The Last Hope

Chapter 6

Watery sunshine filtered through the den walls.

Ivypool yawned, arching her back till her legs trembled. She was aware of every muscle tensed beneath her skin, each one a little stronger after another night’s training in the Dark Forest. Now that she was mentoring Birchfall and Redwillow, she woke with fewer wounds, but weary from the effort of demonstrating moves and running through them again and again. Redwillow was a quick learner and Birchfall was clearly hungry to prove that he was as good a Dark Forest warrior as he was a ThunderClan one. He’d picked up the rearing lunge she’d shown him on his first try and, though he was her father, not her kit, Ivypool had felt a fond rush of pride.

Dovewing yawned.

“You look tired.” Ivypool could see weariness in her sister’s blue eyes, and Dovewing’s pelt was unkempt, dusted with fragments of leaf. Had she been out of the camp?

“The forest noises kept waking me.”

Ivypool guessed it must be hard to sleep with ears that heard far beyond the walls of the den. “You could try stuffing them with moss.”

Dovewing blinked, confused. “What?”

“Your ears.” Ivypool frowned. Dovewing seemed like she was in another world.

Molepaw rolled over and struggled to sit up. “I wish I’d stuffed my ears with moss,” he mewed sleepily. “Then I wouldn’t be woken up by you two chattering like blackbirds.”

Cherrypaw stretched. “It’s dawn,” she pointed out. “Time to wake up.”

“But Rosepetal and Foxleap are practicing tree climbing with Spiderleg,” Molepaw reminded her. “Which means no training for us.”

Cherrypaw lifted her head. “Why can’t we train with them?”

“Spiderleg thinks we’re too small to jump off a branch.” Molepaw lashed his tail. “I bet I could jump down from the Ancient Oak and land safely.”

Ivypool cuffed his ear gently. “We can’t risk any injuries.” Not with the Dark Forest getting ready to attack. She ducked out of the den and padded over to where Brambleclaw was doling out morning duties.

“Prey is starting to go to ground,” the ThunderClan deputy declared. “We must hunt while we can. But we can’t forget battle training. The Clans are nervous. And nervous Clans are dangerous.”

“Is that why WindClan tried to attack us through the tunnels?” Sorreltail called.

Cloudtail narrowed his eyes. “And why ShadowClan accused our medicine cat of murder?”

Firestar bounded down from Highledge and joined Brambleclaw. “We mustn’t be drawn into Clan squabbles. We have to concentrate on preparing for leaf-bare.”

And the attack from the Dark Forest. Ivypool’s tail twitched. Her Clanmates were fretting over the threat from their neighbors. They had no idea a far greater threat hung over the forest.

Brambleclaw padded forward. “Firestar’s right. We must prepare for the cold moons, but keep training. Berrynose!” He looked up to a nest woven on top of the beech trunk. A wide, cream head poked out.

“Yes?”

Brambleclaw beckoned him with a flick of his tail. “I want you to help Spiderleg train Foxleap and Rosepetal in tree battle.”

Berrynose slid out of his den and jumped into the clearing. He shook out his pelt, his muscled shoulders rippling. “Great!” His eyes shone. With claws as strong as an eagle’s talons, he was one of the best climbers in the Clan. And he knew how to time a drop so that he could land squarely on any warrior passing underneath his branch.

Spiderleg looked expectantly at Brambleclaw and, when the ThunderClan deputy nodded, headed for the thorn tunnel. Rosepetal and Foxtail followed, Berrynose bounding after. Molepaw watched them go, his brown-and-cream pelt fluffed up along his spine.

Brambleclaw blinked at the apprentice. “You and Cherrypaw can train with Dovewing and Ivypool today.”

Ivypool’s tail drooped. She’d spent all night training apprentices in the Dark Forest.

“Did you hear that, Dovewing?” Cherrypaw hopped out of her den, calling over her shoulder. “You’re training us today.”

Dovewing slid out, yawning.

Ivypool frowned. Why is she so tired? I’m the one who’s been up all night. “Come on.” She marched past Dovewing, heading for the entrance.

