by Erin Hunter
DEDICATION
Special thanks to Kate Cary
ALLEGIANCES
THUNDERCLAN
LEADER BRAMBLESTAR—dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes
DEPUTY SQUIRRELFLIGHT—dark ginger she-cat with green eyes and one white paw
MEDICINE CATS LEAFPOOL—light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes, white paws and chest
JAYFEATHER—gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes
APPRENTICE, ALDERPAW (dark ginger tom with amber eyes)
WARRIORS (toms and she-cats without kits):
BRACKENFUR—golden-brown tabby tom
CLOUDTAIL—long-haired white tom with blue eyes
BRIGHTHEART—white she-cat with ginger patches
THORNCLAW—golden-brown tabby tom
WHITEWING—white she-cat with green eyes
BIRCHFALL—light brown tabby tom
BERRYNOSE—cream-colored tom with a stump for a tail
MOUSEWHISKER—gray-and-white tom
POPPYFROST—pale tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat
CINDERHEART—gray tabby she-cat
LIONBLAZE—golden tabby tom with amber eyes
ROSEPETAL—dark cream she-cat
BRIARLIGHT—dark brown she-cat, paralyzed in her hindquarters
BLOSSOMFALL—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with petal-shaped white patches
BUMBLESTRIPE—very pale gray tom with black stripes
IVYPOOL—silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes
DOVEWING—pale gray she-cat with blue eyes
CHERRYFALL—ginger she-cat
APPRENTICE, SPARKPAW (orange tabby she-cat)
MOLEWHISKER—brown-and-cream tom
SNOWBUSH—white, fluffy tom
AMBERMOON—pale ginger she-cat
DEWNOSE—gray-and-white tom
STORMCLOUD—(formerly Frankie); gray tabby tom
HOLLYTUFT—black she-cat
FERNSONG—yellow tabby tom
SORRELSTRIPE—dark brown she-cat
QUEENS (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)
DAISY—cream long-furred cat from the horseplace
LILYHEART—small, dark tabby she-cat with white patches, and blue eyes (mother to Leafkit, a tortoiseshell she-kit; Larkkit, a black tom-kit; and Honeykit, a white she-kit with yellow splotches; fostering Twigkit, a gray she-kit with green eyes)
ELDERS (former warriors and queens, now retired):
PURDY—plump tabby former loner with a gray muzzle
GRAYSTRIPE—long-haired gray tom
MILLIE—striped silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes
SHADOWCLAN
LEADER ROWANSTAR—ginger tom
DEPUTY CROWFROST—black-and-white tom
MEDICINE CAT LITTLECLOUD—very small tabby tom
WARRIORS TAWNYPELT—tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes
APPRENTICE, NEEDLEPAW
TIGERHEART—dark brown tabby tom
APPRENTICE, SLEEKPAW
STONETOOTH—white tom
APPRENTICE, JUNIPERPAW
SPIKEFUR—dark brown tom with tufty fur on his head
APPRENTICE, YARROWPAW
WASPTAIL—yellow tabby she-cat with green eyes
APPRENTICE, STRIKEPAW
DAWNPELT—cream-furred she-cat
APPRENTICE, BEEPAW
SNOWBIRD—sleek, lithe, well-muscled, pure white she-cat with green eyes
SCORCHFUR—dark gray tom with slashed ears, one of which is torn
BERRYHEART—black-and-white she-cat
CLOVERFOOT—gray tabby she-cat
RIPPLETAIL—white tom
SPARROWTAIL—large tabby tom
MISTCLOUD—spiky-furred, pale gray she-cat
QUEENS GRASSHEART—pale brown tabby she-cat
PINENOSE—black she-cat (mother to Birchkit, a beige tom-kit; Lionkit, a yellow she-kit with amber eyes; Puddlekit, a brown tom-kit with white splotches; and Slatekit, a sleek, gray tom-kit; fostering Violetkit, a black-and-white she-kit)
ELDERS OAKFUR—small brown tom
KINKFUR—tabby she-cat, with long fur that sticks out at all angles
RATSCAR—scarred tom
WINDCLAN
LEADER ONESTAR—brown tabby tom
DEPUTY HARESPRING—brown-and-white tom
