Long Shadows

  “Catmint!” There was joy in Leafpool’s voice as she padded up to him and buried her nose in the leafy stems. “And so fresh and well grown too! It can’t come from the old Twoleg nest.”

  “No,” Jaypaw mumbled around the stems. “It came from way up there.” He waved his tail vaguely toward the deepest parts of the territory.

  “Thank StarClan!” Leafpool whispered. “They must have shown you where to look.”

  “Er…yes, they did.” It was true, Jaypaw realized. He would never have found the catmint if Brightspirit hadn’t guided him to WindClan. “This is all there is,” he added. “No point in looking for any more.”

  “This should be more than enough.” Jaypaw could sense that Leafpool was too relieved to ask more searching questions. “Come on, let’s give it to the sick cats right now.”

  As they crossed the scent markers around the Twoleg nest, she paused. “Tonight is the half-moon,” she meowed. “I think both of us can go to the Moonpool this time.”

  Jaypaw nodded, his mouth too full of catmint to reply. He wondered if the StarClan cats would be waiting for him, to thank him for saving ShadowClan. He was tempted to walk in Littlecloud’s dreams, to see what explanation he gave to his Clan’s warrior ancestors for rejecting them in favor of Sol. But most of all, he wanted to walk in the paw prints on the path leading down to the Moonpool, and feel part of the ancient cats once more.

  Though Jaypaw couldn’t see the moon, he could imagine its silvery light washing over his fur as his paws slipped into the paw-shaped hollows on the spiral path. Did I come here before, when I was Jay’s Wing? Are any of these paw prints mine?

  He could feel deep satisfaction coming from all his fellow medicine cats, because Littlecloud had joined them again. Mothwing had made the journey with Willowshine this time, too. Well, I suppose cats would start asking questions if she missed every time.

  He padded forward to the edge of the pool, and heard the other cats take their places around him. But as he was stretching forward to lap a few drops of the icy water, Leafpool meowed, “Wait.”

  Surprised, Jaypaw sat up, aware of his mentor’s barely contained excitement.

  “Before we share tongues with StarClan,” Leafpool continued, her voice coming from the other side of the pool near the waterfall, “I have a task to do. StarClan has shown me that it is time I gave Jaypaw his full name.”

  Jaypaw couldn’t hide his astonishment. Leafpool must be referring to the catmint that he had found. For a heartbeat he felt ashamed that he had used Kestrelpaw and Lionblaze to get the herbs, and then lied to Leafpool about where he had found them.

  But ThunderClan will survive, he reminded himself. He didn’t care what he had done to achieve that. Warmth spread through him from ears to tail-tip as he remembered the joy and relief of the sick cats when he and Leafpool had delivered the precious herbs. They were already sleeping more restfully, and there was plenty of catmint left to go on treating them.

  “Well, Jaypaw?” Leafpool’s voice was full of amused affection. “Badger got your tongue?”

  “I…no…thank you!” he stammered.

  “Then come here to me.”

  Jaypaw padded around the edge of the pool, setting his paws down carefully on the slippery surface. He didn’t want to begin his naming ceremony by falling into the Moonpool.

  As he passed Barkface, the old medicine cat grunted, “Well done,” and Kestrelpaw rested his tail lightly on Jaypaw’s shoulder.

  At last Jaypaw stood in front of his mentor, startled by the depth of the love and pride that flooded out of her. It was even stronger than the emotion he had felt coming from Half Moon. Did he really mean so much to Leafpool?

  “I, Leafpool, medicine cat of ThunderClan,” she began, “call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help he will serve his Clan for many moons.”

  Every hair on Jaypaw’s pelt pricked as he listened. He forgot about the watching cats; it was as if he stood in a high, remote place with no cat but Leafpool, and the endless voice of the falling water.

  “Jaypaw,” Leafpool continued, “do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan, and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?”

  “I do.” Jaypaw spoke the words clearly and confidently. For a moment, he caught a trace of movement behind him, a lingering scent that wasn’t quite Clan but carried hints of ThunderClan’s territory. Half Moon! Had she come to watch him become a full medicine cat? Jaypaw hoped she understood what this meant, how he could never have belonged to her in the way she had wanted. In the way they might both have wanted, if things had been different…

  “Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your true name as a medicine cat.”

