Erin Hunter - Dawn

“They told me only to go back and do what I must to protect my Clan,” Firestar told her. “And that’s what I’m going to do.”

Leafpaw heard the RiverClan cats gathering on the slope behind her. “We’re returning to our camp,” Mistyfoot announced to Firestar. “But we know that the time has come to make a decision about leaving the forest.”

Leafpaw held her breath. The fate of all four Clans hung like a cobweb, fragile to the gentlest breath of wind.

“I’m sure many of you have noticed that the river is drying up,” Mistyfoot went on.

Onewhisker padded forward. “The Twolegs have changed the course of the water,” he meowed. “Our warriors have seen them digging great holes around the gorge to channel the river away.”

Mistyfoot just blinked at him as if the reason for the disappearance of the river no longer mattered. “Leopardstar told me that if the ShadowClan camp was destroyed, then we must accept that the Twolegs are coming.” She held Firestar’s gaze steadily. “RiverClan will leave the forest with the other Clans.”

Leafpaw felt her shoulders sag with relief. At last Firestar would have his wish, and all four Clans would leave together.

Firestar hauled himself to his paws, his eyes brightening.

“Onewhisker, tell your Clanmates that ThunderClan and RiverClan will travel with them.” He turned his face toward Blackstar. “Will ShadowClan join us?”

Blackstar hesitated, but Firestar was in no mood to wait for an answer.

“You can’t still plan to live among the Twolegs after you have seen what they are capable of?” he hissed.

Blackstar nodded slowly. “ShadowClan will travel with you,” he meowed. “After all, we have no home and no territory now.”

Firestar lifted his head to address all the cats on the rock.

“We will leave at dawn!”

Mews of approval echoed through the air, and Leafpaw felt a tingle of excitement. Whatever the journey held—wherever they were going—nothing could be worse than to stay in this place with Twolegs and their monsters closing in on all sides.

She glanced at Cody, still busy among the ShadowClan cats.

Would there be time to escort her home first? Or had she become such a part of the Clan that she’d go with them?

“Where will we go?” Tornear was the first to ask, but his question echoed around the gathering.

Firestar looked expectantly at Brambleclaw. The tabby warrior looked down at his paws. Squirrelpaw, standing beside him, pressed her flank against his. Leafpaw tipped her head to one side, puzzled. They looked like a pair of unprepared apprentices who had just been asked the best way to catch water voles.

“As you know, Midnight’s sign never came,” Brambleclaw began, dragging the words out as if they stuck in his throat like thorns. “So we don’t know exactly where we should go.

But we could head toward the sun-drown-place.”

“If there’s been no sign before we get there, we could find Midnight again and ask her,” Squirrelpaw put in.

“How do we get to this sun-drown-place?” Blackstar called.

“We traveled two different routes—” Brambleclaw broke off and looked uncertainly at Squirrelpaw.

“And you don’t know which one to take?” Firestar suggested.

“We…” Brambleclaw faltered. “We should head for Highstones first,” he meowed at last. “Away from the Twolegs.”

“Very well,” Firestar agreed. “We shall meet at the edge of WindClan’s territory at dawn.”

Mistyfoot and Tallstar nodded.

“Then it’s decided.” Firestar turned to Blackstar. “It would be easier for us all if ShadowClan would sleep at Sunningrocks tonight,” he meowed, choosing his words carefully. “We could make an earlier start if you were to rest here.”

Blackstar seemed to appreciate Firestar’s diplomacy. “Then we will stay,” he meowed.

“As if they’ve got any other place to go!” Sorreltail muttered in Leafpaw’s ear.

“But we will sleep apart from ThunderClan, and a guard will be posted,” Blackstar warned.

“These cats have just saved your Clan!” Mistyfoot exclaimed. “Do you think ThunderClan brought you here only to attack you?”

“Let’s hear whether Leopardstar agrees with your plan to leave the forest before you start making judgments on my decisions,” Blackstar retorted.

Leafpaw winced. She glanced at her sister, but Squirrelpaw was no longer listening. She was staring into the forest, her face filled with anxiety.

Leafpaw padded quietly to her side. “Are you okay?”

“I just hope StarClan sends us a sign soon,” Squirrelpaw mewed.

“I’m sure they will do what they can.”

Squirrelpaw stared earnestly into her eyes. “You’re right.

Even without a sign, I know StarClan will be protecting us and guiding us wherever we go.”

Leafpaw blinked. She wished she were that certain. There had been no sign of StarClan when ShadowClan had needed them most. It was only luck—and the other Clans’ courage—that had gotten those cats out alive. More and more, it looked as if StarClan was powerless to help, and the cats would have to rely on one another, nothing else, to survive.

Clouds obscured the night sky as Leafpaw padded down the hard stone slope. A mild breeze promised that there would be no frost tonight, and she could smell rain. Most of the Clan was sleeping; ShadowClan was huddled near the edge of Sunningrocks, as far from the ThunderClan cats as they could be.

Exhaustion dragged at Leafpaw’s limbs, but her mind teemed with thoughts, memories of the day’s horrors mingled with uncertainties about the journey to come. Knowing she would not be able to sleep, she headed for the forest. Even in leaf-bare, its musty odor and the feeling of the earth beneath her paws soothed her.

As she neared the trees she heard Cody’s voice calling to her. “Leafpaw!” The kittypet was sheltering among some brittle fronds of bracken.

“Cody? What are you doing out here?”

“There’s something I need to tell you.” Cody scraped at the ground with her paw.

Leafpaw stared at her. “What?”

“I’m leaving,” Cody mewed simply. “I’m going home.”

Leafpaw fought back the urge to cry, No! Please stay! She stepped forward and touched her nose to Cody’s ear-tip.

“This is no life for me, all this death and blood and uncertainty,” Cody went on. “I am happy with my housefolk, and they’ll be missing me. I never meant to stay this long, but Birchkit needed me and I began to—”

“You began to enjoy the freedom ,” Leafpaw interrupted, suddenly desperate to remind her new friend what she would be giving up if she went back to her Twolegs.

“I guess I did,” Cody admitted. “But today I saw just how fragile your freedom is. You have to fight for everything —for your food, even somewhere to shelter.” She shook her head apologetically. “I like to know where I will be sleeping every night, and that there will always be food when my belly grows empty. And I like my housefolk. Not all Twolegs are as bad as the ones destroying your home.”

“Would you like me to show you the way through the forest?” Leafpaw offered. “Firestar promised you an escort.”

Cody shook her head. “The woods seem quiet enough,” she mewed. “There won’t be any monsters about at night.

Anyway, you’ll need to rest for your journey.” She glanced back toward Sunningrocks. “Thank Firestar for me.”

Leafpaw pressed her nose sadly against her new friend’s cheek. Cody closed her eyes and sighed. Then she straightened up. “I’ve said good-bye to Birchkit. Ferncloud is eating properly again, and he’ll be fine with her now.”