Dark River

Lionpaw stretched and blinked open his eyes. Heatherpaw was sitting beside him, looking up at the gap in the roof where the sky was growing pale. He got to his paws, feeling his muscles protest. Teaching Heatherpaw the battle moves he’d learned from Tigerstar had tired him out. It seemed like only a few moments since they had dozed off.

“We’d better go,” Heatherpaw told him.

“Will you meet me here tonight?”

Heatherpaw flicked her tail. “Of course, even if Crowfeather makes me run to the top of the moor and back again in our training session.” She pressed her nuzzle against Lionpaw’s cheek, then trotted away toward her tunnel. “See you later.”

Lionpaw’s paws tingled. “Bye.” He headed in the opposite direction and raced for the open air.

The forest was damp, washed by a light rain. Lionpaw wriggled under the brambles and headed home through the half-light of early dawn. The trees and bushes cast eerie shadows across the pale forest floor. A light wind rustled the leaves.

“Traitor!”

Lionpaw halted and jerked around, fur spiking.

A familiar outline shimmered against the ferns.

“Tigerstar?”

“What do you think you’re doing?” It was Hawkfrost.

Lionpaw looked for Tigerstar but Hawkfrost was alone. His eyes blazed as he padded toward Lionpaw.

“What do you mean?” Lionpaw protested. Hawkfrost knew about his nightly visits to the tunnels. Why was he challenging him now?

Hawkfrost curled his lip. “You were teaching battle moves to the enemy!”

“Heatherpaw’s not an enemy!” Lionpaw retorted. “She’s my friend!”

“She belongs to another Clan!” Hawkfrost hissed. “That makes her an enemy! What if she uses the moves you just taught her against you one day?”

“Heatherpaw would never do that!”

“Wouldn’t she?”

Lionpaw stiffened, trying to imagine facing Heatherpaw in battle. Surely she wouldn’t take advantage of him like that?

“I thought you and Tigerstar didn’t care about me seeing Heatherpaw.”

“We liked your independence,” Hawkfrost growled. “We assumed it was just a harmless kit-friendship.”

“It is harmless!” Lionpaw bristled. “But it’s not just a kit-friendship! It’s more important than that. That’s why I know she’d never use those battle moves against me!”

“Then you’re a mouse-brain!” Hawkfrost snarled. “I thought you wanted to be a great warrior!”

Lionpaw lifted his chin. “Of course I do!”

“Then why can’t you see what those tunnels mean?”

Lionpaw blinked. The tunnels meant he could meet Heatherpaw without upsetting his Clan.

Hawkfrost snorted. “You don’t understand anything, do you?”

“I do!”

“Then why haven’t you figured out that those tunnels could be used for a surprise attack on WindClan?”

“Why would we want to attack WindClan?”

“The same reason WindClan might one day use the tunnels to attack ThunderClan!”

Lionpaw stared at Hawkfrost. He wasn’t making any sense to his tired ears.

Hawkfrost rolled his eyes. “What if you need more territory or extra prey?” he meowed slowly, as though explaining a battle move to a kit. “Would you wait at the border for a passing WindClan patrol and beg for it?”

“But we have enough territory and enough prey,” Lionpaw argued.

“Things change!” Hawkfrost snapped. “Clans change!

Look how different WindClan is now that they have Onestar as leader. ThunderClan is terrified of them!”

“No, we’re not!”

“Really?” Hawkfrost pricked his ears. “Then why is Firestar too scared to ask them what’s happened to Hollypaw?”

Lionpaw’s eyes grew round. “Do you know?”

“I know enough not to sit around the camp sending fruit-less search parties to the borders and no farther!”

“Tell me!”

But Hawkfrost had turned away.

Lionpaw padded after him. “Where is she?”

“Let the great Firestar find her!” Hawkfrost glanced over his shoulder. “Meanwhile you’d better think about whether you want to be a warrior or whether you plan to live your life as a loner. Because if your Clanmates find out that you’ve kept the tunnels a secret from them, that’s what you’ll become!”

“No!” Lionpaw felt sick. That couldn’t be true! He stared after Hawkfrost. “Come back!”

The tabby warrior’s outline shivered and disappeared.

Lionpaw was alone again.

His heart felt like a stone in his chest. He had taught Heatherpaw battle moves. She might not use them against him, but what about his Clanmates? Suddenly weary, he padded through the trees and headed down the curve of the hollow, toward the camp. Thanks to Tigerstar’s training, he had begun to think that he would achieve his ambition to become a great warrior after all. Now he felt like a fox-hearted traitor. What if WindClan did use the tunnels to attack and had the advantage because ThunderClan knew nothing about them? He would have betrayed his Clanmates just so he could see Heatherpaw. Was their friendship really worth that?