MEDICINE CAT KESTRELFLIGHT—mottled gray tom with white splotches like kestrel feathers
WARRIORS NIGHTCLOUD—black she-cat
GORSETAIL—very pale gray-and-white she-cat with blue eyes
CROWFEATHER—dark gray tom
APPRENTICE, FERNPAW (gray tabby she-cat)
LEAFTAIL—dark tabby tom with amber eyes
EMBERFOOT—gray tom with two dark paws
BREEZEPELT—black tom with amber eyes
FURZEPELT—gray-and-white she-cat
APPRENTICE, LARKPAW (pale brown tabby she-cat)
SEDGEWHISKER—light brown tabby she-cat
SLIGHTFOOT—black tom with white flash on his chest
OATCLAW—pale brown tabby tom
FEATHERPELT—gray tabby she-cat
HOOTWHISKER—dark gray tom
QUEENS HEATHERTAIL—light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes (mother to Smokekit, a gray she-kit, and Brindlekit, a mottled brown she-kit)
ELDERS WHITETAIL—small white she-cat
RIVERCLAN
LEADER MISTYSTAR—gray she-cat with blue eyes
DEPUTY REEDWHISKER—black tom
MEDICINE CATS MOTHWING—dappled golden she-cat
WILLOWSHINE—gray tabby she-cat
WARRIORS MINTFUR—light gray tabby tom
DUSKFUR—brown tabby she-cat
APPRENTICE, SHADEPAW (dark brown she-cat)
MINNOWTAIL—dark gray she-cat
MALLOWNOSE—light brown tabby tom
PETALFUR—gray-and-white she-cat
BEETLEWHISKER—brown-and-white tabby tom
CURLFEATHER—pale brown she-cat
PODLIGHT—gray-and-white tom
HERONWING—dark gray-and-black tom
SHIMMERPELT—silver she-cat
LIZARDTAIL—light brown tom
APPRENTICE, FOXPAW (russet tabby tom)
HAVENPELT—black-and-white she-cat
PERCHWING—gray-and-white she-cat
SNEEZECLOUD—gray-and-white tom
BRACKENPELT—tortoiseshell she-cat
JAYCLAW—gray tom
OWLNOSE—brown tabby tom
QUEENS LAKEHEART—gray tabby she-cat (mother to Harekit, Dapplekit, Gorsekit, and Softkit)
ICEWING—white she-cat with blue eyes (mother to Nightkit and Breezekit)
ELDERS MOSSPELT—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat
MAPS
CONTENTS
Dedication
Allegiances
Maps
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Back Ads
About the Author
Books by Erin Hunter
Credits
Copyright
About the Publisher
PROLOGUE
Sun split the branches above Echosong’s head and sliced through the shadows dappling the forest floor. Echosong relish
ed the rays as they warmed her back. She swished her tail happily as a soft, warm wind rustled the leaves. Overhead, birds chattered, and she licked her lips hungrily. She would hunt before the sun set.
She paused.
Before the sun sets?
Hadn’t it set already today? And hadn’t rain been lashing the juniper bush where she’d made her solitary nest?
Yes! She’d fallen asleep to its thrumming, wondering where her scattered Clanmates were sheltering as the storm swept the forest.
This is a dream.
Yet it felt too real to be a dream. A vision? Her heart lifted. It had been so long since she’d had a vision. She was beginning to think that StarClan had forgotten SkyClan, just like the other Clans had forgotten them countless moons ago.
Ahead she heard fur brush the undergrowth. Paw steps were stalking toward her. Danger? Echosong froze, fear clutching her belly. No. She calmed herself. This is a vision. I’m safe here. And yet she didn’t move. Instead she waited, her paws pricking with expectation.
A broad-shouldered tom slid from between the ferns and stopped a few tail-lengths ahead. Stars sparkled in his pelt, and his blue eyes shone like the sky.
“Who are you?” Recognition itched in Echosong’s paws. His thick gray pelt was familiar, and he blinked at her softly, as though they were old friends. She’d seen him before in a vision!
“Embrace what you find in the shadows, for only they can clear the sky,” the tom murmured.
