The ancestor had brought him to the bottom of a stone hollow, a little like the ThunderClan camp, except that the sides were sheer and much, much taller. The only way up or down seemed to be by the trail that they had followed. In the center of the hollow, almost filling it, was a pool. Starlight shimmered on its surface. It reminded Jaypaw of the Moonpool, except it was much bigger, and instead of the constant plashing of the waterfall, the water was still and the hollow was utterly silent.
Jaypaw blinked. What he had thought was the reflection of starshine in the pool was a light that came from the ranks of starry cats sitting around it—or had they only just shown themselves? He shivered as he gazed around. He was used to StarClan now, but he had never imagined that one day he would confront ancestors who were not his own.
Some of the cat shapes were barely visible, as if the spirits were so old that they had almost faded away. Others shone more strongly, and some still bore the wounds of battle, seeping blood, as if they had only just come to join the Tribe of Endless Hunting.
Jaypaw stayed frozen in place as one of the ancient cats rose to its paws and came close enough to sniff him. Jaypaw could see the water of the pool through the outline of his fur. “We heard you would come,” the ancestor murmured. His voice was muffled, as if he spoke through season upon season of dust. “But we did not expect you to come so soon.”
Soon? Jaypaw could hardly imagine what “soon” meant to these old spirits. Surely they must have been waiting for a moon of lifetimes?
“Are you talking about the prophecy?” he asked.
“Yes.” The old cat breathed out the word. “Three will come, kin of the cat with fire in his pelt, who hold the power of the stars in their paws.”
Jaypaw’s heart began to thud. They knew! They knew, and so did StarClan! How long have they been waiting for us?
“Where are the other two?” the ancient spirit asked.
“In the cave.” Jaypaw wasn’t going to admit that he hadn’t told his littermates about the prophecy yet. “Where did the prophecy come from?” he whispered.
The ancient cat did not reply; instead, one of the brighter spirits spoke from farther around the pool. “Why did you bring him here?” she demanded, addressing the tabby cat who had led Jaypaw down the cliff. “He doesn’t belong with us.”
There was a murmur of agreement from some of the other cats. Their glowing eyes were hostile as their gaze raked across him. Jaypaw suppressed an impulse to make a dash for the trail that led back to the ridge.
I can walk where I like, he told himself, defiantly raising his head. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t belong. And maybe I can do more than Stoneteller to help the Tribe….
“You need to take a message to the Tribe of Rushing Water,” he meowed. “Tell them that the Clan cats have come to help them with the trespassers.”
The ancestral spirits glanced at one another, then shook their heads. The bright she-cat who had spoken before rose to her paws. “The Tribe does not need help.”
“How can you say that?” Jaypaw gasped. “The Tribe is starving to death.”
“There is nothing we can do.” The ancestor who had led Jaypaw down from the ridge bowed his head in shame. “We have failed.”
“The mountains are not safe anymore,” another cat murmured. “We trusted them to protect us, and they have let us down.”
For a moment Jaypaw could not speak through the wave of shame and betrayal that surged from the starry cats. He struggled to shake it off and clear his mind again.
“The Tribe doesn’t have to give in so easily,” he insisted. “They must fight to defend themselves.”
Two of the cats who bore recent wounds rose from their places and padded around the pool until they stood in front of Jaypaw. “We died in battle,” the first of them mewed, glancing down at the deep slashes along his side. “No more blood must be spilled. The Tribe does not believe in fighting.”
Jaypaw twitched his tail. “But the trespassers do. My Clanmates will help the Tribe cats, whether they want it or not.”
The other wounded cat took a pace forward, his neck fur bristling. “The only way to do that is to make the Tribe more like a Clan. And that is not what they want. It is not the way of the Tribe to fight and kill other cats.”
“Things change,” Jaypaw pointed out with a flick of his ears.
“Not always for the better,” the spirit cat retorted.
The words echoed in Jaypaw’s ears. A mist seemed to be rising from the pool, swirling around him until he couldn’t see the Tribe of Endless Hunting any longer. The mist gradually grew darker, until Jaypaw realized he was back in the cave, with Hollypaw nudging him awake.
