Night Whispers

by Erin Hunter

  “I must have slept on it funny,” Ivypaw muttered. The silver-and-white she-cat stiffened as though trying to disguise her limp. “Wasn’t the battle exciting?” Ivypaw changed the subject.

  “You enjoyed it?” Dovepaw stared at her sister. “But Firestar lost a life.”

  “Well, that bit was bad, and Russetfur dying. But it felt so good to use all the skills we’ve learned.”

  Dovepaw ducked through the dirtplace tunnel. “I’d rather stick to using hunting skills and save the fighting skills for defending my Clan.”

  “But we were defending our Clan!” Ivypaw followed her. “ShadowClan was going to steal our territory. Don’t you remember my dream?”

  Dovepaw didn’t answer. She still didn’t understand why StarClan had sent a dream to Ivypaw and not to her. She made her dirt and headed back into camp.

  The Clan was stirring. Graystripe padded past, yawning, heading toward the warriors’ den. He cast a baleful glance at the clear dawn sky. “This chill is here to stay. Prey will be scarce before long.”

  Hazeltail padded after the gray warrior. “That was a long, cold night,” she commented.

  Graystripe paused to brush muzzles with Millie, who was nosing her way out of the warriors’ den. “You’re warm,” he purred.

  Millie pressed against him. “Get some rest,” she told him. “It’s warm inside. I’ll catch you something nice for when you wake up.”

  The first rays of sun sliced over the top of the hollow and washed the nursery in orange light. Dovepaw reached again for the conversation that had woken her, but Lionblaze and Jayfeather were heading away from camp, silent now except for their paw steps, which crunched over frozen leaves.

  Why are they being so secretive?

  “Hey!” Ivypaw hurried from the dirtplace tunnel. “You didn’t wait for me.”

  Dovepaw forced her mew to sound light. “Are you surprised?” She wrinkled her nose.

  “Are you saying I stink?” Ivypaw reared and cuffed her playfully, then winced and dropped back onto all four paws.

  “Maybe you should see Jayfeather about that leg,” Dovepaw suggested.

  “It’ll be okay,” Ivypaw promised. “Look.” She turned toward the halfrock, where Brambleclaw and Firestar were organizing the day’s patrols. “There are more important things to worry about.”

  “I want two patrols along the new ShadowClan border.” Firestar lifted his chin as he gave the order, but his green eyes were tired. The fur at his throat was still clumped with blood where Russetfur had bitten him.

  Toadstep, Icecloud, Cinderheart, and Rosepetal clustered beside the halfrock. Thornclaw, Sandstorm, and Dustpelt sat farther back, while Leafpool and Squirrelflight paced nearby.

  “What’s the plan?” Cloudtail joined them, his blue eyes bleary with sleep.

  “Two patrols,” Squirrelflight told him.

  Firestar went on. “Brambleclaw will lead the lake patrol; Dustpelt will take the other. Thornclaw, Whitewing, and Squirrelflight, go with Brambleclaw.”

  Thornclaw dipped his head. Whitewing nodded. Squirrelflight flashed an uncertain look at Brambleclaw, dropping her gaze when he returned it through narrowed eyes.

  Firestar pressed on. “Cloudtail, Sorreltail, and Spiderleg, you go with Dustpelt.”

  Cloudtail turned at once, fur bristling, and headed for the camp entrance. Sorreltail followed him, her denmates close on her heels. They filed out of camp, tails bushed as though ready for a fight.

  “Cinderheart.” Firestar turned his attention to the gray she-cat. “It’s leaf-bare. The Clan needs skilled hunters, so practice stalking with Ivypaw today. I don’t want to let this battle distract our apprentices from their training one moment longer. Lionblaze, do the same with Dovepaw.”

  Dovepaw stiffened as Firestar scanned the camp. “Where is Lionblaze?” he said.

  Berrynose stepped forward. “He went out with Jayfeather just before dawn.”

  Firestar’s eye caught Dovepaw’s. She could tell that he wanted to know if something was wrong. Dovepaw shrugged. She knew no more than he did.

  Firestar frowned. “In that case, Dovepaw, join Cinderheart and Ivypaw.” He turned to Berrynose. “Go with them. You can take Lionblaze’s place today.”

  Ivypaw leaned closer to Dovepaw. “Great,” she muttered. “Hunting practice and Berrynose.”

  Dovepaw understood her sister’s frustration. They had fought alongside warriors yesterday. Today they were back to being apprentices.

