Dark River

Chapter 15

Lionpaw leaped and twisted in the air, diving forward as he landed with his claws raking the ground.

Perfect! In battle, that would have beaten even the fastest ShadowClan warrior. Did you see how well I made the turn, Tigerstar?

Tigerstar had only taught him the move that afternoon.

Lionpaw had mastered it quickly. He sat back on his haunches now, panting, and sniffed the air. Heatherpaw’s late.

The cave was dark, the moon hidden by the rain that had been falling since sundown. Jaypaw had returned to camp just after dark, drenched to the skin. The mouse-brain had fallen asleep by the lake! Leafpool had hurried him away to dry off in the medicine den. There was still no sign of Hollypaw. The search party had followed her scent down to the shore where it bordered WindClan territory, and now Thornclaw was even more convinced that she had been captured by a WindClan patrol.

“Did you think I’d forgotten about you?” Heatherpaw’s mew sounded from the tunnel entrance.

Lionpaw leaped to his paws happily. “You’re late!”

“Sorry.” Heatherpaw was out of breath. “I caught Gorsetail’s kits following me. I had to take them back to camp.”

“They didn’t go near the tunnel entrance, did they?”

“No, but it was close.” Heatherpaw flicked her tail. “They kept themselves well hidden. I didn’t spot them till it was almost too late.”

Lionpaw’s pads pricked. What if their secret had been discovered? “I nearly didn’t come myself,” he confessed.

Heatherpaw widened her eyes. “Why not?”

“Hollypaw’s missing.”

“Missing?”

“A search party followed her trail as far as—” Lionpaw stopped. He didn’t want to let Heatherpaw know that Hollypaw might have crossed the WindClan border. Anxiety spiked his belly. He couldn’t be honest with her without feeling like a traitor to his Clan. The realization stung. At least she might give him some clue about where his sister had gone.

“Have you seen her?”

Heatherpaw shook her head.

Lionpaw gazed into her blue eyes. “Are you sure?”

Heatherpaw blinked. “Of course I’m sure!”

Guilt tickled in his tail. Heatherpaw wouldn’t lie to him.

Clearly WindClan hadn’t captured Hollypaw after all. Lionpaw narrowed his eyes. How could he tell his Clanmates without letting them know how he had found out?

“What are you thinking about?” It was Heatherpaw’s turn to sound suspicious.

“I was just wondering where Hollypaw could be,” Lionpaw lied.

“She’ll be okay,” Heatherpaw mewed, winding around Lionpaw. The touch of her fur soothed him.

“It’s just odd that she didn’t come back before dark.” It had been strange creeping out of the apprentices’ den without having to worry if Hollypaw had one eye open. He had felt guiltily relieved that he didn’t have to have an excuse ready in case she’d asked him where he was going.

“I bet she’ll be back at first light,” Heatherpaw mewed.

“I hope so.” Lionpaw sighed.

“So what have you been doing while you were waiting for me?” Heatherpaw sat back with her head on one side.

“I was practicing some new battle moves.” He plucked the ground excitedly. “Watch this one!”

Flicking his hind legs into the air, he spun around on his forepaws and leaped backward, then reared up and raked the air with each paw before tucking his head down and doing a neat forward roll.

“Impressive!” Heatherpaw pricked her ears. “Did you make it up yourself?”

“Yes.” Lionpaw couldn’t tell her that Tigerstar had taught him. She’d never believe him.

“It’d be perfect for a DarkClan warrior,” Heatherpaw mewed. “Teach me how to do it!”

Lionpaw demonstrated the move again and Heatherpaw copied him.

“Nearly,” he mewed. He crouched in front of her. “Try again, but this time aim your paws at me.”

She flicked out her hind legs, spun, and reared at him.

Lionpaw dodged as she lashed out with her paws, shouldering her away before she could dive into the roll. She fell sprawling onto the cave floor.

