Night Whispers

Chapter 22

Dovepaw paced outside the thorn barrier with her ears pricked. She could hear the patrol heading back from the ShadowClan border with Brambleclaw in the lead. Brackenfur and Graystripe padded after, their paws heavy on the snow. Ivypaw was with them, tailed by Squirrelflight.

Dovepaw was unnerved by the patrol’s silence. They didn’t scold Ivypaw for her carelessness in getting caught. They didn’t ask her what had happened in ShadowClan’s camp. Her pelt itched with anticipation. Would Ivypaw forgive her for letting ShadowClan take her prisoner?

The patrol appeared at the top of the slope and headed down toward the camp. Dovepaw tried to catch Ivypaw’s eye, but her sister’s gaze followed her paws, dark with worry.

“Are you okay?” Dovepaw fell in beside Ivypaw. “They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

“She’s fine,” Squirrelflight told her. “Let her rest.”

“Won’t Firestar want to speak to her?”

Squirrelflight shook her head. “What’s done is done.” She sighed. “Ivypaw knows she made a stupid mistake. She won’t do it again.”

Dovepaw paused. Didn’t they want to question Ivypaw about what she’d been doing on the border in the middle of the night?

Ivypaw headed straight for her den.

“Please talk to me!” Dovepaw pleaded.

Ivypaw stopped and looked at her with clouded eyes. “I’m fine. Don’t worry. I’m just tired.”

“Really?” Dovepaw leaned closer.

Ivypaw nodded and turned away.

Stones cracked on the pile of rocks beside the cliff. Firestar’s orange pelt glowed in the twilight as he bounded down from Highledge. “Did everything go okay?” he asked Brambleclaw.

“We gave them the herbs; they gave us Ivypaw,” the deputy reported.

“Any idea how they caught her?” Firestar prompted.

“She said she was trying night hunting on the border and strayed over the scent line.”

Thornclaw was frowning outside the warriors’ den. “You shouldn’t have sent such senior warriors to fetch her,” he grumbled. “It shows too much respect.”

Dustpelt paced around him, tail whipping. “If any ThunderClan cat dies because we have no herbs, ShadowClan will have blood on their fur.”

Guilt clawed at Dovepaw as she stared after her sister.

“Come on,” Squirrelflight murmured in her ear. “Leave Ivypaw to rest. It’s time to leave for the Gathering.”

Dovepaw spun around. “I’d completely forgotten!” She glanced up at the fat white moon. If she saw Tigerheart tonight, what would she say to him?

Thornclaw and Dustpelt were already waiting by the tunnel. Firestar’s tail disappeared through the brambles at the medicine den entrance. Dovepaw guessed he was checking on Sandstorm before he left. Sorreltail padded across the clearing with Blossomfall and Rosepetal, fur fluffed against the cold. Berrynose, Foxleap, and Lionblaze emerged from the shelter of the warriors’ den.

Squirrelflight waited beside the nursery until Leafpool slid out of the entrance. “How’s Cherrykit?” the orange warrior asked.

“Her breathing’s a little rough, but she still has her appetite,” Leafpool answered. They headed for the barrier.

Brambleclaw glanced over to the medicine den, breath billowing at his nose, as Firestar and Jayfeather padded out. “Let’s go.”

They headed for the lakeshore. Jayfeather stuck close to Lionblaze’s side as the patrol headed down the bank. The snow had drifted deep in places, but Lionblaze guided his littermate through a gap and dug a channel to where the breeze from the lake had blown the snow thin enough to cross easily.

“Dovepaw?” Lionblaze called to her softly.

She hurried to catch up to him. “What?”

“Do you know what Ivypaw was doing on the border?” Lionblaze hissed. Beside him, Jayfeather’s ears were pricked.

“It didn’t have anything to do with the Dark Forest,” Dovepaw whispered. “She was just…” She groped for a reason. “Practicing her night hunting, like she said.” Jayfeather’s tail twitched, and Dovepaw focused hard on believing that was what Ivypaw had been doing. She didn’t want Jayfeather spying on her thoughts and discovering the truth.

“Look!” Squirrelflight was staring up the hillside. They were crossing WindClan’s shore, and high on the moorland, the silhouettes of WindClan warriors were lined along the crest.

“What are they waiting for?” Thornclaw growled.

Foxleap shook snow from his tail. “Perhaps they don’t want to arrive first.”

The moon glinted on the WindClan warriors, sending long shadows spilling down the smooth, white hillside.

“Come on.” Firestar quickened the pace. “The sooner we get into the shelter of the island, the better.”

Dovepaw waited for Rosepetal and Blossomfall to catch up, then matched their pace. Blossomfall was fretting. “I hope they’ll be okay.”

“Briarlight will be happy being left in charge of the medicine den,” Rosepetal pointed out.

“But Bumblestripe’s been coughing all day,” Blossomfall sighed. “What if he takes a turn for the worse?”

