The Last Hope

“None of this is fair.” Cinderheart turned and headed for the slope. “We have to make the right choice. Lives depend on it.” She glanced back. “Are you coming?”

Lionblaze ignored her. The lake reflected his face, dark against the starry sky. He stared down, losing himself in the image he saw there. Is that really me?

Jerking back, Lionblaze growled, “I can’t do this anymore.” He turned, hoping to see Cinderheart’s warm gaze, but she’d gone. Suddenly weary, he sank onto the stones and closed his eyes.

Lionblaze woke feeling stiff and cold. Water lapped at the pebbles a whisker from his nose. Dew soaked his pelt. Above the moor, a streak of pale dawn lit the sky. Wincing, he stumbled to his paws and shook out his fur. I’ll show Cinderheart we don’t have to be ruled by our destinies. Numb with cold, he headed up the hillside and into the trees.

A gray pelt was moving between the bushes down below. Graystripe. Lionblaze tasted the air. Cloudtail, Squirrelflight, and Millie too. It must be the dawn patrol. Plunging down the slope, he raced to catch up.

“Can I join you?” He skidded to a halt behind Squirrelflight.

She spun to face him, her eyes wide. “Lionblaze!”

Graystripe turned. “Were you out all night?” His gaze swept along Lionblaze’s damp pelt.

“I slept by the lake,” Lionblaze murmured.

Cloudtail tipped his head. “Are you okay?”

“Of course.” Lionblaze paced around his Clanmates. “Where are we heading?”

Millie crunched over the leaves and stood beside him. “The ShadowClan border.”

“Good.” Lionblaze ducked beneath an arching fern and nosed his way into a swath of bracken. His paws itched for trouble.

Graystripe pushed past him, bending the brown stalks to take the lead. Lionblaze fell back. Fresh warrior scents were drifting on the wind. He called to Graystripe, “Can you smell that?”

“Smells like Ratscar,” Graystripe growled. The gray warrior quickened his pace. Lionblaze speeded into a trot, pelt pricking with excitement.

Graystripe bristled. “I can see them!”

Six ShadowClan warriors moved along the border.

Lionblaze’s fur rippled along his spine. He opened his mouth, the scents of ShadowClan so strong they soured his tongue. Cloudtail unsheathed his claws and let them sink into the soft earth as if he was imagining a ShadowClan pelt beneath his paws. Millie halted beside the white warrior, her tail bushed up. Squirrelflight arched her back.

A growl rumbled in Millie’s throat. “Are they planning an invasion?”

Lionblaze flattened his ears. “They wouldn’t dare.”

Sniffing trees and ferns, the ShadowClan warriors seemed to be searching for something.

“Come on!” Lionblaze surged forward.

Graystripe chased after him with Squirrelflight and Millie pounding behind. Cloudtail swung wide, protecting the patrol’s flank. The ShadowClan warriors froze as the ThunderClan warriors skidded to a halt at the border. Lionblaze recognized Ratscar, Smokefoot, and Stoatpaw. With a growl he spotted Dawnpelt behind them, Snowbird and Olivenose beside her.

“What are you doing here?” He scanned the ground on the ThunderClan side of the border, looking for claw marks or leaves disturbed by ShadowClan paws.

“Don’t bother!” Ratscar squared his shoulders, hissing. “We haven’t crossed the scent line.”

Smokefoot stepped forward. “Which is more than you can say.”

Cloudtail stiffened. “What are you talking about?”

Stoatpaw darted to the boundary and hissed. “A ThunderClan cat has been on our land!”

Lionblaze tasted the air again. Dovewing! Her scent hit his nose, fresher than the ShadowClan stench pouring across the border. She must have been spying.

Dawnpelt barged past Ratscar and leaned across the border, spitting, “So you’re trespassers as well as murderers!”

“Let me check.” He strode across the border, tail whipping behind him. He sniffed out Dovewing’s scent in a moment and stood squarely on it, masking it with his own. “I smell nothing.”

Ratscar glared at him. “Get off our land.”

Lionblaze flexed his claws as the ShadowClan warriors closed in. This was the perfect chance to show Cinderheart he shaped his own future.

“Get back here!” Graystripe ordered.

“What’s the matter?” Lionblaze looked slowly around at the ShadowClan cats. “Are you scared I’ll hurt someone?”

“Get back, Lionblaze!” Graystripe growled. “We didn’t come here to start a fight.”

Lionblaze lifted his chin. “Perhaps we got here just in time to stop one,” he growled.

Ratscar backed away. “Is he crazy?” He eyed Graystripe nervously.

Graystripe watched Lionblaze through narrowed eyes. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Squirrelflight’s eyes widened. “Come back, Lionblaze!”

Lionblaze flicked his tail toward her. “They claimed a ThunderClan cat had been on their land,” he snarled. “I’m just giving them proof.” He spat at Ratscar. “Happy now?”