Transcription
T H EN E WP RO P H E C YSTARLIGHT
ContentsAllegiancesviiMapsxiiPrologueMoonlight washed over the hillside, casting heavyshadows around a 1Chapter 1Brambleclaw stood at the top of the slope, gazing at 7Chapter 2Leafpaw stopped halfway up the slope andturned to watch 34Chapter 3Mistyfoot led the patrol across the marshy shore at a 48Chapter 4Clouds covered the sun the next morning as the patrol 74Chapter 5When Brambleclaw had finished speaking andleaped down from the 104Chapter 6Brambleclaw shifted uneasily among the dead leaves.A branch was 114Chapter 7Firestar looked calmly down at the WindClan warrior.“Tallstar died 125
Chapter 8Leafpaw crouched not far from Tallstar’s body,watching the cats 137Chapter 9Brambleclaw slipped through the trees, jaws partedto distinguish ThunderClan 146Chapter 10Leafpaw and Cinderpelt had found a rockyoverhang at the 168Chapter 11“Are you stuck?” Thornclaw asked, nearly bumpinginto Leafpaw as 179Chapter 12Fox!187Chapter 13“I said, what are you doing here?”195Chapter 14Cool grass swept against Brambleclaw’s pelt ashe prowled through 207Chapter 15The sun had gone down but the horizon still blazed 223Chapter 16Leafpaw stood at the edge of the clearing and watched 237Chapter 17In the days following the Gathering, Leafpawsearched desperately for 253
Chapter 18Brambleclaw kept his ears pricked for the sound of prey 268Chapter 19Leafpaw leaped across the stream by thestepping stones and 277Chapter 20Brambleclaw halted at the edge of the lake and gazed 289Chapter 21Night was falling as the ThunderClan catscrossed the stream 300Chapter 22When the rain started, Leafpool crept intoa sheltered spot 308Chapter 23Brambleclaw hurled himself down the hill inpursuit of Mudclaw 313AcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorOther Books by Erin HunterCreditsCoverCopyrightAbout the Publisher
ALLEGIANCESthunderclanLEADERfirestar— ginger tom with a flame-colored peltDEPUTYgraystripe— long-haired gray tomM E D I C I N E C AT cinderpelt— dark gray she-catapprentice, leafpawWARRIORS(toms, and she-cats without kits)dustpelt— dark brown tabby tomapprentice, squirrelpawsandstorm— pale ginger she-catcloudtail— long-haired white tomapprentice, spiderpawbrackenfur— golden brown tabby tomapprentice, whitepawthornclaw— golden brown tabby tombrightheart— white she-cat with gingerpatchesbrambleclaw— dark brown tabby tomwith amber eyesashfur— pale gray (with darker flecks)tom, dark blue eyesrainwhisker—dark gray tom with blue eyessootfur—lighter gray tom with amber eyessorreltail— tortoiseshell and white she-cat with amber eyes
APPRENTICES(more than six moons old, in training tobecome warriors)squirrelpaw— dark ginger she-cat withgreen eyesleafpaw— light brown tabby she-cat withamber eyeswhitepaw— white she-cat with green eyesspiderpaw— long-limbed black tom withbrown underbelly and amber eyesQUEENS(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)ferncloud— pale gray (with darkerflecks) she-cat with green eyesELDERS(former warriors and queens, now retired)goldenflower— pale ginger coatlongtail— pale tabby tom with dark blackstripes, retired early due to failing sightmousefur— small dusky brown she-catshadowclanLEADERblackstar— large white tom with hugejet black pawsDEPUTYrussetfur— dark ginger she-catM E D I C I N E C AT littlecloud— very small tabby tomWARRIORS(toms, and she-cats without kits)oakfur— small brown tomapprentice, smokepawcedarheart— dark gray tom
