Dark River wpot-2

by Erin Hunter

  The RiverClan patrol had swerved off the beach and was racing up the slope toward the WindClan border.

  Reedwhisker’s eyes widened when he saw Willowpaw.

  “Stay near us!” he ordered. He raced up the slope, dodging a gorse bush and leaping a low clump of heather.

  Willowpaw pelted after him. She screeched over her shoulder at Hollypaw. “Hurry up!”

  Hollypaw pushed harder against the peaty soil. She skidded after the RiverClan cats through a thick swath of heather and out onto the grassy slope.

  “Stop!” Reedwhisker gave the command and Hollypaw scrambled to a halt with the others. Panting and terrified, she glanced over her shoulder.

  The dog stood by the fence at the bottom of the slope and gazed around, tongue lolling. Then it shook itself and squeezed under the fence. Hollypaw watched it trot across the field, heading for the Twolegplace.

  “It must be going home,” she guessed.

  “Shh!” Willowpaw gave her a warning look but it was too late.

  “What are you doing here?” Minnowpaw’s shocked mew made Hollypaw jump.

  Reedwhisker stared at her, his black pelt bristling. “You’re a ThunderClan cat, aren’t you?” His stern gaze flashed accusingly at Willowpaw.

  Minnowpaw wrinkled her nose. “And why do you smell so bad?”

  Voletooth padded toward her and leaned in close, his tabby muzzle only a whisker from Hollypaw’s. “Are you spying on us?”

  Hollypaw backed away. “No, no, I wanted to see if I could help!”

  “Help?” Reedwhisker stared at her in disbelief.

  “It’s true!” Willowpaw padded, tail trembling, between her Clanmates and Hollypaw. “She’s here by herself. She was worried about me after the Gathering. She just came to see if—”

  “Mouse dung!” Reedwhisker’s yowl cut Willowpaw off.

  The black tom was staring up the slope, his eyes round with dismay.

  A WindClan patrol was streaking toward them.

  Hollypaw tasted the air. The musky scent of WindClan bathed her tongue. The dog had chased them right across the border.

  “Should we run?” Minnowpaw whispered, her tail stiff with fear.

  “There’s no use.” Voletooth sighed. “We’ve come too far.”

  “We’d better just stand our ground,” Reedwhisker meowed.

  Pouncepaw stepped closer to Minnowpaw.

  As the WindClan patrol neared, the deputy Ashfoot flicked her tail. Crowfeather, Heatherpaw, Whitetail, Tornear, and Breezepaw fanned out. Hollypaw felt Willowpaw’s pelt brush against her flank as the WindClan cats slowly encircled the patrol. Their eyes were blazing.

  “What are you doing on WindClan land?” Ashfoot demanded.

  Reedwhisker met her gaze, the fur on his shoulders twitching. “We were being chased by that mouse-brained dog from the horseplace.”

  Crowfeather stepped forward. “Where is it now?”

  Voletooth nodded toward the Twolegplace. “It went home.”

  “And we’re meant to believe that?” Tornear sniffed the air, his whiskers quivering. “All I can smell is dung!”

  Hollypaw wished she could sink into the ground. WindClan were angry enough without finding a ThunderClan cat among the intruders. What if they thought RiverClan and ThunderClan had formed an alliance? There would be a battle for sure, and it would all be her fault.

  Hollypaw fought her rising panic. Breezepaw was staring at her. She lowered her gaze, praying he wouldn’t recognize her, finally grateful for the otter dung that disguised her black pelt and drowned her scent.

  “What happened to you?” Breezepaw’s eyes glittered with contempt. “Don’t they teach RiverClan kits to wash?”

  Rage surged in Hollypaw’s throat. She wanted to spit at the arrogant fox-face. But at least he didn’t seem to know who she was.

  “Get off our land!” Ashfoot hissed. “You may have lost your own territory but you’re not having ours!”

  Voletooth bristled, baring his teeth. “We haven’t lost our territory!”

  “Then why are you here?” Tornear demanded.

  “Looking for prey?” Crowfeather hissed.

  Reedwhisker lashed his tail. “No!”

  Hollypaw tensed. Every cat was bristling, ready to leap.

  She unsheathed her claws. This was not her Clan, but she would fight if she had to.

  Pouncepaw hopped forward, his short tabby tail flicking angrily. “We wouldn’t eat rabbit if we were starving!”