  Jaypaw’s belly lurched. Don’t call me Jaywing. He could just about cope with the weight of knowledge his dream had brought him, but he didn’t want to go through the rest of his life sharing the name of his ancient counterpart.

  “Jaypaw, from this moment you will be known as Jayfeather.” Leafpool’s voice shook with feeling. “StarClan honors your skill and your thirst for knowledge. You have saved the lives of many cats.”

  In the midst of his pride and relief, Jayfeather wondered whether his mentor would ever explain exactly what he had done to deserve this ceremony. With so much uneasiness between the Clans, he guessed she would prefer to keep quiet about the outbreak of greencough. Otherwise, as he had told Lionblaze, she could simply have asked Barkface for some catmint.

  He felt Leafpool’s muzzle rest on his head, just as Clan leaders would do when they made a new warrior. In response, he rasped his tongue over his mentor’s shoulder.

  “Jayfeather! Jayfeather!” Littlecloud called out. All the other medicine cats joined in, even Willowshine.

  She hasn’t got anything to be snooty about now, Jayfeather thought.

  “Now it’s time for you to share tongues with StarClan as a full medicine cat,” Leafpool told him.

  “And may they send you a good dream,” Barkface rumbled.

  Jayfeather felt slightly nervous as he padded back around the pool. Would the cats of StarClan claw his fur for the dubious way he had earned his name? Yellowfang wouldn’t be impressed, he was sure.

  I don’t care. I saved the Clan when no other cat could.

  He settled himself on the edge of the pool and stretched forward to lap the water. Around him he could hear the other medicine cats doing the same, then making themselves comfortable to sleep and receive the dreams StarClan would send them. Jayfeather curled up, too, closing his eyes and wrapping his tail over his nose.

  He woke, blinking in the unaccustomed light, half prepared to find himself on the bleak mountaintop where he encountered Rock. Instead, he found himself in the lush forest clearing where Brightspirit had come to speak to him. A warm breeze, full of the green scents of growing herbs, caressed his pelt; his anxieties melted away like ice in newleaf.

  At first Jayfeather thought he was alone, but as the breeze stirred the leaves he saw two cats crouched on a branch at the other side of the clearing; Shiningheart and Braveheart were looking down at him with gleaming eyes. At the same moment the bracken underneath their tree parted, and Brightspirit stepped into the open.

  The beautiful silver tabby padded across the clearing until she could touch noses with him; her sweet scent mingled with the smell of herbs.

  “Jayfeather,” she greeted him, her eyes alight with happiness. “Now you are a true medicine cat.”

  “I owe it to you,” Jayfeather admitted. “You saved my Clan by telling me where to find the catmint.”

  “I was glad to help.” Brightspirit’s green eyes shone with love and joy. “Once I thought to set my paws on the way of a medicine cat, but that was not the path StarClan laid down for me. Now I will do all I can to help those in need. Whichever Clan they belong to—or Tribe.”

  Jay
feather bowed his head in deep respect. “Thank you. Thank you for traveling so far to help us.”

  Once again Brightspirit touched her nose to his. “I think you have traveled even farther, my friend.”

  Jayfeather shivered. Hesitantly he asked, “Will I see you again?”

  “That is in the paws of the stars,” Brightspirit replied.

  Her breath warmed his fur; Jayfeather was surrounded by a glittering cloud, as if the silver tabby was about to whirl him up into the sky to be a star alongside her. His paws tingled.

  “Good-bye, Jayfeather,” Brightspirit whispered.

  Jayfeather’s eyes snapped open on darkness. He was curled on the flat stones by the Moonpool, with the other medicine cats beginning to wake around him.

  When he and Leafpool returned to the camp early the next morning, Jayfeather could hear his Clanmates talking loudly in the middle of the clearing. Brambleclaw’s voice rose above the noise.

  “Settle down, and I’ll get everything sorted out, okay?”

  Leafpool sighed. “Every cat is getting cranky and exhausted from all the hunting and border patrols. I’ll go and fetch them some strengthening herbs.” She padded toward her den.

  “Jaypaw, can I have a word?” Brambleclaw called out as Jayfeather approached the cats, wondering what all the fuss was about.

