Fading Echoes

by Erin Hunter

“But,” Firestar went on, “we will strengthen patrols on the ShadowClan border and hopefully catch this warrior and find out what he’s up to.”

  “I’d like to be the one who catches him,” Lionblaze hissed.

  “Or her,” Millie countered.

  “Whoever it is,” Firestar went on, “we can’t be sure whether they are acting on behalf of ShadowClan or alone, and until we are, we must not overreact.”

  “You’ll mention it at the Gathering, though?” Sandstorm prompted.

  “If necessary,” Firestar meowed.

  “If necessary?” Dustpelt spluttered.

  Graystripe weaved between the brown tabby tom and his leader. “Why stir up ill feeling if none exists?”

  Lionblaze lashed his tail. “Because ShadowClan will think we’re weak!”

  Firestar sat down and hooked his tail over his forepaws. “Strength doesn’t have to be proved.” He gazed intently at the golden warrior. “Remember, it may just be a single ShadowClan warrior, not the whole Clan.”

  “Then we should tell them!” Thornclaw snapped. “If they can’t control their own warriors, every Clan should know it.”

  “I know, Thornclaw.” Firestar dipped his head to the tabby warrior. “But sometimes it’s better to wait and see before sharing our problems. I don’t want the Clans thinking we can’t protect our borders.”

  Thornclaw shook some of the moisture from his fur. “I suppose,” he muttered.

  Firestar and Sandstorm bounded up the rocks, back to the shelter of the leader’s cave. Dustpelt followed Thornclaw to the shelter of Highledge, while Graystripe, Millie, and Briarpaw went to sniff the bedraggled prey on the fresh-kill pile.

  “Are you hungry?” Lionblaze asked Dovepaw.

  Before she could answer Jayfeather called across the clearing, “So?” The gray medicine cat hurried toward them. “Do you know who it is?” His gaze flicked anxiously to Lionblaze as he went on. “I caught Tigerheart sniffing around our border a few nights ago.”

  “Really?” Dovepaw couldn’t hide her surprise. Then the ShadowClan warrior was up to something. Still, she held her tongue. She’d made a promise to let him explain first, and she wasn’t going to break it. After all, the Gathering was tomorrow. She wouldn’t have to keep her secret long.

  “Tigerheart?” Lionblaze sounded equally surprised. “Why would he be up to anything on our borders? He was an ally half a moon ago! He helped us bring the river back.”

  But Jayfeather was frowning. “That was half a moon ago,” he pointed out. “Not all cats think that one adventure makes everyone friends forever.”

  Dovepaw bristled. Was he criticizing her for going to check on Sedgewhisker? Guilt stabbed her. And now she had agreed to keep Tigerheart’s secret. Perhaps Jayfeather was right to remind her of her loyalties.

  A raindrop dripped from her ear tip and tickled the soft fur inside. She shook her head sharply. She would keep quiet until she heard what the ShadowClan warrior had to say at the Gathering.

  CHAPTER 9

  Dovepaw padded restlessly beside the barrier of thorns, anxious to be off.

  Ivypaw sat watching her, her tail twitching irritably. “You’ll tell me everything?” she asked again.

  “Of course,” Dovepaw promised. “As soon as I get back.” Ivypaw seemed to have gotten over her suspicion about why Dovepaw was being treated differently by the senior warriors, until Brambleclaw decided that only Dovepaw would go to the Gathering tonight.

  Ivypaw glared at the ThunderClan deputy as he padded past.

  He paused. “Don’t sulk,” he meowed. “You’re not a kit. You don’t need your littermate by your side every moment of the day.”

  Whitewing sat up from where she’d been dozing after her evening meal. “As I recall, Brambleclaw,” she teased, “you were never pleased to miss a Gathering.” She glanced affectionately at her daughters.

  Brambleclaw gave the white she-cat a stern glance, which lasted only a moment before melting into amusement. “Well, at least I had the decency to sulk in the privacy of my den.”

  Ivypaw scowled down at her paws, tail flicking.

  “Don’t worry.” Dovepaw weaved around her as Brambleclaw padded away to sit beside Graystripe. “When we’re warriors we’ll go to every Gathering together.”

  Squirrelflight slid out of the warriors’ den and padded across the clearing. Her gaze darted toward Brambleclaw for a moment before she joined Leafpool beside the fresh-kill pile.