“Can we learn some battle moves?” Molepaw’s wide amber gaze fixed on Ivypool. “Blossomfall said that you know some awesome attack moves.”

“Let’s concentrate on defense today.” She’d taught enough killing moves in the Dark Forest last night.

“We can practice attacking if you like, Molepaw.” Dovewing padded along the trail.

Ivypool stared after her. Didn’t you hear what I said? She opened her mouth to argue but Cherrypaw and Molepaw were already haring toward the training hollow.

“Be careful!” Ivypool yowled after them. “I don’t want any injuries. Keep your claws sheathed.” This isn’t the Dark Forest.

As the apprentices disappeared up the trail, Ivypool caught up with Dovewing. “What’s up?”

“Nothing.”

“Then why are you acting like you woke up in the wrong Clan?”

“I’m not.” Dovewing stared ahead.

Ivypool was unconvinced. “What really kept you up last night?”

“I told you.” Dovewing shrugged. “Noises.”

They reached the training hollow and Ivypool jumped down the short, steep slope. Molepaw and Cherrypaw were already tussling on the smooth, sandy earth.

“Battle crouch!” Ivypool ordered.

The apprentices rolled away from each other and dropped to their bellies.

“Keep your tail still.” Ivypool pressed the twitching tip of Molepaw’s tail with a paw and turned to Cherrypaw. “Shoulders down and tuck your hindpaws in.” She nosed Cherrypaw’s haunches till the ginger she-cat drew her hind paws tighter beneath her. “It’ll add power to your jump. Now practice your leap and see which one can reach the farthest.”

She padded back to Dovewing, who had settled at the edge of the clearing. “Don’t forget to stretch out your forepaws,” she called back to the apprentices. “You want to meet your enemy clawfirst, not nosefirst.” She sat beside her sister. “I know something’s wrong,” she hissed.

Molepaw and Cherrypaw launched themselves across the clearing, more like panicking rabbits than warriors.

“Try again,” Ivypool suggested. “And keep trying till you’ve got it.” She turned back to Dovewing. “Well?”

Dovewing’s round, blue eyes glistened. “It’s the prophecy,” she whispered.

“What about it?”

“The Tribe of Endless Hunting told Jayfeather there’s a fourth cat.”

Ivypool’s tail stiffened. “A fourth cat? Who?”

“Jayfeather thinks it’s Mothwing.” Dovewing’s gaze drifted to a point on the far side of the clearing. “Lionblaze thinks it’s Hollyleaf.”

“Didn’t the Tribe say who it was?” Ivypool flexed her claws. Why did the Ancient cats make everything so difficult?

“I don’t think they know.”

“What about StarClan?”

Dovewing shrugged.

“Who do you think the fourth cat is?” Ivypool murmured.

“You.”

“Me?” Ivypool blinked. “Just because I’m your sister doesn’t mean—”

Dovewing cut her off. “You risk your life every night in the Dark Forest.”

“I’m just spying for you.” Ivypool shook her head. “StarClan hasn’t spoken to me.”

Dovewing leaned closer. “Are you sure? Have you had any special dreams?”

Ivypool rolled her eyes. “I don’t have time for special dreams,” she pointed out. “I spend every night in the Dark Forest.”

“Can we try swerves now?”

Ivypool swung around as Molepaw interrupted them. “Soon.” She turned back to Dovewing. “Surely it’s Hollyleaf?”

“What’s Hollyleaf?” Cherrypaw padded toward them.

“Practice your leap,” Ivypool ordered.

“But Molepaw’s taking up the whole clearing!” Cherrypaw complained.

Ivypool glanced at the brown-and-white apprentice. “Molepaw! Keep to the edge and let your sister use the middle.”

“But that’s not fair—”

Ivypool growled. “Are you training to be a warrior or a kit?”

Muttering, Molepaw trailed to the edge of the clearing and hunkered down, ready to leap again. Cherrypaw lifted her tail defiantly and marched to the middle of the hollow.