  Ashfoot hissed. “Get off our land now!”

  Tornear and Whitetail moved apart to let the RiverClan cats through.

  Slowly, Reedwhisker and Voletooth began to back away.

  Pouncepaw and Pebblepaw turned and padded uneasily past the WindClan cats. Hollypaw hurried after them, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground.

  “There’ll be extra patrols along the border from now on!”

  Ashfoot called after them.

  “And they’ll be battle ready!” Tornear growled.

  They walked slowly to the border, refusing to be rushed by the threatening hisses from the WindClan patrol.

  Hollypaw crossed the scent-line with a shiver of relief. But this isn’t my territory!

  “I have to get home,” she whispered.

  Reedwhisker rounded on her. “No, you don’t! You have to

  explain what you’re doing here!”

  “I did explain!” Hollypaw retorted. “I was worried about Willowpaw.”

  “There’s no way we’re letting you set one paw on WindClan territory now,” Voletooth mewed. “You’ll have to come back to the island with us.”

  Despair dropped like a stone in Hollypaw’s belly. She gazed across the lake. Night was falling and the ThunderClan forest looked like shadows against the distant hills. She scanned the shoreline, hoping to see the familiar shape of one of her Clanmates—Jaypaw was always fiddling around by the water—but it was too dark and too far to see anything clearly.

  “Okay,” she sighed.

  “But first you can wash off that awful-smelling dung!”

  Reedwhisker ordered.

  He walked her down to the lake and stood at the edge while she splashed around in the freezing water. Willowpaw waded in to help, rubbing Hollypaw’s pelt with her paws until it was clean.

  Shivering with cold, Hollypaw padded back along the marshy shore after the RiverClan patrol. Willowpaw walked beside her.

  “Sorry if I got you in trouble,” Hollypaw whispered.

  “I’ll be okay,” Willowpaw pressed against her and the two friends, still dripping from the lake, shared their warmth.

  Hollypaw’s pelt prickled under the curious gaze of the RiverClan cats as she followed Reedwhisker into the island

  clearing. Gradually, the camp went quiet as they drew closer to the Great Oak. She tried to stop her paws from trembling when she saw Leopardstar squeeze out from among the giant roots at the bottom of the oak.

  “Don’t be scared,” Willowpaw murmured in her ear.

  “Leopardstar’s always fair.”

  Hollypaw lifted her chin and faced the RiverClan leader as bravely as she could.

  Leopardstar’s eyes glowed in the twilight. “Reedwhisker tells me you’ve been spying on RiverClan territory,” she accused.

  “I was just trying to help,” Hollypaw explained. “ThunderClan is worried that WindClan will attack us if you’re forced into their territory. Everyone’s preparing for battle. I just wanted to stop it.”

  Leopardstar blinked. “That’s a big ambition for such a small apprentice.”

  Offended, Hollypaw fluffed out her fur.

  Were Leopardstar’s whiskers twitching?

  “I presume Willowpaw has shown you enough to put your mind at rest?” meowed the RiverClan leader.

  “Just the old camp—” Hollypaw stopped herself too late.

  She had betrayed her friend.

  Leopardstar’s gaze flicked to the RiverClan medicine apprentice. “You took her all the way the
re?”

  Willowpaw dipped her head. “I only wanted to reassure her.”

  Leopardstar sighed. “Well, Hollypaw,” she meowed, “you had better stay here on the island.”

  Hollypaw’s heart lurched. “But my Clan will be worried about me.”

  “You should have thought of that before you came here.”

  Leopardstar gazed around her Clan. The RiverClan cats had gathered under the oak tree, their ears twitching with interest. “We can’t spare the warriors to escort you home and even if we could, I don’t want to antagonize WindClan or ShadowClan by crossing their territory.”

  “But the warrior code says I can safely travel two fox-lengths from the lake,” Hollypaw pointed out.

  “If it was time for a Gathering, I would agree,” Leopardstar argued. “But as things stand, our neighbors would want a very good reason for finding RiverClan or ThunderClan scent on their land.” She narrowed her eyes. “Plain nosiness is not good enough.”

  “But—” Hollypaw desperately searched for another argument. She had to get home before her Clanmates thought something dreadful had happened to her.

