Warriors: Power Of Three 1 - Sight (15 page)

“He was ThunderClan’s deputy before you were born,”

Firestar told her.

“Graystripe?” Cinderpaw guessed, tipping her head to one side.

“Graystripe!” Poppypaw echoed excitedly.

Cinderpaw ran in an excited circle. “Can I tell Cloudtail?

Oh, please?” Without waiting for an answer, she charged toward the warriors’ den, calling her mentor’s name.

Cloudtail appeared at the den entrance, his sleep-ruffled pelt glowing in the moonlight. “What’s the matter, Cinderpaw?” he complained.

“Graystripe is back!”

Brackenfur pushed past Cloudtail and stood outside the den. “Graystripe?” He stared, blinking, across the clearing, then raced toward his old friend.

“Graystripe’s back!” Cloudtail yowled. As he bounded over to greet his Clanmate, Stormfur and Whitewing burst from the den, mewing excitedly.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” Brackenfur murmured, touching muzzles with Graystripe.

“Firestar was right!” Stormfur added, pushing past Brackenfur. “He told us you’d find your way back!”

Graystripe stared at Stormfur—his son—in astonishment.

“Do you live with ThunderClan now?”

“What’s all this noise?” Mousefur’s grumpy mew sounded as the old she-cat squeezed stiffly out through the tangled entrance of the elders’ den.

Longtail appeared behind her, his blind eyes staring blankly ahead. He sniffed the air. Even in the dim light of the moon, Hollypaw saw the fur prick along his spine. “I smell Graystripe,” he meowed.

“Graystripe?” Mousefur scoffed. “You’re dreaming.”

“He’s not dreaming,” Firestar promised.

Graystripe pushed his way out through the knot of warriors in the center of the clearing. “It really is me,” he meowed.

“Great StarClan!” Mousefur raced over to Graystripe and ran her tail along his flank. “How in Silverpelt did you find us?”

Sandstorm stepped forward. “It’s a long story that can wait till morning,” she meowed softly. “Graystripe and Millie are exhausted.”

“Millie?” Mousefur glanced at the stranger standing beside Graystripe.

“Millie helped me make the journey here,” Graystripe explained. “She is my mate now.”

Mousefur narrowed her eyes, and Hollypaw’s belly tight-ened with anxiety. How would the crotchety elder react?

Warriors were not supposed to find mates outside their Clan, and certainly not kittypet mates.

But Mousefur only dipped her head to Millie. “Still breaking the rules, I see, Graystripe,” she mewed.

Hollypaw flicked the tip of her tail uneasily. The Clan seemed ready to accept Millie, but what did StarClan think about it? She glanced at Firestar. Perhaps having a leader with kittypet roots meant it was okay. The most important thing was that Millie had proved herself a warrior by helping Graystripe find his way back to the Clan. They had both survived, and that must mean StarClan approved of her.

A shadow by the warriors’ den caught her eye. Brook had woken up. The mountain cat padded over to Stormfur and murmured in his ear.

Jaypaw emerged from the apprentices’ den, his nose twitching. “What’s going on?”

Lionpaw bounded over to him. “Graystripe’s back!”

Jaypaw turned his sightless gaze toward Graystripe and Millie. “Who’s with him?”

“His new mate,” Cinderpaw explained. “From Twolegplace.”

Jaypaw wrinkled his nose. “Well, tell Leafpool she’s got an infected wound. I can smell it from here.”

“Brambleclaw!” Firestar called to his deputy. “Find nests for Graystripe and Millie in the warriors’ den.”

Brambleclaw padded away with a nod.

Hollypaw was aware of a growing murmuring among the cats.

“Graystripe’s not as big as I imagined,” Cinderpaw whispered. “He looks small next to Brambleclaw.”

“He smells of crow-food,” Jaypaw mewed.

“He must have been eating like a loner for moons,”

Lionpaw pointed out. “Once he starts eating like a warrior again, he won’t seem so small.”

Whitewing looked uneasily at Squirrelflight. “What will happen now? Who is our deputy?”

Squirrelflight’s gaze flicked anxiously from Graystripe to the warriors’ den entrance, where Brambleclaw had disappeared. “I don’t know.”

Firestar gazed steadily at his Clanmates. “Nothing is going to change right now. We should just be grateful that Graystripe has returned to his Clan.”

“There’s no room in the den for two new nests,” Brambleclaw informed Firestar, returning. “One, maybe, but that’s all.”

“It doesn’t matter where we sleep, but I want to stay with Millie,” Graystripe mewed wearily.