  “Sure, and it’s Jayfeather now,” Jayfeather pointed out proudly. No cat took any notice. Stifling an irritated sigh, he asked, “What’s the problem?”

  “Brackenfur says the dawn patrol spotted a fox in WindClan, not far from the border,” Brambleclaw replied. “Did you and Leafpool see anything on your way back?”

  “I didn’t see anything,” Jayfeather retorted. “I picked up a whiff of fox scent, but I’m pretty sure it didn’t come from our territory.”

  “If it’s near the WindClan border it could soon come over here.” Daisy’s worried voice spoke from nearby. “Our kits could be in danger.”

  “And the cats in the Twoleg nest.” Jayfeather could sense Graystripe’s anxiety. “What if the fox gets in there?”

  “Okay, Graystripe and Brackenfur, go and check it out,” Brambleclaw ordered. “If you find any signs that the fox crossed the border, then follow the scent and see if you can find its den.”

  “Right, let’s go.” Graystripe sounded relieved to be doing something about the threat.

  Jayfeather intercepted the two warriors before they could leave. “Leafpool has some strengthening herbs for you.”

  “Thanks, Jayfeather,” Brackenfur meowed; Jayfeather heard him and Graystripe bounding over to the medicine cats’ den.

  “Right, hunting patrols,” Brambleclaw went on. “Ashfur, can you lead one for the camp? Take Sorreltail and Birchfall with you. And—”

  “What about my bedding?” Mousefur interrupted. “It hasn’t been changed for days. Every cat is so busy that none of the regular jobs are being done.”

  Jayfeather heard Brambleclaw suppress a sigh. “Okay, Mousefur. The apprentices can get right on to that.”

  Mousefur snorted. “I should think so.”

  “I don’t see why we should do that,” Foxpaw murmured to his littermate. Jayfeather realized that Foxpaw and Icepaw were right beside him.

  “Mousefur’s as cranky as a badger with a sore paw,” Foxpaw went on. “We never get any thanks.”

  “No, it’s always, ‘It’s too damp,’ or ‘There are thorns in there,’” Icepaw whispered back.

  Jayfeather turned until he was looming over the two apprentices. “You should be making yourself useful by fetching clean bedding for Mousefur,” he snapped. “Show a bit of respect for your elders. How would you like to sleep in a dirty nest?”

  “You’re not our mentor,” Foxpaw protested. “You can’t tell us what to do.”

  Jayfeather bent his head until he was almost touching noses with Foxpaw. “Fetch Mousefur’s bedding now. Otherwise I’ll tell Daisy that you were planning to make Toadkit eat rabbit droppings by telling him they were a new kind of berry.”

  He felt a jolt of shock from Foxpaw. “How did you know that?”

  “Never mind how I know,” Jayfeather replied. “Just do it.”

  “You wouldn’t really tell Daisy,” Foxpaw blustered.

  Jayfeather bared his teeth. “Try me.”

  “Okay, okay, we’re going. Come on, Icepaw, why are you standing around like that?”

  Jayfeather heard Foxpaw push his sister, and both young cats scurried off toward the barrier. Icepaw’s bewildered voice drifted back. “Rabbit droppings? What’s he talking about?”

  “Never mind,” Foxpaw meowed. “We have to fetch some moss now!”

  Picking up the sharp tang of strengthening herbs, Jayfeather realized that Leafpool had reappeared from their den and was distributing the leaves to all the warriors.

  “Thanks, Leafpool,” Brambleclaw mewed. “Have you enough for the sick cats as well?”

  “Yes, plenty,” Leafpool replied. “I’ll send Jayfeather to the Twoleg nest with them. There’s something else,” she added. “Can you ask the hunting patrols to look out for young prey? That’s easier for the sick cats to eat, and now that we’ve got the catmint they’ll start to feel hungry again.”

  “No problem,” Brambleclaw replied. “You all heard that, right? Sandstorm, will you lead a patrol for the Twoleg nest? Take Spiderleg, Berrynose and…er…Ashfur. Now, we need a border patrol to go over to the ShadowClan border. I’ll lead it, and—”

  “You do realize,” Berrynose broke in, “that you’ve just assigned Ashfur to both those hunting patrols? Is he supposed to split himself in two?”

