Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5 The ThunderClan leader had reached the top of the ravine by the time Fireheart caught up with her. She paused to sniff the air before padding into the forest. Fireheart noticed with relief how relaxed she seemed now that they were out of the camp, nosing her way through the undergrowth toward the RiverClan border. Fireheart glanced in surprise at the she-cat. This wasn't the quickest route to Fourtrees and the uplands beyond, but he didn't question her. He couldn't help feeling excited at the thought that he might catch a glimpse of Graystripe across the river. The two cats met the RiverClan border above Sunningrocks and followed the scent markers upriver. A warm breeze carried the faint heather scent of the moor down to them. Fireheart could hear the river flowing past on the other side of the ferns. He craned his neck and saw the water glimmering in the dappled light under the trees. Above his head the leaves glowed green and flashed at the edges where the sunlight pierced the thick roof of the forest. Even in the shade,

Fireheart felt hot. He wished he could plunge into the water like a RiverClan cat, to cool himself down. Finally the river bent away, deeper into RiverClan territory, and Bluestar carried straight on, following the markers along the border between ThunderClan and RiverClan. Fireheart couldn't stop glancing across the scentline, searching the woods beyond for any sign of RiverClan cats, wary of being spotted by a patrol but ever hopeful of seeing his old friend. Bluestar was leading them recklessly close to the border, even crossing it occasionally as they weaved through the undergrowth. Fireheart had no idea how RiverClan would react if they found them here. The two Clans had nearly come to conflict over Silverstream's kits, and battle was averted only when Graystripe took his kits back to their mother's Clan. Suddenly Bluestar stopped and lifted her muzzle, opening her mouth to taste the air. She dropped into a crouch, and Fireheart, trusting Bluestar's warrior instincts, flattened himself too, ducking behind a patch of nettles.

"RiverClan warriors," Bluestar warned in a whisper. Fireheart could smell them now. He felt his hackles rising as the scent grew stronger and he heard the swish of fur disturbing the undergrowth ahead of them. He raised his head very slowly and peered through the trees, his heart thumping as he searched for a familiar gray pelt. Beside him, Bluestar's eyes were wide and her flanks barely moved as she took silent, shallow breaths. Was she hoping to see Graystripe too? Fireheart wondered. It hadn't occurred to him before now that Bluestar might also want to run into some RiverClan cats. It would certainly explain why she had come this way. But Fireheart couldn't believe that it was Graystripe she wanted to see. Yesterday, in her confusion, she'd forgotten that the gray warrior had left the Clan, and Fireheart sensed that Bluestar's mind was spinning with other thoughts. Then it hit him like a fledgling dropping into his paws: her kits. Many moons ago, the ThunderClan leader had given birth to two kits that had been raised in RiverClan. She'd entrusted them to their

RiverClan father when they were barely old enough to leave their nest. Bluestar's ambition and loyalty to her Clan had made it impossible for her to raise the kits herself. Now they lived as RiverClan warriors, unaware that their real mother came from ThunderClan. But Bluestar had never forgotten them, although only Fireheart knew her secret. It must be Stonefur and Mistyfoot that Bluestar was scanning the undergrowth for. A glimpse of tawny mottled fur in the distance made Fireheart duck down again. That wasn't Graystripe, or either of Bluestar's offspring. A vaguely familiar scent confirmed to Fireheart the identity of the warrior. It was Leopardfur, the RiverClan deputy. Fireheart glanced at Bluestar; she still had her head up, peering through the trees. The rustling of ferns warned Fireheart that Leopardfur was getting nearer. He felt his breath quicken. What would happen if she saw the ThunderClan leader so close to the RiverClan border? Fireheart froze as the rustling in the bushes grew louder. He heard the RiverClan deputy stop,

and her silence told him she had detected something. Staring desperately at Bluestar he was about to signal to her with his tail when she dropped her head and hissed in his ear, "Come on; we'd better head deeper into our own territory." Fireheart sighed with relief as the ThunderClan leader crept silently away. Keeping his ears flat and his belly to the ground, Fireheart followed her away from the scent markers and into the safety of ThunderClan's woods. "That Leopardfur moves so loudly, I should think even ShadowClan heard her coming," remarked Bluestar once they were away from the border. Fireheart's whiskers quivered with surprise. He had begun to wonder if Bluestar had forgotten how fiercely the Clans defended their boundaries, especially in these difficult times. "She's a good warrior, but too easily distracted," Bluestar went on calmly. "She was more interested in that rabbit upwind than looking for enemy warriors." Fireheart couldn't help feeling cheered by his leader's confidence. Now that he thought about it, there had been the scent of rabbit on the breeze,

but he'd been too worried about Leopardfur to take any notice of it. "This reminds me of the days I used to take you for training," purred Bluestar as she padded through the sun-dappled woods. Fireheart ran to catch up with her. "Me too," he replied. "You were a fast learner. I chose well when I invited you into my Clan," Bluestar murmured. She looked back over her shoulder at Fireheart, and he saw pride in her eyes. He blinked gratefully at her. "All the Clans have much to thank you for," Bluestar continued. "You drove Brokentail out of ShadowClan, brought WindClan home from exile, helped RiverClan when they were flooded, and saved ThunderClan from Tigerclaw." Fireheart began to feel a little overwhelmed by her praise as she went on: "No other warrior has your sense of fairness or loyalty or courage…." Fireheart's fur pricked uneasily. "But all the ThunderClan cats respect the warrior code as I do," he pointed out. "Every one of them would sacrifice themselves to protect you and the Clan."