rowanclaw— ginger tomapprentice, talonpawtawnypelt— tortoiseshell she-cat withgreen eyesQUEENS(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)tallpoppy— long-legged light browntabby she-catELDERS(former warriors and queens, now retired)runningnose— small gray and white tom,formerly the medicine catboulder— skinny gray tomwindclanLEADERtallstar— elderly black and white tomwith a very long tailDEPUTYmudclaw— mottled dark brown tomM E D I C I N E C AT barkface— short-tailed brown tomWARRIORS(toms, and she-cats without kits)tornear— tabby tomapprentice, owlpawwebfoot— dark gray tabby tomapprentice, weaselpawonewhisker— brown tabby tomcrowfeather— dark gray, almost blacktom with blue eyesashfoot— gray she-catQUEENS(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)whitetail— small white she-cat
ELDERS(former warriors and queens, now retired)morningflower— tortoiseshell she-catrushtail— light brown tomriverclanLEADERleopardstar— unusually spotted goldentabby she-catDEPUTYmistyfoot— gray she-cat with blue eyesM E D I C I N E C AT mothwing— dappled golden she-catWARRIORS(toms, and she-cats without kits)blackclaw— smoky black tomapprentice, volepawheavystep— thickset tabby tomapprentice, stonepawhawkfrost— dark brown tom with awhite underbelly and ice-blue eyes.swallowtail— dark tabby she-catQUEENS(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)mosspelt— tortoiseshell she-catdawnflower— pale gray she-catcats outside clanssmoky— muscular gray and white tom wholives in a barn near the horseplacedaisy— she-cat with long creamy brownfur who lives with Smokyfloss— small gray and white she-cat wholives with Smoky and Daisy
Maps
PR O L O G U E;Moonlight washed over the hillside, casting heavy shadows around athick wall of thornbushes. The bushes surrounded a hollowwith rocky sides that sloped down steeply to a pool in theshape of a full moon. Halfway up the side of the hollow, atrickle of water bubbled up between two moss-coveredstones, glimmering like liquid starshine as it fell into the poolbelow.The branches rustled and parted as cats emerged at thetop of the hollow and began to pick their way down to thewater’s edge. Their pelts shone with a soft, pale light, andtheir pawsteps left a frosty glitter on the moss behind them.A tortoiseshell she-cat was the first to reach the pool. Shelooked around with glowing eyes. “Yes,” she purred. “This isthe place.”“You’re right, Spottedleaf. When we chose the four cats tolead the Clans out of the forest, we chose well.” The replycame from a blue-gray warrior who was approaching fromthe other side of the hollow. She leaped down from a juttingrock to face the tortoiseshell across the moonlit water. “Butthe Clans still have a hard task ahead of them.”1
W A R R I O R S : T H E N E W P R O P H E C Y : S TA R L I G H T2Spottedleaf dipped her head in agreement. “Yes, Bluestar.Their courage and faith will be tried to their limits. But theyhave come this far—they will not give up.”More starry warriors joined them, clustering around thewater until the hollow was lined with their sleek, shiningshapes.“Our journey was hard, too,” one cat meowed.“We felt the pain of leaving the paths we had walked for solong,” added another.“Now we must learn to walk in new skies.” Spottedleaf ’svoice was full of confidence. She sat on a rock near the tumbling stream and wrapped her tail around her paws. “Wemust guide our Clans to this new meeting place, where wecan speak to the leaders and medicine cats. Then this willtruly be home for all five Clans.”A murmur of agreement rose, and a gleam of hope shonein the eyes of the cats around her.“They will catch fish from the lake,” one cat meowed.“And prey is running in the hills and beside the water,”another put in. “All the Clans will find food, even in leafbare.”The blue-gray warrior still seemed uneasy. “There’s moreto life than fresh-kill,” she mewed.A bracken-colored tom thrust his way to the front of thecrowd. “They’re not kits,” he pointed out impatiently. “Theyknow how to avoid Twolegs and their dogs. Foxes and badgers, too.”“Not all trouble comes from Twolegs,” Bluestar snapped.
