CHAPTER 5

“Hey, Firepaw, wake up! ” Graypaw’s meow broke into

Firepaw’s dream. He had been chasing a squirrel, up and

up, into the topmost branches of a tal oak.

“Training begins at sunrise. Dustpaw and Sandpaw are

already up, ” Graypaw added urgently.

Firepaw stretched sleepily, then remembered: today

was his first day of training. He leaped to his paws. His

drowsiness evaporated as excitement surged through his

veins.

Graypaw was giving himself a hasty wash. Between

licks, he meowed, “I’ve just spoken to Lionheart. Ravenpaw

won’t be training with us til his wound is better. He’l

probably stay at Spottedleaf’s den for another day or two.

Dustpaw and Sandpaw are on hunting duty. So Lionheart

thought you and I could train with him and Tigerclaw this

morning. We’d better hurry, though, ” he added. “They’l be

waiting! ”

Graypaw led Firepaw quickly through the gorse entrance

of the camp and up the side of the rock-strewn val ey. As

they climbed over the crest of the ravine, a cool breeze

ruffled their fur. Fat, white clouds raced across the blue sky

overhead. Firepaw felt fierce joy wel up inside him as he

fol owed Graypaw down a tree-shaded slope and into a

sandy hol ow.

Tigerclaw and Lionheart were indeed waiting, sitting a

few tail-lengths apart on the sun-warmed sand.

“In future, I expect you both to be punctual, ” growled

Tigerclaw.

“Don’t be too severe, Tigerclaw; it was a busy night last

night. I expect they were tired, ” meowed Lionheart gently.

“You have not yet been assigned a mentor, Firepaw, ” he

went on. “For now, Tigerclaw and I wil share your training. ”

Firepaw nodded enthusiastical y, his tail held high,

unable to disguise his delight at having two such great

warriors as his mentors.

“Come, ” meowed Tigerclaw impatiently. “Today we are

going to show you the edges of our territory, so that you

know where you wil be hunting and what boundaries you

need to protect. Graypaw, it won’t do you any harm to

remind yourself of the Clan’s outer limits. ”

Without another word, Tigerclaw leaped up and

bounded out of the sandy hol ow. Lionheart nodded to

Graypaw and they took off with equal speed. Firepaw

scrambled after them, his paws slipping on the soft sand.

The trees were thick in this part of the forest, birch and

ash trees overshadowed by mighty oaks. The ground was

carpeted with crisp dead leaves that rustled beneath their

paws. Tigerclaw paused to spray his scent on a thick clump

of ferns. The other cats stopped beside him.

“There is a Twoleg path here, ” murmured Lionheart.

“Use your nose, Firepaw. Can you smel anything? ”

Firepaw sniffed. There was the faint scent of a Twoleg,

and the stronger smel of a dog, familiar to him from his old

home. “A Twoleg has walked his dog along here, but they

are gone now, ” he mewed.

“Good, ” meowed Lionheart. “Do you think it is safe to

cross? ”

Firepaw sniffed again. The odors were weak and

seemed overlaid with fresher forest smel s. “Yes, ” he

replied.

Tigerclaw nodded, and the four cats stalked out from

beneath the ferns and crossed the sharp stones of the

narrow Twoleg path.

The trees beyond were pine. They grew tal and straight,

row after row. It was easy to walk silently here. The ground

was thick with layers of dead needles, which prickled

against Firepaw’s pads but felt spongy underneath. There

was no undergrowth here to hide in, and Firepaw sensed

tension in the other cats as they stalked unprotected

between the tree trunks.

“Twolegs put these trees here, ” meowed Tigerclaw.

“They cut them down with foul-smel ing creatures, which

spew enough fumes to make a kit go blind. Then they take

the fal en trees to the Treecut place that lies near here. ”

Firepaw stopped and listened for the roar of the tree-

eater, which he had heard before.

“The Treecut place wil be silent for a few moons more,

until the time of greenleaf, ” explained Graypaw, noticing his

pause.

The cats padded on through the pine forest.

