Эрин Хантер - Eclipse

Sol leaned forward, as though willing her to speak.

“What about the warrior code?” she mewed at last. “How will it fit in?”

“However you want it to,” Sol meowed simply. “You will have the power to destroy the code, or preserve it. It’s up to you.”

Destroy the code!

Hollypaw felt dizzy. “We can’t be more powerful than the code,” she whispered.

Jaypaw padded in front of her. “Sol.” He looked up at the tom. “You must come back with us.” His mew was urgent.

“We need you to be our mentor.”

“Me?” Sol paused for a moment to wrap his tail neatly over his paws. “You don’t need me. The prophecy will take care of itself.” He made it sound like the simplest thing in the world.

“But you know so much more than the others,” Jaypaw insisted. “You knew the sun was going to vanish. You must be able to help us.”

“But I can’t possibly live in your territory,” Sol pointed out.

“Firestar would never allow it.”

Lionpaw stepped forward, eyes shining. “You could live just outside it, though.” A bat fluttered above them. “We could build you a den and visit you every day and bring food.”

Hollypaw was still swimming against the tide of fear lapping at her. More powerful than the code! She felt Jaypaw nudging her.

“You want him to come, don’t you?” he mewed.

She heard herself answer. “W-won’t it be hard to keep up with our apprentice duties?” Her common sense worked her tongue while her mind still reeled. What might this stranger show them? They had learned nearly everything their mentors had to teach, yet there was room for so much more. And if they were really destined to be more powerful than the warrior code, they were going to need much greater guidance.

“Please come!” Jaypaw begged.

Sol glanced at the Twoleg nest, wrinkling his nose. “Very well.”

Hollypaw stared at him in surprise. How had he changed his mind so quickly? “Really?” She gasped, relief flooding her.

Sol nodded. “How can I ignore the prophecy? You have asked for my help to walk your true path.”

Jaypaw bounced onto the stone trail. “Let’s go!”

Lionpaw took the lead, and Sol fell in behind. Jaypaw skittered after Lionpaw like a kit, trying to make him go faster, as if he couldn’t wait to have his first lesson from Sol. Hollypaw was used to seeing her brother stomping reluctantly about the camp as he carried out his apprentice duties. Now he was so excited, she wondered why she felt only fear.

But it was exciting, wasn’t it? Just because she would be more powerful than the warrior code didn’t mean she’d have to destroy it. She would have the power to preserve it forever.

Sol had said so. It was more than she had ever hoped for: the ability to secure the future of all four Clans for all the moons to come.

They retraced their steps to the ShadowClan border, then followed the scent markers toward their own territory. It was late, the sun sinking toward the treetops and Lionpaw was pushing the pace, clearly keen to get Sol settled and return to camp. Had they been missed? How would they explain their disappearance?

A rustle in the bushes on the other side of the border made Hollypaw jump.

Jaypaw halted, pulling on Lionpaw’s tail. “Shh!”

The cats ducked, trying to hide, but it was too late.

“What in the name of StarClan are you doing there?”

Russetfur’s eyes burned in the shadows, wide with astonishment.

“Don’t worry,” Hollypaw whispered to Sol. “ShadowClan were our allies in the battle today.”

“Are you spying on us?” Russetfur’s mew was sharp. “Did Firestar send you?”

Jaypaw straightened up and faced the ShadowClan deputy across the scent line. “Like Firestar would send me to spy,” he meowed sarcastically.

“Then what are you doing here?” Russetfur demanded.

Smokefoot padded out of the shadows behind her. He was staring at Sol, his gaze lingering on the cat’s soft fur and blunt claws. “Looks like Firestar’s adopting another kittypet,” he declared.

Sol frowned. “Kittypet?”

Lionpaw glanced at him. “He means a cat born in a Twoleg nest.” He turned to Smokefoot, eyes gleaming. “Sol isn’t a kittypet.”

“Then he’s a loner,” Smokefoot growled. “And no more welcome in a Clan than a kittypet.”

A tabby she-cat with long unkempt fur slid in beside her Clanmates. “Oh, but ThunderClan welcomes everyone ,” she sneered.

Lionpaw unsheathed his claws.

Russetfur stiffened. “Shut up, Kinkfur,” she hissed. “I don’t want any more fighting today.” Her mew seemed edged with fear. Hollypaw noticed for the first time how tatty the ShadowClan deputy’s pelt was. Dried blood crusted the tip of one ear, and Smokefoot’s eyes were dull with tiredness. The battle had taken its toll on ShadowClan, too. She spotted Owlpaw behind his Clanmates. The apprentice was gazing fearfully up at the sun, fiery now as it slid behind the treetops. Were they afraid that StarClan would hide it again if they started fighting?

“They won’t attack,” Hollypaw whispered. She nudged Lionpaw and tipped her nose toward the sun.

He seemed to understand. “Come on.” He beckoned Sol and his littermates with a flick of his tail. “Let’s go home.”

“Wait!” Russetfur ordered.

Hollypaw froze. They weren’t going to get away so easily after all.

“You’re coming to explain to Blackstar what you’re doing on our borders.”

Jaypaw spat, “We haven’t even crossed the scent line!”

“You’re close enough.” Russetfur flicked her tail, and her patrol dashed over the border and surrounded the ThunderClan cats.

Lionpaw arched his back, hissing. Hollypaw unsheathed her claws, but Sol just stared at the ShadowClan cats. His calm gaze seemed to unnerve them, and they backed away.

“What kind of loner are you?” Russetfur looked him over, her pelt ruffled. “Don’t you know we’re warriors?”

“Yes, I know.” Sol kept staring at her. “Blackstar is your leader, right?”

Russetfur flattened her ears. “Yes,” she answered warily.

“I’d be interested in meeting him.”

Hollypaw’s heart sank. There wasn’t time to go to the ShadowClan camp! Firestar was sure to notice they were missing any moment now.

Jaypaw began to pad toward the ShadowClan border. “We might as well go,” he mewed. “Think how much Sol can learn from another Clan.”

He can teach us ShadowClan’s secrets! Perhaps this wasn’t such a bad idea after all. And compared with what they could learn about another Clan, Firestar’s anger didn’t seem so important.

Hollypaw followed Jaypaw, enjoying the puzzlement clouding the eyes of their ShadowClan captors. She guided her brother through the unfamiliar woods, pressing against his shoulder to keep him on the faint path. Lionpaw walked a few paces ahead, calling out every time there was a twig to trip on or a prey-hole to stumble into. Sol padded alongside them, gazing around the forest with fascination.

Russetfur didn’t take her eyes off the stranger. Was she regretting bringing him into the heart of her territory?

After a while, Hollypaw began to recognize the landscape.

A slope led up to a small ridge. She had followed this path when she had come to beg Blackstar for help. A few more paw steps through the trees, and she spotted the great bramble wall of the ShadowClan camp.

Rowanclaw was guarding the entrance this time, his dark ginger pelt the only color in the darkening forest. He stared in surprise at the approaching patrol, but Russetfur simply swept past him with her prisoners.

Ivytail and Toadfoot leaped to their paws as the ThunderClan cats entered the camp. A half-eaten mouse lay between them. Snaketail and Scorchpaw stood in the middle of the clearing, staring in unconcealed shock at Sol.