Fading Echoes

by Erin Hunter

  “Thanks for coming out with me,” he murmured as they neared the hollow.

  “No problem,” she answered. “It was fun.” She yawned. “We’ll be tired in the morning.”

  “It was worth it,” Lionblaze purred, glad that for a few brief moments the prophecy and the Dark Forest had been pushed to the back of his mind.

  He woke late. Brambleclaw was already organizing the early patrols when he opened his eyes. Shaking himself awake, Lionblaze scrambled from his nest and hurried out from under the beech.

  Cinderheart was crowding around the ThunderClan deputy with her Clanmates. “Can Ivypaw and I join the border patrol?” she asked.

  Brambleclaw glanced at Brackenfur, who twitched his ears in agreement. “Okay.”

  Lionblaze tried to catch Cinderheart’s eye, hoping that some of the warmth of last night would linger in her gaze. But she only nodded briskly. “I’m taking Ivypaw on patrol.”

  He cut her off. “I heard.” Was she being aloof on purpose, or hadn’t she enjoyed their walk the same way he had?

  Dovepaw interrupted his thoughts. “Brambleclaw wants us to hunt with Thornclaw,” she told him.

  The border patrol was already heading out of camp. Lionblaze watched Ivypaw’s tail disappear through the gap in the thorns. “Don’t you mind not going with your sister?” He remembered Cinderheart’s worries about the sisters. Were they really not getting along?

  Dovepaw looked at him. “Why should I?” She shrugged. “I’ll know what she’s doing wherever she is, anyway.”

  Lionblaze cocked his head. “Yes, of course.” It felt strange to hear Dovepaw talking so calmly about her powers. She usually acted like they were a burr in her pelt.

  “Are you coming?” Thornclaw called from the entrance. Icecloud and Sandstorm were pacing beside him.

  “I’m going to make the first catch,” Icecloud declared, glancing at Thornclaw and Sandstorm. The young warrior was clearly determined to impress them.

  “Not if I can help it,” Dovepaw mewed. She sped past him and ducked through the barrier first.

  Lionblaze caught up to her in the gully. Thornclaw and Sandstorm were already ranging up the slopes, noses twitching. Icecloud hared past them, spraying leaves.

  “You’ll never catch anything making that sort of noise!” Dovepaw yowled after her.

  “Hush!” Lionblaze warned her. “You’ll scare everything away.”

  “I’ll scare everything?” She stared after Icecloud, at the leaves resettling in her wake, then flicked Lionblaze with her tail. “What’s gotten under your pelt?”

  Lionblaze frowned. He wasn’t going to admit that he’d been stung by Cinderheart’s briskness.

  But Dovepaw didn’t seem interested in an answer. Her ears were pricked and her whiskers were quivering. “There’s a mouse at the top of the rise,” she announced. “Shall I catch it?”

  “Give Icecloud a chance, at least,” Lionblaze advised. According to Cinderheart, she’d already put Ivypaw’s tail out of joint; he didn’t want every cat in the Clan to be jealously competing with his apprentice.

  “But she might take ages, and the mouse’ll be an easy catch,” she begged.

  “Just wait, okay?” he snapped. “The Clan has managed so far without your powers.”

  He saw her flinch and instantly felt guilty. He hadn’t meant to be so harsh.

  Suddenly, farther up the gully, a bush exploded with a clatter of leaves as a pigeon erupted from it. Icecloud jumped, her paws flailing as the pigeon batted her away with panicked wings and disappeared into the branches of an oak. Landing clumsily, Icecloud straightened and shook herself, her fur ruffled with embarrassment.

  “Let’s split up!” Lionblaze called. He felt sorry for the young warrior. It might be easier if Icecloud didn’t have to match Dovepaw’s skills in front of Thornclaw and Sandstorm. “It’ll be better with fewer paws stirring up the leaves.”

  Sandstorm called down from the top of the gully, “That’s fine with me.” She nodded to Icecloud. “Let’s try the lakeshore.” She raced away through the trees, Thornclaw and Icecloud on her tail.

  “I’ll get that mouse now, okay?” Dovepaw mewed pointedly.

  “It’s probably run for cover.”

  “I can still hear it.” Dovepaw headed away up the slope and, with a deft pounce, captured the mouse and gave it a quick killing bite. She flung it down in front of Lionblaze. “You think it’s unfair, don’t you?” she challenged.

