They’d better not try it!
But there was no movement among the trees on the opposite side of the Thunderpath, nothing to suggest an enemy patrol was lurking there. Feeling slightly disappointed, Yellowpaw turned away.
“Where do we go next?”
“Follow me.” Deerleap led the way alongside the Thunderpath and stopped at a point where the ground fell away into a deep cleft that became a tunnel leading into darkness. The sides were lined with squared-off stones.
“Did Twolegs make that?” Yellowpaw mewed.
“They did.” Deerleap sounded pleased and a little surprised that Yellowpaw had guessed right. “Don’t ask me why. It leads under the Thunderpath and up on the other side.”
“Into ThunderClan territory? They could come right through it and attack us!”
“No, it’s still our territory on the other side, all the way to the hollow at Fourtrees. It’s the way we go for Gatherings.”
Yellowpaw’s paws tingled. Now that I’m an apprentice, I’ll get to go to Gatherings! When she was three moons old, she had begged and begged to go to a Gathering. Silverflame had promised to tell her everything that happened, and the day after, she had kept her promise.
She made it sound so exciting… I hope she’ll be better by the next full moon, so we can go together.
She was dragged abruptly out of her memories as Deerleap flicked her on the shoulder with her tail-tip. “Wake up!” her mentor chided. “We’ve still got a long way to go.”
They walked on, sticking close to the Thunderpath with the Twoleg dens fading into the trees behind them. “Over there,” Deerleap continued, “is another tunnel. That one leads straight into WindClan territory. What do you think that means?”
“Trouble!” Yellowpaw exclaimed.
“Right. So what should we do about it?”
“Patrol really carefully?” Yellowpaw suggested. “And… er… put really strong scent markers around our end?”
Deerleap nodded. “Exactly. Good thinking, Yellowpaw.”
A few fox-lengths farther on, Yellowpaw spotted Rowanpaw trotting toward them with her mentor, Finchflight.
Rowanpaw waved her tail. “Isn’t this great?” she called. “Our territory is awesome!”
Yellowpaw mewed agreement, but there wasn’t time to stop and chat. Deerleap was forging ahead, and Yellowpaw had to scurry to keep up. By now the sun was starting to go down, staining the snow as red as blood. Shadows began to gather under the trees, and the monsters that swept past on the Thunderpath had glaring yellow eyes that cut through the darkness.
Eventually Deerleap veered away from the Thunderpath and headed back to the trees. Darker shadows loomed ahead, and Yellowpaw tried to hide her nervousness as Deerleap plunged into them. Finally her mentor stopped.
“What can you smell?” she asked.
Yellowpaw parted her jaws and tasted the air. “Very strong ShadowClan scent,” she reported. “Are we near the border again?”
“We are. But is there anything else?”
Yellowpaw took in another breath, trying to distinguish other scents beneath the overpowering scent of ShadowClan.
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Something really nasty! Is it another Clan?”
“No, that’s the Carrionplace.” Deerleap flicked her tail toward the shadows.
Peering more closely, Yellowpaw made out huge heaps of evil-smelling stuff. Weird shapes that gleamed in the half-light poked out of a mountain of sludge and debris. A shiny fence, like a thick, regular cobweb, surrounded them. “What’s that stuff?” she mewed. “How did it get there?”
“Twolegs bring it in yellow monsters,” Deerleap replied with a look of disgust. “It’s Twoleg crow-food. And before you ask, I don’t know why they dump it there.”
“Yuck!” Yellowpaw passed her tongue around her jaws. “I can almost taste it from here.”
“Stay away from it,” Deerleap warned her. “More rats than you can imagine live in those heaps, and even experienced warriors think twice before messing with them.”
“There’s no way I’d want to go there,” Yellowpaw assured her. She was happy to leave the Carrionplace behind and head back into the forest. Night had fallen, and the first warriors of StarClan were appearing in the sky. The snow gleamed eerily beneath the trees.
“What’s over there?” Yellowpaw curled her tail to where the pine trees stretched on and on until they melted into shadow.
“More forest,” Deerleap replied. “No cats go that way. We have enough territory without it.”
Yellowpaw felt a stab of relief that they didn’t have to go any farther. Her paws were frozen and starting to feel sore. I’ve never walked so far, she thought.
“We’re almost back at the camp,” Deerleap announced. “You can pick out a piece of fresh-kill and then find yourself a nest in the apprentices’ den.”
Yellowpaw blinked; she hadn’t considered that she wouldn’t be sleeping in the nursery anymore, and she wondered if Raggedpaw and Scorchpaw would welcome her and her littermates. But she pushed that thought to the back of her mind. There was something more important that she had to do first.
I need to know how Silverflame is.
She followed Deerleap through the thorn tunnel and into the clearing.
“Did you enjoy seeing the territory?” Deerleap prompted.
“Yes, it was great, thanks,” Yellowpaw responded, her paws itching to carry her toward the elders’ den.
“Off with you, then.” Deerleap flicked her ears. “I’ll see you at dawn tomorrow. We’ll start your training with hunting practice.”
Yellowpaw knew she should feel excited about that, but her anxiety about Silverflame was growing stronger with every heartbeat. She ducked her head to her mentor and bounded across the clearing to the elders’ den. Just as she reached it, Brightflower emerged.
“How is Silverflame?” Yellowpaw demanded.
“Growing weaker,” Brightflower replied. Her face was solemn. “Be brave, little one. We have to accept that it’s time for her to walk with StarClan.”
Chapter 5
“No!” Yellowpaw gasped. “She can’t leave us!”
“I’m sorry, but she has to.” Brightflower bent her head to touch Yellowpaw’s ear with her nose.
Yellowpaw could see the desperate anxiety in Brightflower’s eyes. I know how I’d feel if Brightflower was dying. She must feel the same now that it’s her mother who’s going to join StarClan.
“I want to see her!” she choked out.
Brightflower nodded. “You can, but you must be very quiet.” She stepped back and allowed Yellowpaw to slide underneath the branches into the elders’ den.
Silverflame was lying on her side, her legs splayed out as if she were running. Her eyes were half-closed and her chest heaved with rasping breaths. Sagewhisker crouched over her while Littlebird and Lizardfang watched from the corner, their eyes gleaming in the darkness.
Yellowpaw felt as though her pelt were on fire as she drew closer to the old, sick cat. She reeled back, blinking. “She’s so thirsty!” she whispered to Sagewhisker. “Why don’t you give her something to drink? Why aren’t you treating her pain?”
Sagewhisker looked up, her eyes full of grief. “There’s nothing more I can do,” she murmured.
“There must be!” Yellowpaw wailed.
“Yellowpaw.” Littlebird rose to her paws and gave Yellowpaw a gentle nudge. “Come with me.”
“No!” Yellowpaw felt as if her whole world was full of pain and her grief for Silverflame. “I want to stay with her.”
“You can’t help her now,” Littlebird mewed softly. “Come away.”