The white tom rounded up the younger apprentices and set off back to camp. When they had gone, Deerleap led the way along the line of the tracks until they came in sight of the narrow tunnel that led to WindClan. Yellowpaw could smell the WindClan scent even more strongly here.
“We’ll stop here,” Deerleap announced, halting beside a clump of long, marshy grass. “Settle down so you can’t be seen. And if any WindClan cats come out of the tunnel, don’t even twitch a whisker until I give the word.”
Yellowpaw obeyed, crouching down in the grass between Rowanpaw and Nutpaw. Her claws were extended and her muscles tensed to leap on any trespassers, but no cats had appeared by the time that Yellowpaw picked up a stronger ShadowClan scent and heard an approaching patrol brushing through the grass.
Deerleap rose to meet them, signaling to the apprentices to do the same. Stonetooth, the Clan deputy, was in the lead, with Brackenfoot and Crowtail close behind. Yellowpaw was surprised and a bit disappointed to see that Raggedpaw and Scorchpaw were with their mentors. She’d wanted herself and her littermates to be the only apprentices to face down WindClan this time.
“Where’s Blizzardwing?” Deerleap asked.
“He stayed to help guard the camp,” Stonetooth meowed. “Just in case WindClan thinks it can bring the battle to us.”
Deerleap sniffed. “I’d like to see them try.”
Excitement bubbled up inside Yellowpaw as the patrol prepared to leave. “We’ll make WindClan sorry they ever touched our prey.”
“Calm down,” Raggedpaw mewed. “This is what warriors do.”
“Yeah,” Scorchpaw added. “It’s just part of living in a Clan.”
“It’s your first time in battle too,” Nutpaw snorted, “so don’t pretend you’re not excited.”
Yellowpaw could see that her littermate was right. Scorchpaw was working his claws in the grass, and Raggedpaw’s amber eyes gleamed.
Stonetooth gathered the patrol with a wave of his tail. “I’ll lead,” he announced. “Brackenfoot, you bring up the rear, and keep an eye out for trouble behind.” The pale ginger tom nodded. Turning to the apprentices, Stonetooth went on. “Listen to everything I say. We won’t attack right away. We’ll give WindClan a chance to explain themselves first.”
“Like they’ll be able to explain WindClan scent and pigeon feathers inside our borders,” Deerleap snarled.
The patrol set off in single file. Yellowpaw was close to the rear, just ahead of Raggedpaw and her father. The tunnel under the Thunderpath was narrower than she had realized—much smaller than the one Deerleap had shown her on their first tour of the territory—and dark. Yellowpaw jumped, her heart beginning to pound, at a roaring noise that seemed to fill the whole of it.
“It’s okay,” Brackenfoot meowed from behind her. “It’s only monsters going past on the Thunderpath.”
Forcing herself to relax, Yellowpaw followed the scent of Crowtail, who was walking in front of her. I wonder what would happen if we met WindClan cats coming the other way. She tried to work out how she could use her battle moves in such a tight space. Soon she could scent fresh air coming from somewhere ahead. A few heartbeats later Crowtail scrambled upward, showering scraps of earth and debris down on Yellowpaw. Blinking, Yellowpaw followed, and broke out into the open. As Raggedpaw and Brackenfoot emerged after her, she took a huge breath and looked around.
I’m on WindClan territory now!
Yellowpaw felt as if every hair on her pelt was standing on end with the thrill of being across enemy borders. Behind her, monsters roared up and down the Thunderpath. In front, a wide stretch of grass swelled to the horizon in an unbroken sweep. Wind blew from the hilltop toward the ShadowClan cats, ruffling their fur and bringing with it the scents of cats and rabbits.
Stonetooth waved his tail. “This way. Stay together.”
“I’m surprised the WindClan cats can catch anything in these open spaces,” Yellowpaw mewed to Nutpaw as they followed the Clan deputy toward the top of the moor.
“I know,” Nutpaw agreed. “I can hardly hear myself speak, with the wind in my ear fur.”
“Look!” Rowanpaw flicked her tail over Yellowpaw’s shoulder.
