Night Whispers

Lionblaze purred. The fat water vole Ivypaw had brought back had restored Mousefur’s spirits. He scooped up another pawful of leaves and walked gingerly over the branches to the back of the den.

“Is Lionblaze in here?” Brambleclaw had stuck his head through the entrance.

“I’m in back.” Lionblaze dropped his leaves, jumped down to the ground, and hurried to meet the ThunderClan deputy. “What is it?”

Brambleclaw was shuffling backward out of the den. “I want you to lead a hunting patrol.”

Lionblaze wiped his leaf-clogged claws in the snow. “Great. Where?”

“In the woods near the WindClan border.”

Mousefur’s head appeared in the den entrance. “What about the drafts?”

Brambleclaw dipped his head. “Birchfall and Toadstep can finish the job.”

Lionblaze narrowed his eyes. “Is it wise to hunt near the border?” he ventured. “WindClan has been touchy about it since they started hunting there themselves.”

Brambleclaw snorted. “That’s precisely why we should make our presence felt. They’ve chased prey across the scent line before. We don’t want them to make a habit of it.”

“I guess not.” Lionblaze saw the sense in what the deputy was suggesting.

“We’re not looking for trouble,” Brambleclaw went on. “But WindClan needs to know that ThunderClan is never far from the border line.”

Mousefur flexed her claws. “I don’t know why they couldn’t stick to hunting the moors like they did in the old days.” She turned and headed back into the warmth of the den, still grumbling. “WindClan hunting in woodland. What next? ShadowClan fishing in the lake?”

Brambleclaw waited for her to vanish inside. “Don’t look for trouble,” he told Lionblaze again. “But don’t hide from it either.”

Lionblaze fluffed out his pelt. “With any luck, we’ll catch a rabbit.” Rabbits sometimes strayed into the shelter of the forest when the weather hardened.

“A rabbit would be good.” Brambleclaw’s gaze strayed to the mouse and the scrawny robin that formed the fresh-kill pile. “Take Leafpool, Cinderheart, and Dovepaw,” he ordered.

Lionblaze’s heart sank. He’d been avoiding Cinderheart. Why had he told her his secret? Why had he believed she’d just accept it? Why couldn’t she just accept it? His tail twitched. I haven’t changed! I’ve always had this power. He glanced across the clearing. He knew Cinderheart was there, sharing tongues with Leafpool. He stiffened as she whispered in Leafpool’s ear. What if she told someone? Would she give his secret away?

No! Lionblaze pushed away the worry. Cinderheart hadn’t changed, either—he still trusted her. “Is Ivypaw coming?”

Brambleclaw shook his head. “Jayfeather says she’s still fighting the infection in her scratches. He wants her in camp till she’s recovered.”

Lionblaze headed toward Cinderheart and Leafpool. He called to Dovepaw as he passed the medicine den. She’d gone to keep Briarlight company. She nosed her way out of the brambles and ran to catch up to him. “What is it?” she asked breathlessly as he reached Cinderheart and Leafpool.

“We’re hunting beside the WindClan border.”

Leafpool got to her paws. “And checking WindClan hasn’t strayed over it, I presume?”

Cinderheart stretched, her pelt ruffled from washing. She twisted to smooth a clump of fur with her tongue.

“We may as well get going.” Lionblaze glanced at Leafpool, surprised to find that she met his gaze. She seemed more confident lately. She was quick to offer help to Jayfeather, unflinching whether he accepted or rejected her advice. And she was stronger on patrols, too, often the first to catch prey or to point out where a border scent had grown stale.

Lionblaze scowled. Was she a medicine cat or a warrior now? How should he treat her? He shifted his paws. Was she his mother or his mother’s sister? He knew she’d kitted him, but she hadn’t raised him. Squirrelflight had done that. At least she had when Clan duties hadn’t kept her from the nursery. He shrugged. Daisy and Ferncloud had so often been the queens to warm and wash him; they felt as much like his mother as Squirrelflight, and far more so than Leafpool.

“So?” Leafpool’s mew shook him from his thoughts. “Are we going or not?”

“We’re going.”

Dovepaw was yawning.

“Why are you so tired all the time?” Lionblaze flashed with irritation.

Dovepaw blinked at him. “Sorry.” She scampered away and followed Cinderheart out of the camp. As Leafpool headed after them, Lionblaze felt a pang of guilt. He shouldn’t have snapped at Dovepaw. She was young. Perhaps her power was too strong for her.

He followed his patrol out of the camp. The smell of the forest pushed away his worries. Fresh snow had smoothed the trails and bushes. The woods looked untouched, and he plunged ahead of his Clanmates, giving in to the kitlike urge to be the first to spoil the soft snow. Cinderheart, Leafpool, and Dovepaw followed him in silence, their paw steps muffled.