Эрин Хантер - Battles of the Clans

We’re getting close to the ShadowClan border now. Before we cross it, follow me down to the edge of the lake. There isn’t a path, but we can walk along this gully. If you duck under that fern, you’ll be able to stand on a strip of pebbles right beside the water. It’s a great view of the lake, but that’s not why I’ve brought you to this part of the shore. One cat who enjoyed battles too much, in my opinion, died here. So much blood flowed out of him that the lake turned red. The prophecy came true: “Before all is peaceful, blood will spill blood, and the lake will run red.” It’s okay; you don’t need to look so horrified that your paws got a bit wet from that wave. The blood’s all washed away now.

The dead cat’s name was Hawkfrost, and if you must know, my brother Brambleclaw killed him, to save Firestar’s life.

Now, hurry up and we’ll go to ShadowClan’s territory. Can you walk a bit faster than that? We don’t want to get spotted by Twolegs while we’re crossing this stretch of grass. ShadowClan and ThunderClan fought over this not long ago; sometimes I think I can still smell blood in the air. Firestar gave us this strip of territory soon after we came to the lake, then changed his mind and demanded it back. As if we’d give it up without a fight! The battle ended when Lionblaze killed Russetfur, our deputy. Warriors should never kill one another for the sake of victory. Neither side won that day.

Most battles are settled more easily, thank StarClan. There were some kittypets living here when we arrived who learned to respect us the hard way. They kept stealing our prey, invading our camp, even lying in wait for our apprentices. Stupid mouse-brains, did they really think they could take on the whole of ShadowClan? We took the battle to their own territory, a Twoleg nest in the middle of the trees, just beyond that rise. They fought well, for pampered kittypets, but they were never going to win.

The kittypets keep out of our way now, but we don’t trust them, and our hunting patrols stay away from the Twoleg nest. There are plenty of other places to find prey. No, not here, there’s no cover. See how the trees finish and hard black stone covers the ground? This is where Twolegs come in greenleaf to float on the lake. On the far side, where those bushes are, is the start of RiverClan’s territory. They’ve fought their own battle there, against young Twolegs who tried to take over their camp. I heard the warriors made the river wider to protect their dens! Only RiverClan would fight back with water.

It was the same in the old territories, before we came to the lake. You’ve heard the Clans used to live somewhere else, right? Back then, RiverClan’s camp was on the bank of a river, too broad to jump across except in the driest greenleaf. All the fighting was done on the other side of the river, where the rest of the Clans lived. Our territories there weren’t so different from the ones we have now—WindClan lived on a moor, ThunderClan among the thickest trees, and ShadowClan in a copse of pines, surrounded by marshland. It’s all gone now, crushed and splintered into the mud by Twolegs. All those battles that were fought, the borders we once defended with our lives, the dens where warriors were born and trained, have been lost forever. Good memories as well as bad, fading in the sunlight like dew. I’m sorry you won’t get a chance to see those territories, too.

Great StarClan, where did all this mist come from? I’d better get you back to WindClan’s camp before we get lost. Come on, follow me.

Hello, kittypets. You’re a long way from home, aren’t you? Do you know who I am? I’m sure that you’ve heard my name, even though no cat would expect you to meet me. I am Tigerstar, once warrior of ThunderClan, then leader of ShadowClan. Now I walk in the Place of No Stars, the Dark Forest where cats with courage and ambition and cunning are sent, denied entry to StarClan by cats who see no farther than the end of their own noses.

There’s no use calling to Tawnypelt. She can’t see me; I’ve come only for you. There’s something I need to show you. Tawnypelt was wrong when she said you would never be able to visit the old territories of the Clans. Come this way, through the mist.

That rustling noise? It’s the branches of the four Great Oaks, one for each of the Clans. Look up; can you see them? Yes, we are in the forest, as it once was. This is the hollow where the Clans gathered every full moon—and it’s the place where I lost every one of my nine lives, ripped from my belly by that traitor Scourge. Not long after, the Clans fought their greatest battle against Scourge and his followers, who called themselves BloodClan. I should have fought alongside my Clanmates!

Instead I could do nothing but watch as the cat who had promised to help me take over the forest waged war against the Clans. They lined up at sunrise here, under the trees looking down into the hollow. Firestar led out the Clans from the other side of the hollow. Can you imagine how puny they looked? If you’d been standing here beside Scourge, you would have had dog claws fitted over your own, and the scent of blood and victory in your throat. You’d just seen your leader kill me , the greatest warrior of all the forest Clans; the other warriors must have looked like easy prey.

Just by this rock is where Whitestorm, the ThunderClan deputy, was killed by the BloodClan cat

Bone. ThunderClan apprentices avenged his death, jumping onto Bone and dragging him down, clawing the life out of him. Even in the Place of No Stars I could hear his screams, and their shrieks of victory. StarClan never would have let Scourge win that battle. And Firestar showed great courage; I’ll grant him that. He’ll need every last whisker of it when we meet again.

Are you shivering from cold or are you scared? Stand close to me—it’s all right, I bite only my enemies. It’s colder now because we’re on the open moorland, where WindClan used to live. Looks like their territory by the lake, doesn’t it? You can see why they’re so skinny and fast, when they have to chase rabbits all the time. Foolish cats, they should learn to stalk and pounce; then they could find fresh-kill under cover of trees. Come to the edge of the camp, in this shallow dip. Can you believe they chose to make their dens here? No wonder ShadowClan forced them out. Brokenstar defeated them with a single patrol, rushing down into the hollow and trapping the WindClan warriors in their nests before they realized what was happening. It was a classic ShadowClan ambush—but in the enemy’s own den. Tallstar didn’t bring WindClan back to the moor until Firestar and Graystripe fetched him. Firestar has been criticized a lot for constantly interfering in WindClan’s affairs, but if Tallstar hadn’t shown such weakness against Brokenstar, his Clan never would have gotten so reliant on ThunderClan’s help.

Jump! Come on, just one more leap and you’ll be on top of Sunningrocks. Look at the view! You can see the whole forest from here; those dark trees in the distance are where ShadowClan lived, and the harsh orange lights over there come from Twolegplace.

Feels peaceful up here, doesn’t it? But these rocks have been the site of more battles than anywhere else in the forest. RiverClan would never accept that Sunningrocks belonged to ThunderClan. As if those fat, lazy fox-hearts didn’t have enough places to lie in the sun. It’s not like they could catch prey on the rocks, since they wouldn’t know what to do with a mouse if one sat on their paws. Battles here were boring . Whichever cats had the highest place on the rock would win, simple as that. You can’t escape when warriors are dropping like rain on your shoulders.