Contents
Dedication
Allegiances
Maps
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Exclusive Manga Adventure
Excerpt from Warriors: A Vision of Shadows #1: The Apprentice’s Quest Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Back Ads
About the Author
Books by Erin Hunter
Credits
Copyright
About the Publisher
Dedication
Special thanks to Cherith Baldry
ALLEGIANCES
SKYCLAN
LEADER LEAFSTAR—brown-and-cream tabby she-cat with amber eyes
DEPUTY SHARPCLAW—dark ginger tom
MEDICINE CATS ECHOSONG—silver tabby she-cat with green eyes
FRECKLEWISH—mottled light brown tabby she-cat with spotted legs
WARRIORS (toms and she-cats without kits)
SPARROWPELT—dark brown tabby tom
CHERRYTAIL—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat
WASPWHISKER—gray-and-white tom
APPRENTICE, DUSKPAW (ginger tabby tom)
EBONYCLAW—striking black she-cat (daylight warrior)
APPRENTICE, HAWKPAW (dark gray tom)
BILLYSTORM—ginger-and-white tom (former daylight warrior)
APPRENTICE, PEBBLEPAW (brown-speckled white she-cat)
HARVEYMOON—white tom (daylight warrior)
MACGYVER—black-and-white tom (daylight warrior)
BOUNCEFIRE—ginger tom
APPRENTICE, BLOSSOMPAW (ginger-and-white she-cat)
TINYCLOUD—small white she-cat
APPRENTICE, BELLAPAW (pale orange she-cat with green eyes)
SAGENOSE—pale gray tom
NETTLESPLASH—pale brown tom
APPRENTICE, RILEYPAW (pale gray tabby tom with dark gray strips and blue eyes)
RABBITLEAP—brown tom
APPRENTICE, PARSLEYPAW (dark brown tabby tom)
PLUMWILLOW—dark gray she-cat
APPRENTICE, CLOUDPAW (white she-cat)
SANDYNOSE—stocky light brown tom with ginger legs
FIREFERN—ginger she-cat
HARRYBROOK—gray tom
STORMHEART—ginger-and-gray she-cat
MISTFEATHER—gray tom with amber eyes
QUEENS (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)
BIRDWING—black she-cat (mother to Curlykit, a long-haired gray she-kit; Fidgetkit, a black-and-white tom-kit; and Snipkit, a black she-kit with white patch on her chest)
MINTFUR—gray tabby she-cat
HONEYTAIL—pale ginger she-cat with long fur
ELDERS (former warriors and queens, now retired)
PATCHFOOT—black-and-white tom
CLOVERTAIL—light brown she-cat with white belly and legs
FALLOWFERN—pale brown she-cat who has lost her hearing
Maps
PROLOGUE
Sunlight poured into the gorge, bathing the sand-colored rocks in a warm glow. On either side the walls plunged down sharply until they reached a narrow valley at their foot. In the depths, water cascaded from a black hole beneath a pile of boulders, and became a stream that wound its way through the gorge until it was lost to sight among bushes and trees. A gentle breeze carried the enticing scents of prey.
A powerful tom, his pale gray fur patched with white, sat on top of the pile of boulders, gazing downstream. A frosty glimmer of starlight clung to his pelt, and stars shone in his blue eyes.
After a while, the stillness of the gorge was broken as a brown tabby emerged from a den near the foot of the cliff and padded purposefully over to the rocks, scrambling up until he could stand beside the gray-and-white tom.
“Brackenheart,” the gray-and-white tom meowed. “Have you thought any more about this vision?”
“I have, Cloudstar,” Brackenheart replied, dipping his head. “And I have no idea—”
He broke off as a third cat appeared at the top of the gorge and came bounding down the trail to join the other two on top of the boulders. Stars flowed like water through his gray pelt and gave an icy glitter to his claws.
Cloudstar rose to his paws; he and Brackenheart bowed their heads in profound respect. “Greetings, Skystar,” Cloudstar mewed.
Skystar returned the greeting with a brisk nod. “Well?” he asked. “Have you come to a decision?”
