Page 35 of Hawkwing's Journey


  “Where does that lead?” Alderpaw asked, angling his ears toward the path. “And why isn’t there much growing there?”

  “Good question,” Molewhisker responded. Alderpaw was pleased at his mentor’s approving tone. “That path was made by Twolegs, many, many seasons ago. The same Twolegs who cut out the stone to make the hollow where we camp. It leads to the old Twoleg den, where Leafpool and Jayfeather grow their herbs.”

  “But we aren’t going that way today,” Cherryfall added.

  Heading farther away from the camp, Alderpaw noticed that the trees ahead seemed to be thinning out. A bright silvery light was shining through them.

  “What’s that?” Sparkpaw asked.

  Before either of the mentors could reply, they came to the edge of the trees and pushed through a thick barrier of holly bushes. Alderpaw emerged onto a stretch of short, soft grass. Beyond it was a strip of pebbles and sandy soil, and beyond that . . .

  “Wow!” Sparkpaw gasped. “Is that the lake?”

  Alderpaw blinked at the shining expanse of water that lay in front of him. He had heard his Clanmates back in the camp talking about the lake, and he had imagined something a bit bigger than the puddles that formed on the floor of the hollow when it rained. He would never have believed that there was this much water in the whole world.

  “There’s no end to it!” he exclaimed.

  “Oh, yes, there is,” Molewhisker assured him. “Some cats have traveled all the way around it. Look over there,” he continued, pointing with his tail. “Can you see those trees and bushes? That’s RiverClan territory.”

  Alderpaw narrowed his eyes and could just make out the trees his mentor was talking about, hazy with the distance.

  “RiverClan cats love the lake,” Cherryfall mewed. “They swim in it and catch fish.”

  “Weird!” Sparkpaw responded. Giving a little bounce, she added, “Can I catch a fish?” Without waiting for her mentor to reply, she dashed across the pebbles and skidded to a halt with her forepaws splashing at the edge of the water. “Cold!” she yowled, leaping backward with her neck fur bristling. Then she let out a little huff of laughter and bounced back to the edge, her tail waving excitedly. “I can’t see any fish,” she meowed.

  Molewhisker heaved a sigh. “You won’t, if you go on like that. Or anything else, for that matter. Yowling and prancing about, you’ll scare away all the prey in the forest.”

  Sparkpaw backed away from the water again and joined her Clanmates beside the bushes, her tail drooping. “Sorry,” she muttered.

  “That’s okay.” Cherryfall rested her tail briefly on her apprentice’s shoulders. “We’re not hunting right now. And I know how exciting it is to see the lake for the first time.”

  Molewhisker flicked his ears. “Let’s get on.”

  He took the lead as the cats padded along the lakeshore. Soon they came to a stream that emerged from the forest and flowed into the lake.

  “This is the ShadowClan border,” Cherryfall announced.

  Alderpaw wrinkled his nose at a strong, unfamiliar reek that came from the opposite side of the stream.

  “Yuck! What’s that?” Sparkpaw asked, taking a pace back and passing her tongue over her jaws as if she could taste something nasty.

  “That’s the scent of ShadowClan,” Molewhisker answered.

  “That’s cat scent?” Sparkpaw sounded outraged. “I thought only foxes stank like that.”

  “It only smells bad because we’re not used to it,” Molewhisker pointed out, beginning to lead the way upstream, back into the shelter of the trees. “We probably smell just as bad to them.”

  “Do not!” Sparkpaw muttered under her breath.

  “You know that all the Clans scent-mark their boundaries,” Cherryfall explained as they continued to follow the stream. “Of course, we all know where the borders are, but marking them reminds every cat that they aren’t supposed to enter another Clan’s territory without permission.”

  “You should be able to pick up the ThunderClan scent markers, too,” Molewhisker mewed. “We’ll show you how to set them. Before long, you’ll be doing it as part of a border patrol.”

  “Cool!” Alderpaw exclaimed. For the first time he imagined himself as a warrior, maybe even leading a patrol, and setting scent markers to protect his Clan’s territory. I’m learning so much today! I feel like I’m becoming a real part of my Clan.

  Back Ads

  About the Author

  ERIN HUNTER is inspired by a love of cats and a fascination with the ferocity of the natural world. In addition to having great respect for nature in all its forms, Erin enjoys creating rich mythical explanations for animal behavior. She is also the author of the bestselling Seekers and Survivors series.

  Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.

