“I hope so,” Hollyleaf replied. How can I have an apprentice? How could I teach a young cat about the warrior code, knowing what I know?
She was helping the two apprentices to spread out the moss when she was startled by a sudden yowl of alarm from the clearing. Before she could do more than look up, Rosekit shot into the nursery with every hair on her pelt fluffed up. “It’s ShadowClan!” she squealed. “ShadowClan cats are in the camp!”
While Daisy reached out to comfort the terrified kit, Hollyleaf thrust her way outside, her claws bared to fight off an attack. But once she was in the open, she relaxed. Only three cats were entering the camp, flanked by Spiderleg and Mousewhisker: Russetfur, Oakfur, and Ivytail. Firestar was already crossing the clearing to meet them, his flame-colored pelt gleaming in the scarlet light of the setting sun, while the rest of the Clan gathered behind him.
Hollyleaf padded over to join Lionblaze and Jayfeather. “What’s all this about?” she whispered. “More trouble about Sol?”
Lionblaze shook his head. “I’ve no idea.”
“Greetings.” Firestar dipped his head to the patrol. “Sol has gone.”
“We’re not here about Sol,” Russetfur informed him curtly. “Three of your cats were spotted near the ShadowClan border yesterday—well outside your territory. What were they doing?”
“Fox dung!” Jayfeather muttered, while Hollyleaf felt her pelt beginning to bristle. If Firestar finds out what we were doing, we’re crow-food!
“Three ThunderClan cats?” Firestar asked. “Are you sure?”
“We know ThunderClan scent when we smell it,” Russetfur retorted. “And Ivytail got a good look at them. Ivytail, point them out.”
The ShadowClan she-cat stepped forward and swept her tail around to point at Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather. “Those three.”
A gasp went up from the other ThunderClan cats. Hollyleaf faced them defiantly. We weren’t bothering ShadowClan! Why do they have to make trouble?
Firestar gave the three littermates a thoughtful glance. Hollyleaf felt her fur grow uncomfortably hot, and she tried not to twitch. Then the ThunderClan leader turned back to the ShadowClan patrol.
“I’m sure my warriors had a very good reason to be there,” he meowed. “You should know that a medicine cat is hardly likely to be part of an invading patrol. Have you considered that they might have been looking for herbs?”
All three cats nodded; Jayfeather added, “Yarrow,” as if he was daring the ShadowClan cats to contradict him.
“Herbs…” Russetfur hissed the word just loud enough to be heard; clearly she didn’t believe it, but she wasn’t prepared to accuse the ThunderClan cats of lying.
“I apologize that they strayed so close to your border,” Firestar continued. “It won’t happen again.”
“See that it doesn’t,” Russetfur retorted. Turning, she gathered her patrol together with a flick of her tail and headed toward the thorn tunnel. Spiderleg and Mousewhisker followed, to escort them out of the territory.
At the camp entrance, Russetfur glanced back. “Firestar, I hope you get your Clan under control again soon,” she mewed, and vanished into the tunnel before any cat could reply.
Hollyleaf knew her Clanmates were staring at her and her brothers as Firestar stalked across the clearing to confront them. She forced herself to meet his searing green gaze.
“Whatever you were doing, I don’t want to know.” His voice was tight with tension. “Just don’t do it again. Do you think I haven’t got enough to deal with right now?”
What about us? Hollyleaf thought resentfully. You have no idea what we’re going through.
“Sorry, Firestar,” Lionblaze mewed.
Firestar just let out a sigh before bounding off to join Sandstorm, Graystripe, and the other cats around the fresh-kill pile.
Once he was out of earshot, Hollyleaf turned to her brothers. “We’ll have to—”
She broke off at a warning touch on her shoulder from Lionblaze’s tail, and glanced around to see Brambleclaw padding up. Oh, great.
The deputy halted and raked the three cats with a cold yellow gaze. “Are you going to tell me what you were doing?”
Hollyleaf clamped her jaws shut and stared mutinously at the tabby warrior. Beside her, Lionblaze and Jayfeather were silent, too.
“I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately.” Brambleclaw sighed. “You’re all—”
“Hey, Brambleclaw!” Dustpelt interrupted from outside the warriors’ den. “I’m leading the evening patrol. Which cats do you want to go with me?”
“I have to go,” Brambleclaw meowed to Hollyleaf and her littermates. “Just try to keep out of trouble, okay?”
Hollyleaf watched him go, then drew her brothers into a tight huddle. “We’ll go back to Sol tomorrow. I don’t care what ShadowClan thinks. We have to know the truth!”
Lionblaze was gazing warily at her, as if he was wondering whether she would lose her temper with Sol again, but Jayfeather just looked thoughtful. At last he nodded. “I agree. This time, he’s got to talk to us. And if he refuses, we’ll make him. The prophecy belongs to us, remember. Not to him.”
CHAPTER 25
Sunhigh had come and gone by the time Hollyleaf and her brothers were able to slip away and head for the old Twoleg nest. Clouds had gathered during the night, and by the time they reached the border of their own territory, rain was hissing down steadily.
Once they had crossed the border, Lionblaze led them by a roundabout route through the spindly trees, keeping as far away as possible from the ShadowClan border. All three cats stayed alert for any sign of a ShadowClan patrol.
There’ll be real trouble if we’re caught this time, Hollyleaf thought.
When they reached the old Twoleg nest, Sol was sitting in the entrance as if he had been expecting them.
“Greetings,” he meowed, rising to his paws as the three cats picked their way among the dripping brambles to reach the nest. “I thought you would come today.”
“Let’s get this straight.” Hollyleaf drew ahead of the others. “We don’t want any more arguments. We’ll let you help us fulfill the prophecy, as long as you tell us the name of our father.”
Sol’s eyes glowed as he gazed at her, and Hollyleaf shivered. Once she had felt as if she could spend her whole life looking into this cat’s eyes and hearing his voice. Even though she knew how dangerous he was, she still wasn’t quite free from the snare of his charm.
“Shall we go inside?” Sol offered, as if this was nothing more than a friendly visit.
Hollyleaf and the others followed him into the damp interior and shook the raindrops from their pelts before finding a place to crouch on the cracked stones.
“You might need to find a new place to stay,” Hollyleaf warned the loner. “ShadowClan sent a patrol to report us to Firestar for being outside our territory.”
“What?” Sol’s fur began to bristle. “Blackstar dared to do that? Is he allowed to dictate where cats go outside his own borders?”
“Well, he thinks he is,” Jayfeather muttered.
“You were doing nothing wrong!” Sol declared, his fur fluffing up even more and his amber eyes burning. “Blackstar is using this as a way to humiliate ThunderClan.”
“I’m not sure.” Lionblaze was looking uneasy. “I think Blackstar is just being a bit overly keen to prove that he’s keeping the warrior code again.”
Sol gave a snort of contempt. “The warrior code! Belief in StarClan! I can’t understand why you cats think all that is so important.”