Voletooth nodded toward the Twolegplace. “It went home.”
“And we’re meant to believe that?” Tornear sniffed the air, his whiskers quivering. “All I can smell is dung!”
Hollypaw wished she could sink into the ground. WindClan were angry enough without finding a ThunderClan cat among the intruders. What if they thought RiverClan and ThunderClan had formed an alliance? There would be a battle for sure, and it would all be her fault.
Hollypaw fought her rising panic. Breezepaw was staring at her. She lowered her gaze, praying he wouldn’t recognize her, finally grateful for the otter dung that disguised her black pelt and drowned her scent.
“What happened to you?” Breezepaw’s eyes glittered with contempt. “Don’t they teach RiverClan kits to wash?”
Rage surged in Hollypaw’s throat. She wanted to spit at the arrogant fox-face. But at least he didn’t seem to know who she was.
“Get off our land!” Ashfoot hissed. “You may have lost your own territory but you’re not having ours!”
Voletooth bristled, baring his teeth. “We haven’t lost our territory!”
“Then why are you here?” Tornear demanded.
“Looking for prey?” Crowfeather hissed.
Reedwhisker lashed his tail. “No!”
Hollypaw tensed. Every cat was bristling, ready to leap.
She unsheathed her claws. This was not her Clan, but she would fight if she had to.
Pouncepaw hopped forward, his short tabby tail flicking angrily. “We wouldn’t eat rabbit if we were starving!”
Ashfoot hissed. “Get off our land
Tornear and Whitetail moved apart to let the RiverClan cats through.
Slowly, Reedwhisker and Voletooth began to back away.
Pouncepaw and Pebblepaw turned and padded uneasily past the WindClan cats. Hollypaw hurried after them, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground.
“There’ll be extra patrols along the border from now on!”
Ashfoot called after them.
“And they’ll be battle ready!” Tornear growled.
They walked slowly to the border, refusing to be rushed by the threatening hisses from the WindClan patrol.
Hollypaw crossed the scent-line with a shiver of relief.
“I have to get home,” she whispered.
Reedwhisker rounded on her. “No, you don’t! You have to
explain what you’re doing here!”
“I did explain!” Hollypaw retorted. “I was worried about Willowpaw.”
“There’s no way we’re letting you set one paw on WindClan territory now,” Voletooth mewed. “You’ll have to come back to the island with us.”
Despair dropped like a stone in Hollypaw’s belly. She gazed across the lake. Night was falling and the ThunderClan forest looked like shadows against the distant hills. She scanned the shoreline, hoping to see the familiar shape of one of her Clanmates—Jaypaw was always fiddling around by the water—but it was too dark and too far to see anything clearly.
“Okay,” she sighed.
“But first you can wash off that awful-smelling dung!”
Reedwhisker ordered.
He walked her down to the lake and stood at the edge while she splashed around in the freezing water. Willowpaw waded in to help, rubbing Hollypaw’s pelt with her paws until it was clean.
Shivering with cold, Hollypaw padded back along the marshy shore after the RiverClan patrol. Willowpaw walked beside her.
“Sorry if I got you in trouble,” Hollypaw whispered.
“I’ll be okay,” Willowpaw pressed against her and the two friends, still dripping from the lake, shared their warmth.
Hollypaw’s pelt prickled under the curious gaze of the RiverClan cats as she followed Reedwhisker into the island
clearing. Gradually, the camp went quiet as they drew closer to the Great Oak. She tried to stop her paws from trembling when she saw Leopardstar squeeze out from among the giant roots at the bottom of the oak.
“Don’t be scared,” Willowpaw murmured in her ear.
“Leopardstar’s always fair.”
Hollypaw lifted her chin and faced the RiverClan leader as bravely as she could.
Leopardstar’s eyes glowed in the twilight. “Reedwhisker tells me you’ve been spying on RiverClan territory,” she accused.
“I was just trying to help,” Hollypaw explained. “ThunderClan is worried that WindClan will attack us if you’re forced into their territory. Everyone’s preparing for battle. I just wanted to stop it.”
Leopardstar blinked. “That’s a big ambition for such a small apprentice.”
Offended, Hollypaw fluffed out her fur.
Were Leopardstar’s whiskers twitching?
“I presume Willowpaw has shown you enough to put your mind at rest?” meowed the RiverClan leader.
“Just the old camp—” Hollypaw stopped herself too late.
She had betrayed her friend.
Leopardstar’s gaze flicked to the RiverClan medicine apprentice. “You took her all the way there?”
Willowpaw dipped her head. “I only wanted to reassure her.”
Leopardstar sighed. “Well, Hollypaw,” she meowed, “you had better stay here on the island.”
Hollypaw’s heart lurched. “But my Clan will be worried about me.”
“You should have thought of that before you came here.”
Leopardstar gazed around her Clan. The RiverClan cats had gathered under the oak tree, their ears twitching with interest. “We can’t spare the warriors to escort you home and even if we could, I don’t want to antagonize WindClan or ShadowClan by crossing their territory.”
“But the warrior code says I can safely travel two fox-lengths from the lake,” Hollypaw pointed out.
“If it was time for a Gathering, I would agree,” Leopardstar argued. “But as things stand, our neighbors would want a very good reason for finding RiverClan or ThunderClan scent on their land.” She narrowed her eyes. “Plain nosiness is not good enough.”
“But—” Hollypaw desperately searched for another argument. She had to get home before her Clanmates thought something dreadful had happened to her.
Leopardstar turned away. “You can stay with Mothwing and Willowpaw until it is safe for you to return.”
“Come on.” Willowpaw nudged her. “Let’s get warm and dry in the medicine cave.”
Paws heavy as stone, Hollypaw followed her friend to the edge of the island and over the causeway to the rocky outcrop.
Mothwing was waiting with a pile of herbs beside her. “I thought I told you not to be seen,” she greeted them.
Willowpaw lowered her head. “Sorry.”
Mothwing pawed the herbs toward them. “Eat these,” she ordered. “They’ll help warm you up.”
Hollypaw’s belly rumbled. She’d prefer a fresh, juicy mouse.
“It’s all we have to spare at the moment,” Mothwing told her.
Hollypaw leaned down and began to chew one of the leaves. It was sticky and warmed her tongue as she chewed it.
“What is it?” she whispered to Willowpaw.
“Dried nettle, smeared with honey,” Willowpaw replied.
“Not bad.”
