The Last Hope

“You should watch where you’re going,” Dovewing growled. “I nearly tripped over you.” Muttering under her breath, she ran down the slope. “Clumsy mouse-brain.”

“Why do you have to be so mean to him?” Rosepetal’s whisper took Dovewing by surprise. “It’s not a crime, you know!”

“What isn’t?”

Rosepetal’s gaze darkened meaningfully as Bumblestripe raced past them.

“What?” Dovewing repeated. Why did Rosepetal look so angry?

“It’s obvious he likes you!” Rosepetal snapped. “You don’t have to keep biting his head off. He’s your Clanmate, not prey!”

Dovewing flattened her ears. Why should she feel bad? “Why do I have to tiptoe around him just because he likes me? It’s not my fault.”

Rosepetal looked sideways at her. “Do you enjoy hurting his feelings?”

“Of course not!” Guilt flashed under Dovewing’s pelt.

“Then apologize.”

Dovewing winced. Rosepetal was right. If Bumblestripe had feelings for her, it wasn’t fair to punish him for his attention. “Okay!” She pulled ahead, following Bumblestripe’s tracks through the grass. She bounded down the short slope onto the shore, landing on the pebbles a moment after Bumblestripe. He glanced over his shoulder and kept running.

“Wait!” Dovewing panted, pebbles spraying out behind.

Bumblestripe eased his pace enough for her to catch up. “What?” he growled.

“Look.” Dovewing tried to catch her breath but Bumblestripe was still running hard. “I’m sorry I snapped.”

Bumblestripe turned his head to look at her, his gaze hard as ice. “I’m tired of being used as your scratching post,” he hissed. “From now on sharpen your claws on someone else.”

Dovewing’s pelt pricked. “It’s not my fault!”

“I get it, okay?” He didn’t even look at her. He just kept running. “You don’t like me the same way I like you. I’ll get over it. I’m just disappointed you’re not the cat I thought you were.”

Dovewing bristled. How dare he say that to her? She gave everything to the Clan, and he wanted more! It wasn’t fair. She slowed, letting Bumblestripe pull ahead.

“So?” Rosepetal caught up to her.

“Thanks a lot,” Dovewing growled. “Next time I’ll let you apologize.”

“Is he angry?”

“Yes.” Dovewing lashed her tail. “And he’s not the only one.”

She raced after the patrol, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground and flattening her ears to the gossip of her Clanmates until they reached the tree-bridge that spanned the water between the shore and the island. Hanging back, she let her Clanmates cross first. As they filed across, she opened her mouth, hoping to catch a taste of Tigerheart. But the air was thick with scents from every Clan.

Dovewing nosed her way out of the grass. The clearing was swarming with pelts. Faces turned as ThunderClan padded out from the grass.

“Did he come?” Dovewing heard a ShadowClan apprentice whispering to his denmate.

Ears twitched as eyes scanned ThunderClan.

“Can you see him?”

“He wouldn’t dare!”

Dovewing stiffened. “Who are they talking about?” she whispered to Whitewing.

Whitewing lifted her chin and wove through a knot of warriors. “Jayfeather,” she meowed.

Dovewing followed her mother past the staring faces and halted beside Blossomfall and Squirrelflight. Firestar shouldered his way through in front of them, heading for the Great Oak. Brambleclaw joined Reedwhisker, Rowanclaw, and Ashfoot at the bottom, while Molepaw and Cherrypaw trotted over to sit with a cluster of apprentices at the edge of the clearing. Dovewing scanned the rows of faces, looking for Tigerheart.

Three medicine cats, Littlecloud, Kestrelflight, and Willowshine, were gathered below the oak. Dawnpelt paced in front of them, lashing her tail.

Dovewing glanced at Whitewing. “She looks like she wants Jayfeather to come so she can start a fight.”

She felt hot breath on her ear and turned to find Redwillow leaning close. “Murderers deserve to be punished!”

Dovewing turned on him, bristling. “Jayfeather is not a murderer!”

Pebblefoot stepped between them. “Why isn’t he here, then?” he challenged Dovewing. “Too guilty to show his whiskers?”

Dovewing glared at him. “You told him not to—”

Whitewing barged Pebblefoot away with her shoulder. “Stay close to your Clanmates, Dovewing,” she warned. “Some cats don’t seem to realize there’s a truce.” She glanced up at the round full moon hanging over the island. A cloud hung across it like a smear of cobweb.

Dovewing turned her back on Redwillow and Pebblefoot. She wasn’t going to be the one to make StarClan angry. “It’s not fair,” she hissed to Whitewing. “They tell Jayfeather not to come and then say it proves that he’s guilty!”

Whitewing smoothed Dovewing’s ruffled pelt with her tail. “They’re just trying to provoke us.”

“But why?” Didn’t they care about the truce? As anger boiled in her belly, Dovewing caught sight of two dark ear tips on the far side of the clearing. Lifting herself onto her haunches, she peered over the other cats. Tigerheart!

“Can I squeeze past, please?” Dapplenose was nosing her way through a cluster of ShadowClan cats.