Hawkwing’s Journey

Chapter 9

Hawkwing padded over to the foot of the Rockpile to join the rest of his Clanmates. Leafstar’s voice as she called the meeting still rang in his ears, and he marveled at the strength and authority she was showing.

We’ve just told her that her mate is dead, and that he’s been buried far from camp, somewhere she might never find, yet here she is, gathering her warriors around her.

Hawkwing realized that Leafstar must be grieving for Billystorm every bit as much as he grieved for Duskpaw, but she was forcing herself to be strong for the rest of her Clan.

News of the failure of the quest and of Billystorm’s death must have traveled, for sadness filled the air like fog as the warriors gathered, and no cat could look up at the Rockpile to meet

Leafstar’s gaze. Instead, they crouched at the foot of the boulders, their eyes fixed on their paws, or exchanged glances of bewilderment and fear. Firefern, Stormheart, and Harrybrook, the kits of Leafstar and Billystorm, huddled together as if they were trying to find comfort in each other.

“Disaster has fallen upon SkyClan,” the Clan leader began, “but we must not allow it to crush us. We must still find ‘the spark that remains.’ If we give up our quest now, we dishonor the memory of the cats who have died for that quest. There is still a prophecy that we must fulfill. And now we know only too well that there is still darkness to be dispelled.”

“But how are we going to do that?” Nettlesplash asked.

“Yes,” M intfur, Nettlesplash’s mate, agreed, ruffling up her gray tabby fur. “The quest failed, so maybe that’s a sign that we mistook the meaning of the prophecy. M aybe we shouldn’t be looking for Firestar’s kin after all.”

“No!” Cherrytail sprang to her paws, glaring at M intfur.

“Echosong has never been that wrong before.”

So far Hawkwing had sat in silence, keeping his thoughts to himself, but now he couldn’t stop himself from speaking. “Let’s not forget that we weren’t only following Echosong’s advice,” he meowed. “She may well have been right, but it was some other cat who told us where to go, to find Firestar’s kin.”

As he spoke, every cat turned to look in the same direction.

Following their gaze, Hawkwing spotted Darktail settled comfortably in the shadow of a rock, his paws tucked under him.

So he is still living here! he thought, suppressing a gasp.

“Hawkwing!” Sharpclaw spoke commandingly from his place on the Rockpile at Leafstar’s side. “If you want to make an accusation, consider carefully before you speak. Darktail has been living among us since you left, and he was a huge help when the beasts attacked us. He fought valiantly.”

Hawkwing rose to his paws and faced his father. In spite of Sharpclaw’s words, something encouraging in his voice suggested that the Clan deputy might agree with him—or at least that he wanted Darktail’s involvement brought out into the open.

“I have considered carefully,” Hawkwing responded. “In fact, I’ve thought of very little else since Billystorm died. Darktail’s directions were all wrong, and they got Billystorm killed.”

Fury rising inside him, Hawkwing marched over to Darktail, other cats scrambling to get out of his way. He halted in front of the white tom, thrusting out his neck until they were nose to nose.

“Did you know about the badgers?” he hissed. “I’d hate to think you led us deliberately into danger—but it sure looks like you did!

Why would you do that, to cats you don’t even know?”

Behind him, Hawkwing could hear low murmuring from his Clanmates. One or two of them let out angry yowls, echoing his questions.

Darktail was not at all daunted by Hawkwing’s attack or the hostility of the other SkyClan cats. Rising to his paws, he dipped his head respectfully to Leafstar. There was an expression of deep sorrow on his face.

“Leafstar, you can’t imagine how bad I feel about this,” he meowed. “I really thought I had it right, and I can’t believe what happened.”

Sharpclaw let out a snort. “You really can’t tell fresh scent from stale?” he demanded, green eyes flashing with anger. “What were you thinking? You could have gotten all the patrol killed.”

“I know. It was all a mistake.” Darktail’s expression was deeply distressed. “It’s been a while since I passed through there, and I must have been confused. I was only trying to help.”

As he spoke, Hawkwing could sense that the hostility of some of his Clanmates was turning to sympathy in the face of Darktail’s obvious regret.

“Hawkwing, don’t be too hard on him,” Sandynose meowed.

“If he made an honest mistake, then we have to put Billystorm’s death down to fate.”

“Sandynose is right,” M istfeather agreed. “Darktail fought so bravely when the strange creatures attacked our camp. Why would he do that if he wanted to hurt us?”

Hawkwing couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Fate?” he sputtered, his shoulder fur bristling. “You think this is fate? How could it be fate for badgers to kill Billystorm? How could it be fate for Duskpaw to die in a fire?”

