Eclipse

Chapter 22

The sun woke Lionpaw. He blinked open his eyes, his pelt hot from the rays streaming through the den roof. Flinching from the brightness, he rolled over in his nest. His muscles were stiff.

Ashfur had kept him out hunting all day, and when he’d finally reached camp, already weary from the battle and the hunt for Sol, he had sunk into his nest, too tired to do anything but close his eyes.

Hollypaw was still sleeping. She had been stumbling with exhaustion by the time they’d got back.

He checked his pelt for scratches. The only trace of the battle was the blood and fur still wedged in his claws.

“Hollypaw!”

Cinderpaw was calling into the den. Lionpaw scrambled from his nest and slid out of the entrance. “What is it?” he whispered.

“Brackenfur wants her to help me clean out the nursery,” Cinderpaw mewed.

“Let her sleep.” Lionpaw glanced at Hollypaw’s mentor sitting beside Ashfur, sharing a piece of the fresh-kill they’d caught last night. “I’ll talk to him.”

He padded across the clearing. “I’ll help Cinderpaw with the nursery,” he offered.

Brackenfur looked up, swallowing. “Is Hollypaw okay?”

“Just tired after the battle.” Lionpaw felt his pelt growing hot. No one knew that, after the battle, they’d trekked through half of ThunderClan territory, not to mention ShadowClan’s.

“Has Leafpool checked her injuries?” Brackenfur’s eyes darkened with worry.

“It’s just a few scratches.” Lionpaw groped for an excuse for Hollypaw’s tiredness. “But she didn’t sleep well because she was worried about Squirrelflight.”

Brackenfur nodded. “Well, let her sleep now. You can help Cinderpaw instead.”

Ashfur twitched his tail. “But don’t dawdle. We’re going on the next border patrol.”

“Okay.” Lionpaw hurried back to Cinderpaw. “You go and find fresh moss,” he mewed. “I’ll start clearing out the old bedding.” He glanced at her injured leg. “Can you manage by yourself?”

Cinderpaw rolled her eyes. “Of course.” She turned to the entrance, muttering under her breath. “I wish everyone would stop treating me like a three-legged cat.”

Foxpaw was outside the nursery showing Icepaw a battle move. He rolled onto his back and kicked out with his hind legs. “Then a RiverClan warrior tried to leap on top of me, but I rolled out of the way.” He jumped to his paws. “And I gave him a real nip on his hind leg. I bet he can still feel it.”

Icepaw looked impressed. “I wish I’d been in the battle.”

“Someone had to guard the camp,” Foxpaw mewed kindly.

Lionpaw squeezed through the nursery entrance, the prickers scraping his pelt.

Daisy looked up, her eyes flashing with worry. “It’s only you.” She sighed as she recognized Lionpaw.

Toadkit and Rosekit tumbled toward him.

“Will you teach us some battle moves?” Toadkit begged.

Rosekit churned her paws as though she were fighting off an enemy. “We need to be ready if WindClan invades again.”

Daisy’s fur bushed out. “They won’t, will they? Not after the sun vanished like that.”

“I doubt it.” Millie was lying on her side while her kits fed. A cough shook her body, startling the kits away. Briarkit mewled angrily and squirmed back for more milk. Bumblekit sat up and yawned, his eyes hardly open, while Blossomkit snuggled into the moss and fell asleep.

“You should see Leafpool,” Daisy advised. “You’ve been coughing all night.”

“It’s just something tickling my throat,” Millie meowed. “I probably swallowed a feather.”

Daisy leaned forward and sniffed at Millie’s muzzle. “You feel a bit feverish.”

“I’ll fetch Leafpool once I’ve cleaned out your bedding,” Lionpaw offered.

Toadkit looked crestfallen. “I thought you were going to teach us battle moves.”

“Sorry, Toadkit. I’ve got to go on patrol after I’ve finished here.”

“It’s not fair,” Rosekit complained. “You get to do all the fun things, while we’re stuck in here.”

Lionpaw sighed. Cleaning out dens and patrolling borders wasn’t fun. He wished he were back in the battle, fighting for his Clan with the power of the stars pulsing in his paws. “Why don’t you ask Foxpaw to teach you?” He glanced at Daisy. “I need to clean out your bedding anyway.”

Daisy got to her paws slowly, as though reluctant to leave the nursery. “I suppose we all need some fresh air.” She glanced at Millie, who was coughing again. “You should stay inside.”

Millie nodded. “I am rather tired.” She curled around her kits and closed her eyes.

As Daisy followed Toadkit and Rosekit out of the den, Lionpaw began picking through her bedding, pulling out stale scraps of moss. Millie’s breathing was hoarse, and the air around her smelled sour.

