One more tiny victory. Until the next battle.
“Good,” Pinestar mewed out loud. It is time. The last time I will summon my Clan. The last time I will call myself a warrior. The last time I will breathe the air in this place that has been my home for so many seasons.
The smooth gray stone felt familiar beneath his paws as he took his place on Highrock. He looked down at his Clanmates, knowing he would dream about this sight for the rest of his life. “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather to hear what I have to tell you!”
Warriors and queens turned tired, grief-stricken eyes to face him. Pinestar felt a fresh wave of sadness roll in his belly. I wish I could take you all with me! he thought for one wild moment.
“Cats of ThunderClan, I can no longer be your leader. From now on, I will leave the Clan and live with housefolk in Twolegplace.”
There was a pause of horrified silence, then Stormtail hissed, “You’re going to be a kittypet?”
Sunfall looked as if a hedgehog had just sprouted wings. “Why?”
“How could you?” wailed Poppydawn from where she crouched beside Sweetpaw’s body.
Pinestar bowed his head. I love you all! Please believe me! “I have been honored to serve you this long,” he explained. “The rest of my life will be spent as a kittypet, where I have no battles to fight, no lives depending on me for food and safety.”
“Coward,” Adderfang snarled.
Pinestar avoided the warrior’s gaze. “I have given eight lives to ThunderClan—each of them willingly. But I am not ready to risk my ninth.”
“What could be more honorable than to die for your Clan?” rasped Weedwhisker.
“You would live among StarClan,” Poppydawn mewed. “And share tongues with Clanmates you have lost.”
Pinestar forced himself to keep still and not run into the welcoming bracken behind him. “I am doing this for ThunderClan, I promise.”
“You’re doing it for you,” Stormtail muttered.
Then a small golden-striped shape moved to the front of the cats and turned to face them. Pinestar stared down in surprise. What was Lionpaw doing now?
The apprentice raised his head boldly. “Do we really want a leader who no longer wishes to lead?” he demanded.
Thank you, Lionpaw. Pinestar watched his Clanmates’ eyes flicker with uncertainty. They shot fleeting, baffled glances at him, light as a butterfly’s wings, as if he was a stranger who had blundered into the camp by mistake.
“Sunfall will lead you well, and StarClan will understand,” Pinestar promised.
“The other Clans might not,” Sunfall suggested. There was a flash of anger in his eyes, and his fur bristled along his spine. “You won’t be able to come back to the forest, you know.”
Pinestar shrugged. “Oh, I can imagine the names they’ll call me. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the leaders suggests an addition to the warrior code, that all true warriors scorn the easy life of a kittypet. But you’ll make ThunderClan as strong as it ever was, Sunfall. My last act as leader is to entrust my Clan to you, and I do so with confidence.”
Sunfall bowed, though his gaze still burned. “I am honored, Pinestar. I promise I will do my best.”
Pinestar jumped down and studied his Clanmates. Former Clanmates? For a moment he wondered if they would treat him as a kittypet from this moment, if he would have to claw his way out of his own home. But Sunfall padded forward and rested his tail against Pinestar’s flank.
“You have led us well, Pinestar,” he murmured.
Larksong joined him. “We will miss you.”
“Sunfall will make a good leader,” White-eye insisted, and the cats around her nodded.
“Thank you,” Pinestar murmured. He turned to face Lionpaw, and felt a purr rising inside him. ThunderClan was lucky to have this young cat among them. “You were right,” Pinestar told him. “I had to tell the Clan myself. It would not have been fair to them, or to you, to do anything else. You have a good spirit, young one. When it is time for you to receive your warrior name, tell Sunfall I would have called you Lionheart.”
Lionpaw’s eyes glowed, and Pinestar knew he had judged well. Not everything I have done was a mistake.
He started toward the gorse tunnel but Leopardfoot blocked his way. “Pinestar, what about our kits?” she pleaded, her voice high with disbelief. “Won’t you stay to watch them grow up?” She had brought the kits out of the nursery; Mistkit and Nightkit were huddled on the ground, barely any bigger than the day they had been born, their eyes cloudy and unfocused. Tigerkit loomed beside them, broad and strong, crouching down to pounce on Pinestar’s tail.
