But Leafstar nodded, staring down at the marks in the sand. “You mean we should move our boundary back from the edge of the gorge? Yes, I can see there is sense in that. It will be harder to patrol because there are so few points to place markers out there, but it would certainly protect the gorge.” She looked up at Ravenpaw. “How would you teach the kittypets to stay away from the new boundary?”
Ravenpaw gulped. Memories of his time in ThunderClan whirled in his head: patrols, checking border marks, training with Tigerclaw . . . “Constant patrols along the new border, all night, until the kittypets learn exactly where it lies,” he meowed. “Your warriors will need to rest during the day, but perhaps the daylight cats can take over duties then? You might only need a constant patrol for one night, if you fight hard enough.”
“We always fight hard enough!” Sharpclaw snarled.
Ravenpaw blinked. “Before sunhigh today, you must set markers along the new boundary. Build places to mark, if you must, from branches or piles of stones. Then rest until dusk, when every warrior and apprentice must take their place along the border. The kittypets must not be allowed to set one paw across the line.” He stopped, panting. His belly was gripped by a spasm, and he tried hard not to curl into a ball to ease it.
Leafstar studied Ravenpaw with a thoughtful gleam in her eyes. “Once again, ThunderClan comes to help us,” she mewed.
“Oh, I’m not ThunderClan anymore,” Ravenpaw replied.
Leafstar didn’t say anything. Instead she stood up and padded down the path to the bottom of the gorge, then leaped gracefully onto the boulder. “SkyClan, gather here!” she yowled.
Ravenpaw limped down behind Sharpclaw and Billystorm to join Barley. The black-and-white cat regarded him with concern, but Ravenpaw just nodded toward Leafstar, who was explaining the plan to expand the Clan’s boundaries. Her Clanmates listened in silence, with frequent glances at the visitors. When Leafstar had finished, she beckoned to Ravenpaw with her tail. Ravenpaw gulped.
“Go on!” Bella squeaked, bouncing on her paws with excitement.
Ravenpaw stayed where he was—he didn’t think he could jump anywhere with this pain in his belly—and turned to face the crowd of cats. “You are stronger than you realize,” he began, raising his voice in spite of the throbbing inside him.
There were a few indignant murmurs.
“You know nothing about how strong we are!”
“Come here and fight if you think we’re so weak!”
Ravenpaw carried on. “Unlike kittypets, you have your warrior ancestors on your side, and your faith in the warrior code to keep you strong. You have to make an invisible boundary visible—and painful—to the kittypets who show you no respect.” He drew another breath. “They are not warriors! They will not win!”
“They are not warriors! They will not win!” echoed the cats, and Ravenpaw sagged with relief. Leafstar met his gaze and nodded.
Sharpclaw bounded onto the rock and began dividing the cats into patrols to trace out the boundary and create new markers far back from the edge of the cliff. To Ravenpaw’s surprise, he paused and growled at Riley and Bella, “I suppose you want to help too?”
The young cats nodded so hard their ears flapped.
Sharpclaw flicked his tail at Riley. “You go with Cherrytail, Waspwhisker, and Dustpaw to pile up stones for the new markers.” Riley ran over to join the patrol. Sharpclaw gestured to Bella. “You can help Bouncefire and Blossompaw fetch sticks from the woods.”
“What about the daylight warriors?” Plumwillow called from the middle of the crowd. “Are they going to do all the regular duties so we can rest before the fight?”
A slender black-and-white tom popped his head up. “We’ll do all that, and stay to fight,” he declared. Around him, several cats nodded. “We are SkyClan as much as you are! This is our battle too!”
“Thank you, Macgyver,” Sharpclaw meowed.
“I’ve been invited to join a hunting patrol,” Barley murmured in Ravenpaw’s ear. “But you need to get some rest.”
Ravenpaw opened his mouth to object, but Barley went on. “I can see you’re in pain. Don’t lie to me, please. Just look after yourself while I help with the fresh-kill pile.”
Ravenpaw nodded. “I’ll be here when you get back,” he promised.
He watched the black-and-white cat trot over to a patrol that included Firefern. The ginger she-cat greeted him frostily, but a brown tom seemed more welcoming and fell in beside Barley as they padded out of the camp.
