Darkness Within

by Erin Hunter

  She was already at the hedge, sniffing along the bottom for a gap that would open into the forest. She looked up as he reached her, dismayed. “There’s no way through.”

  Rootspring’s heart quickened. He scanned the bottom of the hedge. Surely there must be a space between the branches? Disappointment jabbed his belly as he saw shiny gray mesh lining the bushes. He ran his paw over it, realizing at once that it was Twoleg mesh, too tough to break. As Needleclaw and Spotfur reached him, he grunted. “We need to go back and try a different route.” Frustrated at being pushed back when they were so close, he began to retrace his steps.

  As he neared the middle of the clearing, a familiar scent touched his nose. He froze. Bristlefrost must have smelled it too. He felt her pelt brush his and jerked his muzzle around to see her eyes wide as she looked nervously around the clearing.

  Needleclaw’s fur lifted long her spine. “I smell dog.”

  An ominous growl made the air around them shiver. Rootspring’s heart leaped into his throat. “Run!” He pelted for the fence, but it was too late. A large white dog had shot from the nest and was haring toward them, cutting off their escape. “Follow me!” Rootspring wheeled around, running blindly for the hedge. Perhaps they could scrabble into its branches and push their way over the top. As his thoughts whirled, vicious barking exploded from the other side of the clearing. A second dog charged, teeth bared and eyes blazing with excitement. Rootspring spun around, nearly crashing into Bristlefrost and Needleclaw, who were racing at his heels. Spotfur had frozen, pelt bushed, in the middle of the grass, her eyes darting from one dog to the other as they closed in on the terrified patrol from either side.

  Rootspring couldn’t breathe. If he couldn’t get Spotfur moving, they might have to stand here and fight, and it wasn’t a fight he was sure they could win. They needed somewhere to hide. He glanced around, looking for a way to escape the clearing. A small wooden den leaned against the Twoleg nest. Clutter had been piled beside it. If they could make it that far, they could climb clear of the dogs’ reach.

  He jerked his muzzle toward it, the dogs closing in fast. “Head for the den!” He held his ground as the others fled, then hared after them. He didn’t dare look back, but he could feel the ground tremble beneath the pounding of heavy paws.

  Needleclaw reached the pile of Twoleg clutter first, scrambling up it and leaping onto the wooden den. Bristlefrost nudged Spotfur up with her muzzle, and followed, turning to check on Rootspring as he neared.

  He saw terror flash in her eyes as hot breath bathed his tail. Kicking out with his hind legs, he leaped for the pile and scrambled up. It rocked beneath his paws, and his heart seemed to explode. Then claws hooked his scruff and his paws churned empty air as Bristlefrost grabbed him and dragged him onto the roof.

  Spotfur crouched miserably beside her as Needleclaw stared back at the hedge.

  “Thanks for grabbing me.” Rootspring blinked at Bristlefrost.

  “Don’t thank me yet.” She was watching the dogs. The smaller, white dog was jumping against the clutter. With a yelp of triumph, it managed to scrabble onto a ledge and lunged for the next. With each jump, it reached closer to a paw hold that it would use to haul itself onto the roof.

  Rootspring stared in dismay. Could they fight the dog if it reached them up here? He glanced at Bristlefrost. Even if they could, one of them might get hurt, and they were too far from a medicine cat to get help. A single bite could become infected. He stared desperately toward the trees beyond the hedge. They’d been so close!

  He stiffened. A shadow was slinking across the grass. Was he imagining it? A large gray tom was heading toward them, his eyes fixed on the dogs. As Rootspring watched, the tom glanced toward him and caught his eye with a tiny nod.

  Rootspring frowned, puzzled. What’s he doing?

  Bristlefrost followed his gaze, her ears twitching in surprise as she spotted the tom. “Is he crazy?”

  The tom crept closer as the dogs kept trying to fight their way up the pile of clutter. They haven’t scented him. Rootspring held his breath.

  Suddenly the tom fluffed out his fur. He flicked his tail in a signal and shot an urgent glance toward one corner of the hedge. “There’s a hole over there!” he yowled to Rootspring. “The dogs can’t get through it.”

  The dogs heard him and turned, menace in their eyes. The tom pelted forward, streaking past them with a snarl. Hackles lifting, they pounded after him as he fled toward the fence at the side of the Twoleg nest. He leaped onto it and hissed while the dogs hurled themselves against the wood, howling with fury.

