“What do you mean?” Leafstar repeated sharply.
“I expect that you’ve had a few visitors of your own,” Dodge responded.
Leafstar and Waspwhisker exchanged a sudden, startled glance, and shocked exclamations rose from the Clan cats clustered around them.
Hawkwing felt as though a wave of hot rage was surging through him. He shouldered his way forward until he stood nose to nose with Dodge. “You mean Darktail?” he choked out. “You know him?”
Dodge raised one paw and thrust him back contemptuously. Hawkwing braced his muscles to spring, only to feel Leafstar’s tail laid warningly on his shoulder.
“Hawkwing, no,” she snapped with a shake of her head. Turning back to Dodge, she asked, “Did you send Darktail and his rogues to our camp?”
“Not exactly,” Dodge replied. “They passed through here a while back, looking for Clan cats. They would have found you anyway, but I might have helped them on their way a little.”
Now Hawkwing’s rage was burning deep within his belly. “Why?” he demanded. “A decent cat would have warned us.”
Dodge’s yellow stare suddenly grew hard and malignant. “Do you think I’ve forgiven you for what you did to us?” he asked Leafstar. “No. I’ve often thought of gathering my cats together and traveling upstream to give you another taste of our claws. But then . . . well, wasn’t it lucky that Darktail and his rogues turned up to do the job for me?”
Leafstar’s eyes were sparkling with anger, but Hawkwing could see the massive effort she was making to keep it under control. “So you’ve had your revenge.” Every word was spat out. “You have helped to wound my Clan—but we are not destroyed. SkyClan still lives!”
A chorus of voices erupted from behind her. “SkyClan lives!”
Leafstar waved her tail for silence and waited until the clamor of support from her Clanmates had died down. “So why are we here?” she asked Dodge. “Why have you taken one of my cats?”
Dodge blinked slowly. “I told you I expected you to come through here,” he rasped. “So I made a plan. Now one of your cats is my prisoner. You can have her back unharmed if you fight on my side this time, and help me drive Stick and his cats out of this Twolegplace for good.”
Hawkwing felt his jaws drop open in astonishment. Leafstar was gazing at Dodge as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard. For a moment she didn’t reply.
“Well?” Dodge slid out the claws of one paw and examined them nonchalantly. “Do we have a deal?”
“We do not!” Leafstar snarled. “Stick and the others were our friends. Clan cats do not betray their friends.”
Dodge shrugged. “Okay. If that’s the way you want it.” He turned aside and took a pace back toward the pit, his jaws opening to call out to Curlypaw’s guards.
“Wait!” Leafstar followed him. “You can’t do this.”
“Oh, I think you’ll find I can,” Dodge drawled. “Of course, you could always try fighting your way out, but that young cat of yours will still be the first to die.”
From where he was standing Hawkwing couldn’t see Curlypaw, but he guessed she could hear what Dodge and Leafstar were saying.
She must be so scared! he thought. She’s such a young apprentice—hardly more than a kit. Oh, StarClan, help us!
“Please . . .” The plaintive mew came from Birdwing, Curlypaw’s mother. Her eyes were full of fear and grief, and Hawkwing guessed she hardly knew what she was asking for. Whatever Leafstar decided, all their lives were in danger.
Glancing around, Hawkwing realized that all the cats sitting around on the crumbling walls of the camp were suddenly more alert. Their eyes gleamed in the fitful light, and many of them had risen to their paws, the fur on their shoulders rising. Here and there he caught the glitter of extended claws.
They’re only waiting for Dodge’s order before they tear us apart!
In contrast, the cluster of SkyClan cats were hopelessly outnumbered, and not in any fit state to fight. Bellaleaf and Fidgetpaw had fresh wounds, while other cats, like Cherrytail, were still weakened from injuries they took in the gorge battle against Darktail.
If we fight Dodge’s cats, we’re bound to lose. But if we fight against Stick, we lose the honor of our Clan, and some of us will still die. What are we going to do?
Then to Hawkwing’s surprise, the tabby tom Harley—who had escorted them from Stick’s camp—sprang up onto a pile of tumbled stones near the edge of the pit.
“Dodge, this is wrong,” he protested. “I gave these cats my word that they would be unharmed until the meeting was over.”