Lionpaw’s heart lurched. He had forgotten for a moment that he was stronger than her. He darted to her side and pressed his muzzle against her cheek. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Tigerstar’s training had made him even quicker and tougher than before.

“You only caught me because you knew what my next move was going to be!” she mewed. She twisted away from him and gave her shoulder a quick lick. “I just hope I never have to go into battle against you.” Her eyes glowed with affection as she looked back at him. “Not that I ever could.”

Lionpaw blinked. She was staring at him expectantly. Did she want him to make the same pledge? He couldn’t do that, not when it meant promising to be disloyal to his Clan.

“We’ll just have to hope we never have to,” he mewed, glancing away.

“Dawn’s coming.”

Lionpaw stretched and blinked open his eyes. Heatherpaw was sitting beside him, looking up at the gap in the roof where the sky was growing pale. He got to his paws, feeling his muscles protest. Teaching Heatherpaw the battle moves he’d learned from Tigerstar had tired him out. It seemed like only a few moments since they had dozed off.

“We’d better go,” Heatherpaw told him.

“Will you meet me here tonight?”

Heatherpaw flicked her tail. “Of course, even if Crowfeather makes me run to the top of the moor and back again in our training session.” She pressed her nuzzle against Lionpaw’s cheek, then trotted away toward her tunnel. “See you later.”

Lionpaw’s paws tingled. “Bye.” He headed in the opposite direction and raced for the open air.

The forest was damp, washed by a light rain. Lionpaw wriggled under the brambles and headed home through the half-light of early dawn. The trees and bushes cast eerie shadows across the pale forest floor. A light wind rustled the leaves.

“Traitor!”

Lionpaw halted and jerked around, fur spiking.

A familiar outline shimmered against the ferns.

“Tigerstar?”

“What do you think you’re doing?” It was Hawkfrost.

Lionpaw looked for Tigerstar but Hawkfrost was alone. His eyes blazed as he padded toward Lionpaw.

“What do you mean?” Lionpaw protested. Hawkfrost knew about his nightly visits to the tunnels. Why was he challenging him now?

Hawkfrost curled his lip. “You were teaching battle moves to the enemy!”

“Heatherpaw’s not an enemy!” Lionpaw retorted. “She’s my friend!”

“She belongs to another Clan!” Hawkfrost hissed. “That makes her an enemy! What if she uses the moves you just taught her against you one day?”

“Heatherpaw would never do that!”

“Wouldn’t she?”

Lionpaw stiffened, trying to imagine facing Heatherpaw in battle. Surely she wouldn’t take advantage of him like that?

“I thought you and Tigerstar didn’t care about me seeing Heatherpaw.”

“We liked your independence,” Hawkfrost growled. “We assumed it was just a harmless kit-friendship.”

“It is harmless!” Lionpaw bristled. “But it’s not just a kit-friendship! It’s more important than that. That’s why I know she’d never use those battle moves against me!”

“Then you’re a mouse-brain!” Hawkfrost snarled. “I thought you wanted to be a great warrior!”

Lionpaw lifted his chin. “Of course I do!”

“Then why can’t you see what those tunnels mean?”

Lionpaw blinked. The tunnels meant he could meet Heatherpaw without upsetting his Clan.

Hawkfrost snorted. “You don’t understand anything, do you?”

“I do!”

“Then why haven’t you figured out that those tunnels could be used for a surprise attack on WindClan?”

“Why would we want to attack WindClan?”

“The same reason WindClan might one day use the tunnels to attack ThunderClan!”

Lionpaw stared at Hawkfrost. He wasn’t making any sense to his tired ears.

Hawkfrost rolled his eyes. “What if you need more territory or extra prey?” he meowed slowly, as though explaining a battle move to a kit. “Would you wait at the border for a passing WindClan patrol and beg for it?”

“But we have enough territory and enough prey,” Lionpaw argued.

“Things change!” Hawkfrost snapped. “Clans change!

Look how different WindClan is now that they have Onestar as leader. ThunderClan is terrified of them!”

“No, we’re not!”