  Rootspring scanned the hedge and found a patch of shadow at one corner. Was that the hole? They’d have to risk it. The tom couldn’t distract the dogs forever. “Follow me!” He leaped from the roof of the wooden den, landed heavily, and raced toward it, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the others were following. Spotfur and Needleclaw were at his tail, Bristlefrost behind them.

  The grass blurred beneath Rootspring’s paws as he charged across the clearing and slithered to a halt beside the hedge. The tom had been right. There was a hole! It was a small one, where the silver mesh had worn thin, but Rootspring squeezed through it easily, bursting through into the forest. Spotfur hauled herself out after him, Needleclaw and Bristlefrost behind her. Their eyes were bright with fear.

  Relief flooded Rootspring’s pelt for a moment, until paws thumped the grass beyond the hedge. His throat tightened. The dogs were trying to follow them. Rootspring backed away, staring in panic at the hole. Had the tom been right? Was the gap too small for them? Gray fur showed against the leaves as the tom shot through, his eyes sparkling with triumph. Behind him, heavy bodies thumped against the hedge, making the silver mesh rattle. A snout poked through, its lips drawn back in rage.

  The tom spun around and slashed the dog’s muzzle. With a yelp of pain, it disappeared, and the tom faced the patrol, purring.

  Rootspring blinked at him. Was this a kittypet? It can’t be. He’s too brave. And he was huge, with broad, powerful shoulders and a lustrous pelt so thick that it reminded Rootspring of Tree.

  The tom’s gaze flitted around at the cats. “Are you okay?”

  Rootspring glanced anxiously at his patrol, relieved as, one by one, they nodded.

  “You saved our lives!” Bristlefrost was staring admiringly at the tom.

  Rootspring ignored a prick of jealousy and struggled to find his breath. “Thank you,” he panted.

  The tom’s whiskers twitched with amusement. “Those dogs will be angry about this for a moon.”

  Spotfur blinked at him. “They could have ripped you apart.”

  Bristlefrost whisked her tail. “You were so brave!”

  The tom shrugged. “I’ve dealt with them before,” he told her. “They’re loud but they’re slow.” His gaze flitted around the patrol. “You don’t look like everkits.”

  “Everkits?” Bristlefrost blinked at him, puzzled.

  “He means kittypets,” Rootspring explained, remembering the Sisters’ name for cats who lived with Twolegs. He has to be the cat that we’re looking for.

  The tom was still staring at them. “What are you doing here?”

  Needleclaw shifted her paws. “We’re searching for someone.”

  “A cat called Leaf,” Bristlefrost told him.

  The tom’s ears pricked in surprise. “I’m Leaf,” he mewed.

  Rootspring’s heart seemed to leap like a fish in his chest. We found him!

  Leaf looked puzzled. “Why are you looking for me?”

  “We’re trying to find the Sisters,” Bristlefrost told him. “We thought you might know where they are.”

  The tom narrowed his eyes. “Why would I know that?”

  “Because you look like . . .” Bristlefrost’s mew trailed away as her gaze lingered on the handsome tom.

  Rootspring flicked his tail. “You look like them,” he finished curtly.

  The tom purred. “You look like them too,” he answe
red.

  “They’re my kin.” Rootspring nodded toward Needleclaw. “And hers. We’re littermates.”

  Leaf’s eyes widened. “It’s good to see the Sisters have spread their claws so wide.” His gaze flitted suddenly to Spotfur. “Are you kin too?”

  Spotfur’s pelt ruffled. “Of course not.”

  He looked disappointed. “What a shame. New kits always bring a blessing to our ancestors.”

  “New kits?” Spotfur stiffened.

  “You’re expecting some, aren’t you?” Leaf narrowed his eyes, as though looking at her more carefully.

  Rootspring blinked at the Thunderclan she-cat in surprise. He suddenly noticed that her flanks did seem swollen. Was that why she’d been so tired?

  Spotfur shook her head in panic. “I can’t be!”

  Bristlefrost’s eyes clouded for a moment. “You’re having Stemleaf’s kits?” She must be sad that her friend hadn’t lived to see them, Rootspring thought. Then she swished her tail. “He’ll live on through you now.” Her eyes brightened. “You’ll see him each day in your kits.”

