Fading Echoes

She headed toward the fresh-kill pile, where Blossomfall and Bumblestripe were arriving with their catches. Their eyes lit up as they spotted her.

“Briarlight!” Blossomfall hurried to greet her sister, a mouse dangling in her jaws. She dropped it at Briarlight’s paws. “Want to share this?”

Dovepaw ducked into Jayfeather’s den. “Hi,” she murmured wearily. She needed advice. She wanted to be friends with Ivypaw again. She wanted to share a mouse with her littermate, like Blossomfall and Briarlight.

Jayfeather was sweeping herb fragments with his tail into a dusty pile. He looked up as Dovepaw padded in. “Would you rather eat herbs sweetened with nectar or mouse blood?”

“Mouse blood,” Dovepaw answered absently.

Jayfeather let his tail lie still. “What’s wrong?” His blue eyes glowed in the dim light of the den.

“Please can I tell Ivypaw about the prophecy?”

Jayfeather sighed and went back to his sweeping. “No.”

“But it’s making it really hard to stay friends with her.”

“How?”

“She thinks I’m getting special treatment.”

“She’s jealous?”

“No!” Dovepaw suddenly felt defensive of her sister. Then she sighed. “Well, yes, sort of. I guess.”

“Lionblaze and I never told any other cat,” Jayfeather pointed out.

“But you had each other!”

“Not to start with.” Jayfeather began to pick the cleanest fragments out of the pile. “I was the first one to find out, and I couldn’t share it with Lionblaze and Hollyleaf until I was sure they were the ones.”

“But Hollyleaf wasn’t one of the Three.”

“I thought she was.” Jayfeather shook out another herb fragment. His eyes darkened. “She thought she was too.” He put the leaf shred carefully down. “Not being one of us was the hardest thing for her to live with in the end.”

“She didn’t know how lucky she was,” Dovepaw muttered under her breath. Curiosity pricked her pelt. “What did happen to her?”

“She went away.” Jayfeather picked up another shred. “She couldn’t stay here.”

“Because she wasn’t included in the prophecy?” Dovepaw frowned. She sometimes tried to imagine what it would be like to be an ordinary warrior. It had to be easier, surely?

“Partly,” Jayfeather mewed.

“Partly?” What was the other reason?

Jayfeather scooped the pile of shreds in his jaws and carried them to the split in the rock where he stored his herbs. Clearly he wasn’t going to give any more information away.

Secrets! Always secrets! Crossly, Dovepaw pushed her way out of the den.

Blossomfall, Bumblestripe, and Briarlight lay in a patch of dying sunshine sharing their mouse. Ivypaw was lying beside Rosepetal, sharing a blackbird.

Dovepaw gazed at her sister. I would tell you if I could.

Ivypaw swallowed her last mouthful and began grooming Rosepetal.

But I have to keep this secret. Even if it means losing my best friend.

Chapter 14

Ivypaw shivered. A chilly wind had stripped the flowers from the meadow and driven pale gray clouds across the sky. The ground trembled beneath her paws. The horses were running, crowding along the edge of the meadow, their eyes wild and their ears flat back.

Where was Hawkfrost?

Ivypaw felt nervous. She didn’t want to be alone in the wide pasture today. The breeze was moaning across the dull, dry grass, ruffling her fur the wrong way.

There! A dark rump showed above the grass, thick, bushed tail flicking.

She scampered toward the RiverClan warrior.

“You’re here!” she puffed, relieved when he turned and fixed his familiar dark blue gaze on her. “I thought you weren’t coming! I’ve been looking for you for ages.”

Hawkfrost sat up and gazed at her lazily through half-closed eyes. “Lucky you found me today, then.”

“Teach me something new!” she begged. Cinderheart was already impressed by the progress she had made in training; she wanted to please her mentor again today when they practiced battle moves.

Hawkfrost yawned, hunching his shoulders as he stretched his spine.

“Just one battle move,” Ivypaw pleaded.

“Haven’t I given you enough to practice already?”

“I’ve practiced it all. Now I need something new.” Ivypaw widened her eyes hopefully. “Please!”

Wearily, Hawkfrost stood up. “Do you pester your Clanmates this much?” he murmured.

“They don’t teach me such interesting stuff,” Ivypaw mewed.

“Watch carefully.” Hawkfrost lunged for her, hooking her hind legs under her and rolling her over with his forepaw till she found herself splayed on her back.

“Wow!” she squeaked, springing to her paws. “Let me try it.”

She leaped at Hawkfrost, curling a paw around his hind legs and tugging.

Nothing happened. The broad-shouldered warrior turned his head to look back at her. “Have you started?”

Frustrated, Ivypaw backed away and tried again.

Still, the RiverClan warrior didn’t budge.

Ivypaw put her head to one side. “How did you do that, exactly?”

“Run your paw along my hind legs,” Hawkfrost ordered. “Can you feel the tendon along the back of the joint?”