W A R R I O R S : T H E N E W P R O P H E C Y : S TA R L I G H T3She swiveled her head to glare into the tom’s eyes. “And notfrom foxes or badgers either, Oakheart. You know that aswell as I do. The Clans bring trouble within themselves.”The warriors glanced uneasily at one another, butOakheart dipped his head. “Of course. And they always will.That is part of what it means to be a warrior.”“Trouble from within greatest danger brings.” A new voicespoke, deep and gravelly.Bluestar whipped around, her neck fur rising, and stared atthe newcomer standing at the top of the hollow. It was toobig and solid to be a cat. Instead, it seemed as if a clot of darkness had entered the circle of thornbushes, in which thewatching cats could just make out broad, muscular limbs andthe gleam of small, bright eyes.After a few heartbeats Bluestar relaxed. “Welcome,friend,” she meowed. “StarClan owes you thanks. You havedone well.”“By me is little done,” the newcomer replied. “These catstheir destiny have faced with courage.”“The Clans have traveled far and suffered a great deal ofsadness that we were powerless to ease,” Spottedleaf agreed.“They kept going even when we lost sight and hearing ofthem among the mountains, when they walked the paths of adifferent Tribe. Now they must learn to be four Clans again.”She looked solemn. “There will be much pain, especially forthose who traveled together to the sun-drown-water. Theywon’t find it easy to forget their friendship.”“They must mark out their new territories as soon as they
W A R R I O R S : T H E N E W P R O P H E C Y : S TA R L I G H T4can.” Oakheart’s voice rumbled in his throat. “There’ll betrouble there.”“Every loyal warrior will want the best for their Clan,”meowed Bluestar.“So long as it is their Clan that they fight for,” returnedOakheart, “and not themselves.”“That’s where the danger lies,” murmured an anxiousvoice. A tomcat with a glossy black coat was gazing down intothe silvery water as if he could see danger rising to the surfacelike a giant fish. “I see one cat, hungry for power that is notdeserved. . . .”“Not deserved?” A lean tom with a crooked jaw sprang tohis paws on the other side of the pool, the fur on his shoulders bristling in fury. “Nightstar, how dare you say ‘notdeserved’?”The black tom’s pelt rippled in the moonlight as he lookedup. “Very well, Crookedstar, not deserved yet,” he meowed.“This cat needs to learn the virtue of patience. Power is not apiece of prey to be grabbed before it escapes.”The cat with the crooked jaw sat down again, though theanger stayed in his eyes. “Would you have all our warriors astimid as mice?” he muttered.Nightstar’s eyes narrowed and his tail-tip twitched, butbefore he could spit out a reply another cat padded forward:a thick-furred gray she-cat with a broad face and a fiercegleam in her eyes. She stood beside Spottedleaf at the mossyedge of the pool and gazed down into the water. After a fewmoments, ripples began to spread in circles from the middle
W A R R I O R S : T H E N E W P R O P H E C Y : S TA R L I G H T5of the pool and wash against the bank.The gray she-cat lifted her head. “I have seen what willcome,” she growled. “There are dark times ahead.”A stir of anxiety passed through the cats like wind ripplingthrough reeds, but no cat dared to question her out loud.“Well?” Bluestar demanded when the silence hadstretched out for several heartbeats. “Tell us what you mean,Yellowfang.”The gray she-cat hesitated. “I am not certain what I haveseen,” she rasped at last. “And you won’t like what I have totell you.” She closed her eyes, and when she spoke her voicewas deeper and quieter than before, so that every cat had tostrain to listen: “ ‘Before there is peace, blood will spill blood, and the lakewill run red.’”Bluestar stiffened, and she bent her head to look into thewater. A red stain was spreading across the surface, ripplingoutward until the water flamed scarlet. It seemed to reflectthe fire of sunset, yet above the hollow the moon still floatedin thin drifts of cloud.A gasp of horror rose from the cats. Spottedleaf paddedforward, trembling, and stared desperately into the water asif she were searching for something that would challengeYellowfang’s ominous words.“Are you trying to find out what will happen to Firestar?”Bluestar asked her gently. “Don’t search too hard,Spottedleaf. You of all cats should know that sometimesthere is nothing we can do.”Spottedleaf raised her head, and there was a fiercely
W A R R I O R S : T H E N E W P R O P H E C Y : S TA R L I G H T6determined light in her eyes. “I would do anything to helpFirestar,” she hissed. “I will protect him with all the power ofStarClan.”“But even that may not be enough,” Bluestar warned her.Around them, the warriors of StarClan began to pad awayfrom the pool, climbing the slope and slipping back throughthe thornbushes until the shimmer of their pelts vanishedand the only light in the hollow came from the reflection ofthe moon in the water.The creature in the shadows remained a moment longer,watching in silence until the last cat had gone. Then shestirred, and a shaft of moonlight struck her powerful shoulders.“Midnight, this not your place,” she growled to herself. “Isno more to do.” She paused and added, “Once more, maybe,with Clans I will meet. Clouded is time to come.”As she turned to push her way back through the thorns,the moonlight caught the broad white stripe down the badger’s head; then Midnight was gone, and the hollow was leftempty.