  Spotfur looked horrified. “How will I raise them alone?”

  “You won’t be alone,” Bristlefrost reminded her. “No cat is alone in a Clan. And I’ll help you.”

  “A Clan?” Leaf pricked his ears. “Are you warriors?”

  As Rootspring nodded, Leaf looked suddenly wary. “Why are Clan cats looking for the Sisters? Didn’t you drive them from their camp?”

  Rootspring met his gaze. “That was moons ago,” he mewed. “We need their help now.”

  “We’ve lost a Clanmate,” Needleclaw explained. “We hoped the Sisters could help us find him.”

  Leaf looked doubtful. “Why would they know?”

  Because they can see spirits. Rootspring wasn’t ready to explain about Bramblestar and Ashfur. “They roam so far,” he mewed quickly. “They might know more than us. Do you know where they are now?”

  Leaf tipped his head to one side. “They’re traveling along the river.”

  Needleclaw leaned closer. “We’ve been looking for a river all day and haven’t found one.”

  “Can’t you hear it?” Leaf pricked his ears.

  Rootspring listened but could hear nothing beyond the sighing of the wind in the trees.

  “It’s beyond this forest.” Leaf nodded toward the trees. “The Sisters were heading toward sunrise-place.” He hesitated. “I can locate them for you, but it will take me a while.”

  Locate them? Rootspring felt puzzled. “What do you mean?”

  “If I concentrate, I can feel where they are,” Leaf explained.

  Bristlefrost blinked. “How?”

  Leaf shrugged. “I ask the earth, and the earth tells me.”

  Rootspring’s eyes widened. What was this tom talking about? “The earth can’t talk.”

  “It talks to me,” Leaf mewed. “It talks to all toms born to the Sisters.”

  Rootspring stared at him.

  “I’ll show you.” Leaf padded between the trees and stopped beneath an oak. Curious, Rootspring followed, watching as Leaf pushed his paws carefully, one at a time, into the earth, like he was taking a battle stance. He closed his eyes, his legs growing stiff while the muscles along his back softened and his pelt smoothed.

  Bristlefrost padded to Rootspring’s side. “Is that what talking to the earth looks like?”

  “I guess so,” he whispered. Can Tree do this? he wondered. Could I, if I had been raised by the Sisters? Rootspring curled his claws into the soft soil. If Tree could hear the earth, why hadn’t his father simply asked it where the Sisters were and saved them all this searching? Frustration rippled through Rootspring’s pelt.

  Spotfur padded away and sat beside a beech. Her gaze drifted, as though she was lost in thought. Needleclaw began to sniff a patch of ferns sprouting nearby. They seemed uninterested in Leaf’s ritual, but Rootspring couldn’t take his eyes off the tom.

  Leaf didn’t move. Above, birds chattered and the clouds cleared overhead. After a while, Bristlefrost glanced at Spotfur and joined her Clanmate, leaning close as though asking if she was okay. Spotfur waved her away with her tail and Bristlefrost dipped her head and left her, joining Needleclaw in her search for prey. As the sun began to sink behind the treetops, and dusk gathered between the branches, Rootspring wondered if he should help them and give Leaf space to talk to the earth alone.

  Leaf’s eyes suddenly blinked open. “I know where they are.”

  Rootspring’s heart quickened. He called the others, pricking his ears as Bristlefrost hurried to his side. Spotfur looked up but didn’t move. Needleclaw, who’d wandered deeper into the forest, came bounding out of the trees.

  Leaf blinked at him calmly.

  “Where are they?” Rootspring pressed.

  “You’ll have to cross the water,” Leaf told him. “It might be dangerous, but there’s no rush. Sunshine is heavy with kits. The Sisters won’t move for at least a moon.”

  Rootspring’s paws pricked eagerly. “Then we’ll be able to catch up to them.”

  Leaf looked at Rootspring. “I can take you to them if you like.”

  “That would be great—”

  Needleclaw cut him off. “Can I have a word with you?” Needleclaw caught Rootspring’s eye, then glanced warily at Leaf. “In private.” She didn’t wait for an answer but steered Rootspring away from the tom with a nudge. “Are you really going to listen to this stranger?” she hissed when they were out of earshot. “We only just met him.”