“Twolegplace lies in that direction, ” meowed Tigerclaw,

flicking his thick tail to one side. “No doubt you can smel it,

Firepaw. Today, however, we wil head the other way. ”

Eventual y they reached another Twoleg path that

marked the far edge of the pine forest. They quickly

crossed over into the safe bushes of the oak woods

beyond. But Firepaw stil sensed anxiety in the other cats.

“We’re approaching RiverClan territory, ” whispered

Graypaw. “The Sunningrocks are over there. ” He pointed

with his soft muzzle to a treeless mound of boulders.

Firepaw felt his fur stand on end. This was where Redtail

had been slain.

Lionheart stopped by a flat gray rock. “This is the

boundary between ThunderClan and RiverClan territory.

RiverClan rules the hunting grounds beside the great river, ”

he meowed. “Breathe deeply, Firepaw. ”

The pungent smel of unfamiliar cats hit the roof of

Firepaw’s mouth. He was surprised how different it smel ed

from the warm cat scents of the ThunderClan camp. And he

was also surprised to realize just how familiar and

comforting the ThunderClan scents seemed to him already.

“That is the smel of RiverClan, ” Tigerclaw growled

beside him. “Remember it wel. It wil be strongest at the

boundary, because their warriors wil have scent-marked

the trees along here. ” With these words, the dark tabby

lifted his tail and sprayed his own mark on the flat rock.

“We’l fol ow this boundary line, as it leads straight to

Fourtrees, ” Lionheart meowed.

He set off quickly, away from the Sunningrocks, fol owed

by Tigerclaw. Graypaw and Firepaw trotted after them.

“What is Fourtrees? ” Firepaw panted.

“It is where the territories of al four Clans meet, ” replied

Graypaw. “There are four great oaks there, as old as the

Clans—”

“Be quiet! ” ordered Tigerclaw. “Don’t forget how close

we are to enemy territory! ”

The two apprentices fel silent and Firepaw concentrated

on walking silently. They crossed a shal ow stream, keeping

their paws dry by leaping from boulder to boulder across

the pebbly riverbed.

By the time they reached Fourtrees, Firepaw was feeling

completely out of breath and his paws ached. He wasn’t

used to traveling so far and so fast. He was quite relieved

when Lionheart and Tigerclaw led them out of the thick

woods and stopped at the brow of a bush-covered slope.

It was sunhigh now. The clouds had cleared, and the

wind had dropped. Below, in the dazzling sunlight, stood

four enormous oaks, their dark green crowns reaching

almost to the top of the steep slope.

“As Graypaw told you, ” meowed Lionheart to Firepaw,

“this is Fourtrees, where the territories of al four Clans

meet. WindClan governs the high ground ahead of us,

where the sun sets. You won’t be able to catch their scent

today—the wind is blowing toward them. But you’l learn it

soon enough. ”

“And ShadowClan holds power over there, in the darkest

part of the forest, ” added Graypaw, flicking his head

sideways. “The elders say that the cold winds from the north

blow over the ShadowClan cats and chil their hearts. ”

“So many Clans! ” Firepaw exclaimed. And so well

organized, he added to himself, remembering Smudge’s

lurid tales of wildcats wreaking terror in the forest.

“You see now why prey is so precious, ” meowed

Lionheart. “Why we must fight to protect what little we have. ”

“But that seems foolish! Why can’t the Clans work

together and share their hunting grounds, instead of fighting

each other? ” Firepaw suggested boldly.

A shocked silence greeted his words.

Tigerclaw was the first to reply. “That is treacherous

thinking, kittypet, ” he snapped.

“Don’t be too fierce, Tigerclaw, ” warned Lionheart. “The

ways of the Clans are new to this apprentice. ” He looked at

Firepaw. “You speak from your heart, young Firepaw. This

wil make you a stronger warrior one day. ”

Tigerclaw growled. “Or it might make him give in to

kittypet weakness right at the moment of attack. ”

Lionheart glanced briefly at Tigerclaw before he

continued. “The four Clans do come together peaceful y, in

a Gathering each moon. Here”—he bent his head toward

the four mighty oaks below—“is where they meet. The truce

lasts for as long as the moon is at its ful est. ”

“Then there must be a meeting very soon? ” Firepaw

suggested, remembering how bright the moonlight had

been the night before.

