Dedication
Special thanks to Kate Cary
Contents
Dedication
Allegiances
Maps
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Exclusive Manga Adventure
About the Author
Other Books in This Series
Back Ads
Credits
Copyright
About the Publisher
ALLEGIANCES
WINDCLAN
LEADER
HEATHERSTAR—pinkish-gray she-cat with blue eyes
DEPUTY
REEDFEATHER—light brown tabby tom
MEDICINE CAT
HAWKHEART—mottled gray-and-brown tom with yellow eyes
WARRIORS
(toms and she-cats without kits)
MOOR RUNNERS
(cats responsible for aboveground hunting and border patrols)
REDCLAW—dark ginger tom
HAREFLIGHT—light brown tom
ASPENFALL—gray-and-white tom
APPRENTICE, DOEPAW
CLOUDRUNNER—pale gray tom
APPRENTICE, STAGPAW
DAWNSTRIPE—pale gold tabby she-cat with creamy stripes
LARKSPLASH—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat
APPRENTICE, RYEPAW
APPLEDAWN—rose-cream she-cat
TUNNELERS
(cats specializing in hunting and digging tunnels belowground)
SANDGORSE—pale ginger tom
WOOLLYTAIL—gray-and-white tom
HICKORYNOSE—brown tom
MISTMOUSE—light brown tabby she-cat
PLUMCLAW—dark gray she-cat
APPRENTICES
(more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)
DOEPAW—light brown she-cat
STAGPAW—dark brown tom
RYEPAW—gray tabby she-cat
QUEENS
(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)
PALEBIRD—black-and-white she-cat
BRACKENWING—pale ginger she-cat
MEADOWSLIP—gray she-cat
ELDERS
(former warriors and queens, now retired)
WHITEBERRY—small pure white tom
FLAMEPELT—dark ginger tom
LILYWHISKER—light brown she-cat
FLAILFOOT—black tom
SHADOWCLAN
LEADER
CEDARSTAR—very dark gray tom with a white belly
DEPUTY
STONETOOTH—gray tabby tom with long teeth
MEDICINE CAT
SAGEWHISKER—white she-cat with long whiskers
WARRIORS
CROWTAIL—black tabby she-cat
BRACKENFOOT—pale ginger tom with dark ginger legs
ARCHEYE—gray tabby tom with black stripes and thick stripe over eye
APPRENTICE, FROGPAW
HOLLYFLOWER—dark-gray-and-white she-cat
APPRENTICE, NEWTPAW
MUDCLAW—gray tom with brown legs
TOADSKIP—dark brown tabby tom with white splashes and white legs
APPRENTICE, ASHPAW
NETTLESPOT—white she-cat with ginger flecks
MOUSEWING—thick-furred black tom
DEERLEAP—gray tabby she-cat with white legs
AMBERLEAF—dark orange she-cat with brown legs and ears
FINCHFLIGHT—black-and-white tom
BLIZZARDWING—mottled white tom
LIZARDSTRIPE—pale brown tabby she-cat with white belly
QUEENS
FEATHERSTORM—dark brown tabby
BRIGHTFLOWER—orange tabby
POOLCLOUD—gray-and-white she-cat
ELDERS
LITTLEBIRD—small ginger tabby she-cat
LIZARDFANG—light brown tabby tom with one hooked tooth
SILVERFLAME—orange-and-gray she-cat
THUNDERCLAN
LEADER
PINESTAR—red-brown tom with green eyes
DEPUTY
SUNFALL—bright ginger tom with yellow eyes
MEDICINE CAT
GOOSEFEATHER—speckled gray tom with pale blue eyes
APPRENTICE, FEATHERPAW
WARRIORS
STORMTAIL—blue-gray tom, blue eyes
DAPPLETAIL—tortoiseshell she-cat
ADDERFANG—mottled brown tabby tom with yellow eyes
TAWNYSPOTS—light gray tabby tom
HALFTAIL—big dark brown tabby tom with part of his tail missing and yellow eyes
SMALLEAR—gray tom with very small ears and amber eyes
ROBINWING—small, energetic brown she-cat with ginger patch on her chest and amber eyes
APPRENTICE, LEOPARDPAW
FUZZYPELT—black tom with fur that perpetually stands on end and yellow eyes
APPRENTICE, PATCHPAW
WINDFLIGHT—gray tabby tom with pale green eyes
QUEENS
MOONFLOWER—silver-gray she-cat with pale yellow eyes
POPPYDAWN—long-haired dark brown she-cat
ELDERS
WEEDWHISKER—pale orange tom with yellow eyes
MUMBLEFOOT—brown tom with amber eyes
LARKSONG—tortoiseshell she-cat with pale green eyes
RIVERCLAN
LEADER
HAILSTAR—thick-pelted gray tom
DEPUTY
SHELLHEART—dappled gray tom
MEDICINE CAT
BRAMBLEBERRY—white she-cat with black spotted fur, blue eyes, and a pink nose
WARRIORS
RIPPLECLAW—black-and-silver tabby tom
TIMBERFUR—brown tom
APPRENTICE, WHITEPAW
MUDFUR—long-haired light brown tom
OWLFUR—brown-and-white tom
OTTERSPLASH—pale ginger-and-white she-cat
MARSHCLOUD—brown tabby tom, stout and short-tailed
MUDTHORN—brown tom with black ears
BRIGHTSKY—nimble ginger-and-white she-cat
PIKETOOTH—skinny brown tabby tom with narrow face and protruding canine teeth
LAKESHINE—long-haired gray-and-white she-cat
SHIMMERPELT—night-black she-cat with glossy pelt
FALLOWTAIL—light brown she-cat with blue eyes
APPRENTICE, SOFTPAW
QUEENS
ECHOMIST—long-haired gray she-cat
LILYSTEM—pale gray she-cat
ELDERS
TROUTCLAW—gray tabby tom
TANGLEFUR—long-haired tabby with thick knotted pelt
