Erin Hunter - The Sight

“Welcome. Don’t be afraid. We are kin,” the larger cat meowed. “I am Tigerstar, your father’s father, and this is his brother, Hawkfrost.”

Jaypaw stared at the cats in astonishment. He had heard nursery stories about Tigerstar and the terrible things he had done. What were they doing here, and why had they come to him?

“It is good to meet you at last,” Tigerstar meowed, his eyes glittering.

“Brambleclaw is blessed to have three fine kits,” Hawkfrost added.

“We watched you in battle earlier,” Tigerstar purred. “I am glad to see you have inherited your father’s skill.”

Hawkfrost glanced at his father. “And yours, Tigerstar,” he meowed.

Jaypaw narrowed his eyes. Why were they complimenting him when they must know he couldn’t fight as well as he wanted to?

As though reading his thoughts, Tigerstar went on, “We can teach you how to improve your skills if you like,” he offered, his voice smooth as honey.

Jaypaw searched the massive tom’s gaze, hunting out the sentiment that lay behind his words. To his surprise he found murky darkness where he would normally have sensed feeling and thoughts. He shifted his paws uneasily. “I-I’m not sure I want to become a warrior,” he confessed.

“How can any kin of mine say such a thing?” Tigerstar snorted. “It is bad enough that I have to watch Mothwing wasting her talents as a medicine cat.” His whiskers twitched.

“At least Hollypaw is finally starting to realize that her destiny does not lie in pandering to the weak and the sick.”

“Hollypaw?” Jaypaw echoed. What did Tigerstar know about his sister’s destiny?

“Why don’t you let us teach you some fighting moves?”

Hawkfrost urged. “Once you see how easy they are for you, you’ll realize that you were born to lead your Clanmates in battle, not spend all your time in the camp with herbs and poultices.”

Jaypaw flicked his tail. Brightheart hadn’t taught him anything about fighting. She obviously thought it was a waste of time training a blind cat. He might have done better in the battle against ShadowClan if she’d shown him some moves.

Perhaps these two cats really could help him.

A swish in the ferns far behind him made Jaypaw glance over his shoulder.

“Who’s there?” Tigerstar called.

“I have come to fetch Jaypaw back where he belongs.”

Jaypaw recognized the mew at once and, as the cat emerged through the mist, he recognized the pretty tortoiseshell pelt as well. “Spottedleaf!” he mewed.

Spottedleaf nodded but did not take her eyes off Tigerstar and Hawkfrost.

“Do you know this cat?” Tigerstar asked Jaypaw.

“She helped me when I fell over the cliff,” Jaypaw explained.

“You shouldn’t have wandered this far, Jaypaw,” Spottedleaf warned him.

“Nor should you.” Tigerstar glared at the medicine cat.

“How did you cross the border?”

“I come with the permission of StarClan,” Spottedleaf replied, meeting his gaze with a challenging stare.

“Did they give Jaypaw permission too?” Tigerstar inquired, tipping his head to one side.

Spottedleaf did not answer. Instead she looked at Jaypaw.

“Come back with me,” she ordered.

“What about Tigerstar and Hawkfrost? Can they come too?”

“They have chosen their own path,” Spottedleaf replied.

She turned back and waited for Jaypaw to follow.

But Jaypaw hesitated. Tigerstar and Hawkfrost had offered to give him what he wanted most.

“Jaypaw!” Spottedleaf called more urgently.

He had to choose between the cat he knew—the cat he instinctively trusted—and those he didn’t. He turned and followed Spottedleaf.

As she led him back through the mist, he glanced over his shoulder. Tigerstar’s eyes blazed like fire even after his pelt had been swallowed by the gloom.

Spottedleaf broke into a run, and Jaypaw raced after her.

His paws carried him lightly through the shadowy forest until the trees became leafier, their branches dipping once more to brush the undergrowth. Fern tips caressed his spine, and a feeling of freedom and safety enfolded him once more.

Spottedleaf drew to a halt. “You must not go there again,” she told him.

“Why not?” Jaypaw asked.

“Tell me why you came to share with StarClan,” Spottedleaf prompted.

Resentment jabbed Jaypaw’s belly. If she wasn’t going to answer his questions, he wasn’t going to answer hers. “I came because I could,” he answered huffily.

Spottedleaf narrowed her eyes. “You came to find out where your true destiny lies, didn’t you?”

Jaypaw blinked. “How did you know?”

“How did you find your way to the Moonpool when you are blind?” she countered.

“Are you going to answer all my questions with more questions?”

Spottedleaf sighed. “Sorry,” she mewed. “But I cannot tell you more than you are ready to know.”

“I’m ready to know everything!” Jaypaw insisted. “Why does StarClan make it so hard to get answers?”

“Because they fear for you,” Spottedleaf answered, her eyes darkening.

Jaypaw snorted. Even StarClan were treating him like a helpless kit! “Tigerstar and Hawkfrost don’t seem worried about me,” he snapped. “They think I’m destined to be a warrior!”

“Do you trust them?”

Jaypaw remembered the impenetrable mist that had hidden the true feelings of the two warriors. “I guess not,” he mewed hesitantly.

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes,” he murmured. He could sense something else inside her, affection tinged with sorrow. Concentrating hard, he tracked the feeling, following it like a shimmering stream: a flame-colored cat, green eyes clouded with grief… it was Firestar! This StarClan cat was in love with the ThunderClan leader! But how could that be? Spottedleaf had left the forest long ago, and Firestar had another mate. Jaypaw searched further. There was more, he knew, some knowledge obscured by shadows, something he could not name…

“You have a remarkable gift,” she mewed. Her eyes were wary, as though she’d felt him probing her mind. “You can see what no other cat sees. You can go where even StarClan cannot. You must use this power for the good of your Clan.”

“But how?” Jaypaw asked.

“You must become a medicine cat,” Spottedleaf meowed.

No!

He didn’t want to hear that. He wanted to believe Tigerstar and Hawkfrost.

“I want to be a warrior!”

“But you have a gift!”

“Seeing in dreams? That’s not a gift. The rest of the Clan see all the time!”

“But they don’t see what you do. They can’t go where you go.”

“So I can visit StarClan! Big deal!”

“It is a big deal!” Spottedleaf hissed.

“But where does it get me?” Jaypaw argued. “The rest of my Clan think I’m useless.”

“They don’t know the power that you have.”

“Power?” Jaypaw echoed.

Spottedleaf was trembling now. “Jaypaw, you have power enough to shape the destiny of your entire Clan.”

Jaypaw stared at her. “But I want to be a warrior!”

“Accept your destiny!”

“It’s not fair!”

“I know.” The medicine cat’s voice suddenly grew soft. She brushed his muzzle with her tail, silencing him. Jaypaw felt weariness spread through his limbs, dragging him toward sleep. “Your gift is not a burden,” she whispered. “But you must be brave, because it has more power than the sharpest claw…”

Jaypaw tried to fight the sleepiness. There were still questions he wanted answered. “No,” he complained weakly as his legs buckled beneath him.

Jaypaw opened his eyes. The world was black once more, and his body ached with cold. He was lying beside the Moonpool. Slowly he got to his paws and stretched. The image of StarClan’s hunting grounds was still fresh in his mind as he followed the path out of the hollow.