Night Whispers

Ivypaw jumped after him, gritting her teeth as her paw jarred on landing. “You should be glad I’m here. Jayfeather knows.” The words tumbled out of her mouth. She hadn’t planned to tell, but she couldn’t keep it to herself any longer.

Hawkfrost turned his head. “Knows what?”

“That I come here,” Ivypaw confessed. “Dovepaw told me.”

“So she knows, too.” Hawkfrost paused and stared at Ivypaw. “And?”

What does he want me to say? Ivypaw shrugged. “And… nothing.”

Hawkfrost nodded and set off again.

“After all, I’m not doing anything wrong, am I?” Ivypaw hurried to catch up. “They should be grateful I’m doing extra training. ThunderClan warriors don’t seem to care about fighting. I spent all day building dens.”

Hawkfrost’s pelt brushed the smooth bark of a tree. “You’re not doing anything wrong at all,” he told her. “Don’t you think I’d warn you if you were?”

He led her into a clearing, where a gray-and-black rock jutted from the earth like the hunched back of an ancient badger. Cats circled the stone, and Ivypaw recognized Antpelt and Tigerheart. Tigerheart nodded a greeting, but Ivypaw ignored him. She was too busy looking for other cats she knew. She had never seen so many Clan cats in the Dark Forest before. She spotted the sleek, dark gray pelt of the RiverClan she-cat Minnowtail, and farther along, Breezepelt paced beneath a lightning-blasted pine tree.

Ivypaw halted beside a small white tom. She shivered when she saw the long scar that parted his belly fur and curled over his shoulder to the tip of his ear like a bulging pink snake.

Hawkfrost introduced them. “This is Snowtuft.”

Ivypaw nodded shyly, trying not to stare at his scar.

“That’s Shredtail, and that’s Sparrowfeather.” Hawkfrost flicked his tail toward two more Dark Forest warriors. Shredtail’s dark tabby pelt was crisscrossed with old wounds, and Sparrowfeather, a small mottled she-cat, had a muzzle that looked as though it had been savaged by a dog. Ivypaw curled her claws and lifted her chin. She wasn’t going to let her new Clanmates know how nervous she was feeling.

“Thistleclaw!”

Hawkfrost’s greeting made Ivypaw jump. She’d heard nursery tales about Thistleclaw. He’d been Tigerstar’s mentor, and some cats said it was Thistleclaw who’d first taught Firestar’s old enemy the meaning of cruelty. She jerked around to see a large tom pad slowly into the clearing. Uneven patches of gray mottled his white face. His white shoulders rippled with strength, and he lashed his long gray tail.

“Good evening, Hawkfrost.” His sharp green eyes flashed at his Dark Forest ally. “Not many with us tonight.”

“Only the best,” Hawkfrost replied.

Thistleclaw slowly circled the rock. Ivypaw held her breath. What kind of training session would this be? She lifted the weight from her aching paw, hoping it would hold out.

“You.” Thistleclaw nodded to Shredtail. “Get on the rock.”

Shredtail scrambled up quickly and stood on the broad, smooth stone.

Thistleclaw’s green gaze glittered. “I want you to work together,” he ordered. “You’ve got to knock him from the rock without letting him strike a blow to your heads.” He stared at Shredtail. “Do you understand?”

Shredtail nodded.

Thistleclaw stepped back. “Begin.”

Sparrowfeather leaped first. She was small, but she was strong, and she unbalanced Shredtail momentarily with a savage blow to his face. Ivypaw bristled. Blood was welling on the warrior’s cheek. Were they supposed to train with unsheathed claws? She crouched down and launched herself at Shredtail, but she was knocked aside by Antpelt, who was making his own attack.

“I said work together!” Thistleclaw yowled. He clouted Antpelt’s ear. Ivypaw felt something hot spatter against her neck, and smelled the salty tang of blood. She deliberately didn’t look at Antpelt, didn’t want to see how he had been punished for getting in her way. Instead she darted around the rock to where Tigerheart was standing on hind paws, batting at Shredtail and ducking to keep his head from being battered in return. Ivypaw reared up beside him and joined in.

Shredtail was becoming frantic as cats swiped at him from every side. Whipping one way and then another, he tried to reach them with carefully aimed blows. Ivypaw ducked as he hooked a paw toward her, then reared as he turned to defend his back. She sprang forward and knocked him with both paws, delight rushing through her as she felt him stagger.

Got you!

But Shredtail spun and faced her, a snarl twitching on his lips. Ivypaw jerked backward as Shredtail slashed at her eyes with outstretched claws. He missed, but he was close enough for Ivypaw to feel her eyelashes shiver.