BIRDSONG—tabby-and-white she-cat with ginger patches around her muzz
le, flecked with gray
CATS OUTSIDE THE CLANS
SPARROW—dark brown tom
BESS—black she-cat with white paws
MOLE—dark gray tom
ALGERNON—creamy-brown tom
REENA—ginger she-cat
JAKE—ginger tom
QUINCE—gray she-cat
JAY—black-and-white she-cat
PIXIE—fluffy white she-cat
MARMALADE—large ginger tom
RED—orange she-cat
NUTMEG—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat
Maps
PROLOGUE
The dark moor rose to meet the night-black sky. Starry pelts sparked like flint against the trembling heather. Grass streamed around the paws of WindClan’s former warriors as they sat, whiskers stiff, unbowed by the wind.
“Welcome to StarClan, Heatherstar.” A sleek tom with starshine glowing in his pelt faced the young WindClan leader. “I have watched you serve your Clanmates with bravery and loyalty as their deputy, and now I am honored to give you a life as their leader.”
Heatherstar dipped her head. “Thank you, Thrushpelt.”
“I died a medicine cat,” the tom reminded her. “But before that, I was a warrior. I never hesitated to fight for what I knew to be right, however hard that seemed. I give you your eighth life and, with it, the courage to trust your instincts. When your heart speaks, listen.” Leaning forward, he touched his nose to Heatherstar’s head.
As the new life pulsed through her, the gray cat groaned through clenched jaws.
Thrushpelt stepped back and glanced over his shoulder. “Daisytail?”
A light brown she-cat with ginger patches padded from among her Clanmates, her fur blazing with silver light. “Do you know me?” she gently asked Heatherstar.
Heatherstar lifted her head and drew in a shuddering breath. “Yes! I have heard your name many times. You refused to let your kits fight against ShadowClan, and your insistence was so strong, it became part of the Clan code.”
Daisytail nodded. “From then on, no kit was allowed to train for battle before they were six moons old. I would have taken on each of those ShadowClan warriors myself before I let my little ones suffer a single blow. Even though you do not have kits of your own, Heatherstar, I want you to share the strength of my conviction. For your ninth life I give you the force of a mother’s love. Use it to protect your Clan.” She pressed her muzzle to Heatherstar’s head. “It is stronger than the wind and outlasts life itself.”
Heatherstar rocked as a spasm gripped her. She lurched forward and stumbled onto her knees.
A mottled gray-brown tom stepped forward. “Heatherstar?” He leaned down to the new WindClan leader. “Are you okay?”
Daisytail flicked her tail. “She is strong, Hawkheart. I can feel it.”
Heatherstar straightened up. “I’m fine,” she told the tom. Trembling, she faced StarClan. “I promise that I will make WindClan a force to be respected among all the Clans of the forest. I will lead them well through my nine lives. And when I join you, I hope you will welcome me with pride at what I have achieved.”
Murmurs of approval rose among the ranks of starry pelts.
“Remember,” Daisytail called, “there is no power stronger than love!” As she spoke, StarClan blurred and began to spiral upward like a comet’s tail, into the midnight sky.
“We should return to the Moonstone,” Hawkheart murmured in Heatherstar’s ear.
Heatherstar shook her head. “I’m not ready to leave StarClan.”
Hawkheart watched the glimmering pelts fade. “But they’ve gone.”
“Their scent remains.” Heatherstar swished her tail stubbornly.
“Then I’ll meet you at Mothermouth when you wake.” Turning, Hawkheart padded down the slope, his pelt melting into the shadows until he was hardly visible against the heather. “The Clan will be waiting for us at home.”
“I won’t be long.” Heatherstar watched the medicine cat vanish. Still unsteady, she climbed the moor, moving slowly at first but growing stronger with each step as the new lives throbbed beneath her fur. She broke into a run, charging across the windswept grass, her whiskers flattened against her face. She stopped suddenly as the moor dropped away. Balancing at the edge of the sandy precipice, Heatherstar gazed across woods and meadows stretching into darkness.
Paw steps sounded behind her. “Why do you linger here?” The mew was soft.
Heatherstar turned, blinking. The fading pelt of an ancient warrior shimmered in front of her. “I wanted to breathe the scents of StarClan for a while longer,” she confessed. “Who . . . who are you?”