“Really?” Hawkfrost pricked his ears. “Then why is Firestar too scared to ask them what’s happened to Hollypaw?”

Lionpaw’s eyes grew round. “Do you know?”

“I know enough not to sit around the camp sending fruit-less search parties to the borders and no farther!”

“Tell me!”

But Hawkfrost had turned away.

Lionpaw padded after him. “Where is she?”

“Let the great Firestar find her!” Hawkfrost glanced over his shoulder. “Meanwhile you’d better think about whether you want to be a warrior or whether you plan to live your life as a loner. Because if your Clanmates find out that you’ve kept the tunnels a secret from them, that’s what you’ll become!”

“No!” Lionpaw felt sick. That couldn’t be true! He stared after Hawkfrost. “Come back!”

The tabby warrior’s outline shivered and disappeared.

Lionpaw was alone again.

His heart felt like a stone in his chest. He had taught Heatherpaw battle moves. She might not use them against him, but what about his Clanmates? Suddenly weary, he padded through the trees and headed down the curve of the hollow, toward the camp. Thanks to Tigerstar’s training, he had begun to think that he would achieve his ambition to become a great warrior after all. Now he felt like a fox-hearted traitor. What if WindClan did use the tunnels to attack and had the advantage because ThunderClan knew nothing about them? He would have betrayed his Clanmates just so he could see Heatherpaw. Was their friendship really worth that?

As he trailed miserably toward the thorn barrier, he saw it quiver. Paws were thundering through the tunnel. Lionpaw flattened his ears in surprise as Dustpelt exploded from the entrance, fur bristling. On his heels were Ashfur and Stormfur. Lionpaw leaped out of the way as they raced past him. Thornclaw, Hazelpaw, and Poppypaw pelted after them.

“Come on, Lionpaw!’ Hazelpaw called as she whisked past.

Alarm set the blood pounding in Lionpaw’s ears. He fought off his weariness and chased after his Clanmate, panting as he caught up with her.

“What’s going on?” He was fighting for breath, summoning up the dregs of his energy to keep up.

“Two WindClan apprentices chased a squirrel right over the border.” Hazelpaw swerved around a fern. “They caught it and killed it on ThunderClan territory. The dawn patrol saw them do it! They sent Mousepaw back to fetch us. The WindClan cats are saying it was their prey, no matter where they caught it!”

Lionpaw’s spine bristled. How dare they? It was bad enough they were hunting squirrels at all! He pulled ahead of Hazelpaw and caught up with Ashfur. The gray warrior glanced at him. “Where were you? I looked in the apprentices’ den when the alarm was called, but you weren’t there.”

Lionpaw stared ahead. What could he say? “I—I went out early,” he mewed.

Ashfur narrowed his eyes.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Lionpaw offered.

Screeching split the air.

Through the trees, Lionpaw could see the pelts of his Clanmates. He recognized the angry yowling of Spiderleg and saw Brook’s pelt streak across the forest floor. Brightheart was wrestling with Whitetail. Tornear, Ashfoot, Owlwhisker, and Weaselfur screeched and hissed, their claws flashing in the dawn light. The ThunderClan cats were outnumbered by the WindClan patrol.

As Dustpelt hurtled from the undergrowth, Spiderleg spun around in surprise and relief. “Thank StarCl—”

His yowl was cut off as Tornear knocked him to the ground. Ashfoot reared up behind the ThunderClan warrior and sunk her claws into Spiderleg’s shoulder. Brook was grappling with Owlwhisker. The mountain cat screeched in pain as the pale tabby tom pinned her to the ground and let Weaselfur clamp his jaws around her tail.

Dustpelt pointed his nose to a gap in the trees where the ground sloped down toward the stream that marked the border. “Spread out and drive them down there!” he ordered.

Thornclaw swerved toward Ashfoot. He butted the WindClan warrior with his head, knocking her away from Spiderleg. As Spiderleg scrambled to his paws, Thornclaw reared up and hurled himself at Ashfoot again. Sending leaves and earth spraying across the forest floor, Spiderleg spun and dived at Tornear.

