Warriors: Power Of Three 5 - Long Shadows (22 page)

More nods and murmurs of agreement followed Stone Song’s speech. A black-and-white cat called out, “But where can we go?”

Jaypaw’s heart sank when he saw Stone Song turn toward him. He could guess what was coming next.

“Jay’s Wing has had a dream,” the tabby tom announced.

“He saw a place where we can live: stone hills teeming with prey and shelter, and free from any enemies.”

Jaypaw bit back a protest. He hadn’t made the mountains sound as wonderful as that! But Stone Song had a point; the Clans had made the Great Journey when Twolegs made the forest impossible to live in. And cats had settled in the mountains, long, long ago. If these cats were the ancestors of the Tribe, then perhaps it was Jaypaw’s responsibility to encourage them to go there.

“It sounds a lot better than here,” Dark Whiskers commented.

Rising Moon nodded. “I don’t want to lose my kits down those dreadful tunnels.”

“And we’d be far away from Twoleg monsters,” Whispering Breeze added. “We wouldn’t lose any more cats like my sister was lost.”

Jaypaw saw that Dove’s Wing and Fish Leap were gazing at him expectantly; their glances scorched his fur. They were waiting for him to lead them! Then he realized that all the cats were looking at him in the same way. For a heartbeat his head spun. I can’t do this! I want to go home to ThunderClan!

When his head cleared, Jaypaw saw that the cats had formed into a ragged line, leading up to Furled Bracken. Their gaze was fixed on the ground in front of the line. Jaypaw padded forward to see what they were looking at.

At Furled Bracken’s paws was a circular patch of bare ground, about the size of a tree stump. Beside it was a pile of small, round pebbles that looked as if they came from the lakeshore. Furled Bracken stretched out his claws and drew a line in the earth across the bare patch, dividing it into two halves. Then he pushed one of the stones into the center of one half.

“This side wishes to stay,” he announced. He stepped back to let the next cat choose.

Stone Song padded up. He pushed his stone into the opposite half of the bare patch. “This side wishes to leave.”

Jaypaw stared at the circle of ground in astonishment.

These cats were casting the stones themselves! There were no omens, no sharing tongues with StarClan, no obeying the word of the leader. Furled Bracken was allowing the cats to make their own decision. “What sort of way is this to run a Clan?” he murmured under his breath.

And what’s going to happen when all the stones are cast?

The elder Running Horse stepped up and placed a stone in the “stay” half of the circle. “My bones are too old to climb stone hills,” he grunted. “Come on, Cloudy Sun, you know what to do.”

The frail she-cat padded up beside him. “The sun warms me here, and that’s all I want now,” she murmured, pushing a stone to rest beside Running Horse’s. She touched her nose to his ear. “We’ll stay together.”

Stone Song and Dark Whiskers led Broken Shadow up to the circle. Distractedly, as if she hardly knew what she was doing, she set a stone in the “leave” half, and Dark Whiskers added his own with it.

Jagged Lightning padded up, hesitating for a moment while he glanced at Owl Feather. But Owl Feather was absorbed in watching her kits, who were wrestling at her paws. Jagged Lightning voted to stay, and turned away.

Jaypaw realized that Owl Feather had been aware of her mate all the time. As soon as Jagged Lightning had moved off from the circle, she cast her own stone, to leave, without looking at him once.

His belly churning, Jaypaw stepped up to make his own choice, but Furled Bracken held him back with a flick of the tail. “As the newest sharpclaw, you cast the final stone,” he meowed.

Jaypaw’s belly churned when he saw that two straight lines of stones were forming in the half circles. They looked equal; what would happen if there was no clear decision?

Rising Moon was the next cat to step up; she paused for a moment, then took a deep breath and pushed her stone into the “stay” half. “I’ve reared kits here before,” she murmured,

“and I’ll rear them again.”

Her mate Chasing Clouds gave her a long, sorrowful look, but cast his stone to leave. Whispering Breeze followed him.

The line for leaving was growing longer, but then Fish Leap, Dawn River, and Shy Fawn all went up together and set their stones to stay.

Dove’s Wing padded up slowly, glanced at her friends’

stones, then at Jaypaw, and finally voted to leave. Only Half Moon and Jaypaw were left. Half Moon stepped forward, gazing straight at Jaypaw as she pushed her stone into the “leave”

half of the circle.

