Sunrise

Floss stepped forward, looking shy but friendly. “Would you like to stay with us for the rest of the day?”

“Good idea.” Smoky stepped back and waved his tail toward the inside of the horse nest. “It’s warm in here, and there are plenty of mice if you’re hungry.”

“Thanks, but no,” Brambleclaw replied. “We have to keep going.”

“We’re on the trail of a killer!” Hazeltail added.

Floss and Smoky exchanged an alarmed glance, their neck fur beginning to fluff up. “What—who did they kill?” Floss asked nervously.

“It’s a long story.” Brackenfur padded up, giving Smoky a calming touch on the shoulder with the tip of his tail. “And you don’t have to be frightened about anything. We just need to speak to a cat who may have seen what happened.”

Smoky relaxed, the fur on his neck and shoulders beginning to lie flat again. “What cat is this?” he asked.

“A white-and-brown tabby tom,” Brambleclaw replied, “with very long fur and pale yellow eyes.”

Floss caught her breath. “I saw a cat just like that! He was heading across the field, very early, a couple of sunrises ago.”

“Then we’re hard on his paws,” Brambleclaw purred. “Let’s go.”

Hazeltail padded up to her father and touched noses with him. “Good-bye,” she mewed. “I’ll come to see you on the way back.”

“Come any time,” Smoky told her. Hollyleaf could see how sad he was to let his daughter go so soon.

“I will!” Hazeltail promised.

As they headed across the field, following in Sol’s paw steps, Birchfall veered to pad beside Hollyleaf. “It must be weird to be halfClan,” he murmured, too quietly for Hazeltail to hear him. “Imagine never seeing your kin.”

Hollyleaf didn’t reply. It’s better than what I am, she thought bleakly. I’m nothing Clan!

CHAPTER 5

As the patrol crossed the next field, snow began to fall in soft feathery flakes that melted as soon as they touched the ground. Lionblaze sneezed as one landed upon his nose.

At the opposite side of the field they came to a wide stretch of whitish stone, with huge red nests at one side. The snow was heavier by now, and a wind had risen, whipping the flakes across the open expanse as they ventured onto the hard surface. Lionblaze padded along beside Hollyleaf, trying to protect her from the worst of the wind.

Suddenly a loud snorting sound came from one of the nests. Terror gripped Lionblaze’s limbs and he leaped forward, racing across the stone with the snow brushing his belly fur. Hollyleaf hurtled beside him, with Hazeltail on his other side.

The sound came again, followed by a yowl from Brackenfur. “It’s okay! It’s only horses!”

Only horses! Lionblaze’s flying paws propelled him onward as he imagined the gigantic creatures with their heavy feet that could break a cat’s spine with one blow. A Twoleg gate loomed up out of the swirling snow; he wriggled underneath it and bunched his muscles to leap forward again. Hollyleaf and Hazeltail were just behind him.

“No!” Brambleclaw screeched. “Stop! Thunderpath!”

Lionblaze slammed to a halt as yellow beams sliced through the flurries of snow. A monster with glaring eyes swept past, buffeting Lionblaze’s fur and soaking his paws with a wave of dirty snowmelt. He and his Clanmates shrank back; Lionblaze’s heart was pounding with fear as he waited for Birchfall, Brackenfur, and Brambleclaw to join them.

“You call yourselves warriors?” Brambleclaw’s voice was scathing. “That was pure panic. The horses were inside their nests. There was no danger until you decided to hurl yourselves into the path of a monster.”

“Sorry,” Lionblaze muttered. Searing shame swept over him, hot as a forest fire. Brambleclaw’s harsh words stung all the more painfully because he knew the deputy was right. They had acted like apprentices on their first venture out of the camp.

Hazeltail’s head was hanging in shame, and Hollyleaf had turned away, lifting each paw in turn to shake the dirty water off her fur. Lionblaze knew how much it meant to her to uphold the warrior code; she must be furious with herself for being spooked like that. And what about you? he demanded silently. The bravest warrior in ThunderClan, scared of a horse that isn’t even loose?

Brambleclaw let out a long sigh and relaxed. “All right. Let’s see about getting across here.”

Lionblaze heard the roar of another monster as the Clan deputy padded forward cautiously to the edge of the Thunderpath. The gleaming creature leaped past in a blaze of light; from the other direction, an even bigger monster came barreling along with a throaty growl, its round black paws as big as boulders.

How are we ever going to cross? We’ll be squashed flat!