Contents
Cover
Title Page
Pebbleshine’s Kits
Dedication
Allegiances
Maps
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Tree’s Roots
Dedication
Allegiances
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Mothwing’s Secret
Dedication
Allegiances
Maps
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Excerpt from Warriors: The Broken Code #1: Lost Stars
Books by Erin Hunter
Back Ads
Copyright
About the Publisher
Dedication
Special thanks to Cherith Baldry
AllegiancesSKYCLANLEADERLEAFSTAR—brown-and-cream tabby she-cat with amber eyesDEPUTYWASPWHISKER—gray-and-white tomMEDICINE CATSECHOSONG—silver-gray tabby she-cat with green eyesAPPRENTICE, FIDGETPAW (black-and-white tom)WARRIORS(toms and she-cats without kits)SPARROWPELT—dark brown tabby tomHAWKWING—dark gray tomAPPRENTICE, CURLYPAW (long-haired gray she-cat)MACGYVER—black-and-white tomBLOSSOMHEART—ginger-and-white she-catBIRDWING—black she-catTINYCLOUD—small white she-catBELLALEAF—pale orange she-cat with green eyesSAGENOSE—pale gray tomRILEYPOOL—pale gray tabby tom with dark gray stripes and blue eyesRABBITLEAP—brown tomPARSLEYSEED—dark brown tabby tomFIREFERN—ginger she-catHARRYBROOK—gray tomQUEENS(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)PEBBLESHINE—brown-speckled white she-catPLUMWILLOW—dark gray she-catELDERS(former warriors and queens, now retired)CLOVERTAIL—light brown she-cat with white belly and legs
Maps
Chapter 1
Thorns raked Pebbleshine’s back as she pushed through the line of bushes, but the ache of hunger in her belly drove her forward until she emerged on the other side. It had been nearly two moons since SkyClan had left their home at the gorge, and all the warriors were hungry and tired. Pebbleshine felt even more so than the others, since she was heavy with kits. She knew that her Clanmates on the other side of the bushes were nearly ready to give up the hunt. Gazing downward, she froze in shock, digging her claws into the earth.
In front of her lay a wide stretch of ground, covered with the same hard, black stuff as a Thunderpath. Several Twoleg monsters were crouched there, and beyond them rose the gray walls of a Twoleg den. Through a gap in the wall, a narrow Thunderpath led away into the distance.
Pebbleshine began easing herself back into the shelter of the bushes. All her instincts were warning her to get out of sight before the monsters noticed her. But before she had moved more than a couple of paw steps, she became aware of a delicious scent drifting between her jaws. She halted, tasting the air to pinpoint where the smell was coming from. Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized it was rising from one of the Twoleg monsters.
It’s prey! There’s prey trapped on the back of that monster. Imagine what we could bring back to our Clanmates!
Pebbleshine could see that none of the huge creatures was moving. Maybe they were all asleep. Her heart began beating faster at the thought of the risk she and her Clanmates would have to take, to steal prey out of the very jaws of a monster. Then her belly growled, reminding her of how hungry she was. How long had it been since she and the other cats of SkyClan had been full-fed?
“Let’s take our chance!” she muttered to herself.
Pebbleshine let the Clan deputy, Waspwhisker, take the lead as they ventured into the open to investigate the prey-smelling monster. Her mate, Hawkwing, padded along at her side, while Curlypaw and Blossomheart, the remaining members of the patrol, brought up the rear.
As she and her Clanmates drew closer, Pebbleshine began to hear clucking noises coming from the back of the monster, from inside shiny boxes that looked like weird nests.
“There are birds in there!” Hawkwing exclaimed.
“And they’re trapped,” Pebbleshine added. “They must be some kind of Twoleg prey.”
Waspwhisker nodded. “That’s exactly what they are. They’re called chickens. Some Twolegs near the gorge used to keep them.”
Pebbleshine stared up at the shiny nests, close enough now to see the mass of feathers pressed against the sides, and a few heads poking out with sharp beaks and beady eyes. The tempting smell was even stronger here, and hunger sliced through her belly like a badger’s claws.
Pebbleshine twitched her ears impatiently as Hawkwing and Waspwhisker started to debate whether the risk was worth taking. “You know,” Pebbleshine meowed, glancing warily around, “the monster is asleep, and there aren’t any Twolegs around. Why don’t we …” She turned her gaze back to the deputy, silently pleading for him to see it her way. We can do this. I know we can!
Finally, Waspwhisker nodded. “Let’s go for it. Hawkwing, you and Curlypaw keep watch. The rest of you, follow me.”
“I can climb up, too,” Hawkwing meowed.
“No, I can tell your leg is hurting,” Waspwhisker responded. “You’re more use here on the ground.”
Pebbleshine glanced back at her mate with sympathy. She knew he was frustrated by the lingering effects of the leg injury he’d suffered a moon before, falling out of a tree while hunting a squirrel. Hawkwing looked pointedly at her expanding belly.
“Then Pebbleshine should stay here, too,” Hawkwing put in.
“Yes, Pebbleshine, you have to be careful,” Blossomheart agreed. Waspwhisker nodded.
Pebbleshine glared at her Clanmates with rising exasperation. She knew they were concerned for her because she was carrying Hawkwing’s kits, but they didn’t have to treat her as though she were ill. “I’m not big enough yet for it to make any difference,” she protested, twitching the tip of her tail. “I can still run just as fast as the rest of you. And it was my idea.”
Waspwhisker narrowed his eyes at her, then relaxed with a sigh. “Okay. Let’s just get on with it before we all die of starvation.”
Before she approached the monster, Pebbleshine paused, seeing Hawkwing’s worried look, and brushed her tail along his side. Then, alongside Waspwhisker and Blossomheart, she clambered up onto the back of the monster, startled by the unfamiliar sensation of her claws scraping against its hard pelt.
They reached a ledge atop the rear of the monster where they could look down and see the countless tiny dens filled with birds. All three cats leaped down from the monster’s back, halted, and stared. There are so many of these weird nests! Pebbleshine thought. And there’s a chicken in each of them. She called down excitedly to Hawkwing and Curlypaw, letting them know what she was seeing.