“It is over,” Dodge growled. “But I’ll give their so-called leader one more chance. What is it to be?” he asked Leafstar. “Fight for us, or against us? There’s no other choice.”
Dead silence fell over the whole camp. Dodge’s cats waited with scarcely concealed excitement, while the cats of SkyClan were silent with horror. Beside Hawkwing, Pebbleshine stood rigid, her eyes closed.
I wish I could tear that cat apart! Hawkwing glared at Dodge, trying to pour all the hatred he felt into his gaze. He helped Darktail, and now he’s taken Curlypaw. But they would never let me get at him.
“You’re just a coward,” Hawkwing snapped. “You keep your claws sheathed until you think you have the upper paw. But a real leader of cats steps up and leads even in the face of uncertainty. That is real bravery!”
Dodge cocked his head, eyes narrowing in a contemptuous sneer. “Your ‘bravery’ won’t save you in a real fight. . . .” Dodge flexed his claws, hissing: “And we can prove that to you right now!”
CHAPTER 23
Hawkwing gave an amused mrrow, enjoying the way Dodge’s eyes flared in fury. “Cat for cat, we’re much better fighters than any of you. I’ll bet there’s not a single cat in your group that could stand a chance against one of our warriors.”
Dodge let out an incredulous snort, while at the same time Leafstar exclaimed, “Hawkwing, don’t be reckless!”
“It’s not reckless,” Hawkwing retorted steadily. He turned back to Dodge. “You and me. If we fight and I win, then you let us go unharmed—including Curlypaw down there.”
“And if I win?” Dodge rumbled, looking amused.
“Then the SkyClan cats will fight for you, as you wish. You will have backup in your attack on Stick. But either way, you will release Curlypaw.”
“Doesn’t sound like much of a deal,” Dodge meowed. “I’ve already got what I want.”
“But have you?” Leafstar asked him. “If we decide to fight against you, then some of us will die. But so will some of your cats. Maybe even you.”
“Unless you really are too much of a coward?” Hawkwing sneered.
A flame of fury lit in Dodge’s yellow eyes. His tabby fur bristled until he looked almost twice his size. He slid out his claws. “Stop calling me a coward!” he snarled, and leaped straight for Hawkwing. “I accept your pathetic challenge!”
Caught off guard by the unexpected onrush, Hawkwing was bowled off his paws. Dodge’s weight was pinning him down; he was half smothered by tabby fur. Dodge’s eyes gleamed close to his own.
“Are you ready to die, mouse-breath?” Dodge hissed.
“Not yet!”
With a massive effort Hawkwing brought up his hind paws and thrust Dodge upward, enough for him to roll free and spring to his paws. In a brief glance he saw his Clanmates standing around them in a wide circle, ready to intercept any of Dodge’s cats who might try to interfere.
As Dodge rushed at him again, Hawkwing stepped neatly aside and raked a pawful of claws across Dodge’s good ear and the side of his head. Dodge let out a screech, more of fury than pain. He spun around faster than Hawkwing would have thought possible and reared up on his hind paws. Hawkwing tried to dive in and slash at his belly, but Dodge dropped down on top of him, claws digging deep into his shoulders. For a moment Hawkwing staggered as a red wave of pain surged through him. He knew that if he fell to the ground now, the fight would
be over.
Letting himself go limp, he slid downward, bracing his legs underneath him. As Dodge let out a triumphant yowl, Hawkwing powered upward again, heaving Dodge’s massive weight off him. Briefly unbalanced, Dodge spat a curse, and Hawkwing leaped at the muscular tom in a storm of teeth and claws. The two cats wrestled in a screeching knot of fur, their legs and tails tangled together.
Head spinning, Hawkwing fought free and sprang back, taking in huge gulps of air. Dodge faced him, lips drawn back in a snarl. Blood was trickling from his shoulder and a clump of fur was missing from his chest; Hawkwing didn’t even remember striking the blows.
A confused roaring sound was coming from all around him, and as his head cleared Hawkwing realized that his Clanmates were chanting his name. “Hawkwing! Hawkwing!” He caught a glimpse of Pebbleshine, her eyes glowing with pride.
The support from his Clan poured new energy into Hawkwing. He sprang at Dodge, darting past him while he slashed his claws down Dodge’s side. Dodge followed him up with lumbering paw steps.
