Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17 The RiverClan warriors froze, their blue eyes wide with shock. "What do you mean?" Stonefur rasped. "Graypool was our mother." "No, listen…" Fireheart bundled Bluestar against the rock face and stood in front of her. He could still hear the yowls and spitting of the battle on the other side of the rock, but suddenly it seemed to have nothing to do with the confrontation in this gully. "Bluestar gave birth to you in ThunderClan," he meowed desperately. "But she couldn't keep you. Your father, Oakheart, brought you to RiverClan." "I don't believe you!" Stonefur drew his lips back in a vicious snarl. "It's a trick." "No, wait," mewed Mistyfoot. "Fireheart doesn't lie." "How would you know?" her brother demanded. "He's a ThunderClan cat. Why should we trust him?" He advanced on Fireheart, claws out, and the ThunderClan warrior braced himself for the

attack, but before Stonefur could spring, Bluestar slipped out from behind him and faced the two RiverClan cats. "My kits, oh, my kits…" Bluestar's voice was warm, and when she turned her head Fireheart saw that her eyes were blazing with admiration. "You're such fine warriors now. I'm so proud of you." Stonefur glanced at Mistyfoot, uncertainty showing in his twitching ears. "Leave Bluestar alone," Fireheart urged quietly. A sudden yowling interrupted him. "Fireheart! Watch out!" The voice was Graystripe's. Fireheart looked up in time to see Leopardstar plunging down the rock toward him. Graystripe's warning gave him just enough time to scramble backward, so that her outstretched claws only raked his shoulder. Spitting, she flung herself at him, driving the breath out of his body as she hurled him to the ground. Fireheart gripped the RiverClan leader's neck with his front paws and felt her powerful hind paws raking at his belly. Pain stabbed through him, and he slashed out blindly, feeling his claws

score through fur. For a few heartbeats all he could see was Leopardstar's spotted pelt; his face was pressed into it, half smothering him, and he struggled to breathe. Suddenly Leopardstar jerked her head back, and Fireheart lost his hold on her neck. Her stifling weight was lifted off him. Scrambling to his paws, he backed against the rock, ready for her to spring at him again. His head whirled with exhaustion, and he could feel blood pulsing out of a wound on his leg. Suddenly he wasn't sure that this was a battle he could win. He looked around for Bluestar, but she had disappeared, and so had Mistyfoot and Stonefur. The RiverClan leader crouched on the ground in front of him, breathing hard, bleeding from her neck and side. To Fireheart's astonishment, Graystripe stood over her, pinning her down with his front paws. "I had him," Leopardstar panted, almost incoherent with fury. "I heard you just now. You warned him." Graystripe released his leader so she could stagger to her paws again. "I'm sorry, Leopardstar,

but Fireheart's my friend." Leopardstar shook drops of blood from her golden tabby fur and glared at the gray warrior. "I was right about you all along," she hissed. "You were never loyal to RiverClan. All right, you've got a choice. Attack your friend for me now, or leave my Clan for good." Graystripe stared at her in dismay. Fireheart's breath caught in his chest. Was Leopardstar going to force him to fight his former Clan mate? He knew that he didn't have the strength to beat a cat who was still relatively fresh—and much more than that, how could he lift a claw against his best friend? "Well?" snarled Leopardstar. "What are you waiting for?" Graystripe glanced at Fireheart, his amber eyes filled with anguish. Then he bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Leopardstar. I can't do it. Punish me if you want." "Punish you?" Leopardstar's face was contorted in fury. "I'll claw your eyes out; I'll set you loose in the forest for the foxes to track down. Traitor! I'll—"

A chorus of yowling drowned her threats. Fireheart looked up, almost despairing at the thought of more enemies to fight. He could hardly believe what he saw. A wave of ThunderClan cats was streaming over the rock and down into the gully. He spotted Mousefur, Darkstripe, Sandstorm, and Dustpelt, and Swiftpaw leading the other apprentices. His message had gotten through, and help had come at last! Leopardstar took one look and fled. The ThunderClan warriors gave chase at once with furious yowls. Fireheart and Graystripe were left looking at each other. "Thank you," Fireheart mewed after a few moments. Graystripe shrugged and padded over to him. He was limping slightly, and his fur was torn and thick with dust. "There was no choice," he whispered. "I couldn't hurt you, could I?" Fireheart drew himself up. As his head cleared, he realized that the sounds of battle were fading and a heavy silence was gathering over Sunningrocks, filled with the reek of blood. "Come on. I've got to see what's happening."

He turned and padded along the gully, aware that Graystripe was following close behind. Coming to the open ground beyond the rocks, he saw the RiverClan warriors retreating down the slope that led to the river. At the head of the patrol, Blackclaw launched himself into the river and began swimming toward the opposite bank. Brackenfur and Sandstorm stood nearby, and more ThunderClan cats crouched on top of Sunningrocks, watching their enemies depart. Cloudpaw raised his head and let out a yowl of pure triumph. Bluestar padded after the retreating cats as far as the RiverClan border, her ears pricked with determination. Fireheart saw with a twinge of distress that she was following Mistyfoot and Stonefur. "Now that you know the truth, we must talk," she called after them. "You will be welcome in the ThunderClan camp. I will tell my warriors to bring you to my den whenever you want to see me." But both warriors turned away from her and stalked down to the edge of the water. Stonefur glanced back before he waded out into the river.