Lionpaw pawed together the dirty moss and gathered it in his jaws. Then he wriggled backward out of the nursery and dropped it outside. Cinderpaw was trotting through the thorn tunnel, fresh moss dangling from her jaws.

“I haven’t done Millie’s nest yet,” Lionpaw called. “I think she’s sick.”

Graystripe, sunning himself beneath Highledge, scrambled to his paws. “What’s wrong?”

“She has a cough,” Lionpaw mewed. “I was just going to fetch Leafpool.”

Graystripe was already hurrying toward the nursery. “Be quick,” he ordered, his tail bushing out.

Lionpaw padded to the medicine cats’ den. A strong smell of herbs drifted through the brambles. He nosed his way in, blinking to adjust his eyes to the gloom.

“Leafpool?”

The medicine cat was crouching beside Spiderleg, her paws green with ointment. “What is it?”

“I think Millie’s sick.”

Leafpool rubbed her paws on the moss of Spiderleg’s nest.

“I’ll put some more on later,” she promised the warrior.

“I’m feeling much better,” Spiderleg assured her.

“Good,” Leafpool meowed. “But stay in your nest. You’re healing quickly, but I want to be sure you’re completely healed before you go back to the warriors’ den.” She turned back to Lionpaw. “Are the kits okay?”

“They seem fine.”

Leafpool was rinsing her paws in the pool when Jaypaw padded into the nursery with a bunch of leaves in his jaws.

“Sort them out for drying,” Leafpool told him. “I have to check on Millie.” The medicine cat pushed her way out through the brambles.

Jaypaw began to lay out the leaves beside a gap in the cave wall.

“Did you sleep okay?” Lionpaw whispered. He wondered if StarClan had told Jaypaw anything about the vanishing sun.

“You mean, did I dream?” Jaypaw snapped. “Why can’t you just say what you’re thinking?”

Lionpaw blinked, surprised by Jaypaw’s tone. “Have you got a thistle stuck in your tail?”

“Sorry,” Jaypaw mewed. “It’s been a busy night.”

Lionpaw glanced at Squirrelflight sleeping in her nest at the back of the den. “Is she better?”

“She’s getting there,” Jaypaw mewed. “But I have to change the dressing a lot to stop infection.”

“Do you want me to fetch some more cobwebs?” Lionpaw offered.

“Cinderpaw brought back plenty this morning, thanks.”

While I was sleeping. Lionpaw’s pelt prickled with guilt. He should be doing more to help his Clan. He padded to his mother’s nest and sniffed at her fur, comforted by her familiar scent.

“Lionpaw?” Squirrelflight opened her eyes. A purr caught in her throat. “How are you?”

“Fine,” Lionpaw mewed.

“Firestar said you fought like a warrior in the battle.” Squirrelflight lifted her head to look at him through sleep-misted eyes. “You don’t seem to have a scratch on you.”

Lionpaw shrugged. “Just lucky, I guess.” His belly rumbled.

“You should have something to eat,” Squirrelflight murmured, resting her head down again.

“I will.” Lionpaw licked her ear gently as she closed her eyes.

Jaypaw was still sorting through the leaves he’d brought back.

Had StarClan really not shared anything with him? Or was he just keeping it to himself? “Are you hungry?” Lionpaw asked. Perhaps they could share some prey. It might make him more talkative.

Jaypaw didn’t look up. “I’ve already eaten.”

Sighing, Lionpaw headed out of the den.

Hollypaw was stretching outside the apprentices’ den.

When she spotted Lionpaw, her whiskers twitched. “Why didn’t you wake me?” she demanded, trotting toward him.

“You seemed so tired.”

“No more tired than you!”

Lionpaw snorted. “I was trying to help!” Why were his littermates so snappy with him? “If you’re so desperate to clean out the nursery, then go ahead.” He stomped to the fresh-kill pile and picked a shrew from the top. Crouching to gulp it down, he heard Dustpelt.

“We haven’t had a battle like that in moons.” The brown tabby warrior was sitting beside the halfrock with Ashfur and Poppyfrost.

“It was like the old days back in the forest,” Ashfur agreed.

Poppyfrost’s eyes widened. “You’ve had battles like that before?”

“Worse,” Dustpelt meowed. “Do you remember the battle against BloodClan, Ashfur?”

Ashfur’s tail twitched. “Now, that was a battle!”

“Did the sun go out then?” Poppyfrost mewed.

Dustpelt sighed. “No.”

“I hope this was the worst battle I’ll ever see,” Poppyfrost went on. “I was fighting two warriors at a time! I know we’d covered it in training, but I never imagined I’d have to do it.”