  Books by Erin Hunter

  THE PROPHECIES BEGIN

  Book One: Into the Wild

  Book Two: Fire and Ice

  Book Three: Forest of Secrets

  Book Four: Rising Storm

  Book Five: A Dangerous Path

  Book Six: The Darkest Hour

  THE NEW PROPHECY

  Book One: Midnight

  Book Two: Moonrise

  Book Three: Dawn

  Book Four: Starlight

  Book Five: Twilight

  Book Six: Sunset

  POWER OF THREE

  Book One: The Sight

  Book Two: Dark River

  Book Three: Outcast

  Book Four: Eclipse

  Book Five: Long Shadows

  Book Six: Sunrise

  OMEN OF THE STARS

  Book One: The Fourth Apprentice

  Book Two: Fading Echoes

  Book Three: Night Whispers

  Book Four: Sign of the Moon

  Book Five: The Forgotten Warrior

  Book Six: The Last Hope

  DAWN OF THE CLANS

  Book One: The Sun Trail

  Book Two: Thunder Rising

  Book Three: The First Battle

  Book Four: The Blazing Star

  Book Five: A Forest Divided

  Book Six: Path of Stars

  A VISION OF SHADOWS

  Book One: The Apprentice’s Quest

  Book Two: Thunder and Shadow

  Warriors Super Edition: Firestar’s Quest

  Warriors Super Edition: Bluestar’s Prophecy

  Warriors Super Edition: SkyClan’s Destiny

  Warriors Super Edition: Crookedstar’s Promise

  Warriors Super Edition: Yellowfang’s Secret

  Warriors Super Edition: Tallstar’s Revenge

  Warriors Super Edition: Bramblestar’s Storm

  Warriors Super Edition: Moth Flight’s Vision

  Warriors Field Guide: Secrets of the Clans

  Warriors: Cats of the Clans

  Warriors: Code of the Clans

  Warriors: Battles of the Clans

  Warriors: Enter the Clans

  Warriors: The Ultimate Guide

  Warriors: The Untold Stories

  Warriors: Tales from the Clans

  Warriors: Shadows of the Clans

  MANGA

  The Lost Warrior

  Warrior’s Refuge

  Warrior’s Return

  The Rise of Scourge

  Tigerstar and Sasha #1: Into the Woods

  Tigerstar and Sasha #2: Escape from the Forest

  Tigerstar and Sasha #3: Return to the Clans

  Ravenpaw’s Path #1: Shattered Peace

  Ravenpaw’s Path #2: A Clan in Need

  Ravenpaw’s Path #3: The Heart of a Warrior

  SkyClan and the Stranger #1: The Rescue

  SkyClan and the Stranger #2: Beyond the Code

  SkyClan and the Stranger #3: After the Flood

  NOVELLAS

  Hollyleaf’s Story

  Mistystar’s Omen

  Cloudstar’s Journey

  Tigerclaw’s Fury

  Leafpool’s Wish

 
Mapleshade’s Vengeance

  Goosefeather’s Curse

  Ravenpaw’s Farewell

  Book One: The Quest Begins

  Book Two: Great Bear Lake

  Book Three: Smoke Mountain

  Book Four: The Last Wilderness

  Book Five: Fire in the Sky

  Book Six: Spirits in the Stars

  RETURN TO THE WILD

  Book One: Island of Shadows

  Book Two: The Melting Sea

  Book Three: River of Lost Bears

  Book Four: Forest of Wolves

  Book Five: The Burning Horizon

  Book Six: The Longest Day

  MANGA

  Toklo’s Story

  Kallik’s Adventure

  Book One: The Empty City

  Book Two: A Hidden Enemy

  Book Three: Darkness Falls

  Book Four: The Broken Path

  Book Five: The Endless Lake

  Book Six: Storm of Dogs

  THE GATHERING DARKNESS

  Book One: A Pack Divided

  Book Two: Dead of Night

  Survivors: Tales from the Packs

  NOVELLAS

  Alpha’s Tale

  Sweet’s Journey

  Moon’s Choice

  Credits

  Cover art © 2016 by Owen Richardson

  Series cover design by Ellice M. Lee

  Copyright

  HAWKWING’S JOURNEY. Copyright © 2016 by Working Partners Limited. Series created by Working Partners Limited. Map art 2016 by Dave Stevenson. Interior art 2016 by Owen Richardson. Manga text copyright © 2016 by Working Partners Limited. Manga art copyright © 2016 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  www.harpercollinschildrens.com

  * * *

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2016949972

  ISBN 978-0-06-246768-3 (trade bdg.)

  ISBN 978-0-06-246769-0 (lib. bdg.)

  EPub Edition © October 2016 ISBN 9780062467713

  * * *

  16 17 18 19 20 CG/RRDH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  FIRST EDITION

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  Erin Hunter, Hawkwing's Journey

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