The Apprentice's Quest

MISTYSTAR—gray she-cat with blue eyes

DEPUTY

REEDWHISKER—black tom

MEDICINE CATS

MOTHWING—dappled golden she-cat

WILLOWSHINE—gray tabby she-cat

WARRIORS

MINTFUR—light gray tabby tom

DUSKFUR—brown tabby she-cat

APPRENTICE, SHADEPAW (dark brown she-cat)

MINNOWTAIL—dark gray she-cat

MALLOWNOSE—light brown tabby tom

PETALFUR—gray-and-white she-cat

BEETLEWHISKER—brown-and-white tabby tom

CURLFEATHER—pale brown she-cat

PODLIGHT—gray-and-white tom

HERONWING—dark gray-and-black tom

SHIMMERPELT—silver she-cat

LIZARDTAIL—light brown tom

APPRENTICE, FOXPAW (russet tabby tom)

HAVENPELT—black-and-white she-cat

PERCHWING—gray-and-white she-cat

SNEEZECLOUD—gray-and-white tom

BRACKENPELT—tortoiseshell she-cat

JAYCLAW—gray tom

OWLNOSE—brown tabby tom

QUEENS

LAKEHEART—gray tabby she-cat

ICEWING—white she-cat with blue eyes (mother to Nightkit and Breezekit)

ELDERS

MOSSPELT—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

Maps

Prologue

Jayfeather scrambled up the slope that led to the Moonpool, his paws skidding on the damp stones. A chill breeze ruffled his fur, and he shivered as his mother, Leafpool, hauled herself up the rocks to stand at his side.

“Greenleaf is almost over,” she said. “We’ll need to stock up on herbs while we still can. Catmint, especially.”

“Catmint!” Jayfeather’s tail-tip twitched impatiently. “You’re always meowing on about catmint. If you had your way, we’d fill our den with it and not leave room for anything else.”

Leafpool gave him a friendly shove. “We could do worse. You know how quickly whitecough can turn to greencough if it’s not treated properly. The elders—”

“Sandstorm, Graystripe, Millie, and Purdy are perfectly healthy,” Jayfeather interrupted. “Honestly, Leafpool, you coddle them too much. Besides, we have plenty of catmint growing by the old Twoleg nest. Enough even for you! So don’t expect me to go out gathering more.”

As he finished speaking, he heard the scuffling of paws farther down the slope. The powerful watery scent of RiverClan swept over him as Mothwing and Willowshine, the RiverClan medicine cats, climbed up to join them.

“We have plenty of catmint,” Mothwing announced mildly. “Just let us know if ThunderClan runs into problems.”

“Thanks, Mothwing,” Leafpool meowed, while Jayfeather bit back a sharp retort.

Like ThunderClan needs to rely on RiverClan for herbs!

“Let’s get moving,” he urged the other medicine cats. “Littlecloud and Kestrelflight are ahead of us. I can scent their trail.”

Taking the lead, Jayfeather bounded up the rest of the slope, sure-pawed in spite of his blindness, and pushed his way through the thick bushes that surrounded the hollow of the Moonpool. As he emerged, shaking his pelt, he could hear the splashing of the stream as it poured down the rocks, and he imagined the glitter of starshine on the surface of the water.

“Welcome!” Littlecloud, the ShadowClan medicine cat, called out from the water’s edge below. “Kestrelflight and I thought you were never coming.”

“Well, we’re here now,” Jayfeather responded.

He began to descend the spiral path that led to the pool, his paws slipping easily into the prints left by the cats who used to live by the lake countless seasons before.

“So long ago… ,” he whispered to himself, struggling with bittersweet memories of the time he had walked the same path with those ancient cats. The time he had set their paws on the journey that led them to the mountains. The time I shared tongues with Half Moon…

Forcing himself back to the present, he joined Littlecloud and Kestrelflight beside the pool and waited for Leafpool, Mothwing, and Willowshine to pad down the path in turn. Then he settled himself at the water’s edge. He could hear the other medicine cats doing the same, spaced out along the bank.

Even Mothwing, he thought, wondering once again how she could be a medicine cat when she didn’t believe in StarClan. All she’s going to get out of this is a nice, peaceful nap!

Gradually the sound of cats shifting around faded, leaving only the endless cascade of falling water. Beneath the torrent Jayfeather’s acute hearing picked up the sound of Littlecloud’s breathing. There was a faint rasp in it, and now and then a hitch that reminded Jayfeather uncomfortably of how old the ShadowClan medicine cat was getting.

He hasn’t taken an apprentice since Flametail’s death, Jayfeather reminded himself with a frown. ShadowClan is crawling with young cats. Surely one of them must be suitable?