Dark River

“She was supposed to be training with us, but she didn’t turn up,” Poppypaw mewed.

“Brackenfur figured she’d been kept in camp for some reason,” Mousefur added. “So we just did the training without her. We thought she’d be here when we got back.”

“But she’s not!” Poppypaw’s shrill mew rang around the camp.

Brackenfur came bounding from the thorn tunnel. “She’s not here?”

Spiderleg and Ashfur were on his heels.

“Her scent is in the tunnel, but it’s stale,” Ashfur reported.

“She must have left camp when I told her to,” Brackenfur guessed.

“But she didn’t make it to the training hollow,” Spiderleg concluded.

Jaypaw felt the interest of their Clanmates pricking around the clearing.

Brightheart hurried over. “Perhaps she’s hurt!”

“Who’s hurt?” Sorreltail called.

“No one’s hurt!” Graystripe explained. “But Hollypaw seems to be missing.”

Jaypaw was starting to get squashed by the warriors pressing around him. Thornclaw and Whitewing had joined them.

“Perhaps WindClan has captured her!” Thornclaw declared.

Alarm flashed from the warriors and apprentices.

Cloudtail pushed his way to the front. “Why would they do that?”

Jaypaw smelled Brook’s mountain scent. “Has WindClan ever taken hostages before?” she asked.

“No, but they’ve never hunted squirrels before either!”

Dustpelt pointed out.

Sorreltail gasped. “I hope they don’t hurt her!”

Jaypaw felt torn between alarm and irritation. Everyone was panicking far too quickly. But what if Hollypaw had been captured?

Only Brook remained calm. “It wouldn’t make sense for WindClan to give themselves an extra mouth to feed.”

“But they have extra prey now that they hunt in the forest,” Brightheart meowed.

“They might think it’s worth it.” Sorreltail’s voice was taut with worry.

“We should send a patrol to rescue her!” Thornclaw announced.

Brambleclaw joined his Clanmates. “Rescue who?”

Jaypaw felt relief wash his pelt as he sensed Squirrelflight at his father’s side. She licked him between the ears. “What’s going on, Jaypaw?”

“Hollypaw’s missing.”

Squirrelflight stiffened. “Since when?”

“I spoke to her at midday,” Brackenfur explained. “She was supposed to come to the training hollow, but she never arrived.”

“WindClan must have captured her!” Brightheart meowed.

“Do we know that for sure?” Brambleclaw asked.

No one replied.

“Well, in that case, let’s not assume the worst,” the ThunderClan deputy urged.

“Knowing Hollypaw, she’s just gone off by herself,” Squirrelflight meowed.

Jaypaw nodded. Hollypaw had wandered off more than once when she needed time to think.

“But would she deliberately miss training?” Sorreltail fretted.

“She’s never missed it before.” Firestar’s mew sounded above them. He was on Highledge. The cats shuffled backward to look up at their leader. Jaypaw was relieved to have some space but he could feel guilt and anxiety flooding from Firestar. What did he have to feel guilty about?

“We can’t assume that WindClan have taken her,” the ThunderClan leader went on.

“But we know they want to attack us,” Thornclaw called.

“This might be their way of provoking a battle.”

Worried mews rippled around the Clan.

“We don’t know for sure they want to attack,” Firestar reasoned. “And as Squirrelflight pointed out, Hollypaw is perfectly capable of going off by herself. She’s always been independent. Don’t forget she went fox-hunting when she was still a kit!”

Firestar’s mew was light but Jaypaw could sense the leader’s thoughts churning. Meanwhile, his Clanmates’ ruffled pelts began to smooth. Of course Hollypaw was all right.

Disappearing for the day was just the sort of thing she’d do.

Jaypaw wasn’t convinced. Firestar knew more than he was letting on. He tried to probe the ThunderClan leader’s mind, but a fretful cloud obscured any clear thoughts. Perhaps he should just ask him outright? Jaypaw shrugged away the idea.

Firestar clearly wanted to keep his fears to himself.

Jaypaw slipped past Brook and Brightheart and headed toward the medicine den. As he neared it, he heard the brambles at the entrance rustle. Leafpool had just darted inside.

She must have been listening. He padded into the cave, a little taken aback by the wave of emotion flooding from Leafpool’s pelt.

“Is it true?” Cinderpaw’s anxious mew sounded from her nest. “Has Hollypaw disappeared?”

“You know Hollypaw,” Jaypaw soothed. “She’s probably gone off to think.”

“I guess.” Cinderpaw’s nest rustled as she settled back down, but Jaypaw could sense the tension in her muscles.

Across the den, alarm pulsed even more fiercely from Leafpool.

“What’s the matter?” he hissed, hurrying to his mentor’s side. He focused on her thoughts and found her mind chaotic with worry and guilt, just as Firestar’s had been. They both knew something!

“I spoke to Hollypaw before she left the camp,” Leafpool admitted quietly.

Jaypaw pricked his ears. “Did she say where she was going?”

“No, but she was upset.” Leafpool’s voice was hoarse.

“She’d just asked Firestar to help RiverClan.”

“And he said no,” Jaypaw guessed, remembering how Firestar had reacted to his dream.