He’s slowing down! Hawkwing thought with a spark of hope. He’s a big cat, but big cats like him don’t have much energy. He’s tiring. Maybe I can win this battle!
But Dodge wasn’t finished yet. He hurled himself at Hawkwing, carrying him off his paws again and using his greater weight to hold him down. Blinded by his fur, Hawkwing felt teeth meet in his shoulder. With Dodge pressing down on him, he could hardly breathe. He struggled to free himself, but he could feel his strength beginning to ebb away.
But in the darkness of Hawkwing’s mind a vision appeared. He remembered the last time a strong cat had him pinned to the ground; remembered Sharpclaw in combat, unaware of the rogue cat, Rain, sneaking up on him. . . .
The memory fell away, and Hawkwing thought of Darktail triumphant in the gorge, while SkyClan scattered. Dodge could have warned us, and then none of us would have trusted Darktail. But he didn’t . . . I will not die at the claws of this vile cat!
Hawkwing gathered all his remaining strength. Freeing a paw, he lashed out at random. He felt his claws slice through fur and flesh, and warmth gushed over his paw. The grip of Dodge’s teeth slackened and his body convulsed; one flailing paw caught Hawkwing in the belly.
Pulling away, Hawkwing tottered to his paws and saw Dodge lying in front of him, a twitching heap of tabby fur. Blood still pumped from a gash in his throat. As Hawkwing gazed at him the last twitches faded and his eyes began to glaze over.
He’s dead! Hawkwing could hardly believe what he was seeing. I killed him without even knowing it.
As he stood there, breathing hard, stunned at finding himself still alive, Hawkwing’s Clanmates surged around him.
“You won!”
“Well fought!”
“Hawkwing! Hawkwing!”
Pebbleshine ran up to him and rubbed her cheek against his. “You’re so brave!” she whispered. “And so stupid!”
Gradually triumph began to swell in Hawkwing’s chest. He could feel the pain from Dodge’s teeth and claws in his shoulders, and the stinging of innumerable scratches he hadn’t felt before, but none of that mattered.
SkyClan is safe!
A moment later he wasn’t so sure. Furious screeches came from Dodge’s cats; some of them leaped down from their positions on the walls and came bounding toward Hawkwing and his Clanmates.
At a swift order from Leafstar, the SkyClan cats gathered in a tight circle, facing outward, with Hawkwing and the other wounded cats in the center. Despite his injuries, Hawkwing wriggled through to the outside, ready to take part in what might be SkyClan’s last battle.
“Stop!”
Before any of Dodge’s cats could reach SkyClan’s defensive circle, Harley let out a yowl from where he still stood on top of the pile of stones. The attacking cats halted, giving each other uncertain glances.
“Dodge made a bargain, and he lost,” Harley continued. “Now we must honor it. SkyClan must be allowed to leave, unharmed.”
“Just like that?” One of the cats, a ginger-and-white tom, looked up at Harley with disbelief in his eyes.
“Exactly like that, Skipper,” Harley retorted. Raising his head to address all the cats, he continued, “Do you want to live like this, always fighting and killing? There’s enough prey in this Twolegplace for every cat. We should stay on our side of the border and let Stick and his cats stay on theirs.”
To Hawkwing’s surprise, yowls of agreement came from all around on the ruined walls. He could see that not all the cats were happy about what Harley had said, but none of them argued any further, and none of them moved forward to attack.
“I hope Harley can establish himself as leader,” Sparrowpelt murmured into Hawkwing’s ear. “He would do a better job of it than Dodge, that’s for sure.”
“Bring up the prisoner,” Harley ordered.
Soon Hawkwing saw the two guards escorting Curlypaw up the jagged slope to ground level. She rushed over to Sagenose and Birdwing; they pressed closely against her and covered her ears with licks.
“Thank you,” Leafstar meowed to Harley. “Now will some cat show us the way out of here?”
“I can do that.” A small, dark shape darted out of the shadows behind the ruined wall; Hawkwing recognized Shorty.
“What are you doing here?” Harley challenged him.
Shorty dipped his head. “I followed my friends,” he replied, angling his ears toward the SkyClan cats. “I needed to know what was going on. Wouldn’t you have done the same?” he challenged Harley.
