Warriors: Omen of the Stars #6: The Last Hope (37 page)

Ivypool was lurching down the slope, Tigerheart at her side. Hollyleaf dangled limply between them.

“Jayfeather! Leafpool!” Dovewing yowled over her shoulder before racing to meet them. “Ivypool, are you hurt?” She circled the trio, looking for wounds.
So much blood!
She sniffed at Tigerheart. He smelled of Dark Forest cats. Had he done this? Was he fighting for Brokenstar?
He can’t be!

Dovewing hopped out of the way as Firestar raced from the camp, Jayfeather at his tail.

“Let me take her.” The ThunderClan leader lifted the weight from Ivypool’s shoulders, sharing the burden with Tigerheart. “Can you make it into camp?” he asked the ShadowClan tom.

“Yes,” Tigerheart grunted.

Dovewing watched the ShadowClan warrior duck through the barrier. “What happened?” she asked her sister.

Ivypool gazed past her, eyes round with shock. “Hollyleaf saved my life.”

You nearly died?
Fighting to steady her breathing, Dovewing pressed against Ivypool and led her into the hollow.

Tigerheart and Firestar were gently rolling Hollyleaf onto the ground. Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight stared, frozen, at the edge of the clearing. Watery light shone on the she-cat’s black pelt, glittering where blood welled through the fur.

Poppyfrost crept around the edge of the clearing and stopped beside Ivypool. “Have you seen Cherrypaw? Or Molepaw?”

Ivypool shrugged. “No. They could be anywhere,” she murmured bleakly.

Leafpool crouched beside her daughter. “Hollyleaf?”

Hollyleaf half opened her eyes and moaned.

“It’s okay.” Leafpool lapped at her cheek as Jayfeather unrolled a leaf bundle beside her. He sniffed her pelt and began to press cobweb where there was blood.

“She’s bleeding here!” Leafpool gasped in panic. Blood was pooling around her paws. She grabbed a pawful of cobweb and stuffed it underneath Hollyleaf’s neck.

“It’s okay, Leafpool.” Hollyleaf’s eyes flickered open again. “I don’t mind,” she croaked. “I’m glad I came back to ThunderClan.” Her chest fluttered as she fought for breath. “I couldn’t bear to … to leave without getting to know my mother.”

“Save her!” screeched Ivypool. “You have to save her! Hawkfrost tried to kill me, but Hollyleaf chased him away.”

“Hawkfrost?” Brambleclaw looked up from beside Hollyleaf, his eyes darkening. “He did this?”

Ivypool nodded. “I was fighting Snowtuft and Thistleclaw. I couldn’t help her.”

Dovewing pressed against her sister. “You carried her home,” she soothed. “You couldn’t have done more.” She pricked her ears as she heard the paw steps of the Dark Forest patrol crunch over leaves. “Firestar,” she hissed. “They’ve reached the woods.”

Firestar stiffened beside Leafpool.

“Hollyleaf.” Leafpool pressed her muzzle against her daughter’s cheek. “Hollyleaf?”

Hollyleaf’s head fell back and her eyes dulled.

Leafpool turned frantically to Jayfeather. “She’s not breathing!”

“She’s lost too much blood,” Jayfeather mewed gently. He touched Hollyleaf’s pelt. His paw trembled. “We couldn’t have saved her.”

Paw steps sounded outside the hollow, determined and fast. Firestar wrenched his gaze away from the still, black shape on the ground and straightened up. “Prepare for attack!”

Brambleclaw signaled to Squirrelflight and Sandstorm, sending them to guard the nursery, where Ferncloud was nosing Brightheart through the shredded brambles. The WindClan and RiverClan patrols spread out across the clearing. Mousefur and Purdy lined up outside their den. Leafpool dragged Hollyleaf’s body to the edge of the hollow. As her Clanmates prepared for attack, she crouched over the motionless cat as if she could nurse her to life by the warmth of her fur.

The shredded barrier quivered as Birchfall leaped through it. He skidded into the clearing with Blossomfall just behind him. Shock pulsed through Dovewing.
Are they leading the attack?
Her own father, fighting for the Dark Forest!

Jayfeather raced for the medicine den and disappeared through the brambles. “Briarlight!” he yowled. “Get back in the herb store!”

Firestar met Birchfall’s gaze. “How could you betray us?” He advanced on his Clanmate, his lip curled into a snarl.

