Эрин Хантер - Fading Echoes

Tigerstar’s amber gaze glowed. “She’s ready,” he purred to Hawkfrost.

Excitement thrilled through Ivypaw. “Ready for what?”

Tigerstar swung his gaze toward her. His eyes narrowed very slightly. “I hadn’t planned on telling you yet…” He glanced at Hawkfrost as though debating. “But I suppose the sooner we act, the safer your Clanmates will be.”

Ivypaw leaned forward. Was ThunderClan in danger?

“ShadowClan is planning to invade your territory.”

“Invade?” Ivypaw’s heart quickened. She knew there’d been activity near the border, but not enough to suggest an immediate threat. “Why?”

With a sigh, Tigerstar began to explain. “Many moons ago, Firestar gave a large strip of your territory to ShadowClan. He told his Clanmates they had no use for it. That it would be a hassle to defend.”

Ivypaw blinked. “He gave it away ?” She knew it was only the piece of land Twolegs used to build greenleaf nests, but anything that pushed the ShadowClan border farther from the prey-rich forest must be important. And she had always assumed ShadowClan had won it by force. “Why?”

Tigerstar shook his head sadly. “Firestar’s been afraid of ShadowClan since he left his kittypet life. The stories of their ferociousness always seemed to get under his fur.”

“But Firestar’s not frightened of anything!” Ivypaw objected.

“Really?” Tigerstar looked surprised. “I suppose he must appear that way to an apprentice. But I knew him before he was a warrior, when he was young enough to believe nursery stories.”

“He wouldn’t still believe such nonsense!” Ivypaw exclaimed.

“Of course not.” Tigerstar tucked his tail over his paws. “What warrior would? But still he decided that it was easier to give up territory than risk lives defending it. And unfortunately ShadowClan saw it as weakness, not wisdom.”

Suspicion pricked in Ivypaw’s pelt. “Why are you telling me this?” she asked. “You were once ShadowClan’s leader. Why do you want to give away their plans?”

Tigerstar’s gaze sharpened. “ThunderClan is my birth Clan. My loyalty lies with them even though they drove me out and forced me to beg for a home with another Clan.” He glanced at his paws. “I’d rather be a humble warrior than live outside the Clans, without the warrior code to guide my paws.” He looked up. “ThunderClan must be warned of the danger.”

“You really think they’ll invade?”

Hawkfrost padded closer. “They’ve already had a taste of ThunderClan territory.”

“How much more do they want?” Ivypaw’s heart was pounding. She had to defend her Clan!

Tigerstar tipped his head to one side. “Only the land up to the abandoned Twoleg nest,” he told her.

“But that’s where Jayfeather grows his herbs!”

“Do you think they don’t know that?” Tigerstar murmured.

Ivypaw felt foolish. Of course! “What can I do?”

Tigerstar closed his eyes for a moment. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

“Of course I am!”

“Then,” Tigerstar mewed, “you must persuade Firestar to take back the territory he gave away to ShadowClan.”

“Will that stop them?”

“It’ll send them an important message,” Tigerstar growled. “It’ll prove that ThunderClan doesn’t fear them.”

Ivypaw clawed at the earth. “We don’t!”

Hawkfrost pushed his muzzle close to Ivypaw’s. “But does ShadowClan know that?”

“They will if we attack first!” Ivypaw exclaimed.

Tigerstar looked pleased. “Exactly.”

Ivypaw frowned. “How can I get ThunderClan to launch an attack?”

“Speak to Firestar.”

“He won’t listen to me!” Ivypaw flattened her ears. “And if I tell him the message came from you, he’ll never believe it!”

“Then don’t tell him.” Tigerstar stood up. “He’ll believe anything you want him to, if you put it the right way.”

Ivypaw’s mind was whirling. How would she find the words to persuade Firestar? “I don’t know…” she breathed.

Tigerstar caught her gaze and held it. “You’ll find a way, Clanmate.”

“I’ll find a way,” Ivypaw murmured as Tigerstar led Hawkfrost away into the mist.

“A way to where?” Blossomfall’s mew sounded in her ear.

Ivypaw blinked open her eyes. Early morning light filtered through the branches overhanging the den.

Blossomfall huffed at her and turned back to Bumblestripe. “It’s bad enough that we have to sleep in the apprentices’ den again,” she complained, “without them chattering like sparrows in their sleep.”

Alarmed, Ivypaw sat up. What else had she said?

Cold air nipped her nose. She smelled the sharp tang of frost. The first of the season.

Dovepaw was stirring in the nest beside her. “What’s going on?” she mewed sleepily. She raised her gray head and gazed around the den, blinking.

“Nothing,” Ivypaw told her. She hopped out of her nest.

“Where are you going?” Dovepaw called.

“To talk to Firestar.”

Dovepaw sat up. “Why?”

Blossomfall’s whiskers twitched. “I suppose Firestar’s used to consulting with apprentices these days,” she commented with an edge to her voice.

Ivypaw ignored them both. She slid under the branch spanning the entrance and padded into the clearing.

Cinderheart was sharing tongues with Sorreltail and Poppyfrost outside the nursery. Molekit and Cherrykit tumbled over the frost-whitened ground, fighting to reach a rolling ball of moss. Millie was disappearing through the trailing brambles of the medicine den, while Cloudtail and Brightheart shared a mouse beneath Highledge.

“Ivypaw!” Cinderheart called.

“I’m busy,” Ivypaw told her. She was already halfway to the rockfall.

Cinderheart stood up. “Where are you going?”

“I need to see Firestar.” Ivypaw didn’t stop. “It’s urgent.”

She began to scramble up the rocks. Cloudtail and Brightheart looked up from their meal and stared at her, round-eyed.

Self-conscious now that her Clanmates were watching, Ivypaw kept going. The future of ThunderClan depended on her. She paused at the entrance to Firestar’s den, acutely aware of Cinderheart’s gaze burning her fur from the bottom of the hollow. “Firestar?” She tried to keep the tremble from her mew. He might think she’d gone mad.

“Ivypaw?” Firestar’s mew echoed from inside the cave.

“Yes,” she replied. “I need to talk to you.”

“Come in.” The ThunderClan leader sounded surprised.

Ivypaw’s heart quickened as she stepped into the shadowy den. Graystripe and Brambleclaw were sitting with Firestar.

“That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep up the extra patrols,” Graystripe was urging. The three senior warriors were clearly in the middle of a heated discussion.

Firestar nodded, then turned his attention to Ivypaw. “Well?”

She glanced around at the smooth rock walls and at the soft nest of bracken and moss in the far corner. She’d never been in here before. “Ummm.” She suddenly wished she’d planned exactly what she was going to say.

Firestar turned back to his warriors. “While Ivypaw finds her voice, let’s carry on.”

“Are the extra patrols worth the effort?” Brambleclaw flicked his tail. “With leaf-bare coming, we should be hunting, and it looks like ShadowClan has stopped crossing the border—”

Heat surged under Ivypaw’s pelt. “That’s not true!”

The three warriors turned and stared at her.

“Have you seen them?” Firestar demanded.