“You shall,” Firestar promised. “We were going to expand the den anyway.”

“We’d rather sleep separate from the others at first,”

Graystripe told him. “Just till we get used to being around so many cats again.”

“There’s an alcove behind the warriors’ den,” Brightheart suggested. “The ground is grassy there, so it’s soft.”

“And there are plenty of brambles left from when we cleared the entrance to the medicine den,” Leafpool put in.

“If we arranged them in front, the alcove would be sheltered.”

Firestar looked at Graystripe. “You’d prefer this?”

The gray warrior nodded.

Hollypaw jumped to her paws. As a medicine cat apprentice she knew that she must take care of the new arrivals.

Their bedding would need to be warm and comfortable, and they should have herbs to help them recover from their long journey.

“Brackenfur, Cloudtail, and Brambleclaw,” Firestar called, “start moving the brambles.”

“Yes, Firestar.” Brambleclaw hurried away to the browned and brittle brambles pushed into the shadows beside the medicine den. Brackenfur and Cloudtail followed.

“Can I help?” Cinderpaw begged.

Brackenfur stopped and turned, ready to answer, but Cinderpaw was already hurtling toward him. She careened into him, and fell backward, tumbling tail over whiskers.

“Sorry, Brackenfur!” she mewed, scrambling to her feet, her eyes filled with dismay.

Brackenfur purred at his daughter. “You’re always a tail-length ahead of yourself, Cinderpaw,” he meowed. “You remind me of my sister when she was an apprentice.”

“Come on, Cinderpaw!” Cloudtail called. “Help me drag this bramble over to the alcove.”

“Sorry,” Cinderpaw mewed again, and raced over to help her mentor.

By the time dawn broke over the camp, spilling pinks and oranges over the cloud-dappled sky, the den was finished.

With a sleepy nod of thanks, Graystripe and Millie padded inside.

On the other side of the clearing, Sandstorm and Spiderleg were leading Honeypaw and Mousepaw out of the camp on the dawn patrol. Brambleclaw and Cloudtail headed to their den to sleep. Hollypaw stayed with Leafpool outside the makeshift den and admired their work.

“That moss you collected will keep them warm,” she mewed. Leafpool had gathered a little from each of the dens, and Hollypaw had helped her shape it into a comfortable nest for Graystripe and Millie. Graystripe might be ThunderClan’s rightful deputy; Hollypaw wanted to make his nest as cozy as possible.

“Should I fetch them some herbs?” Hollypaw offered.

“Jaypaw said that Millie’s got an infected wound.”

“How did he know?” Leafpool looked at her in surprise.

Hollypaw shrugged. “He smelled it.” She was groping for the name of some leaf or seed that might help, but after all the excitement of building the den, her mind felt too fuzzy.

“We’ll make sure we see to it come sunhigh,” Leafpool told her. “Right now, Graystripe and Millie need rest more than anything else.”

Hollypaw stifled a yawn.

Leafpool gazed down at her. “You must be tired too,” she observed.

“A little,” Hollypaw admitted. In fact, she was almost numb with exhaustion.

“Let’s get some sleep,” Leafpool suggested. She got to her paws and padded toward the medicine den. Gratefully, Hollypaw followed her. She was looking forward to curling up in her nest and closing her eyes.

When Hollypaw awoke, weak sunlight was flowing through the brambles, rippling like water on the sandy earth.

Immediately she thought of Graystripe. Firestar had told them nothing would change right now. Did this mean that he planned to replace Brambleclaw with his old friend eventu-ally? Would StarClan expect him to?

She padded from the warm moss, scenting the chilly air.

Her belly rumbled.

Leafpool lay in her nest, eyes closed. But as Hollypaw stirred, she lifted her nose. “Awake already?” She got to her paws and stretched, curling her tail till it shivered. “You had a busy night. I thought you’d sleep longer.”

“I’m hungry,” Hollypaw confessed.

“There’s fresh-kill on the pile,” Leafpool told her, scenting the air.

Hollypaw fetched a mouse for her mentor and a vole for herself. She ate ravenously, swallowing it in a few mouthfuls before licking her paws and washing her face. “Shall we check on Graystripe now?” she asked eagerly.

“Is it sunhigh?”

“Not yet.”

“Then let them sleep a little longer,” Leafpool decided.

She padded over to the piles of herbs at the back of the den and began sifting through them. “I need you to fetch some borage,” she meowed. “We’re running low, and Graystripe or Millie might have a fever. There’s some lakeward, over the ridge.”