Pinestar twitched his tail out of harm’s way. This is the hardest part of all. I can never tell this Clan about the warning StarClan gave me. Tigerkit deserves to grow up being treated fairly, given the best chance to succeed. It is not my duty to taint his reputation forever. “They’ll be fine with you, Leopardfoot. I’m not a father they could be proud of, but I will always be proud of them. Especially you, little warrior,” he forced himself to add.
Tigerkit stared up at him and let out a tiny growl.
“Be strong, my precious son,” Pinestar whispered. “Serve your Clan well.” Prove StarClan wrong, whatever happens.
There was nothing more to say. It was time to leave. He gazed around the clearing once more, committing every branch, every paw print to memory. Then he pushed his way into the gorse tunnel and left everything behind.
CHAPTER TEN
Pinestar padded through the forest for the last time, keeping to well-trodden paths. It didn’t matter if a patrol saw him; he was no longer their leader. No cat would be interested in him now. He had no responsibilities, no need to worry about the fresh-kill pile or border marks or whether the elders’ den would leak in the next rainstorm. . . .
As he neared the wooden fence, Pinestar broke into a run. The long grass closed around him as he crouched down and leaped over the border between his old life and his new one. He landed with a thud, his legs suddenly feeling old and tired. He realized he was trembling, and for a heartbeat a sense of dizzying emptiness opened up inside him. All his life he had known what he was: kit, apprentice, warrior, deputy, leader, each role marked out by his name, the way his Clanmates treated him, the boundaries of the territory, and the routine of each day. All that had vanished. What was left?
For a moment, Pinestar wanted to go back. He would no longer be ThunderClan’s leader, but he could be an elder, safe, sheltered, well fed, with no responsibilities, not even for his own ticks. But his Clanmates would still be around him. He would still have to watch cats go out to fight, and never return. And he would be just as powerless to change Tigerkit’s destiny.
Pinestar kept going. He trotted through several kittypet territories, passing Tyr, who was dozing on a patch of sunbaked stone. Over a wall, along a narrow path, and then he was standing on the edge of the Thunderpath, picturing the very last time he had seen Shanty in the orange glow cast by the strange light-making poles. His paws felt heavy as he crossed the Thunderpath, not letting himself look down at the faint brown stain where she had died. She wasn’t there anymore, he told himself. All her pain, all her fear in that terrible moment, was over. Wherever she was, she was safe now.
He paused at the entrance to Shanty’s home. He could hear her housefolk talking outside their den, their voices rumbling softly. Was it his imagination, or did they sound sadder than before? They must miss Shanty even more than I do, he thought. He took a deep breath. This was it. This was why he had made his choice to leave the Clan. I can help you. I can never replace Shanty, but I might fill part of the gap she has left. I know you feel it, because I feel it too.
He walked past the glossy green hedge and into Shanty’s territory. The Twolegs stopped talking and stared at him, their brown eyes wide. The male gestured at Pinestar and yowled. He clearly wanted Pinestar to go away.
“It’s me!” Pinestar mewed. “Shanty’s friend!”
&n
bsp; The Twoleg took a step toward him, suddenly looming as tall as a tree and rumbling ominously. Pinestar shrank back in alarm. What do I do now, Shanty? This wasn’t an enemy he could fight. There was no rule about this in the warrior code. He was nothing more than an intruder here!
But the female Twoleg moved forward and put out her light brown paw on the male’s foreleg. Her voice was softer, as if she was asking him something. She pointed at Pinestar and bared her teeth. Pinestar held his breath and waited. After a few moments, the female crouched down and held out her paw toward him. She was making the same noise she had made to Shanty, gentle and encouraging, like an invitation to come closer.
Pinestar took one step forward. He knew Shanty’s Twoleg wasn’t going to hurt him. The first time she had tried to touch him, he had been nervous. But now he didn’t feel brave so much as trusting, relieved, and full of memories of his beloved kittypet friend. It was almost as if Shanty was beside him, wreathing around him in delight. I knew you two would be friends, she purred in his ear.
He kept very still as Shanty’s Twoleg stroked his ears. Her paw was softer than Jake’s Twoleg’s, and it tickled. She made another sound that seemed even more welcoming to Pinestar. Fascinated, he moved nearer to her. This time she ran her whole paw along his back, smoothing his fur and dislodging the leaf scraps he had collected on his run through the forest.