“Jayfeather put Brightheart in charge,” Rosepetal reminded her. “She’ll know what to do.”

Dovepaw reached out with her senses, up the WindClan slopes where the heather creaked under the layers of snow. The warriors waiting at the top made no sound, only watched. Unease began to prick Dovepaw’s belly. She stretched her senses farther, back to ShadowClan territory.

“It could be a trap.” Crowfrost’s mew was sharp with worry.

“Perhaps we shouldn’t go.”

Blackstar cleared his throat. “We must not show fear,” he meowed. “They won’t attack under the full-moon truce.”

“Can you be sure?” Snowbird demanded.

“It’s a Gathering!” Tawnypelt declared. “They wouldn’t dare!”

Who are they frightened of? Had StarClan warned them about the Dark Forest warriors? Dovepaw turned her ears toward RiverClan.

“Are you coming?” Mothwing was calling across the camp.

Willowshine’s reply was firm. “I’m staying here.”

“Will they obey the truce?” Reedwhisker muttered.

Mosspelt’s paws pattered over the snow. “Perhaps we should hide the kits and elders until they’ve left the island.”

Fear was darkening every Clan like clouds across the moon.

Dovepaw could hear RiverClan warriors pacing the clearing when ThunderClan reached the island. She nosed her way past Blossomfall and Rosepetal and crouched on the shore beside Jayfeather and Lionblaze. “They know!” she whispered.

Lionblaze blinked at her. “Who knows?”

“The other Clans! They know about the Dark Forest.”

“You’re imagining it.” Jayfeather’s eyes glinted in the moonlight. “Only we know about the Dark Forest.”

Dovepaw realized that she hadn’t actually heard any cat mention the Dark Forest. “Well, they’re scared of something,” she hissed.

“I know,” Jayfeather agreed. “I can sense it in the air. The medicine cats must have told their Clanmates about StarClan’s warning.”

“Perhaps we should tell our Clanmates,” Dovepaw suggested.

“And scare them to death?” Lionblaze dug his claws into the snow. “We can deal with whatever’s coming by ourselves.”

“Look!” Foxleap called from the edge of the water. “It’s solid all the way to the island!” The young warrior was already slithering across the frozen lake.

Dovepaw padded to the edge and put out a tentative paw. The ice burned, but as her pad grew numb, she tried another paw, and another, until she was standing on the hard white surface.

“Come back!” Sorreltail called. “It might break!”

“Don’t worry,” Foxleap yowled. “It’s shallow here.” With unsteady paws he wobbled farther out, picking up speed and falling into a clumsy skid. “Whoa!” He slithered to a halt, purring. “Try it, Blossomfall! It’s fun.”

Blossomfall hurtled after him, yowling with surprise and pleasure as she glided over the ice. Dovepaw’s heart lurched as her paws slid underneath her. Tensing to stay upright, she picked her way across. Every muscle felt stiff with fear, but it was still thrilling to be walking across the lake. She could see the dark shadow of water lapping beneath the moon-white surface. With every paw step, the ice groaned and creaked.

“Come on!” Firestar’s sharp order sounded from the island shore. “Get off there.”

Dovepaw’s claws scraped the ice as she fought to grip it, and she slithered ungraciously onto the snowy shore, relieved to feel solid earth beneath her.

Brambleclaw and Dustpelt were already pushing through the bracken toward the clearing in the pine trees. Dovepaw slipped through the crackling fronds, lost for a moment as her Clanmates disappeared around her. She followed the sound of their fur brushing stems until she slid out onto the edge of the clearing. The RiverClan warriors froze, as though trapped in ice, while they watched ThunderClan arrive.

“What’s up with them?” Rosepetal whispered.

Firestar headed for the Great Oak and climbed onto one of the snow-laden roots. The RiverClan cats drew closer to one another like fish bunching into a shoal. Dovepaw eyed them warily and padded closer to Blossomfall.

“What’s spooking them?” Blossomfall hissed.

“Who knows?” Dovepaw stared at her paws.

The bracken behind her crunched, and she turned to see WindClan flooding into the clearing. She bristled, surprised that they were here already. She’d lost track of them while she’d played on the ice. They filed around ThunderClan, hardly making eye contact. Breezepelt’s gaze grazed Dovepaw’s but quickly jerked away.

Dustpelt was pacing. “I’ve never heard it so quiet.”

“Isn’t anyone going to share tongues?” Squirrelflight gazed around, puzzled.

The ShadowClan patrol came last, tense and round-eyed. Dovepaw spotted Tigerheart’s dark brown ear tips. He didn’t look around for her, but stayed in the knot of his Clanmates. Dovepaw felt a jab of frustration. How could things change so quickly? Each Clan was acting like it was at war with the others. Was it StarClan who had sown the seeds of mistrust, or the Dark Forest warriors?

“It’s so cold; we must be quick!” Mistystar called from the lowest branch of the Great Oak. Firestar sat a little farther along the branch, Onestar and Blackstar stiff as owls beyond him.