Alarm pricked at Hollypaw’s claws. “You won’t wake them before I return?” There might be a lot to learn from the Clan’s newest patients. She hadn’t had a sick cat to treat since she became a medicine cat. She had tried to learn the names of herbs and what they were used for, but she was looking forward to actually using some. It might help her memorize them a little more easily.

“So long as you don’t dawdle,” Leafpool warned.

“I won’t,” Hollypaw promised.

Leafpool turned back to her herbs, spreading poppy seeds under her paw to count them.

Hollypaw turned to leave, then paused. “The Clan sat vigil for Graystripe, didn’t it?”

“Yes, we did.” Leafpool didn’t look up from sifting through a pile of feverfew leaves.

“Does that mean he’s officially dead? In the eyes of StarClan, I mean?”

“I think StarClan will have noticed that Graystripe’s with us and not them,” Leafpool meowed dryly.

“But what about the warrior code? Is he officially dead according to the warrior code?”

“Did he look like he was dead last night?” Leafpool meowed.

“But if he’s not dead, then surely he’s still dep—”

“We are here to heal.” Leafpool looked directly at her.

“Firestar’s problems are not ours, unless StarClan wishes them to be. Now, are you going?”

“Going?” Hollypaw echoed.

“To fetch the borage.” Leafpool sighed. “If you’re not back before sunhigh I shall wake them without you.”

“I’m going!” Hollypaw promised, spinning around and pushing her way out of the den.

* * *

Up on the ridge, a cold, fresh breeze was blowing through the trees from across the lake. Hollypaw thought she could detect the scent of RiverClan on it.

Her paws itched to go exploring, but she wanted to get back before Graystripe and Millie woke up. She ducked her head and began to sniff the ground, hoping to find a scent trail that might lead her to borage. She desperately tried to remember what it smelled like in the medicine den, but her nose was too full of the scents of water and wind.

She padded down the steep slope, heading for where the trees thinned. The sun sparkled on the lake. What a great day for hunting! She pushed the thought away. She was hunting.

Hunting for borage. Sniffing the ground once more, she picked up a tangy scent that seemed familiar. She followed it carefully, clambering over the low boulders that dimpled the ground, and tracked the scent into some long grass, where she spotted green, jagged leaves growing in a clump on long, thin stems. They carried the scent she had been following. It was stronger up close and more bitter. Was this borage? She had seen this before, she was sure.

She glanced up at the sun. It shone high above her.

Leafpool would be waking Graystripe and Millie soon.

Quickly she nipped a few stems, breaking them at the base, careful not to swallow any of the bitter sap. She pitied the cat who had to eat such a foul-tasting herb as she picked up the fallen stems in her jaws and hurried back to the camp.

* * *

“This isn’t borage.” Leafpool stared in dismay at the stems Hollypaw had placed in front of her. “This is yarrow. This makes cats sick.”

Hollypaw closed her eyes, ashamed and angry. Why couldn’t she remember anything Leafpool taught her?

“Don’t be hard on yourself,” Leafpool encouraged.

“There’s a lot to learn.”

Hollypaw couldn’t meet her eyes. Don’t make excuses for me. I should be doing better than this by now!

“Come on,” Leafpool meowed briskly. “We can do without borage. Fetch some marigold leaves and we’ll go and wake Graystripe.”

Marigold leaves! Hollypaw knew what they looked like.

She bounded to the back of the cave and picked up a mouthful, then followed Leafpool across the clearing to Graystripe and Millie’s makeshift den.

Firestar stood outside with Sandstorm and Honeypaw.

Dustpelt, Thornclaw, Poppypaw, and Hazelpaw milled around eagerly. Graystripe and Millie, still ruffled from sleep, sat among them. Millie was staring from face to face, her ears twitching. Even Graystripe looked uncomfortable, like he had forgotten what it was like to have so many cats around him.

“Have you been awake long?” Leafpool asked, weaving through the others to reach Graystripe. She glanced sternly at the cats clustered around the gray warrior and his mate. “I hope no cat woke you.”

“No.” Graystripe drew his paws closer in and tucked his tail tighter around him. “The sun woke us.”

“You can catch up with everyone later.” Leafpool twitched her tail, making it clear she wanted the other cats to leave.

“Let me know how they are when you’ve finished,” Firestar requested before he led his Clanmates away.

Graystripe’s shoulders loosened as they left. Millie looked relieved too.

“Any scratches?” Leafpool asked.

“Millie has a cut on one of her pads.”