  “Come on.” Berrynose led the way to the entrance. As they passed the nursery, Molekit and Cherrykit broke away from Poppyfrost’s side and skipped between his paws, almost tripping him. A loud purr rumbled in Berrynose’s throat. “You’ll be warriors soon enough,” he promised. “And when you are, ShadowClan won’t dare threaten our territory.”

  Ivypaw rolled her eyes and whispered to Dovepaw, “Does he have to show off about everything?”

  Dovepaw hardly heard her. She was casting her senses after Jayfeather and Lionblaze. Where are you?

  A shove from behind surprised her. “Stop staring into the trees,” Cinderheart chided gently. “Firestar’s right. Hunting is our priority in leaf-bare. I want you to focus.”

  Dovepaw dipped her head and followed Berrynose and Ivypaw out of the hollow.

  “Bring us back a vole!” Cherrykit called after them.

  As they trailed through the forest to the training hollow, Dovepaw was still fretting. Why were Lionblaze and Jayfeather talking about Ivypaw? She recalled the knowing look her sister had exchanged with Tigerheart during the battle. In that brief glance it had seemed the two young cats weren’t enemies at all. She frowned. Had Lionblaze seen it too? Was he suspicious of Ivypaw’s loyalty? Surely not!

  “Dovepaw.” Berrynose jolted her from her thoughts. “Concentrate!”

  They’d reached the hollow and had stopped in the middle of the sandy clearing.

  “What did I just say?” Berrynose demanded.

  Dovepaw lifted her chin and stared at him blankly, her pelt growing hot.

  With a sigh loud enough to scare off any prey in the area, Berrynose began to pace in front of her. “I said that even the most seasoned warrior needs to work on his hunting crouch and keep working on it.” He halted and whisked the cold air with his tail. “Show me yours.”

  Dovepaw dropped into a crouch.

  “Tuck your haunches in more, or your spring will be weak.” Berrynose nudged her flank with his nose. He straightened her tail with a paw. “Keep it off the ground. And stop twitching. The noise of fur on leaves will alert your prey.”

  Dovepaw lowered her chin, holding it stiff and straight.

  “Don’t stick your neck so far out,” Berrynose corrected. “You must be coiled like a snake, ready to strike, not stretched flat like a weasel sniffing for birds’ nests.”

  Dovepaw dug her claws into the stone-hard ground.

  Cinderheart stepped forward. “She looks fine to me.”

  “I bet she couldn’t reach that conker,” Ivypaw dared.

  “Bet I could!” Dovepaw slowed her breath, focusing on the prickly shell three tail-lengths ahead. She let energy build in her paws, then leaped.

  She landed on it squarely. “Ouch!” Its spines jabbed her pads, and she sprang away, fur bristling.

  Ivypaw squealed with amusement. “Sorry, Dovepaw! I didn’t really think you’d jump on top of it.”

  “Okay, okay!” Dovepaw sat back on her haunches and lapped at her stinging paws. “I’m a mouse-brain.” She couldn’t help purring.

  Ivypaw skipped around her. “Even a mouse isn’t that dumb.”

  Dovepaw pretended to look hurt, then sprang at Ivypaw, knocking into her and rolling her over.

  “Enough,” Cinderheart mewed affectionately. “Back to work.” She nudged Ivypaw with her muzzle. “Show us your crouch.”

  Ivypaw pressed her white belly to the earth.

  “You’re leaning to one side,” Berrynose warned.

  Ivypaw was
still favoring her injured paw. As Dovepaw watched Berrynose and Cinderheart pad around her sister, she pricked her ears and reached for the sound of Lionblaze’s mew. Concentrating hard, she let her senses trace down to the lake, her ear fur pricking as she heard waves shifting pebbles at the shore. Familiar scents hit her nose. Jayfeather and Lionblaze were beside the water, huddled close together on the stones.

  “And you’re sure Ivypaw wanted to be there?”

  Dovepaw stiffened. Be where? She closed her eyes. Now she could see Lionblaze and Jayfeather shaped in scent and sound, sitting on the shore with the lake lapping beside them, the icy wind lifting their fur.

  “She was acting like she belonged there,” Jayfeather muttered.

  Lionblaze sucked air through clenched teeth. “This is serious.”

  “Serious?” Jayfeather echoed. “This is the worst thing that has ever happened to the Clans! The Dark Forest was filled with cats from every Clan! So many that a battle with the Dark Forest could destroy us all!”

