Night Whispers

“That’s not true! You’re just jealous!” Dovepaw shrieked at her sister. She couldn’t believe these lies. “You’re jealous that I’m a better warrior than you. I always have been and I always will be, and you can’t stand it. And now you’re jealous that Tigerheart loves me and not you! You want to destroy everything I’ve got because you’re jealous. That’s all!”

Ivypaw’s eyes gleamed. “Really? Why not ask Tigerheart?”

“Shut up!” Dovepaw scrambled up the bank. “If you tell anyone that I’m seeing Tigerheart, then I’ll tell the whole Clan you’ve been training in the Dark Forest with Tigerstar, and then you’ll have no friends. Everyone will hate you as much as I do!” She pelted through the trees.

“You forgot your catch,” Ivypaw called after her.

“You take it!” Dovepaw yowled back. “Then your Clanmates might think you’ve done something right for a change!”

She raced on, blocking out the thoughts that whirled in her head. The ShadowClan scent line was close. Its smell bathed her tongue. Had Tigerheart really betrayed the Clans by the lake? She skidded to a halt and pricked her ears. Casting out her senses, she searched for Tigerheart.

She’d done it so often that it was easy to find him. She could hear his mew, hear his paws on the forest floor. She knew their sound—strong and certain. He was with Clanmates. She listened harder. Ratscar, Pinepaw, and Snowbird. Purrs rumbled in their throats as Pinepaw fell into a snowdrift with a soft thump.

They sounded happy. Dovepaw wished she were with them. She wished she were playing in the snow with Tigerheart, certain that he loved her. She wanted to be with him all the time.

Maybe she should join ShadowClan? The idea flashed wildly in Dovepaw’s mind, making her heart soar.

Don’t be stupid! I’m one of the Three. She couldn’t leave Jayfeather and Lionblaze to face the Dark Forest warriors alone. And deep down, she knew that she couldn’t leave Ivypaw. Pain pierced her heart like a thorn. She shouldn’t have said all those things. She’d been cruel. She’d made it sound like the Clan didn’t want her sister around.

Suddenly Dovepaw felt sick. What if Ivypaw decided to stay in the Dark Forest forever? She whirled around and raced for home. She’d apologize to Ivypaw. She’d tell her she’d been wrong.

But that wouldn’t be enough! Ivypaw would still keep visiting the Dark Forest. She didn’t understand she was being used. Dovepaw pushed harder against the frozen snow. Trees blurred beside her. Ice cracked beneath her paws.

What’s the use of all this power if I can’t keep my own sister safe?

Chapter 17

Flametail scraped snow hopefully from the roots of an old tree stump. He sighed as he uncovered leaves blackened by frost. Why wasn’t there a single herb that thrived in the season when sickness was most deadly? Littlecloud was already sick. The Clan was weakened by hunger. It was only a matter of time before whitecough threatened every den.

“Ow!” Pinepaw’s mew rang through the trees.

Tigerheart answered her. “That’s what you get for messing around.”

His brother’s hunting patrol was near. Flametail kept digging. “Mouse dung.” He cursed as he revealed more rotten leaves.

Tigerheart came bounding through the trees. “What’s up?”

Flametail shook snow from his paws. “I can’t find any fresh herbs,” he sighed. “Not even nettles.”

The rest of the patrol caught up. “Need help?” Ratscar offered.

“We’ve got time,” Snowbird explained. “The prey’s hiding, too.”

Pinepaw leaned over Flametail’s shoulder. “What are you doing?”

Flametail’s nose twitched. He smelled something green on the apprentice’s pelt. He twisted and sniffed harder.

“Do you mind?” Pinepaw ducked away. “I washed this morning!”

“Where’ve you been?” Flametail demanded.

Pinepaw jerked her head toward the trail they had left in the snow. “Near the larch.”

Tigerheart purred. “Pinepaw fell into a snow drift.”

“There were brambles underneath it,” Pinepaw complained. “I’ve got prickles in my fur.”

“Brambles beneath the snow?” Flametail felt his spirits soar. “That’s why I can smell fresh borage on your fur!”

Snowbird narrowed her eyes. “I think your littermate’s gone pigeon-brained,” she murmured to Tigerheart.

“Flametail knows what he’s doing.” Tigerheart flicked his tail at his brother. “Don’t you?”

“The brambles will have kept the snow off the borage leaves,” Flametail explained. “They won’t be frost-scorched.”

Ratscar padded forward. “I’ll show you where we were.”

But Flametail was already hurrying back along his Clanmates’ trail. “Don’t worry,” he called. “I can follow your paw prints.”

“You won’t have trouble finding where Pinepaw fell!” Tigerheart called after him. “The hole’s big enough to hide a hare.”