Dovewing’s paws turned cold. “I thought you’d choose to fight on our side.”

“He did!” Ivypool shot forward. “He fought with me at the WindClan camp.”

Birchfall lifted his tail. “We would never betray ThunderClan!”

Mousewhisker skidded into the camp. “We came to warn you!”

Blossomfall butted in. “We saw the Dark Forest patrol! They’re coming!”

As she spoke, a huge gray-and-white tom crashed through the thorns. His muzzle was striped with wounds, one eye swollen, but hard muscle twitched beneath his pelt. “Traitors!” he snarled at Birchfall. “We lost the WindClan camp thanks to you!” His tail whipped behind him. “I’ll save killing you till last.”

“Not if I kill you first, Thistleclaw!” Birchfall hissed. “You tricked us!”

Dark Warriors began to flood the hollow. A tabby sent Bumblestripe flying with a powerful front-paw swipe. Two toms leaped on Tigerheart, hurling him to the ground. Squirrelflight disappeared under a wave of spitting warriors.

“Guard the nursery!” Firestar yowled.

Broad-shouldered warriors surged past Sandstorm. Brambleclaw launched himself across the clearing and began hauling them away. Tigerheart struggled free and rushed to help. Daisy shot out of the brambles and began slashing wildly at the wall of snapping jaws.

“Hide!” Ferncloud thrust Brightheart and the kits deep into their nest as a Dark Forest tom reached through the tattered den wall. She slashed his muzzle, then spun around and grabbed a bunch of bramble stems in her teeth. She dragged them across the top of the nest, covering the she-cat. “I won’t let any cat near!”

Brightheart struggled up through the brambles. “I won’t let you fight alone!” She straddled her nest and reared up beside Ferncloud.

“Darkstripe!” Mousefur’s hiss sounded from outside the elders’ den. “I hoped I’d never see you again.” The old she-cat lashed out at a snarling tom.

Darkstripe hit back, sending Mousefur reeling.

Dovewing skidded across the clearing and knocked Darkstripe away. He turned to her, lips drawn to show bloodstained teeth.

“Go for his ears!” Cinderheart landed beside her. “I’ll go for his legs.”

Dovewing swiped at Darkstripe, her paws fast as birds. He stumbled as Cinderheart hooked his forepaws from under him. Dovewing battered his muzzle into the earth.

“Nice.” Cinderheart sprang onto Darkstripe’s back and began scrabbling at his spine with her hind claws.

More Dark Forest warriors streaked toward them.

“Ready, Mousefur?” Purdy nodded at his denmate and the two elders arched their backs against the honeysuckle den and began fighting.

Dovewing saw a ginger pelt flash at the top of the hollow. Cherrypaw was peering over the edge. Firestar signaled with his tail and she darted away to get help from any Clan patrol she could find.

Suddenly paws slammed into Dovewing’s ribs. She staggered, turning.

“Why don’t you just give up?” A tortoiseshell lunged at her, grabbing Dovewing’s paw in her teeth.

“Because I’d rather die!” Dovewing hooked the tortoiseshell’s lip with a claw and tugged hard. Squealing, the tortoiseshell raked her muzzle.

Pain seared her nose. Blood flooded her mouth. As Dovewing reared to strike back, claws hooked her neck. A tabby yanked her backward and pinned her to the ground.

“Get off my sister!” Ivypool flashed at the edge of Dovewing’s vision. She sank her teeth deep into the tabby’s shoulder. As he screeched with rage, Dovewing writhed free and sprang to her paws.

Ivypool flung the tabby backward. “We’re outnumbered!”

Cinderheart barged between Ivypool and Dovewing. “Hold your ground!”

“What do we do?” Brambles stabbed Dovewing’s spine. The wall of Dark Forest warriors was pressing them back toward the medicine den.

“Stay close and fight!” Cinderheart lunged forward and tore a lump from a Dark Forest warrior’s cheek, sending blood spraying across his orange-and-black fur. “You fox-hearts killed my best friend!” Her gaze flicked toward Hollyleaf, a huddle of black fur at the edge of the clearing. “You’ll pay for what you’ve done!”

Ivypool darted low and caught his paw in her teeth. Dovewing jumped and landed square on the warrior’s back. Digging in with her claws, she hung on as he bucked beneath her. She could feel muscle hard as stone beneath his pelt. Hooking a hind leg around his, she managed to unbalance the tom. She let go as the tabby went staggering through the mass of Dark Forest pelts.