Her thoughts quickened. “What shadows? Who are they?”
He gazed at her, not speaking.
“And what does clear the sky mean?” Frustration tightened her chest. This cat had brought her a prophecy before: What remains when the fire has burned out? It had baffled her. Why couldn’t he ever say what he meant? “Just tell me.” Was he trying to give her a clue about what had happened to her Clan? The cats she’d known her whole life had scattered when the rogues had driven them from the gorge. She didn’t even know if any of them were still alive.
The gray tom lifted his gaze and stared into the oak canopy. As he did, a sharp wind whisked through the branches. She followed his gaze. He was watching a flurry of leaves as they fluttered toward the ground. Dancing, the leaves twirled between them for a moment before drifting onto the forest floor.
Echosong blinked at the leaves. They were not oak leaves. They were bigger and didn’t have softly curved edges. Each of them had five points, more like maple than oak.
“Now you’re scattered like leaves, blown by the wind.” The tom’s mew broke into her thoughts. He reached out a paw and swept the fallen leaves, piling a small heap in front of him. Another five-pointed leaf was falling, larger than the rest. It fluttered toward him like a moth. Deftly he reached up and hooked it from the air. He laid it on top of the pile. “Look.”
Echosong leaned forward, excitement tingling through her pelt. What did the leaves mean? Why were they maple and not oak? As she gazed at them, trying desperately to understand their meaning, she saw them fade.
“No!”
The vision was blurring. Darkness clouded her sight. It mustn’t disappear yet. She didn’t understand!
“Tell me more!” Her own panicked mew woke her, and she lifted her head sharply. She blinked into darkness, disappointment swamping her. She was back in her makeshift nest, rain beating the juniper branches above her. Cold water dripped through the leaves and soaked into her pelt. Shivering, she closed her eyes and tried to remember every detail of the vision. Her heart pounded. What had StarClan been trying to tell her? I have to understand! If only she could figure it out, she might finally find her way home.
CHAPTER 1
Alderpaw’s gaze drifted toward the trailing brambles at the entrance of the medicine den. Outside, leaves would be drifting into the hollow. Leaf-fall had come so soon! Less than a moon ago he’d been trekking back from his quest beneath sunny blue skies.
“Alderpaw!”
Jayfeather’s sharp mew snapped him from his thoughts. He turned his attention back to the herbs piled in front of him.
“You’re meant to be separating the yarrow from the coltsfoot.” Jayfeather glared at him with sightless blue eyes.
“Sorry,” Alderpaw mumbled. Nothing he did seemed to please Jayfeather. Hurriedly he began to peel the wide, limp yarrow leaves away from the brittle coltsfoot.
Beside him, Leafpool reached deeper into the crevice at the back of the cave. She hauled out another pawful of leaves. “I think that’s the last of them. Once we’ve sorted these, we can decide what we need to gather before leaf-bare.”
“We’ll need catmint,” Jayfeather mewed. “If we’d gathered more last year, we might not have lost Spiderleg.”
At the far side of the medicine den, Briarlight pushed herself upright in her nest. “I can help with the sorting.”
“Thanks,” Jayfeather told her without turning. “But we have enough cats here already.” His ears twitched irritably as he added, “And kits.”
Alderpaw glanced guiltily at Twigkit. The young cat was playing with a leaf just inside the entrance. She stood on her hind legs, reaching up to bat the leaf into the air, then ducked as it drifted down, to catch it on her back. As it landed between her shoulder blades, she gave a mrrow of delight. “I had to bring her with me,” Alderpaw explained. “She didn’t have anyone to play with.”
“What about Lilyheart’s kits?” Jayfeather snapped. “They’re her nestmates, aren’t they?”
Leafpool pushed a pile of thyme to one side. “Lilyheart’s kits are nearly five moons old,” she reminded Jayfeather gently. “They’re far too boisterous for Twigkit.”
And they’re not interested in having a young kit tag along. Alderpaw was grateful that Lilyheart had agreed to raise Twigkit along with her own kits, Leafkit, Larkkit, and Honeykit, but he wished the older kits had more patience with their foster littermate. Still, he knew they would be apprentices soon; they were more interested in pretending to hunt and fight than in playing nursery games with Twigkit.
