“It is all right, young warrior; don’t be afraid,” Bluestar murmured. Her calm voice settled him a little. “I think Tigerclaw was surprised by the power of the Moonstone. In the world above, Tigerclaw is a fearless and mighty warrior, but down here, where the spirits of StarClan speak, a cat needs a different kind of strength. What do you feel, Firepaw?”
Firepaw sniffed the air deeply, and forced his body to relax. “Only my own curiosity,” he admitted.
“That is good,” Bluestar replied.
Firepaw looked back at the Moonstone. His eyes had gotten used to its light and he was no longer dazzled. Instead, it soothed him. With a twitch of his tail, he remembered his dream. This was the brilliant ball of light he had seen!
Spellbound, Firepaw watched as Bluestar padded up to the stone and lay down beside it. She reached her head forward and touched the Moonstone with her nose. Her blue eyes sparkled with its reflection for a moment before she closed them. Now she rested her head on her paws, her eyelids flickering, her paws twitching occasionally. Was she sleeping? Then Firepaw remembered Graypaw’s words: “new leaders have to sleep near the stone, and as they sleep, they have special dreams.”
He waited. The chill was not so intense here, but still he found himself shivering. He had no idea how much time had passed, but suddenly the rock stopped glowing. The cavern was plunged into darkness once more. Firepaw looked up to the opening in the roof of the cavern. The moon had passed on, out of sight. All that remained were tiny stars shimmering in blackness.
Firepaw could just make out the pale shape of his leader, lying beside the Moonstone. He wanted to call out her name, but did not dare break the silence.
After more endless moments, she spoke to him. “Firepaw? Are you still there?” Her voice sounded remote and agitated.
“Yes, Bluestar.” Firepaw heard Bluestar’s pawsteps approaching.
“Hurry,” she hissed. He felt her fur brush past him. “We must return to camp.”
Firepaw raced after her, astonished by the speed with which she rushed through the blackness. He followed her scent blindly, up and up the stone tunnel, until she led him safely back to the outside world.
Tigerclaw was waiting at the opening beside Graypaw and Ravenpaw as Bluestar and Firepaw climbed out of the cave. His expression was cold and his fur was slightly ruffled, but he sat motionless and dignified.
“Tigerclaw.” Bluestar greeted him but did not mention the warrior cat’s flight from the depths.
Tigerclaw relaxed a little. “What did you learn?”
“We must return to camp immediately,” Bluestar meowed briefly.
Firepaw saw a look of desperation in his leader’s eyes. Now the horror of his dream forced its way back into his memory: the fleeing cats; the great, dark warriors; the ear-splitting wail of distress. Firepaw tried to ignore the cold fear that gripped his muscles, and followed Bluestar as she and the others raced down the dark slope away from Mothermouth. Was his nightmare vision about to come true?
Chapter 16
They headed back the way they had come. The moon had disappeared behind a bank of clouds. It was dark, but at least the Thunderpath was quieter now. The only monster they heard was far off in the distance. The cats crossed the path together and pushed their way through the hedge on the other side.
Firepaw could feel his muscles growing stiff with tiredness as they hurried on. Bluestar kept up a swift pace with her nose thrust forward and her tail high. Tigerclaw loped beside her. Firepaw followed a few paces behind with Graypaw, but Ravenpaw was flagging.
“Keep up, Ravenpaw!” Tigerclaw growled over his shoulder.
Ravenpaw flinched and bounded forward until he caught up with Firepaw and Graypaw.
“Are you okay?” Firepaw asked.
“Yes,” Ravenpaw panted, not meeting Firepaw’s eyes. “Just a bit tired.”
They scrambled down a deep ditch and up the other side.
“What did Tigerclaw say when he came out of the cave?” Firepaw meowed, trying not to sound too curious.
“He wanted to check that we were still guarding the entrance,” replied Graypaw. “Why?”
Firepaw hesitated. “Did you scent anything strange about him?” he asked.
“Only that damp old cave,” Graypaw mewed, looking surprised.
“He seemed a little edgy,” ventured Ravenpaw.
“He wasn’t the only one!” Graypaw meowed, looking at the black cat.
“What do you mean?” asked Ravenpaw.
“Just that the fur on your neck stands up whenever you see him these days,” whispered Graypaw. “You nearly jumped out of your skin when he came out of the cave.”
“He just surprised me, that’s all,” Ravenpaw protested. “You have to admit, it was a bit creepy by Mothermouth.”
“I suppose so,” agreed Graypaw.
The cats slipped under a hedge into a cornfield that glowed silver in the moonlight, and followed the ditch that ran around its edge.
“So what was it like inside, Firepaw?” Graypaw demanded. “Did you see the Moonstone?”
“Yes, I did. It was amazing!” Firepaw felt his fur tingle at the memory.
Graypaw shot him an admiring glance. “So it’s true! The rock really does shine underground.”
Firepaw didn’t reply. He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the image of the Moonstone that dazzled his mind. Then pictures from his dream crowded into his head, and his eyes shot open. Bluestar was right: they had to get back to camp as quickly as they could.
Ahead, Tigerclaw and Bluestar had leaped through a fence, out of the cornfield. The apprentices followed, squeezing under the fence, onto an earth track. It was the path that led past the Twoleg nest and the dogs. Firepaw looked up and saw Bluestar and Tigerclaw trotting tirelessly together, silhouetted against a skyline tinged with red. The sun would be rising soon.
“Look!” he called to Graypaw and Ravenpaw. An unfamiliar cat had jumped out in front of the two warriors.
“It’s a loner!” hissed Graypaw. The three apprentices hurried forward.
The stranger was a stout black-and-white tom, shorter than the warriors, but well muscled.
“This is Barley,” Bluestar explained to the apprentices as they caught up. “He lives near this Twoleg nest.”
“Hi!” meowed the cat. “I haven’t seen any of your Clan for some moons. How are you, Bluestar?”
“I’m well, thank you,” replied Bluestar. “And you, Barley? How’s the prey been running since we last passed this way?”
“Not so bad,” replied Barley, with an amiable gleam in his eye. “One good thing about Twolegs—you’ll always find plenty of rats nearby.” The black-and-white tom went on: “You seem in more of a hurry than usual. Is everything all right?”
Tigerclaw looked at Barley. A growl rumbled deep in his chest. Firepaw could sense that the warrior was suspicious of the loner’s curiosity.
“I don’t like to be away from my Clan too long,” Bluestar answered smoothly.
“As always, Bluestar, you are tied to your Clan like a queen to her kits,” observed Barley, not unkindly.
“What is it you want, Barley?” asked Tigerclaw.
Barley flashed him a reproachful look. “I just wanted to warn you that there are two dogs here now. You’d be safer going back into the cornfield instead of past the yard.”
“We know about the dogs. We saw them earlier—” Tigerclaw began impatiently.
“We are grateful to you for the warning,” interrupted Bluestar. “Thank you, Barley. Until next time…”
Barley flicked his tail. “Have a safe journey,” he meowed as he bounded away up the track.