“You fought well,” Ashfur purred.

“Not as well as Lionpaw,” Poppyfrost breathed. “Did you see him? And there’s not a scratch on him!”

Ashfur stopped purring. “He’s ready to become a warrior.”

Lionpaw glanced up from his shrew. Ashfur was staring at him.

“There’s little else I can teach him.” The pale gray warrior got to his paws. “Lionpaw, are you ready for the patrol?”

Lionpaw swallowed and sat up. “Yes.”

Ashfur signaled to Sorreltail and Whitewing, who were sharing tongues outside the warriors’ den. They leaped to their paws and followed Ashfur to the thorn tunnel. Lionpaw hurried after them.

The forest was brighter now that the leaves were beginning to fall. Sunlight streamed through the branches and pooled on the forest floor. As they padded toward the WindClan border, Lionpaw dropped back. Was he really ready to become a warrior? Since he was a kit, he had dreamed of being the greatest warrior ThunderClan had ever known. But back then it had been a dream. Now the battles were real. He remembered with a shiver the blood pulsing from Crowfeather’s neck, and Heatherpaw’s terror. He had done that, possessed by some strength he seemed unable to control. Was that what being a warrior meant? Would he ever learn to control the power he felt in his paws?

Lionpaw shivered as the woods darkened. Clouds had covered the sun. He could hear his Clanmates rustling through the undergrowth ahead, but something moved in the ferns nearer. He paused. A shape rippled between the trees beside him. A dark-striped pelt.

Tigerstar.

The warrior growled from the shadows. “I watched the battle.” Tigerstar shouldered his way through the bushes and stepped onto the path in front of Lionpaw. “You fought well.

You were a credit to your ancestors.” His amber eyes gleamed.

Lionpaw looked past Tigerstar, searching for Hawkfrost.

“I came alone,” Tigerstar told him. “I have no patience for Hawkfrost’s sneering. He thinks you actually believe this prophecy. But I know you’re too smart to believe Firestar’s mouse-brained dreams.”

Lionpaw shifted his paws, uncomfortable under Tigerstar’s unblinking gaze. “Did you see the sun vanish?”

“It seems the Clans have displeased StarClan.” Tigerstar’s whiskers twitched. “Those starry-eyed fools never had the heart for battle. Unlike you.”

“Ashfur says I’m ready to be a warrior.”

“Really?” Tigerstar circled him. “You think you have learned all there is to learn?”

“I’ve learned all Ashfur has to teach.”

“You still have plenty to learn from me.”

Lionpaw narrowed his eyes. Did Tigerstar really know more? Does he guide my paws in battle? Was it only Tigerstar’s training that helped him beat every enemy and leave the fight unscathed?

Tigerstar’s breath felt hot on his muzzle as the warrior leaned closer. “You have plenty to learn from me, right?”

Lionpaw shifted on his paws. The dark warrior wanted an answer.

“You can teach me more battle skills, I suppose.” Lionpaw lifted his chin. “But what’s the point when I’ve proved I can beat any cat?”

Tigerstar’s eyes blazed like fire. “You think you’re invincible!” A growl rumbled in his throat. “Hawkfrost is right. You do believe this prophecy.”

“Yes!” Lionpaw dug his claws into the ground. “You saw me fight in the battle. Could you have fought better and come out unharmed?” He flicked his tail. “You were kil ed in battle.”

He turned to leave. He didn’t need the guidance of this dead cat!

A roar split the air. Lionpaw spun around. Too late: Claws pierced his shoulders as Tigerstar knocked him to the ground.

Lionpaw struggled, but Tigerstar held him down, his massive shoulders rippling with the effort.

“You think you don’t need me anymore, is that it?” Tigerstar hissed in his ear. “You’re a fool! You’ve just been lucky, nothing more. Firestar’s prophecy is blinding you. You’re like a kit who still believes in nursery tales.” He shoved Lionpaw down harder, pressing his face into the leaves. “You’re powerful because of me, and you will only grow more powerful by learning what I teach you.” He gave Lionpaw another shake before jumping back.

Lionpaw scrambled to his paws and turned on him, anger flaring in his belly. But Tigerstar was fading, his shape dissolving in front of him.

“I’ve not finished with you yet.” With a final hiss, Tigerstar vanished.

Lionpaw was trembling with fury. Why was Tigerstar so determined to ignore the prophecy?

“Lionpaw!” Ashfur was calling him from the bushes ahead.

He hurried to catch up, his shoulders stinging where Tigerstar’s claws had dug in. He glanced behind him. Was Tigerstar still watching? What did the dark warrior want from him, if he didn’t want the power of the stars?