CHAPTER 25

Buoyed up with relief at being home again, Firepaw and

Graypaw sprinted ahead of the patrol into the ThunderClan

camp. Frostfur was lying in the middle of the clearing, her

head resting sadly on her paws. As the two apprentices

bounded in she lifted her nose and sniffed the air. “My kits! ”

she cried. She leaped up and raced past Firepaw and

Graypaw to meet the rest of the party as they emerged from

the tunnel.

The kits rushed over to Frostfur and nuzzled into her

side. She curled her soft body around them and licked them

each in turn, purring loudly.

Yel owfang hung back at the camp entrance and looked

on silently.

Bluestar strode up to the returning patrol. She glanced

fondly at Frostfur and her kits and then turned her eyes to

Whitestorm. “Are they al right? ” she asked.

“They’re fine, ” meowed Whitestorm.

“Wel done, Whitestorm. ThunderClan honors you. ”

Whitestorm bent his head to accept her praise, and

added, “But it was thanks to this apprentice that we found

them. ”

Firepaw lifted his head and tail proudly, about to speak,

but Tigerclaw’s accusing snarl sounded from across the

clearing.

“Why did you bring back the traitor? ” The dark warrior

stalked up to the patrol and stood beside his leader.

“She is no traitor, ” Firepaw insisted. He looked around

the camp. The rest of the cats had quickly gathered in the

clearing to see the kits and congratulate the hunting party.

Some of them had spotted Yel owfang and were eyeing her

with looks of pure hatred.

“She kil ed Spottedleaf, ” spat Longtail.

“Look between Spottedleaf’s claws, ” Graypaw

suggested. “You wil find the brown fur of Clawface, not

Yel owfang’s gray fur! ”

Bluestar nodded at Mousefur, who darted away from the

crowd, toward the spot where Spottedleaf’s body lay,

waiting for its dawn burial. The Clan waited in tense silence

til she returned.

“Graypaw is right, ” Mousefur panted, rushing back to the

clearing. “Spottedleaf was not attacked by a gray cat. ”

A murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd.

“But that doesn’t mean she didn’t help to take the kits! ”

hissed Tigerclaw.

“Without Yel owfang we never would have recovered the

kits! ” Firepaw spat, his exhaustion making him impatient.

“She knew that a ShadowClan warrior had taken them. She

was hunting for them when I found her. She risked her life

returning to the ShadowClan camp. It was Yel owfang who

thought up the battle plan that got us into the ShadowClan

camp and gave us a chance to defeat Brokenstar! ”

The cats listened to Firepaw’s words, astonished.

“He’s right, ” Whitestorm meowed. “Yel owfang is a

friend. ”

“I’m glad to hear it, ” murmured Bluestar, catching

Firepaw’s eye.

Frostfur’s anxious meow sounded from the crowd. “Is

Brokenstar dead? ” she asked.

“No, he escaped, ” Whitestorm told her. “But he wil never

lead ShadowClan again. ”

Frostfur sighed in relief and returned to nuzzling her kits.

Whitestorm looked at Bluestar. “I promised ShadowClan

we would leave them in peace until next ful moon, ” he

explained. “Brokenstar’s leadership has left their Clan in

chaos. ”

Bluestar nodded. “That was a wise and generous offer, ”

she meowed approvingly. The ThunderClan leader walked

past Whitestorm and the rest of the patrol and approached

Yel owfang. Yel owfang lowered her eyes as Bluestar

touched the gray cat’s rough coat with her nose.

“Yel owfang, I wish you to replace Spottedleaf as

medicine cat to ThunderClan, ” Bluestar meowed. “I’m sure

you’l find al her supplies as she left them. ”

The other cats began to murmur to each other, tails

flicking with excitement. Yel owfang looked around at them

anxiously and said nothing.

Frostfur glanced at the other queens before she met

Yel owfang’s gaze and slowly nodded her approval.

Yel owfang bent her head respectful y to the white cat

before addressing her new leader. “Thank you, Bluestar.

ShadowClan is not the Clan I once knew. ThunderClan is

my Clan now. ”

Firepaw felt a surge of satisfaction that the old she-cat

he had come to love would be his Clan’s medicine cat from

now on. Then his tail dropped as he realized that he would

never again find Spottedleaf in her clearing, the sunlight

gleaming on her soft fur, her amber eyes shining in

welcome.

“Where’s Ravenpaw? ” meowed Bluestar suddenly,

jolting Firepaw out of his bittersweet remembrances.

“Yes, ” Tigerclaw chimed in, “where is my apprentice?

Strange that he should disappear along with Brokenstar. ”

He looked meaningful y around the Clan.

“If you think he might have been helping Brokenstar, ”

Firepaw meowed boldly, “then you are wrong! ”

Tigerclaw stiffened, a menacing gleam in his yel ow

eyes.

“Ravenpaw is dead, ” Firepaw went on, dropping his

head as if weighed down with grief. “We found his body in

ShadowClan territory. From the scents around him, he must

have been slain by a ShadowClan patrol. ” He looked at

Bluestar. “I wil tel you everything later, ” he promised.

Yel owfang shot Firepaw a questioning look. Firepaw

returned her gaze with a silent plea for her to hold her

tongue. She twitched her ears briefly in understanding and

looked away.