Echosong appeared beside Ravenpaw. “Are you feeling up to a climb?” she asked. “It’s not far, and I promise it will be worth it.”
“Of course,” Ravenpaw meowed. He followed her along the gorge and up a path that wound back and forth at tight angles until it reached the top of the cliff. Ravenpaw scrambled onto the flat ground with a grunt of relief.
“It gets easier,” Echosong told him, hardly out of breath. She pointed with her tail to a rocky slab that jutted out over the gorge. “This is a very special place for SkyClan,” she explained. “It’s where we gather at the full moon, and where I come to speak with StarClan.” She padded onto the rock and gestured to Ravenpaw to lie down beside her.
“I love it up here,” Echosong murmured, gazing out at the gorge and the woods beyond. “It’s so peaceful, and yet you can see everything that’s going on.”
Ravenpaw nodded. He could see Barley’s black-and-white shape leaping through the trees; farther along the cliff, Riley was rolling a stone with his paws. Then he heard footsteps behind him and turned to see three cats approaching. He was faintly aware that Echosong had vanished and he was alone on the rock.
The figures were so familiar that his heart ached and he had to blink to see clearly. Bluestar, Whitestorm, and Lionheart stepped onto the rock and stood in front of him, each one dipping their head in respect.
“We are honored to see you again,” Bluestar mewed. “Don’t stand up,” she added as Ravenpaw struggled to get his hind legs under him.
“I am the one who is honored,” Ravenpaw purred.
“We have never forgotten you,” Whitestorm told him. “We have watched over you, and rejoiced in the happiness you have found with Barley.” He dropped his head. “I am only sorry we could not spare you the pain you suffered in ThunderClan.”
“I wouldn’t change a thing,” Ravenpaw promised. “If anything had been different, I might not have had my life with Barley. I have been happier than I ever imagined a cat could be.”
Lionheart gazed at him, and Ravenpaw felt his pelt glow with warmth. “We have come to do something we should have done a long time ago,” the golden tabby explained. “We would like to give you your warrior name. You have more than earned it, with the courage, fairness, and loyalty you have shown to these cats, and to every cat who has crossed your path.”
Ravenpaw took a deep breath. How often he had dreamed of this moment when he had been an apprentice, wondering what his warrior name would be! But he was no longer an apprentice, no longer part of ThunderClan or the forest. He looked at the noble cats in front of him.
“Thank you,” he purred. “But I already have a name. I am proud to have been Ravenpaw all my life, and I see no reason to change it now.”
Bluestar nodded. “I thought you might feel that way.” She traced her paw across the stone. “You know that your time is drawing to an end, I think. Would you like to join us in StarClan? You would be very welcome.”
Ravenpaw turned and looked down at the gorge. He could see Barley standing at the edge of the woods, looking up at him. The black-and-white cat kinked his tail in greeting, and Ravenpaw waved his tail in reply. Then he turned back to the StarClan cats.
“I cannot join you,” he mewed softly. “There is someone I need to wait for. I hope there is a place where we can be together, even though he is not a Clan cat.”
Lionheart nodded. “We understand. And rest assured, there is a place waiting for you both. But you are welcome to visit us in S
tarClan whenever you wish. You will find a way, I promise.”
He reached forward and rested his muzzle on Ravenpaw’s head. Ravenpaw felt his soft breath against his fur, and slipped gratefully into painless sleep.
CHAPTER TEN
When Ravenpaw woke, Echosong was sitting beside him, her tail twitching.
“Ah, you’re awake,” she mewed.
The sun was sliding behind the trees, and dusky shadows were gathering in the gorge. The bare, scrubby grass that led to the Twolegplace was empty and quiet, but Ravenpaw scented fresh border marks drifting on the breeze. Cats circled restlessly in the SkyClan camp below.
“The new boundary is in place,” Echosong told him as they made their way down the cliff. “My Clanmates are ready to defend it with their lives.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that,” Ravenpaw meowed with a stir of alarm.
Riley and Bella bounded up to him as he approached the boulder. “We’ve had such a great day!” Riley announced. “I was totally the best at pushing stones. Cherrytail told me!”
“And I found the longest stick!” Bella mewed. “Blossompaw helped me carry it.”