  “What?”

  “Using my powers to hunt!”

  “Of course not.” Lionblaze wished he hadn’t been so sharp with her. She was just beginning to get used to hearing far beyond her Clanmates. “They’re part of the prophecy; you may as well use them.”

  “But I thought the prophecy didn’t just apply to ThunderClan,” Dovepaw argued. “I thought it applied to every Clan. Wouldn’t it be fairer if I used my senses to catch food for every Clan?”

  “I don’t think they’d thank you for the help,” he pointed out. But he understood what she meant. He would leap into battle to defend his Clanmates from a rival Clan. But he always knew he’d win. Was that a fair fight? He shook his head, uncertain how to reassure her. “I think we just have to remember the good we’ve done with our powers already. After all, if you hadn’t sensed the beavers, we’d have all died of thirst by now.”

  Dovepaw’s eyes brightened a little.

  Relieved, Lionblaze led her along the gully and up the rise. From the top, they could see Sandstorm’s hunting party stalking the slope beside the lake. With a sudden lunge, Sandstorm flushed a pheasant from the grass, and Icecloud, crouching in wait, leaped and made a clean catch before it could escape.

  “Well done, Icecloud!” Dovepaw cheered.

  Lionblaze stiffened as her mew died away and she pricked her ears. “What is it?”

  “Ivypaw’s patrol.”

  He flicked his tail. “Have they found more ShadowClan scents?” Had Tigerheart crossed the border again?

  Dovepaw shook her head. “No, but they’re looking for them.” She stood still with her ears stretched up. What was she searching for? Lionblaze stared through the trees, but saw nothing but branches and bushes blocking his view.

  Dovepaw jerked, her eyes widening.

  “What is it?” Lionblaze unsheathed his claws.

  “Nothing,” she answered quickly.

  Lionblaze narrowed his eyes. She was definitely jumpy.

  “Why don’t we try closer to the WindClan border?” Dovepaw mewed suddenly. “I can hear a woodpecker. We can find its nest.”

  Lionblaze hesitated. Perhaps it was better to head that way. Brackenfur was already checking the ShadowClan border. He wouldn’t thank his Clanmates for treading on his paws.

  They tracked the tapping of the woodpecker to a tree at the edge of the forest. WindClan’s moorland stretched beyond the border, gray beneath a gray sky.

  “I’ll climb up,” Dovepaw offered.

  “I’ll come with you.” Lionblaze didn’t want to get a reputation as a reluctant tree climber. It was bad enough to have Cinderheart teasing him. He scrabbled up the shiny poplar trunk after Dovepaw and perched on a thick branch high above the forest floor.

  The woodpecker’s tapping had stopped, but Dovepaw clambered onto the next branch. “The noise was coming from here,” she called down. “Look!” She shuffled out of the way to let Lionblaze climb after her, then flicked her tail toward a small nest lodged in the crook of the branch. There were no eggs or birds inside, but it was lined with soft feathers.

  Lionblaze pushed his head into the nest, wrinkling his nose at the stench, and pulled out a mouthful.

  Dovepaw purred. “You look like you just swallowed a starling!”

  As Lionblaze twitched his whiskers, he heard voices.

  Jayfeather.

  The medicine cats were coming down from the Moonpool. He could hear them calling their farewells at the border.

  “Let’s wait for them.” Feathers puffed fr
om his mouth as he spoke and drifted down onto the forest floor. He could see Jayfeather padding from the border with Littlecloud and Flametail.

  “Come on.” Lionblaze scooted down the tree, landing a whisker in front of the ShadowClan cats.

  Littlecloud jumped in surprise. “Are ThunderClan cats turning into squirrels?” He quickly smoothed his ruffled fur with a few sharp licks.

  “Didn’t mean to surprise you,” Lionblaze apologized. “We were just collecting feathers.”

  “Are you planning to learn how to fly?” Flametail meowed.

  As he spoke, Dovepaw clawed her way down the trunk, sending a shower of feathers and bark ahead of her. Flametail ducked like a startled mouse.

  “Sorry!” Dovepaw mewed. She glanced at Jayfeather. “How was the meeting at the Moonpool?”

  Lionblaze searched his brother’s face. Had he found anything out?

  “It was fine,” Jayfeather reported. He turned and dipped his head to the ShadowClan cats. “I’ll head back to camp with my Clanmates,” he told them.