“Come on,” she urged him. “Stoneteller has called a meeting. All the cats are gathering in the middle of the cave.”
Jaypaw scrambled groggily to his paws. The hollow in the mountains and the pool surrounded by shining cats seemed more real to him than this cave.
“Okay, keep your fur on,” he grumbled. “I’m coming.”
Tracking Hollypaw and Lionpaw by their scent, he followed them out of the sleeping hollow and across the floor of the cave. They joined the other Clan cats and found a place to sit beside them. Jaypaw shifted uncomfortably on the cold stone, the murmur of voices, Clan and Tribe, in his ears.
Suddenly the voices grew quiet. Jaypaw imagined the skinny old cat he had seen in his dreams appearing in front of the cats, perhaps leaping onto the boulder from where he had banished Stormfur. So this is it, he thought. We’re going to be made outcasts, too. I don’t suppose they’ll feed us before they throw us out, either.
“Cats of the Tribe of Rushing Water,” Stoneteller began. “Last night I read the signs in water and starlight, and the Tribe of Endless Hunting spoke to me. They do not want us to be driven out of our mountain home, so I have decided to let the Clan cats help us.”
Jaypaw felt his mouth drop open. Stoneteller was lying! That wasn’t what the Tribe of Endless Hunting had said at all. Stoneteller must have changed his own mind overnight, and decided to ignore his ancestors.
A babble of comment had broken out as soon as Stoneteller finished speaking. Jaypaw could hear some protests, but most cats sounded eager to hear what the Clan cats would suggest. Just as he suspected, the Tribe cats did whatever Stoneteller said. Yesterday he hadn’t wanted the Clan cats to stay, so neither did his Tribe, and today he said they should accept their help. Didn’t these cats ever think for themselves?
“Silence!” Stoneteller raised his voice. “We will listen to what Brambleclaw has to say.”
There was a brief pause; Jaypaw heard his father’s paw steps as he emerged from the group of cats and went to stand beside Stoneteller.
“What should we do first?” the Tribe’s Healer asked him.
“Assess the situation.” Brambleclaw’s tone was crisp and positive; Jaypaw knew that his father would have worked out what he would say long before. “We need to know what the real threat is. Where are these trespassers taking prey? Where are they clashing with the Tribe? And we must discover where they’ve made their camp.”
“We should work out how much territory the Tribe needs to survive, too,” Tawnypelt called out from somewhere near Jaypaw.
“That’s right,” Stormfur put in, his voice deep but tense with excitement. “We can’t sit here and wait to be attacked. We should establish borders and make sure they’re properly defended.”
An eager chorus broke out again, but a new voice cut across it. “Wait.”
As the noise died down, Brambleclaw meowed, “Yes, Crag. What do you want to say?”
“We have known each other a long time, Brambleclaw,” the new speaker began. “I was the first Tribe cat you met when you dragged yourselves out of the pool, all those moons ago. I’m a cave-guard, and I fought in the great battle beside Stormfur. No cat can say that I’m afraid to fight. But I’m telling you now that you’re wrong.”
“Why?” Even in the single word, Jaypaw could tell how muc
h respect his father felt for this cat.
“Because you’re trying to turn us into a Clan,” Crag replied. “We’re not. We are the Tribe.”
“But this is the only way to survive!” Brambleclaw insisted. “You’ve never had to share your hunting grounds with other cats before. You can’t live here like prisoners, afraid to venture out in search of food.”
“That’s right!” some cat called. “We need our own territory.”
“We need to defend it!” another added.
“But think what we risk losing.” Crag’s strong meow rose above the voices of his Tribe. “All our traditions, everything that makes us who we are. Instead, we’ll spend all our time running around trying to remember which rocks belong to us.”
“What do you think?” Hollypaw whispered as the argument rumbled on above their heads.
“Brambleclaw’s right,” Lionpaw asserted without hesitation. “What choice do they have?”
“But then, Crag’s right, too.” Hollypaw sounded uncertain. “How would we like it if cats came into our territory and started telling us to do everything differently?”