The male Twoleg joined her. Even when he was crouched down, he was still huge. Pinestar forced himself to stay still as the male reached out with his huge dark brown paw. But he was as gentle as the female, though his paw felt heavier and rougher. Pinestar rubbed his head against the hairless underside, letting his scent mingle with the strong, musky scent of the Twoleg.
The female Twoleg straightened up and looked at Pinestar. She beckoned to him with her paw, a gesture that Pinestar had seen from many, many tails. She wanted him to follow her. Pinestar told himself there was nothing to be afraid of; he had seen how Shanty trusted these Twolegs, loved them as much as he loved his Clanmates. But Shanty was not here now, and Pinestar missed her so much he could hardly breathe.
The female stepped inside the den and beckoned to him again. Pinestar paused in the entrance, trembling. This felt more dangerous than any battle with a rival Clan, any confrontation with a snarling badger or snapping fox. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he made out a sharp-edged, white-walled space, much smaller than the outside walls suggested. The floor was hard and shiny, like ice. Pinestar placed one paw cautiously on it. Not as slippery as it looks, good. He walked in and looked around. The female Twoleg had crouched down in the corner and seemed to be pointing to something.
But Pinestar couldn’t concentrate. Shanty was everywhere. Her scent, the things she had played with, the food bowl he had seen her eating from once outside. Most of all, the feeling that she was there with him, only just out of sight, encouraging him on. Even if she was not in StarClan, Pinestar felt her presence as strongly as he had ever felt a StarClan cat alongside him. He was not alone here. I will never be alone.
He padded carefully across the gleaming floor and sniffed at the soft, lumpy pelt that the female had pointed to. This was Shanty’s nest, judging by the smell and the shape left behind by her body. Pinestar felt a pang in his belly. My nest, now. If he wanted it. And he did, very much. He climbed into the middle of the nest and curled up. The Twoleg made a happy purring noise and bared her teeth at him again. The male Twoleg appeared and rumbled in a pleased way. He bent down and patted Pinestar’s head, almost making his teeth rattle. Twolegs are strong!
The female Twoleg stood up and put something into the feed bowl. Pinestar peered at it. This wasn’t pellets, like Jake’s food, but chunks of some kind of meat. His belly rumbled, and he reminded himself that as an elder, he wouldn’t be catching his own prey anyway. Did it matter who caught it for him? He reached out and took a mouthful. It wasn’t bad—in fact, it was juicier and tastier than anything he’d eaten in leaf-bare. Better than Jake’s dry pellets, too. Pinestar cleaned out the bowl and the Twolegs purred at him.
Feeling restless now his belly was full, Pinestar stepped out of the nest and headed outside. He looked back to see the Twolegs watching him anxiously.
“I’ll come back,” he promised. He felt a warm glow spread through him at the thought that they might be waiting for him. Is this what it was like to be a kittypet? To know that Twolegs would keep you safe and warm and fed? Why do warriors despise this way of life so much? It is all we ever want for our kits and elders!
He trotted across the grass and hopped over a low wall. Jake was sunning himself on a flat expanse of gray stone next to the empty Thunderpath. He blinked in surprise when he saw Pinestar.
“Hey! I didn’t think you’d come back,” he meowed. “You know, after Shanty . . .” He trailed off.
Pinestar nodded. “For a while, I wasn’t sure I would,” he admitted. “But I think I can do some good here . . . for Shanty’s housefolk. More than I can do for my Clan.” Except it’s not my Clan any longer. It belongs to Sunfall now.
Jake flicked the tip of his tail. “What do you mean? Have you left ThunderClan?”
“Yes, I have.” Wow. That makes it feel very real.
The ginger tom looked impressed. “You’d really give all that up to be a kittypet for Shanty’s housefolk?”
“I really would,” Pinestar murmured.
Jake’s eyes softened. “Shanty would like that, Pinestar.” He stood up. “Do you want to go meet some of your new neighbors? You haven’t seen Quince yet, have you? She’s a sweetheart.”
“I should go home,” Pinestar meowed. “My . . . my housefolk are expecting me. Oh, and my name isn’t Pinestar anymore. It’s Pine. Just Pine.”
