Dark River

spine.

“Leopardstar.” Squirrelflight halted in front of the RiverClan leader and dipped her head. “I have come to fetch one of our apprentices.”

Hollypaw wanted to race forward and brush muzzles with her mother, but Squirrelflight hadn’t even looked at her yet.

She was staring steadily at Leopardstar. “I believe she strayed into your territory.”

“Strayed!” Leopardstar widened her eyes in disbelief. “She came to spy!”

Hollypaw’s ears burned. “I only wanted to help!” The words burst out before she could stop them.

Squirrelflight swung her head around and glared at her.

Hollypaw shrank back.

Around the clearing, the RiverClan cats were watching, muscles tense, tails twitching.

“She is only an apprentice, Leopardstar,” Squirrelflight meowed. “She lacks the good judgment that I hope will come with experience. I promise she’ll be punished for breaking the warrior code, but ThunderClan can’t allow her to remain here.” Her mew was firm, the politeness only thinly masking an unspoken threat. Would ThunderClan really fight to bring her home? Hollypaw flexed her claws nervously. She couldn’t believe she might end up causing a battle after all this.

Leopardstar’s shoulders stiffened as she met Squirrelflight’s gaze.

Will she let me go? Hollypaw’s heart was racing.

Leopardstar turned to look at her. “Can I trust you to show better judgment in future?”

She’s asking me to keep my mouth shut. “Yes!” Hollypaw nodded.

“I made a mistake coming here, but I won’t let any cat suffer because of it.”

Leopardstar blinked slowly. “Then you may go home.”

“Thank you.” Hollypaw breathed a sigh of relief.

Around the clearing, uneasy mews rippled among the RiverClan cats.

“Thank you, Leopardstar,” Squirrelflight meowed. “I apologize on behalf of ThunderClan.” Hollypaw winced with shame. The tip of her mother’s tail was twitching. Squirrelflight was furious. Hollypaw padded to her mother’s side, staring at her paws. How embarrassing to be fetched home like a naughty kit.

Squirrelflight dipped her head and turned toward the ferns.

“Wait!” Leopardstar flicked her tail. “Mosspelt and Beechfur will accompany you to the border.”

Squirrelflight glanced back, eyes narrowed, and nodded curtly.

Paws suddenly pattered over the clearing. Willowpaw was hurrying toward them. “Good-bye.” She brushed Hollypaw’s cheek with her muzzle. “Promise not to say anything,” she whispered.

“I promise,” Hollypaw breathed.

Willowpaw stepped back, glancing awkwardly at her

Clanmates, who were staring at her. Graymist was curling her lip, and Heavystep, a stocky tabby elder, flattened his ears in disapproval. Mosspelt led the way into the undergrowth.

Squirrelflight shooed Hollypaw ahead as Beechfur fell in behind them. They padded to the edge of the island and crossed the tree-bridge.

Hollypaw wanted to tell her mother how happy she was to see her, but it didn’t feel right to say that in front of their RiverClan escorts. She held her tongue until they reached the WindClan border. Squirrelflight hardly looked at her, checking only that she made it down from the tree-bridge without tripping and steering her away from the waves that gently lapped the shore.

“I’m really sorry!” The words exploded from Hollypaw as soon as the RiverClan cats had turned back.

Squirrelflight’s eyes clouded. “Don’t ever do that again!”

she hissed.

“I won’t,” Hollypaw promised meekly.

Squirrelflight led the way along the shore, keeping within two tail-lengths of the water. “I do understand,” she meowed.

Hollypaw pricked her ears.

“I know what it’s like to have friends in other Clans.”

Squirrelflight kept her gaze fixed firmly ahead. “To feel that there’s something stronger than your Clan calling you away from home.”

She must be talking about the Great Journey.

“But”—Squirrelflight glanced at her—“trying to help RiverClan was a foolish idea. Thinking you could sort out the

Clans’ problems on your own was very arrogant.”

Arrogant! Hollypaw felt stung. She hadn’t meant to be like that.

“Firestar told you ThunderClan wasn’t going to interfere.

He’s older and wiser than you are. You should have obeyed him. You broke the warrior code in disobeying him. You put your Clan at risk.”

Hollypaw searched for words to defend herself, but suddenly she couldn’t. There was no way she could make her Clanmates understand that she’d only wanted to stop a battle.

“We had to drive a WindClan patrol off our territory while you were gone,” Squirrelflight added.

Hollypaw blinked. “Did they try and invade?”

“Not yet.” Squirrelflight glanced up at the moor. “But they chased a squirrel onto our land and claimed it as their prey.”

“On our side of the border?” Hollypaw could hardly believe her ears.

“Your brother helped fight them off.”

Hollypaw’s pelt bristled with alarm. “Is he okay?”

“Just a scratch on his ear.” Squirrelflight’s whiskers twitched. “I think he’s proud of it.”

“I wish I’d been there.”

“You should have been there,” Squirrelflight meowed. “Your Clan needs you more than ever.”

Hollypaw remembered how close she’d come to fighting WindClan with the RiverClan patrol. Guilt gnawed at her belly. She should have been facing them with her own Clanmates.

“There’s the smell of battle in the air,” Squirrelflight went on.

“But RiverClan isn’t planning to invade WindClan territory!” She couldn’t explain about the trouble in their camp because she had promised Willowpaw and Leopardstar, but she had to try to keep the Clans from fighting.

“What RiverClan decide to do or not to do is none of our business,” Squirrelflight meowed. “Our concern is defending our own borders.”

How can you be so nearsighted? Hollypaw bit back the words.

Squirrelflight paused and gazed at her. “I know you think you were doing the right thing, but you are only an apprentice. How can you possibly understand? Your duty is to listen and learn and leave the decision-making to the warriors.”

Hollypaw’s paws itched with resentment. Why did being an apprentice mean that her opinion didn’t count? She lowered her eyes to hide her anger.

Squirrelflight clearly took this as a sign of obedience.

“Good.” She began to hurry along the shore. The border was in sight and Hollypaw felt relieved to see it.

A thought suddenly flashed in her mind. She was surprised she hadn’t thought of it before. “How did you know I was with RiverClan?”

“Jaypaw had a dream,” Squirrelflight replied flatly. She didn’t seem surprised by her son’s uncanny abilities; Jaypaw was a medicine cat apprentice, after all. Hollypaw felt proud of her brother, but unease still pricked her paws. What must it feel like to have that sort of power? If he knew where she

had been, did that mean he knew about the RiverClan camp?

She wouldn’t breathe a word about it to Firestar, but would Jaypaw do the same?

The camp fell silent as Hollypaw followed Squirrelflight into the clearing.

Hollypaw heard Brightheart whispering to Sorreltail.