple of heartbeats.
Breezepaw had broken the warrior code twice in the last moon; it was time he was taken down a tree branch or two.
Crowfeather padded forward a couple of paces to stand beside Squirrelflight. “It is my choice if I go,” he meowed, with a glance at Onestar. Hollypaw wondered if he was defying his leader, but Onestar didn’t rise to the challenge. “And I—I will go. I would like to stand again in the place where Feathertail lies.”
“What about Breezepaw?” Squirrelflight asked.
Crowfeather sighed. “Yes, I suppose he must come too, if Onestar orders it.”
Breezepaw shot his father a sulky look and started tearing up the grass with his claws. Hollypaw thought of her own mother and father; she was glad that they supported her when she wanted to try new things. It didn’t look as if Crowfeather and Breezepaw got along at all. And I can understand that, sort of, she thought, now that I’ve seen Crowfeather a few times. He’s just… weird.
“Do you want Crowfeather and Breezepaw to come with you now?” Onestar asked.
“Yes, please,” Squirrelflight replied. “We thought we would all stay in the ThunderClan camp tonight and set off in the morning. Leafpool is preparing traveling herbs.”
“I want to say good-bye to my friends first,” Breezepaw objected.
“There isn’t time!” Crowfeather snapped.
“I’ll say good-bye for you.” Heatherpaw darted forward and touched her nose to Breezepaw’s shoulder. “And don’t worry. You’ll have some amazing stories to tell us when you come back.”
Breezepaw didn’t look as if the idea cheered him up.
A black she-cat emerged from the group of WindClan cats; Hollypaw recognized Crowfeather’s mate, Nightcloud.
She brushed her pelt against Crowfeather’s. “Take care,” she meowed.
Crowfeather gave her ear a quick lick, but Hollypaw noticed that his eyes were gazing into the distance.
Squirrelflight dipped her head to Onestar and thanked him. Then Crowfeather led the way up the slope and out of the WindClan camp. As they trekked across the moor he still looked sour, and Breezepaw sulked all the way, refusing to talk to Hollypaw even when she tried to be friendly.
I don’t think this journey is going to be much fun after all, Hollypaw thought gloomily.
Chapter 13
Jaypaw shivered in the dawn chill. The sharp scent of the traveling herbs wreathed around him, almost masking the scent of Leafpool as she worked beside him in the medicine cat’s den.
Stifling a yawn, he thought back to his dreams of the night before, full of strange scents, jagged rocks, and unfamiliar cats, and the screech of warriors meeting in battle. He had lost count of the number of times he had jerked awake, his heart pounding until he realized that he was curled up in his own nest of ferns. Nothing in the dreams made any sense to him, and he flicked his tail impatiently. What’s the point of dreaming if I don’t learn anything?
Soft sounds filtered through the bramble screen as the cats in the clearing began to wake up. Jaypaw couldn’t remember the hollow ever being so full, with the WindClan and ShadowClan cats as well as the visitors from the Tribe. It was just as well the night had been warm enough for some of them to sleep in the open; the WindClan cats especially were used to that. Jaypaw’s claws slid out as he remembered his dismay when he discovered that Breezepaw had come along with his father.
I can’t stand that arrogant, mange-ridden excuse for a cat!
He would never forget how useless Breezepaw had been when they were trapped underground. It was no wonder that the tunnels had been sealed up, so Jaypaw couldn’t reach Rock and Fallen Leaves anymore. What could you expect when Breezepaw hadn’t shown any sense or respect?
“Jaypaw, what are you daydreaming about?” Leafpool’s voice broke into Jaypaw’s thoughts. “You can start taking these herbs out to the cats who are leaving.”
“Don’t you want to do that?” Jaypaw was surprised; the Tribe cats would probably want a medicine cat to explain to them what they were eating.
“No.” Leafpool sounded agitated. “I’ve got to check these herbs one more time.”
Rubbish! Jaypaw thought. It doesn’t take all this fuss to make up a few traveling herbs. But he just picked up the first portion of herbs and padded out into the clearing.
The scent of the herbs in his jaws made it harder to locate the cats, but after a couple of heartbeats he pinpointed a group of them just outside the warriors’ den: Crowfeather, Breezepaw, Squirrelflight, and Tawnypelt.