Long Shadows

  “The last time?” Mousefur snapped. “Good. Go away.” She pointedly turned her back.

  Jaypaw dug his claws into the floor of the den and spoke through gritted teeth. “Mousefur. I am not leaving this den until you eat these herbs.” He was obviously trying hard to hang on to his temper.

  “Come on, Mousefur,” Lionblaze meowed cheerfully. “Stop being such a grump and just eat the stuff.”

  Mousefur whipped around and glared at him. Lionblaze tensed, ready to feel her claws raking his pelt. He couldn’t fight back if an elder of his own Clan attacked him. Then Mousefur gave him an abrupt nod, bent her head, and licked up the leaves, chewing and swallowing with a disgusted expression on her face. “Satisfied?” she grunted, then curled up and wrapped her tail over her nose.

  “I don’t believe it,” Jaypaw muttered, as Longtail let out a tiny snort of amusement and curled up beside the dusky brown elder. “Thanks for helping,” he added as he and his brother emerged from the den.

  Lionblaze shrugged. “No problem. We need to talk about the fake sign.”

  Jaypaw’s neck fur started to bristle. “I wish there were ten of me, I’ve got so much to do. Our den is full with Millie and Briarkit, but we really need to take Thornclaw out of the warriors’ den because he’s sick, too, and Foxpaw has started coughing. I don’t know how we’re going to cope.”

  Anger surged through Lionblaze; he lashed his tail and dug his claws into the earth. He could fight an ordinary enemy, but there was no way he could protect his Clanmates against the sickness.

  “It’ll be easier if we don’t have the extra ShadowClan mouths to feed,” he pointed out. And if Sol leaves ShadowClan so he can mentor us like he promised.

  Jaypaw gave a grudging nod. “True. Okay, what about the sign?”

  Lionblaze padded beside his brother as he headed for the medicine cats’ den. “Hollyleaf had an idea. She thought the ShadowClan apprentices might help us make the sign, because they know the territory.”

  Jaypaw looked dubious. “Help us fool their own Clan?”

  “You heard them when they arrived,” Lionblaze persisted. “All they want is to go home—to the real ShadowClan, not the mess that Sol has made of it. Don’t you think they would help any cat who could make that happen?”

  Jaypaw hesitated outside the bramble screen, his head on one side. “Maybe you’re right,” he agreed. “Okay, we’ll talk to them later.” Then he whisked out of sight into the den.

  As Lionblaze turned away, he noticed that the thorns blocking the entrance to the hollow were shaking. The apprentices and their mentors were returning from hunting practice. All three of the ShadowClan apprentices looked bedraggled, their fur clumped together and stuck with bits of leaf and moss. Dawnpaw carried a mouse; she padded across the clearing, her tail straight up in triumph, and laid it on the fresh-kill pile.

  “But that can’t be right.” Tigerpaw was arguing with Foxpaw as they came up. “If you stalk the prey until you’re nearly on top of it, you give it the chance to know you’re there. We pounce when we’re a lot farther away.”

  “That’s because there’s thick undergrowth in our territory,” Foxpaw explained. “That hides us and our scent until we get close, then it’s easier to pounce.”

  “Oh.” Tigerpaw thought about that for a moment. “Well, it still seems mouse-brained to me,” he decided.

  “Hey, Lionblaze!” Hollyleaf bounded out of the nursery, distracting Lionblaze from the apprentices’ chatter.

  “How’s Daisy coping with all the kits?” he asked.

  “Pretty well,” Hollyleaf replied. “Ferncloud is with her, helping to keep the kits amused. I just took them some fresh-kill.” Glancing around to make sure that no cat was listening, she added, “Did you have a word with Jaypaw?”

  Lionblaze nodded. “He says we can talk to the apprentices.”

  Hollyleaf’s whiskers twitched with satisfaction. “Good. I’ll get Foxpaw and Icepaw away, then you can take the others behind the warriors’ den. No cat will hear us there.”

  The mentors and apprentices were standing in the middle of the clearing; Cloudtail was explaining something about following a scent trail. Hollyleaf bounded up to them. “Foxpaw, Icepaw, can you fetch some clean moss for the elders’ den?”

  Foxpaw and Icepaw exchanged a sullen glance. “Why can’t they do it?” Icepaw asked, flicking her ears toward the ShadowClan apprentices.