  “Do you think Brambleclaw will ever forgive them?” Dovepaw whispered, staring at the two sisters. How could Brambleclaw be so cold toward his former mate? With a shiver, she wondered how two cats who’d been so close could suddenly start acting like they belonged to different Clans. That would never happen to her and Ivypaw.

  At least Squirrelflight and Leafpool are still as close. Dovepaw watched the sisters as they leaned together, pelts pressing like littermates straight out of the nursery.

  She nudged Ivypaw with her nose. “I’ll make sure I get some juicy gossip from Petalfur,” she mewed. She hoped that the shy RiverClan she-cat wouldn’t act like they’d never shared an adventure.

  Firestar bounded down from Highledge. As the stones clacked beneath his paws, the rest of the patrol hurried toward the thorn entrance. Sandstorm, Thornclaw, and Brackenfur weaved restlessly beside the entrance as Foxleap, Rosepetal, and Brightheart emerged from the warriors’ den. Lionblaze was still licking his lips after a hasty meal as he waited for Jayfeather to pad from the medicine den. Together they joined their Clanmates while Millie slid from the dirtplace tunnel and hurried to stand beside Graystripe. Birchfall slid in next to Whitewing while Blossompaw and Briarpaw came dashing from the apprentices’ den, eyes bright with excitement.

  Bumblepaw called after them, “I want to know everything that happens!” He’d be staying behind with Ivypaw.

  As Squirrelflight left Leafpool’s side and tagged on to the patrol, Firestar signaled with his tail before ducking out of the camp. His Clanmates streamed out after him. Dovepaw sensed restlessness in the patrol as they headed for the lake in silence. Graystripe had been right: The wind had blown the sky clear and Silverpelt glittered around a full, bright moon. But the forest still dripped from the heavy rains, and Dovepaw’s fur was soon soaked as she followed her Clanmates through the wet undergrowth.

  The chilly dampness seemed to have set everyone’s fur pricking with irritation.

  “We’d better not find any ShadowClan stench on our land!” Foxleap growled.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Brambleclaw snapped. “We’re heading around WindClan’s side of the lake. Even ShadowClan wouldn’t be dumb enough to stray that far!”

  Thornclaw paused and tasted the air. “I wouldn’t put anything past ShadowClan,” he muttered.

  Foxleap lashed his tail. “We should cross into ShadowClan territory and leave our scent. See how they like it!”

  “Yeah!” Rosepetal agreed. “I bet they wouldn’t be too pleased.” These days the dark cream she-cat seemed to agree with every word her denmate uttered.

  Mouse-brain. Dovepaw instantly felt guilty. Rosepetal was a good warrior. Still, Dovepaw hoped that she would never be too moony about a tomcat to stop thinking for herself.

  “We should do it,” Lionblaze growled. “Just to show them. Though their noses are probably too filled with pine scent to notice.”

  Squirrelflight bounded up the slope past the golden warrior. “Stop stirring up trouble,” she warned.

  Brambleclaw reached the top of the slope and stared down at Squirrelflight. “Sometimes aggression is necessary. StarClan gave us claws for a reason.”

  The orange she-cat’s eyes flashed with shock, as though his words had raked her muzzle. Lionblaze winced visibly. The patrol regrouped at the shoreline and followed the lake’s edge, keeping three tail-lengths from the water.

  Dovepaw scanned the hillsides. No sign of the other Clans, and no fresh scent tainted the fallen tree spanning the watery gap between the shore
and the island. As Dovepaw crossed, her claws unsheathed to grip the slippery bark, she listened past the water rippling below the trunk, beyond the wind stirring the island trees.

  The clearing was empty. She hopped down from the tree-bridge. The shingle crunched beneath her paws and water soaked up through her paw fur.

  “Come on,” she whispered to Blossompaw. “Let’s explore.”

  “But—”

  She left Blossompaw trailing as she raced through the trees. “It’s okay,” she called over her shoulder. “We’re the first here.”

  Blossompaw burst from the ferns a moment after Dovepaw had skidded into the clearing at the center of the island. The air was foul with the stench of weeds rotting on the waterlogged shoreline. Dovepaw wrinkled her nose. How did RiverClan bear it?

  “Wait for me!” Briarpaw hurtled from the undergrowth after them. She halted and stared around the deserted clearing. Their Clanmates were still traipsing through the bushes, tree-lengths behind them.