“Indeed there is! ” answered Lionheart, sounding

impressed. “Tonight, in fact. The Gatherings are very

important because they al ow the Clans to come together in

peace for one night. But you must understand that longer

al iances bring more trouble than they’re worth. ”

“It is our Clan loyalty that makes us strong, ” Tigerclaw

meowed in agreement. “If you weaken that loyalty, you

weaken our chances of survival. ”

Firepaw nodded. “I understand, ” he mewed.

“Come on, ” meowed Lionheart, standing up. “Let’s keep

moving. ”

They paced along the ridge of the val ey where

Fourtrees stood. Now they were heading away from the sun

as it began to sink in the afternoon sky. They crossed the

stream at a place where it was narrow enough to leap over

in one jump.

Firepaw sniffed the air. A new cat-scent touched his

mouth glands, strong and sour. “Which Clan is that? ” he

asked.

“ShadowClan, ” answered Tigerclaw grimly. “We are

traveling along their border. Keep your wits about you,

Firepaw. Fresher scents mean that a ShadowClan patrol is

in the area. ”

As Firepaw nodded, he heard a new noise. He stiffened,

but the other cats kept up their pace, heading straight for

the ominous rumbling.

“What’s that? ” he cal ed, trotting to catch up with them.

“You’l see in a moment, ” replied Lionheart.

Firepaw peered through the trees ahead. They seemed

to be getting thinner, letting in a broad band of sunlight.

“Are we at the edge of the woods? ” he asked. Then he

stopped and took a deep breath. The green forest scents

were overlaid with other strange, dark smel s. This time it

was not cat-scent, but an odor that reminded him of his old

Twoleg home. And the rumbling was getting louder, a

ceaseless roar that made the ground tremble and ached in

Firepaw’s ears.

“This is the Thunderpath, ” meowed Tigerclaw.

Firepaw fol owed as Lionheart led them toward the edge

of the forest. Then he sat down and al four cats looked out.

Firepaw could see a gray path like a river, cutting its way

through the forest. The hard gray stone stretched ahead of

him so far that the trees on the other side seemed blurred

and tiny. Firepaw shuddered at the bitter smel that rose

from the path.

Next moment he leaped back, his fur bristling, as a

gigantic monster roared past. The branches of the trees on

either side flapped madly in the wind that chased the

speeding monster. Firepaw stared around at the other cats,

his eyes wide, unable to speak. He had seen paths like this

before near his old Twoleg home, but never this wide, nor

with monsters so swift and fierce.

“Scared me too the first time, ” remarked Graypaw. “But

at least it helps to keep ShadowClan warriors from

crossing into our territory. The Thunderpath runs for many

pawsteps along our boundary line. And don’t worry; those

monsters never seem to leave the Thunderpath. You’l be

fine as long as you don’t go too near. ”

“It’s time we returned to camp, ” meowed Lionheart. “You

have seen al our boundaries now. But we’l avoid

Snakerocks, even though the way around is longer. An

untrained apprentice would be easy prey for an adder, and I

expect you are getting tired, Firepaw. ”

Firepaw couldn’t help feeling relieved at the thought of

returning to the camp. His head was spinnning with al the

new smel s and sights, and Lionheart was right: he was

tired, and hungry. He fel in behind Graypaw as the cats

turned away from the Thunderpath and headed back into

the forest.

The dewy scents of evening fil ed the air as Firepaw

made his way through the gorse entrance into the

ThunderClan camp. Fresh-kil was waiting for them.

Firepaw and Graypaw took their share from the pile that lay

in a shady part of the clearing and carried it to the tree

stump outside their quarters.

Dustpaw and Sandpaw were already there, munching

hungrily.

“Hi, there, kittypet, ” mewed Dustpaw, narrowing his eyes

scornful y at Firepaw. “Enjoy the food we caught for you. ”

“Who knows, you might even learn to catch your own one

day! ” sneered Sandpaw.

“Are you two stil on hunting duty? ” asked Graypaw

innocently. “Never mind. We’ve been patrol ing our territory

borders. You’l be glad to know al is safe. ”

“I’m sure the other Clans were terrified when they

smel ed you two coming! ” yowled Dustpaw.