  Leopardstar turned away. “You can stay with Mothwing and Willowpaw until it is safe for you to return.”

  “Come on.” Willowpaw nudged her. “Let’s get warm and dry in the medicine cave.”

  Paws heavy as stone, Hollypaw followed her friend to the edge of the island and over the causeway to the rocky outcrop.

  Mothwing was waiting with a pile of herbs beside her. “I thought I told you not to be seen,” she greeted them.

  Willowpaw lowered her head. “Sorry.”

  Mothwing pawed the herbs toward them. “Eat these,” she ordered. “They’ll help warm you up.”

  Hollypaw’s belly rumbled. She’d prefer a fresh, juicy mouse.

  “It’s all we have to spare at the moment,” Mothwing told her.

  Hollypaw leaned down and began to chew one of the leaves. It was sticky and warmed her tongue as she chewed it.

  “What is it?” she whispered to Willowpaw.

  “Dried nettle, smeared with honey,” Willowpaw replied.

  “Not bad.”

  When they had finished eating, Willowpaw led her to a mossy nest at the back of the cave. They washed themselves dry and squeezed together onto the soft bedding. Hollypaw was grateful for Willowpaw’s warmth. The cave was drafty and rain was starting to batter the rocks and hiss over the lake. She yawned, suddenly feeling bone-tired. “You know Leopardstar is just keeping me here because I know too much,” she murmured.

  “Yes.” Willowpaw laid her tail across her friend’s paws.

  “But would Firestar act any differently?”

  Hollypaw sighed. “I guess not.” She closed her eyes. How long would she have to stay here? She was going to be in big trouble with her Clanmates when they found out she was being held by RiverClan, suspected of being a spy.

  Chapter 14

  Rain pattered on Jaypaw’s pelt as he crossed the clearing. He held a bundle of watermint and juniper berries in his jaws and their pungent scent filled his nose.

  Millie trotted beside him. “I told him not to eat another sparrow!” She stopped beneath Highledge where Graystripe was groaning.

  “How was I supposed to resist?” Graystripe gasped. He let out another low moan. “It’s been moons since there’s been so much prey.”

  Jaypaw dropped his bundle of herbs. He rested a paw on Graystripe’s round belly as he lay fidgeting with pain.

  “Keep still.” Jaypaw felt the hardness beneath Graystripe’s flank. “You’ve just given yourself gas.”

  “I told you so,” Millie meowed.

  Jaypaw rolled the juniper berries toward Graystripe’s muzzle. “These will help,” he mewed. “Then eat the watermint.”

  “I thought a warrior would know that you have to start slowly after leaf-bare,” Millie went on. “All those moons on an empty belly. You can’t just stuff yourself as soon as the prey starts to run. You have to get used to it.”

  “Don’t go on,” Graystripe pleaded.

  Millie’s tongue lapped Graystripe’s pelt. Jaypaw felt her affection for her mate like warm air around him. His whiskers twitched with amusement. It was funny to hear a warrior being lectured by a kittypet. But she’s a warrior now, he reminded himself quickly.

  Paw steps hurried into the camp. Jaypaw tasted the air.

  Mousepaw and Poppypaw. From the mossy scent on their pelts, he could tell they had been in the training hollow.

  “Have you seen Hollypaw?” Poppypaw called as she bounded toward Highledge.

  Jaypaw felt Poppypaw’s anxious gaze burning his pelt. It darted away, awkwardness pricking from the apprentice.

  “I didn’t mean see,” she corrected herself quickly. “I meant hear or scent—”

  “She means, do you know where she is?” Mousepaw’s impatient mew chipped in.

  Jaypaw’s pads tingled. He hadn’t seen Hollypaw since this morning. He let his awareness spread around the camp, feeling for her presence in the same way he would grope for poppy seeds among the herb store. Nothing. No sense of Hollypaw in the camp or near it. He shook his head.

  Graystripe scrambled to his paws. “How long has she been missing?” he demanded.

  “She was supposed to be training with us, but she didn’t turn up,” Poppypaw mewed.

  “Brackenfur figured she’d been kept in camp for some reason,” Mousefur added. “So we just did the training with

  out her. We thought she’d be here when we got back.”

  “But she’s not!” Poppypaw’s shrill mew rang around the camp.

  Brackenfur came bounding from the thorn tunnel. “She’s not here?”