RiverClan and WindClan gathered closest to the tree. ShadowClan hurried to take its place beside them. Dovepaw followed her Clanmates as they padded into a pool of moonlight and settled down to listen. She nosed her way past Rosepetal and Blossomfall, seeking the warmth of the crowd and settling between Thornclaw and Lionblaze.

Mistystar, huddled in the moonlight, looked like a small pool of silver. “It’s a tough leaf-bare, and with the lake frozen in the shallows, hunting has been hard.”

Nightcloud growled. “It makes a change for the fish-eaters to go hungry as well.”

Mistystar pressed on. “The bad weather has not kept us from training, and we are thankfully free of sickness.”

Onestar stood. “WindClan too is healthy, though rabbits are scarce and the snow is thick around the camp. We have improved our tracking skills and found a way to trace prey to its burrows.”

He nodded to Blackstar, who stood and gazed down at the gathered cats for several long heartbeats. “Rowanclaw has become ShadowClan’s deputy,” he announced at last, appearing to choose his words carefully. “We still mourn the loss of Russetfur. It was not her time to die.” He didn’t look at Firestar, but went on, “Hunting has been hard, and Littlecloud has been ill. But I’m pleased to report that we have found a remedy, and he will be here with us next full moon.”

Murmurs of approval rose from the ShadowClan cats. Dovepaw felt Thornclaw tense beside her and heard Lionblaze’s claws scrape the snowy ground.

Firestar stood up. His gaze was fixed on Blackstar. “And how did you find that remedy?” he challenged. Dovepaw heard breaths quicken and paws shift as the Clans tensed around her. Firestar didn’t wait for an answer. “You took one of our apprentices hostage, that’s how.”

There were muffled gasps from RiverClan and WindClan warriors.

“She was on our land!” Blackstar hissed.

“And you would have been within your rights to chase her off,” Firestar shot back. “But what true warrior takes a cat, too young to defend herself, and bargains with her like she was prey?”

Blackstar bared his teeth as Firestar pressed on. “A true warrior would have the courage to ask for what he wants.” The ThunderClan leader arched his back. “You’re lucky we didn’t strike back more harshly. We’ve beaten you once already this moon. Don’t think we wouldn’t do it again.”

Blackstar smoothed his fur. His eyes were slits. “Whatever happens,” he breathed, “ShadowClan will be ready.”

“We’re ready now!” Rowanclaw jumped to his paws, pelt bristling, at the bottom of the tree. Crowfrost and Smokefoot stood up beside him and glared into the crowd, their eyes fixed on the ThunderClan warriors.

Lionblaze curled his lip, and a growl rasped in Squirrelflight’s throat. Dustpelt flattened his ears. Gulping, Dovepaw unsheathed her claws. Were they going to fight here? She glanced at the bright, clear moon. There was no cloud in the sky to end the truce.

Dovepaw heard whispers spread through the Clans.

“Is this it?”

“Has the darkness come?”

“But the moon is still shining!”

That didn’t seem to matter. Every pelt was on end now. Eyes flashed in the moonlight as the warriors glared, half-wary, half-threatening, at the other Clans.

Mistystar got to her paws. “RiverClan! We’re going home.” She leaped down from the oak and led her Clan through the bristling warriors. Onestar jumped down after her, Blackstar following. They took their Clans out of the clearing in silence.

Dovepaw watched as Firestar scrambled down last from the oak. At the far side of the clearing, the bracken rattled and hissed as the Clans pushed their way through it.

I must speak to Tigerheart!

She raced after the departing cats, finally spotting the tip of his tail. She clawed at it, just scraping the tuft at the end, and he turned and glared at her.

“What?”

“We have to talk!”

His eyes softened. “Come on.” He guided her to a quieter spot, where the stiff bracken stems gave way to snow-covered mounds of grass. “Sorry I couldn’t talk to you before, but things are tense,” he murmured.

Dovepaw scowled at him. “You told Blackstar about Jayfeather’s herbs!”

He gazed steadily back at her without saying anything.

“How could you?” Dovepaw wailed. “If Sandstorm dies, it’ll be your fault!”

“But Littlecloud’s sick.”

“So is Sandstorm!”

“Not with greencough.”

Dovepaw’s rage grew. Tigerheart sounded so reasonable. Didn’t he understand what he’d done? Tigerheart stroked her flank with his tail, and she flinched.

He frowned. “If Jayfeather were a true medicine cat, he would have given us the herbs.”

“He has to put his own Clanmates first!”

Tigerheart tipped his head to one side. “So do I.”

Dovepaw felt sick. She wanted this conversation to stop now, but she had to know. “Even above me?”

Tigerheart’s tail quivered. “I didn’t mean it like that.” His amber eyes grew round. “I just—”

Dovepaw cut him off, her mew barely a whisper. “I think you did.” She turned and padded away. “I think that’s exactly what you meant.”