Sign Of The Moon

For a heartbeat Ivypool didn’t understand him; then she felt as though she had fallen into an icy stream. “You—you died?” she gasped.

Antpelt shrugged. “You can see it that way if you want.”

“Did you choose to come here?” Ivypool asked, trying to keep the shock out of her voice. I liked Antpelt! He doesn’t belong with these evil cats.

“These are my Clanmates, more than WindClan ever was,” Antpelt told her with a trace of regret in his voice. “Where else would I go?”

Ivypool couldn’t answer that question. “I’m sorry you died,” she mewed awkwardly.

“This is where I want to be,” Antpelt responded with another shrug.

“Ivypool, come here!”

Almost relieved to hear Hawkfrost calling her, Ivypool dipped her head to the WindClan warrior and ran across the clearing to Hawkfrost. A RiverClan apprentice was standing beside him, looking wide-eyed and anxious.

“This is Hollowpaw,” Hawkfrost told her. “He’s new. Teach him a move or two, will you?”

“Sure,” Ivypool replied. She was pleased that Hawkfrost didn’t stay to watch, but padded across the clearing to where Tigerheart and Sunstrike were beginning a practice bout.

“Hi, Hollowpaw,” she meowed. “Is this your first visit?”

“Second.” Hollowpaw squeaked out the word like a kit, and cleared his throat. “I came here in a dream, and talked to Hawkfrost,” he added. “I told him how the other apprentices were bullying me, and he said he’d teach me how to stand up to them.”

“Oh, yes, we can do that,” Ivypool promised, her heart aching for the nervous apprentice. He doesn’t know what he’s getting into, but neither did I. Still, she thought, teaching him some good fighting techniques won’t do him any harm.

Hollowpaw brightened up as she spoke. “Great! Troutstream and Mossypaw will get a major surprise! Troutstream is even more of a pain in the butt since he was made a warrior,” he added.

“For now, you’d better keep your claws sheathed,” Ivypool advised, hoping that Hawkfrost and Brokenstar wouldn’t notice. I’ve been in enough trouble for one night. “Okay,” she continued briskly, “I’m a fox coming to attack the RiverClan camp. What are you going to do?”

In response, Hollowpaw flung himself at her, his teeth bared in a snarl and his paws outstretched, leaving himself completely open to attack. Ivypool sidestepped, hooked his paws out from under him, and pinned him to the ground with one paw on his shoulder and another on his belly. Hollowpaw squirmed helplessly underneath her.

Great StarClan! What do they teach them in RiverClan?

Aloud, she mewed, “And now I’m a fox that’s going to carry you off to my den and eat you.” She released the apprentice, who scrambled to his paws and stood with his head bowed, front claws scraping the ground in his embarrassment.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

“Don’t be.” Ivypool glanced over her shoulder to make sure that Hawkfrost and Brokenstar were still out of earshot. “You’re here to learn, after all. Now you be the fox, and I’ll show you what you should have done.”

She taught Hollowpaw a fairly basic move, showing him how to dart in, rake the enemy with his claws, and dart out of range again. “Remember that a fox or—StarClan forbid—a badger is much bigger and heavier than you are. Brute strength won’t get you anywhere. You have to be fast and clever. Try it.”

Hollowpaw sprang at her with an eager look in his eyes, lashed at her side with a sheathed paw, and bounced away again. “Like that?”

“Very good. Again.”

While the apprentice practiced, Ivypool shot another glance at Brokenstar and Hawkfrost. They had split up and were padding around the clearing, watching the other practice bouts. Just don’t come over here, okay?

She had called a halt, and was starting to explain another move to Hollowpaw, when she heard Hawkfrost’s voice. “Ivypool!”

Oh, no!

But when Ivypool spun around, the tabby warrior was beckoning all the training cats into the center of the clearing. Ivypool heaved a sigh of relief as she realized that the session was over.

“You’ve all done well,” Hawkfrost meowed when the cats were gathered around him. “Especially you, Blossomfall,” he added, giving the new ThunderClan recruit an approving nod. “That leap-and-twist is coming on nicely.”

Blossomfall’s eyes shone with pride. “Thanks, Hawkfrost,” she mewed, ducking her head to the Dark Forest warrior.

“I think you’re going to fit in here really well,” Hawkfrost told her.

With a sinking heart, Ivypool let her gaze travel around the circle of lean, muscled, battle-hungry warriors. Oh, StarClan help us, she thought. The Dark Forest is trying to recruit an army of loyal warriors from inside all the Clans—and they’re succeeding!

Chapter 11

Dovewing halted, her gaze going up and up. She thought that the stretch of snow-covered slopes and jagged rocks would never come to an end, but finally she saw the topmost peaks crisply outlined against a pale blue sky. Clouds drifted around the summit.

“I don’t believe it!” she breathed.

“It’s just…just awesome!” Foxleap’s voice was the squeak of a startled kit.