CH A P T E R;1Brambleclaw stood at the top of the slope, gazing at the clawpricksof silver fire reflected in the lake below. The Clans had finallyfound their new home, just as Midnight had promised.StarClan was waiting for them, and they were safe from theTwoleg monsters at last.Around him warriors from all four Clans murmured toeach other, staring uneasily at the dark, unfamiliar space atthe foot of the hill.“It’s impossible to tell what’s down there in this light.”Brightheart, a ginger-and-white ThunderClan warrior,swung around so that her one good eye could take in thewhole of the landscape.Her mate, Cloudtail, twitched his tail. “How bad can it be?Think what we’ve come through to get here. We can fight offanything on four legs.”“And what about Twolegs?” demanded Russetfur, theShadowClan deputy.“The journey has left us all tired and weak,” Blackclaw ofWindClan added. “Foxes and badgers could track us downeasily when we’re all out in the open like this.”7
W A R R I O R S : T H E N E W P R O P H E C Y : S TA R L I G H T8For a moment Brambleclaw felt a tremor of fear. Then hebraced his shoulders. StarClan would not have brought themhere if they did not believe the Clans could survive in theirnew territories.“What are we waiting for?” a new voice spoke up. “Are wegoing to stand here all night?”Stifling a mrrow of laughter, Brambleclaw turned to see hisClanmate Squirrelpaw standing behind him. The gingerapprentice was tearing the tough, springy grass with her frontpaws, her green eyes glowing with anticipation.“Brambleclaw, look!” she purred. “We did it! We found ournew home!”She tucked her hindlegs under her, ready to dash down thehill, but before she could take off, Firestar pushed throughthe cats and stood in her way.“Wait.” The ThunderClan leader touched his daughter’sshoulder affectionately with the tip of his tail. “We’ll gotogether, and keep a sharp lookout for trouble. This may bethe place that StarClan wished us to find, but they would notexpect us to leave our wits in the forest.”Squirrelpaw dipped her head respectfully and steppedback, but when she shot a sideways glance at Brambleclaw, hesaw that her eyes still gleamed with excitement. ForSquirrelpaw, their journey’s end could not possibly be scary.Firestar padded over to join Blackstar and Leopardstar,the leaders of ShadowClan and RiverClan. “I suggest wesend a patrol ahead,” he meowed. “Just a couple of cats, tofind out what it’s like down there.”
W A R R I O R S : T H E N E W P R O P H E C Y : S TA R L I G H T9“Good idea—but we can’t just stand here and wait forthem to return,” Leopardstar objected. “It’s much tooexposed.”Blackstar grunted in agreement. “If a fox came along now,it could pick off the weaker cats with no trouble at all.”“But we need to rest.” Mudclaw of WindClan came up tojoin the discussion. His leader, Tallstar, lay on the ground alittle way off, with the medicine cat Barkface crouching overhim. “Tallstar can’t go much farther.”“Then let’s send the patrol right away,” Firestar suggested,“and the rest of us will follow more slowly until we findsomewhere more sheltered. Yes, Mudclaw,” he added, as theWindClan deputy opened his mouth to argue, “we’re alltired, but we’ll sleep more easily if we’re not stuck out on theopen hillside like this.”Blackstar called Russetfur over to him, while Leopardstarsignaled with her tail for her deputy, Mistyfoot.“I want you to go as far as the lake, then come straightback,” Leopardstar ordered. “Find out what you can, but bequick, and stay out of sight.”The two cats flicked their ears, then whirled and racedaway, loping along with their bellies close to the ground;within a couple of heartbeats they had vanished into thedarkness.Firestar watched them go before letting out a yowl to callthe rest of the cats around him. Mudclaw went back toTallstar and nudged the old leader to his paws. Their Clansclustered together behind the leaders of ThunderClan,