  Dovepaw’s fur bristled as Jayfeather’s words sunk in. She’d known that some cats were being targeted by Hawkfrost and Tigerstar, but she couldn’t believe ThunderClan cats would ever be seduced by their lies.

  Something slammed into her side, sending her rolling across the frozen earth.

  “Ha!” Berrynose loomed over her. “I told you she was asleep, Cinderheart!”

  Dovepaw scrambled to her paws, spitting out frosty soil.

  “It’s leaf-bare,” Berrynose meowed sharply. “How much prey do you think you’ll catch in your sleep?”

  Dovepaw blinked at him. Ivypaw’s being trained by the Dark Forest warriors!

  On the other side of the clearing, her sister was getting to her paws, her pelt ruffled from rolling on the sandy earth. She suddenly looked small and tired, her eyes dull, her shoulders drooping.

  It can’t be true! Why would they choose her? She doesn’t have any special powers!

  Stop! Her thoughts were rushing like a hurricane. She took a gulping breath and steadied her mind. Jayfeather might be wrong. Perhaps Tigerstar was leading him astray, not Ivypaw.

  “Dovepaw!” Berrynose’s harsh mew broke into her thoughts again. “Are you this featherbrained when you train with Lionblaze?”

  Dovepaw shook her head. “Sorry.” She dropped her gaze. “I’m still a bit distracted after the battle. . . .” She let her voice trail away, relieved to hear Berrynose’s tone soften.

  “You’re young,” he mewed gently. “No doubt the battle was hard for you.” He brushed his tail along her flank. “Let’s concentrate on feeding your Clan. It’s every bit as important as fighting. I want to teach you something that will help with leaf-bare hunting.” He trotted to the center of the clearing. “You watch too, Ivypaw.”

  Dovepaw glared at her sister as she crossed the clearing.

  Ivypaw met her gaze. “Are you okay?”

  “Watch this, you two.” Berrynose had dropped into a crouch. He was staring at a small mound of frozen leaves a few tail-lengths ahead. “When the ground is frozen like this, prey can hear every paw step as though it were a woodpecker tapping on a hollow log.” He moved forward slowly, sliding his paws over the frosted leaves.

  “You look like a snake,” Ivypaw mewed.

  Cinderheart circled her. “And he’ll sound like a snake to any prey,” she pointed out. “They’ll be so busy sniffing for a snake, they won’t think cat until it’s too late.”

  As she finished, Berrynose sprang forward, darting fast as a hawk, and landed on the mound of leaves. He sat up and turned.

  “You try it, Dovepaw.”

  Dovepaw slithered forward a few paces, her frozen paws slipping easy as ice over ice. Then she jumped.

  “Perfect!” Berrynose called as she landed on the leaf mound.

  Dovepaw whisked her tail. The sooner they got this training over with, the sooner she could question her sister.

  “Your turn,” Berrynose told Ivypaw.

  Dovepaw sat up straight and blinked at Berrynose. “Why don’t I go off with Ivypaw and put it into practice?” she mewed. “It’s going to be such a short day.” She glanced up through the trees. The sun had hardly cleared the topmost branches. It would begin to sink before long. “Your demonstration was so good that I’m sure Ivypaw will be able to manage this move.”

  Berrynose puffed out his chest. “Sounds fair.”

  Cinderheart cocked her head. “Are you sure you’ve got it?”

  “Absolutely,” Dovepaw promised. “And if Ivypaw needs any help, we’ll come back and find you.”

  Cinderheart narrowed her eyes. “Ivypaw?”

  Ivypaw nodded.

  “Stay away from the ShadowClan border,” Cinderheart warned them.

  “Of course!” Dovepaw was already bounding out of the training hollow. She followed a narrow trail between two gorse bushes and headed up the slope to the top of the hollow.

  Ivypaw was close on her tail. Dovepaw could feel her sister’s warm breath.

  “Good thinking!” Ivypaw puffed. “I couldn’t stand another moment of Berrynose showing off.”

  Dovepaw didn’t reply. She was rehearsing questions in her head. Why are you doing this? How could you be so stupid?

  They reached the edge of the cliffs. Dovepaw pushed on, following the curve of the sheer stone walls, ignoring the sounds of camp life far below.

  “Hey, Rosepetal!” Toadstep was calling to his littermate. “Do you want to come hunting with Mousewhisker and me?”

  “Leafpool’s patrol just brought back a thrush.”

  “Who knows how long this frost will last? It’s best to keep the fresh-kill pile full.”

  Dovepaw felt a tug on her tail.