  “Okay.” Littlecloud nodded. “We’ll head for our border from here.”

  “See you next half-moon,” Jayfeather called as the two cats walked into the trees.

  “Say hi to Tigerheart from me!” Dovepaw mewed.

  Lionblaze glanced at her. Why was she sending greetings to Tigerheart?

  Her pelt ruffled as she caught his eye. “And, er, say hi to Dawnpelt too,” she added quickly.

  Jayfeather was already following the trail home. His shoulders were slumped and his eyes were glazed with tiredness.

  Lionblaze fell in beside him. “So?”

  “Wait, what about these?” Dovepaw was staring around at the feathers, scattered below the poplar.

  “We can come back for them later,” Lionblaze meowed over his shoulder. “What happened?” He pressed close to Jayfeather, guiding him with his shoulder. His brother seemed happy to lean against him.

  “I visited the Dark Forest,” Jayfeather began.

  “What do you mean?” Dovepaw gasped.

  “That’s where our real enemies lie,” Lionblaze told her.

  Dovepaw blinked. “Dead warriors?”

  Lionblaze felt a flicker of frustration. Why hadn’t they told Dovepaw earlier? There wasn’t time to explain it all now. “Just listen,” he ordered. He turned his attention back to Jayfeather. “What did you see?”

  “I met Brokenstar,” Jayfeather meowed. “He’s the one who fought against me with Breezepelt.”

  “The old ShadowClan leader?” Lionblaze’s pelt bristled.

  Jayfeather nodded. “And we saw Hawkfrost training warriors.”

  Lionblaze’s heart lurched. “Clan warriors?”

  “No. Dark Forest warriors.”

  “So we still don’t have any proof they’re recruiting Clan cats.”

  “No.” Jayfeather sighed. “But they are up to something. Why else would dead warriors be training? Their fighting days are long gone. And they were using some pretty nasty moves.”

  Lionblaze felt Jayfeather shudder against him. But he wasn’t afraid. He unsheathed his claws. Strength pulsed through the muscles beneath his pelt. He couldn’t wait to take on Hawkfrost and Tigerstar in a battle! He knew he could beat them both.

  Dovepaw padded after them, the fur bristling along her spine. “How could Dark Forest cats recruit Clan warriors?”

  “Through their dreams,” Jayfeather told her.

  “But why in the name of StarClan would Clan cats listen to them?”

  “You don’t know Tigerstar,” Jayfeather warned. “He preys on other cats’ weaknesses. He can make them feel like they’re strong and noble by doing what he wants them to. They probably don’t even realize they’re doing anything wrong.”

  Dovepaw’s gaze was fixed on Jayfeather as she padded beside him. “How could any cat be so dumb?”

  Lionblaze felt heat spreading under his pelt. Tigerstar had fooled him like that once. Never again.

  Jayfeather shrugged. “All cats like praise,” he meowed. “And Tigerstar is smart enough to exploit any grudges. He knows that there will always be warriors glad of a chance to settle old scores.” He didn’t mention Breezepelt’s grudge against his ThunderClan kin.

  Dovepaw stretched her eyes wide. “No ThunderClan cat would keep old wounds open once they’d healed.”

  Lionblaze was pleased to hear his apprentice speaking like a true warrior. As far as he was concerned, once a battle was fought, it was finished. But Dovepaw’s innocence made her vulnerable right now. “We’re just trying to warn you that not all warriors are perfect, and Tigerstar will be the first to take advantage of that.”

  “How can we fight Tigerstar if he’s dead?” Dovepaw protested.

  “We need you to keep your senses alert,” Lionblaze mewed. “Listen for unusual signs in the other Clans. Tell us anything you hear or see that seems out of the ordinary. Anything that might suggest the Dark Forest cats are training Clan cats.”

  “You mean, spy on them?” Dovepaw sounded horrified.

  “Yes,” Jayfeather meowed simply. “And not just in other Clans. In ThunderClan too.”

  Dovepaw stood still. “Spy on my own Clanmates? No way!”

  “It’s not that we don’t trust them,” Lionblaze tried to explain. “We don’t trust Tigerstar.”

