Эрин Хантер - Eclipse

“Why is this happening?”

“Where’s the sun gone?”

“Has StarClan abandoned us?”

Terror pulsed from every pelt.

“Can we hide in the nursery?” Icepaw begged Ferncloud.

Lionpaw tore through the thorn tunnel and skidded to a halt beside Jaypaw. Hollypaw was at his heels.

Jaypaw sniffed them quickly, relieved to find they weren’t badly wounded. “Has the sun really gone out?”

“Yes.” Lionpaw kneaded the ground.

“Is it dark like nighttime?”

“More like dusk.” Hollypaw weaved around him, her fur bristling.

“But the sun’s really gone?”

Lionpaw brushed his tail against Jaypaw’s shoulder. “There’s a thin circle of flame in the sky, where it used to be. But the rest of the sun has been covered up.”

Why can’t I see?

“Is everyone safe?” Firestar demanded.

“As safe as any cat,” Graystripe growled. “Where are the other Clans?”

“Fled back to their territories,” Brambleclaw called from the barrier.

Whimpers and yowls rippled through the Clan.

“Ferncloud!” Icepaw mewled. “Where are you? I can hardly see!”

“Everybody keep calm!” Firestar ordered. “I don’t know what’s happening. But we are warriors, and we must face it with courage.”

Slowly the Clan began to quiet.

He padded toward Leafpool. “Can you tell us what is happening?”

Will she mention Sol’s warning?

“StarClan hasn’t spoken to me directly,” she mewed.

Jaypaw flexed his claws. Because they didn’t know…

“This must be an omen,” Leafpool continued. “To stop the battle.”

“But the battle wasn’t our fault!” Hazeltail wailed.

“WindClan started it,” hissed Whitewing.

“Why do we have to suffer?” Ferncloud yowled.

Leafpool’s tail stirred the air. “But it has ended the battle.

That must be what StarClan intended.”

“Are we going to live in darkness from now on?” Thornclaw sounded more outraged than scared.

“Wait!” Leafpool called. “It’s getting lighter. The sun’s coming back!”

Hollypaw gazed at the trees above the hollow as the sun bleached away the half-light. The sky paled to blue and the air began to warm. Beside her, Lionpaw shifted on his paws, and Jaypaw tasted the air. The birds began to sing again. Late-season bees began to rise sleepily from the grass around the edge of the camp and buzzed away on heavy wings. But, despite the sun on her pelt, Hollypaw was still shivering, her scratched and aching body trembling beyond her control.

What just happened?

She turned to ask Jaypaw. If StarClan had hidden the sun, surely he must know something. But he was hurrying away to join Leafpool as she weaved among the anxious and wounded cats.

“Can you stretch out your forepaws?” Leafpool asked Brackenfur. The golden tom winced as he tried.

“Shoulder wrench,” Leafpool concluded. “Go and wait by the halfrock. I won’t be long.” She moved on to Whitewing.

The warrior’s snowy pelt was darkened by patches of blood.

“Any sprains or wrenches?”

“Just scratches,” Whitewing answered.

“Then wait beside the warriors’ den,” Leafpool ordered.

“We’ll bring you ointment as soon as we can.”

“Thornclaw’s sprained a hind paw,” Jaypaw called.

“Help him over to the far end of the clearing and let him rest below Highledge,” Leafpool told him. She moved on, sending Hazeltail and Poppyfrost to wait with Whitewing.

Hazeltail dropped into a crouch beside Whitewing. “How could the sun disappear?”

“The sky was clear blue, so it couldn’t have been a cloud,” Poppyfrost breathed.

“Clouds never make it dark and cold like that,” Whitewing added.

Leafpool looked at them sharply. “You should be licking those scratches, not chattering like finches!” She nudged Birchfall and then Berrynose toward Thornclaw. “Wait over there.”

Birchfall limped across the clearing, keeping his swollen forepaw off the ground. “I don’t see why StarClan should hide the sun from us !” he meowed indignantly.

Berrynose hopped alongside him, a hind paw held out gingerly behind him. “WindClan should never have started the battle. It serves them right if StarClan are angry with them.”

Hollypaw glanced at her brother. He was watching the Clan. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” he mewed.

Didn’t he want to talk about the vanishing sun? “You’re very quiet.”

“Yeah.” Lionpaw glanced up at Highledge, where Millie was picking her way down the tumble of rocks. Briarkit swung from her jaws. Daisy followed, holding Toadkit.

“Let’s help them,” Lionpaw suggested. He darted away toward Highledge.

How did he have so much energy left? Hollypaw felt weighted with exhaustion, and the scratches and bites that covered her body, though not deep, were stinging. Sighing, she followed.

“I could have walked down myself!” Toadkit flailed his paws crossly.

“Keep still, or we’ll both fall!” Daisy’s rebuke was muffled by his scruff. She jumped down the last few paw steps and looked back at Millie. “Are you okay?”

Millie nodded. Briarkit was dangling wide-eyed under her chin.

It isn’t always like this , Hollypaw wanted to tell the tiny kit, not sure if he was old enough to understand.

Lionpaw reached out a forepaw to steady Millie as she scrabbled down into the clearing, stones cracking behind her.

“We’ll bring the others,” he promised.

“Thanks.” Daisy put Toadkit down and he bounced away, fluffing up his fur.

“Watch out!” Daisy shut her eyes as he careered straight toward Graystripe.

The gray warrior sidestepped him. “Why don’t you go make sure there’s enough moss in Millie’s nest, little one?” he meowed.

“Okay!” Toadkit raced away to the nursery.

Graystripe blinked at Daisy. “He’s obviously not too shaken.”

Daisy’s pale eyes darkened. “He just thinks it’s an adventure.” She sighed.

“Perhaps it’s better that he does.” Graystripe took Briarkit from Millie and followed Daisy to the nursery. Millie padded beside him, pressing her pelt to his.

Lionpaw was already bounding up the rocks. Hollypaw scrambled wearily after him and followed him into Firestar’s den.

It was dark inside. Hollypaw almost tripped over Rosekit, crouched in the entrance. Behind her, Longtail was trying to hush Bumblekit. The tiny gray-and-black-striped tom was wailing for his mother.

Longtail ran his tail gently over him. “Shh, you’ll wake your sister.”

Hollypaw could just make out Blossomkit curled against Mousefur’s belly, sound asleep.

“Don’t disturb her.” Mousefur waved Hollypaw away with her tail. “Graystripe can fetch her down later.”

Longtail nudged Hollypaw’s shoulder with his nose. His blind eyes were round with worry. “Did you see it happen?”

He meant the vanishing sun.

“Yes.”

“What does Jaypaw say?” Mousefur asked, her eyes gleaming in the half-light.

Lionpaw shrugged. “He doesn’t always tell us what he learns from StarClan.”

Hollypaw caught his eye. Is he thinking what I’m thinking? If they were really more powerful than StarClan, Jaypaw should know what the vanishing sun meant. Lionpaw looked away.

“Perhaps he’ll share dreams with them tonight,” she mewed hopefully.

Mousefur wrapped her tail around Blossomkit. “I hope so.”

Hollypaw grabbed Bumblekit by the scruff and swung him into the air. He squeaked with surprise and churned the air with his tiny paws.