The Last Hope

Lionblaze pricked his ears. “What happens at sunhigh?”

“We meet with the other leaders and medicine cats on the island,” Firestar told him. “Jayfeather has united StarClan. Now I must unite the Clans.”

“He’s the fourth cat.” Jayfeather’s eyes shone.

Firestar! Dovewing blinked.

Lionblaze lifted his tail. “You were close, Dovewing, when you said we needed to start looking for a cat who was born with a special destiny.”

Firestar’s eyes darkened. “I just hope destiny is enough to save us.”

Sunlight pierced the leaves and lit the forest floor.

Jayfeather was still yawning from his nap as Dovewing followed her Clanmates out of the hollow. Her belly churned. Suddenly the coming battle felt real. She could almost hear the screech of warriors and taste the stone tang of blood.

“Squirrel!” Lionblaze tasted the air a moment before a gray flash shot up a birch tree beside them.

“There’ll be fresh-kill when we return,” Firestar told him. “Brambleclaw’s sending out extra hunting patrols. I want the pile fully stocked.”

Dovewing followed her Clanmates through the woods, swerving as she raced in their paw steps. The warm sun was driving mist from the lake, making the surface glitter like a fish. As Dovewing leaped from the bank and landed on the shore, she tasted the scents of forest and water mingling on her tongue. Pebbles scattered behind her as she charged onward. Firestar skirted the water’s edge, his gaze fixed on the island. He slowed the pace and Dovewing, relieved, caught her breath. By the time they reached the tree-bridge, she was hardly panting. She pulled up beside Lionblaze as Firestar sprang onto the fallen tree and crossed the water. Jayfeather followed, landing neatly on the far shore.

“Go on.” Lionblaze flicked his muzzle toward the tree and Dovewing jumped up, digging her claws into the rotting bark as she padded carefully across.

The island clearing was empty. Lionblaze paced, his tail twitching, while Jayfeather sat in the center beside Firestar. Dovewing padded nervously around them until the grass swished and Onestar slid out. Kestrelflight was at his side.

The WindClan leader circled the clearing, keeping his distance from the ThunderClan warriors. “It seems that our medicine cats are in charge of the Clans now.”

Firestar dipped his head. “They know things we don’t.”

Kestrelflight crossed the clearing and sat beside Jayfeather. “We have seen our enemy,” he explained to his leader. “You have not.”

“Not yet,” Firestar added grimly.

Lionblaze sniffed the undergrowth at the edge of the clearing, ears pricked. “There’s some ShadowClan scent here.”

Onestar glanced at him. “Probably left over from last full moon.”

Lionblaze narrowed his eyes. “Probably.” He padded back across the clearing.

Dovewing moved aside to let him sit beside Firestar. She pricked her ears and listened. Mistystar was coming, Willowshine and Mothwing beside her. Their paw steps crunched on the shore near the tree-bridge. Blackstar and Littlecloud were already rustling through the long grass on the island. Dovewing listened harder. The RiverClan camp buzzed like a beehive while ShadowClan chattered inside their bramble walls like starlings. She reached for WindClan and heard anxious whispers whipped away by the wind.

“They shouldn’t have gone alone.”

“What’s Firestar up to this time?”

“It must be a trap.”

“But Firestar is a noble warrior.”

“Firestar wants to rule all the Clans. He always has.”

They were scared of him! Dovewing twitched, surprised. But he’s your last hope!

Blackstar emerged from the grass. Littlecloud padded after him, chin high.

The ShadowClan leader’s gaze narrowed when he saw Lionblaze. “Why have you brought warriors?”

Firestar wrapped his tail over his paws. “I’ll explain when Mistystar gets here.”

Blackstar glanced over his shoulder at the trembling grass.

Mistystar padded out, leading Willowshine. “Willowshine insisted I come,” she growled. “She says the Dark Forest warriors are planning to invade Clan territory.” Her eyes glittered with disbelief. “Has she gone mad?”

Mothwing nosed her way from the grass. “Willowshine has never been wrong before.”

“But how can the dead threaten the living?” The RiverClan leader halted in the middle of the clearing.

Blackstar stayed near the edge. “Littlecloud told me they’ve learned to cross into our territories.”

“That’s impossible.” Onestar circled his medicine cat.

Jayfeather’s tail whipped from side to side. “How dare you question your medicine cat?” His gaze swept like fire over the leaders. “Do you think we’d lie?”

Mistystar shifted her paws. Onestar flattened his ears. Only Blackstar replied. “StarClan and the Dark Forest have always been beyond our reach. Now you tell us we are part of a war between them?”

“Not just between them,” Firestar growled. “The Dark Forest has declared war on all the Clans. We must unite against them.”

Onestar scowled. “Is that why you brought warriors with you? To force us to join you?”