  “Let’s climb the big tree!” Blossompaw was already racing toward the Great Oak that loomed at the head of the clearing. In a blink Blossompaw had shot up the trunk and was sitting on the lowest branch, laying her tail regally over her front paws and puffing out her chest as though she were about to address the Clans.

  “I, Blossomstar, welcome you—”

  “Get down!” At Squirrelflight’s stinging yowl, Blossompaw slid off the branch and tumbled to the ground.

  Dovepaw spun around, startled. The orange she-cat’s eyes blazed as Blossompaw found her paws and padded, shamefaced, back across the clearing.

  “How dare you?” Squirrelflight scolded. “What must StarClan think?”

  “Oops,” Briarpaw whispered, pressing close to Dovepaw.

  Millie jumped out of the ferns, her eyes darting from Squirrelflight to Blossompaw.

  Blossompaw was limping slightly. The gray warrior darted to her daughter’s side. “Are you okay?” She sniffed at Blossompaw’s leg.

  “It’s fine,” Blossompaw assured her. “I just landed awkwardly.”

  “What were you doing?”

  Blossompaw hung her head. “I wanted to know what it was like to sit in the Great Oak. Squirrelflight made me jump by shouting at me and I fell out.”

  Millie shot an angry glance at Squirrelflight. “There was no need to frighten her! She could have hurt herself badly.”

  “She shouldn’t have been sitting in the tree in the first place,” Squirrelflight pointed out.

  “She’s just a ’paw,” Millie reminded Squirrelflight.

  “She’s old enough to know better!” Squirrelflight turned as Jayfeather emerged from the ferns. “Will you check Blossompaw?” she asked. “She’s had a fall.”

  Firestar slid from the bushes. “Who’s had a fall?”

  “It was nothing,” Blossompaw mewed, as Jayfeather checked her leg. “I’m fine.”

  Firestar’s gaze swept from Squirrelflight to Millie, their pelts ruffled.

  Graystripe padded ahead of him, tasting the air. “Yuck!” He wrinkled his nose. “I don’t know if this place smells worse when it’s empty or when the other Clans are stinking up the air.”

  Dovepaw was grateful for the gray warrior’s humor after all the bickering. Squirrelflight and Millie had retired to different parts of the clearing. Brambleclaw took himself off to sit underneath a beech tree far from both she-cats. Whitewing padded into the clearing and glanced from Squirrelflight to Millie, uncertainty clouding her gaze, then chose a shadowy spot beside a clump of ferns, midway between them. Jayfeather took his place among the roots of the Great Oak, where the other medicine cats would gather once they arrived. Birchfall paced the edge, sniffing warily, while the rest of the patrol sat to one side, their tails flicking in silence.

  The air smelled of rain despite the clear sky. Dovepaw shivered as a breeze sent a flurry of leaves drifting down into the clearing. She was almost relieved when she heard undergrowth rustling on the far side of the island and smelled the fishy tang of RiverClan. They were leaving their camp and heading for the clearing.

  She noticed Firestar following her gaze to the reed beds beyond the trees and watching the sleek forms of the RiverClan cats emerge. He lifted his tail in greeting as Mistystar led her Clan into the clearing. Petalfur broke ranks immediately and raced over the leaf-strewn clearing, skidding to a halt beside Dovepaw while her Clanmates weaved among the ThunderClan cats and began sharing tongues.

  “Hi!” The gray-and-white RiverClan she-cat puffed out her chest and lifted her chin. She seemed to have grown at least a mouse-span after her experiences on the journey upstream. “How’s training?”

  “Great!” Dovepaw was pleased to see her, and even more pleased to be greeted like a friend by at least one of the patrol who had helped find the river. And yet Jayfeather’s words rankled in her mind. Not all cats think that one adventure makes every one friends forever. She pushed the thought away. She could be friendly without being disloyal to her Clan!

  “Aren’t you finding everything is boring after our adventure?” Petalfur’s eyes sparkled.

  If only! Lionblaze was pushing her so hard to hone her powers that she hardly had time to find anything dull. “I have a really good mentor,” she mewed, conscious of Lionblaze’s gaze flicking over her. Was he scared she was going to give something away?

  Her discomfort sharpened as she scented WindClan crossing the fallen tree and heading for the clearing.

  “Are you okay?” Petalfur’s eyes were round.

  “What?” Dovepaw had been peering anxiously over her shoulder, wary of seeing the WindClan warriors who had watched her being unceremoniously marched home from the WindClan camp. She stiffened as Petalfur’s gaze strayed past her.

