The Forgotten Warrior

Jayfeather moved to her side and touched his tail-tip to her shoulder. “Come,” he meowed. “It’s time to go home.”

Chapter 18

Ivypool opened her eyes in the Dark Forest to the sound of flying paw steps. She flinched backward to avoid a collision and found herself staring into Breezepelt’s amber eyes.

“Get out of my way, mange-pelt,” he snarled, and ran on.

Recovering her footing, Ivypool realized that she was surrounded by cats, all streaming past her, brushing through the undergrowth in the pale, sickly light. She recognized cats from all four Clans, seasoned warriors and young apprentices, as far as she could see through the dingy trees.

A call rang out in Brokentail’s rasping voice. “Let all cats old enough to kill their own enemies gather here!”

Ivypool gulped. That was a far more dreadful summons than she was used to hearing from a Clan leader. At the same moment Hollowflight rushed up to her.

“Come on!” the young warrior gasped. “Something’s happening!”

He dashed on through the trees with Ivypool hard on his paws, joining the mass of cats. They were all intent on reaching the same place, all running in silence with somber expressions.

Great StarClan! Ivypool thought. There are so many of us!

At last she burst out into the clearing with the heap of fallen trees where she had once fought Antpelt. The crowd of cats massed around the tree trunks; Brokenstar stood on the topmost trunk, with Mapleshade and Tigerstar and two or three other cats unknown to Ivypool, even fainter shadows than Mapleshade. She shivered at the hungry glitter in their eyes.

Hawkfrost was pacing at the foot of the heap, in the place a Clan deputy would take. Ivypool spotted Darkstripe, too, crawling up on his belly and gazing up at the leaders with adoration in his eyes.

Striding across to him, Hawkfrost thrust his muzzle into Darkstripe’s face. “Stay back with the others!” he hissed.

Darkstripe crept away, dragging his tail.

Ivypool looked around the clearing. She recognized Redwillow and Tigerheart from ShadowClan, and dropped her eyes quickly before Tigerheart noticed her watching him. Breezepelt had joined his Clanmate Sunstrike, and Hollowflight was pushing his way through the cats toward Icewing and Beetlewhisker.

Ivypool’s belly lurched when she saw Birchfall and Blossomfall standing at the edge of the crowd; they hadn’t spotted her. It still made her sick to think of her own father visiting the Dark Forest.

How can he stand here? And Blossomfall? she wondered. They aren’t evil! They must know what’s going to happen!

Brokenstar stepped forward and the murmur of voices in the clearing faded to silence. “You have trained well,” he told the gathered cats. “And now it is nearly time!”

Ivypool’s pelt tingled. He’s going to tell us exactly what he intends to do to the lake Clans! Once every cat finds out the truth, I bet they’ll rebel! Or at least not come back to the Dark Forest. She knew that most of the living cats there didn’t hate their Clans. They wouldn’t want to hurt their Clanmates. Will Brokenstar really tell the truth? Then the power of the Dark Forest will be destroyed…

“Soon you will have a chance to prove your skill, strength, and loyalty,” Brokenstar went on, his gaze raking the cats like claws. “Your Clanmates here will honor you, and so will your Clanmates beside the lake. You will prove yourselves to be the greatest warriors ever.”

Ivypool saw that the listening cats were nodding, their expressions proud and eager. She wanted to yowl, “No! Can’t you see? He’ll make you attack your own kin!”

But she knew that would be a big mistake. Brokenstar wouldn’t let me survive another two heartbeats. And then all these visits, all the information I have learned, would be for nothing.

She spotted Breezepelt, whose eyes were gleaming; she guessed that he knew exactly what was going on. He was digging his claws into the marshy ground, as if he were imagining ThunderClan cats beneath his paws. Ivypool’s tail-tip twitched in frustration as she realized that none of the cats around her were going to question Brokenstar. He hadn’t given them any real instructions, just vague promises of glory. Even the Dark Forest cats seemed willing just to wait for further orders.

“He’s not even telling us when this will be,” she muttered to herself.

Too late she realized that some of the cats nearby had heard her murmur, and were turning shocked gazes on her.