Outcast

Hollypaw let out a yowl. Her first pounce brought her to the spot where the vole had been; instantly she leaped again and trapped it between her front paws just before it slipped into the safety of a crack between two rocks. She killed it with one blow of her paw.

“Well done!” Brackenfur meowed.

A warm feeling of triumph flooded Hollypaw from ears to tail tip. She picked up her prey and turned back to her mentor.

“See what I said about your strong back legs?” Brook reminded her, touching Hollypaw’s shoulder with the tip of her tail. “That was a great leap!”

“I think that’s enough for one day,” Brackenfur added.

“Let’s carry the prey back to camp. The Clan will eat well tonight.”

As Hollypaw followed him back to the clearing, carrying her vole and the shrew, she kept casting sidelong glances at Brook. She must love Stormfur a lot to give up everything she knew and come with him to a strange place and a strange way of life.

Curiosity bit at her, sharp as a fox’s fangs. She wanted to visit the Tribe and see how cats lived when they knew right from the start what kind of life they would have and what their responsibilities would be.

But they’re so far away! Hollypaw let out a sigh. I don’t suppose I’ll ever travel as far as the mountains.

Chapter 5

Cool night air whispered through Jaypaw’s fur. Up above, he knew the half moon would be floating in a clear sky. His mentor, Leafpool, padded beside him, following the stream that divided WindClan’s territory from ThunderClan’s.

Jaypaw’s belly was churning with anticipation. Would Rock speak to him at the Moonpool? The thought that he might encounter only the cats of StarClan made his tail twitch with impatience. StarClan wasn’t important, after all.

They were only Clan cats who had moved on to a different place. The prophecy had said he would have the power of the stars in his paws. That must mean that he would be more powerful than StarClan, so why should he waste time walking with them in his dreams?

He needed to go further back, to find the ancient cats who had once gathered at the Moonpool. They must be the truly powerful cats, who would help him find his destiny.

It’s Lionpaw’s and Hollypaw’s destiny, too. Jaypaw did his best to ignore the small voice niggling at the back of his mind. His brother and sister would have to find their own source of power. He had been chosen to be a medicine cat, so this must be the right way for him alone.

“Leafpool, wait for us!”

The distant call came from WindClan territory. Leafpool halted, and Jaypaw waited by her side. Tasting the air, he picked up the scents of three cats: Barkface and Kestrelpaw, and Willowpaw, who must have met up with the WindClan cats on her way from RiverClan.

“Where’s Mothwing?” Leafpool asked anxiously as the other medicine cats caught up. “She’s not ill, is she?”

“No, she’s fine,” Willowpaw replied. “But Beechfur has an infected beesting, so Mothwing thought she’d better stay in camp and look after him.”

Huh! Jaypaw thought. And hedgehogs fly! He could guess why Mothwing wasn’t with her apprentice. The infected warrior was just an excuse. Mothwing didn’t have any connection with StarClan. She must have decided that she could get a good night’s sleep in her own den instead of trekking all the way up to the Moonpool to have it there.

“Hello, Jaypaw,” Willowpaw mewed. Her voice was cool and polite.

“Hi, Willowpaw.” Okay, I know you don’t like me. I’m not all that besotted with you, either.

“Hi, Jaypaw.” Kestrelpaw sounded more friendly. “How’s the prey running in ThunderClan?”

“Fine, thanks,” Jaypaw replied.

Before he had to think of anything else to say, he caught the strong ShadowClan scent of another cat bounding up behind them.

“I thought I’d missed you,” Littlecloud panted.

“We would have waited for you,” Leafpool mewed.

The cats set off for the Moonpool. Jaypaw felt Kestrelpaw padding along at his side. “Hey, Jaypaw,” he began, “what’s it like, being blind?”

Well, you can’t see, mouse-brain! Jaypaw felt his neck fur bristling at the stupid question. “Everything’s dark. But I can hear and scent okay, so that’s how I find my way around.”

“That’s really tough.”

The other apprentice’s sympathy made Jaypaw flex his claws. From the sound of his voice and the whisper of his paws on the moorland turf, he had a pretty good idea where Kestrelpaw’s ear was. How would you like it slashed, huh?

“I manage,” he retorted.

Quickening his pace, he caught up to Littlecloud; his paws itched to run on ahead but that would draw too much attention to the fact that he walked here in his dreams—when he could see. He couldn’t wait to get to the Moonpool.