Warriors: Power Of Three 1 - Sight (27 page)

“We lost warriors that day,” Sandstorm remembered grimly.

“It’s up to WindClan to look after themselves,” Jaypaw growled.

Firestar glanced at Brightheart. She had lost half her face when she’d confronted a pack of vicious dogs many moons ago. “What do you think?” he asked gently.

“We nearly lost everything when the dogs attacked us.”

She held her head high, but Lionpaw could see she was trembling. “We can’t let the same thing happen to WindClan.”

“But if we go, we risk leading them here,” Dustpelt pointed out.

“They might find their way here anyway,” Firestar meowed.

Brambleclaw nodded. “WindClan territory is too close to our own to ignore this,” he agreed.

“Exactly.” Firestar gazed at each of his warriors. “You will be risking your lives to save WindClan, but you will also be defending ThunderClan from a deadly enemy.”

“We must help them!” Birchfall called.

Spiderleg paced in an agitated circle. “We have to drive the dogs away!”

Lionpaw clawed at the ground. I hope I get to go!

“Ashfur! Graystripe!” Brambleclaw called. “You’ve fought dogs before. I’ll need your experience. Birchfall and Spiderleg! You come too.”

Lionpaw lifted his muzzle. “What about me?”

Brambleclaw glanced at Ashfur. “Is he ready?”

Ashfur gave a quick nod.

“Okay,” Brambleclaw meowed. “Millie!” He swung his head toward the kittypet. “You know about dogs from when you lived in the Twolegplace, don’t you?”

Millie nodded. “They don’t scare me,” she meowed. “And I know how easy they are to trick.”

“Good.” Brambleclaw nodded. “Come with us, then.” He turned to his apprentice. “You too, Berrypaw.”

Berrypaw unsheathed his claws, his eyes shining.

“Shall I come too?” Whitewing meowed.

“Yes. We’ll need you to show us which way Thornclaw and Cloudtail went,” the deputy told her.

“What about me?” Hollypaw was staring hopefully up at her father.

He shook his head, and Lionpaw saw disappointment cloud his sister’s gaze. “I need you to stay here and help Brackenfur guard the camp,” Brambleclaw explained.

“Someone will have to patrol the entrance and make sure no dogs get in if we can’t stop them at the border.”

Hollypaw flicked her tail. “Yes, Brambleclaw.”

The deputy glanced at Firestar. “Will Onestar accept our help?”

“I think so. Onestar’s proud, but he’s no fool,” Firestar meowed.

“Ashfur?” Ferncloud had left the nursery and was padding toward her brother. Lionpaw knew that their mother, Brindleface, had been killed by Tigerstar to give the other dog pack a taste for cats’ blood. Ferncloud would have only the worst memories of dogs. “Be careful.” The she-cat rubbed her cheek along Ashfur’s.

“Don’t forget I’ve outrun a dog pack before,” he meowed.

“You had me at your side then,” she reminded him.

“And now I have you and your kits to protect.” He licked her between the ears. “I won’t let you down.”

Brambleclaw was racing toward the entrance. Ashfur spun and pelted after him, falling in behind Graystripe and Millie.

Birchfall and Spiderleg dashed after them, and Lionpaw followed, Berrypaw’s pelt brushing his as they raced side by side.

The patrol pounded out of the camp, picking up speed as it headed up the slope toward the WindClan border. Would they get there in time? What if the dogs were already at the border? Images of vicious fangs flashed in Lionpaw’s mind, making his tail tremble. He unsheathed his claws and pushed harder against the sodden earth.

His pelt was plastered against his skin by the time they reached the border. He scanned the moorland as the patrol streamed up into WindClan’s territory, but the wind drove the rain into his eyes.

A distant howl ripped the air.

A panicked meow shrieked from over the heather. “We have to lead them away from the camp!”

“This way!” Whitewing called, taking the lead. Lionpaw could smell Thornclaw’s scent on the heather as they charged up the moor.

Berrypaw pulled ahead of him, his drenched cream fur bristling into spines. Lionpaw lengthened his stride. The springy grass beneath his paws made it easy to speed along between the gorse thickets. Ahead he could see Brambleclaw’s powerful shoulders rise and fall as the warrior bounded through the dripping heather.