Ivypool turned back to Dovewing. “Why else would Hollyleaf come back now?”

“If she was part of the prophecy, she wouldn’t have gone away,” Dovewing argued. “It has to be you!”

“I don’t have any special power,” Ivypool pointed out.

“You have courage,” Dovewing mewed fiercely. “You spy every night on our greatest enemies. It must be you!”

A squawk made Ivypool spin around. Molepaw and Cherrypaw were fighting in the center of the clearing. Ivypool darted toward them and hauled Molepaw away. “What in the name of StarClan are you doing?”

“He kept jumping into my space!” Cherrypaw hissed.

“You’re Clanmates!” Ivypool snapped. “What use will you be in battle if you end up fighting each other?” As she spoke, a well of despair seemed to open up in her chest. What horrors and betrayal lay ahead for her innocent Clanmates?

As the sun peaked over the camp, Ivypool padded to a pool of light beside the fallen beech and lay down. Her belly was full and her pelt was warm. Weary from the morning’s training, she closed her eyes. Am I really the fourth cat? Dovewing’s words echoed in her head. You spy every night on our greatest enemies. It must be you! Ivypool tried to push her sister’s voice away. I’d know if I was the fourth! I’d have a special power, wouldn’t I?

“Ivypool!” Birchfall’s hiss jerked her from her doze.

She sat up. “What?”

Her father was a dark shadow against the blazing sunlight. She blinked, adjusting to the brightness, and made out Mousewhisker standing beside him. Ivypool’s shoulders drooped. This was going to be about their Dark Forest training.

“We need to talk.” Birchfall twitched his nose toward the camp entrance. “In private.”

Ivypool gazed across the sunny camp. Poppyfrost and Leafpool were sharing a mouse outside the elders’ den. Beside them, Mousefur rested her nose on her front paws, her eyes shut while Purdy washed her pelt with long strokes of his tongue. Cherrypaw and Molepaw were trying to outdistance each other, practicing their attack leaps beside the nursery.

“Come on, then.” Wearily, Ivypool padded toward the entrance. She didn’t meet Mousewhisker’s eye in case he spotted her reluctance. She had never imagined that so many of her Clanmates would be taken in by Hawkfrost’s lies.

I was. She’d been so eager to learn new battle techniques that she didn’t care who taught her. And Hawkfrost had been so convincing, charming her into believing he was helping her to become the best warrior she could be. Why would Mousewhisker be any wiser?

The forest was cool outside the hollow, shaded by leaves that swished in the soft breeze. Ivypool led Birchfall and Mousewhisker along the trail and stopped at the edge of the training hollow.

“We’re going to meet up with the Dark Forest cats from the other Clans.”

Birchfall’s confession made Ivypool stiffen. “When?”

“Now.”

Ivypool swallowed. “Why?”

“We need to practice fighting in daylight,” Mousewhisker added.

Birchfall leaned forward, eyes bright. “If we can practice what we’re learning in the Dark Forest, we can improve our skills.”

“And we’ve got to think of a way for the Dark Forest warriors to get to our territory if we need their help.”

Ivypool stifled a gasp. “Why would we need their help?” The thought of Hawkfrost and Tigerstar running freely beside the lake made her feel sick.

Birchfall blinked at her. “That way, if one Clan’s threatened, we can all help them.”

Do they really believe that? Ivypool stared at her Clanmates. Their eyes were wide and clear. Everything’s upside down! The Clans were on edge, threatening one another’s borders as their fear rose, while the warriors training in the Dark Forest grew closer and closer. She searched her father’s gaze, desperate to confess what she knew and warn him that he was stalking wolves, not mice.

Her heart quickened. She couldn’t tell them she was a spy. What if they betrayed her?

A sharp wind whisked through the branches overhead.

“So?” Mousewhisker demanded. “Are you coming?”

Ivypool shifted her paws. “Where?”

Birchfall flicked his tail excitedly. “We’ve arranged to meet Sunstrike at the border.”

