A Dangerous Path (Warriors 4)

She gave him a nudge, propelling him toward the main clearing. Before he had taken more than a couple of paces, Cinderpelt called after him, “Send some fresh-kill for me and Speckletail. If you’ve got time, that is.”

“Of course I’ve got time.” Fireheart felt completely baffled by the tension that had chilled the air. “I’ll see to it right away.”

“Good.” Cinderpelt gave him a curt nod, and Fireheart felt her blue gaze trained on his back all the way across the clearing.

CHAPTER 10

The stars of Silverpelt blazed from a clear sky, and the full moon rode high. Fireheart crouched at the top of the hollow leading down to Fourtrees. Beneath the four great oaks, the ground was carpeted with fallen leaves, glittering in the first frost of leaf-fall. Black shapes of cats moved to and fro against the pale shimmer.

This time Bluestar had insisted on leading her Clan to the Gathering. Fireheart couldn’t decide whether that was a good thing or not. True, now he didn’t have to invent excuses for her, but he was also worried about what she might say. As ThunderClan’s problems piled up, it was becoming more and more difficult to present a strong face to their rival Clans, and his apprehension bit deeper when he admitted to himself that he could no longer trust his leader’s judgment.

He edged toward her, out of earshot of Cloudpaw and Mousefur, who were beside him. “Bluestar,” he murmured. “What will you—”

As if she hadn’t heard him, Bluestar signaled with her tail and the ThunderClan cats sprang to their paws and raced down through the bushes into the hollow. Fireheart had no option but to follow. Before they left the camp, Bluestar had refused to talk about the coming Gathering, and now his last chance to discuss it with her had gone.

Down in the hollow there were fewer cats than Fireheart had expected, and he realized they were all from WindClan and ShadowClan. He spotted Tallstar and Tigerstar seated side by side at the base of the Great Rock. Bluestar walked straight past them, her tail as stiff as if she were advancing on an enemy. Without acknowledging them with so much as the flick of a whisker, she leaped up to the Great Rock and sat there, her gray-blue fur glowing in the moonlight.

Fireheart took a deep breath and tried to calm the fears that welled inside him. Bluestar had already convinced herself that Tallstar was her enemy; to see the WindClan leader talking privately with Tigerstar, the traitor Bluestar feared most, would make her surer that she was right.

As he watched, Fireheart saw Tallstar lean over to Tigerstar and meow something; Tigerstar flicked his tail dismissively. Fireheart wondered if he should creep closer to listen to what they were saying, but before he could move he felt a friendly nudge at his shoulder and looked around to see Onewhisker, a warrior of WindClan.

“Hi, there,” Onewhisker meowed. “Do you remember who this is?”

He pushed a young cat forward, a tabby with bright eyes and ears pricked with excitement. “This is Morningflower’s kit,” Onewhisker explained. “He’s my apprentice now—Gorsepaw. Isn’t he big now?”

“Morningflower’s kit, of course! I saw you at the last Gathering.” Fireheart still found it hard to believe that this well-muscled apprentice was the same scrap of fur whom he had carried across the Thunderpath when he and Graystripe brought WindClan home.

“Mother told me about you, Fireheart,” Gorsepaw mewed shyly. “How you carried me, and everything.”

“Well, I’m glad I don’t have to carry you now,” Fireheart replied. “If you grow much more, you’ll be able to join LionClan!”

Gorsepaw purred happily. Fireheart was sharply aware of the warm friendship that he felt for these cats, which had survived all the skirmishing and disagreements since that long-ago journey.

“We should be starting the meeting,” Onewhisker went on. “But there’s no sign of RiverClan.”

The words were hardly out of his mouth when there was a stir among the bushes at the other side of the clearing. A group of RiverClan cats appeared, padding close together into the open. Stalking proudly at their head was Leopardfur.

“Where’s Crookedstar?” Onewhisker wondered out loud.

“I heard he’s ill,” Fireheart meowed, realizing that he wasn’t surprised to see Leopardfur taking her leader’s place. From what Graystripe had told him by the river half a moon ago, he hadn’t expected the RiverClan leader to be well enough to attend a Gathering.

Leopardfur walked straight toward the base of the Great Rock, where Tallstar and Tigerstar were sitting. She dipped her head courteously and settled down beside them.

Fireheart was too far away to hear what they were saying, and he was distracted a moment later as a familiar gray warrior bounded across the clearing to his side.

“Graystripe!” Fireheart gave a welcoming mew. “I thought you weren’t allowed to come to Gatherings.”