  “He saved our lives,” Rootspring reminded her.

  “Yes, but he’s weird,” Needleclaw mewed.

  Bristlefrost hurried to join them, whispering as she neared, “It was nice of him to help us escape from the dogs. But I’m not sure we should trust him. Cats can’t talk to the earth.”

  “He’s got bees in his brain,” Needleclaw agreed.

  “It’s the only thing we’ve got to go on,” Rootspring reasoned. Didn’t they realize by now that some cats saw more than others? Like ghosts, for example. “Why don’t we follow him and see where he takes us?”

  “You sound like a sparrow chick,” Needleclaw mewed sharply. “Why would you follow a tom you’d just met?”

  Rootspring stared at her. She was clearly never going to understand what it felt like to be connected to something more than her own tail and claws. “Do you have a better idea?” he asked. When she huffed and fell silent, he continued, “Okay, then, let’s see where this goes before you drive our only lead away.” His pelt prickled self-consciously as he saw Leaf padding toward them and hoped Bristlefrost and Needleclaw weren’t going to insult the tom.

  Leaf dipped his head. “Forgive me for interrupting,” he mewed, “but I can see you don’t trust me. I understand. We might be kin”—he glanced at Rootspring—“but we have chosen different paths.”

  Rootspring dipped his head in return, grateful that Leaf understood.

  Leaf went on. “I have no reason to mislead you. You might have trouble convincing the Sisters to help you, though,” he warned, “after the Clans drove them from their camp. But as you say, that was moons ago. And your kin took in my kin after the battle, healed their wounds, and nursed their young. If they hadn’t, my littermates and I would have died along with our mother, Moonlight.”

  Rootspring stared at him in surprise. He’d heard Tree say that Moonlight wouldn’t have died at all if the Clans hadn’t declared war on the Sisters. “How can you be so forgiving?”

  “I don’t judge one cat by another cat’s actions,” Leaf told him. “If your Clan is in trouble, I can’t let you suffer. I will give you directions to the Sisters. You can travel there alone.”

  Rootspring dipped his head, grateful for this cat’s generosity.

  Bristlefrost was gazing warmly at the tom. “Will you camp with us tonight? We can hunt and share our catch.”

  Leaf blinked at her happily. “Thank you,” he mewed. “I would enjoy that.”

  Chapte
r 10

  Bristlefrost narrowed her eyes against the glare of the morning light as she watched Leaf cross the meadow. Sunlight lit his silhouette so that he seemed to glow like a spirit cat as he turned and dipped his head in farewell. The tom’s gaze locked with Rootspring’s for a moment, and she saw Rootspring’s fur ripple as the SkyClan warrior lifted his tail in a respectful salute.

  Bristlefrost’s heart swelled with affection. Rootspring was loyal to his Clan and yet openhearted with a tom who was hardly more than a loner. A purr rose in her throat, and she swallowed it back, pulling her gaze away from Rootspring before Needleclaw or Spotfur could catch her.

  She didn’t need to worry about Spotfur, who stared unenthusiastically across the fields. Bristlefrost wondered if she’d even noticed Leaf leaving. Her Clanmate had been distracted since the tom had told her she was expecting kits. It was as though, the moment she’d realized, her thoughts had wandered far away. Surely she must feel some happiness? Kits were a new beginning, weren’t they? It meant part of Stemleaf would live on.

  Bristlefrost moved closer to Spotfur and ran her tail along her Clanmate’s spine sympathetically. Without looking at her, Spotfur moved away. Clearly, she was not ready to share what she felt.

  “Let’s hunt before we leave.” Needleclaw’s gaze flitted across the fields. “This looks like great territory, and there’s no one to claim it but us.”

  Bristlefrost was suddenly glad to be here. A warm breeze was stirring her fur. There were no Clan boundaries to worry about and no grouchy old warriors to tell them what to do. This mission was fun. She shook out her pelt. “I’ll hunt with Spotfur,” she mewed.

  “Good idea.” Needleclaw was already heading away. “Clanmates always hunt better together.” Her gaze flitted pointedly toward Rootspring. “Are you coming with me?”

  “I’ll hunt with Spotfur and Bristlefrost today,” he told her. “I want to learn some Thunderclan hunting skills.”