“Watch out!” Dovewing heard Cinderheart’s warning but dodged too late. A matted tom lunged from the side and caught her forepaw in his jaws. He bit down hard.

Pain scorched through her. As she flung the tom off, the thorn barrier rattled. Crowfeather leaped into the hollow, Breezepelt on his tail. As they dived into the throng, Dovewing stumbled. A paw was clutching her hind leg, clinging on with thorn-sharp claws. Kicking out, Dovewing knocked it away and turned back to check on Ivypool.

Ivypool was on her hind legs, her tail lashing to balance her. Paws swiping, she drove two toms back into the throng. Cinderheart pinned a tortoiseshell to the ground and paddled her hind paws against his spine. Dovewing caught her breath, scanning the battle for the pelts she recognized. Cloudtail writhed outside the nursery. Squirrelflight shook a warrior from her back while another lunged beneath her belly. Icecloud reared beside the beech tree, encircled by snapping jaws. Desperate shrieks echoed from the stone walls. Every Clan cat was locked in a battle for life.

Suddenly, Lionblaze appeared through the thorns. Graystripe landed a paw step behind him. Dovewing gasped as more cats streamed after them. She recognized none of them, and their pelts were oddly pale—almost transparent, with trees and grass clearly visible through them. These were no living cats; that was for sure. Had a new wave of Dark Forest warriors chased Lionblaze and Graystripe back to camp?

Cinderheart froze beside her. “Who are they?”

Outside the elders’ den, Mousefur’s eyes widened. Icecloud hesitated midblow and was sent reeling by a Dark Forest tom.

“It’s okay!” Lionblaze yowled. “They’re Ancient allies, from before StarClan! They’re on our side!”

A pale she-cat shot past him, her pelt no more than a shadow in the moonlight, and leaped for a Dark Forest tabby. The tabby screeched in surprise as the fading she-cat sent him bowling backward and lunged at him with a flurry of claws. A tom sprang after her, his orange-and-white pelt little more than a blur as he knocked a tattered tom to the ground.

Then a massive shape crashed through the entrance to the hollow.

“Badger!” Blossomfall shrieked.

“Midnight!” Firestar’s eyes lit up. “It’s okay! She’s with us!”

The badger lumbered through the clearing. Cats scattered before her.

A snarl sounded in Dovewing’s ear. “A badger and a bunch of fading elders won’t save you.” Thistleclaw loomed over her. Fast as a mouse, Dovewing slammed a paw into his swollen eye. Yowling, he spun away and Dovewing dodged around the edge of the clearing. She tripped over the orange-and-white tom as he whipped past and skidded to a halt beside Hollyleaf Dovewing watched as the ghostly cat crouched beside the dead warrior.

“Fallen Leaves!” Another Ancient rushed to join him. “There’s no time to grieve now.”

Fallen Leaves lifted his head, his eyes filled with sadness. “She wasn’t meant to die here, Broken Shadow. I … I promised I’d see her again.”

“She died defending her Clan.” Broken Shadow nudged the tom away. “Honor her memory by helping.”

Dovewing whirled as brambles shifted behind her. Jayfeather slid out of the medicine den. His nose twitched. “Half Moon!” His cry was almost a wail. “Are you here?”

“Jay’s Wing!” A smoke-gray Ancient ducked away from the battle and rushed to meet him. She touched her muzzle softly to his.

“You came,” Jayfeather whispered.

“Of course, my love.” Half Moon held her cheek against Jayfeather’s, then broke away. “I must fight.”

Jayfeather nodded. “Send any wounded to me.” He nosed his way back into his den.

Half Moon glanced at Dovewing. “Come on,” she meowed briskly.

Dovewing raced after the Ancient as she plunged back into battle. She could hardly see in the darkness. Cloud pressed down above the hollow, extinguishing the stars. Pelts writhed and tumbled around her. She could make out the huge shape of Midnight, but Dark Forest warriors were swarming over the badger’s back. With a howl, Midnight fell, dragged down by countless claws.

Dovewing fought back panic.

“Fight beside me!” She recognized Lionblaze’s growl and turned to see the golden warrior’s eyes flashing at her.

“We’re still outnumbered,” she wailed.

“Then we need to fight harder.”

“Look out!” Dovewing shrieked a warning as Breezepelt flew from the edge of the clearing.

Lionblaze turned, caught off balance, and fell beneath the WindClan tom.