  “Because they’re not here to do all the jobs that you don’t like,” Hollyleaf retorted. “Besides, the elders will appreciate having the respect of their own Clanmates.”

  “Yes, when you’re warriors you get to decide who does what,” Sandstorm added. “Not before.”

  “Okay, okay, we’ll do it,” Foxpaw muttered, stifling a cough as he headed back toward the thorn barrier. “It’ll all be wet through, you know that.”

  “Like they know the best moss places anyway,” Icepaw mewed with a twitch of her tail-tip as she followed her brother.

  Hollyleaf turned to the group of mentors. “Shall I take Flamepaw, Tigerpaw, and Dawnpaw to get cleaned up?” she asked. Lionblaze’s whiskers twitched at the helpful tone in her voice. “Any cat can see they’re not used to hunting in thick woodland.”

  “Not thick soaking-wet woodland,” Flamepaw agreed. He gave himself a thorough shake, scattering water drops and scraps of leaf, twigs, and moss. “I’d rather hunt in our own territory. It’s a lot cleaner there.”

  Cloudtail leaped back as drops from Flamepaw’s fur spattered his white pelt. “You do that, Hollyleaf. The sooner the better.”

  At the same moment, Lionblaze noticed that more cats had emerged from the tunnel: The border patrol was returning, led by Ashfur, with Honeyfern and Brackenfur.

  “Yes, carry on, Hollyleaf,” Sandstorm meowed, heading toward the newcomers. “We need to find out what’s been happening along the ShadowClan border.” Whitewing, Cloudtail, Sorreltail, and Spiderleg crowded close behind her.

  “Do you think any more cats will have crossed into our territory?” Spiderleg asked.

  Lionblaze didn’t listen to Sandstorm’s reply. He padded over to meet his sister, who waved her tail at the three ShadowClan apprentices and led them across the clearing.

  “Come with us,” Hollyleaf said. “We need to talk to you.”

  Suspicion glimmered in Tigerpaw’s amber eyes. “This isn’t just about cleaning our pelts, right?”

  “No, but it’s nothing to worry about,” Lionblaze assured him. “We’ve thought of a way to help your Clan.”

  As they passed the entrance to the medicine cats’ den, Hollyleaf paused. “Hey, Jaypaw! Meet us in the usual place.”

  The only reply was a bout of exhausted coughing.

  “Is that the medicine cats’ den?” Flamepaw asked curiously. “Can I look inside? I really wanted to be a medicine cat,” he added.

  “Not right now,” Lionblaze replied. “It’s a bit crowded in there.”

  The sound of more coughing drifted through the bramble screen. Dawnpaw’s eyes stretched wide. “Gee, those cats sound sick!”

  Lionblaze exchanged a glance with Hollyleaf. It was natural to hide problems from a rival Clan; if he told the apprentices there was greencough in the camp, it would make ThunderClan sound weak. Still, the young cats were hardly likely to launch an attack. That could only happen if ShadowClan started to believe in StarClan again. Lionblaze sighed. Everything led back to the fake sign….

  “Jaypaw?” Hollyleaf called again.

  “Okay!” Jaypaw sounded irritable. “I heard you the first time. I’ll come as soon as I can.”

  Hollyleaf led the way to the space behind the warriors’ den. It was sheltered from the wind, but it felt even more cramped with the three apprentices in there. “You’ll manage better if you clean each other up,” she advised. “Get all the twigs and burrs out of your fur; then you can give yourselves a good wash.”

  “This is such a pain,” Dawnpaw sighed, tugging at a stubborn knot in Tigerpaw?
??s fur. “I wish we were back on nice soft pine needles.”

  “With any luck you will be,” Lionblaze promised.

  “What do you mean?” Flamepaw asked.

  “Wait until Jaypaw comes,” Hollyleaf meowed.

  “I’m here.” Jaypaw appeared around the edge of the warriors’ den. “Great StarClan, it’s more crowded than ever,” he added, shoving his way in beside Lionblaze and wriggling until he’d made himself a space.

  “Lionblaze says we’ll be back in our own territory soon.” Dawnpaw was quivering with curiosity. “But I don’t see how we can be.”

  “We’ve had an idea,” Jaypaw began, “but we haven’t much time. The longer Sol stays in ShadowClan, the harder it will be to get rid of him.”

  “No cat can get rid of him,” Flamepaw mewed dejectedly.

