Sunstrike stood on the edge of the small gorge cut by the stream. Foxleap faced her on the other side. Both warriors were bristling, ears flat.
Sunstrike bared her teeth. “No WindClan cat has crossed the border.”
Graystripe lashed his tail. “Are you accusing ThunderClan of crossing the scent line?”
Brackenfur dropped into a crouch—the same one Ivypool had spent the morning teaching Molepaw and Cherrypaw. Don’t attack! Guilt flooded through her. She didn’t want to start a fight. She just wanted to save her Clanmates from making a terrible mistake.
Harespring met Brackenfur’s gaze through narrowed eyes. “Onestar says we should challenge any cat we find on our land.”
“This is our land.” Brackenfur’s hindquarters twitched as he bunched his muscles.
“Stop!” Birchfall shot out from the gorse.
Foxleap spun around, his eyes wide. “What are you doing here?”
“Guarding the border.” Birchfall straightened up and signaled to Mousewhisker and Ivypool with his tail. Mousewhisker slid out from under the bush and, reluctantly, Ivypool followed.
Foxleap’s eyes narrowed. “How do you guard from inside a bush?”
“We were waiting to see if they’d cross.” Birchfall’s gaze slipped toward Sunstrike. The WindClan cats began to back away. Graystripe shifted his paws.
“No one’s crossed any borders,” Birchfall announced. “Let’s just all retreat.”
Foxleap growled. “Not till I’ve checked for WindClan scent on our land.”
Sunstrike’s ears twitched. “You won’t find any.” She turned and led her Clanmates back into the heather.
Foxleap was pacing the border sniffing every clump of grass. “There’s no sign of invasion.” He glanced expectantly at Ivypool, since she was the one who’d told him about WindClan cats crossing the border.
She looked away, relief flooding through her. “Not this time,” she murmured.
Foxleap sniffed the gorse once more, then left a scent marker. “Come on, let’s get back to camp.”
Ivypool was first into the trees. Her paws were heavy as stone and she wished she was still asleep in the sun beside the fallen beech. A pelt brushed hers and she turned to see that Foxleap had caught up with her. “Did you know they’d be there?”
She flinched. “No.”
“But there’s no sign of WindClan crossing the border.” Foxleap was frowning. “What made you call for a patrol? Did you overhear something in the tunnel battle?”
Ivypool shook her head. “It was just a hunch,” she muttered. “You know how tense it’s been between the Clans. I must have caught a whiff of WindClan scent while I was in the woods and I was just on edge—”
“…and you overreacted.” Foxleap finished her sentence.
“I suppose so.” Ivypool’s ear twitched.
“Well, it was a good guess.”
Ivypool glanced at Foxleap, her belly tightening as she saw doubt shadowing his gaze. He doesn’t believe me. Tail flicking with unease, Ivypool pushed harder against the ground and raced for home. Being a spy was forcing her to betray her own Clan after all.
How much longer will I have to live like this?
Chapter 7
Jayfeather dropped the pebble a mouse-length away from Briarlight’s nest. “Can you reach that?”
“Easy!” Briarlight leaned out, grabbed the pebble, and heaved it into her nest, the firm muscles in her shoulders curving under her pelt.
Jayfeather stuck his nose into her nest and picked up the pebble between his teeth. He strained to lift it out. He’d chosen a heavy one for today’s exercise. He dropped it half a tail-length from her nest. “What about this?”
Briarlight stretched out with her forelegs again, puffing a little this time, but she still scooped the stone back into her nest with nimble paws.
“Let me check your spine.” Jayfeather buried his muzzle into her pelt, feeling her muscles with gentle nips. They felt healthy and strong all the way down to the break. Beyond, they were lifeless and thin, but the fur covering them was sleek and shiny. “You’ve worked hard.” Jayfeather sat up. “As long as we keep up with your exercises, you’ll be fine.”
Briarlight flung the pebble out of her nest and began reaching for it again. “I want to be able to climb trees using my forepaws alone,” she puffed.
As she struggled to reach the stone, Jayfeather’s attention drifted. He’d been worrying all morning about the fourth cat. Mothwing was the only one who’d offered any help fighting the Dark Forest. It must be her. He cast his mind out, as though releasing a bird, and let it skim across the lake toward RiverClan territory. As it reached the camp, he blocked out the clamor of emotions and probed for Mothwing. He sensed Willowshine, counting herbs, and felt Mothwing beside her, but as usual he could not penetrate the mist that swathed the medicine cat’s thoughts like cobweb.
She has to be the fourth cat! She’s the only cat whose dreams were safe from the Dark Forest. She couldn’t be lured into their treacherous plans.
“Can you finish your exercises by yourself?” he asked Briarlight. “I need to go out.”
“Of course I can.”
Outside the den, the morning sunshine was warm on his pelt. Lionblaze and Whitewing were sharing a mouse beside the thorn barrier. Thornclaw and Sorreltail shared tongues at the edge of the clearing. Ferncloud and Daisy were gossiping outside the nursery, while Seedkit and Lilykit stalked fallen leaves in the shadow of the beech.
Lionblaze hopped out of the way as Jayfeather ducked into the entrance tunnel. “Where are you going?”
“To see Mothwing.”
Alarm flared from Lionblaze. “I’ll come with you.”
“No, thanks.” He didn’t want his brother arguing all the way around the lake that Hollyleaf was the fourth cat. “This is medicine-cat business.”
“But you’re not supposed to be a medicine cat anymore,” Lionblaze called after him.
“StarClan will protect me.” Jayfeather scooted through the tunnel, aware of his own lie. Brambleberry had told him that StarClan could no longer see the cats by the lake. For them, the darkness had fallen already. “Tell Firestar where I’ve gone.” He listened for Lionblaze to follow, relieved when he heard only a sigh of resignation drifting through the thorns.
“If you’re not back by dusk, I’m coming to look for you,” Lionblaze called.
“You won’t need to.” I hope!
He headed for the shore. He’d follow it through WindClan territory. He opened his mouth to taste the air, checking the shore for WindClan warriors. There was a trace of familiar scent…
Onestar!
Jayfeather tensed. The WindClan leader was standing at the water’s edge a few fox-lengths ahead.
Jayfeather approached cautiously. “Greetings, Onestar.”
Onestar didn’t move. “Jayfeather.”
“I’m sorry for trespassing on WindClan land.” Jayfeather dipped his head. “I’m on my way to speak with Mothwing.” He tensed, expecting anger to flare from Onestar’s pelt. But the WindClan leader’s fur stayed unruffled.
“You may pass in peace,” Onestar told him. “Although I thought the medicine cats no longer spoke to one another.”
“That is StarClan’s wish,” Jayfeather meowed. “Not mine.”
“You would go against StarClan?” Onestar sounded surprised.
“Yes.” Jayfeather made no apology. “If it means keeping the peace between the Clans.”
He heard pebbles shift as Onestar sat down. “The Clans have always fought, but this is the first time the medicine cats have been divided,” the WindClan leader said heavily. “I feel as if something bad is coming.” Onestar’s gaze seared Jayfeather’s pelt. “The water is calm,” he murmured. “But currents pull beneath the surface. Though they can’t be seen, they have the power to drag cats to their death.”