Dustpelt darted in the other direction, skidding around Brook and flying at Weaselfur. The brown WindClan warrior let go of Brook’s tail and turned to face Dustpelt, darting beneath his forepaws. Dustpelt dug his claws into the earth and held his ground, wrestling Weaselfur to the floor while Brook turned and knocked Owlwhisker flying with a back-kick.

“Let’s take those two!” Poppypaw nudged Lionpaw and flicked her bushed-out tail toward Harepaw and Breezepaw, who were swiping at Brightheart as she wrestled with Whitetail.

Lionpaw nodded. “I’ll take Breezepaw,” he hissed. He pelted forward and flung himself at the black apprentice.

Caught off guard, Breezepaw rolled onto the ground.

Lionpaw leaped on top of him, using his hind legs to brace himself as he slashed out with his forepaws. But Breezepaw was quick. He ducked out of the way, leaving Lionpaw flailing at thin air. Lionpaw spun in time to see Breezepaw lunge at him. Remembering Tigerstar’s move, he flicked his hind legs into the air, spun on his forepaws, and leaped backward, then reared up and raked Breezepaw’s astonished face with each paw, before tucking his head under and doing a neat forward roll.

Satisfaction flooded him. Did you see that, Tigerstar?

Then he froze. He had spotted a pale tabby pelt among the fighting cats.

Heatherpaw?

His heart lurched. He looked closer and sagged with relief when he saw that it was just Owlwhisker hurtling away from Brook. Suddenly, his ear burned; Breezepaw had caught him with a thorn-sharp claw. Lionpaw’s ear grew wet as blood pulsed from the wound. Angrier than ever, he hurled himself at Breezepaw. The WindClan apprentice fell backward and Lionpaw reared up to rake him with his forepaws, but Breezepaw rolled neatly out from under him.

“Not fast enough,” the WindClan apprentice sneered.

Suddenly, Hazelpaw streaked past and butted Breezepaw with her head. The WindClan apprentice fell over, winded, and Lionpaw raked his claws down his flank.

“Never stop to gloat!” Hazelpaw hissed at Breezepaw and clamped her teeth into his tail.

Yowling, Breezepaw scrambled to his paws and kicked Hazelpaw away with his hind legs. He stared into Lionpaw’s eyes. “Can’t take me by yourself?”

“Do you want to bet?” Lionpaw leaped at him, grabbing Breezepaw’s head between his forepaws and using his hind paws to sweep his legs from under him. Another Tigerstar move! The WindClan apprentice rolled down the slope and disappeared over the edge of the gully.

Ashfur had Weaselfur pinned to the ground a tail-length away. The WindClan warrior managed to struggle from his grasp, but Ashfur caught him under the chin with a well-aimed blow that sent him sprawling back against a clump of brambles. Weaselfur screeched in pain and, struggling to free himself from the thorny branches, scrabbled backward onto WindClan territory.

Brook was driving Owlwhisker steadily down the slope, balancing on her hind legs while she aimed slash after slash at his retreating muzzle. Poppypaw clung to Whitetail’s back while Brightheart raked the ears of the WindClan warrior.

Harepaw was already fleeing across the stream, with Hazelpaw yowling after him. “Run back to the nursery, Harekit!”

“Retreat!” Ashfoot ordered.

Tornear looked up from pummeling Thornclaw’s back with churning hind paws. At once Thornclaw slithered from his grasp and scrambled to his paws, aiming a vicious blow at the tabby’s head. Tornear reeled, hissing, then turned back, eyes narrowed with rage. But the other WindClan cats had already fled.

“This isn’t finished!” Tornear leaped the gully and halted beside his Clanmates. They huddled together, scratched and bleeding, flanks heaving, and stared furiously at the ThunderClan cats.

“Stay on the moor from now on!” Dustpelt hissed.