  Jaypaw tensed his muscles. “We can. We’re going to make a sign from StarClan to persuade ShadowClan that Sol is lying to him. Blackstar—I mean Blackfoot—will kick him out pretty quickly after that.”

  All three apprentices stared at Jaypaw with baffled faces. After a few heartbeats, Flamepaw whispered, “Won’t that make StarClan angry?”

  “I doubt it.” Jaypaw flicked his ears. “StarClan themselves asked me for help. They can’t object to how I go about it.”

  The three young cats’ eyes stretched wide. “Wow!” Dawnpaw breathed.

  “We want to know the best place to create a sign.” Lionblaze took up the explanation. “And we have to bring Blackfoot and Littlecloud to see it, so they’ll be convinced StarClan is still watching over them.”

  “And don’t forget, your Clan will know by now that you’ve left,” Hollyleaf reminded the apprentices. “Any plan we make will have to take that into account.”

  “I get it,” meowed Tigerpaw. “A place near the border would be best, so that you don’t have to trespass too far on our territory.”

  “Maybe that marshy place near the edge of the territory,” Dawnpaw suggested. “Not many cats go there. We don’t want to be disturbed—”

  “No, I think by the lake would be best,” Tigerpaw interrupted. “Then you could have a StarClan cat coming out of the water and—”

  “Great,” Jaypaw grumbled. “And how do you suggest we do that?”

  “And how do we get Blackfoot and Littlecloud to come and see it?” Dawnpaw added.

  “We could tell them we saw cats trespassing,” Flamepaw suggested.

  “Or a fox,” Tigerpaw put in. “We could lay a trail of fox scent.”

  “What?” Dawnpaw’s neck fur fluffed up. “Are you mouse-brained? Are you just going to ask the fox nicely if—”

  “We could use fox dung,” Flamepaw meowed.

  Dawnpaw’s whiskers twitched in disgust. “You can. I’m not going near any fox dung, thanks very much.” Then her eyes sparkled mischievously and she added, “Why not feed them poppy seeds and carry them to the place?”

  “No way!” Tigerpaw protested. “Blackfoot’s a seriously big cat. I’m not lugging him across half the territory.”

  “There are useful herbs growing near the oak tree by the stream,” Flamepaw pointed out. “Littlecloud would come for those.” His tail curled up in amusement. “Then we could pelt Blackfoot with acorns, and he’d think they came from StarClan.”

  “That’s stupid!” Dawnpaw exclaimed, leaping on her brother. They wrestled together; in the confined space one of Flamepaw’s hind legs jabbed Hollyleaf in the belly.

  “Watch it!” she snarled. When the two apprentices sat up, she went on more calmly. “You’re not taking this seriously. This isn’t a game. It’s about preserving the warrior code. Do you want your Clan to break up and become a collection of rogues? Because that’s what will happen if we can’t make them believe in StarClan again.”

  Serious now, wide-eyed with anxiety, all three apprentices exchanged uncomfortable glances. “Sorry,” Tigerpaw muttered.

  “Well, what about that marshy place?” Dawnpaw went back to her original idea. “Not many cats will be anywhere near, especially after all this rain. We wouldn’t be disturbed there while we were setting up the sign. And Sol never goes that far; he doesn’t want to get his paws wet.”

  “That sounds pretty good,” Lionblaze meowed. “What do you think?” he asked his littermates.

  Hollyleaf nodded, and Jaypaw murmured, “It’s worth checking out.”

  “But what will the sign be?” Flamepaw mewed eagerly.

  “We’ll work that out when we get there,” Jaypaw replied. “We’d better go right away.”

  Lionblaze stuck his head out into the open. Watery sunlight was gleaming through the clouds. Outside the warriors’ den, Sorreltail and Brackenfur were sharing tongues, with Squirrelflight drowsing in the sunlight nearby. The four remaining kits were playing at the entrance to the nursery, with Daisy and Ferncloud looking on. Otherwise, everything was quiet; Lionblaze guessed that most cats were sleeping in their dens, either sick with the cough or building strength for the next patrol.

  “All clear,” he reported. “Let’s go.”

  “But I’m hungry,” Flamepaw complained. “Can’t we eat first?”

  “There’s barely enough for ThunderClan,” Jaypaw growled.