  “Oh, mouse dung!” Brambleclaw exclaimed. “Sorry, Ashfur. You can—”

  “Ashfur, for StarClan’s sake!” Squirrelflight broke in. Jayfeather winced at the fury spilling over from her. “Can’t you speak up, instead of standing there like a tree stump?”

  “Sorry, but—” Ashfur sounded startled.

  “‘Sorry’ catches no prey,” Squirrelflight snarled. “Why didn’t you say anything? Can’t you see how much pressure Brambleclaw is under? Does the Clan deputy have to sort everything out on his own?”

  “Hey, Squirrelflight…” Brambleclaw sounded embarrassed by his mate’s fierce defense.

  Squirrelflight ignored him. Jayfeather realized that her anger was fueled by frustration that she still wasn’t fit enough to hunt or patrol, as well as fear for her father and her Clanmates. “There’s more than one cat that would like to be deputy if anything happened to Brambleclaw,” she spat. “You’re all quick enough to blame Brambleclaw for his mistakes, but would any of you like to be in his position now?”

  “Squirrelflight, be quiet,” Brambleclaw interrupted again, more forcefully. “It’s no big deal.”

  Squirrelflight let out a furious hiss, spun around, and stalked off toward the warriors’ den. Jayfeather felt a glow of pride in her for speaking up. He was proud of his father, too, for taking on all the leadership responsibilities and holding ThunderClan together while Firestar was ill.

  “Sorry about that, Ashfur,” Brambleclaw went on. “You go on leading the camp patrol. Sandstorm, you can have Mousewhisker instead.”

  “Very well.” Ashfur’s voice was cold; he collected his patrol together and left.

  For StarClan’s sake, get over it! Jayfeather thought. Brambleclaw made an honest mistake.

  Padding with Leafpool back to his den, he couldn’t help wondering whether there was more to the quarrel than he realized. So much fury from Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw so quick to make amends, Ashfur clearly not forgiving him…Had Jayfeather missed something really obvious between these three cats?

  He shook his head to clear it. Whatever the problem was, they could deal with it themselves. It had nothing to do with him, that was for sure.

  CHAPTER 22

  Gray-green clouds hung low over the forest and the air felt thick and clammy. Hollyleaf’s pelt prickled with the warning of an approaching storm. As she padded through th
e forest at the rear of Ashfur’s hunting patrol, the looming storm clouds seemed to echo the uneasiness inside her. However much she tried to push her worries away, she couldn’t ignore the feeling that something was wrong.

  Two nights before, Brambleclaw had chosen her to attend the Gathering. Blackstar had been there, but he had said nothing at all about Sol, or his decision to let ShadowClan live by the warrior code once more. Brambleclaw had taken Firestar’s place with the three Clan leaders, telling them briefly that Firestar was sorry he couldn’t come, but without explaining why.

  What else are we hiding from one another? Hollyleaf wondered.

  She was reminded of one secret as the patrol was passing the Twoleg nest. Lionblaze emerged from inside, along with Honeyfern and Rosekit. The tiny cream-colored kit bounced through the opening and hurled herself into a drift of dead leaves, squealing with excitement as they crackled around her, and batting them up into the air.

  “Steady,” Lionblaze mewed. “You don’t want to wear yourself out before you get back to camp.”

  Rosekit sat up, a dead leaf clinging to the top of her head. “I’m fine!” she announced. “I want to catch some prey for my mother.”

  Purring, Honeyfern nudged her out of the pile of leaves and gave the tiny kit’s pelt a quick grooming. Lionblaze padded up to his sister.

  “More cats going home?” Hollyleaf asked.

  “That’s right,” Lionblaze replied. “There’s just Millie and Briarkit left now, and Firestar. He won’t leave until every cat is back in camp.”

  “It was great that Jayfeather found that catmint,” Hollyleaf remarked, her eyes narrowing as she watched her brother’s reaction.

  “Er…yeah.” Lionblaze looked uncomfortable.

  His behavior convinced Hollyleaf of what she had suspected already: that there was some secret about the catmint, and both her brothers were involved in it.

  Why won’t they tell me? We shouldn’t have secrets from one another.