Brackenheart shook his head, while Cloudstar looked troubled, replying, “No. What we have seen is too terrible. There are no easy answers.”
“But an answer must be found.” Skystar stood up straighter and gave an impatient lash of his tail. “All three of us have seen the scourge that looms over SkyClan, a danger more dreadful than the heaviest, darkest storm cloud. It could black out the sky and put an end to the Clan I founded forever. I could not bear that.”
“SkyClan will never end!” Cloudstar’s blue eyes glittered fiercely. “We have suffered great losses before, only to rise and thrive again. When we were driven out of the forest, so many seasons ago, we persevered. We found a home in the gorge, and even when the rats destroyed and scattered most of the Clan, a few cats kept the memory alive until Firestar came to restore what had been lost.”
“But Firestar is dead,” Brackenheart mewed somberly. “And his StarClan is far from here. He can do nothing for SkyClan now.”
Skystar looked thoughtful. “Then we must speak to SkyClan directly,” he insisted. “They must be warned.”
“True, Skystar,” Brackenheart responded. “But what kind of warning shall we give? What can we tell them to do?”
“We must tell them to fight,” Cloudstar mewed decisively. “They are strong, brave cats, deeply committed to one another as a Clan. They will win if they believe they can.”
Brackenheart let out a sigh. “But not even Firestar himself could fight this scourge. This battle is unwinnable!”
“Precisely. The time has come for SkyClan to leave their comfortable territory,” Skystar declared.
“What?” Cloudstar’s eyes stretched wide in outrage. “After so many cats struggled to keep it? After so many cats died for it? You want them to just leave—without putting up a fight?”
“Everything comes to an end, sooner or later. SkyClan has been its own island for too long.” Skystar leaned forward, his brilliant blue eyes fixed intently on the other cats. “When I founded SkyClan, it was one of the five petals of the Blazing Star, and all of the Clans thrived because they worked together. SkyClan must take a lesson from its history.”
Cloudstar gave the ancient leader a puzzled look. “Then you’re saying that SkyClan is meant to leave the gorge?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Leaving the gorge will only be the first paw step on a much longer journey.”
“No!” Cloudstar’s neck fur began to bristle. “My Clan and I had to struggle to mak
e our home here among the rocks. Firestar risked his life to reunite us after we were driven out the first time. And now you suggest throwing all that away? Have you got bees in your brain? They must fight.”
Brackenheart nodded in vigorous agreement. “I was SkyClan’s last medicine cat before rats drove us out of the gorge. After all we went through, how can you expect me to stand by and watch as my Clan is driven out a second time?”
Skystar listened impassively to Cloudstar’s heated outburst and Brackenheart’s desperate protest. His voice was quiet and steady as he replied. “No. Every cat knows what our Clan has suffered, but there is a time for our claws to grip hard to what we own, and a time to let go. The threat SkyClan faces is just the beginning. Only by joining with the other Clans can they clear the sky.”
Brackenheart drew in a wondering breath. “All five Clans, together again . . .” Then he gave his pelt a shake. “But how can this be? Where will SkyClan live, if they rejoin the other Clans? There is only so much territory. How do we know that the other Clans will accept them peacefully? How do we know that the cats of SkyClan will want to join the others? They have only ever known Firestar, and he is in his own StarClan now.”
“And Sandstorm,” Cloudstar reminded him.
Skystar nodded. “Yes. And she is a brave cat, but her path is dark to me. It is to Firestar’s kin that SkyClan must look now. For when fire dies down, there are still sparks that remain. And you are right that SkyClan’s path will be long and difficult. That is why they must start now.” He paused, staring into the distance.
“They must find those sparks, or their future is terrible indeed. . . .”
CHAPTER 1
Hawkpaw let out a drowsy purr, enjoying the sensation of warm sunlight on his pelt. He lay curled up at the base of a rock, his dark gray tail wrapped over his paws. His whiskers twitched as he sank deeper into sleep, imagining himself stalking prey among the bushes at the top of the gorge.
