The Last Hope

Tigerstar’s growl yanked her back to the present. The dark warrior stood on a fallen tree, his claws curling into the slimy moss. Shredtail, Hawkfrost, and Darkstripe stared up at him while Mapleshade hung back in the shadows with Sparrowfeather. Thistleclaw and Brokenstar watched through slitted eyes. Applefur, Hollowflight, and Redwillow clustered together, their fur spiked with excitement. Birchfall and Beetlewhisker were there too, as well as Tigerheart and Furzepelt. How could so many cats have fallen for Tigerstar’s lies?

Tigerstar’s eyes gleamed. “This mission will be the first of many.”

Ivypool leaned closer to Blossomfall. “The first of many whats?” She hadn’t been listening.

Blossomfall stuck her muzzle in Ivypool’s ear. “Special patrols. Tigerstar’s going to start taking us into Clan territories.”

Ivypool felt sick. She stared at the dark warrior, his shoulders rippling in the eerie light.

“Knowledge is power.” Tigerstar’s amber gaze swung around and fixed on her.

Ivypool met his eyes, chin high, and held it as he went on.

“Knowledge of your battle territory will give you the greatest advantage imaginable because it will be the last thing your enemies expect. Most of you are unfamiliar with the territories beside the lake, so I will be taking you to visit each Clan—without them realizing, of course—and you can learn the best places to fight.”

Redwillow stepped forward. “Where to lie in wait!”

Hollowflight clawed the earth. “Where to corner your enemy.”

Thistleclaw swung his long, gray tail. “And where to chase your prey.”

Prey? Ivypool dug her claws into the ground to stop her paws from shaking. He means warriors.

Blossomfall’s breath stirred her ear. “Four Clans will unite as one when it matters most.” She was quoting Tigerstar! “We’ll be able to fight for whichever Clan needs our help.”

Ivypool jerked her head around and stared at her Clanmate. How can you be so dumb? She turned back to Tigerstar. “Which territory will we start with?” she called.

Tigerstar’s whiskers twitched. “ThunderClan.”

“I’d like to see that.” Mapleshade shambled forward.

“Me too!” Sparrowfeather bounded to the fading warrior’s side.

Tigerstar narrowed his eyes. “Any other volunteers?”

Tigerheart and Furzepelt shouldered their way to the front.

Tigerstar nodded. “And from RiverClan?” His gaze stopped at Beetlewhisker. “You’ll do. And Hollowflight.”

Ivypool stared straight at Tigerstar. Was he only going to show ThunderClan’s territory to the other Clans? She stepped forward. “What about my apprentices?” she challenged. “Birchfall and Redwillow deserve to go.” Ivypool tipped her head toward Blossomfall. “And her.” Go on! Refuse! If Tigerstar only showed ThunderClan territory to their enemies, someone must work out that he wasn’t doing it for the good of the Clans but for his own twisted reasons. She willed Tigerstar to give himself away.

Tigerstar dipped his head. “Very well, Ivypool. They can come too.”

“And me?” She stepped closer.

Tigerstar showed his teeth. “Of course,” he murmured smoothly. “You can be our guide.” The dark warrior nodded to Brokenstar. “I’ll report back when we return.” He leaped from the log and padded between the trees, signaling with his tail.

As Ivypool followed the patrol, she glanced over her shoulder, then scanned the trees and bushes they passed. If this route led from the Dark Forest to the lake territories, she wanted to remember it. They walked through gloomy glades, past foul-smelling bogs and across streams that were no more than muddy trickles. The earth beneath Ivypool’s paws, at first slippery with moss, suddenly softened into grass. Ivypool looked up. She could see the branches of the trees above her head. The shadows had lifted and beyond them the moon shone in a wide, starry sky.

We’ve crossed over! She didn’t recognize the slope that rose ahead of them. But as they climbed, brambles began to crowd the trail. The trunks of the trees suddenly became familiar, and the ferns spilling across their path were rich with ThunderClan scents.

Hollowflight wrinkled his nose. “How can you live with this stench?” he murmured to Ivypool.

Ivypool flicked the RiverClan warrior’s ear with her tail. “If you put up with our scent, then I’ll put up with yours when we visit RiverClan’s territory,” she teased.

Redwillow fell in beside them. “Thanks for getting me on the patrol,” he whispered. “The more I learn, the sooner I’ll be like a real Dark Forest warrior.”

“A real Dark Forest warrior?” Ivypool jerked her head around and stared at him. “Don’t you just want to be the best ShadowClan warrior you can be?”

“Dark Forest warriors are way stronger.” Hollowflight nudged her. “And they don’t worry about rules.”

Redwillow nodded. “I feel like I’m training with kittypets when I’m with my Clanmates.”