A brown tom called to them.
“That’s Rabbitleap,” Riley explained. “We’re in his patrol tonight. See you later, Ravenpaw!”
The young cats whirled around and raced off.
Barley padded up to Ravenpaw, the scent of fresh-kill clinging to his pelt. “They’ve made friends already,” he observed.
“There are some good cats in SkyClan,” Ravenpaw agreed. “How was the hunting?”
“Not bad at all. I caught two mice and a squirrel, which silenced a few comments.” There was a note of amusement in Barley’s voice. “Have you eaten yet?”
Ravenpaw’s stomach churned at the thought of food. A spasm of pain racked his body, and shadows swam behind his eyes. He felt Barley press against him, holding him up.
“You need to lie down,” his friend told him. He steered Ravenpaw to a soft patch of sand at the edge of the gorge. Ravenpaw sank down with a hiss of pain.
“You can’t fight tonight,” Barley mewed. His eyes were huge with alarm. “You’re not strong enough.”
Ravenpaw gazed at his friend. “Oh, Barley. You know me so well. Better than any cat ever has.” He nudged Barley’s cheek with his nose. “But there is a secret that I have kept from you without meaning to: I have always been a warrior. I have a loyalty to these cats, and I must fight alongside them, whatever happens.”
Barley’s eyes filled with water. “You’re so stubborn,” he murmured. “I really can’t stop you, can I?”
“No. But you can be at my side,” Ravenpaw replied. “Please.”
Barley leaned his head against Ravenpaw’s. “Always.”
Ravenpaw stood up with effort, and they joined the other cats as they trekked in silence up the gorge and onto the plain of rustling grass. Sharpclaw signaled with his tail to send them out along the new border, the marks fresh and pungent on newly built heaps of stones and sticks. They’ve worked hard today, Ravenpaw thought.
On either side of him, the SkyClan warriors moved quickly and efficiently. It was impossible to tell which cats were the daylight warriors, apart from the faintest hint of a different scent on their fur. It was clear that, no matter where SkyClan found its warriors, this was a well-trained and deeply loyal Clan.
Ravenpaw and Barley crouched down in the grass alongside Billystorm and his apprentice, Pebblepaw. Her white fur was dusted with brown speckles, which kept her well hidden among the moonlit grass. Ravenpaw had lost sight of Riley and Bella farther along the line. He hoped they remembered everything he had taught them. StarClan, keep them safe!
Sharpclaw’s quiet hiss traveled along the row of cats in the still air: “At my signal, fight!”
It seemed as if a whole moon passed before they heard paws thudding over the ground toward them. Ravenpaw tensed. There were more kittypets this time, and they were already shrieking with excitement. They have no idea we are waiting for them!
Beside Ravenpaw, Billystorm unsheathed his claws and gathered his haunches under him, ready to spring. Closer, closer, closer the kittypets thundered . . .
“Fight!” yowled Sharpclaw, and the SkyClan cats leaped forward in a single, hissing wave.
The kittypets scrambled to a halt, yowling in terror. They were vastly outnumbered but still put up a fight, taking on two or three SkyClan warriors each in a whirling fury of teeth and claws. All at once Ravenpaw was an apprentice again, remembering everything Tigerclaw had taught him. He leaped and dodged and lashed out with his claws. At his side, Barley fought like his shadow, matching him step for step, the equal of any warrior.
In the half-light, Ravenpaw found himself crashing into a she-cat with distinctive silver-and-black fur. It was one of the kittypets who had tormented them on their first night.
“You’re still here?” she spat.
“We’re more welcome here than you are!” puffed Barley, slamming into her flank.
The she-cat sprang away and launched herself at them, claws out. Ravenpaw folded his legs and ducked out of the way; as the she-cat skidded past, he reared up and brought his front paws down on her haunches. She dropped to the ground with a snarl, then gathered her hind legs and kicked straight back into Ravenpaw’s exposed belly.
A white-hot pain seared through him. He was aware of Barley charging at the kittypet, raking his claws down her back and sending her shrieking across the grass. Ravenpaw fell backward and lay still, panting, waiting for the spasm to ease. He heard Barley thudding after the kittypet. The ground thrummed with the sound of fleeing paws, the kittypets being chased away by gleeful, hissing warriors.