W A R R I O R S : T H E N E W P R O P H E C Y : S TA R L I G H T10RiverClan, and ShadowClan and began to follow them downthe slope toward the lake.“What’s the matter?” Squirrelpaw demanded, noticingthat Brambleclaw wasn’t moving. “Why are you standingthere like a frozen rabbit?”“I want . . .” Brambleclaw glanced around and spotted hissister Tawnypelt padding past a little way off; he summonedher with a jerk of his head. “I want all of us to go downtogether,” he explained when the tortoiseshell she-cat joinedthem. “All the cats who made the first journey.”Four cats remained from the six who had left the forest insearch of a new home many moons ago. They had gainedsomething very precious on that journey, as well as a safeplace for their Clans to live: a strong bond of friendship hadbeen forged between them, stronger than rock and deeperthan the endless water that washed against the cliffs whereMidnight the badger lived.Now Brambleclaw wanted to travel with his friends onemore time before their duties to their separate Clans forcedthem apart.Tawnypelt let out a purr of approval. Meeting her greengaze, Brambleclaw knew that, like him, she understood theywould soon be rivals again; that the next time they met couldbe in battle. The pain of parting swelled in his heart, and hepressed his muzzle to his sister’s, feeling her breath warmagainst his whiskers.“Where’s Crowfeather?” she asked.Brambleclaw looked up and spotted the young WindClan
W A R R I O R S : T H E N E W P R O P H E C Y : S TA R L I G H T11warrior a few tail-lengths away, anxiously pacing beside Tallstar. The WindClan leader looked so exhausted he couldhardly put one paw in front of the other; his long tail draggedon the ground and he was leaning heavily on the brown tabbywarrior Onewhisker. The WindClan medicine cat, Barkface,walked close behind, a worried look on his face.“Hey, Crowfeather!” Squirrelpaw called.The WindClan cat bounded across. “What do you want?”Brambleclaw ignored his unwelcoming tone. Crowfeather’s tongue was sharp enough to slice your ears off, butif danger threatened he would fight to his last breath todefend his friends.“Travel down to the lake with us,” he urged. “I want us tofinish the journey how we started—together.”Crowfeather bowed his head. “There’s no point,” he murmured. “We’ll never be together again. Stormfur lives in themountains now, and Feathertail is dead.”Brambleclaw ran his tail lightly over the young warrior’sshoulder. He shared his grief for the beautiful RiverClan catwho had sacrificed her life to save Crowfeather and the Tribecats from the terrible lion-cat known as Sharptooth. ThenFeathertail’s brother Stormfur had stayed with the Tribe ofRushing Water because of his love for the prey-hunterBrook. Brambleclaw missed him bitterly, but knew that painwas nothing compared to the agony Crowfeather felt overFeathertail’s death.“Feathertail is with us now,” Squirrelpaw insisted, comingto join them. Her eyes shone with the strength of her belief.
W A R R I O R S : T H E N E W P R O P H E C Y : S TA R L I G H T12“If you don’t know that, Crowfeather, you’re even moremousebrained than I thought. And we’ll see Stormfur again,I’m sure. We’re closer to the mountains here than we were inthe forest.”Crowfeather let out a long sigh. “Okay,” he meowed. “Let’sgo.”Most of the cats had gone past them already, moving cautiously across the unfamiliar territory, keeping close to eachother as they had done throughout the long and dangerousjourney to get here. A little way ahead, Brambleclaw sawMothwing, the RiverClan medicine cat, walking beside agroup of apprentices from all four Clans. On the far side of apatch of gorse, the ground fell away into a grassy hollow.Tallpoppy, a ShadowClan queen, was struggling to guide herkits down the steep slope; Cloudtail and Brightheart fromThunderClan darted over to help, each picking up a kit intheir jaws. Farther down the slope, Cedarheart, a grayShadowClan tom, prowled along the edge of a thorn thicket,his gaze flicking back and forth as he kept watch for foxes andbadgers that might be looking for easy prey.If he had not known these cats all his life, Brambleclawwould not have been able to distinguish one Clan fromanother; they walked side by side, helping one another. Hewondered grimly how long it would be before they weredivided again, and how painful that separation would be.At an impatient exclamation from Squirrelpaw—“Comeon, Brambleclaw, or we’ll leave you to make a den for yourselfhere!”—he headed down the slope, pausing every so often to