  Seeing the guilty looks on the faces of the apprentices, Lionblaze rested his tail-tip on his brother’s shoulder. “It’s not their fault,” he murmured. “There’s no time to eat now,” he told Flamepaw, “but we’ll see if we can pick up some prey on the way back.”

  Seeing the shock in Hollyleaf’s green eyes, he added, “Okay, I know, the Clan must be fed first. But faking a sign from StarClan isn’t exactly part of the warrior code, is it? Anyway, we’re not a hunting patrol. I reckon the territory can spare a few mice.”

  Hollyleaf didn’t reply, just flicked her tail.

  “I’ll go and tell Leafpool that I’m going to collect herbs,” Jaypaw meowed. “We’re low on almost everything, and I can pick some up on the way back.” He whisked out of their hiding place and behind the bramble screen into the medicine cats’ den.

  Lionblaze waited for him to emerge, then took the lead as they headed out of the camp and into the damp forest.

  CHAPTER 8

  Every hair on Dawnpaw’s pelt was quivering. “This is like being sent on a real warrior mission!”

  Hollyleaf could sympathize; she remembered very well how it felt to be a new apprentice, doing something to help her Clan.

  “Do you think we’ll get to be warriors, after it’s all over?” Tigerpaw mewed. “Because we saved our Clan?”

  “No,” Hollyleaf replied gently. “Don’t forget, no cat must know we’re doing this. Besides, you’re too young to be warriors yet. You still have a lot to learn.”

  The six cats were heading toward the far end of ThunderClan territory, following the same route Hollyleaf and her littermates had taken when they went to find Sol. Already the ShadowClan scent marks were fading along the border, and there was no sign of cats from either Clan. The only sounds were the drip of water from leaves and the rustle of ferns and grasses as the cats brushed through them.

  All three of the apprentices were bouncing with excitement, rushing off into the undergrowth or dabbing at one another in the beginnings of a play fight.

  “That’s enough,” Lionblaze ordered, rounding up Flamepaw with his tail and nudging him forward. “Do you think warriors chase each other around like that?”

  The young ShadowClan cats settled down and padded along quietly, but Hollyleaf could see that their paws were still itching. They were acting as if Blackfoot had already seen the sign and decided that his Clan would return to StarClan and the warrior code.

  But it’s not as easy as that.

  Hollyleaf’s belly churned as she wondered what would happen if they failed. They would only get one chance. If Blackfoot realized he was being tricked, he would be twice as careful afterward. ShadowClan would be lost forever. Even worse, Blackfoot might decide to invade ThunderClan, to punish them for interfering.

/>   What if cats die because of what we’re doing?

  “Jaypaw, have you decided what—”

  Her brother flicked his ears irritably. “I can’t decide anything until we get to where we’re going. Now keep your tail over your jaws and let me think.”

  “This is where we should cross the border,” Tigerpaw announced, stopping and looking around. “The marshy place is only a few fox-lengths away.”

  Even though she could hardly taste the ShadowClan scent marks, Hollyleaf still felt guilty as she crossed into the rival Clan’s territory.

  I don’t know why. If they cared about their border, they would mark it. They couldn’t care less about the warrior code.

  But we do, she answered herself. Going into another Clan’s territory is wrong.

  Tigerpaw led them through some trees where brambles snagged their fur, then into a more open patch of ground. “Here we are,” he declared.

  Water welled up around Hollyleaf’s paws as she gazed at the marsh ahead. Long-stemmed clusters of reeds grew around pools covered with bright green pondweed. Between them were tussocks of brittle grass and sedge, and a few spindly saplings grew with their roots in the water. There was a dank, musty scent, and the air was heavy with silence.

  “What can you see?” Jaypaw mewed as the cats drew to a halt.

  “Marshy ground and water,” Lionblaze replied.

  “Any cover?”

  “Yes, reeds and long grass. And a few trees.”

  “What are the trees like? How big are they?” Jaypaw was beginning to sound excited. “What are their roots like?”

  “Small trees,” Hollyleaf replied, wondering what was going through her brother’s mind. “Their roots look quite long and shallow, at least as far as I can see.”

  Jaypaw fell silent, motionless except for his whiskers quivering.

  “I don’t see what we can do here,” Hollyleaf mewed anxiously, wondering if they should have chosen somewhere else. “There’s nothing to—”

  “Shut up, I’m thinking,” Jaypaw snapped.

  Hollyleaf exchanged a glance with Lionblaze.