Night Whispers

“Lionheart!” Bluestar called. There was relief in her voice as she saw her old friend lead Mudfur and Oakheart down the slope.

“What’s going on?” Lionheart stopped beside Bluestar.

“We know the Dark Forest was behind the battle between ShadowClan and ThunderClan,” Bluestar told him.

“ThunderClan started it!” Fernshade growled.

“The cats from the Dark Forest started it!” Bluestar reminded them. She glanced at Yellowfang. “Not just Brokenstar. Tigerstar and Hawkfrost, too.”

Oakheart narrowed his eyes. “Do we know who they’re training?” His slick RiverClan pelt was starred with beads of rain.

Yellowfang showed her cracked and stained teeth. “Brokenstar will claim any soul he can reach.”

“What if they recruit a Clan leader?” Fernshade growled.

Mudfur, the old WindClan medicine cat, shook his head. “We can no longer trust any cat.”

“Or Clan,” Sagewhisker muttered darkly.

Mudfur stiffened and tasted the air, ears pricking. “Who’s there? Mudclaw? We weren’t expecting to see you here.”

The cats turned to watch the WindClan warrior hurry down the slope. “I came as soon as I heard. What’s the plan? How are we going to deal with the Dark Forest cats?”

Grass ripped beneath Bluestar’s paws as she unsheathed her claws. “We must persuade the Clans to join forces and fight this threat together.”

Sagewhisker flattened her ears. “How will they know who to fight?”

“Why don’t the Dark Forest warriors just come and fight us, if they’re so hungry for a battle?” Fernshade snarled.

Lionheart stared over the rippling grass. “Because that would be too easy. They know they’ll hurt us much worse if they attack the Clans we left behind.”

“Is there no other way to defeat them?” Oakheart fixed his questioning gaze on Bluestar.

She froze for a moment as though she were scanning his thoughts. Then she blinked. “Tigerstar has only ever understood violence.”

Oakheart looked away.

“That’s all any Dark Forest cat understands,” Bluestar pressed. “If we try to reason with them, they will see it as weakness.”

Sagewhisker snorted. “Just as long as no one’s blaming ShadowClan for Brokenstar.” She glanced at Yellowfang.

“As far as I can see, it’s ShadowClan who’s suffered most this time,” Fernshade added.

Thunder cracked overhead.

Sagewhisker nudged Fernshade. “You’d better fetch Russetfur.”

As she spoke, the skies opened. Rain pelted the glade, and the cats scattered, racing for the shelter of the trees.

“Fernshade!” Yellowfang called after the tortoiseshell warrior.

Fernshade skidded to a stop and glanced back. “What?”

Rain blurred Yellowfang’s gaze. “Have a safe journey.” Her voice cracked. “And tell Russetfur that I’m sorry.”

Chapter 1

A yowl sliced through the shriek of battle, sharp with grief more than rage.

Dovepaw ducked out of Toadfoot’s way and spun around.

Firestar!

The ThunderClan leader was being dragged away across the battle-crowded clearing. The grass glistened crimson behind him. Birchfall sank his teeth farther into Firestar’s scruff and heaved him over Spiderleg’s shoulders, then helped to carry him away into the trees.

Horror pulsed through Dovepaw. Around her, the fighting was shuddering to a stop as cats sheathed their claws and stared in bewilderment. Firestar’s deputy, Brambleclaw, his broad shoulders wet with blood, padded toward Blackstar. The ShadowClan leader didn’t look up. His head was bent over a dark ginger pelt.

Brambleclaw dipped his head. “The battle is won,” he growled. “The clearing is ours. Do you concede or shall we fight for it again?”

Blackstar flashed a look of burning hatred over his shoulder. “Take it,” he hissed. “It was never worth the blood that has been spilled here today.”

As Brambleclaw backed away, Dovepaw recognized the ginger pelt.

Russetfur! Is she dead?

The ShadowClan deputy lay unmoving, apart from the blood that trickled from her lips. Her Clanmates began to step carefully past the ThunderClan warriors and head for the pines. Scorchfur, Tigerheart, and Rowanclaw stopped beside their leader. While Scorchfur nudged Blackstar to his paws and guided him gently into the trees, Tigerheart grabbed Russetfur’s pelt and slowly, gently, heaved her onto Rowanclaw’s shoulders. Then in silence they followed their battered Clanmates into the mist-wrapped trees.

Dovepaw stared after them, the energy draining from her as she saw Tigerheart’s tail snake into the shadows. She looked around for Ivypaw. Her sister was helping Blossomfall limp toward the forest.

“Come on, Blossomfall,” Ivypaw was murmuring to her Clanmate. “Jayfeather’ll fix you up.” There was no hint of their past quarrels in her mew.

Squirrelflight was checking Leafpool’s wounds, while Leafpool scanned the battlefield, her eyes round with worry. “Lionblaze is okay,” Squirrelflight reassured her sister.

Brightheart lay panting on the grass, her one good eye so wide that a circle of white showed around the blue.

Cloudtail nudged her with his muzzle. “Come on, you’ll feel better once you start moving,” he urged.