Fading Echoes

Chapter 19

“Clanmates are everything. And we’re your Clanmates now.”

Hawkfrost gazed deep into Ivypaw’s eyes, and she began to relax. The gray, mist-wrapped forest suddenly seemed less strange. The sound of warriors training beyond the half-shadowed trees felt familiar. She was with Clanmates.

At first, when Ivypaw had dreamed herself beyond the flower-flecked meadow and into the forest, she’d been nervous. She’d crept between the towering trunks with her fur prickling, stiffening every time a yowl drifted from the misty depths of the woods.

But then Hawkfrost had found her, padding out of the shadows, his blue gaze sparking with pleasure as he saw her.

“Don’t be scared of them,” he’d reassured her when she’d jumped at a sudden, muffled noise.

“But who are they?” Ivypaw flicked her tail toward two wraithlike forms wrestling in a clearing a few tree-lengths away.

“Your Clanmates,” Hawkfrost answered.

“They’re ThunderClan?” Ivypaw blinked. This couldn’t be such a bad place if ThunderClan came here.

Hawkfrost didn’t answer, just scraped a line in the moldering earth. “See if you can make it past this mark,” he challenged.

More training!

Ivypaw crouched down, wincing at the ache in her shoulders. The pain followed her from dream to waking and back. As she’d hunted with Icecloud and Toadstep that day after sunhigh, she’d struggled to keep up. Nightly training with Hawkfrost had taken its toll, but Ivypaw knew she was growing stronger, and his praise was worth much more because it was so hard-won.

She swished her tail over the ground and stared at Hawkfrost. He sat calmly watching her behind the line he had drawn. She narrowed her eyes, keeping her rump still as he’d taught her.

Wait a moment. Then another. She ran through an old lesson in her head. Until they’re not sure what you’re going to do.

Ivypaw lunged, forepaws stretching, claws unsheathed. She looked for Hawkfrost’s first sign of movement, knew he’d double-bluff, pretending to move one way, then another, then back. She kept her hind paws on the ground until she was sure of his direction, then used them to steer her pounce and caught him off balance, swiping his muzzle with one front paw.

He batted her back with a hefty blow to her shoulder, and she fell sprawling to the ground. She sat up, shaking the dizziness from her head.

Hawkfrost was staring at the line. The earth was scuffed, but only on her side.

“You didn’t cross it,” he growled. “Try again.”

Ivypaw tucked her hind legs under her, concentrating. She barely saw the shadow move at the edge of her vision.

A voice rumbled from the mist. “Hello, Hawkfrost.”

Stiffening, Ivypaw spun around. A massive dark tom padded out. Brambleclaw? No. This cat had the same broad shoulders and tabby pelt, but his eyes glittered like a fox’s.

“Who—” Ivypaw didn’t get a chance to finish her question. Hawkfrost slammed into her, flinging her down and pinning her shoulders to the ground. He leaned in close, baring his teeth. “I’ve warned you before about getting distracted,” he growled.

She struggled to her paws, eager to examine the newcomer, but wary of taking her eyes from Hawkfrost.

The blue-eyed tom nodded. “Meet Tigerstar.”

With his permission, Ivypaw turned to stare at the dark warrior. He was bigger than Brambleclaw and his pelt was crisscrossed with scars. “T-Tigerstar?” She’d heard many stories about this warrior, stories that made her paws tremble.

She was surprised when his gaze softened. “Don’t believe everything you hear, little one,” he rumbled.

Could he read her mind? “I—I wasn’t,” she stammered. “I mean, I didn’t…”

Tigerstar weaved around her, his pelt brushing hers. “You’re among friends now, Ivypaw,” he murmured. “I know what the Clan cats say about me. But they can’t see into my heart.” He sat down. “Success is lonely. I was punished for wanting to lead my Clan. They misunderstood my desire to guide them through hardship. And so they forced me to leave.”

“You mean ThunderClan?” Ivypaw struggled to remember the details of the nursery tales she’d heard.

“They were my birth Clan.” Tigerstar sighed. “If I’d led them, they would not have lost so many. Instead they drove me out. But they could not destroy my loyalty to the Clan that raised me.”

Ivypaw narrowed her eyes. “But you led ShadowClan.”

“What else could I do?” Tigerstar shrugged. “Turn rogue? What true warrior would do that?” He leaned toward her, his eyes round and sincere. “We are Clanmates in every way.” He turned to Hawkfrost. “How’s she doing?”

Hawkfrost flicked Ivypaw’s flank with his tail. “Show him.”

“Show him what?” Ivypaw suddenly felt nervous.

Hawkfrost cocked his head. “How fast you can turn. How accurately you can pounce.”

