The Last Hope

Lionblaze scanned the camp. The panic that had frozen the Clan seemed to be fading. Cats were darting in and out through the ragged bramble wall, fetching moss and cobweb. Ratscar began to pace, his tail flicking menacingly. Lionblaze leaned closer to Graystripe. “Stay here and guard Littlecloud.” He crossed to the warriors facing the DarkClan cats. “Move closer,” he whispered to Ratscar. “Very slowly. One claw-length at a time.”

Ratscar nodded, signaling to his patrol with a flick of his ear before shuffling forward. The line moved with him, then moved again. The Dark Forest cats shifted uneasily. One of them eyed the camp wall hopefully, as though looking for reinforcements.

“Just keep creeping forward,” Lionblaze whispered to Ratscar. “Not too close, just enough to distract them while I see how Blackstar is doing.”

Ratscar nodded toward a gap in the brambles. “He’s in there.”

“Thanks.” Lionblaze hurried toward it and ducked inside.

Rowanclaw met him, bristling. “You came.”

“Of course.” Lionblaze glimpsed Blackstar lying on the sandy floor behind the ShadowClan deputy. “How is he?”

“Recovering.” Rowanclaw blocked Lionblaze’s way. “He’s not on his last life but he’ll be weak for a while.” His eyes flashed defensively. “ShadowClan’s not beaten yet. We’ll be fighting again in a heartbeat.”

“Good.” Lionblaze weaved around the ShadowClan deputy and crouched beside Blackstar. “We’ve come to help.”

The ShadowClan leader’s eyes were glazed, but his breathing was steady.

Rowanclaw leaned down and sniffed his leader. “He’ll be on his paws soon.” Blackstar’s tail twitched as breath stirred his fur. “Where did these rogues come from?” Ratscar whispered. “I’ve seen cats I thought were dead!”

“Evil lives forever,” Lionblaze murmured. “We were wrong to think that only StarClan could survive death. The Dark—”

A shriek from the clearing cut him off.

“Get him up!” Lionblaze ordered Rowanclaw. But the ShadowClan deputy was already nosing Blackstar onto his paws.

Lionblaze raced from the den. Dark Forest warriors streamed through the gaps at one side of the camp. “Ratscar! Get your warriors into groups. Try to force the enemy apart. Don’t let them form a line!” He raced to Littlecloud. “We need to get the injured to shelter.”

“Underneath the camp wall should do.” Littlecloud flicked his tail toward the drooping brambles at the edge of the clearing. “Kinkfur! Whitewater! Help me!” He grabbed the scruff of an unconscious tom in his teeth and started to haul him toward the brambles.

“Tallpoppy!” Lionblaze beckoned the ShadowClan elder.

The long-legged she-cat raced across the clearing, dodging past a Dark Forest warrior, and picked the dead kit up in her jaws. Nudging Pinenose ahead of her, she bundled the grieving queen behind the trailing brambles and laid her kit at her paws. Emberfoot, Robinwing, and Ferretclaw clustered in the middle of the clearing, pressing their spines together and lashing out at the onslaught of Dark Forest warriors. Dawnpelt and Starlingwing stood side by side, keeping tight and slashing furiously against a river of stinking pelts.

“Hold your positions!” Lionblaze yowled.

Emberfoot’s patrol disappeared beneath a wave of bristling warriors. Lionblaze leaped forward and started lashing out on all sides, feeling his paws connect with flesh and fur. It seemed as if there were no ShadowClan cats left on their feet. Was this the end for the proud, battle-skilled Clan?

“They’re overrunning us!” Graystripe shouldered past Lionblaze, throwing warriors aside with mighty swipes. He reached Emberfoot’s patrol and hauled a matted tortoiseshell from the WindClan warrior’s back.

Suddenly paw steps sounded beyond the camp wall. Lionblaze stiffened. Another attack? The camp was already overwhelmed.

The brambles trembled and collapsed as a patrol of bristling warriors burst through. Lionblaze stared at the newcomers. Their pelts were transparent, moving like shadows into battle. He could see trees and grass behind them, where he should only have seen fur and solid muscle. But when he looked closer, he knew he had seen these cats before. The Ancient cats from the Cave!

The ghostly warriors streamed among the Dark Forest cats. Eyes narrow, ears flat, they began to lunge with outstretched claws and snapping teeth, landing blows as real as any forest cat.

Rowanclaw darted to his side. “Who in the name of StarClan are they?”

A faded, mottled she-cat paused in front of the ShadowClan deputy. “We were here before StarClan, youngster!” She glanced at Lionblaze. “We meet again.”

“Owl Feather!” A pale, ancient warrior called to her. “Help me finish this one off.” The warrior was driving a Dark Forest tabby backward across the clearing.

“I’m coming, Half Moon!”

As Owl Feather darted away, a massive creature crashed through the remains of the camp wall. Its white, striped muzzle was as big as a dog’s, its gray shoulders huge beside the battling cats.