Ashfoot glared at the dark brown tabby warrior. “Firestar gave us these woods! If you have a quarrel about us hunting on them, take it up with him!”

Dustpelt flexed his claws. “I’ll take it up with any WindClan cat—warrior or apprentice—that I catch hunting ThunderClan’s prey!”

Lionpaw fluffed out his fur and hissed at Breezepaw. “No more squirrels for you!”

Breezepaw lashed his tail. “Don’t be so sure!”

Thornclaw leaned toward the border. “Go home!” he snarled.

Dustpelt bristled, blood staining his muzzle. “This isn’t the end.” He turned and, muttering angrily, led his Clanmates limping into the trees. “Is anyone badly hurt?” He swung his head around to look at them.

“My tail hurts,” Brightheart meowed. “But it’ll mend.”

Lionpaw licked his paw and ran it over his scratched ear.

He could feel the nick that split the top. He would carry this battle scar forever, he thought proudly.

“Brook?” Dustpelt narrowed his eyes at the mountain cat.

“That looks like a nasty scratch on your flank.”

“It’s not deep,” Brook reassured him, though fresh blood was still welling at one end.

“I’ll take her back to camp,” Stormfur offered.

Dustpelt nodded. “Thornclaw, Spiderleg, and I will re-mark the border. The rest of you go back with Stormfur.”

“Can I stay and help?” Lionpaw asked.

“You look like you’ve had enough for one day,” Ashfur told him.

Lionpaw dropped his gaze. Did his lack of sleep show that much? Reluctantly, he followed Stormfur and Brook as they headed into the trees.

Hazelpaw caught him up. “Wasn’t that great?”

“I feel like a real warrior now.” Poppypaw fell in beside them.

“Me too!” Lionpaw felt a sudden surge of happiness.

Hawkfrost was wrong if he thought Lionpaw would never make a great warrior!

As the patrol headed down into the hollow, Brambleclaw shot out of the thorn tunnel to meet them. “Did you drive them off?”

“It was easy,” Stormfur meowed.

“No serious injuries?” Brambleclaw asked.

“Just some scratches.” Brightheart flicked her tail and winced.

Brambleclaw touched Lionpaw’s head with his muzzle.

“That ear looks sore.”

“It’s okay,” Lionpaw assured him.

“Lionpaw fought like a warrior,” Stormfur meowed.

Lionpaw lifted his chin as Brambleclaw ran his tail along his spine. “I’m sure he did,” the ThunderClan deputy purred.

“Is he hurt?” Squirrelflight was plucking the ground impatiently as the patrol padded into the clearing. She hurried to Lionpaw’s side at once, and Lionpaw shied away. Don’t make a fuss, he thought.

“He fought like a warrior,” Brambleclaw told her.

Squirrelflight blinked at Lionpaw. “Good.”

“Brook’s got a scratch and Brightheart got her tail bitten,” Lionpaw reported. “But WindClan won’t be coming onto our territory for a while.” He hoped it was true. He was lucky that Heatherpaw hadn’t been in the WindClan patrol, but what about next time?

“Your ear looks pretty bad,” Squirrelflight fretted.

Lionpaw shrugged. “It’s nothing.”

“Better get it seen to anyway.” Squirrelflight nudged him toward the medicine den where Stormfur was guiding Brightheart and Brook through the bramble entrance.

Reluctantly, Lionpaw followed them. He didn’t want Leafpool to heal his battle wound too well in case it didn’t leave a scar that would show how well he had fought.

Fortunately, Leafpool and Jaypaw were already busy with Brook and Brightheart by the time he pushed his way through the brambles.

“I need more cobwebs!” Leafpool called to Jaypaw. Jaypaw spat out the poultice he had been licking into Brightheart’s tail and dashed to the back of the den. He returned with a mouthful of cobweb, which Leafpool pressed against Brook’s wound. A sodden red wad already lay on the cave floor.

“It will stop bleeding, won’t it?” Stormfur watched her anxiously.

