Bluestar's Prophecy

“Can you see it?” Bluepaw whispered, concentrating on the flavors bathing her tongue. Her pelt pricked. She could smell rabbit.

She could also smell blood.

And the stench of fox.

“StarClan help us!” Snowpaw’s terrified gasp sounded behind her.

Across the small clearing in front of them Bluepaw saw the fox. It stood with its bony shoulders squared, the rabbit dangling dead in its jaws.

A fierce gust of wind shook the trees and the forest flashed with lightning. It lit up the fox, throwing his shadow against the dark wall of Snakerocks. Thunder cracked. The fox snarled and dropped the rabbit, turning its hungry gaze toward them.

“Run!” Snowpaw’s shriek sent Bluepaw pelting up the bank, with Snowpaw’s white pelt flashing a tail-length behind. There was no way Bluepaw was letting the fox pursue them underground, in its own territory.

They hurtled through the trees, ducking through brambles and swerving around bracken.

“It’s following us!” Snowpaw’s mew was a terrified whimper.

Bluepaw could hear the fox thundering after them, its paws shaking the ground. She didn’t dare look back. She could hear it slither on leaves, only tail-lengths behind, never pausing for a moment. The forest was lit up again as lightning flashed and thunder exploded overhead. Bluepaw shrieked as she felt hot breath on her heels and pushed on faster. The stench of fox breath bathed her, and she heard its jaws snap a whisker from her tail.

Up ahead, Snowpaw plunged over the ravine.

It would never follow them down there!

Bluepaw hurtled after, relief flashing as she sent stones rattling down the rocks. A thump sounded behind her. She glanced over her shoulder.

The fox had jumped down after them! It was racing along the trail, a tail-length behind.

“StarClan save us!” Bluepaw wailed, praying her Clanmates would hear and come to their rescue. Slithering down a boulder she crashed after Snowpaw, who ducked out of her way and pelted the last length down the tumble of stones.

“Come on!” she screeched.

But Bluepaw was already half sliding, half falling down behind her.

Nearly there!

The camp entrance was within sight. They would be safe beyond the gorse tunnel.

Panic shot afresh through Bluepaw.

What if it follows us through?

Lionpaw and Goldenpaw would be playing in the clearing. They would be easy prey for a fox.

She had led it there. She must stop it.

As Snowpaw pelted through the gorse tunnel, shrieking a warning, Bluepaw skidded to a halt and turned.

The fox leaped at her and she reared on hind legs, ready to swipe at its snarling jaws. She didn’t think about being brave or risking her life. She just knew the fox could not reach the camp.

The sky flashed and a great crack sounded tail-lengths above. Bluepaw looked up.

Lightning!

A splintered branch fell between her and the fox and crashed onto the forest floor, alive with licking yellow flames. The fox yelped in surprise as the branch barely missed it. It whirled around in panic and scrambled back up the ravine.

Her heart pounding, Bluepaw stared at the branch. It crackled in front of her nose, the heat searing her whiskers and scalding her muzzle. Frozen with shock, she stared until teeth grasped her scruff and tugged her back.

“You’ll get yourself killed!” Sunfall’s growl brought her to her senses as he spat out her neck fur.

“The gorse barrier will catch light!” Speckletail’s panicked mew sounded from behind. The Clan cats were streaming from the camp, their eyes wide with horror. The branch was burning so ferociously, Bluepaw felt her pelt tingle. If the gorse caught fire, the flames would sweep through the camp, engulfing every den.

“StarClan help us!” Smallear’s desperate cry rose above the crackling flames.

Please! Bluepaw begged silently.

The storm crashed overhead and rain pelted down, driving through the canopy, pounding the bushes, thundering on the forest floor. The branch crackled and hissed as the rain doused the flames, until nothing but a charred log fizzled in front of the astonished Clan.

“Wow!” Lionpaw’s excited mew broke the silence.

“What are you doing out here?” Speckletail shooed him inside.

“I wanted to see it burn!” he complained.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Slowly Bluepaw realized that Sunfall was talking to her. She dragged her gaze from the branch and stared blankly at her mentor. Her heart slowed as she took a huge gulp of air. It stank of smoke and made her cough.

“Come on,” Sunfall meowed. “Let’s get you to Goosefeather.”

“I’m here.” The medicine cat was standing at the entrance of the tunnel, his eyes round, the fur bristling along his spine. He seemed mesmerized by the smoke rising from the extinguished branch, and his mew sounded far away. “I’ll take her to the medicine den.” Wordlessly he escorted her to his soft, grassy clearing. “Wait here,” he murmured, disappearing into the crack in the rock.