“They didn’t even dare show their faces, ” retorted

Graypaw, unable to hide his anger.

“Wel, we’l ask them tonight when we see them at the

Clan Gathering, ” mewed Sandpaw.

“Are you going? ” Firepaw blurted out, impressed in spite

of the apprentices’ hostility.

“Of course, ” replied Dustpaw loftily. “It’s a great honor,

you know. But don’t worry; we’l tel you al about it in the

morning. ”

Graypaw ignored Dustpaw’s gloating and started eating

his fresh-kil. Firepaw was hungry too, and crouched down

to eat. He couldn’t help feeling a twinge of envy that

Dustpaw and Sandpaw were actual y going to meet the

other Clans tonight.

A loud cal from Bluestar made Firepaw look up. He

watched several of the Clan warriors and elders gather in

the clearing. It was time for the Clan party to leave for the

Gathering. Dustpaw and Sandpaw leaped to their feet and

trotted off to join the other cats.

“’Bye, you two, ” cal ed Sandpaw over her shoulder.

“Have a nice, quiet evening! ”

The assembled cats stalked out of the camp entrance in

single file, with Bluestar at the head. Her fur glowed like

silver in the moonlight, and she looked calm and confident

as she led her Clan to the brief truce between old enemies.

“Have you ever been to a Gathering? ” Firepaw asked

Graypaw wistful y.

“Not yet, ” replied Graypaw, crunching loudly on a mouse

bone. “But it won’t be long now; just you wait. Al the

apprentices get to go sometime. ”

The two apprentices ate the rest of their meal in silence.

When they had finished, Graypaw wandered over to

Firepaw and began to groom his head. Together they

washed, sharing tongues as Firepaw had seen the other

cats do when he first arrived. Then, tired after the long trek,

they pushed their way into their den. They settled down in

their nests and quickly fel asleep.

The fol owing morning, Graypaw and Firepaw arrived

early at the sandy hol ow. They had crept out before

Sandpaw and Dustpaw woke. Firepaw had been eager to

hear about the Gathering, but Graypaw had dragged him

away. “You’l hear al about it later, if I know those two, ” he

had mewed.

It promised to be another warm day. And this time

Ravenpaw came to join them. Thanks to Spottedleaf, his

wound was healing wel.

Graypaw played around, scooping leaves into the air

and leaping after them. Firepaw watched, his tail twitching

with amusement. Ravenpaw sat quietly at one side of the

hol ow, looking tense and unhappy.

“Cheer up, Ravenpaw! ” cal ed Graypaw. “I know you

don’t like training, but you’re not usual y this miserable! ”

The scents of Lionheart and Tigerclaw warned the

apprentices of their approach, and Ravenpaw mewed

hastily, “I suppose I’m just worried about my shoulder

getting hurt again. ”

At that moment, Tigerclaw emerged from the bushes,

closely fol owed by Lionheart.

“Warriors should suffer their pain silently, ” growled

Tigerclaw. He looked Ravenpaw straight in the eye. “You

need to learn to hold your tongue. ”

Ravenpaw flinched and dropped his eyes to the ground.

“Tigerclaw’s a bit grumpy today, ” Graypaw whispered

into Firepaw’s ear.

Lionheart glanced at his apprentice sternly and

announced, “Today we are going to practice stalking. Now,

there is a big difference between creeping up on a rabbit

and creeping up on a mouse. Can any of you tel me why? ”

Firepaw had no idea, and Ravenpaw seemed to have

taken Tigerclaw’s comment to heart and was holding his

tongue.

“Come on! ” snorted Tigerclaw impatiently.

It was Graypaw who answered: “Because a rabbit wil

smel you before he sees you, but a mouse wil feel your

pawsteps through the ground before he even smel s you. ”

“Exactly, Graypaw! So what must you bear in mind when

hunting mice? ”

“Step lightly? ” Firepaw suggested.

Lionheart looked approvingly at him. “Quite right,

Firepaw. You must take al your weight into your haunches,

so that your paws make no impact on the forest floor. Let’s

try it! ”

Firepaw watched as Graypaw and Ravenpaw

immediately dropped into a stalking crouch.

