Эрин Хантер - Legends of the Clans

“Who will fight first?” she yowled, her voice echoing around the trees. “Come on, you fox-hearted cowards!”

To Spottedpaw’s astonishment, cats started creeping out of the bracken. Five or six of them, all different colors and sizes. She sniffed the air, trying to identify them by scent, but all she could smell was decaying wood and sodden leaves.

Mapleshade jerked her tail toward Thistleclaw. “You go first,” she ordered. “Houndleap, you too.”

A scrawny black cat slunk into the center of the clearing. Spottedpaw could see his ribs, and her instinct was to run off and catch him something to eat. Yet she hadn’t smelled a single trace of prey.

Thistleclaw bounced forward to meet the black cat. “Any particular moves you’d like to see, Mapleshade?” he called.

The she-cat bared her teeth. “Ones that work,” she hissed. “Nothing else matters.”

Thistleclaw bowed his head. “Of course.”

Spottedpaw blinked in surprise. Thistleclaw was acting like a humble apprentice! What was this place? The more she saw, the less she thought they were in ShadowClan. Houndleap looked like a WindClan cat, for starters, with his thin frame and hungry expression. There was a light brown tabby sitting beside the tree trunk that must have been a RiverClan cat, judging by her glossy fur and rounded belly. These cats were warriors, for sure, but where would they meet together like this? This definitely wasn’t Fourtrees!

At a yowl from Mapleshade, Thistleclaw launched himself at the black cat. Houndleap thudded to the ground but wriggled free with a hiss and leaped onto Thistleclaw’s back. In horror, Spottedpaw saw that the black cat’s teeth were bared and his claws gleamed long and silver as he sank them into Thistleclaw’s pelt. “Watch out!” she cried. Surely this was just a mock battle? There had been nothing to suggest that these cats were enemies.

Thistleclaw didn’t seem to hear her. He flexed his broad shoulders and flicked Houndleap onto the grass. Spottedpaw winced as he curled his lip and bit down hard into the black cat’s neck. Houndleap batted at Thistleclaw’s belly with his hind paws, ripping the soft fur. Thistleclaw flinched and Houndleap reached up with his front paws, clawing at the ThunderClan warrior’s eyes. Thistleclaw shoved him away, sending his opponent rolling over and over until he slammed into the fallen tree.

“No, stop!” cried Spottedpaw, but on the tree trunk Mapleshade paced excitedly, her tail fluffed up.

“That’s it!” she screeched. “No mercy! I want this forest running with blood! It’s a shame you didn’t fight like this when you were in WindClan, Houndleap!”

Spottedpaw stared at the black cat who had staggered to his feet and was glaring at Thistleclaw, flanks heaving and stained with blood. If Houndleap used to be in WindClan, did that mean he was somewhere else now? Somewhere with RiverClan cats as well? Somewhere like…

“Am I in StarClan ?” Spottedpaw gasped. “But… how did I get here? Am I dead ?”

“Of course you’re not dead,” grunted a black-and-white tom beside her. He turned toward Spottedpaw and she jumped when she realized that one half of his face was dreadfully scarred, with nothing but raw red skin where his eye used to be.

“Then why am I here?” Spottedpaw breathed.

The black-and-white cat shrugged. “Mapleshade brings cats here to train sometimes. Looks like she made a mistake with you, though.” He let out a terrible rasping sound, and Spottedpaw realized he was shaking with laughter.

“I… I didn’t imagine StarClan would be like this,” Spottedpaw admitted. But the black-and-white cat was watching Thistleclaw and Houndleap grapple each other again, and didn’t seem to hear.

In the clearing, Thistleclaw had pinned Houndleap down and was pummeling him with his front paws. To Spottedpaw’s dismay, the black cat didn’t even try to fight back. He lay there limply with blood trickling from one side of his mouth.

“Enough!” Mapleshade ordered. “Thistleclaw, you can fight Rushtooth next.” The tabby RiverClan cat stood up and dipped his head. Houndleap dragged himself to the edge of the clearing, not far from Spottedpaw. He needs comfrey, marigold, and cobwebs, she decided. Without waiting to ask Thistleclaw if she could leave, she whipped around and plunged into the bracken, mouth open to detect the scent of herbs.

Nothing . Not even a dock leaf. Spottedpaw cast about, running in a broad circle through the trees, searching for any sign of a stream where water-loving plants might grow, or a sandy bank that might catch the sun. The forest was the same everywhere: wilting ferns, mulchy grass, and those eerie glowing fungi. Spottedpaw ran back to the clearing, hoping she could do something with bracken to stanch the flow of blood, at least.

Houndleap was propped on his shoulder, licking the claw marks across his flank. In the clearing, Thistleclaw was thrashing on the ground with Rushtooth, more evenly matched in size and weight this time. Spottedpaw cast an anxious glance toward her Clanmate, checking that he wasn’t scattering too much blood, then trotted over to the little black cat.

“I’m so sorry!” she burst out. “I’ve looked for herbs but I can’t find any. I thought StarClan would have every kind of plant!”

Houndleap looked at her oddly. “StarClan? This is the Place of No Stars.”

Spottedpaw sat down with a thud. “ What? But… but… what is Thistleclaw doing here?”

“Becoming a better warrior,” purred Thistleclaw, joining her. Blood dripped from a scratch on his shoulder and one of his ears was torn at the tip, but his chest was puffed out and his eyes glowed with victory. Behind him, Rushtooth crouched below the tree trunk while Mapleshade told him what a sorry disgrace he was.

Spottedpaw stared at her Clanmate. “You have brought me to the Dark Forest,” she whispered. “Cats are sent to this place because they are too evil to belong in StarClan. Why would you want to train here?”

Thistleclaw flicked one of his ears and a drop of blood struck Spottedpaw’s muzzle. “Cats might think something is evil just because it follows different rules,” he meowed. “You didn’t see anything evil here tonight, did you? Just courage, skill, and strength—more than you’ll ever see in one of your training sessions with Thrushpelt.”

“No cat would fight like that unless they meant to kill,” Spottedpaw protested. She could feel panic rising inside her. “That’s against the warrior code. And to me, yes—that is evil.”

She spun around and raced along the path, tripping and sliding on the muddy roots. She didn’t know where she was going; she just knew she had to get away from that terrible clearing and those bloodstained cats. Faster and faster she ran, until the trees around her blurred and shadows rose up to drag her down into the dank, foul-smelling earth…

“Phew! Spottedpaw stinks!”

“Spottedpaw, wake up!” A paw prodded her in her side. “Where have you been? You’re covered in mud and you smell like the bottom of a marsh!”

With a jump, Spottedpaw opened her eyes. The memory of fleeing through the Dark Forest filled her mind, and she was half-afraid that she was only dreaming that she was back in her nest, while still trapped in that awful place.

Then Redpaw’s face appeared above her and she relaxed. “Did you go out last night? You need to clean yourself up before Thrushpelt sees you!”

Spottedpaw sat up. The moss in her nest squelched, and her belly fur was matted and filthy.