Gazing upward, Yellowpaw spotted a scrawny WindClan warrior outlined against the sky. The cat stood motionless for a heartbeat, then turned tail and vanished down the other side of the hill.
“Gone to warn his Clanmates,” Nutpaw muttered.
“I still can’t believe how skinny they are!” Yellowpaw mewed. “And their smell is weird, like rabbits and windblown grass.”
She remembered the first time she had seen WindClan cats, at her first Gathering almost a moon ago, but the memory was blurred. There were so many cats… so much noise… She had looked forward to her first Gathering for as long as she could remember, but it had been overwhelming, busy and full of chatter and conflicting scents. Yellowpaw had felt too timid to go and talk to any cats from the rival Clans, instead staying among the ShadowClan apprentices. Afterward she had felt stupid and embarrassed for being so shy, but Deerleap told her lots of apprentices felt that way, and sometimes even senior warriors. The next Gathering would be easier, she promised.
Now Yellowpaw felt strong and confident as she strode out across the moor. I’m part of a ShadowClan patrol. I’m going to fight for my Clan!
When the ShadowClan cats reached the brow of the hill, they spotted a patrol of WindClan cats heading across the moor toward them. Stonetooth halted, signaling with his tail for the rest to do the same. “We’ll let them come to us,” he meowed.
Leading the WindClan patrol was a light brown tabby tom. Yellowpaw remembered Deerleap pointing him out to her at the Gathering; he was Reedfeather, the WindClan deputy. Stonetooth stepped forward to face Reedfeather as the WindClan cats approached.
“What are you doing on our territory?” Reedfeather demanded.
“Don’t you know?” Stonetooth challenged. “We found pigeon feathers on our side of the Thunderpath, with WindClan scent and paw marks. You’ve been stealing our prey!”
“We’ve done nothing of the sort,” Reedfeather retorted. “We chased that pigeon from our own territory, and that makes it WindClan prey.”
“That’s not true, and you know it,” Stonetooth growled, sliding out his claws.
Reedfeather tensed his muscles, his neck fur bristling. Yellowpaw could smell his fear. The WindClan patrol was smaller, and the cats looked too weak and skinny to fight well. For a moment Yellowpaw felt a pang of sympathy. These cats look as if they haven’t had a good meal in moons. Maybe they deserved that pigeon. Then she gave herself a shake. That’s mouse-brained! I’m a ShadowClan warrior—or I will be soon—and these are my enemies!
“You need to leave,” Reedfeather hissed. “You’re not welcome on our territory.”
“We’re not going anywhere until you’ve been taught a lesson,” Stonetooth responded.
Yellowpaw saw Reedfeather’s gaze flicker. “All right,” he mewed wearily. “You’ve made your point. We’ll stay on our own side of the border from now on.”
Stonetooth didn’t reply with words. Instead, he leaped onto the WindClan deputy, bearing him to the ground. A heartbeat later, fighting exploded all around Yellowpaw. For a moment she stood frozen; the whole world seemed to be filled with screeching, clawing cats, and she didn’t know which paw to use first.
Then she pulled herself together and lunged at a WindClan cat who was on top of Nutpaw, pummeling him with strong paws. The WindClan cat lashed out at her with a wild blow that only riffled her whiskers, then scrambled away.
“Thanks!” Nutpaw gasped.
Yellowpaw whirled around as she felt a burning scratch all down one side, but she couldn’t spot the cat who had dealt the blow. Instead, a huge dark tabby tom bore down on her, his amber eyes blazing. Yellowpaw gulped. She had thought of these cats as small and skinny, but they were full-grown, and this one was much bigger than she was. Frantically she tried to remember her battle moves. She darted at the WindClan tom, intending to strike a blow and spring back out of range, but the tom was ready for her. He ducked away from her claws and swiped her so hard over the ear with one forepaw that she staggered and for a heartbeat the sky went dark. She lashed out again, remembering the move that Raggedpaw had helped her practice, but as she tried to twist in the air the tom batted her down so that she landed all wrong.