“Nicely done, Graypaw! ” meowed Lionheart as the two

apprentices began to move forward stealthily.

“Keep your rear down, Ravenpaw, you look like a duck! ”

spat Tigerclaw. “Now you try it, Firepaw. ”

Firepaw crouched down and began to creep across the

forest floor. He felt himself fal instinctively into the right

position, and as he stepped forward, as silently and lightly

as he could, he felt a glow of pride that his muscles

responded so smoothly.

“Wel, it’s obvious you’ve known nothing but softness! ”

growled Tigerclaw. “You stalk like a lumbering kittypet! Do

you think dinner is going to come and lie down in your food

dish and wait to be eaten? ”

Firepaw sat up quickly as Tigerclaw spoke, a little taken

aback by his harsh words. He listened careful y to the

warrior, determined to get everything right.

“His pace and forward movement wil come later, but his

crouch is perfectly balanced, ” Lionheart pointed out mildly.

“Which is better than Ravenpaw, I suppose, ” complained

Tigerclaw. He cast a scornful look at the black cat. “Even

after two moons of training, you’re stil putting al your

weight on your left side. ”

Ravenpaw looked even more dejected, and Firepaw

couldn’t stop himself from blurting out, “His injury is

bothering him, that’s al! ”

Tigerclaw whipped his head around and glared at

Firepaw. “Injuries are a fact of life. He should be able to

adapt. Even you, Firepaw, have learned something this

morning. If Ravenpaw picked up things as quickly as you,

he’d be a credit to me instead of an embarrassment.

Imagine being shown up by a kittypet! ” he spat angrily at his

apprentice.

Firepaw felt his fur prickle with discomfort. He couldn’t

meet Ravenpaw’s eyes, so he looked down at his paws.

“Wel, I’m more lopsided than a one-legged badger, ”

mewed Graypaw, breaking off from his careful stalking to

stagger comical y across the clearing. “I think I’l have to

settle for hunting stupid mice. They won’t stand a chance. I

shal just wander up to them and sit on them til they

surrender. ”

“Concentrate, young Graypaw. This is no time for your

jokes! ” meowed Lionheart sternly. “Perhaps you might

focus your mind better if you try out your stalking for real. ”

Al three apprentices looked up brightly.

“I want each one of you to try catching real prey, ”

meowed Lionheart. “Ravenpaw, you look beside the

Owltree. Graypaw, there might be something in that big

bramble patch over there. And you, Firepaw, fol ow the

rabbit track over that rise; you’l find the dry bed of a winter

stream. You may find something there. ”

The three apprentices bounded away, even Ravenpaw

finding some extra energy for this chal enge.

With the blood pounding in his ears, Firepaw crept

slowly up over the rise. Sure enough, a streambed cut

through the trees ahead of him. In leaf-fal, he guessed it

would carry the rainwater away from the forest and into the

great river that cut through RiverClan territory. Now it was

dry.

Firepaw crept quietly down the bank and crouched on its

sandy floor. Every sense felt on fire with tension. Silently he

scanned the empty stream for signs of life. He watched for

any tiny movement, his mouth open so he could pick up the

smal est scent, his ears twisted forward.

Then he smel ed mouse. He recognized the odor

instantly, remembering his first taste the night before. Wild

energy surged through him, but he remained motionless,

trying desperately to pinpoint the prey.

He strained his ears forward until he picked up the rapid

pulsing of a tiny mouse heart. Then a flash of brown caught

his eye. The creature was scrambling through the long

grass that draped the edges of the stream. Firepaw shifted

closer, remembering to keep his weight on his haunches

until he was within striking distance. Then he pushed back

hard on his hindpaws and sprang, kicking up sand as he

rose.

The mouse raced away. But Firepaw was quicker. He

scooped it into the air with one paw, threw it onto the sandy

streambed, and lunged on top of it. He kil ed it quickly with

one sharp bite.

Firepaw careful y lifted the warm body between his teeth

and returned with his tail held high to the hol ow where

Tigerclaw and Lionheart waited. He had made his first kil.

He was a true ThunderClan apprentice now.