Night Whispers

“How in the name of StarClan did she end up there?” Jayfeather sounded more annoyed than worried. He headed toward the rock tumble. “Let’s tell Firestar before the whole Clan starts to panic.”

Dovepaw followed him up the stones. Say as little as you can, she reminded herself. You mustn’t give anything away.

“In the ShadowClan camp?” Firestar blinked with surprise when Jayfeather told him. He turned his sharp gaze on Dovepaw. “How long has she been there?”

Dovepaw stared at him innocently. “She was in camp last night when we went to our nests, but she was gone this morning.”

“Do you think she went there herself?”

“She may have gone to the border,” Dovepaw ventured. “Perhaps they caught her there?”

“What would she be doing on the ShadowClan border?” Firestar shook his head as though he had a tick in his ear. “I can’t think of anywhere more dangerous since the battle.”

Dovepaw dropped her gaze, her pelt burning. “I—I don’t know.”

Jayfeather leaned closer to the ThunderClan leader. “Perhaps you should call off the search.”

Firestar ducked out of the den. Dovepaw trailed after him. “We believe that Ivypaw has been taken prisoner by ShadowClan,” he called down to the clearing.

Dovepaw flinched as her Clanmates stared in shock at the ThunderClan leader.

“How do you know?” Mousefur growled, padding to the center of the clearing.

Firestar shifted his paws. “She was last seen on the ShadowClan border.” He couldn’t reveal any more without giving away Dovepaw’s powers.

Thornclaw padded past Mousefur. “We should send a patrol to rescue her!”

“I want to go!” Whitewing insisted.

Thornclaw flexed his claws. “I’ll lead it.”

“We should leave now!” Birchfall yowled.

Firestar flicked his tail. “We must stay calm.”

“We can’t just leave her there!” Whitewing hissed.

“A small patrol should go and see if it’s true,” Firestar reasoned. “If it is, they can ask for her return.”

Birchfall bristled. “Ask?”

Firestar nodded. “We can’t fight them in their own camp,” he pointed out. “There are elders and kits there.”

Mousefur twitched one ear. “Don’t forget, they have Ivypaw. They might harm her if we attack.”

Firestar sat down and wrapped his tail over his paws. “Brambleclaw!” he called. “Take Brackenfur, Cloudtail, and Dovepaw.”

Dovepaw curled her claws into her pads. She wanted to stay out of this. She wanted to pretend it wasn’t happening.

Whitewing darted forward. “I want to go with them!”

Firestar shook his head. “Brambleclaw can handle it,” he meowed. “He’ll bring Ivypaw back safely.” Whitewing turned away, growling. Firestar glanced at Dovepaw. “Off you go.”

She scrambled down the rock tumble and joined Brambleclaw, Cloudtail, and Brackenfur as they headed out of camp. “What was she doing on the border at night?” Cloudtail wondered as they headed through the trees toward ShadowClan territory.

“Surely she’s not a traitor?” Brackenfur murmured.

Never! Guilt shot through Dovepaw. It was her fault that Brackenfur doubted Ivypaw’s loyalty.

“It wouldn’t be the first time a cat has met secretly with a warrior from another Clan.” Brambleclaw’s eyes were dark, fixed on the trail.

It’s all because of me! Don’t blame her!

At the border, Brambleclaw sat down. Cloudtail stared at him. “Aren’t we going to the camp?”

“We’ll wait for a patrol,” Brambleclaw answered.

Cloudtail snorted.

“We don’t know for sure they have her,” Brackenfur pointed out.

Cloudtail began to pace the scent line. “It’s just the sort of trick ShadowClan would pull.”

Dovepaw pricked her ears. Paw steps were crunching through the snow. ShadowClan was awake and patrolling. She waited, listening over the pounding of her heart, until the paw steps came near enough for her to announce without suspicion, “I can hear something!”

Brambleclaw stood up and faced the border, fur smooth, gaze steady. Rowanclaw, Shrewfoot, and Crowfrost wove through the bushes toward them. Dovepaw forced herself to stop trembling. It’s going to be okay. She spotted Tigerheart as he slid out from behind his Clanmates. She looked down at her paws, frightened to catch his eye in case she gave her feelings away.

“Come to fetch something you’ve lost?” Crowfrost snarled across the scent line.

Cloudtail bristled. “Then you admit you’ve taken her!”

Shrewfoot glared at the white warrior. “Tigerheart found her wandering on our territory.”

Brambleclaw blinked. “Is she safe?”

Crowfrost hesitated. Dovepaw groped desperately for some sound from her sister in the ShadowClan camp.

“We haven’t hurt her,” Crowfrost murmured.

Rowanclaw and Shrewfoot exchanged glances.

“May we escort her home?” Brambleclaw addressed the ShadowClan deputy.

“Why’s he being so polite?” Cloudtail breathed into Brackenfur’s ear.

Brambleclaw flicked his tail. “You don’t want an extra mouth to feed,” he meowed to Rowanclaw.

Rowanclaw nodded. “True, but we don’t want ThunderClan apprentices wandering across our borders either.”