  Spiderleg and Ashfur were on his heels.

  “Her scent is in the tunnel, but it’s stale,” Ashfur reported.

  “She must have left camp when I told her to,” Brackenfur guessed.

  “But she didn’t make it to the training hollow,” Spiderleg concluded.

  Jaypaw felt the interest of their Clanmates pricking around the clearing.

  Brightheart hurried over. “Perhaps she’s hurt!”

  “Who’s hurt?” Sorreltail called.

  “No one’s hurt!” Graystripe explained. “But Hollypaw seems to be missing.”

  Jaypaw was starting to get squashed by the warriors pressing around him. Thornclaw and Whitewing had joined them.

  “Perhaps WindClan has captured her!” Thornclaw declared.

  Alarm flashed from the warriors and apprentices.

  Cloudtail pushed his way to the front. “Why would they do that?”

  Jaypaw smelled Brook’s mountain scent. “Has WindClan ever taken hostages before?” she asked.

  “No, but they’ve never hunted squirrels before either!”

  Dustpelt pointed out.

  Sorreltail gasped. “I hope they don’t hurt her!”

  Jaypaw felt torn between alarm and irritation. Everyone was panicking far too quickly. But what if Hollypaw had been captured?

  Only Brook remained calm. “It wouldn’t make sense for WindClan to give themselves an extra mouth to feed.”

  “But they have extra prey now that they hunt in the forest,” Brightheart meowed.

  “They might think it’s worth it.” Sorreltail’s voice was taut with worry.

  “We should send a patrol to rescue her!” Thornclaw announced.

  Brambleclaw joined his Clanmates. “Rescue who?”

  Jaypaw felt relief wash his pelt as he sensed Squirrelflight at his father’s side. She licked him between the ears. “What’s going on, Jaypaw?”

  “Hollypaw’s missing.”

  Squirrelflight stiffened. “Since when?”

  “I spoke to her at midday,” Brackenfur explained. “She was supposed to come to the training hollow, but she never arrived.”

  “WindClan must have captured her!” Brightheart meowed.

  “Do we know that for sure?” Brambleclaw asked.

  No one
replied.

  “Well, in that case, let’s not assume the worst,” the ThunderClan deputy urged.

  “Knowing Hollypaw, she’s just gone off by herself,” Squirrelflight meowed.

  Jaypaw nodded. Hollypaw had wandered off more than once when she needed time to think.

  “But would she deliberately miss training?” Sorreltail fretted.

  “She’s never missed it before.” Firestar’s mew sounded above them. He was on Highledge. The cats shuffled backward to look up at their leader. Jaypaw was relieved to have some space but he could feel guilt and anxiety flooding from Firestar. What did he have to feel guilty about?

  “We can’t assume that WindClan have taken her,” the ThunderClan leader went on.

  “But we know they want to attack us,” Thornclaw called.

  “This might be their way of provoking a battle.”

  Worried mews rippled around the Clan.

  “We don’t know for sure they want to attack,” Firestar reasoned. “And as Squirrelflight pointed out, Hollypaw is perfectly capable of going off by herself. She’s always been independent. Don’t forget she went fox-hunting when she was still a kit!”

  Firestar’s mew was light but Jaypaw could sense the leader’s thoughts churning. Meanwhile, his Clanmates’ ruffled pelts began to smooth. Of course Hollypaw was all right.

  Disappearing for the day was just the sort of thing she’d do.

  Jaypaw wasn’t convinced. Firestar knew more than he was letting on. He tried to probe the ThunderClan leader’s mind, but a fretful cloud obscured any clear thoughts. Perhaps he should just ask him outright? Jaypaw shrugged away the idea.

  Firestar clearly wanted to keep his fears to himself.

  Jaypaw slipped past Brook and Brightheart and headed toward the medicine den. As he neared it, he heard the brambles at the entrance rustle. Leafpool had just darted inside.

  She must have been listening. He padded into the cave, a little taken aback by the wave of emotion flooding from Leafpool’s pelt.

  “Is it true?” Cinderpaw’s anxious mew sounded from her nest. “Has Hollypaw disappeared?”

  “You know Hollypaw,” Jaypaw soothed. “She’s probably gone off to think.”

  “I guess.” Cinderpaw’s nest rustled as she settled back down, but Jaypaw could sense the tension in her muscles.