Outcast

Squirrelflight went first, placing her paws precisely in a straight line, her fur brushing the rock wall. Jaypaw followed, and Lionpaw fell in behind him, ready to grab his brother if he slipped.

The water pounded past, filling his ears with thunder and loading his pelt with icy drops. Lionpaw was sure that it would snatch him up and toss him into the pool below. In the faint light of evening he could scarcely make out Jaypaw’s black fur against the wet rock. The moist air damped down the scents of his companions; he could have been alone, pacing into the darkness beneath the earth, never to return.

“This is it,” he heard Jaypaw murmur. “This is where we’re supposed to be.”

Lionpaw wasn’t sure what he meant—he’d never been more convinced that he belonged under trees with grass beneath his paws. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the gaping hole and found himself at the entrance to a cave. Faint watery light filtered through the waterfall behind him, revealing steep rock walls that soared up on either side, vanishing into shadows.

Blinking, Lionpaw padded forward. As he left the narrow entrance behind, the thunder of the waterfall faded.

Hollypaw and Jaypaw paced beside him, Hollypaw gazing around in astonishment, while Jaypaw quivered with tension.

Brambleclaw, Talon, and Squirrelflight were already standing farther into the cave. Around them were groups of the Tribe cats, wiry gray-brown shapes that crouched, staring, as if they hardly dared come forward to greet the newcomers.

All of them looked thin and anxious.

Don’t worry, Lionpaw thought. Everything will be okay, now that we’re here.

Then a brown tabby tom appeared from the shadows at the back of the cave. He was stick-thin, as if his pelt were stretched over his bare bones, and his muzzle was grizzled with age. His amber eyes glowed in the faint light.

Brambleclaw dipped his head respectfully. “Greetings, Stoneteller.”

Lionpaw’s paws worked impatiently against the hard floor of the cave as he waited for the old cat to welcome them.

They needed to start planning right away to get rid of the intruders.

Stoneteller halted, his amber gaze raking across the newcomers. The thin fur on his neck and shoulders began to bristle.

“How dare you come here?” he snarled.

Chapter 21

Lionpaw stared in disbelief. Stoneteller didn’t want them here? Was he completely mouse-brained?

The Tribe’s leader whipped around to face Talon and Night. “What have you done?” he spat.

Lionpaw saw Talon swallow. “We… we went to find the Clans,” he stammered, one paw raking nervously at the cave floor. “We’ve brought help…”

“We thought it was best,” Night added.

“You thought wrong!” Stoneteller’s voice was soft, vibrating with fury. “You abandoned your Tribemates when we needed you to hunt for food. You told the Clans of our weakness. And you have brought all these extra mouths to feed. How dare you set paw in our cave? None of you is welcome here.”

Stormfur and Brook, who had followed Lionpaw and the other apprentices into the cave, padded forward until they stood in front of Stoneteller. The old cat’s eyes narrowed.

“You are dead!”

Stormfur didn’t flinch. “No, we are not. And we are still loyal to the Tribe of Rushing Water, whatever you might think.”

“We have to help you,” Brook pleaded.

But Stoneteller’s eyes were cold as the stone around him.

“I banished you from the mountains with good reason. Do you think I did it lightly? No. But our ancestors willed it so.”

“Then our ancestors were wrong.” Brook’s amber eyes glowed. “The Tribe is suffering even more than when we left.

The trespassers are even more arrogant. We met a group of them on our way here. They behaved as if the mountains were their territory and they could drive us off if they wanted.”

“We have come to help,” Stormfur insisted. “You need us.”

“Need you!” Stoneteller echoed scornfully. “What do you think you can do? Too many lives have been lost already, too much blood spilled—and that was your doing. You told us we needed a show of strength to defend our territory, but it didn’t work.”

“But there was no territory,” Brambleclaw pointed out, taking a pace forward to stand beside Stormfur. “You need to mark your borders.”

“We have never done that!” Stoneteller snapped. “That is not the way of the Tribe, and Stormfur knows it.”

Stormfur bowed his head. Lionpaw exchanged a glance with Hollypaw, seeing his own anger reflected in his sister’s eyes. How stupid could this old cat be, not only to banish Stormfur from the Tribe but then to refuse the help he offered when he came back?

“Stormfur did what he thought was best,” Squirrelflight broke in, her green gaze sparkling with annoyance. “So did Talon and Night. There’s nothing to be ashamed of in asking for help. Or would you rather let the Tribe die because you were too proud?”