While he was speaking, Leafstar stepped forward and looked down at him from the Rockpile. Her expression was stern, but not angry, as if she understood the feelings that were flooding through him.

“Hawkwing, I can tell that you’re still grieving for your brother. And it’s hard to think clearly through the fog of sorrow. I know that as well as any cat.”

His leader’s words did nothing to calm Hawkwing. Instead, even greater outrage flamed through him, fierce as the fire that had killed his brother. “That is not what this is about!” he snarled. “We shouldn’t just assume that it’s fate when something bad happens.

This time, the bad thing happened when Darktail sent our patrol right into the path of a nest of badgers!”

Darktail pressed himself against Hawkwing’s flank. “I truly believed the badgers had moved on,” he mewed, sounding genuinely remorseful. “I didn’t know the beasts could be that sneaky.”

As more of his Clanmates murmured their sympathy and agreement, Hawkwing stepped away from Darktail with an angry glare. “We met a kittypet who told us that the badgers had lived there for seasons,” he challenged the white tom. “If a kittypet knows that, why didn’t you? And she told us that there were no

Clan cats anywhere near there.”

Darktail’s eyes widened, his expression innocent and bewildered. “I only told you what I thought was true,” he responded. “I don’t know this kittypet, and I can’t explain her words.”

“You can’t trust a kittypet to know what she’s meowing about,” Bouncefire put in. “Why bother, when your food bowl will be filled anyway?”

Hawkwing glared at Bouncefire, his lips drawn back in the beginnings of a snarl. “Even if it was an accident, it was still your stupid fault,” he hissed at Darktail.

I wish I’d never brought Darktail to camp, he added silently to himself. If I’d left him where I found him, Billystorm would still be alive.

Darktail’s head drooped and he cringed as if Hawkwing’s words had hurt him. “I’m so sorry… ,” he whispered.

“I believe Darktail,” Bouncefire announced, returning Hawkwing’s glare. He raised his voice so all the warriors could hear him. “What cat would be so evil as to lead strange cats into a badger den? We only just met him; it doesn’t make sense that he would hold a grudge against us.”

Leafstar dipped her head to Bouncefire. “I agree. I have lost more than any cat, and I too believe it was an accident.” Raising her head to gaze at the sky, she continued, “What in StarClan is happening? Why is all this misfortune falling on us now? Not just the badgers, but those strange-scented foxlike creatures, too… what did you say they were called, Darktail?”

“Raccoons,” Darktail replied. Turning to Hawkwing, he added, “I told this to Leafstar and the others after the attack. Twolegs sometimes keep them as pets, but some of them escaped, and now they live in the wild.”

“How do you know that?” Hawkwing asked suspiciously.

“I picked up their scent on the way here, and I asked some kittypets about them,” Darktail explained.

“Whatever they are called,” Leafstar went on, “let’s hope we have driven them off for good. We have other problems to deal with. Darktail, I believe you meant no harm, but the sad fact is that we’re no nearer to finding ‘the spark that remains.’ M aybe

StarClan will send us a clearer prophecy soon.”

Hawkwing’s belly churned with anger. Why aren’t we driving this rogue away? We never trust outsiders this easily. He supposed it must be because Darktail had fought bravely during the raccoon attack. But I still don’t trust him.

“I understand what you’re saying, Leafstar,” Sharpclaw meowed when the Clan leader had finished speaking. “Darktail may have had dark motives, or he may not. But it’s still a huge risk for the Clan to put our faith in cats we don’t know.”

Hawkwing was relieved that his father seemed to share his suspicions of Darktail, but a moment later his relief faded away as Leafstar refused to change her opinion.

“I won’t turn Darktail out without proof that he meant to harm

SkyClan,” she insisted. “Besides, he is the only cat among us who might know where ‘the spark that remains’ might be. StarClan wants us to follow the prophecy, and they don’t send us messages that aren’t important.”

Hawkwing flexed his claws in and out. He knew that he should keep his jaws shut, that it wasn’t his place to argue with his Clan leader, but he couldn’t stop the words from spilling out.

“Leafstar, this is a bad idea. This cat is not one of SkyClan,” he added, staring straight at Darktail. “He doesn’t understand what it means to be a Clan cat.”

“Come on, that’s a bit harsh,” Sandynose protested.

“Yes,” Bouncefire added. “Not every good cat is born to a

Clan. Even Firestar used to be a kittypet, for StarClan’s sake!”

Hawkwing’s fury was rising. He didn’t want to listen to any cat. Are they all too stupid to realize that this rogue could destroy us all? “I say we drive him out now!” he snarled.

A chorus of protest rose from the cats clustering around him and Darktail, but before Leafstar could silence the clamor there was a stir of movement at the back of the crowd, and Frecklewish thrust a path through her Clanmates to the foot of the Rockpile.

