“But you came back.” Lionblaze padded closer and nudged her shoulder with his nose. “And I’m glad you did.”
She lifted her gaze to meet his. “Don’t pretend the past never happened, Lionblaze.” She padded slowly toward the Ancient Oak. “It’s like my shadow. Always following me.”
The ferns behind them rustled and Lionblaze turned to see Jayfeather and Dovewing bound out onto the path.
“I told you they were here,” Dovewing mewed.
“Okay, big ears,” Jayfeather snapped. His blind gaze drifted toward Hollyleaf. “We need to talk.”
Hollyleaf blinked. “With me?”
“Without you.” Jayfeather’s bluntness took Lionblaze by surprise. “I’m sorry, Hollyleaf.” He shrugged. “But this is something only the Three can share.”
Hollyleaf dipped her head. “Okay.” She padded back down the trail. “I’ll hunt by the lake.” Her purr sounded forced. “I might be able to do better than that limp sparrow you brought back earlier, Lionblaze.” She was trying to tease but her eyes glistened sadly.
Lionblaze trailed his tail along her spine. “You always were the best hunter.”
“Thanks.” She headed off the path and disappeared into the ferns.
Lionblaze turned his attention to Jayfeather. “What is it?” Was the Dark Forest ready to attack? He unsheathed his claws.
“I have a message from the Tribe of Endless Hunting,” Jayfeather announced.
“The Tribe?” Dovewing weaved between Jayfeather and Lionblaze and sat down. “When did this happen?”
“When I was in the mountains.” Jayfeather swished his tail impatiently.
“And you’re only telling us now?” Dovewing mewed in surprise.
“Just listen, okay?” Jayfeather muttered. “They said we have to find the fourth cat.”
Lionblaze tipped his head, puzzled. “The fourth cat?”
“In the prophecy,” Jayfeather meowed.
Dovewing shifted her paws. “But the prophecy says there will be three.”
“That was the StarClan prophecy,” Jayfeather explained. “The Tribe of Endless Hunting told me something else: The end of the stars draws near. Three must become four to challenge the darkness that lasts forever.”
Lionblaze felt his fur prick. “Don’t they think we can manage by ourselves?”
Jayfeather flattened his ears. “Obviously not.”
“Have we done something wrong?” Dovewing’s eyes clouded with worry.
Jayfeather paced in front of them. “Who cares? We have to find the fourth cat.”
Lionblaze tried to ignore the uneasiness in his belly. “Did they say who it is?”
Jayfeather halted. “If they did, I’d have told you!”
“It must be Ivypool!” Dovewing’s eyes brightened. She stood up, tail-tip flicking. “She’s the only ally we have among the Dark Forest warriors.”
Jayfeather turned to face her. “Ivypool was recruited by the Dark Forest. She has no special powers.” He started pacing again. “It could be a cat from another Clan.”
A thought struck Lionblaze like a shaft of sunlight. “It’s Hollyleaf! That’s why she came back! To be the fourth cat.”
“If it was someone inside the Clan, we’d have noticed their special power by now,” Jayfeather objected.
“But it must be kin of Firestar’s kin!” Dovewing argued.
“Well, Mothwing is Brambleclaw’s kin and Brambleclaw was Squirrelflight’s mate.” Jayfeather lashed his tail. “That makes her kin, if you like.”
“Mothwing?” Lionblaze stared at his brother in astonishment. “What special power does she have?”
“What special power does Hollyleaf have?” Jayfeather shot back.
“Ivypool can dream her way into the Dark Forest!” Dovewing insisted.
“So can a lot of Clan cats! I told you it was pointless arguing.” Jayfeather headed away again. “We just have to hope that when the fourth cat is needed, we’ll know who it is.”
Lionblaze watched him go, his pelt pricking with irritation. How could Jayfeather be so stubborn? Hollyleaf should have been part of the prophecy all along. Of course she was the fourth cat.
Dovewing shifted beside him. “It’s got to be Ivypool.”
Lionblaze closed his eyes. “Whoever it is, how in the name of StarClan are we going to be sure?”
“Perhaps they’ll send a sign,” Dovewing mewed.
“They didn’t even know about the fourth cat.” The world shifted beneath Lionblaze’s paws: Cinderheart wasn’t Cinderheart; the Three were now four. How were they supposed to win a battle when nothing stayed the same?
His belly felt hollow. Did StarClan know what was happening? Nothing they said made sense, and now even their prophecy was wrong.
How could Lionblaze trust them with the fate of the Clans?
Chapter 5
Dovewing watched Jayfeather pad away.
There’s a fourth cat. Her paws trembled. Aren’t I good enough? Perhaps StarClan had hoped for more when they made her the third cat in the prophecy. So what if she could hear the Dark Forest warriors coming? It didn’t mean she could defeat them.
She glanced at Lionblaze. “Are we going to hunt?”
“Go ahead without me.”
Dovewing shifted her paws. Lionblaze had been her mentor. He was one of the strongest, bravest warriors in ThunderClan. Why did he seem so lost? “I’ll see you later, then?”
“Okay.” Lionblaze didn’t look at her.
She trotted into the trees, snatching a glance over her shoulder, wishing he’d follow. But he stayed where he was.
She leaped a small stream and pushed deeper into the forest, soothed by the shade and relishing the musty scents of nettle and fern. The first fallen leaves of the season specked the forest floor. Surely Ivypool was the fourth cat? She risked her life every night fighting with the Dark Forest warriors. She deserved to be the fourth cat.
“Ow!” Dovewing squeaked as a thorn speared her pad. She’d been so lost in thought she’d stepped into a trailing bramble.
A sharp growl made her freeze. “Did you hear that?”
ShadowClan stench flooded Dovewing’s nose. I’m at the border! She’d wandered up to the scent line like a mouse in a daze. She froze, ducking beside the bramble that spilled over the boundary. Holding her breath, she listened to the ShadowClan warriors prowling behind on the other side.
“Don’t worry, Dovewing.” A hiss sounded through the branches. “I’ll get rid of them. Just stay still.”
Tigerheart!
“It was just a rabbit,” Tigerheart called to his Clanmates. “It’s escaped into ThunderClan territory.”
“I don’t smell rabbit.”
Dovewing recognized the growl of Ratscar. The bush rustled as he snuffled his way into the brambles. She caught sight of his fox-red pelt through the leaves. StarClan, help me! Her lungs ached for air but she didn’t dare breathe.
“Come on!” Rowanclaw called to his warriors. “Blackstar wants us at the shore. A dog’s running loose there. We need to scare it off before it decides to head into the forest.”
Dovewing heard Ratscar give a dissatisfied growl. “But I can smell ThunderClan.”
“I’ll stay and check it out,” Tigerheart offered.
“Okay, but stay this side of the border,” Rowanclaw warned.
Ratscar growled again. “Let me stay too. If ThunderClan cats are sniffing about I want to make sure they know—”
“Tigerheart can check it out.” Rowanclaw cut the warrior off. “We need to meet Blackstar. You can lead a patrol back here later to re-mark the borders.”