Outcast

Hollypaw and Honeypaw exchanged one scared glance and pelted back through the forest toward the camp. Fear made Hollypaw’s fur stand on end, and her heart thudded with more than the speed of her running.

“Firestar!” she yowled as she thrust her way through the thorn tunnel. “Firestar, come quickly!”

As Hollypaw skidded to a stop beneath the Highledge, she spotted Mousefur jerk awake from her place outside the elders’ den and leap to her paws, tail lashing. Cloudtail erupted from the warriors’ den, his fur bristling and his claws scraping the ground. Behind him, Brightheart and Sorreltail popped their heads through the branches, eyes wide with alarm. Daisy swept her tail protectively around her two tiny kits, who were playing in a patch of sunlight near the nursery, and herded them back inside.

Firestar emerged from his den on the Highledge. “What’s going on?” he demanded.

“Strange cats…” Hollypaw gasped, still trying to catch her breath.

“Near the WindClan border,” Honeypaw added.

“Brambleclaw said—” Hollypaw whirled around as yowling broke out behind her. More cats were tumbling through the thorn tunnel into the camp: Graystripe was in the lead, with Birchfall and Whitewing just behind.

But that wasn’t what made Hollypaw arch her back while every hair on her pelt rose and tingled. With the three ThunderClan cats were two others that she didn’t recognize: a massive dark brown tabby tom and a pure black she-cat, who was smaller and skinnier than the cats of ThunderClan.

Graystripe and the two younger warriors stood close around them, not allowing them any farther into the camp. As the she-cat opened her jaws to speak, Graystripe silenced her with a threatening hiss.

Hollypaw flexed her claws and let her tail tip flick to and fro. The scent coming from the two strange cats was the same one she had picked up near the WindClan border. The scent of intruders!

Chapter 8

Jaypaw stiffened at the sound of screeching from the entrance to the camp. He paused with one paw raised, a stem of watermint still snagged in his claws. “What’s that?” he meowed.

Leafpool didn’t reply. Thornclaw had come to see her, complaining about bellyache, and Jaypaw guessed she wouldn’t notice a whole herd of badgers trampling through the stone hollow until she had finished treating her patient.

“Jaypaw, where’s that watermint?” she called.

“Here.” Jaypaw grabbed up more of the stems and thrust them at his mentor as he darted past the bramble screen and into the main clearing. He could hear the rustling of leaves as warriors came out of their den and the swift pattering of paws as apprentices bounded up to see what was going on.

Whispers of alarm came from every corner of the clearing, and from beneath the Highledge, Jaypaw detected powerful fear-scent from Hollypaw and Honeypaw.

Graystripe was speaking, his voice raised in a fierce growl.

“Not another paw step, until you tell us what you’re doing on our territory.”

Jaypaw’s fur began to bristle as he picked up the scent of two strange cats. It seemed as if Graystripe and his patrol had caught a couple of rogues trespassing on ThunderClan territory. Jaypaw tasted the air carefully. The scent was strong, but with a bitter tinge that seemed familiar, though he couldn’t remember where he had smelled it before.

Concentrating fiercely, Jaypaw tried to pull the newcomers’ feelings into himself as if he was drawing in their scent.

He could sense fear, suspicion, and an overwhelming desperation. It had been difficult for them to come here, yet they’d had no choice.

They need something from ThunderClan!

Before any cat spoke, there was the sound of more cats approaching through the tunnel. It was Stormfur and Brook, with fresh-kill in their jaws.

“Talon! Night!” Brook exclaimed, dropping the vole.

“What are you doing here?”

Cloudtail spoke first, his voice sharp with suspicion. “You mean you know these cats?”

“Firestar, these are the cats we scented near the WindClan border,” Hollypaw broke in, before either of the strangers could reply. “Brambleclaw sent us to warn you about intruders.”

“They’re not intruders.” Leafpool spoke calmly as she emerged from her den, her pelt brushing Jaypaw’s. “They come from the Tribe of Rushing Water.”

Firestar bounded down the rocks that led to his den. “Of course! It’s Talon of Swooping Eagle, isn’t it, and Night of No Stars?”

“That’s right,” a quiet, accented voice replied.

Jaypaw sensed the tension in the clearing begin to relax.

He could make out a few murmurs of recognition coming from the older ThunderClan cats, the ones who had made the Great Journey and stayed with the Tribe of Rushing Water in the mountains.

“I knew I’d seen that black she-cat somewhere before,” Dustpelt muttered.

“I wonder what they want?” Sorreltail asked; she sounded puzzled rather than hostile.

“I suppose we’ll soon find out,” Brackenfur replied. “It must be important, for them to come all this way.”