“We’re not starving to death,” Lionpaw pointed out. “What’s the matter, Hollypaw? On the way here you were planning how to organize the Tribe like a Clan.”
“I know. But it’s different when you see how they do things.” Hollypaw’s worry soaked into Jaypaw’s fur like rain. “What about you, Jaypaw?” she prompted. “Do you think the Tribe should give up all its traditions because of these trespassing cats?”
Jaypaw shrugged. “It’s not our decision. They’re not our traditions.”
He heard a hiss of annoyance from Hollypaw, as if she’d expected him to back her up. But the problem was more complicated than she or Lionpaw understood. Jaypaw was reluctant to talk about his dream. He had always relished the extra knowledge he gained through his connection with StarClan, but now he was thoroughly unnerved, knowing that the Tribe of Endless Hunting did not want the Tribe to become a Clan.
He remembered the feelings of shame he had picked up by the pool, the regret of the Tribe of Endless Hunting that they had failed their descendants, that they had not found a place of safety for the cats who looked to them for protection. He remembered their belief that the mountains had betrayed them.
Then something struck him. If the Tribe had tried to find a place of safety in the mountains, that meant they must have come from somewhere else—somewhere that was no longer safe.
So where did they come from? And what brought them here in the first place?
CHAPTER 23
Lionpaw watched as the Tribe cats broke up into small, quarrelsome groups.
They might as well save their breath, he thought. Stoneteller has made up his mind, and now Brambleclaw’s in charge.
Even so, he was impressed by Crag’s courage in speaking up and glad of the respect he could see between the cave-guard and his father. Crag was a strong, brave cat, and with the right training he would make a great warrior.
“At least we haven’t come all this way for nothing,” Breezepaw remarked, strolling over. “We’ll soon lick this lot into shape. We might as well start calling them MountainClan right now.”
“Say that in the hearing of a Tribe cat, and you’ll be looking for your ears,” Hollypaw hissed.
“Ignore him,” Lionpaw told her. “If he wants to be stupid—”
He broke off as he saw Brambleclaw padding toward them. “I’ve got a job for you,” the dark tabby meowed.
Lionpaw sprang to his paws, his tail straight up in the air. Action at last!
“Do you think you three could train the to-bes in some fighting moves?” Brambleclaw asked.
Lionpaw started a little as he realized that “you three” included Breezepaw and not Jaypaw. The three apprentices glanced at one another, the argument with Breezepaw forgotten.
“Sure.” Lionpaw nodded. “We’ll be glad to help.”
He touched his tail tip to Jaypaw’s shoulder in farewell as he followed his father across to the to-bes’ part of the cave. Jaypaw didn’t seem to notice; he was staring at the wall of the cave, lost in thought.
“Every cat, even the prey-hunters, will be trained in basic fighting,” Brambleclaw explained. “But we’ll give the cave-guards the responsibility of border patrols. They’re the strongest cats, and they have some fighting techniques, though they still need battle training.”
“There aren’t any borders yet,” Hollypaw pointed out.
Brambleclaw gave her a friendly flick on the ear with his tail. “There will be soon.”
The to-bes were gathered in a tight cluster in their own part of the cave. They all turned to look at Brambleclaw and the apprentices as they approached.
“Greetings,” Pebble meowed, dipping her head to Brambleclaw and extending a paw.
“Greetings,” Brambleclaw replied. “I think you’ve met Lionpaw, Hollypaw, and Breezepaw. They’re going to give you some training in fighting techniques.”
To Lionpaw’s dismay, none of the to-bes looked pleased at the prospect. They muttered together; Lionpaw caught the words “…only to-bes like us.”
“Splash and I are prey-hunters.” Screech spoke up boldly, flicking his tail at the light brown tabby she-cat beside him. “We don’t do that stuff.”
“The whole Tribe will be doing ‘that stuff,’” Brambleclaw told him.
“It’s for your own good,” Lionpaw added.
Screech glared at him.
“Come on,” Hollypaw mewed persuasively. “It’ll be fun. And if the intruders attack you, you’ll need to defend yourselves.”
