Hollypaw lowered her gaze. “I didn’t mean to say that you couldn’t, but—”
Willowpaw’s pelt was bristling. “It’s hard living on the island. There’s not enough fish because the boats scare them away, and we can’t hunt in the rest of our territory until we get rid of the Twoleg kits. The Clan is hungry and hungry warriors don’t win battles.”
Hollypaw remembered Mistyfoot’s dull pelt and the way Mothwing’s bones jutted out on her hips and along her spine.
“Do you really think Leopardstar can trust the other Clans not to take advantage?” Willowpaw went on, pushing her way through a clump of marsh grass. “We need all our strength to rescue our camp from the Twolegs.”
“I won’t tell ThunderClan that you’re hungry,” Hollypaw promised. “Only that you’ll be back in your old camp soon and there’s no reason to think you’ll have to leave your territory.”
Willowpaw blinked gratefully. “But first you have to get
home,” she reminded her. “Your Clan must be wondering where you are.”
Hollypaw felt a twinge of guilt. Had her Clanmates noticed she was missing yet? “I’ll just go back the way I came.”
Willowpaw stretched up on her hind legs and peered above the spiky grass. “The shore’s quiet,” she announced, dropping down onto four paws. She began to weave through the marsh toward the firmer ground inland, where bushes and ferns crowded the shoreline.
“Let’s head up there,” Willowpaw suggested. “It’ll be easier to hide.” Her eyes sparkled mischievously. “And the otter dung will stop any cats from noticing your scent.”
“Wasn’t there anything else you could have used?”
“Tansy might have worked,” Willowpaw admitted. “But our supplies are a bit low.” She pushed her way past a clump of ferns, and Hollypaw padded after her.
They followed the shoreline until Hollypaw began to smell the scent of horseplace. “We’re near WindClan territory,” she whispered. “You can leave me here.”
Willowpaw’s eyes clouded with worry. “Not till we reach the border.”
The brown fences around the horseplace loomed larger and the ferns began to thin out as the lush foliage of RiverClan’s territory gave way to WindClan moorland.
Willowpaw paused behind a stunted bramble bush at the edge of a stretch of open grass lay. “There’s the border.” She pointed with her tail.
The wind raced down from the moors, tugging at
Hollypaw’s pelt. She could smell the WindClan scent-line only a few fox-lengths ahead.
Willowpaw rested her tail-tip on Hollypaw’s shoulder.
“Promise you’ll be careful.”
Suddenly, stones clattered on the shore. Willowpaw whipped around.
A RiverClan patrol was haring toward them.
Hollypaw stiffened, fear shooting through her like lightning. Then she felt Willowpaw’s teeth grab her scruff and drag her behind the bramble.
“Did they see us?” Hollypaw whispered, trembling.
“I don’t know.” Willowpaw flicked her tail over Hollypaw’s mouth. “Keep quiet!”
Hollypaw peered through the leaves. Reedwhisker headed the patrol, his apprentice, Pouncepaw, racing behind him.
Voletooth was at Reedwhisker’s heels with Minnowpaw at his side. The young she-cat’s dappled fur was slicked back by the wind, her whiskers blown against her cheeks, running as though her life depended on it.
“Are they hunting?” Hollypaw asked.
Willowpaw glanced around the empty shore. “Hunting what?”
“Well, are they coming for us?”
“Doesn’t look like it,” Willowpaw replied as the patrol streaked past the bramble without even looking at it.
Hollypaw realized that the RiverClan cats’ eyes had been stretched wide with terror. Her pelt bristled. “Something’s wrong.”
Willowpaw hissed, flattening her ears. “Look!”
A rough-haired black-and-white dog was hurtling after the RiverClan patrol. Its eyes were wild, its lips drawn back to show shining white fangs.
“The horseplace dog!” Willowpaw yowled. “Run!” She pelted after her Clanmates.
Before Hollypaw could move, the black-and-white dog spotted her and skidded toward her, howling with excitement. Hollypaw shrieked and shot after Willowpaw. Her claws threw up clods of soil as she tore over the grassy slope.
The RiverClan patrol had swerved off the beach and was racing up the slope toward the WindClan border.
Reedwhisker’s eyes widened when he saw Willowpaw.
“Stay near us!” he ordered. He raced up the slope, dodging a gorse bush and leaping a low clump of heather.
Willowpaw pelted after him. She screeched over her shoulder at Hollypaw. “Hurry up!”
Hollypaw pushed harder against the peaty soil. She skidded after the RiverClan cats through a thick swath of heather and out onto the grassy slope.
“Stop!” Reedwhisker gave the command and Hollypaw scrambled to a halt with the others. Panting and terrified, she glanced over her shoulder.
The dog stood by the fence at the bottom of the slope and gazed around, tongue lolling. Then it shook itself and squeezed under the fence. Hollypaw watched it trot across the field, heading for the Twolegplace.
“It must be going home,” she guessed.
“Shh!” Willowpaw gave her a warning look but it was too late.
“What are
Reedwhisker stared at her, his black pelt bristling. “You’re a ThunderClan cat, aren’t you?” His stern gaze flashed accusingly at Willowpaw.
Minnowpaw wrinkled her nose. “And why do you smell so bad?”
Voletooth padded toward her and leaned in close, his tabby muzzle only a whisker from Hollypaw’s. “Are you spying on us?”
Hollypaw backed away. “No, no, I wanted to see if I could help!”
“Help?” Reedwhisker stared at her in disbelief.
“It’s true!” Willowpaw padded, tail trembling, between her Clanmates and Hollypaw. “She’s here by herself. She was worried about me after the Gathering. She just came to see if—”
“Mouse dung!” Reedwhisker’s yowl cut Willowpaw off.
The black tom was staring up the slope, his eyes round with dismay.
A WindClan patrol was streaking toward them.
Hollypaw tasted the air. The musky scent of WindClan bathed her tongue. The dog had chased them right across the border.
“Should we run?” Minnowpaw whispered, her tail stiff with fear.
“There’s no use.” Voletooth sighed. “We’ve come too far.”
“We’d better just stand our ground,” Reedwhisker meowed.
Pouncepaw stepped closer to Minnowpaw.
As the WindClan patrol neared, the deputy Ashfoot flicked her tail. Crowfeather, Heatherpaw, Whitetail, Tornear, and Breezepaw fanned out. Hollypaw felt Willowpaw’s pelt brush against her flank as the WindClan cats slowly encircled the patrol. Their eyes were blazing.
“What are you doing on WindClan land?” Ashfoot demanded.
Reedwhisker met her gaze, the fur on his shoulders twitching. “We were being chased by that mouse-brained dog from the horseplace.”
Crowfeather stepped forward. “Where is it now?”