Gradually silence fell over the plain. Cats came padding back, a few of them limping. Ravenpaw heard a cheer: “We won! They’re gone!”
The warriors started to move more quickly, running back to the gorge, to the camp they had kept safe, in order to celebrate.
Barley’s face loomed over Ravenpaw. “Are you all right? Have you been injured?”
Ravenpaw shook his head and heaved himself up. Barley started to fuss, but Ravenpaw shot him a glare. There would be time for that later; now he wanted to share in SkyClan’s victory. He stumbled back down to the gorge, leaning heavily on Barley’s shoulder. Leafstar was standing on top of the rock, her cream patches of fur glowing in the moonlight.
“Ravenpaw, there you are!” she called. “SkyClan thanks you for helping us tonight! Without you, those kittypets might never have respected our borders.”
The cats around the rock turned to look at Ravenpaw, their eyes gleaming like tiny stars, and yowled in triumph. Ravenpaw closed his eyes in relief. We did it!
There was a stir beside him, and Riley and Bella appeared from the throng. Their pelts were ruffled, and Bella had a claw mark on one ear, but they were quivering with excitement.
“Oh, wow!” Riley gasped. “That was amazing!”
“We did everything you showed us!” Bella mewed. “I did a front-paw blow that made a kittypet fall over!”
“Well done,” Ravenpaw purred, trying not to show his pain. “I’m so proud of you!”
“We both are,” Barley meowed.
“Riley, Bella, are you there?” Leafstar called from the rock. “I have something important to ask you.”
The young cats glanced at each other, then pushed their way to the front of the cats. “We’re here!” Bella mewed.
Leafstar beckoned to them with her tail. “Come, join me.”
Riley and Bella scrambled up the boulder and stood on top. Leafstar faced them. “You fought well tonight,” she praised. “As bravely as any of my Clanmates, in fact. I was wrong to think that I needed to know a cat from kithood before I could trust them. You have proved that you belong here.”
Bella let out a tiny squeak.
Leafstar dipped her head. “Riley, Bella, will you do SkyClan the honor of joining us?”
Ravenpaw felt his heart flip over. Beside h
im, Barley purred so loudly his whiskers trembled.
The SkyClan leader nodded to two of her warriors. “Tinycloud, Nettlesplash, will you be their mentors?”
“With pleasure,” meowed Tinycloud, a slight-framed white she-cat. Beside her, a sturdy brown tom nodded.
“Rileypaw, Bellapaw, StarClan welcomes you to SkyClan as apprentices.” Leafstar began the ceremony, and Ravenpaw was plunged back to the clearing at the bottom of the ravine, listening to Bluestar announce his apprentice name for the first time.
“You need to rest,” Barley whispered in his ear. Without arguing, Ravenpaw allowed his friend to usher him along the path that led to Echosong’s den. His head was buzzing, but he could hear the SkyClan cats cheering, “Rileypaw! Bellapaw!” behind him.
A pale silver shape met them on the path. Silverstream? Ravenpaw wondered blurrily.
“Ah, Ravenpaw,” murmured Echosong. “Come with me.”
She turned to go into her den, but Ravenpaw hesitated. “Not inside, please,” he rasped. “I’d rather be under the trees.”
Echosong nodded, and she nudged him gently around until they were padding toward the woods.
“Wait!” Barley mewed, trotting alongside. “He’s very sick! Shouldn’t you take him to your den and treat him?”
“It is too late for that, Barley,” Echosong murmured. “We must do what Ravenpaw wishes now.”
They reached the rustling trees, and Ravenpaw sank down onto a patch of soft, cool grass. He felt shadows gathering around him, tugging at his limbs. He wasn’t afraid; he knew it was time. Rileypaw and Bellapaw would live as warriors now, thanks to him. But Barley . . .
His old friend curled around him, just as he had always done when they slept. Ravenpaw could feel him trembling, and he wished there were something he could do to comfort him.
“It’s all right,” Barley whispered, his voice breaking. “I know you have to leave me. I will never forget you, I promise.”
Ravenpaw gasped for one more breath. “I will wait for you. Wherever you are, I will find you.” He let his head fall onto Barley’s front paw. Everything was starting to feel very far away.