Эрин Хантер - Secrets Оf Тhe Clans

11. Boundaries must be checked and marked daily. Challenge all trespassing cats.

12. No warrior may neglect a kit in pain or in danger, even if that kit is from a different Clan.

13. The word of the Clan leader is the warrior code.

14. An honorable warrior does not need to kill other cats to win his battles, unless they are outside the warrior code or it is necessary for self-defense.

15. A warrior rejects the soft life of a kittypet.

I am Firestar. Welcome to ThunderClan—the Clan of courage and loyalty. I was not a forest-born cat, but ThunderClan welcomed me, and once I proved myself as a warrior, they grew to respect me. I have risen to become their leader and I would lay down all nine of my lives for my Clan, just as my Clanmates would lay down their lives for me and for each other. There is no other Clan in the forest so true or so brave. I respect and admire the other Clans, but my heart is here, with ThunderClan—the Clan of heroes, the Clan of compassion, the Clan of destiny.

Clan character:In peace, respectful of other Clans. In battle, fierce, courageous, and loyal. ThunderClan cats speak out for what is right and are not afraid to challenge the warrior code.

Prey:Mice, voles, squirrels, the occasional rabbit, and birds such as starlings, magpies, wood pigeons, and thrushes.

Hunting skills:Excellent stalking techniques. They keep upwind of their prey, creeping across the forest floor unseen and unheard.

(1) ThunderClan camp:Sheltered at the foot of a sandy ravine and well protected by thornbushes, this camp is hard to attack and easy to defend.

(2) Tallpines:Watch out for the Twoleg tree-eater! It makes the ground rumble and leaves deep gullies that fill with muddy water.

(3) Great Sycamore:Its branches are thick and strong all the way to the ends. Young apprentices learn to climb here and dare one another to climb higher.

(4) Owl-Tree:Halfway up the trunk is a hole that is home to a tawny owl that flies out at night. Legend has it that an early ThunderClan apprentice learned the secrets of night hunting from one such owl. Every night, as the moon rose, he would wait at the foot of the Owl-Tree. When the owl swooped out, he followed, like the owl’s shadow cast by the moon on the ground. Eventually this bold young apprentice became a great leader known as Owlstar. In the hunt, he was as silent and deadly as the tawny owl.

(5) Sunningrocks:A warm spot in the sunshine. Keep a sharp eye out for prey darting between the cracks! Many moons ago, when the river was much wider than it is now, Sunningrocks was an island. Only RiverClan cats could swim out to it. Then the water dropped, and Sunningrocks became part of the forest shore, so ThunderClan claimed it. They did not allow RiverClan cats to cross their territory to reach it. Since then, many battles have been fought between the two Clans over these smooth, sun-warmed stones.

(6) Snakerocks:Beware poisonous adders! Chervil grows abundantly here. The caves beneath the rocks provide shelter for dangerous animals, like foxes, badgers—and even dogs.

(7) Sandy hollow:A training hollow surrounded by trees. Warrior apprentices are unlikely to hurt themselves on the soft ground.

(8) Twolegplace:A maze of small Thunderpaths and Twoleg dens (see Other Animals, Twolegs ). There are two different kinds of cats in Twolegplace: loners and kittypets (see Cats Outside the Clans, Rogues and Loners, and Kittypets ).

It wasn’t fair that only Cloudpaw got to be a warrior. We were just as good and we tried so hard, but Bluestar ignored us and treated us like dopey kits.

Swiftpaw said we should do something so brave that Bluestar would have to make us warriors too. None of us knew what had been eating the prey around Snakerocks, but Swiftpaw figured if we went out there, we’d find a trail to follow. It made sense, you know? We’d follow the trail, find out who was stealing our prey, and then come back to tell Bluestar. And then we’d be warriors!

Swiftpaw knew a way out through the ferns behind the elders’ den, so we sneaked out just before dawn and headed for Snakerocks.

My paws trembled as we raced through the leaves. I knew my mentor, Whitestorm, would be angry with me—apprentices are not supposed to leave the camp without permission. But he’d be impressed when I helped save the Clan!

The smell near Snakerocks was strange—fierce and dark. I slowed down, but Swiftpaw kept running.

“Swiftpaw!” I hissed as he scrambled over a fallen tree. “Be careful!”

“Don’t worry!” he called back. “There’s nothing here!”

Just as he said that, a huge shape flew out of the cave and fastened slavering jaws around Swiftpaw’s throat. It was a dog—the largest I’d ever seen. I wanted to run away more than I’ve ever wanted anything, but I couldn’t leave Swiftpaw behind.

Swiftpaw wrenched himself around, snarling and twisting, but the dog shook him like he was a squirrel, and then threw him to the other side of the clearing. I ran over and saw that he was bleeding, but he managed to stand, turn, and fight. The dog came toward us, its head low, its teeth bared and gleaming. I crouched, waiting until it was a mouse-length away, and then I lashed out and raked my claws across its face. It jumped back with a yelp, and for a moment I thought, We’ll be okay. It’s just one dog, and there’re two of us.

And then I saw the others.

There were at least six dogs ranged across the clearing, all of them four times our size or bigger. They growled so loud it felt like the earth was shaking. “Pack, pack,” they snarled. “Kill, kill.”

And then they sprang. I darted forward, jumped up, and sank my claws into soft underbelly. As I clung on, scratching and biting, I could hear Swiftpaw—spitting, hissing, and yowling in rage and defiance. The world turned upside down, and the air was knocked out of me. I remember dust, a forest of legs, flying fur, blood. At one point I saw Swiftpaw break free from the pack and climb a tree. I prayed to StarClan that he would make it, but huge paws brought him crashing to the ground. Then blood filled my eyes, and I saw no more. I could still hear, though—and in among the growling and snarling, there were yelps too. I don’t know when the end came for Swiftpaw. I only remember him fighting like all of LionClan. That’s how I will always remember him.

Then I was shaken loose. I felt light as air. I slammed against rock, and everything went dark.

I woke up in Cinderpelt’s cave three sunrises later. Fireheart and Cloudtail had found me and brought me home. Cinderpelt said I had nightmares, calling out “pack” and “kill” in my sleep, but I can’t remember any of them now.

The first thing I remember was the feeling of Cloudtail’s warm white fur pressed against mine. When I moved, he woke up instantly, as if he’d been waiting the whole time for me to awaken.