Sunrise

Slipping between Sandstorm and Hazeltail, he padded to her side. “I have to tell you something,” he mewed softly.

Hollyleaf didn’t seem to hear him. “He escaped!” she hissed, her claws flexing in and out.

Lionblaze couldn’t tell if she sounded glad or sorry. He didn’t dare tell her what had really happened with so many of his Clanmates close by. “Where’s Jayfeather?” he asked.

Hollyleaf’s ears flicked. “How should I know?”

“I’ll find him,” Lionblaze meowed. “Go into the forest and meet us by the training clearing. Don’t argue!” he added as Hollyleaf opened her jaws. “Just do it. It’s important.”

His sister rolled her eyes, but she set off toward the camp entrance, staying in the shadows. Once he was sure she was on her way, Lionblaze headed for the medicine cats’ den, but before he reached it, Jayfeather emerged from the nursery. Lionblaze bounded over to him.

“What’s all the yowling about?” Jayfeather demanded.

“Sol has escaped.”

“Has he?” Jayfeather’s eyes stretched wide with surprise. Then the young medicine cat sniffed. “How convenient.”

“We have to talk,” Lionblaze muttered, glancing back to where his Clanmates were splitting up into patrols. “Come with me into the forest. We’re meeting Hollyleaf beside the training clearing.”

To his relief, Jayfeather didn’t argue. “I’ll tell Leafpool I’m going to look for yarrow. We’re running short, and Purdy’s pads are still giving him trouble.” He trotted off toward his den.

Lionblaze didn’t wait for him; it was best if all three of them left the camp separately. Hating the need for deception, he tagged on to the end of a patrol that was just leaving, with Sandstorm at its head. Once out in the forest he dropped back; in case any cat had spotted him he pretended to have picked up a thorn in his pad. As soon as the patrol had vanished, he raced for the training clearing.

Hollyleaf was crouched in the hollow under a tree root. “Well?” she demanded as Lionblaze approached.

“Let’s wait for Jayfeather.”

Not many heartbeats had passed before Lionblaze heard a rustling in the undergrowth and picked up his brother’s scent. Jayfeather shouldered his way out of the long grass and joined them.

“Now will you tell us what all this is about?” Hollyleaf meowed.

As briefly as he could, Lionblaze told them how he had managed to get into Sol’s den to talk with him, and how he had shown him the way up the cliff. “He’s gone to hide in the old Twoleg nest where he stayed before,” he finished. “We have to go there so he can tell us who our father is—”

“Have you got bees in your brain?” Hollyleaf growled with a lash of her tail. “You let a ThunderClan prisoner escape? That’s completely against the warrior code! What do you think Firestar will do if he ever finds out?”

“There’s no reason why he should find out,” Lionblaze replied steadily. “I thought you were the one who wanted to find out the truth about our father! Now we can. Are you coming with me or not?”

Jayfeather was looking uneasy, but he nodded. “We’ll come.” He nudged Hollyleaf. “There’s no sense in complaining about it. You know we’ve got no choice. We can’t live with only half the truth, and this looks like our only chance of finding out.”

The sun had risen above the treetops by the time they reached the end of ShadowClan territory and struck out into the unknown forest. It was so long since they had been there that Lionblaze wasn’t sure of the way, but Sol’s scent trail led them onward.

It looks as if he headed straight for the Twoleg nest. So maybe he does mean to keep his part of the deal.

Eventually the crumbling walls of the old Twoleg nest came into sight, hardly visible among tall clumps of seeding willow-herb, bracken, and thistles. Sol’s scent was strong and fresh. Lionblaze led the way up to the entrance and peered inside. Weeds sprouted through cracks in the stone floor, and cobwebs stretched across the corners.

“Sol?” he called. “Are you there?”

“Greetings.” The voice came from above Lionblaze’s head. He looked up to see Sol sitting on top of one of the walls, half-hidden by the branches of a holly bush stretching in from outside.

The loner rose to his paws and jumped down beside Lionblaze and his littermates. “Greetings,” he repeated. “I see you came—”

“We came to find out the truth!” Hollyleaf shouldered her way past Lionblaze. “Tell us what you know.”

Sol blinked. “It won’t help you, you know. As long as you’re part of the prophecy, why does it matter who your father is?”

“It matters,” Hollyleaf growled.

“Wait.” Lionblaze stepped forward to stand alongside his sister. “I agree with Sol. I’d like to know the truth about my father, but it’s the prophecy that’s important.”

“But we need to know,” Jayfeather argued. “One name, that’s all we want.”