“Mrrow!”
Hawkpaw startled awake as a bundle of ginger fur landed on top of him and paws prodded him sharply in the ribs. He breathed in the familiar scent of his littermate Duskpaw.
“Get off me!” Hawkpaw yowled, pushing Duskpaw away as he sat up and shook out his ruffled fur. “What’s gotten into you? I was enjoying my nap!”
“Well, it’s time to wake up, lazybones!” Duskpaw meowed. “Cloudpaw and Pebblepaw and I have come up with the best plan ever!”
Still half asleep, Hawkpaw narrowed his eyes in annoyance. What is it this time? Duskpaw is always bugging me with some amazing plan, and usually it’s, “Hey, we’re going to steal some Twoleg food!” Since he was a kit, Duskpaw had loved the taste of Twoleg prey, and was often willing to do some very silly things to get it. Honestly, Hawkpaw thought, twitching his whiskers. I think he must have bees in his brain.
“Okay, then,” Hawkpaw murmured, then stretched his jaws in a massive yawn. “What’s this great plan?”
“Pebblepaw saw some Twolegs carrying woven twigs to the Twoleg greenplace,” Duskpaw explained, bouncing up and down on his paws. His eyes rounded with excitement. “And you know what that means, right?”
Hawkpaw gave a weary sigh. I saw this coming. “Twoleg food.”
At the same moment, Duskpaw let out an excited squeal. “Twoleg food! It’s been a while since Pebblepaw saw them,” he continued. “They must be long gone. But their leftovers will still be there!”
“I think you’re going to turn into a Twoleg if you’re not careful,” Hawkpaw teased, grinning. “Your fur will get thin, except on top of your head it’ll be all puffed up and messy, and you’ll start walking on your hind legs and riding about in monsters. . . .”
“Don’t be a stupid furball!” Duskpaw protested. “Like that would ever happen!”
“You’re so crazy about their food, and it’s not even that exciting!” Hawkpaw responded. “Besides, how do you plan on getting away without Waspwhisker finding out? Not to mention Billystorm and Plumwillow. They won’t like their apprentices sneaking off without permission. Ebonyclaw would rip my pelt off if I was idiotic enough to join you.”
“They won’t find out,” Duskpaw mewed with a dismissive wave of his tail. “All the warriors have stuffed themselves with fresh-kill, and now they’re snoozing at the bottom of the Rockpile—just like you were, a moment ago. We’re going straight there and we’ll be right back, before our mentors even wake up to miss us.”
Hawkpaw noticed that his sister Cloudpaw and the speckled white she-cat Pebblepaw were standing a few tail-lengths away, just out of earshot. Pebblepaw was scraping impatiently at the ground, clearly tired of waiting for Duskpaw.
“Get a move on!” she spat. “Let Hawkpaw stay here if he’s too much of a scaredy-mouse.”
Hawkpaw growled deep in his throat at the insult. “Like I’d go if she’s going.”
“Look, I know you don’t like her,” Duskpaw meowed, lowering his voice and casting a quick glance between Hawkpaw and Pebblepaw, “but you should get to know her better. You know, the two of you are a lot alike. You’re both as difficult as a fox in a fit. So are you coming or not?”
Hawkpaw let out an irritated hiss at the thought that he was anything like Pebblepaw. She had to be the most annoying cat in the whole Clan. She struts around like she’s so great, when she’s just an apprentice like the rest of us. “No thanks,” he snapped. “Just leave me alone, okay?”
“Keep your fur on!” Duskpaw protested. “Your temper will get you into trouble one day.”
That made Hawkpaw even more angry—being scolded by the brother who spent so much time messing around. “No, you’re the one who’ll get into trouble, for sneaking out to steal Twoleg food.”
Duskpaw shrugged, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “It’s worth it! Twoleg food is delicious. But you can suit yourself. We’re going.”
“Fine!” he huffed. “Have fun.” And good luck explaining when you get back.