“Yes,” Leafpool assured him. She pressed both paws on the wound. “Can you hold it like this?”

Stormfur nodded and placed his paws over Leafpool’s. She drew hers away and turned to inspect Brightheart’s tail.

“Oak leaf. Good choice,” she mewed to Jaypaw. “That’ll stop any infection. It’ll be healed in a few days.” She glanced back at Stormfur, who was staring at his paws as he held the cobweb to Brook’s side. “Any news of Hollypaw?”

“We didn’t get a chance to ask,” Brook admitted.

Leafpool sighed. “I suppose not,” she meowed. “I was just hoping they might have given something away.”

“WindClan hasn’t got her,” Lionpaw announced.

Leafpool pricked her ears. “How do you know?”

Lionpaw stared at the ground. “Well, surely, they would have told us if they had?” He glanced up at Leafpool. “Why else would they have her?”

“Then where is she?” Leafpool’s mew sounded desperate.

Lionpaw touched Jaypaw’s shoulder with his tail. “Can’t you ask StarClan?”

Jaypaw’s fur pricked, almost as if he were annoyed. “No.”

Leafpool snorted and padded to the back of the cave.

Lionpaw frowned. What was going on? “Why haven’t you asked them?” he pressed. “She’s our sister.”

“I haven’t had a chance yet.” Jaypaw lapped up another tongueful of oak leaf and began licking it onto Brightheart’s tail.

Lionpaw stared at his brother, his pelt itching with frustration. “Have you had a chance?” he mewed, turning to Leafpool.

Leafpool, cobweb dangling from her jaw, padded to Brook’s side. She dropped the pale web at Stormfur’s paws.

“It’s not always possible to speak with StarClan,” she explained. “If our warrior ancestors have something they want to share, then they’ll find a way.”

Was that the best they could do? Sit and wait? Lionpaw flexed his claws.

“Let me get something for your ear.” Leafpool padded back to her store of herbs.

“I could try and ask StarClan tonight,” Jaypaw whispered to him. Lionpaw felt even more puzzled. What was going on with these two? Didn’t Jaypaw want Leafpool to hear?

“This should help.” Leafpool brought back a poultice wrapped in a leaf. “Can you manage to rub this on yourself?

Jaypaw and I need to check the rest of the patrol.” She padded out of the den, followed by Jaypaw.

“Do you want some help?” Brightheart was already pawing open the leaf and rubbing her pad in the poultice. “I’m sure Hollypaw will turn up,” she comforted, wiping the ointment onto Lionpaw’s ear.

Lionpaw winced as it stung. “Jaypaw will find out where she is,” he mewed hopefully. Weariness swept over him again.

His night in the tunnels and then the battle had sapped his last pawful of energy. He ducked away from Brightheart’s paw. “I think that’ll be enough.”

“Yes.” Brightheart wiped her paw on her chest and turned to Stormfur. “How’s the bleeding?”

“I think it’s stopped.”

Lionpaw padded out of the den, his paws heavy as clay. He couldn’t wait to curl up in his nest and close his eyes. Worry pricked his drowsy thoughts. A warrior should always be battle ready. What if he’d been too tired to fight today?

“Lionpaw!” Ashfur was bounding toward him.

Lionpaw’s heart sank, but he twitched his whiskers and tried to look as bright as he could. “Do you want me to go hunting?” he offered.

“No.” Ashfur stopped beside him. “You look worn out. Get some sleep. You obviously need to catch up.”

Lionpaw stiffened. There was a hint of warning in his mentor’s mew. Did Ashfur suspect there was more to his exhaustion than an early morning run?

Lionpaw’s heart thumped in his chest. “I promise I’ll always be ready to fight!” he mewed. “I’m going to become the best warrior ThunderClan has ever known! Really I am!”

Ashfur’s whiskers twitched. “I’m sure you will.”

Lionpaw smelled mouse, warm and delicious. He blinked open his eyes. A piece of fresh-kill was lying on the moss beside his nest.