The lines were equal! Now what do I do? Jaypaw wondered, aware that every cat was staring at him. How can it be fair that I have to make the decision? I don’t even belong here!

His paws trembled as he walked up to the edge of the bare patch and stretched out a paw to draw a stone toward him. It felt sun-warmed under his still-sore pad. “They have to go to the mountains,” he whispered. “They will become the Tribe of Rushing Water.” Closing his eyes, he pushed his stone to the end of the line that voted to leave.

A gasp like the wind in the trees rose from the cats around Jaypaw.

“No! No!” Broken Shadow wailed. “Fallen Leaves, I didn’t mean it! I want to stay with you!”

Another wail of distress rose from some other cat; Jaypaw felt a claw of guilt tear briefly at his heart, but he did his best to ignore it. I know that this is the right decision for them.

He padded away from the circle, aware of the glowing look in Half Moon’s eyes. “We’re going to travel together!” she whispered.

Furled Bracken stepped forward. “The stones have been cast,” he announced. “I can no longer be your leader. Stone Song, it is only fair that you lead us into the mountains.” His gaze traveled around the assembled cats. “If any cat thinks Stone Song should not be our leader, speak now.”

They choose their leaders? Jaypaw wondered, astonished. Leaders can retire, and become ordinary sharpclaws again?

Silence followed Furled Bracken’s words, except for the muffled wails of Broken Shadow. Rising Moon was beside her, comforting her by licking her ear. “Everything will be all right,” she encouraged the grief-stricken she-cat. “Fallen Leaves won’t know you’ve gone.”

You’re wrong, Jaypaw thought. Fallen Leaves will live in the tunnels for moons and moons and moons, in agony that he was abandoned.

Stone Song dipped his head to Furled Bracken. “I will do my best to lead our cats to safety,” he promised. Then he glanced around at the others, meeting the expectation in their eyes. “We shall rest until dusk,” he ordered. “We will leave while the Twoleg monsters are sleeping.”

Cats looked at each other, a f lurry of confusion arising even among those who had wanted to leave. “So soon?” Chasing Clouds asked.

“We have waited long enough,” Stone Song replied with a grief-filled glance at Broken Shadow. “There is nothing more to keep us here. Jay’s Wing has told us of the stone hills that are ready for us. They will be our home.”

Chasing Clouds straightened up. “Then let’s hunt,” he suggested. “We’ll make sure that every cat is full fed before we set out.”

Several cats bounded out of the glade as soon as he had finished speaking, looking relieved to have something to do.

Chasing Clouds followed them, pausing beside Rising Moon to touch her ear with his nose. “We will raise strong, healthy kits in the mountains,” he promised her.

R ising Moon hesitated for a heartbeat, then twined her tail with his. “I know. I’ll look for some useful herbs,” she added.

“Running Horse will help me.”

Memories flooded over Jaypaw of the preparations he and his Clanmates had made before their own journey into the mountains. He wondered if there was any more advice he ought to give these cats, like watching out for the dogs in the barn that had nearly torn Hollyleaf and Lionblaze to pieces.

Mouse-brain! he told himself. The barn probably isn’t even built yet.

Standing alone in the midst of the flurry of activity, Jaypaw couldn’t shake off the feeling that there was something missing, something essential for the cats to find their new home and establish themselves securely in the mountains. He just couldn’t think what it was.

I’ d better try to catch some prey, he decided. I’ ll need strength for the journey. At least I’ ll be able to see when I leap over the gaps in the mountains!

Before he reached the edge of the glade, he was intercepted by Stone Song. “Jay’s Wing, I need to talk to you.”

Puzzled, Jaypaw followed him into the shadow of the trees that fringed the glade. The dark gray tabby stood over him, an earnest expression in his blue eyes. “I need your help, Jay’s Wing,” he explained. “We’ve never had a cat like you before, who sees things in their dreams. Have you done it before? Do you think it will happen again?”

Jaypaw didn’t know what to answer; certainly he couldn’t tell the truth. In the end, he nodded awkwardly.

Relief crept into the new leader’s eyes. “This is unknown for all of us. I know your dreams may be wrong, but I am willing to trust you—and wherever your dreams came from.”

Understanding blazed down on Jaypaw like a burst of sunlight. Now he understood what these cats needed more than anything else. They needed StarClan, and a medicine cat to help them listen to the cats that had walked here before.

“Your . . . our ancestors,” he blurted out. “The dreams are sent by our ancestors.”