A glimmer of amusement appeared in Harley’s eyes. “I suppose I would,” he admitted. “Now get out of here. All of you.”
CHAPTER 24
“Tuck your hind paws in a bit further,” Hawkwing told Curlypaw. “That way, you get more strength in your pounce.”
“Like this?” Curlypaw asked, shifting her paws farther forward.
“Very good. But if you stick your tail up in the air like that, the mouse will see you coming.”
The cats of SkyClan were sprawled out on the riverbank, taking a rest in the warmth of sunhigh. The river was wider here, winding along more slowly than in the gorge, and the edge was thickly fringed with reeds. On the landward side, a grassy slope stretched upward to where trees were outlined against the sky.
Several days had passed since the SkyClan cats had left the Twolegplace. Hawkwing’s wounds from his fight with Dodge were healing well, and he no longer needed Pebbleshine to hunt for him. But it was still pleasant to relax and feel his strength returning as the sun soaked into his pelt.
“She’s doing well,” Blossomheart meowed as she watched Curlypaw practicing the hunter’s crouch.
“I think she is,” Hawkwing agreed. “Curlypaw,” he went on, “you need to understand that hunting on the move, like we are, is very different from hunting in familiar territory.”
Curlypaw sat up, her eyes wide as she drank in every word her mentor was saying.
“On the move,” Hawkwing continued, “you have to be continually scouting for good spots where prey might be hiding. But in a familiar place, you already know the likely spots.”
“Yes,” Blossomheart put in. “Do you remember that rotting tree stump near the gorge? It was almost always full of mice.”
“Of course I remember it,” Hawkwing responded with a happy sigh. “The prey practically leaped into our paws.”
Curlypaw’s eyes gleamed. “Do you think there’ll be lots of good hunting spots in our new home by the water, when we find it?” she asked.
“I’m sure there will be,” Hawkwing replied. “And you remember Leafstar telling us about the friendly ThunderClan cats, Firestar and Sandstorm? They’ll probably tell us the best places to hunt. Now,” he added, “can you see a likely hunting spot around here?”
Curlypaw sprang to her paws and looked around. “What about up the slope?” she suggested, pointing with her tail toward a big oak tree with lots of twisting roots. “Prey could be hiding in there!”
“Very good,” Hawkwing purred. “Why don’t you go and check it out?”
While Curlypaw sped off up the slope toward the tree, Hawkwing followed more slowly. Blossomheart fell into step beside him.
“Do you think we’ll ever find Barley?” she meowed quietly after a moment. “We’ve been traveling for days and days. I didn’t get the impression that it took Barley that long to get to us when he and Ravenpaw brought Bellaleaf and Rileypool to SkyClan.”
“You may be right,” Hawkwing responded. “Rileypool and Bellaleaf were very young when they made the journey. I wonder if they really remember the way.”
“Well, they know to follow the river,” Blossomheart mewed. “That’s easy enough. But I don’t think Barley lives on the riverbank. So at some point we have to leave it, and maybe Bellaleaf and Rileypool don’t remember where. We could already have come too far.”
A yowl interrupted their conversation. “Cats of SkyClan! It’s time to move on!” Leafstar ordered.
Hawkwing turned back with Blossomheart and called to Curlypaw, who was crouched among the oak roots. He headed toward Cherrytail and Cloudmist, who had been resting in the shade of the reeds by the water’s edge.
Anxiety bit at Hawkwing when he looked at his mother. She still seemed tired and she stumbled a little as she rose to her paws in response to Leafstar’s summons.
“Are you okay?” he asked, padding up to her.
“I’m a bit weak still,” Cherrytail admitted, “but I’ll be fine. I don’t want to slow any cat down. We have to find the other Clans!”
Then I hope we find them quickly, Hawkwing thought. I’m not sure Cherrytail is up to a long journey.
“We’ll be heading off in a different direction,” Leafstar announced, when all the Clan was gathered. “Bellaleaf thinks she’s recognized a landmark.”
“Over there!” Bellaleaf meowed excitedly, flourishing her tail at a tall pointed hill outlined on the horizon. “You can see that from where Barley lives.”
Hawkwing and Blossomheart exchanged a glance, relieved that they seemed to be getting somewhere. “Maybe we’re not far away from the other Clans!” Blossomheart exclaimed.