  “It’s only WindClan!” The RiverClan cat hailed a familiar face. “Hi, Sedgewhisker!”

  But the WindClan warrior turned pointedly away. “What’s gotten up her nose?” Hurt glinted in Petalfur’s amber eyes.

  Dovepaw wanted to explain that Sedgewhisker’s coldness was directed at her, not at Petalfur. But she couldn’t bring herself to confess her ill-planned expedition into WindClan territory. And now Brambleclaw was staring at her, his eyes narrowed. I bet he’s wondering what Onestar will say about my crossing the WindClan border. She wished Ivypaw were with her.

  “Cheer up.” Petalfur’s mew startled her. “WindClan has always been prickly. If they don’t want to speak to us, there’s not a lot we can do about it.”

  Dovepaw flicked her tail. Petalfur was right. If her Clanmates wanted to snipe at one another and WindClan wanted to sulk, so what? She couldn’t forget her most important mission tonight. Tigerheart had promised to tell her what he’d been doing in ThunderClan territory. She searched for his scent, surprised to find it close and fresh on the cool night breeze. ShadowClan had reached the island.

  As they padded into the clearing, Blackstar at their head, Firestar glanced up at the moon. Clouds were crowding the horizon. The ThunderClan leader bounded up the Great Oak, settling on the low branch Blossompaw had fallen from. Onestar and Blackstar scrambled up after him. Mistystar glanced up the thick trunk, as though looking for clawholds, then hauled herself up and settled beside the other leaders.

  Dovepaw watched the cats gathering at the foot of the tree, looking for Tigerheart’s dark tabby fur. She caught a tiny glimpse of him, his pelt merging with his Clanmates’, until a knot of RiverClan cats shouldered between them, blocking her view.

  “Tigerheart!” she hissed. But he didn’t turn around. Instead, sharp claws tweaked her tail.

  “Ow!” Dovepaw looked over her shoulder.

  Sandstorm was looking at her sternly. “It’s time to sit down. The leaders are about to speak.”

  Frustrated, Dovepaw peered through the jumble of pelts and ears to where Tigerheart sat. Snowbird’s white fur glowed beside his slick, dark pelt. She tried to catch his eye, but Redwillow slid in beside them and Tigerheart disappeared behind his Clanmate’s wide, tawny head
. Reluctantly Dovepaw turned to watch the leaders.

  Onestar padded to the center of the branch. Dovepaw anxiously held her breath. Please don’t mention me! “The return of the lake has been a blessing from StarClan,” he began.

  “I suppose the cats who went and found it had nothing to do with it,” Blossompaw muttered under her breath.

  “Our brave warriors who unblocked the river have returned safely and are happy to be with their Clan once more.” The WindClan leader’s gaze swept over the ThunderClan cats, and Dovepaw found herself hunching into her shoulders as he went on.

  “WindClan will be forever grateful for the courage and strength of its brave warriors.”

  Briarpaw pressed against her. “He’s acting like WindClan did it alone,” she whispered. “What about you and Lionblaze and Tigerheart and—”

  “Hush.” Squirrelflight glared at them before turning back to the Great Oak as Onestar continued.

  “As leaf-bare approaches, it’s important we secure our borders. Rabbits are running well, but if leaf-bare is harsh, we must protect what is ours.” He stared down at ThunderClan. “Any trespassers will be dealt with severely.”

  Dovepaw curled her claws, waiting for him to mention her by name. Relief swept through her as the WindClan leader simply nodded and withdrew along the branch, making way for Mistystar. Silence gripped the Clans as the new RiverClan leader spoke for the first time.

  “You all know by now that I am RiverClan’s new leader.”

  Cheers erupted. “Mistystar! Mistystar!”

  Firestar stood and dipped his head low to the gray she-cat, his eyes glowing with pride. Dovepaw pricked her ears. The ThunderClan leader seemed to have genuine warmth for the new RiverClan leader. I suppose he’s known her for a long time. Besides, judging from the calls that came equally from every Clan, she was popular with all the cats, just as Jayfeather had predicted.

  Mistystar nodded, her blue eyes round and unblinking, her gaze sweeping the Clans until they fell silent. “Leopardstar was a noble leader,” she began. Murmurs of agreement rippled through the cats as Mistystar pressed on. “She was brave and loyal and would have done anything to protect her Clanmates.”