Warriors: Omen of the Stars #6: The Last Hope (15 page)

“Tonight will change everything.”

Tigerstar’s growl yanked her back to the present. The dark warrior stood on a fallen tree, his claws curling into the slimy moss. Shredtail, Hawkfrost, and Darkstripe stared up at him while Mapleshade hung back in the shadows with Sparrowfeather. Thistleclaw and Brokenstar watched through slitted eyes. Applefur, Hollowflight, and Redwillow clustered together, their fur spiked with excitement. Birchfall and Beetlewhisker were there too, as well as Tigerheart and Furzepelt.
How could so many cats have fallen for Tigerstar’s lies?

Tigerstar’s eyes gleamed. “This mission will be the first of many.”

Ivypool leaned closer to Blossomfall. “The first of many whats?” She hadn’t been listening.

Blossomfall stuck her muzzle in Ivypool’s ear. “Special patrols. Tigerstar’s going to start taking us into Clan territories.”

Ivypool felt sick. She stared at the dark warrior, his shoulders rippling in the eerie light.

“Knowledge is power.” Tigerstar’s amber gaze swung around and fixed on her.

Ivypool met his eyes, chin high, and held it as he went on.

“Knowledge of your battle territory will give you the greatest advantage imaginable because it will be the last thing your enemies expect. Most of you are unfamiliar with the territories beside the lake, so I will be taking you to visit each Clan—without them realizing, of course—and you can learn the best places to fight.”

Redwillow stepped forward. “Where to lie in wait!”

Hollowflight clawed the earth. “Where to corner your enemy.”

Thistleclaw swung his long, gray tail. “And where to chase your
prey.
”

Prey?
Ivypool dug her claws into the ground to stop her paws from shaking.
He means warriors.

Blossomfall’s breath stirred her ear.
“Four Clans will unite as one when it matters most.”
She was quoting Tigerstar! “We’ll be able to fight for whichever Clan needs our help.”

Ivypool jerked her head around and stared at her Clanmate.
How can you be so dumb?
She turned back to Tigerstar. “Which territory will we start with?” she called.

Tigerstar’s whiskers twitched. “ThunderClan.”

“
I’d
like to see that.” Mapleshade shambled forward.

“Me too!” Sparrowfeather bounded to the fading warrior’s side.

Tigerstar narrowed his eyes. “Any other volunteers?”

Tigerheart and Furzepelt shouldered their way to the front.

Tigerstar nodded. “And from RiverClan?” His gaze stopped at Beetlewhisker. “You’ll do. And Hollowflight.”

Ivypool stared straight at Tigerstar. Was he only going to show ThunderClan’s territory to the other Clans? She stepped forward. “What about
my
apprentices?” she challenged. “Birchfall and Redwillow deserve to go.” Ivypool tipped her head toward Blossomfall. “And her.”
Go on! Refuse!
If Tigerstar only showed ThunderClan territory to their enemies,
someone
must work out that he wasn’t doing it for the good of the Clans but for his own twisted reasons. She willed Tigerstar to give himself away.

Tigerstar dipped his head. “Very well, Ivypool. They can come too.”

“And me?” She stepped closer.

Tigerstar showed his teeth. “Of course,” he murmured smoothly. “You can be our guide.” The dark warrior nodded to Brokenstar. “I’ll report back when we return.” He leaped from the log and padded between the trees, signaling with his tail.

As Ivypool followed the patrol, she glanced over her shoulder, then scanned the trees and bushes they passed. If this route led from the Dark Forest to the lake territories, she wanted to remember it. They walked through gloomy glades, past foul-smelling bogs and across streams that were no more than muddy trickles. The earth beneath Ivypool’s paws, at first slippery with moss, suddenly softened into grass. Ivypool looked up. She could see the branches of the trees above her head. The shadows had lifted and beyond them the moon shone in a wide, starry sky.

We’ve crossed over!
She didn’t recognize the slope that rose ahead of them. But as they climbed, brambles began to crowd the trail. The trunks of the trees suddenly became familiar, and the ferns spilling across their path were rich with ThunderClan scents.

