The Forgotten Warrior

But though he tried to sound confident, inwardly he wasn’t so sure. Anxiety bubbled up inside him. If Dovewing loses her power, does that mean the prophecy is reduced to two?

Chapter 5

“Hi, Jayfeather.” Sandstorm’s voice came from the entrance to the medicine cat’s den. “We’ve got some cobwebs for you.”

Jayfeather turned, picking up the scent of cobwebs, and faintly beneath it the scent of Cherrypaw and Molepaw. It had been a quarter moon since their apprentice ceremony, and he had to admit they were settling well into their duties.

As the two young cats bounced into the den there was a splutter of laughter from Briarlight.

“Oh, Jayfeather, I wish you could see these two. They’re walking cobwebs—it’s stuck all over them from nose to tail!”

“We found lots,” Molepaw announced proudly. “Sandstorm lifted up a log for us.”

“I’d better untangle them,” Briarlight went on. “Come here, both of you, and watch out for that pile of burdock root.”

Jayfeather heard the patter of paws as the two apprentices padded across the den, and the sound of Briarlight dragging herself over the ground to meet them.

“Do your legs hurt?” Cherrypaw mewed. “Is it tough, not being able to move them?”

“Yes, it’s tough,” Briarlight replied calmly. “But I’m used to it. And it doesn’t hurt.”

“Bumblestripe says you’re the bravest cat in the Clan,” Molepaw told her.

Jayfeather could feel Briarlight’s embarrassment. “I don’t know about that,” she murmured. “Now keep still so I can get this cobweb off your fur.”

Jayfeather squeezed past the kits and joined Sandstorm in the clearing. “Thanks for taking them out,” he mewed. “Those cobwebs will come in handy.”

“No problem,” Sandstorm responded. After a moment she added, “It seems like you’re overworked. Maybe you should think about taking an apprentice sometime soon.”

I’m planning to be around for a while yet, Jayfeather thought. “Briarlight is being very useful,” he meowed out loud.

To his relief, Sandstorm didn’t push it. “I’ll see you later,” she murmured.

“Could you find Sorreltail for me?” Jayfeather called after her. “Tell her I’d like to see her.”

“Sure.” Sandstorm padded off.

Jayfeather was turning back toward the den when the scent of more approaching cats drifted over him. He halted as the sound of their pawsteps grew louder.

Brightheart… Foxleap… Rosepetal… What do they want?

“Have you come to pick up your apprentices?” he asked. “They’re inside, being untangled.”

“Yes, we’re going out for a training session,” Rosepetal replied. “Brightheart is going to teach them some of her battle moves.”

“Firestar wants every apprentice to learn them.” Brightheart’s voice was full of quiet pride. “That way, if they injure their eye in a battle, or they have to fight at night when it’s hard to see, they’ll know what to do.”

The scamper of paws told Jayfeather that Molepaw and Cherrypaw had appeared from the den.

“Are we training now?” Molepaw mewed eagerly. “We collected masses of cobwebs.”

“Yes,” Brightheart told him. “You’re training with me today. I’m going to teach you some moves that none of the other Clans know about.”

“Cool!” Cherrypaw exclaimed.

“You’ll need to have your wits about you,” Brightheart warned. “We’re going to the slope above the hollow, and the brambles are very thick there.”

“Great! Let’s go!” Molepaw squeaked.

Jayfeather listened as they moved away, enjoying the sunshine soaking into his fur, and the cool breeze that kept the air fresh. Around him the camp was humming with activity. A hunting patrol had just left, passing Thornclaw at the entrance as he returned with a border patrol. Jayfeather padded over when Brambleclaw emerged from the warriors’ den to hear Thornclaw’s report.

“WindClan seems very jumpy at the moment,” Thornclaw meowed.

“So what else is new?” Jayfeather could picture Brambleclaw rolling his eyes.

“More jumpy than usual, I mean,” Thornclaw went on. “We met a WindClan patrol on the border, and they were convinced they’d seen one of our cats crossing into their territory.”

“Oh?” Brambleclaw’s voice grew sharper. “Did they say which cat?”

“No, they didn’t get a good look. So I told them no way was it a ThunderClan warrior. It must have been a loner—if there was a cat there at all.”

“Hmm…” Jayfeather could tell that Brambleclaw was thinking hard. “Did they believe you?”

“I have no idea,” Thornclaw admitted. “Those cats jump at their own shadows! But Sedgewhisker was leading the patrol, and she’s a decent cat, so maybe they did.”

“We’d better tell Firestar,” Brambleclaw decided. “If WindClan starts throwing accusations around, he’ll need to know. Come with me, Thornclaw.”

The two cats padded off toward the tumbled rocks, and Jayfeather headed back to his den. Sorreltail was waiting for him at the entrance.

“Hi, Jayfeather. Sandstorm said you wanted to see me.”