The Sight

he stepped forward.

“You mentored Birchfall, and he is a credit to his Clan,”

Firestar meowed. “Now ThunderClan asks you to prove yourself once more a great mentor.”

Ashfur dipped his head as the Clan leader went on. “I trust you to pass on all you have learned to Lionpaw and help him become a warrior the Clan can be proud of.”

“I won’t let ThunderClan down,” Ashfur promised.

Lionpaw hurried forward and raised his muzzle to touch noses with his new mentor.

“Hollykit,” Firestar announced.

Hollykit suddenly forgot to be nervous, and she raced to the center of the clearing, skidding to a halt beside Firestar.

His whiskers twitched. “From this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be Hollypaw.”

“Hollypaw! Hollypaw!” Cinderpaw led the chant this time.

Hollypaw stared at the apprentices as they called her new

name. Berrypaw and Hazelpaw seemed so big and strong. In the nursery she had been older than Icekit and Foxkit. Now she would be one of the youngest of her denmates. Her heart drummed like paws racing over the forest floor. Then she remembered: I might not be sleeping in the apprentices’ den!

“Leafpool,” Firestar called.

Yes! Hollypaw felt so light on her paws she was afraid the breeze would carry her away over the trees. She was going to be a medicine cat apprentice!

Leafpool padded forward and stopped beside Hollypaw.

“I know that I am putting Hollypaw in safe paws,” Firestar meowed. “I pray that StarClan gives your apprentice all the strength and wisdom she will need.”

“I will teach her everything I know,” Leafpool promised.

She touched Hollypaw’s muzzle with hers, but she didn’t meet Hollypaw’s eyes; instead, she looked past her, her expression clouded.

Surprised, Hollypaw turned and saw that Leafpool was staring at Squirrelflight. She wondered why there was sadness in both cats’ eyes.

Jaykit marched into the clearing and stood in front of Firestar. “What about me?”

“Surely he can’t become an apprentice?” Whitewing’s whispered comment hung in the still, damp air.

“Longtail moved to the elders’ den when he went blind,”

Thornclaw murmured, as if he agreed that blind cats couldn’t be warriors.

“He wouldn’t be safe out in the forest,” Spiderleg put in.

“Poor mite,” breathed Sorreltail.

Hollypaw’s pelt bristled. Why shouldn’t her brother be given a chance like any other cat?

“I want to be an apprentice like Lionpaw and Hollypaw,”

Jaykit spat defiantly.

“Of course you do,” Firestar agreed. “And your mentor will be Brightheart.”

,

Chapter 8

Brightheart?

Jaykit felt a rush of anger so strong it almost knocked him off his paws. Why had Firestar chosen one-eyed Brightheart when there were so many other warriors to choose from? As if he couldn’t guess!

He dug his claws into the earth, refusing to step forward to greet his mentor. He ignored her embarrassment, although he could sense it like holly leaves pricking his pelt. He ignored the encouraging murmurs of the other apprentices.

He ignored Spiderleg’s angry, “Sshh!” which quieted them.

And then he felt a muzzle gently but firmly pushing him forward.

Leafpool’s voice murmured in his ear. “Go on.”

Gritting his teeth, he padded toward Brightheart and Firestar.

“I know it must be hard for you,” Brightheart greeted him sympathetically. “But I promise I will teach you how to protect your Clan even without sight.”

She pitied him! He could hear it in her voice. His anger swelled up again, sending blood pounding through his ears.

“Why bother if you think I’m so useless? Why don’t you just send me off to the elders’ den with Longtail?” he hissed.

Brightheart stiffened. “No cat has said that you’re useless.

And Longtail won’t thank you for being rude about him!” She stepped back from Jaypaw and lifted her chin. “I’ve asked him to help with some of your training.”

Jaykit lashed his tail. Oh, great, he thought. Let’s lump all the useless cats together and hope a tree falls on them!

Firestar stepped between Jaykit and Brightheart. “From this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be Jaypaw.”

“Jaypaw! Jaypaw! Jaypaw!” Mousepaw’s and Berrypaw’s call rang around the hollow, and the other apprentices joined in loudly.

Jaypaw clawed the ground. You don’t have to try so hard! You’re only doing it because you feel sorry for me!

“Brightheart,” Firestar meowed, “you have never let what happened to you prevent you from being a fine warrior. I can think of no one better than you to teach Jaypaw how best to serve his Clan.”

“I will share with him all I have learned,” Brightheart vowed.

Big deal, Jaypaw thought.

Reluctantly, he forced himself to touch muzzles with Brightheart, accepting her as his mentor. His whiskers brushed the side of her face that had been ravaged when she had been attacked by the dog pack. It felt strange to sense space where other cats had fur and flesh, and he had to suppress a shudder.

The whole Clan raised their voices to cheer the new

apprentices. Not me, Jaypaw thought bitterly. There’s not a cat here that thinks I’ll become a great warrior.

When the calls died away Firestar spoke again. “ThunderClan is lucky to have so many apprentices. I hope they will train hard and serve their Clan well.”

“We will!” Lionpaw mewed.

“When can we start training?” Hollypaw asked.

“That’s up to your mentors,” Firestar told her.

“Come on, Lionpaw,” Ashfur meowed. “Let’s find you a nest in the apprentices’ den; then I’ll show you the forest.”

“Right now?” Lionpaw mewed excitedly.

“Why not?”

Hollypaw’s paws pattered on the ground around Leafpool.

“Can we go with Lionpaw when Ashfur shows him our territory?”

“It’s a nice idea, Hollypaw,” Leafpool meowed. “But I need to show you the best herb-gathering places, and I’m sure Ashfur will want to show Lionpaw the boundary markers and the best places for hunting.”

“Oh.” Hollypaw sounded disappointed.

“But first, let’s look at the herb store,” Leafpool suggested,

“so you get to know some of the leaves we’ll be looking at in the forest.”

“Okay,” Hollypaw mewed, sounding more cheerful.

As Lionpaw and Hollypaw padded after their mentors, Jaypaw sat down crossly. How come they