Echosong shook her head. “I’ve looked for one, Leafstar, but there’s been nothing yet.”
Sharpclaw let out a snort of contempt. “And there won’t be!”
Leafstar glared at him. “We don’t know that. It’s in the paws of our ancestors. And maybe this can all be resolved easily,” she went on. “Frecklepaw might decide to come and live permanently in the gorge. But Echosong, you’re not to put any pressure on her.”
“I wouldn’t do that, Leafstar,” the medicine cat promised.
“Then let’s wait and see what happens. You’ll let me know if you do have a sign—whatever it seems to say?”
Echosong nodded. “Of course.”
Leafstar stood up and stretched each hind leg in turn. “Come on, let’s get back to our dens.”
The young medicine cat was the first to leave, dipping her head to Leafstar and shooting an icy glare at Sharpclaw before running lightly across the Skyrock and leaping across the gap.
“Sharpclaw, please don’t ruffle her fur,” Leafstar murmured.
“Then make sure she stays out of mine,” Sharpclaw retorted.
Chapter 14
Fluffy white clouds were building up above the gorge when Leafstar emerged from her den on the morning after the Gathering. The sun had not yet risen, and a stiff breeze buffeted her fur. She yawned and gave herself a quick grooming as she watched her Clanmates trot down the pathways to the Rockpile. Bounding down to join them, she found Sharpclaw setting the patrols.
“I’ll lead the border patrol,” he announced. “Stick, Billystorm, and Tinycloud, you come with me. Sparrowpelt, I’d like you to lead a hunting patrol, with Shrewtooth, Cora, and Rockshade. Shorty, you lead the other hunting patrol, with—”
“Hey, Shorty’s not a warrior,” Patchfoot interrupted. “Should he be leading a patrol?”
Sharpclaw gave his tail an irritable twitch. “Sorry, you’re right. You lead the patrol, then, Patchfoot. Shorty can go with you, with Bouncefire and Harveymoon.”
Leafstar looked on with approval as the patrols started to move off. She liked to see her Clan like this, busy and well organized. This is a new day; StarClan grant that all last night’s tensions have vanished.
“Are you coming, Snookpaw?” Billystorm called, glancing back at his apprentice as Sharpclaw led his patrol toward the bottom of the trail.
“Sorry, I can’t,” Snookpaw replied. “I promised to fetch fresh moss for Tangle and Lichenfur.”
“Fine.” Billystorm nodded. “We’ll do some battle practice when you get back.”
“Great!” Snookpaw’s tail shot straight up into the air as he clambered over the Rockpile and bounded across to the other side of the river.
Leafstar was impressed with the young cat’s loyalty to the promise he made last night to the elders. He’ll make a fine warrior. I hope he decides to stay with us full time. She watched Snookpaw creep along the narrow ledge beside the stream until he disappeared into the tunnel from where the water flowed out beneath the Rockpile. Leafstar pictured him shuffling along the tiny stone path that led to the Whispering Cave where the moss grew.
With the patrols gone, the other cats settled down to rest, eat, or share tongues. Ebonyclaw took Frecklepaw up to the training area for some practice; Leafstar spotted the apprentice casting a longing look back at Echosong’s den as she padded away.
Leafstar sat beside the river, intending to give herself a more thorough grooming, but she had barely licked one shoulder clean when Lichenfur shuffled up to her.
“I might have known that pesky apprentice didn’t mean what he said,” the elder grumbled. “There’s no sign of him, and we’re still stuck with our old moss.”
Leafstar blinked in surprise. “I saw Snookpaw go into the cave myself,” she mewed. “Hasn’t he come back yet?” Lichenfur shook her head. “I’ll go and see what’s keeping him.”
The ledge to the Whispering Cave was wet and slippery, and Leafstar had to set her paws down carefully. Black water rushed along beside her a couple of mouse-lengths below the ledge. Cold, damp air crept into her pelt, and she shivered. At last Leafstar saw a pale light up ahead, reflecting on the surface of the river. The ledge widened out into a flat path, and she quickened her pace as she padded into the Whispering Cave.
Leafstar paused at the cave entrance to admire the secret world underneath the gorge. The walls of the cave were broken into cracks and ledges; shaggy clumps of moss hung from every surface, giving off a pale, eerie light. Reflections of the water rippled across the cave roof; the sound of the river and unseen dripping water echoed in Leafstar’s ears.
This was the place where Echosong came to share tongues with her warrior ancestors. Though she was no medicine cat, Leafstar felt very close to StarClan here, as if she might hear their voices if she listened hard enough.
At the far side of the cave, Snookpaw was stretching up on his hind paws to claw down a bundle of moss. A large heap of it already lay on the cave floor beside him.
“Well done,” Leafstar meowed. “That should make a fine bed for Lichenfur and Tangle.”
Snookpaw jumped with surprise and dropped to all four paws. “Leafstar!” he exclaimed. “You nearly scared me out of my fur!”
“Sorry,” Leafstar mewed. She decided not to tell him that Lichenfur had been complaining. “Do you want help carrying that lot out?”
“Please,” Snookpaw puffed, beginning to roll the moss into two balls. “It is a lot, isn’t it?” he added smugly.
Leafstar picked up one of the balls of moss and turned to head out of the cave, pausing to let Snookpaw go in front of her. The pale light from the cave slowly died away behind them; edging along the trail was even more difficult when their front paws were hidden by the clump of moss. Rounding the curve in the river, they drew closer to the ragged gap of daylight where the water swirled out.
Then Snookpaw’s claws skidded on the slippery ledge. With a squeal of alarm he dropped his moss and toppled into the river, his paws flailing vainly for a grip on the stone. Dark water closed over his head.
“Snookpaw!” Dropping her own moss, Leafstar bounded to the spot where the apprentice had disappeared. She was in time to see him resurface a couple of tail-lengths farther downstream. His paws churned the water and his jaws opened in a terrified wail.
“Help! Help me!”
He was already sinking again as Leafstar flung herself into the water and gripped him by the scruff before he could disappear. The water was dark and shockingly icy. For a couple of heartbeats Leafstar was stunned into stillness and didn’t know which way to swim. Then she caught sight of the light at the cave entrance. Striking out strongly with her hind legs, she reached the side of the cave, but the wall was smooth and slick with water; she couldn’t pull herself up to the ledge again, especially with Snookpaw weighing her down.
StarClan help us!
All Leafstar could do was keep Snookpaw’s head above water while the current bore them along. She felt a moment’s panic as they were swept out into daylight and the sun dazzled her eyes, blinding her while the water swept them in a circle. Rolled over by a wave, Leafstar lost all sense of direction. Then her head bobbed to the surface. Still with her teeth fixed in Snookpaw’s scruff, she let the current swirl them toward the side of the pool. At last she was able to crawl out and collapse on the stones, with Snookpaw a sodden mound of fur beside her.
“Leafstar! Leafstar!”
Still muzzy with exhaustion, Leafstar recognized Cherrytail’s voice. She opened her eyes to see the young tortoiseshell gazing down at her anxiously.
“Check… Snookpaw,” she rasped.