Fading Echoes

“Hey! You two!” Cinderheart turned to Dustpelt and Birchfall. The toms were still fighting. Dustpelt thrust Birchfall away with his powerful hind legs, but Birchfall landed on his paws and spun around, ready to attack again.

Cinderheart cleared her throat. “I hate to break it up,” she called. “But the battle’s over.”

Dustpelt and Birchfall halted and stared in surprise at the gray she-cat.

Birchfall sat down, the fur ruffling on his shoulders. “We were just practicing battle moves,” he meowed self-consciously.

“Yes,” Dustpelt agreed. “That’s what training’s all about, isn’t it?”

Cinderheart’s whiskers twitched. “And I suppose if we happen to enjoy it, StarClan won’t mind too much,” she teased.

The sun was lifting over the trees, brightening the sky. “Looks like it’ll be a good day for hunting,” Leafpool commented.

Cinderheart nodded. “Let’s get back to camp and see if Brambleclaw wants us to join a patrol.”

Dustpelt nodded. “The Clan needs fattening before leaf-bare.”

Birchfall led the way through the bracken and disappeared among the trees. Cinderheart, Blossomfall, and Dustpelt followed.

Bumblestripe drew away from Ivypaw, his pelt smooth where she’d pressed it. “Thanks,” he murmured. He hurried to catch up with his sister and fell in beside her.

Ivypaw followed, feeling left out as the two young warriors walked side by side, speaking softly to each other.

“Ivypaw.” Leafpool’s gentle mew made Ivypaw jump. The pale warrior had caught up to her and was padding at her side. Leaves crunched underpaw, golden as Brackenfur’s pelt.

“Those were pretty advanced moves,” Leafpool commented.

Ivypaw glanced sideways but the she-cat’s amber gaze was fixed on the path ahead.

“I guess I just did them accidentally.”

“Lucky,” Leafpool commented.

“I suppose.” Guilt itched in Ivypaw’s pelt.

“And you’re sure you couldn’t do them again?” Leafpool pressed.

Leave me alone! Ivypaw quickened her pace, irritated when Leafpool kept up. Every other cat in the Clan had secrets—including Leafpool. Why wasn’t she allowed to have her own?

Chapter 15

“Why didn’t you want me to bring Dovepaw?” Lionblaze sat down beside the wall. The abandoned Twoleg nest loomed above them, stark against the leafless forest.

“I didn’t want to scare her.” Jayfeather patted earth around his precious catmint, shoring up its delicate stems against the snow he knew would come too soon.

“She’s got to know sometime,” Lionblaze pointed out.

But not yet.

Jayfeather stiffened.

Pawsteps.

He lifted his muzzle and tasted the air.

Lionblaze jerked around. “What is it?” His pelt was pricking. “Oh, it’s just Sandstorm’s patrol.”

Bushes swished as Sandstorm and Cloudtail raced through the trees nearby. Squirrelflight and Spiderleg pelted after them.

“So what did you want to know?” Lionblaze swished his tail over the cold earth.

“Have you had any dreams about Tigerstar lately?”

“None.”

Jayfeather sighed.

“What’s on your mind?” Lionblaze kneaded the earth.

“He’s not just going to give up, is he?” Jayfeather sniffed at a patch of borage that he’d discovered growing wild beside the Twoleg wall. “Help me with this.” The biggest leaves had withered, but he could scent new shoots near the base that he wanted to collect. They were good for treating fever. He parted the dying stems so that Lionblaze could see the young growth. “Can you pick those?” he asked, holding back the foliage.

“Okay.” Lionblaze began to pluck out the shoots, making the air sharp with the scent of sap.

“So?” Lionblaze prompted. “Who do you think Tigerstar’s visiting?”

“Definitely Breezepelt. Why else would he attack me?”

Lionblaze plucked another pawful of shoots. He was quiet but Jayfeather could sense his mind turning. Finally he spoke.

“I thought I was special,” he murmured. “I thought that’s why he visited me. Because we were kin and he thought I’d make the best warrior.”

“You are special,” Jayfeather insisted.

“But Tigerstar never believed in the prophecy.”

“No.”

“And we were never really kin,” Lionblaze pointed out. “He knew all along that Brambleclaw wasn’t our father.”

“Yes.”

Lionblaze sat back on his haunches. “So why did he visit me?”

Jayfeather let go of the stems and they swished back together. “Even without kinship or the prophecy, you’re one of our strongest warriors,” he reasoned.

“Is that all he wants?” Lionblaze asked. “Strong warriors?”

“He clearly needs warriors to fight for him.” Jayfeather began to bank earth up around the broken stems to protect them. “He’s already using Breezepelt. And remember the ghost warrior who fought with Breezepelt? Tigerstar must have found allies in the Dark Forest.”

“Allies?” Lionblaze growled.

“Not all cats go to StarClan,” Jayfeather reminded him. “But why is he doing this now?”

“He hates Firestar. All the Clans know it. What could be better than raising a force against him when he’s least expecting it?”

“I suppose.”