Honeypaw was standing beside it. “I thought you’d be hungry.”

Lionpaw stretched his paws till they trembled. “Is it late?”

“The sunset patrol has just got back,” Honeypaw reported.

“They brought this.” She dabbed her paw at the mouse.

“Have the kits and elders eaten?” Lionpaw asked.

“Of course.” Honeypaw sat down. “Hazelpaw says you really taught Breezepaw a lesson.” Her eyes sparkled. “She says he ended up in the stream.”

Lionpaw got to his paws. “Yeah.” His heart warmed at the memory. “I don’t think any WindClan apprentices will be hunting in our territory for a while.” A chill ran down his spine. What if it had been Heatherpaw hunting with Harepaw instead of Breezepaw?

“Lionpaw?” Honeypaw was staring at him. “Are you okay?”

Lionpaw shivered. “Just tired,” he mewed, faking a yawn.

“Okay.” Honeypaw shrugged. “We’re at the halfrock if you want to join us.” She padded out of the den.

Lionpaw gulped down the mouse and padded into the clearing to join his denmates. He chatted with them, acutely aware of Hollypaw’s absence, his paws itching for the other apprentices to go to their nests. He glanced at the moon, slowly crossing the sky, misted by thin clouds. Heatherpaw would be waiting for him.

Berrypaw and Hazelpaw were the last to head for the den, their gray-and-white pelts glowing in the darkness. As soon as they disappeared, Lionpaw padded quickly to the dirtplace tunnel. Glancing over his shoulder to make sure the clearing was still empty, he slipped out of the camp.

His ear was stinging from the cold night air by the time he reached the tunnels. He padded inside, the usual eerie sense of foreboding clutching his belly. But this time it was worse. There was something he had to do, something really difficult, but he couldn’t see any other way. However much it hurt… Pushing his dark thoughts away, he followed the twisting passageway to the cave. Heatherpaw was already there. She hurried to greet him, rubbing her nose along his cheek. She smelled warm and sleepy, as though she had just woken up.

“Your poor ear!” she gasped when she saw the blood-encrusted wound.

“It’s fine,” Lionpaw mewed.

“Is that your only wound?” Her eyes glittered with worry in the half-light. “Breezepaw said he’d shredded you!”

Lionpaw stepped back. She should be worried about her Clanmates, not him. He felt more certain than ever that he was about to do the right thing.

Heatherpaw tipped her head to one side. “What?” Could she sense the guilt pricking in his pelt?

Lionpaw gazed at her. “We can’t meet anymore.”

Heatherpaw’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

“We just can’t.”

“But we’re having fun. Why do we have to stop? We’re not hurting anyone.” She sounded desperate, her voice coming out as a squeak.

“I think you’re great, Heatherpaw,” Lionpaw mewed. He stared at his paws. Why did she have to make this harder?

“But you need to find someone in your own Clan. I need to be the best warrior I can be, and I can’t do that if I’m here every night.”

Heatherpaw flinched as though he’d raked his claws across her nose. “It doesn’t have to be every night.” Her mew was little more than a whisper.

It doesn’t matter how often we meet! I shouldn’t be here at all! “I was looking out for you in the battle today,” Lionpaw told her.

“What if you’d been in that patrol?”

“You could have fought Breezepaw or Harepaw or—”

“Battles aren’t that simple, and you know it!” She must understand! “I can’t pick and choose. I have to defend my Clan. I can’t be worrying about you all the time.” He watched her gaze cloud with grief and his heart twisted with pain.

“That’s it, then?” she mewed.

“Yes.” He wasn’t going to show how close he was to changing his mind, to agreeing to see her once a moon, or maybe twice, or three times… This was what he had to do.

Anger flared in her eyes. “Fine!” she snapped. “I understand now.” She turned away and padded toward the tunnel.

Before she disappeared into the shadows she glanced over her shoulder, her eyes brimming with pain. “I just hope being a warrior is worth it!”