Hollowflight wrinkled his nose. “How can you live with this stench?” he murmured to Ivypool.

Ivypool flicked the RiverClan warrior’s ear with her tail. “If you put up with our scent, then I’ll put up with yours when we visit RiverClan’s territory,” she teased.

Redwillow fell in beside them. “Thanks for getting me on the patrol,” he whispered. “The more I learn, the sooner I’ll be like a real Dark Forest warrior.”

“A
real
Dark Forest warrior?” Ivypool jerked her head around and stared at him. “Don’t you just want to be the best ShadowClan warrior you can be?”

“Dark Forest warriors are
way
stronger.” Hollowflight nudged her. “And they don’t worry about rules.”

Redwillow nodded. “I feel like I’m training with kittypets when I’m with my Clanmates.”

“Here, only the strongest survive,” Hollowflight growled.

“It should be like that in the Clans,” Redwillow added.

Ivypool stared at him. “Would you let your Clanmates die if they were weak?”

Alarm sparked in Redwillow’s eyes as though he realized he’d revealed too much. “O-of course not.” His gaze flashed to Hollowflight. “We were just saying that we’ve got a lot to learn from the Dark Forest warriors, that’s all. So we can be true warriors.”

“Yeah.” Ivypool kept walking, trying to stop her fur spiking in horror. “I guess that’s what we’re training for.”

Tigerstar halted at the top of the slope, the trees behind him framing the lake below. “See how thick the tree trunks are.” He nodded toward a sturdy beech. “That’s why we teach you to climb in the Dark Forest. Here in ThunderClan territory you have to be prepared to fight in trees.” His gaze sought out Blossomfall’s. “Why don’t you explain?”

Blossomfall pushed her way to the head of the patrol, her chest puffed out. “All ThunderClan cats are taught to climb so we can drop on enemies from above, and we can move through the forest by jumping from branch to branch without touching the ground.”

“Like squirrels,” Redwillow muttered.

Blossomfall flicked her tail. “We move like squirrels, but we fight like foxes!”

Ivypool’s fur lifted along her spine. Blossomfall was giving away all of ThunderClan’s secrets! “We hardly bother with tree-fighting now,” she lied quickly.

“But Dovewing and Brambleclaw were practicing earlier!” Blossomfall blurted.

Ivypool caught Birchfall’s gaze, relieved to see that his eyes were glittering with worry.
He understands the danger!

“They don’t have to know everything, Blossomfall,” Birchfall cautioned.

Tigerstar shifted his paws. “Don’t worry, Birchfall,” he meowed. “We’re among friends.” He gazed around the patrol. “We’re Clanmates now. Secrets aren’t necessary.”

Mapleshade padded heavily up the slope and stopped beside Tigerstar. “Perhaps Birchfall doesn’t feel part of our Clan.” There was menace in her mew.

“Of course he does!” Ivypool growled, stepping in front of her father.

“Then why doesn’t
he
tell us something about ThunderClan territory?” Tigerstar invited.

“I-it’s all woods,” Birchfall began. Ivypool could tell he was feeling uncomfortable from the way the tip of his tail quivered. “Except for the slopes down to the shore and to the WindClan border.”

“And is it better to fight in woodland or the open?” Tigerstar pressed.

Birchfall’s gaze darted nervously toward Furzepelt. “ThunderClan fights better in the woods, I guess,” he admitted. “We can use the undergrowth to trap our enemies.”

We’re giving everything away!
Ivypool padded to the top of the slope and stared across the lake toward RiverClan. “Why don’t you tell us about your territory, Beetlewhisker?”

Beetlewhisker lifted his tail. “We have pine trees, not oaks,” he began.

Brambles swished at the bottom of the slope. Ivypool stiffened. “Someone’s coming!” Spiderleg’s pelt was moving through the undergrowth below them. Brambleclaw was following him.

“Are you sure you heard voices?” Brambleclaw asked.