“She’s bringing Larkpaw and Harespring,” Mousewhisker added.

Ivypool fought to keep her fur smooth as horror surged through her. How mouse-brained were they? She stared at Birchfall. His light brown tabby pelt was glossy and smooth, his chest puffed up. He actually thought he was being loyal to his Clan by meeting WindClan warriors to share battle moves!

I have to stop this!

As Birchfall and Mousewhisker headed away through the trees, Ivypool stretched her ears, wishing she had her sister’s hearing. She couldn’t order them not to go because it would reveal too much about what she was doing in the Dark Forest. She had to keep spying as long as possible. She had to find out when and where Brokenstar planned to attack.

“Wait for me.” She hurried after her Clanmates as they joined the trail that led to the WindClan border. Following the path upward, she scanned the forest. Birds flitted from branch to branch. A squirrel was skittering across the forest floor beyond the ferns. She suddenly spotted a fox-red pelt in the brambles beyond. Someone was stalking the squirrel.

Her heart lifted. “I’ll catch up.”

Birchfall looked back at her. “We’re meeting at the stream,” he mewed.

“Okay.” Ivypool veered off the trail and ducked into the ferns. Poking her head out the other side, she saw the squirrel run. The fox-red pelt darted after it, landing squarely on the squirrel and killing it with a bite.

“Foxleap!” Ivypool raced from the ferns.

The warrior turned, the squirrel dangling between his jaws. He dropped it. “What’s up?”

Ivypool glanced over her shoulder. Mousewhisker and Birchfall had disappeared over the rise. “Bring a patrol to the WindClan border,” she hissed. “Not this way. Follow the lake trail.” She couldn’t risk a ThunderClan patrol catching up with Birchfall and Mousewhisker and following them directly to the meeting place.

Foxleap tipped his head. “Why?”

“I smelled WindClan scent at the border,” she lied. “I think patrols have been crossing the stream.”

Foxleap frowned. “I’ll fetch some others.” Scooping up the squirrel in his jaws, he raced toward camp.

Ivypool rushed to catch up with Birchfall and Mousewhisker.

“Is everything okay?” Birchfall narrowed his eyes.

“Fine.” Ivypool fell in beside him, lifting her chin. “I just had to make dirt.”

Birchfall’s gaze flicked back to the trail. Ivypool could see the trees lighten as they neared the edge of the forest. She slowed her pace. The stretch of grass beyond ran straight to the border. She had to give Foxleap time to fetch the patrol.

“I’m proud of you.” Birchfall’s pelt brushed hers as he murmured in her ear. “Seeing you in the Dark Forest makes me realize how much I’ve underestimated your skills in the past.”

Would he be as proud of her if he knew she was lying to everyone? She should warn him about the dangerous path he was choosing. She should confess she was only in the Dark Forest to find out what Brokenstar was up to. But she couldn’t. There was too much at stake.

They padded into the sunlight. Ahead, the ground sloped down toward the border stream. Beyond that, WindClan’s smooth, grassy moor rose, stark against the brilliant blue sky. Ivypool scanned the heather for pelts, then glanced furtively toward the lake. There was no sign of WindClan or Foxleap’s patrol. She spotted a gorse bush clinging to the slope, a few fox-lengths from the stream. “Let’s hide there till they come.”

Mousewhisker bristled. “Why should we hide?”

Ivypool marched past him. “You don’t want everyone knowing about the Dark Forest, do you?” She ducked underneath the low branches of the gorse. Spikes tugged at her pelt as she squirmed as far in as she could. She wriggled around and hissed to her Clanmates. “Come on, there’s plenty of room.”

Birchfall and Mousewhisker squeezed in after her and she lay, hot and prickly, staring out at the moor. Her heart thumped against the ground. Please, StarClan, don’t let Birchfall and Mousewhisker smell my fear-scent. What if Foxleap arrived first? Birchfall might guess she’d given them away. Ivypool peered into the heather beyond the stream, praying for pelts to appear.