  “Weren’t we going to hunt?” Ivypaw meowed crossly.

  Dovepaw ignored her, and headed through the beech trees toward the WindClan border. She could hear a squirrel pattering along the ground nearby, but she kept going. She had no intention of stopping to hunt. She had to get Ivypaw somewhere far from the Clan and ask her if Jayfeather was right.

  She was suddenly aware that Ivypaw had stopped following. Skidding to a halt on the slippery leaves, she turned back. Ivypaw had dropped into a hunting crouch and was stalking a mouse as it sat nibbling a beechnut between the roots of a tree. Ivypaw pulled herself forward, eyes locked on her prey.

  How can you hunt like everything’s normal? Rage rose in Dovepaw’s throat until she couldn’t swallow it back anymore.

  “Stop!” she yowled.

  The mouse froze, then dropped its nut and darted away beneath the roots of the beech.

  “Is it true?” Dovepaw marched toward her sister, pelt bristling, half with fear, half with anger.

  Ivypaw blinked at her.

  Dovepaw took a deep breath. “Have you been to the Dark Forest?”

  “What?” Ivypaw stepped back.

  “You heard me!” Dovepaw halted and glared at her sister. “Have you been to the Dark Forest?”

  “Of course not!” Ivypaw was bristling now, her green eyes wide. “Why would you say something like that?”

  “Jayfeather followed you in your dreams.” Dovepaw saw Ivypaw swallow.

  “I—I . . .”

  “So it’s true?” Dovepaw’s heart pounded.

  Ivypaw’s blue eyes hardened. “So what if I did? It’s the only way I’m going to learn how to be a great warrior. Everyone’s trying so hard to make you the best warrior in ThunderClan; they hardly bother with me. I’m just Dovepaw’s dumb sister—”

  Dovepaw couldn’t bear to listen. “How could you be so stupid? The Dark Forest cats are evil!”

  “How would you know?” Ivypaw spat back. “You’ve never met one!”

  Dovepaw stared at her. “Of course they’re evil. Why else would they be in the Dark Forest? Do you think StarClan sent Tigerstar there because he was good?”

  “Have you ever met Tigerstar?”

  “No! But I’ve heard nursery tales about him. So have you! He tried to destroy
Firestar; he set BloodClan on him—”

  “He’s different now!” Ivypaw thrust her muzzle in Dovepaw’s face. “His time in the Dark Forest has taught him the importance of loyalty.” Was that a challenge in her mew?

  Dovepaw didn’t flinch. “You’re wrong,” she hissed. “He wants to destroy Firestar as much as he ever did. The only thing that matters to Tigerstar is power.”

  Ivypaw curled her lip. “You haven’t spoken to him. I have! He told me everything. How he only became ShadowClan’s leader after Bluestar forced him out of ThunderClan. How he’s always stayed loyal to his birth Clan. Despite everything they’ve done to him!”

  “Everything they’ve done to him?” Dovepaw couldn’t believe her ears.

  “Who won the battle yesterday?”

  “What’s the battle got to do with it?”

  “It was Tigerstar’s idea! He’s the one who told me to persuade Firestar to fight ShadowClan. He warned me that ShadowClan was planning to steal our territory. And because of Tigerstar, we stole their territory instead. What’s that, if it’s not loyalty?”

  “But Tigerstar is part of the Dark Forest! You can’t trust him! Don’t you see that the battle caused nothing but trouble?” Dovepaw spat. “Winning a worthless piece of land cost Firestar a life and killed Russetfur!”

  Ivypaw narrowed her eyes. “Tigerstar is still loyal to ThunderClan. You’re just jealous. You’re jealous that it’s me he’s visiting and not you! You’re scared I might become a better warrior than you! That I might be the special one, and that Firestar might start taking notice of me instead of you!”

  “Don’t be a mouse-brain! You’re my sister.” But Dovepaw found herself yowling at empty air. Ivypaw had turned and bounded into the bracken. Suddenly alone in the frozen forest, Dovepaw started shivering.

  Her sister was training in the Dark Forest! How could StarClan have let this happen?

  Chapter 5

  “I think we should just wait and watch.” Jayfeather turned up the slope, flinching from the cutting wind. “I’m going home.” The watery sun had not softened the frost, and the grass crunched beneath his paws.

  Lionblaze remained beside the lake. Jayfeather paused, sensing his brother’s struggle to break free from the anxiety that had fixed him at the water’s edge. “Hunt for your Clanmates!” he called over his shoulder. “They’ll be hungry after the battle.”