Hawkpaw let his annoyance ebb as he watched his brother scuttle off with Pebblepaw and Cloudpaw. He yawned, reflecting thankfully that at least his other sister, Blossompaw, had the good sense not to get involved. Curling up again, he wrapped his tail over his nose and closed his eyes. Maybe now I can finish my nap in peace.
Some time later, a stiff breeze rustled the branches of the trees at the top of the gorge as Hawkpaw followed the paw steps of his mentor, Ebonyclaw, through the undergrowth along the SkyClan border. The sun was dipping down below the topmost branches; Hawkpaw fluffed out his pelt against the sudden chill.
Ebonyclaw’s lithe black figure halted and she glanced at Hawkpaw over her shoulder. “Wait here while I renew the scent marker,” she instructed him.
Hawkpaw did as he was told, his ears pricked for the sound of prey. He wondered what had happened to Duskpaw and the others; they hadn’t returned from their expedition by the time he and Ebonyclaw had left camp.
Probably they were so excited by the food that they lost track of time. Mouse-brains.
A secret thrill crept through Hawkpaw at the thought of Duskpaw getting into trouble. He’s always fooling around and bending the rules! I love him, but he needs to get serious if he wants to be a warrior.
It didn’t seem all that fair to Hawkpaw that he always worked as hard as he possibly could, but Duskpaw kept getting away with his stupid behavior. Maybe if he has to deal with the elders’ ticks for a few days, he’ll decide to make more of an effort.
When Ebonyclaw returned from setting the scent marker she was sniffing the air, a suspicious expression on her face. “Can you smell that?” she asked.
Hawkpaw opened his jaws to taste the air, and an unfamiliar scent flowed into his mouth. “Great StarClan! What is that?” he exclaimed.
“I don’t know.”
Hawkpaw blinked in surprise. I thought Ebonyclaw knew everything, even if she is just a daylight warrior! “Do you think there’s some new kind of animal near the gorge?” he asked, trying not to let his voice quiver with the sudden apprehens
ion he felt.
“There could be,” Ebonyclaw replied. “I’ve picked up this scent once or twice before, near the place where my Twolegs put their rubbish, but this is the first time I’ve caught it on our territory.”
“What are we going to do?”
Ebonyclaw’s ears twitched. “Nothing, for now. You can’t fight a scent. But we’ll report it to Leafstar, and tell all the others to be on the lookout for a strange animal. You never know—it might not be dangerous.”
Stinking like that, it can’t be good! Hawkpaw was drawing in more of the tainted air, trying to commit the scent to memory, when he noticed another smell, something strange and bitter, that made his nose wrinkle. Glancing at Ebonyclaw, he saw that she had her ears perked up and her nose stuck in the air.
“What’s that? Another animal?” he asked.
Ebonyclaw shook her head. “I think it’s fire, but I hope it isn’t.” She sniffed the air again. “It must be coming from the Twolegplace. They’re such mouse-brains, they always like to start fires to stick their food into. We should go check it out to make sure they have it under control. Follow me.”
Anxiety fluttered in Hawkpaw’s belly like a whole nestful of birds. That’s where Duskpaw and the others went! Will they still be there? Surely they would have left by now . . . right?
Hawkpaw had never seen fire before, but he had heard enough stories from the elders to know that it could be a serious threat. “Will it reach the camp?” he asked, padding alongside Ebonyclaw as her paws turned purposefully toward the Twolegplace.
“Probably not,” Ebonyclaw reassured him. “The Twolegplace is quite a way from the gorge. But the scent is quite strong, so it’s best to make sure that we’ll all be safe.”
As they emerged from the bushes, Ebonyclaw picked up the pace until she and Hawkpaw were racing across the stretch of dry grass that separated their territory from the Twolegplace. The scent grew stronger with every paw step, and Hawkpaw’s flutter of fear grew stronger too.
I really hope Duskpaw has gone back to camp!
To his surprise, Hawkpaw spotted movement in the grass and realized that small creatures—mice and shrews—were pelting through the stems toward them, away from the source of the smell. One mouse practically ran into his paws, then veered away at the last moment.