Эрин Хантер - Path Of A Warrior

“What do you mean, ‘everything’?” Windstar asked uneasily.

Shadowstar hesitated. She had never wanted other cats to know how many lives she had left. It made her vulnerable. But she was choosing to trust Windstar. Maybe the WindClan leader deserved to know. “This is my last life,” she mewed finally. “The next time I die, I … I won’t come back from StarClan.”

Windstar blinked. “Maybe we shouldn’t start any fights, then,” she meowed, sounding doubtful. “We don’t know what happens to a Clan when its leader runs out of lives.”

Shadowstar shook her head. She felt like Moon Shadow, Sun Shadow, Gray Wing, all the cats she had lost over time were watching over her. This was the right thing. “I’ve named a deputy,” she said. “If I die protecting my Clan, Raven Pelt will be able to guide them. Even if this battle isn’t my last, I have a feeling this will not be a long life. And if this is the end, it’ll be okay.”

Windstar flicked her ears. “If you say so. I’d prefer to live.”

Despite the serious subject, Shadowstar’s whiskers twitched in amusement. “Always so practical.” Then she got serious. “However we do this, it should be in the open. We have right on our side; we don’t have to be sneaky. Let’s make a plan.”

The next morning, Shadowstar changed the moss and ferns that lined her nest. She’d told her Clanmates about the battle plan for tomorrow—they would confront Quick Water on SkyClan’s land—and now all there was to do was prepare. She worked methodically, carrying out the flattened, dried plants and replacing them with fresh ones, making sure her nest was as soft and cozy as it could be. This was apprentice work, really, but she wanted to do it herself. If Raven Pelt slept in the leader’s den tomorrow, he would be comfortable.

After her den was as pleasant as she could make it, she strolled around camp, speaking to her warriors. Juniper Branch was teaching Bubbling Stream a battle move.

“Throw your weight at their shoulders, right here,” she meowed, tapping the top of one of the white she-cat’s front legs. “If you can get your opponent off balance, then you can take them down.”

Shadowstar brushed her tail over Juniper Branch’s back. “You’re teaching her well,” she added. “Show that move to the other young cats. And Bubbling Stream, keep practicing. You’re becoming a fine fighter.”

She took Dusk Nose and Mud Paws out hunting, and they chased down a rabbit together. The triumph of working with her Clanmates, of taking deep breaths of the pine-scented air of their territory, of pouncing on prey that would feed their Clan, made her paws move faster and her heart fill with joy.

She went from cat to cat all day, unobtrusively offering advice and praising them. Saying good-bye, giving them a last good memory of their leader. Just in case tomorrow was the end for her.

As the sun set, they ate together. She shared a starling with Pebble Heart.

“Remember when we left the moors to start our own Clan?” she asked him softly.

Pebble Heart swallowed a bite and nodded. “I was so young ,” he answered. “I didn’t think I’d be able to take care of sick cats without Cloud Spots to teach me. But he wanted to go to the forest, and I knew I didn’t belong there.”

“You did great,” Shadowstar told him. “Even that first day, you were giving Gray Wing herbs to help with his breathing, and you treated the injury on Mud Paws’s shoulder. You’ve always taken such good care of the Clan.” She shifted closer to him, his side warm against hers. “I’m glad you chose to join us,” she added. “And I’m glad you’re here to look after our Clanmates.”

Pebble Heart blinked at her affectionately, then rested his head on her shoulder. She was pretty sure he knew what she was trying to tell him.

After the Clan’s shared meal, she pulled Raven Pelt aside, sitting with him at the edge of the clearing where they wouldn’t be overheard.

“I think we’re ready,” he announced. “Every cat has been practicing battle moves, and Pebble Heart’s been out all day gathering herbs for treating wounds and spiderwebs for binding injuries. Although I hope there won’t be many injuries. Fight our fight and get out, right?” His leg was twitching with nervous energy, and Shadowstar laid her paw on it to still it.

“We are prepared,” she told him. “But I have to tell you something. This is my last life.” Raven Pelt started to speak, his eyes wide and shocked, but she spoke over him. “I want you to know that you are the right cat to lead this Clan. I chose you because you are the right cat.”

Raven Pelt was shaking his head. “No,” he meowed breathlessly. “I’ll do everything I can to protect you. You can survive this battle!”

“Whether I survive or not doesn’t really matter anymore,” Shadowstar answered sternly. “I appreciate your loyalty, but you can’t let that affect your ability to lead ShadowClan. You have to be ready to become leader if you must.”

Raven Pelt blinked sadly. “I’ll try to be ready,” he told her, sitting still and serious. “But I don’t know that I’m strong enough to take your place.”

“You are ready,” Shadowstar told him. “And you will be a strong leader. Just never forget to follow what you know is right. Never put anything—not even your own life—above your Clan. StarClan will guide you.”

Raven Pelt’s eyes were bright. “I hope that this last life of yours is a long one and I don’t have to lead for many moons. But, even if it happens tomorrow, I promise to do my best,” he vowed. “I will guide and protect ShadowClan and follow the code.”

Shadowstar touched her nose to his. “I know you will.”

By the time the moon was high in the sky, she had spoken to every one of her Clanmates. But only Raven Pelt and Pebble Heart knew this was her last life. She trusted them to keep that knowledge secret.

She looked up at the stars again. She was sure now that Gray Wing, Moon Shadow, and Sun Shadow were all watching over her, waiting to welcome her to StarClan whenever she went there for the last time. Would that be tomorrow? Would the coming dawn be the last time she woke in ShadowClan?

Chapter Nine

The grass was still wet with dew when they left ShadowClan territory early the next morning, and mist was rising off the river. They stuck to the riverbank as they headed for SkyClan, skirting the edges of ThunderClan’s territory.

“It would be better if ThunderClan stayed out of it,” she told Raven Pelt, who was padding along at her side, “but I doubt they’ll miss us crossing their land. We should expect to see them soon.”

Raven Pelt nodded. He was focused, his gaze constantly scanning the woods around them for danger and the cats with them to make sure they were together and all right. His ears were pricked, listening intently to everything Shadowstar said.

He’s aware of his Clanmates. He’s not afraid to fight, but he’s not excited at the thought of shedding blood. He’s eager to learn. Shadowstar shook her fur, willing herself to stop assessing Raven Pelt. She had already chosen him, and every time she thought about it, she confirmed for herself that she had made the right choice. Now she needed to concentrate on the coming battle.

Can I really bring myself to kill Quick Water? she wondered. Even if she killed me first? From the Great Battle, she remembered the shock of seeing the life go out of a cat’s eyes, of taking the life of a cat she knew. It had been horrible and deeply shocking, even though the fight had been so desperate. She had never gone into a battle intending to kill another cat.