W A R R I O R S : T H E N E W P R O P H E C Y : S TA R L I G H T13draw in the night air. The scent of cat was strongest, butbeneath it he could detect the scents of mouse and vole andrabbit. He couldn’t remember when he had last eaten; surelythe leaders would allow them to hunt soon?He was imagining the delicious taste of fresh-kill when hewas startled by a hiss from Tawnypelt, who was a couple oftail-lengths ahead of him. “Look at that,” spat the ShadowClan warrior, pointing with her tail.Brambleclaw’s ears pricked when he saw the thin mesh ofa Twoleg fence shining like a huge cobweb in the pale dawnlight. Two or three of the other cats had paused to stareapprehensively at it as well.“I knew we’d come across Twolegs sooner or later!”Squirrelpaw meowed with a disgusted twitch of her tail.Brambleclaw tasted the air again. He could pick up thescent of Twolegs, but it was faint and stale. There wasanother, less familiar scent too, and he had to think hardbefore he remembered what it was.“Horses.” Crowfeather confirmed his guess. “There’s oneover there.”He gestured with his tail, and Brambleclaw noticed a large,dark shape standing under a clump of trees some way insidethe fence. He thought there was another one beside it,though it was hard to tell in the shadows cast by the branches.“What are horses?” Whitepaw mewed worriedly as shepeered through the fence.“Nothing to worry about,” Tornear from WindClan reassured her, touching the apprentice’s shoulder with the tip of
W A R R I O R S : T H E N E W P R O P H E C Y : S TA R L I G H T14his tail. “They used to run across our territory sometimes,with Twolegs on their backs.”Whitetail blinked as if she couldn’t quite believe him.“We saw some of them on our journey to the sun-drownwater,” Brambleclaw added. “They didn’t take any notice ofus when we crossed their field. It’s the Twolegs looking afterthem that we need to watch out for.”“I can’t see any Twoleg nests,” Tawnypelt pointed out.“Maybe these horse things look after themselves.”“Let’s hope so,” meowed Brambleclaw. “Horses aloneshouldn’t bother us.”“Provided we stay away from their clumsy feet,” addedSquirrelpaw.The cats followed the Twoleg fence until they came to athicket of trees where the other cats were gathering.Glancing around, Brambleclaw spotted Cinderpelt, theThunderClan medicine cat, and her apprentice, Leafpaw,Squirrelpaw’s sister.“What’s going on?” Squirrelpaw demanded. “Why are westopping?”“The patrol the leaders sent has just come back,”Cinderpelt explained.Following her gaze, Brambleclaw saw the leaders of thefour Clans and the WindClan deputy, Mudclaw, standingclose together beside a tree stump. Mistyfoot and Russetfur,who had been sent on the patrol, faced them. The other catshad sunk down on the short, springy grass around the treestump, glad of the chance to rest.
W A R R I O R S : T H E N E W P R O P H E C Y : S TA R L I G H T15With the others behind him, Brambleclaw weavedthrough the cats until he was close enough to hear what theClan leaders were saying.Mistyfoot was just giving her report: “The ground’s veryboggy by the lake. There’s no point going any farther untildaylight. We don’t want to lose any cats in the mud.”“ShadowClan is used to wet ground underpaw,” Blackstarreminded her, before any of the other leaders could comment. “But we’ll stay with the rest of you if that’s what youwant.” There was an edge to his tone, as if ShadowClan weregranting them a huge favor by not going ahead to explore ontheir own.Brambleclaw narrowed his eyes. It seemed too soon forthe Clans to begin competing with one another over whoclaimed which part of the new territory. He had grown usedto having all four Clans around him, ignoring the differencesthat had kept them apart for more seasons than any cat couldremember. He was also afraid that some cats were weaker andmore exhausted than others, which might make any clashesmore damaging than they needed to be.He hoped the leaders would decide to stay where theywere for the rest of the night. The hills were still closeenough to cut down the force of the wind, and the trees provided even more welcome shelter. A strong scent of preydrifted from the shadows, and his paws itched to hunt.“I think we should stay here,” Firestar meowed, toBrambleclaw’s relief. “We all need to rest, and it soundspretty uncomfortable by the lake.”
