Long Shadows

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by Erin Hunter


  “I doubt it,” Firestar told her; there was regret in his voice as if he, too, would have been comforted by that explanation. “It was a clean wound, like a hunting warrior would make on their prey.”

  “You’re saying that a cat killed him?” Cloudtail’s voice rang out disbelievingly.

  “WindClan!” Thornclaw yowled. “They must have found him by the border and killed him. We should attack them now!”

  Caterwauls of agreement followed his words; it was several moments before Firestar could make himself heard again.

  “We mustn’t act too quickly,” he warned his Clan. “There was no WindClan scent on Ashfur’s body. In fact, there’s no evidence at all that he was killed by a cat from another Clan.”

  Frozen silence filled the clearing. When Brackenfur broke it, his voice was shaking. “Are you saying that one of us killed Ashfur?”

  Jayfeather’s heart thudded as he waited for Firestar’s reply. His littermates tensed beside him, and he could hear Squirrelflight trying not to gulp for air as if she were being smothered.

  “Do any of you know a reason why anyone in ThunderClan might want Ashfur dead?” Firestar asked.

  Beside him, Lionblaze and Hollyleaf quivered under the weight of what they knew. A little farther away, Squirrelflight held her breath altogether. Jayfeather knew they were all thinking of the scene on top of the cliff, when Squirrelflight’s terrible secret had been shared in storm and fire. That, and that alone, had to be the reason for Ashfur’s murder.

  Now, for their own sakes and the sake of their Clan, they must all conspire to keep the truth hidden forever.

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks to Cherith Baldry

  About the Author

  ERIN HUNTER is inspired by a love of cats and a fascination with the ferocity of the natural world. As well as having great respect for nature in all its forms, Erin enjoys creating rich mythical explanations for animal behavior. She is also the author of the bestselling Seekers series.

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

  WARRIORS

  Book One: Into the Wild

  Book Two: Fire and Ice

  Book Three: Forest of Secrets

  Book Four: Rising Storm

  Book Five: A Dangerous Path

  Book Six: The Darkest Hour

  WARRIORS:

  THE NEW PROPHECY

  Book One: Midnight

  Book Two: Moonrise

  Book Three: Dawn

  Book Four: Starlight

  Book Five: Twilight

  Book Six: Sunset

  WARRIORS:

  POWER OF THREE

  Book One: The Sight

  Book Two: Dark River

  Book Three: Outcast

  Book Four: Eclipse

  WARRIORS MANGA

  The Lost Warrior

  Warrior’s Refuge

  Warrior’s Return

  The Rise of Scourge

  Tigerstar and Sasha #1: Into the Woods

  WARRIORS SPECIALS

  Warriors Field Guide: Secrets of the Clans

  Warriors Super Edition: Firestar’s Quest

  Warriors: Cats of the Clans

  Credits

  Jacket art © 2008 by Wayne McLoughlin

  Jacket design by Hilary Zarycky

  Copyright

  WARRIORS: POWER OF THREE #5: LONG SHADOWS. Copyright © 2009 by Working Partners Limited. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  EPub © Edition OCTOBER 2008 ISBN: 9780061973710

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