“Someone will have to patrol the entrance and make sure no dogs get in if we can’t stop them at the border.”
Hollypaw flicked her tail. “Yes, Brambleclaw.”
The deputy glanced at Firestar. “Will Onestar accept our help?”
“I think so. Onestar’s proud, but he’s no fool,” Firestar meowed.
“Ashfur?” Ferncloud had left the nursery and was padding toward her brother. Lionpaw knew that their mother, Brindleface, had been killed by Tigerstar to give the other dog pack a taste for cats’ blood. Ferncloud would have only the worst memories of dogs. “Be careful.” The she-cat rubbed her cheek along Ashfur’s.
“Don’t forget I’ve outrun a dog pack before,” he meowed.
“You had me at your side then,” she reminded him.
“And now I have you and your kits to protect.” He licked her between the ears. “I won’t let you down.”
Brambleclaw was racing toward the entrance. Ashfur spun and pelted after him, falling in behind Graystripe and Millie.
Birchfall and Spiderleg dashed after them, and Lionpaw followed, Berrypaw’s pelt brushing his as they raced side by side.
The patrol pounded out of the camp, picking up speed as it headed up the slope toward the WindClan border. Would they get there in time? What if the dogs were already at the border? Images of vicious fangs flashed in Lionpaw’s mind, making his tail tremble. He unsheathed his claws and pushed harder against the sodden earth.
His pelt was plastered against his skin by the time they reached the border. He scanned the moorland as the patrol streamed up into WindClan’s territory, but the wind drove the rain into his eyes.
A distant howl ripped the air.
A panicked meow shrieked from over the heather. “We
have to lead them away from the camp!”
“This way!” Whitewing called, taking the lead. Lionpaw could smell Thornclaw’s scent on the heather as they charged up the moor.
Berrypaw pulled ahead of him, his drenched cream fur bristling into spines. Lionpaw lengthened his stride. The springy grass beneath his paws made it easy to speed along between the gorse thickets. Ahead he could see Brambleclaw’s powerful shoulders rise and fall as the warrior bounded through the dripping heather.
A shaggy-haired black-and-white shape streaked across the grass ahead. It sped swiftly over the rough moorland, yelping and snarling. Two cats fled only tail-lengths ahead of its snapping jaws. Lionpaw recognized the black pelt of Crowfeather and, with a jolt of panic, he saw Heatherpaw beside him, her brown pelt pale against the grass.
“They’re leading it away from the camp,” Brambleclaw realized. He skidded to a halt and the patrol pulled up beside him. Lionpaw dug his claws into the earth and slammed to a stop.
A second dog was pelting in the other direction, its shoulders pumping as it sped across the grass. Two more WindClan warriors—one black, one light brown—swerved out from the heather ahead of it. The dog spotted them and chased them down a rock-strewn slope. Its eyes flashed with triumph, and its yelps grew higher pitched as it began to catch up.
Suddenly Thornclaw and Dustpelt darted out from the
rocks at the foot of the slope. They raced side by side up the hillside, past the two WindClan cats. Lionpaw stared in shock. They were heading straight for the dog!
The dog’s eyes gleamed as they drew nearer. Then they parted, like a stream breaking around a rock. The dog twisted and lunged toward Thornclaw. Lionpaw heard Whitewing gasp in terror as its jaws closed only an inch from Thornclaw’s flank. The ThunderClan warrior ducked into a narrow crack between the rocks and left the dog spinning in confusion as the WindClan cats and Cloudtail raced away from it.
“I told you dogs were dumb,” Millie growled. “They can think of only one thing at a time.”
“Then let’s give them as much to think about as we can!”
Brambleclaw decided. He flicked his tail toward a long dip in the earth, lined with craggy boulders. “Ashfur, you and Lionpaw lead one of the dogs down there, and we’ll ambush it from above.”
Lionpaw’s heart twisted with fear and excitement.
“No.” Ashfur’s mew was firm. “It’ll be safer to face them on open land.”
Brambleclaw narrowed his eyes and stared at the gray warrior. His shoulders tensed, but Ashfur met his gaze unflinch-ingly.
“I won’t lead Lionpaw into a trap,” Ashfur insisted. “We need room to dodge out of the way. The dogs are bigger and faster, but we’re more agile.”
Lionpaw heard a low growl in Brambleclaw’s throat. Then
the ThunderClan deputy nodded. “Okay. Take Birchfall and Lionpaw; catch up to Crowfeather and Heatherpaw. Together you may be able to put up a fight. I’ll take Spiderleg and Berrypaw and help Nightcloud and Owlwhisker.” Lionpaw guessed he was referring to the black and light brown cats he had seen near the rocks. “Graystripe, Millie! Look for more dogs. Find the camp and help any cat who needs it.”
Graystripe nodded and hared away across the grass with Millie.
Lionpaw pelted after Ashfur as the warrior headed toward Crowfeather and Heatherpaw. The two WindClan cats were still keeping the dog away from the camp, their paws sending up clumps of moss as they skimmed over the wet grass. The dog pounded after them, but they swerved one way and then the other, sending it skidding off course long enough to pull ahead for a while.
She raced bravely beside her mentor, her pelt slick with rain, following his movements step for step.
“Crowfeather!” Ashfur yowled to the WindClan warrior as he cut across their path.
Crowfeather stared in surprise.
“We’ve come to help!” Lionpaw called to Heatherpaw. She jerked her head to look at him and stumbled. A rabbit hole had caught her paw, and she crashed to the ground. Lionpaw gasped in horror as the dog swung toward her. Without thinking, he turned and raced for the dog. Crowfeather had
already swerved to a halt and was heading back to help his apprentice. Birchfall sped after Lionpaw. Ashfur yowled a battle cry and joined the chase.
Heatherpaw struggled to her paws and began to run, but the dog was nearly on top of her. Screeching in fury, Lionpaw launched himself at the dog’s flank and gripped its coarse pelt. The dog yelped and spun, snapping at Lionpaw but unable to reach him. Lionpaw hauled his way onto the dog’s back and dug in his claws. The dog tried to shake him off, but Lionpaw would not let go. Crowfeather leaped at the dog’s face, raking its muzzle before swerving away from it. Ashfur darted underneath the dog’s paws, nipping its foreleg so viciously that blood spurted from the wound. Lionpaw felt the dog stumble beneath him and dug his claws in harder.
The dog, yowling in pain, tried to shake Lionpaw off again.
Lionpaw held on, looking for Heatherpaw, desperate to see if she was safe. His heart plummeted when he saw her pale brown pelt flash toward the dog.
“What are you doing?” he screeched.
“Helping you!” she yowled back. She darted behind the dog and raked its hind legs with her claws. The dog yelped and fell. It rolled onto Lionpaw, and he shrieked in surprise.
The wet, mossy earth cushioned him as the dog scrambled off him and turned. Its jaws dripped with blood and foam as it lunged toward him with a snarl. Lionpaw flipped onto his paws and darted out of the way. He heard jaws snap behind him and then another agonized yelp. He turned to see Ashfur rearing at the dog, slashing its muzzle with his forepaws.
Crowfeather and Birchfall joined him while Heatherpaw dashed behind the dog and snapped at its hind legs. Lionpaw raced to help her, and together they slashed and nipped and clawed until the dog turned tail and fled.
Lionpaw began to give chase, but Ashfur called him back.
“I think it’s had enough!”
Lionpaw skidded to a halt and watched as the massive dog howled away from its attackers. Where was the other dog?
He glanced around and saw with a thrill that it was already racing away into the heather. It spattered the
