Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14 The cold air chilled Firepaw's bones as blackness wrapped itself around him. He could hear nothing, and his nostrils were filled with the musty scent of damp earth. Out of nowhere, a brilliant ball of light flared in front of him. Firepaw ducked his head, screwing up his eyes against the glare. The light shone, dazzling coldly like a star; then it blinked out, disappearing as quickly as it had come. The darkness fell away, and Firepaw found himself in the forest. He felt comforted by the familiar smells of the woods. He breathed in the moist green scents, and calmness flowed through his body. Without warning, a dreadful noise burst from the trees. Firepaw's fur bristled. It was the screeching of terrified cats racing out from the bushes up ahead. Firepaw recognized their ThunderClan pelts as they fled past him. He stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. Then came great cats, huge dark warriors, their eyes glittering cruelly. They thundered toward him, pounding the earth with massive paws, their claws

unsheathed. And out of the shadows, Firepaw heard a high, desperate cry filled with grief and rage. Graypaw! Firepaw woke, horrified. His dream vanished, leaving his ears ringing and his fur standing on end. As he opened his eyes, he saw the face of Tigerclaw peering into the den. Firepaw leaped to his feet, instantly alert. "Something wrong, Firepaw?" asked Tigerclaw. "Just a dream," Firepaw mumbled. Tigerclaw gave him a curious look, then growled, "Wake the others. We leave shortly." Outside the den, the sky glowed with a new dawn, and dew sparkled on the ferns. It would be a warm day once the sun was up, but the early- morning dampness reminded Firepaw that the time of leaf-fall was not far off. Firepaw, Graypaw, and Ravenpaw quickly gulped down the herbs that Spottedleaf had given them. Tigerclaw and Bluestar sat watching them, ready to leave. The rest of the camp was still asleep. "Ugh!" complained Graypaw. "I knew they'd be bitter. Why couldn't we eat a fat, juicy mouse

instead?" "These herbs will keep your hunger at bay longer," answered Bluestar. "And they will make you strong. We have a long journey ahead of us." "Have you eaten yours already?" Firepaw asked. "I cannot eat if I'm going to share dreams with StarClan at the Moonstone tonight," replied Bluestar. Firepaw felt his paws tingle when he heard these words. He was itching to begin the journey. With the dawn's light and the familiar voices, the terror of his dream had left him. All that remained was the memory of the brilliant light, and Bluestar's words sent a renewed thrill of excitement through him. The five cats made their way through the gorse tunnel and out of the camp. Lionheart was just returning with a patrol. "Safe journey," he meowed. Bluestar nodded. "I know I can trust you to keep the camp safe," she answered. Lionheart looked at Graypaw and dipped his head. "Remember," he meowed, "you are almost a

warrior. Don't forget what I have taught you." Graypaw looked back at Lionheart with affection. "I will always remember, Lionheart," he mewed, nudging his head against the tabby's broad golden flank. They retraced their route to Fourtrees. This was the quickest way to pass into WindClan territory. HighStones lay beyond. As Firepaw bounded down the side of the glade toward the Great Rock, he could still smell the scents of last night's Gathering. He followed the others through the grassy clearing and up the slope on the other side, into WindClan territory. The bushy slope became steeper as they climbed, and rockier, until the cats had to leap from boulder to boulder up the side of a craggy cliff face. Firepaw paused when they reached the top. Ahead of them, the ground flattened out into a wide plateau. The wind blew in a steady gust that rippled the grass and bent the trees. The soil was stony, and outcroppings of bare rock dotted the landscape here and there.

The air still carried the scents of WindClan, but they were stale. Much fresher, and more alarming, were the pungent markings of ShadowClan warriors. "All Clans are entitled to safe passage to the Moonstone, but ShadowClan seems to have no respect for the warrior code anymore, so be alert," warned Bluestar. "We mustn't hunt outside our territory, though. We'll follow the warrior code, even if ShadowClan doesn't." They set off across the plateau as the sun rose into the sky, following the tracks through the heather. Firepaw had grown used to living under a canopy of trees. Without their shade, his flame- colored pelt felt heavy and hot, and his back seemed to burn. He was thankful for the steady breeze blowing from the forests behind. Suddenly Tigerclaw stopped dead. "Watch out!" he hissed. "I smell a ShadowClan patrol." Firepaw and the others lifted their noses, and sure enough, the scent of ShadowClan warriors traveled on the wind. "They are upwind. They won't know we are here if we keep moving," meowed Bluestar. "But

we must hurry. If they move ahead they'll detect us. It's not far to the edge of WindClan territory now." They moved on quickly, leaping over the rocks, pushing their way through the sweet- smelling heather. Every few steps, Firepaw sniffed the air and glanced over his shoulder, on the lookout for the ShadowClan patrol. But gradually the odor grew fainter and fainter. They must have turned back, he thought with relief. Finally they reached the edge of the uplands. The landscape changed dramatically, shaped and altered beyond recognition by Twolegs. Wide earth tracks crisscrossed green and golden meadows, small woods dotted the land, and Twoleg nests were scattered here and there among the fields. In the distance Firepaw saw a familiar wide, gray path, and an acid tang that stung his throat drifted on the breeze. "Is that the Thunderpath?" he asked Graypaw. "Yes," replied Graypaw. "It runs up from ShadowClan territory. Can you see HighStones behind it?" Firepaw looked at the distant horizon. The