Ivypaw dropped to her belly, then sprang up, pushing with her hind legs as hard as she could. She landed and turned instantly on one hind paw, then leaped again, landing on a twig that she’d fixed in her gaze. She plucked it up with her forepaw and snapped it in midair. Then she came to rest, paws straight, tail down, muscles tensed to leap again if she had to.

“Very neat,” Tigerstar murmured. He padded toward her and without warning stretched out a massive forepaw and tossed one of the broken pieces of twig into the air. It arced over her head.

“Catch it!” he ordered.

Without thinking, Ivypaw jumped, twisted in midair, and stretched to pluck the twig from the air, catching it without effort and landing on three legs. Pleased with herself, she dropped the twig at Tigerstar’s paws.

Tigerstar’s amber gaze glowed. “She’s ready,” he purred to Hawkfrost.

Excitement thrilled through Ivypaw. “Ready for what?”

Tigerstar swung his gaze toward her. His eyes narrowed very slightly. “I hadn’t planned on telling you yet…” He glanced at Hawkfrost as though debating. “But I suppose the sooner we act, the safer your Clanmates will be.”

Ivypaw leaned forward. Was ThunderClan in danger?

“ShadowClan is planning to invade your territory.”

“Invade?” Ivypaw’s heart quickened. She knew there’d been activity near the border, but not enough to suggest an immediate threat. “Why?”

With a sigh, Tigerstar began to explain. “Many moons ago, Firestar gave a large strip of your territory to ShadowClan. He told his Clanmates they had no use for it. That it would be a hassle to defend.”

Ivypaw blinked. “He gave it away?” She knew it was only the piece of land Twolegs used to build greenleaf nests, but anything that pushed the ShadowClan border farther from the prey-rich forest must be important. And she had always assumed ShadowClan had won it by force. “Why?”

Tigerstar shook his head sadly. “Firestar’s been afraid of ShadowClan since he left his kittypet life. The stories of their ferociousness always seemed to get under his fur.”

“But Firestar’s not frightened of anything!” Ivypaw objected.

“Really?” Tigerstar looked surprised. “I suppose he must appear that way to an apprentice. But I knew him before he was a warrior, when he was young enough to believe nursery stories.”

“He wouldn’t still believe such nonsense!” Ivypaw exclaimed.

“Of course not.” Tigerstar tucked his tail over his paws. “What warrior would? But still he decided that it was easier to give up territory than risk lives defending it. And unfortunately ShadowClan saw it as weakness, not wisdom.”

Suspicion pricked in Ivypaw’s pelt. “Why are you telling me this?” she asked. “You were once ShadowClan’s leader. Why do you want to give away their plans?”

Tigerstar’s gaze sharpened. “ThunderClan is my birth Clan. My loyalty lies with them even though they drove me out and forced me to beg for a home with another Clan.” He glanced at his paws. “I’d rather be a humble warrior than live outside the Clans, without the warrior code to guide my paws.” He looked up. “ThunderClan must be warned of the danger.”

“You really think they’ll invade?”

Hawkfrost padded closer. “They’ve already had a taste of ThunderClan territory.”

“How much more do they want?” Ivypaw’s heart was pounding. She had to defend her Clan!

Tigerstar tipped his head to one side. “Only the land up to the abandoned Twoleg nest,” he told her.

“But that’s where Jayfeather grows his herbs!”

“Do you think they don’t know that?” Tigerstar murmured.

Ivypaw felt foolish. Of course! “What can I do?”

Tigerstar closed his eyes for a moment. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

“Of course I am!”

“Then,” Tigerstar mewed, “you must persuade Firestar to take back the territory he gave away to ShadowClan.”

“Will that stop them?”

“It’ll send them an important message,” Tigerstar growled. “It’ll prove that ThunderClan doesn’t fear them.”

Ivypaw clawed at the earth. “We don’t!”

Hawkfrost pushed his muzzle close to Ivypaw’s. “But does ShadowClan know that?”

“They will if we attack first!” Ivypaw exclaimed.

Tigerstar looked pleased. “Exactly.”

Ivypaw frowned. “How can I get ThunderClan to launch an attack?”

“Speak to Firestar.”

“He won’t listen to me!” Ivypaw flattened her ears. “And if I tell him the message came from you, he’ll never believe it!”

“Then don’t tell him.” Tigerstar stood up. “He’ll believe anything you want him to, if you put it the right way.”

Ivypaw’s mind was whirling. How would she find the words to persuade Firestar? “I don’t know…” she breathed.

Tigerstar caught her gaze and held it. “You’ll find a way, Clanmate.”