“I am Mothflight.” The she-cat’s green eyes shone. Behind her, the heather showed through her coat. Her pelt, once white, now glowed dimly, more starlight than fur.
“Mothflight?” Heatherstar’s eyes widened. “You were WindClan’s first medicine cat!”
Mothflight nodded.
“You discovered the Moonstone,” Heatherstar whispered. “And now you’ve come to see me?”
“I watched your naming ceremony,” Mothflight told her. “And waited for the others to leave so that I could speak with you alone.”
“Do you have a prophecy for me?” Heatherstar curled her claws excitedly into the peaty soil.
“Not a prophecy, no. A warning, perhaps.” Mothflight’s voice was hardly more than a breath on the wind.
Heatherstar leaned closer, ears pricking.
“Listen carefully, Heatherstar,” Mothflight insisted. “Whatever happens, do not demand the loyalty of your Clan.”
Heatherstar lifted her head in surprise. “Of course I’ll demand it! I’ve earned it.”
“Warriors must decide for themselves where their loyalty lies.”
“It should lie with the Clan and with me,” Heatherstar hissed.
“But you cannot test it.”
Heatherstar bristled. “I’m their leader.”
Mothflight’s tail twitched. “You are young. Wisdom will come with experience. Until then, let my words guide you.”
Heatherstar snorted. “I will make the decisions for my Clan.”
“Of course,” Mothflight soothed. “But you don’t yet realize that sometimes warriors must leave what they love before they understand what they truly value.”
“Leave what they love?” Heatherstar echoed. “Do you mean their Clan?”
Mothflight stared back silently.
“Warriors who leave their Clan betray their Clan,” Heatherstar spat. “My Clan will be loyal.”
“There will be a warrior whose loyalty to WindClan will waver,” Mothflight told her. “A cat who will have to seek far beyond the confines of your territory to discover where his heart truly lies.”
Heatherstar curled her lip. “Are you telling me that one of my Clan will turn rogue?”
Mothflight blinked, her eyes like green stars. “He will stray, and you must let him, even if you fear he will never return. It is the only way he will discover where he truly belongs.”
CHAPTER 1
“Be careful, Tallkit!”
Tallkit paused when he heard Palebird’s anxious call. “I’ll be okay!” he mewed. He glanced back at the nursery. The warm, milky scent of his mother drifted from the entrance.
Inside the thick gorse den, Brackenwing soothed her. “Barkkit and Shrewkit will watch out for him, I promise.”
Tallkit shivered. This was only his second sunrise outside the nursery, and his paws pricked with excitement. A light dusting of snow had turned the camp white, frosting the tussocky grass and thick heather walls. The freezing air stung his nose. He fluffed up his fur.
Barkkit pawed at the white tip of Tallkit’s black tail. “You look like you’re turning to ice as well.”
Tallkit flicked his tail away, purring with amusement. His white muzzle and white paws would just make it easier for him to hide in the snow!
Shrewkit bounced past him. “Let’s show him the Hunting Stones, Barkkit!”
&
nbsp; Tallkit stared at his denmates. They were three moons older and twice his size, but he was determined to keep up with them. “I thought we were going to climb Tallrock again,” he protested. “I know I’ll make it this time.” His eyes stung in the bright, cold air. He’d only opened them for the first time a few sunrises ago and they were still slowly adjusting to sunlight after the cozy gloom of the nursery.
He blinked up at the high slab of granite where Barkkit had told him Heatherstar stood to address the Clan. It loomed, jagged and dark, from a wide, sandy crater, which encircled it like an empty pool.
The Meeting Hollow.
Tallkit gazed into it wide-eyed. At the bottom, Heatherstar, Hawkheart, and Reedfeather huddled beside the stone, their breath billowing as they spoke.
Hawkheart looked up and caught Tallkit’s eye over the rim. “Our youngest kit is exploring again,” he murmured.
Tallkit shifted his paws. The dark glint in the medicine cat’s gaze made him nervous. Palebird had warned him to stay away from the gray-brown tom; he had little patience for kits.
“Stay under cover, Tallkit.” Hawkheart narrowed his eyes. “We don’t want you attracting buzzards to the camp.”
“Buzzards?” Tallkit’s heart lurched.
“Kits are their favorite prey,” Hawkheart warned. “And they can spot you from Highstones.”
Reedfeather’s whiskers twitched. “Don’t scare the poor kit.” There was a purr in his throat as he nodded to Shrewkit, who had popped up beside Tallkit. “What are you showing him today?”
Shrewkit flicked his tail. “The Hunting Stones.”
Heatherstar shook frost from her thick gray pelt. “Be careful,” she cautioned. “The stones will be icy.”
“Don’t come mewling to me if you sprain a paw,” Hawkheart called.
“Come,” the WindClan leader urged her deputy and medicine cat. “It’s too cold to sit here. Let’s go to my den.”
As Heatherstar hopped out of the Meeting Hollow, Hawkheart and Reedfeather followed, their tails twitching as they ducked into the shelter of the leader’s den beneath a gorse bush at the far end of the clearing.