Эрин Хантер - Fading Echoes

“That’s what she said,” Lionblaze answered evasively. “Whatever it was, we were lucky.”

“Perhaps she’s special, like Jayfeather,” Cinderheart pressed. “Should she be training as a medicine cat? Would Jayfeather take her on?”

Lionblaze shook his head. “Don’t even suggest it to her. She’d be horrified. She’s warrior to the bone.”

“It’s great that you have such confidence in her, and I wouldn’t want to undermine that, but…” Cinderheart cast him a sideways glance. “Maybe you could talk to her about being a bit more considerate of Ivypaw?”

“She seems to be making great progress,” Lionblaze pointed out. “Perhaps the competition is doing her good.”

Cinderheart flicked her tail irritably.

“Let’s race.” Lionblaze didn’t want the night spoiled by bickering over their apprentices. “It’ll warm us up.”

Cinderheart shrugged. “Okay.” Then, gasping, she stared into the branches overhead. “Oh, no!”

Alarmed, Lionblaze looked up.

“Ha, ha! Got you!” Cinderheart hared away into the trees.

“You sneak!” He pelted after her.

As he closed on her she darted through the hollow trunk of a tree. He veered to the side, overtaking her as she emerged with cobwebs trailing from her bushy tail.

Now Lionblaze was in front. He scrambled up an outcrop of rocks. Cinderheart leaped after him, and he felt her muzzle brushing his tail. As the stone scraped beneath his paws, he thought of Heathertail and the way they’d played in the cave.

He halted, panting at the top. “Wait!” he called as Cinderheart shot past him.

She skidded and turned to look challengingly at him. “Are you tired already?”

“No.”

“We could climb trees instead.” A mischievous sparkle glinted in her eye. “Oh, I forgot,” she added innocently. “You don’t like climbing trees.”

“Why climb when you can run?” Lionblaze jumped past her and charged through the trees. This wasn’t the cave and Cinderheart wasn’t Heathertail. This she-cat was ThunderClan from her nose to her tail-tip. There was nothing wrong with being with her. Feeling freer and happier than he had in moons, he swerved and headed for the lake.

I’m not skulking in the shadows like prey!

Cinderheart pounded after him as he pelted around a clump of ferns and skidded out from the trees. His paws slithered down the grassy slope. Cinderheart hurtled past him and bounded onto the shore, rattling pebbles under her feet.

She charged into the lake and stood waiting, belly-deep in the rippling waves. “I dare you to get your paws wet!”

“No way!” Lionblaze skidded to a halt at the water’s edge.

Cinderheart plunged her shoulders under and began to swim, gasping at the cold. Lionblaze had forgotten that Jayfeather had taught her to swim to strengthen her leg after her accident as an apprentice. “You look like a RiverClan cat!” he called from the shore. “Why don’t you catch me a fish while you’re in there?”

Cinderheart splashed out onto dry land and shook out her pelt. Lionblaze shied away as the water showered him.

“Don’t you call me RiverClan!” she huffed, eyes sparkling. “I’m ThunderClan through and through!”

“I’m glad you are.” Lionblaze pushed away all thoughts of Heathertail and admired his feisty denmate, her pelt spiked with water.

Cinderheart blinked. “Of course!” she declared. “It’s the best Clan to be in.”

Lionblaze glanced at his paws. He hadn’t quite meant it like that. Hot with embarrassment, he padded along the shore, not sure if he was glad that she had missed the clumsy compliment. She must think I’m a mouse-brain!

“Brrr!” Cinderheart caught up to him. She was shivering.

“Let’s get you back to camp before you catch a cold.” He steered her up the bank and into the trees, pressing close to share the heat of his pelt. She smelled sweet—mossy and damp, like a warm nest.

“Thanks for coming out with me,” he murmured as they neared the hollow.

“No problem,” she answered. “It was fun.” She yawned. “We’ll be tired in the morning.”

“It was worth it,” Lionblaze purred, glad that for a few brief moments the prophecy and the Dark Forest had been pushed to the back of his mind.

He woke late. Brambleclaw was already organizing the early patrols when he opened his eyes. Shaking himself awake, Lionblaze scrambled from his nest and hurried out from under the beech.

Cinderheart was crowding around the ThunderClan deputy with her Clanmates. “Can Ivypaw and I join the border patrol?” she asked.

Brambleclaw glanced at Brackenfur, who twitched his ears in agreement. “Okay.”

Lionblaze tried to catch Cinderheart’s eye, hoping that some of the warmth of last night would linger in her gaze. But she only nodded briskly. “I’m taking Ivypaw on patrol.”

He cut her off. “I heard.” Was she being aloof on purpose, or hadn’t she enjoyed their walk the same way he had?

Dovepaw interrupted his thoughts. “Brambleclaw wants us to hunt with Thornclaw,” she told him.

The border patrol was already heading out of camp. Lionblaze watched Ivypaw’s tail disappear through the gap in the thorns. “Don’t you mind not going with your sister?” He remembered Cinderheart’s worries about the sisters. Were they really not getting along?

Dovepaw looked at him. “Why should I?” She shrugged. “I’ll know what she’s doing wherever she is, anyway.”

Lionblaze cocked his head. “Yes, of course.” It felt strange to hear Dovepaw talking so calmly about her powers. She usually acted like they were a burr in her pelt.

“Are you coming?” Thornclaw called from the entrance. Icecloud and Sandstorm were pacing beside him.

“I’m going to make the first catch,” Icecloud declared, glancing at Thornclaw and Sandstorm. The young warrior was clearly determined to impress them.

“Not if I can help it,” Dovepaw mewed. She sped past him and ducked through the barrier first.

Lionblaze caught up to her in the gully. Thornclaw and Sandstorm were already ranging up the slopes, noses twitching. Icecloud hared past them, spraying leaves.

“You’ll never catch anything making that sort of noise!” Dovepaw yowled after her.

“Hush!” Lionblaze warned her. “You’ll scare everything away.”

“ I’ll scare everything?” She stared after Icecloud, at the leaves resettling in her wake, then flicked Lionblaze with her tail. “What’s gotten under your pelt?”

Lionblaze frowned. He wasn’t going to admit that he’d been stung by Cinderheart’s briskness.

But Dovepaw didn’t seem interested in an answer. Her ears were pricked and her whiskers were quivering. “There’s a mouse at the top of the rise,” she announced. “Shall I catch it?”

“Give Icecloud a chance, at least,” Lionblaze advised. According to Cinderheart, she’d already put Ivypaw’s tail out of joint; he didn’t want every cat in the Clan to be jealously competing with his apprentice.

“But she might take ages, and the mouse’ll be an easy catch,” she begged.

“Just wait, okay?” he snapped. “The Clan has managed so far without your powers.”

He saw her flinch and instantly felt guilty. He hadn’t meant to be so harsh.

Suddenly, farther up the gully, a bush exploded with a clatter of leaves as a pigeon erupted from it. Icecloud jumped, her paws flailing as the pigeon batted her away with panicked wings and disappeared into the branches of an oak. Landing clumsily, Icecloud straightened and shook herself, her fur ruffled with embarrassment.

“Let’s split up!” Lionblaze called. He felt sorry for the young warrior. It might be easier if Icecloud didn’t have to match Dovepaw’s skills in front of Thornclaw and Sandstorm. “It’ll be better with fewer paws stirring up the leaves.”