To Lionpaw’s relief, he saw that Pebble and one or two others were looking interested. His paws tingled with anticipation. This would be good practice for when he was a mentor with an apprentice of his own.
Brambleclaw gave an approving nod. “I’ll leave you to it, then. Tawnypelt, Crowfeather, and I are going to explore the territory and see if we can set the borders.” He turned away, then glanced over his shoulder. “Lionpaw, would you like to come with us? Hollypaw and Breezepaw can handle the training for now.”
For a heartbeat Lionpaw felt disappointed. Then he reminded himself that he had wanted to explore the world beyond the lake, and here was a chance to see more of it. “Okay,” he mewed, waving his tail in farewell to the others and following Brambleclaw to the cavern entrance.
Tawnypelt and Crowfeather were waiting there, with Talon, Bird, and Gray.
“We’ll come with you,” Talon meowed. “You might need backup if the trespassers are around.”
“Thank you.” Brambleclaw gestured with his tail to let the big cave-guard take the lead.
Lionpaw fell in behind his father to walk the Path of Rushing Water behind the waterfall. With sunlight dazzling through the sheet of foaming water, it didn’t seem as frightening as in twilight the night before. When he emerged into the open he leaped down onto the ground beside the pool and shook drops of water from his pelt. The sky was blue, with a few white clouds scudding across it, driven by a stiff breeze. The sun was just grazing the topmost peaks, bathing the mountain slopes in light. High up, a single bird flew in lazy circles.
“Eagle,” Bird murmured. “We’ll need to keep an eye on it.”
“This way,” Talon mewed. He bounded over to the rocks opposite the pool and clawed his way up until he stood on a flat overhang of stone. Lionpaw and the other cats followed. Lionpaw stood panting on the edge and looked out across an empty forest of jutting rock. Only a few clumps of green foliage here and there interrupted the vast gray-brown landscape. There was no sign of movement.
“It’s empty.” He crouched to peer down at the rocks below the overhang. “It feels like there’s no cat here but us.”
“Don’t you believe it,” Talon growled, padding up behind him. “The trespassers aren’t as good at hiding as we are, but they’re getting better at it all the time.”
“So you’ll have to get better still,” Brambleclaw mewe
d briskly. “Then you can fight back.”
Talon gave a doubtful snort and began climbing a steep slope of scree that led to a ridge. When Lionpaw set paw on the shifting stones he thought he would never be able to climb it. For every paw step he took, he felt as if he was slipping back two. He watched the Tribe cats setting their paws sideways on the slope and gradually began to make better progress. At last he was able to haul himself up the last tail-length and stand on the top.
Wind buffeted his pelt and made his eyes water. Blinking, he made out an even wider landscape of jutting crags and narrow valleys, with streams that looked narrow as grass stems weaving their way among the rocks. Far away he could see a blur of green, and he realized that he was looking at the edge of the mountains, perhaps the forest they had crossed on their way.
“I feel like a bird!” he cried.
The words were hardly out of his mouth before he felt his paws slipping. For a heart-stopping moment he thought the wind would bowl him over to plummet down to the rocks below. The landscape whirled sickeningly around him. Then teeth fastened in his scruff and yanked him back to safety. He looked up to see Crowfeather.
“Thanks,” he gasped.
“Just remember you’re not a bird,” the WindClan cat growled.
Lionpaw sat down for a few heartbeats until the dizziness passed and his heart stopped pounding. When he looked up, he saw Talon, Tawnypelt, and Brambleclaw standing a few paw steps away. The Tribe cat waved his tail to point at something below the ridge.
“That’s where Stormfur led us into battle,” he meowed.
More cautiously this time, Lionpaw padded up to the edge and peered over. The ground fell away into a steep valley, with jagged rocks on either side. At the bottom a narrow stream wound its way among boulders. He shivered, imagining that he could see the slopes running with the blood of cats and hear their screeches as they hurled themselves into the fight.
“We don’t go that way anymore,” Talon continued. “The intruders think it belongs to them now.”