Fresh ThunderClan scent seeped under the bush. Foxleap! Straining, she saw the young warrior climbing the slope from the lake. Brackenfur and Graystripe flanked him. As they neared the gorse bush, the heather on the far side of the stream swished and Harespring padded out, scanning the border. Larkpaw and Sunstrike followed.

“Any sign of them?” Sunstrike murmured to his Clanmates. He stared across the stream as they approached the border.

“Stay back!” Foxleap’s yowl sounded from the slope. The ThunderClan patrol ran toward the border and skidded to a halt opposite the WindClan cats. “What are you doing here?”

“Checking the border.” Sunstrike met his gaze. “Just like you.”

“You’ve been trespassing!” Brackenfur accused.

“We haven’t crossed the border!” Harespring hissed.

“Not this time,” Foxleap growled. “But warriors have picked up WindClan scent this side of the stream.”

Birchfall stiffened beside Ivypool. “Have they?” he whispered.

Ivypool shrugged. “I don’t know,” she lied.

Mousewhisker’s tail flicked. “Why did Firestar have to send a patrol here now?” he grumbled.

Sunstrike stood on the edge of the small gorge cut by the stream. Foxleap faced her on the other side. Both warriors were bristling, ears flat.

Sunstrike bared her teeth. “No WindClan cat has crossed the border.”

Graystripe lashed his tail. “Are you accusing ThunderClan of crossing the scent line?”

Brackenfur dropped into a crouch—the same one Ivypool had spent the morning teaching Molepaw and Cherrypaw. Don’t attack! Guilt flooded through her. She didn’t want to start a fight. She just wanted to save her Clanmates from making a terrible mistake.

Harespring met Brackenfur’s gaze through narrowed eyes. “Onestar says we should challenge any cat we find on our land.”

“This is our land.” Brackenfur’s hindquarters twitched as he bunched his muscles.

“Stop!” Birchfall shot out from the gorse.

Foxleap spun around, his eyes wide. “What are you doing here?”

“Guarding the border.” Birchfall straightened up and signaled to Mousewhisker and Ivypool with his tail. Mousewhisker slid out from under the bush and, reluctantly, Ivypool followed.

Foxleap’s eyes narrowed. “How do you guard from inside a bush?”

“We were waiting to see if they’d cross.” Birchfall’s gaze slipped toward Sunstrike. The WindClan cats began to back away. Graystripe shifted his paws.

“No one’s crossed any borders,” Birchfall announced. “Let’s just all retreat.”

Foxleap growled. “Not till I’ve checked for WindClan scent on our land.”

Sunstrike’s ears twitched. “You won’t find any.” She turned and led her Clanmates back into the heather.

Foxleap was pacing the border sniffing every clump of grass. “There’s no sign of invasion.” He glanced expectantly at Ivypool, since she was the one who’d told him about WindClan cats crossing the border.

She looked away, relief flooding through her. “Not this time,” she murmured.

Foxleap sniffed the gorse once more, then left a scent marker. “Come on, let’s get back to camp.”

Ivypool was first into the trees. Her paws were heavy as stone and she wished she was still asleep in the sun beside the fallen beech. A pelt brushed hers and she turned to see that Foxleap had caught up with her. “Did you know they’d be there?”

She flinched. “No.”

“But there’s no sign of WindClan crossing the border.” Foxleap was frowning. “What made you call for a patrol? Did you overhear something in the tunnel battle?”

Ivypool shook her head. “It was just a hunch,” she muttered. “You know how tense it’s been between the Clans. I must have caught a whiff of WindClan scent while I was in the woods and I was just on edge—”

“…and you overreacted.” Foxleap finished her sentence.

“I suppose so.” Ivypool’s ear twitched.

“Well, it was a good guess.”

Ivypool glanced at Foxleap, her belly tightening as she saw doubt shadowing his gaze. He doesn’t believe me. Tail flicking with unease, Ivypool pushed harder against the ground and raced for home. Being a spy was forcing her to betray her own Clan after all.

How much longer will I have to live like this?