“I was guarding the entrance and I heard paw steps.” Spiderleg faltered. “I wasn’t sure at first if they
were
paw steps, to be honest. I thought I’d imagined them. But then I heard voices coming from this direction.”

“It’d better not be another WindClan invasion.” Brambleclaw growled. “We should check the tunnel entrances.”

“But the voices came from here.” Spiderleg’s pelt disappeared under ferns as he headed up the slope.

Blood pounded in Ivypool’s ears. “We’ve got to get out of here!” she hissed to Tigerstar.

“And miss a chance to practice our battle skills?” Tigerstar spat back.

“You can’t!” Fear shot through Ivypool. “Take us back now!”

“Are you scared of your Clanmates?” Tigerstar’s murmur was no more than a breath in her ear.

They mustn’t find out I’m visiting the Dark Forest!
The brambles shivered below them. Ivypool felt panic rising. “If they find us here,” she whispered, “they’ll start sending out night patrols.” Hope flickered in her belly as Tigerstar’s ear twitched. “And when the final battle comes, we’ll have lost the advantage of surprise.”

Tigerstar narrowed his eyes. “Very well.”

Relief rushed through Ivypool as the dark warrior signaled with his tail and led the patrol quickly and silently along the crest of the slope. Swallowed by brambles and creeping juniper, Ivypool kept low and followed Tigerstar, checking behind to see that the rest of the patrol was keeping up. The undergrowth grew darker and when she looked up, the moon had disappeared. The ground turned slimy once more beneath her paws and ferns gave way to tangled thorn bushes. Ivypool wrinkled her nose as the air soured with the stench of decay. They were back in the Dark Forest.

As the patrol broke from a thicket of sticky brambles, Tigerstar halted.

Mapleshade paced around him. “Why didn’t we stay and fight?”

Blossomfall lifted her muzzle. “We went there to learn, not to fight.”

Redwillow sat down. “I’ve never been so deep into ThunderClan territory.” He ran a paw over his whiskers. “Wait till you see ShadowClan’s forests. They’re totally different.”

“So is RiverClan territory,” Hollowflight chimed in. “The reed beds make great places for ambushes.”

Sparrowfeather flexed his claws. “I’m looking forward to learning all your territories.”

Why can’t they see the menace in his eyes?
As Ivypool glanced nervously at the Dark Forest warrior, claws pierced her shoulder.

“Don’t ever challenge me like that again.” Tigerstar thrust her to the ground, eyes blazing.

Buckling under the pain, Ivypool glared up at him. “I was only trying to protect the patrol!”

Birchfall’s eyes widened with alarm.
Be careful
! Ivypool stiffened as Birchfall padded toward Tigerstar.
Don’t defend me!
You’ll make it worse for both of us.

Birchfall faced Tigerstar. “What exactly was the point of visiting the lake?”

He’s trying to distract him.
Ivypool felt a flood of relief and gratitude. She winced as Tigerstar’s claws sunk deeper into her shoulder. “Why don’t you explain it to your Clanmate, Ivypool?” the old warrior snarled.

Ivypool swallowed. “The more we know, the better warriors we can be,” she gasped.

Tigerstar loosened his grip.

“We all follow the warrior code,” Ivypool continued. She wriggled away from Tigerstar and stood beside her father. “Knowing all the territories like they are our own will help us to help one another.” She hated lying to defend Tigerstar but there was no other way to hide her treachery against the Dark Forest.

A growl sounded behind Tigerstar. “How did it go?” Brokenstar padded into the clearing. Behind him, Dark Forest warriors swarmed like rats, their eyes bright with curiosity.

“What was it like?” Shredtail growled.

“Did you see the
stars?”
Darkstripe snarled mockingly.

Ivypool gazed around the ranks of scarred, scowling faces and thought of her Clanmates sleeping peacefully back in the hollow.
They have no idea of the danger they’re in.
Her heart ached with pity.
But I promise I’ll protect you, right to my very last breath.