“I wasn’t,” replied Graystripe, touching noses with his friend. “But Stonefur said I should have a chance to prove my loyalty.”

“Stonefur?” Fireheart echoed. He had noticed both of Bluestar’s kits, Stonefur and his sister, Mistyfoot, among the cats who followed Leopardfur. “What’s it got to do with him?”

“Stonefur’s our new deputy,” meowed Graystripe. He frowned. “Oh, of course, you don’t know. Crookedstar died two nights ago. Leopardstar is our leader now.”

Fireheart was silent for a moment, remembering the dignified old cat who had helped ThunderClan during the fire. The news of Crookedstar’s death didn’t surprise him, but it still brought a pang of anxiety. Leopardstar would be a strong leader, good for RiverClan, but she had no love for ThunderClan.

“She’s already started to reorganize the Clan, even though it’s barely a day since she went to the Moonstone to speak with StarClan,” Graystripe went on, pulling a face. “Supervising the apprentice training, ordering more patrols. And—” He broke off, his paws working on the ground in front of him.

“Graystripe!” Fireheart was alarmed at his friend’s clear agitation. “What’s the matter?”

Graystripe lifted anguished yellow eyes to gaze at his friend. “There’s something you ought to know, Fireheart.” He took a quick glance around to make sure no RiverClan cats were within earshot. “Ever since the fire, Leopardfur has been planning how to get Sunningrocks back.”

“I…I don’t think you should be telling me that,” Fireheart stammered, staring at his friend in dismay. Sunningrocks was a long-disputed territory on the border between ThunderClan and RiverClan. Oakheart and the former ThunderClan deputy, Redtail, had both died in battle over them. For Graystripe to tell Fireheart of his new leader’s intentions was an act of betrayal that went completely against the warrior code.

“I know, Fireheart.” Graystripe couldn’t meet his gaze, and his voice shook with the weight of what he was doing. “I have tried to be a loyal warrior of RiverClan—no cat could have tried harder!” His voice was rising in desperation, but with a huge effort he managed to control himself and go on in a lower voice. “But I can’t sit by and do nothing while Leopardstar plans to attack ThunderClan. If it comes to a battle, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

Fireheart moved closer, trying to comfort the gray warrior. He had always known, ever since Graystripe had crossed the river, that sooner or later his friend would have to face the ordeal of fighting against his birth Clan. Now it seemed as if that day had suddenly drawn closer.

“When is this attack going to happen?” he asked.

Graystripe shook his head. “I’ve no idea. Even if Leopardstar has decided, she wouldn’t tell me. I only know about the

plan from what the other warriors have said. But I’ll see what I can find out, if you like.”

For a moment Fireheart was excited by the thought of having a spy in the RiverClan camp. Then he realized what a fearful risk Graystripe would be taking. He couldn’t put his friend in that much danger, or add to the pain of his divided loyalties. Unless ThunderClan struck first, without waiting for Leopardstar to attack—which Fireheart didn’t want to do—they would just have to deal with the threat when it arose.

“No, it’s too dangerous,” Fireheart replied. “I’m grateful for the warning, but think what Leopardstar would do to you if she found out. She doesn’t exactly like you as it is. I’ll tell all the hunting patrols to keep checking Sunningrocks for RiverClan scent, and make sure our scent markings are strong there.”

Yowling from the top of the Great Rock interrupted him. He turned to see that the other three leaders had joined Bluestar, who still refused to look at Tigerstar, and were waiting to begin the meeting. When the cats had fallen silent, Tigerstar nodded to Leopardstar, indicating that she should speak first. The golden tabby took a place at the front of the rock and looked down.

“Our former leader, Crookedstar, has gone to join StarClan,” she announced. “He was a noble leader and all his Clan mourns his passing. I am leader of RiverClan now, and Stonefur is my deputy. Last night I traveled to Highstones and received my nine lives from StarClan.”

“Congratulations,” meowed Tigerstar, while Tallstar mewed, “Crookedstar will be missed by all the Clans. But may StarClan grant that RiverClan thrives under your leadership.”

Leopardstar thanked them and looked expectantly at Bluestar, but the ThunderClan leader was gazing down into the hollow. There was an expression of pride on her face, and when Fireheart followed her gaze he saw that she was looking at Stonefur. The obvious admiration for her son shocked him, and his heart grew cold when he remembered that Tigerstar knew a pair of ThunderClan kits had once been taken in by RiverClan. Fireheart couldn’t help noticing that Tigerstar’s gaze was trained on Bluestar, and the massive tabby had a thoughtful look on his face. What would it take for him to guess who the mother of those kits had been?