  “You don’t trust anyone!” Dovepaw accused. “Do you even trust me?” Her pelt was standing on end. “You’re totally over-reacting. You’re just looking for a way to use your powers. Maybe the prophecy has nothing to do with Tigerstar. Maybe we’re just meant to be the best warriors we can be. Why should I be responsible for every cat’s destiny?” She darted forward, yowling over her shoulder, “I’m going back to camp! I just want to be normal! I’m not going to spy on any cat!”

  She hared away through the trees.

  “That went well,” Lionblaze muttered. Then he sighed. “Maybe we’re asking too much of her.”

  Jayfeather padded on. “She’s part of the prophecy,” he growled. “We didn’t choose her. She has to be strong!” His voice softened. “I don’t want Dovepaw to get hurt. But she’s one of the Three, and she has to play her part.”

  One of the Three. Lionblaze’s thoughts flashed back to Hollyleaf. Why couldn’t it have been her? Grief stung as he remembered her wisdom and sharp thinking. She may not have been part of the prophecy, but she was his littermate, and sometimes that counted for more than anything.

  CHAPTER 18

  Dovepaw didn’t want to go back to the hollow. Her fur was fluffed with anger. She wasn’t a spy and she wasn’t going to let any cat make her become one! That couldn’t be what the prophecy meant!

  She raced through the trees, swerving around bushes and charging through ferns. She didn’t care if she was frightening off prey. With her powers, she could always find more. There was nowhere it could hide from her.

  Fury surged through her muscles, driving her harder. Thanks to her power she could take care of everything.

  Find prey, Dovepaw!

  Save us from the beavers, Dovepaw!

  Spy on every cat around the lake. Oh, and while you’re at it, you may as well spy on your own Clanmates.

  Yeah, right! Her mind fizzed. Why don’t you spy on your Clanmates? She imagined Lionblaze’s and Jayfeather’s expressions as she told them what she really thought. Oh, that’s right. You want to have friends! I suppose I don’t need friends. I suppose it’s okay if my sister doesn’t want to talk to me anymore.

  Resentment burned in her belly.

  Her ears pricked up. Leaves were rustling. Bushes swished. The border patrol was nearby. Had she run that far already? She skidded to a halt and sniffed. She was almost on the ShadowClan border. She should have noticed the thickening brambles. She glanced around anxiously. How would she explain being so far from the rest of her patrol?

  The ground sloped up beside her. She could hear Ivypaw’s patrol just beyond the rise.

  “See anything?” Brackenfur
called.

  “No tufts of fur,” Ivypaw reported.

  Dovepaw ducked into a bramble thicket.

  “How fresh are the markers?” Whitewing prompted. Ivypaw scooted over the top of the rise and sniffed at a trunk. Dovepaw watched her sister wrinkle her nose.

  “Scented a few days ago, and then again last night by the smell of it,” Ivypaw answered.

  Dovepaw felt a rush of pride. Her sister was going to make a brilliant warrior. Everyone would think she was great.

  Unlike me.

  Dovepaw sighed. Every cat in the Clan would turn against her if they knew that she was supposed to be using a secret power to test their loyalty. A true warrior trusts her Clanmates!

  Brackenfur, Bumblestripe, and Whitewing had appeared over the rise now. They were checking every tree and bush. Dovepaw scooted farther into the bramble, gritting her teeth as the barbs scraped her pelt. Brackenfur was padding nearer.

  Mouse dung!

  She wriggled deeper into the brambles as Brackenfur began sniffing at the edge. Then, in desperation, she scrambled up one of the thick stems. Biting her tongue against the pain of the thorns, she squirmed to the top of the bush and wormed her way along it. Prickers tore her pelt and scratched her muzzle. Wincing, she peered through the tangle of stems and saw Brackenfur following a scent the other way. He must be ignoring ThunderClan scents in his hunt for traces of ShadowClan. She felt a wave of relief and struggled on through the prickers and scrabbled down the far side, the bramble thicket a perfect barrier between her and her Clanmates.

  Her paws slid on the smooth needles covering the ground.

  Oh, StarClan!

  She sniffed the air.

  She’d dropped down into ShadowClan territory.

  She glanced along the thicket. If she nipped around the far side she could be back in ThunderClan territory without leaving a trace. Keeping low, she slid along the edge of the bush.

  “Hello!”

  Tigerheart!

  Heart thumping, she spun around to greet the ShadowClan warrior. “Sorry! I didn’t mean…I mean, I wasn’t planning…”