If only her sister, Violetkit, had been allowed to stay with her in ThunderClan. Alderpaw remembered with a spark of disgust how callously the ShadowClan cats had carried Twigkit’s sister away from the Gathering. They hadn’t cared that they were separating orphaned littermates. All they cared about was that Needlepaw—a ShadowClan apprentice—had helped find them. And since the kits might be part of a prophecy sent from StarClan, Rowanstar was determined to claim one of them for his Clan.
Anger surged through Alderpaw. It was my prophecy! I led the quest that found them. And yet that wasn’t why he resented losing Violetkit so much. He felt sorry for Twigkit. And for Violetkit. Was ShadowClan taking care of her? Did she have a foster mother as kind as Lilyheart? Memories of his own kithood with his sister, Sparkpaw, and his mother, Squirrelflight, warmed his heart. How would I have felt if I had been separated from them?
Twigkit batted the leaf into the air once again, then leaped, her short fluffy tail whipping to balance her as she spun in the air. Nimbly she caught the leaf between her forepaws.
“She’s agile.” Leafpool watched approvingly.
“She should be playing outside,” Jayfeather huffed. “A medicine den is no place for kits.”
“She could play with Briarlight,” Alderpaw suggested.
Because of her crippled hind legs, it was important for Briarlight to keep her forelegs strong and active and her lungs clear. Chasing a leaf with Twigkit would be good exercise.
Jayfeather frowned, but Leafpool spoke before he could object. “That’s a great idea, Alderpaw.” She called to Twigkit. “Would you like to play catch with Briarlight?”
Twigkit blinked at Leafpool, her eyes sparkling with delight. “Can I?”
“Of course,” Briarlight purred. “You can play with me anytime you like.”
Jayfeather huffed and began untangling the pile of thyme. “Does this mean she’s going to be in here even more?”
“Don’t be so grouchy,” Leafpool
chided. “She’s not doing any harm.”
“I guess I only trip over her three or four times a day,” Jayfeather snorted.
Alderpaw’s pelt pricked with irritation. It was almost as though Jayfeather enjoyed being the grumpiest cat in the Clan. At least Twigkit didn’t seem to have heard him. She was happily crossing the den, hurrying toward Briarlight with her leaf.
“Get on with your work!” Jayfeather’s ears twitched crossly. Not for the first time, Alderpaw wondered if the blind medicine cat could read his thoughts. Guiltily he turned his attention back to the yarrow and coltsfoot.
The trailing brambles at the entrance rustled, distracting him again. Graystripe popped his head through and blinked at Jayfeather. “Jayfeather, Bramblestar wants to see you, Leafpool, and Alderpaw.”
Alderpaw’s heart quickened. Why?
He waited for Jayfeather to speak, but Graystripe went on. “Can I take some comfrey back to the elders’ den?” The gray elder glanced at the herb piles hopefully.
Leafpool tipped her head. “Are your joints aching again?”
“Not mine,” Graystripe huffed. “Millie’s.”
“Should I come and check on her?” Leafpool was already rolling up a wad of leaves.
“There’s no need. Unless you know a cure for aging.” Graystripe pushed his way into the den. “Besides, I don’t think you should keep Bramblestar waiting. Rowanstar’s with him.”
Jayfeather pricked his ears. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“I just did.”
As Graystripe grasped the comfrey between his jaws, Jayfeather brushed past him and headed for the entrance.
Alderpaw glanced at Twigkit. Had something happened to Violetkit? Was that why the ShadowClan leader had come? “Stay here with Briarlight, okay?”
She nodded.
Alderpaw’s heart was racing. He nosed his way through the brambles after Jayfeather, the sharp sunshine stinging his eyes.
Outside the nursery, Lilyheart stretched beside Daisy, soaking up the meager warmth. There was a chill in the air, but the cliff sheltered the camp from the blustery breeze that was stirring the branches at the top of the hollow. Leafkit, Larkkit, and Honeykit were nosing around the fallen beech, poking their noses through the gaps in the woven walls of the apprentices’ den.
“There’s so much room inside!” Leafkit gasped.
