Outcast

Jaypaw flexed his claws, scraping them on the hard stone of the path as he waited for his turn. He hated this place and couldn’t think why he had ever wanted to come. He had expected to discover the landscape of his dreams; instead, the wind wafted unfamiliar scents to him, and he had no sense of Rock’s presence or any warrior ancestors. His helplessness made him angry, too.

His fear mounted as he heard Tawnypelt encouraging Hollypaw to make the leap. “Don’t look down,” the ShadowClan she-cat meowed. “Keep your eyes on Brambleclaw.”

“I’ll be okay.” Hollypaw sounded tense.

A moment later Jaypaw heard a yowl of congratulations from Lionpaw and knew that his sister had made the leap safely. Tawnypelt’s scent suddenly faded, telling him that she too had jumped across the gap. Now there was no cat between him and the yawning abyss that he could imagine in front of his paws. The fur on his shoulders began to bristle.

“Now listen.” Squirrelflight was close beside him. “The gap is a couple of fox-lengths ahead and about three tail-lengths wide. You’ve jumped that far before. Take three paw steps for a run-up, then jump.”

“I’m right here, Jaypaw,” Brambleclaw called. “I’ll grab you as soon as you’re across.”

“Okay,” Jaypaw called back, proud that his voice didn’t shake. All his muscles tensed. “I’m coming now.”

Not giving himself a chance to hesitate, he launched himself forward, his paws skimming the rock before his hind legs thrust him into the air. His heart pounded in a moment’s wild panic; then his paws hit rock with a thud. He staggered and felt Lionpaw’s shoulder steadying him.

“Great leap!” his brother mewed. “Practice a bit more and you’ll be a flying cat.”

“No way,” Jaypaw muttered. He stood still, forcing his breathing to steady and his pelt to lie flat again.

By the time the rest of the cats had leaped across the gap, he was ready to go on, even beginning to feel pleased with himself. That would show the Tribe cats whether a blind apprentice could make the journey!

Now he sensed that their path led between towering walls of stone. The air around them was still, though he could hear wind whining among the rocks above. Their voices echoed and the rattle of loose stones dislodged by their paw steps sounded unnaturally loud.

“Best keep quiet,” Talon meowed. “We’re getting closer, and there might be intruders around.”

The path seemed to wind and curl back on itself. Once Jaypaw heard the gurgle of falling water and his paws splashed through a shallow stream. His belly rumbled as he picked up the scents of prey. They were faint and sparse, and he wondered why any cats would want to live in such an unfriendly place, much less fight over it.

He heard Breezepaw ask if they could stop and hunt, and Crowfeather snapped at him that there was no time. “You might want to spend the night out here, but I don’t!”

“There’ll be fresh-kill when we get to the cave,” Brook mewed.

Jaypaw wondered if she was right. Wasn’t part of the Tribe’s problem that the intruders were taking all their prey?

He tried to sense the passage of time. Was the sun going down, filling the cleft where they walked with shadows? Back in the forest, there was so much to tell him when sunset was approaching: changes in wind and scent, the fading of birdsong, the cool touch of grass blades as twilight covered them.

Here there was nothing to guide him.

The rocky path began to slope upward and the breeze picked up again, as if they were climbing out of the valley.

Suddenly Jaypaw heard a yowl from above his head.

“Lionpaw, come up here! I can see forever!” Hollypaw’s voice was full of excitement.

Night gave a furious hiss. Talon growled, “I said quiet.”

“Hollypaw, get down at once,” Squirrelflight ordered.

The cats halted. A couple of heartbeats later came the patter of paws and Hollypaw’s voice again. “Sorry, I forgot.” But Jaypaw didn’t think she was sorry; excitement was still rushing through her like a river in flood. “But it’s awesome. You can see the whole world!”

“If you’ve warned the intruders—” Talon began and broke off.

Jaypaw was aware of something approaching. There was no sound, only a disturbance in the air that told him of swift movement. “Someone’s coming,” he whispered.

“It’s them,” Talon mewed tersely.

“Then we’d better get out of here,” Brambleclaw began.

“Too late,” Night interrupted him. “Keep together. Put the apprentices in the center.”

Jaypaw was almost jostled off his paws as Crowfeather shoved him against the others.

“We can fight!” Lionpaw insisted.

“Yes, you don’t have to protect us,” Hollypaw added.

Breezepaw said nothing, only let out a defiant snarl.

None of the older cats paid them any attention. Jaypaw found himself crushed against Hollypaw on one side and Breezepaw on the other, with the experienced fighters in a circle around them. Hollypaw was muttering curses under her breath.