Stone Shadow looked startled. “You mean cats who have died?”

Jaypaw nodded. “They will guide us, if we’re prepared to listen. They’ll . . . they’ll speak to us in dreams, and send us signs that certain cats will understand.”

Stone Song’s eyes widened and his neck fur began to rise.

“Do you mean they speak to you?”

“Yes, but they’ll speak to other cats, too—if they’re willing to hear what they have to say.”

Stone Song tipped his head on one side. “We have always wondered whether our lost cats can still see us and hear us. I know Broken Shadow wishes for that more than anything.”

He hesitated, then added, “You’re sure it’s not just dreams of your mother?”

“I know it isn’t.”

The new leader’s blue eyes seemed more piercing than ever.

“If we find the stone hills, I will know you are right.” Turning to leave, he glanced back over one shoulder. “Thank you, Jay’s Wing.”

When he had gone, Jaypaw flopped to the ground, his head spinning. Have I just made myself the first-ever medicine cat? He didn’t even know if these cats had the same sort of ancestors, in some kind of StarClan or Tribe of Endless Hunting. Have I just set myself an impossible task?

The sound of approaching paw steps roused him from his thoughts. Looking up, he saw Half Moon appearing from behind the nearest tree, a vole dangling from her jaws. She set it down in front of him.

“Here,” she mewed. “I know your paws are still too sore to hunt.” When Jaypaw hesitated, she pushed it closer with one paw. “Go ahead. I’ve had mine.”

“Thanks.” Jaypaw tore hungrily into the vole. “You’re a great hunter, Half Moon,” he mumbled around a huge mouthful.

“It looks as if we’ve a long journey ahead,” Half Moon went on. “Do you really believe there are stone hills where we can make our home?” Her green eyes were wide, shimmering in the half-light under the trees.

Jaypaw swallowed. “Yes. I promise, they are there.”

Half Moon gave him a long look, overwhelming him once more with the intensity in her gaze. “I believe you,” she murmured.

Jaypaw shared the last of the vole with her and settled down to doze beside her, their tails curled around each other. Breathing in her sweet scent, he began to feel a little less homesick. A little more as if this was where— when—he belonged.

A paw prodded him in the side. Blinking, he looked up into the face of Whispering Breeze. “It’s time,” she mewed.

Half Moon was already on her paws. Jaypaw followed her through the clearing and out onto the hillside. The sun had set, leaving only a few streaks of scarlet in the sky. Jaypaw looked up to see if any of the warriors of StarClan had appeared, before he remembered that his warrior ancestors wouldn’t be born for many seasons.

So are they just stars? he wondered, gazing up at the glittering points of light.

Cats were padding anxiously among the trees as if their paws itched to leave, while their hearts still drew them back to their familiar home. Jaypaw watched Owl Feather’s kits tumbling around her paws. “Are we really going all the way to the top of the hill?” one of them asked, his eyes huge as moons.

“That’s right,” Owl Feather replied. “And even farther than that.”

The tiny kit bounced with delight. “Wow!”

Running Horse and Cloudy Sun were standing together under a tree. Running Horse brushed his tail along his denmate’s side. “The stones are cast, so we have to go,” he meowed.

“We’ll get there,” Cloudy Sun replied bravely. “We’ll help each other.”

Admiring the elders’ courage, Jaypaw hoped she was right.

He was already planning the route to make it as easy as possible, hoping that now that he could see he could remember the way to the cave behind the waterfall.

“Are we ready?” Stone Song padded up, casting a glance at all the cats.

A murmur of agreement rose around him. Jaypaw noticed that Jagged Lightning and Shy Fawn were both looking unhappy, but they didn’t protest. Now that the decision had been made, every cat would stand by it. This was their code of honor, their version of the warrior code.

Stone Song flicked his ears at Jaypaw. “Ready, Jay’s Wing?”

Jaypaw nodded. Am I really doing this? Am I about to lead the Tribe of Rushing Water to their new home?

Stone Song set off up the hill, his cats following him in straggling groups. Jaypaw took his place near the back. When they reached the top of the ridge, the purple line of mountains had vanished in the gathering darkness; the land stretched flat and black in front of them as far as the horizon.

As they padded along the ridge, Half Moon hurried up, brushing against Jaypaw’s side. “Look, one of Owl Feather’s kits has fallen over,” she mewed. “I must go help her.”