“Leafstar—” she began breathlessly.

Leafstar was instantly alert, her ears pricking forward as she looked down at the young medicine cat. “Has something happened to Echosong?” she asked anxiously.

Frecklewish shook her head. “She’s still alive—she’s fine. But she just had a vision.”

“Another one?” Leafstar’s voice was sharp. “What was it?”

“She saw a fire burning out, then blazing up again,” Frecklewish explained, managing to catch her breath. “But her voice was strained as she told me about it. She insists that SkyClan must find ‘the spark that remains’… before it’s lost forever.”

The angry argument had died away while Frecklewish was speaking, and all the cats looked expectantly toward their leader.

Hawkwing was the first to speak.

“Now we know that our destiny is still out there,” he meowed.

“We should never have listened to Darktail. What does he know about StarClan?”

Leafstar was unimpressed. “Let go of your anger, Hawkwing,” she told him. “This is the time to focus on our next move.”

“Should we try to find Barley now?” Bellapaw asked. “He might be able to tell us where the Clan cats are. At least we know he’s trustworthy,” she finished with an awkward glance at Darktail.

That’s a good suggestion, Hawkwing thought at the mention of Barley, the farm cat who had come with Ravenpaw to bring Bellapaw and her brother Rileypaw to SkyClan. He would never lead us wrong.

The white tom dipped his head toward Bellapaw, a thoughtful look in his eyes. “I understand why you might be doubtful,” he meowed in response. “Even though I was wrong about the directions, I still believe I know where the Clan cats are, and I can save you a lot of time if you trust me again. I just need to think of a better way to get there.”

“Suppose we send out another questing patrol,” Firefern suggested, her eyes brightening as she gazed at her mother up on the Rockpile. “They could look for ‘the spark that remains,’ and bring Darktail along to guide them.”

“No! I’m against that,” Sharpclaw snorted with a flick of his tail. “What if the vision isn’t telling us to go anywhere to find sparks to dispel darkness, but rather warning us to be alert? What if a danger is coming to SkyClan? If you ask me, we should strengthen our borders as much as we can, before it’s too late.”

Hawkwing’s anger rose again as he listened to his father’s cautious advice. Before he could stop himself, he let out a derisive growl.

Sharpclaw’s head swiveled to face him. “Show some respect!” he hissed.

“I do respect you!” Hawkwing protested. “But I disagree with you over this. We have to go out and find our destiny.”

Sharpclaw rolled his eyes. “You make me wonder if we made you a warrior too soon,” he snapped. “You’re showing all the maturity of a kit.”

If Sharpclaw hadn’t been standing on the Rockpile, Hawkwing might have leaped at him, claws extended. But his anger had to burst out somehow, even though he knew he should control himself in front of his leader and his Clan. “I’m not a kit!” he yowled. “I survived a quest Billystorm couldn’t!”

“That’s enough!” Leafstar stepped forward, her amber eyes blazing with fury. “You might be a warrior now,” she told

Hawkwing, every word forced out through her teeth, “but you should still know your place. You’re no good to the Clan if all you do is disrupt our important meetings, and make them all about you.”

Hawkwing took a step back, daunted by Leafstar’s anger; she was normally so calm and controlled. I wish I hadn’t mentioned Billystorm. That was a cruel thing to say to Leafstar.

“I’m sorry—” he began.

“‘Sorry’ catches no prey,” Leafstar snapped. “I’m trying to work out how to keep my Clan strong and healthy, and you’re getting in the way. You’re being disruptive, and I won’t put up with that.”

Instinctively Hawkwing glanced at Sharpclaw, expecting that his father would back him up, or at least defend him. But Sharpclaw was looking just as stern as their Clan leader.

“You need to hold on to your temper,” he told Hawkwing. “It’s too short—the kind that can get cats into trouble.”

“I know just the thing to calm you down,” Leafstar mewed, her eyes glittering. “You can go and tend to Echosong in the medicine cat den. Keep her clear of ticks, and sort through her herbs to throw out any that are shriveled or rotting.”

Hawkwing let out a moan, staring at his paws. That’s a job for an apprentice!

“Well?” Leafstar asked icily. “Why are you still here?”

“What?” Hawkwing asked, briefly confused. “Don’t I even get to stay for the rest of the meeting?”

“The meeting is over, as far as you’re concerned.” Leafstar swept her tail in the direction of the medicine cat den. “Leave,” she ordered. “Your punishment starts right now.”

Feeling every cat’s gaze upon him, Hawkwing stumbled off after Frecklewish. Every hair on his pelt was burning with shame.

How did that go so wrong?