Jake twitched his ears. “It suits you.” He turned away, then paused and glanced back. “Welcome home, Pine.”
THUNDERSTAR’S ECHO
DEDICATION
Special thanks to Clarissa Hutton
ALLEGIANCES
THUNDERCLAN
LEADER THUNDERSTAR—orange tom with big white paws
DEPUTY LIGHTNING TAIL—black tom
MEDICINE CAT CLOUD SPOTS—long-furred black tom with white ears, white chest, and two white paws
HUNTERS VIOLET DAWN—sleek dark gray she-cat with bits of black around her ears and paws
OWL EYES—gray tom with amber eyes
PINK EYES—white tom with pink eyes
LEAF—black-and-white tom with amber eyes
MILKWEED—splotchy ginger-and-black she-cat with scar on muzzle
CLOVER—ginger-and-white she-cat with yellow eyes
THISTLE—ginger tom with green eyes
GOOSEBERRY—pale yellow tabby she-cat
YEW TAIL—cream-and-brown tom
APPLE BLOSSOM—orange-and-white she-cat
SNAIL SHELL—dappled gray tom
BLUE WHISKER—white she-cat with yellow splotches
APPRENTICES HAZEL BURROW—black-and-white tom
MORNING FIRE—dark brown she-cat with amber eyes
SHIVERING ROSE—black she-cat with white splotch on one ear and amber eyes
KITS PATCH PELT—ginger-and-black tom kit
BEECH TAIL—pale ginger she-kit
WINDCLAN
LEADER WINDSTAR—wiry brown she-cat with yellow eyes
DEPUTY GORSE FUR—thin gray tabby tom
MEDICINE CAT MOTH FLIGHT—white she-cat with green eyes
HUNTERS DUST MUZZLE—gray tabby tom with amber eyes
SLATE—thick-furred gray she-cat with one ear tip missing
WHITE TAIL—dark gray tom-kit with white patches and amber eyes
SILVER STRIPE—pale gray tabby she-kit with blue eyes
BLACK EAR—black-and-white patched tom-kit with amber eyes
SPOTTED FUR—golden-brown tom with amber eyes and a dappled coat
ROCKY—plump orange-and-whit
e tom with green eyes
SWIFT MINNOW—gray-and-white she-cat
REED TAIL—silver tabby tom with a knowledge of herbs
JAGGED PEAK—a small gray tabby tom with blue eyes
HOLLY—she-cat with prickly, bushy fur
STORM PELT—mottled gray tom with blue eyes and thick bushy tail
DEW NOSE—brown splotchy tabby she-cat with white tips on nose and tail, yellow eyes
EAGLE FEATHER—brown tom with yellow eyes, broad shoulders, and striped tail
WILLOW TAIL—pale tabby she-cat with blue eyes
SKYCLAN
LEADER SKYSTAR—light gray tom with blue eyes
DEPUTY SPARROW FUR—tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes
MEDICINE CAT ACORN FUR—chestnut-brown she-cat
HUNTERS STAR FLOWER—she-cat with thick, golden tabby fur
DEW PETAL—silver-and-white she-cat
FLOWER FOOT—she-cat with tan stripes
THORN—splotchy brown tom with bright blue eyes
QUICK WATER—gray-and-white she-cat
NETTLE—gray tom
BIRCH—ginger tom with white circles of fur around his eyes
ALDER—gray, brown, and white she-cat
BLOSSOM—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with yellow eyes
RED CLAW—a reddish-brown tom
HONEY PELT—striped yellow tom
RIVERCLAN
LEADER RIVERSTAR—silver long-furred tom with amber eyes
DEPUTY NIGHT—black she-cat
MEDICINE CAT DAPPLED PELT—delicate tortoiseshell she-cat with golden eyes
HUNTERS SHATTERED ICE—gray-and-white tom with green eyes
DEW—gray she-cat
DAWN MIST—orange-and-white she-cat with green eyes
MOSS TAIL—dark brown tom with golden eyes
DRIZZLE—gray-and-white she-kit with pale blue eyes
PINE NEEDLE—black tom-kit with yellow eyes
SPIDER PAW—white tom