Dark River

Breezepaw didn’t say anything, just padded away from his mentor and pushed his way through the busy clearing. Berrypaw and Hazelpaw were chatting with a crowd of ShadowClan and WindClan apprentices. As Breezepaw joined them, Lionpaw’s pelt bristled with expectation. Was Heatherpaw’s pale tabby fur anywhere among the jumble of pelts?

He couldn’t see her.

“What are you so disappointed about?” Jaypaw asked.

Lionpaw stared at him. “D-disappointed?” Jaypaw always had an uncanny way of guessing what he was feeling. “I’m not disappointed!”

“A mouse on the moor could have heard your tail hit the ground,” Jaypaw mewed.

“I was hoping to see someone,” Lionpaw admitted.

Hollypaw flicked her ears anxiously. “Heatherpaw?”

“Well, you want to see Willowpaw!” he retorted, his fur bristling at her accusing tone.

“It’s not the same.”

“Yes, it is!” Lionpaw protested. “We’re just friends.” As he spoke, he smelled a warmly familiar scent. Heatherpaw was racing across the clearing toward him.

“Lionpaw! You’re here!”

He felt his heart skip, then glanced nervously at Jaypaw.

Was he listening to his heartbeat, too? As though burying prey ready to taste later, Lionpaw pushed his excitement away. “Hello, Heatherpaw,” he mewed coolly.

“You don’t sound very pleased to see me.” The WindClan cat’s ears twitched. “I’ve been on my best behavior all moon so that Crowfeather couldn’t possibly leave me behind.”

Lionpaw felt a flash of guilt about his lack of enthusiasm.

Then anger pricked his paws. Why should he feel guilty? She was just a friend. “I’m glad you made it,” he mewed.

Hollypaw stepped in front of him and lightly brushed muzzles with Heatherpaw. “StarClan have given us fine weather again,” she mewed politely.

“You brought your brother!” Heatherpaw’s eyes shone as she noticed Jaypaw. Jealousy ran like cold water along Lionpaw’s spine. He wished she hadn’t been around to watch Jaypaw rescue him from the collapsed badger set.

He was almost grateful when Jaypaw snapped at her hotly, “Nobody brought me! I came with my Clan!”

“Of course,” Heatherpaw mewed at once. “I’m sorry. I know you can travel by yourself. It’s just—”

“Jaypaw!” Leafpool’s call rescued Heatherpaw from her flustered apology. “Come and join us!” She was sitting with Barkface and Mothwing.

Lionpaw watched Jaypaw weave his way over to the other medicine cats. “Take no notice of Jaypaw,” he mewed to Heatherpaw. “He’s as grumpy as a badger.”

“Who’s grumpy?”

Lionpaw jerked around to see who had spoken. His heart plummeted when he saw Breezepaw padding toward them.

“You’re not going to waste your time chatting to these two, are you?” The black-pelted WindClan apprentice sat down beside Heatherpaw. “Ivypaw and Owlpaw have just challenged Berrypaw to a competition to see who can jump the highest.”

He licked a forepaw and drew it over his ear.

“Why don’t you go and watch it, then?” Heatherpaw replied.

“Why don’t you come with me?” A challenging glint sparked in Breezepaw’s eye.

Lionpaw heard the ferns rustling and smelled a familiar tang. “RiverClan is here,” he mewed.

Hollypaw stretched up on tiptoe beside him to watch RiverClan file into the clearing.

Something seemed wrong. Their tails were down and their ears were flat back. Jaypaw’s words buzzed in Lionpaw’s ears. There’s something odd…

Hollypaw narrowed her eyes. “Leopardstar doesn’t look very happy.”

The golden tabby she-cat was touching muzzles with Firestar, but her tail flicked impatiently, her gaze flitting around the clearing.

“Hollypaw!” Willowpaw broke away from her Clanmates and hurried to greet Hollypaw. “I can’t stay.” The RiverClan medicine cat apprentice was out of breath. “I have to join Mothwing. But I just wanted to say hello.”

“Is everything okay?” Hollypaw asked. “With your Clan, I mean. It’s just that you all seem a bit—”

At that moment, Crowfeather padded over to join them.

Lionpaw’s whiskers twitched with frustration. Would he never get a moment alone with Heatherpaw?

“Heatherpaw,” the WindClan warrior greeted his apprentice briskly. “Why don’t you go and talk to some of the apprentices from the other Clans? This is a good chance to get to know different cats.” His gaze flickered over Lionpaw and Hollypaw.

“Come on,” Breezepaw urged. “Let’s see if Ivypaw out-jumped Berrypaw.”

Heatherpaw glanced at Lionpaw, then shrugged. “Okay, then.”

Lionpaw’s tail stirred the needle-strewn earth behind him as he watched Crowfeather and Breezepaw guide her away.

“Let all the Clans gather beneath StarClan!”

Blackstar’s loud meow sounded from the Great Oak. The four leaders were lined along the lowest branch, silhouettes in the moonlight, their eyes shining in the dark. Lionpaw hurried after Hollypaw as she pushed her way in among her Clanmates and sat down beside Brackenfur. Lionpaw squeezed in front of her and sat beside Ashfur.

“Hey!” Hollypaw hissed. “Keep your head down. I want to see.”