“I never said that Ravenpaw was a traitor, ” hissed

Tigerclaw. He paused and al owed an expression of sorrow

to cloud his eyes before he turned to address the rest of the

Clan. “Ravenpaw might have made a fine warrior. His

death has come too soon, and his loss wil be felt by many

of us for a long time. ”

Empty words! thought Firepaw bitterly. What would

Tigerclaw say if he knew that Ravenpaw was safe, far

beyond the forest, catching rats with Barley?

Bluestar broke the silence. “We wil miss Ravenpaw, but

we shal mourn him tomorrow. First there is another ritual

that must be performed—one, I know, that Ravenpaw would

have taken pleasure in. ” She turned to Firepaw and

Graypaw. “You have shown great courage tonight. Did they

fight wel, Whitestorm? ” she asked.

“Like warriors, ” Whitestorm replied solemnly.

Bluestar met his yel ow-eyed gaze and gave a slight

nod. Then she lifted her chin and fixed her eyes on

Silverpelt’s swath of stars. Her voice rang out, clear and

measured in the hushed woods. “I, Bluestar, leader of

ThunderClan, cal upon my warrior ancestors to look down

on these two apprentices. They have trained hard to

understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend

them to you as warriors in their turn. ” She looked down at

Firepaw and Graypaw, narrowing her eyes. “Firepaw,

Graypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to

protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your

lives? ”

Firepaw felt something stir within him, a fire that burned

in his bel y and rang in his ears. He suddenly felt that

everything he had done for the Clan so far—al the prey he

had stalked, al the enemy warriors he had fought—had

been for the sake of this single moment. “I do, ” he replied

steadily.

“I do, ” echoed Graypaw, his fur bristling with excitement.

“Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior

names: Graypaw, from this moment you wil be known as

Graystripe. StarClan honors your bravery and your strength,

and we welcome you as a ful warrior of ThunderClan. ”

Bluestar stepped forward and rested her muzzle on top of

Graystripe’s bowed head. He bent lower to give her

shoulder a respectful lick, then straightened up and walked

over to join the other warriors.

Bluestar stood and studied Firepaw for a long moment

before speaking. “Firepaw, from this moment you wil be

known as Fireheart. StarClan honors your bravery and your

strength, and we welcome you as a ful warrior of

ThunderClan. ” She touched her muzzle to his head and

murmured, “Fireheart, I am proud to have you as my

warrior. Serve your Clan wel, young one. ”

Fireheart’s muscles were trembling so much that he

could hardly stoop to lick Bluestar’s shoulder. He purred

hoarsely to show his thanks, then slipped away to stand

beside Graystripe.

Meows of tribute sounded from the crowd, and the

voices of the Clan rose in the stil night air to chant the new

warrior names. “Fireheart! Graystripe! Fireheart!

Graystripe! ”

Fireheart looked around the Clan, seeing faces that had

grown so familiar over the last few moons. He listened to

them as they cal ed his new name and felt overwhelmed by

the kindness and respect he saw shining in their eyes.

“It is almost moonhigh, ” meowed Bluestar. “In the

tradition of our ancestors, Fireheart and Graystripe must sit

in silent vigil until dawn, and guard the camp alone while we

sleep. ”

Fireheart and Graystripe nodded solemnly.

As the rest of the Clan began to melt away back to their

dens, Tigerclaw pushed past Fireheart. The ThunderClan

deputy slowed as he passed and hissed quietly into his

ear, “Don’t think you can outwit me, kittypet. Be careful what

you tel Bluestar. ”

A cold shiver ran down Fireheart’s spine. Bluestar had

to know about Tigerclaw’s treachery!

As Tigerclaw headed back to the warriors’ den,

Fireheart left Graystripe sitting alone in the clearing and

bounded after Bluestar. He caught up with her outside her

den. “Bluestar, I know I’m breaking the vow of silence, but I

must speak with you before I begin my vigil. ”

Bluestar looked at Fireheart and shook her head. “This

is an important ritual, Fireheart. You can speak to me in the

morning. ”

Fireheart dipped his head in acceptance. Tigerclaw was

not a problem that could be solved overnight anyway. He

returned to Graystripe’s side in the middle of the clearing.

The two friends exchanged glances, but said nothing.

Fireheart looked at the moon above his head. His

orange coat glowed silver in the cold light. Around him, the

bushes and trees were draped in mist that brushed damply

against his fur. Fireheart closed his eyes and recal ed the

dreams of his kittenhood. The cool forest scents in his

nostrils were real now, and the life of a warrior stretched

ahead of him. He felt unrestrained joy flood up from his

paws and surge through his body. Then he opened his eyes

with a jolt. Another pair of eyes was shining back at him

from the warriors’ den.

Tigerclaw!

Fireheart stared back without blinking. He was a warrior

now. He had made an enemy of the Clan’s deputy, but

Tigerclaw had made an enemy of him. Fireheart was not

the same naive young cat who had joined the Clan al those

moons ago. He was bigger, stronger, faster, and wiser. If

he was destined to oppose Tigerclaw, then so be it.

Fireheart was ready for the chal enge.

About the Author

ERIN HUNTER is inspired by a love of cats and a fascination with the ferocity of the natural world. As well as having a great respect for nature in all its forms, Erin enjoys creating rich mythical explanations for animal behavior, shaped by her interest in astrology and standing stones.

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WARRIORS

BOOK 1: INTO THE WILD

BOOK 2: FIRE AND ICE

BOOK 3: FOREST OF SECRETS