W A R R I O R S : T H E N E W P R O P H E C Y : S TA R L I G H T16Leopardstar murmured agreement. Before Firestar hadfinished speaking, Tallstar collapsed onto his side and laythere panting, as if he couldn’t manage a single pawstep more.Mudclaw stalked up to him, sniffed him briefly, and spoke aword or two in his ear.“Tallstar looks exhausted,” Brambleclaw murmured toCrowfeather. “This is his last life, isn’t it?”Crowfeather nodded, his face somber. “He’ll be fine nowthat we’re here,” he meowed, though Brambleclaw suspectedthat he was trying to convince himself as much as any othercat.Blackstar leaped up to the top of the tree stump. The powerful white tom stood with tail held high, his huge black pawsplanted on the rough wood. He let out a commanding yowl,and the faces of all the cats turned toward him to listen.“Cats of all Clans!” he called as the last stragglers came up.“We have reached the place StarClan meant us to find, but weare all tired and hungry. We will make camp here until wehave rested.”“Who asked him to speak for the leaders?” Squirrelpawmuttered. Her green eyes flashed indignantly asBrambleclaw, spotting a couple of ShadowClan warriorswithin earshot, silenced her with a flick of his tail across hermouth.“What about fresh-kill?” a cat called from the back.“We will wait until sunrise,” Blackstar replied. “Then theprey will be running and there’ll be enough for us all.”“Meanwhile we ought to keep watch,” Firestar added,
W A R R I O R S : T H E N E W P R O P H E C Y : S TA R L I G H T17leaping up beside Blackstar so that the ShadowClan leaderhad to step back a pace. “Deputies, find two or three warriorswho can stay awake for a while longer. We don’t want foxessneaking up on us while we’re asleep.”Mudclaw, who seemed to be speaking for WindClan sinceTallstar was so weak, meowed his agreement, followed by theRiverClan leader, Leopardstar. The brief meeting broke upand the cats began looking for places to sleep. Barkfacenudged Tallstar to his feet and helped him to a clump of longgrass, where the frail WindClan leader lay down again, trembling from nose to tail. Onewhisker sat close to him andbegan to lick his fur gently.“I guess I’ll be needed,” Crowfeather mewed, and he lopedaway to join the other WindClan cats.Tawnypelt touched noses with her brother. “I’d bettercheck in with Russetfur,” she meowed. “See you later,Brambleclaw.” Whisking around, she headed for a group ofher Clanmates who were clustered around the ShadowClandeputy.Brambleclaw wondered if he ought to volunteer to keepwatch. Even though he had been a warrior for fewer than fourseasons, ThunderClan needed every cat to help feed and protect their Clanmates—especially since they had lost theirdeputy just before leaving the forest. Shivering, Brambleclawremembered how Graystripe had been trapped by Twolegsand carried away inside a Twoleg monster. He glanced atFirestar to see his leader giving orders to Sorreltail andBrackenfur. He guessed he wouldn’t be needed right away, so
W A R R I O R S : T H E N E W P R O P H E C Y : S TA R L I G H T18he looked around to see if any of the other ThunderClan catscould use his help.Dustpelt stood in the shadows beneath the trees with hismate, Ferncloud, and their son Birchkit, the only one of theirlatest litter to survive the lack of prey back in the forest.Ferncloud was crouched over Longtail, nosing him anxiouslyas he lay in the grass. Longtail was not many seasons olderthan Dustpelt, but he had been forced to join the elders whenhis eyesight failed; the journey from the forest had been particularly hard for him. Goldenflower, Brambleclaw’s mother,lay close to his flank on the other side. She was the oldestThunderClan queen, and Brambleclaw realized with a pangof sympathy that she looked too weary to do anything morethan press her warm fur against Longtail.Dustpelt nudged the pale tabby tom’s shoulder. “Come on,Longtail,” he meowed. “Not far now.”As Squirrelpaw bounded over to help, Brambleclaw spotted a sheltered place where the ground fell away a couple oftail-lengths beyond the clump of trees;
MEDICINE CAT cinderpelt—dark gray she-cat apprentice, leafpaw WARRIORS (toms, and she-cats without kits) dustpelt—dark brown tabby tom apprentice, squirrelpaw sandstorm—pale ginger she-cat cloudtail—long-haired white tom apprentice, spiderpaw brackenfur—golden brown tabby