A shaggy-haired black-and-white shape streaked across the grass ahead. It sped swiftly over the rough moorland, yelping and snarling. Two cats fled only tail-lengths ahead of its snapping jaws. Lionpaw recognized the black pelt of Crowfeather and, with a jolt of panic, he saw Heatherpaw beside him, her brown pelt pale against the grass.

“They’re leading it away from the camp,” Brambleclaw realized. He skidded to a halt and the patrol pulled up beside him. Lionpaw dug his claws into the earth and slammed to a stop.

A second dog was pelting in the other direction, its shoulders pumping as it sped across the grass. Two more WindClan warriors—one black, one light brown—swerved out from the heather ahead of it. The dog spotted them and chased them down a rock-strewn slope. Its eyes flashed with triumph, and its yelps grew higher pitched as it began to catch up.

Suddenly Thornclaw and Dustpelt darted out from the rocks at the foot of the slope. They raced side by side up the hillside, past the two WindClan cats. Lionpaw stared in shock. They were heading straight for the dog!

The dog’s eyes gleamed as they drew nearer. Then they parted, like a stream breaking around a rock. The dog twisted and lunged toward Thornclaw. Lionpaw heard Whitewing gasp in terror as its jaws closed only an inch from Thornclaw’s flank. The ThunderClan warrior ducked into a narrow crack between the rocks and left the dog spinning in confusion as the WindClan cats and Cloudtail raced away from it.

“I told you dogs were dumb,” Millie growled. “They can think of only one thing at a time.”

“Then let’s give them as much to think about as we can!”

Brambleclaw decided. He flicked his tail toward a long dip in the earth, lined with craggy boulders. “Ashfur, you and Lionpaw lead one of the dogs down there, and we’ll ambush it from above.”

Lionpaw’s heart twisted with fear and excitement.

“No.” Ashfur’s mew was firm. “It’ll be safer to face them on open land.”

Brambleclaw narrowed his eyes and stared at the gray warrior. His shoulders tensed, but Ashfur met his gaze unflinch-ingly.

“I won’t lead Lionpaw into a trap,” Ashfur insisted. “We need room to dodge out of the way. The dogs are bigger and faster, but we’re more agile.”

Lionpaw heard a low growl in Brambleclaw’s throat. Then the ThunderClan deputy nodded. “Okay. Take Birchfall and Lionpaw; catch up to Crowfeather and Heatherpaw. Together you may be able to put up a fight. I’ll take Spiderleg and Berrypaw and help Nightcloud and Owlwhisker.” Lionpaw guessed he was referring to the black and light brown cats he had seen near the rocks. “Graystripe, Millie! Look for more dogs. Find the camp and help any cat who needs it.”

Graystripe nodded and hared away across the grass with Millie.

Lionpaw pelted after Ashfur as the warrior headed toward Crowfeather and Heatherpaw. The two WindClan cats were still keeping the dog away from the camp, their paws sending up clumps of moss as they skimmed over the wet grass. The dog pounded after them, but they swerved one way and then the other, sending it skidding off course long enough to pull ahead for a while.

They must be exhausted, Lionpaw thought, pushing himself on as fast as he could. He could not take his eyes off Heatherpaw.

She raced bravely beside her mentor, her pelt slick with rain, following his movements step for step.

“Crowfeather!” Ashfur yowled to the WindClan warrior as he cut across their path.

Crowfeather stared in surprise.

“We’ve come to help!” Lionpaw called to Heatherpaw. She jerked her head to look at him and stumbled. A rabbit hole had caught her paw, and she crashed to the ground. Lionpaw gasped in horror as the dog swung toward her. Without thinking, he turned and raced for the dog. Crowfeather had already swerved to a halt and was heading back to help his apprentice. Birchfall sped after Lionpaw. Ashfur yowled a battle cry and joined the chase.

Heatherpaw struggled to her paws and began to run, but the dog was nearly on top of her. Screeching in fury, Lionpaw launched himself at the dog’s flank and gripped its coarse pelt. The dog yelped and spun, snapping at Lionpaw but unable to reach him. Lionpaw hauled his way onto the dog’s back and dug in his claws. The dog tried to shake him off, but Lionpaw would not let go. Crowfeather leaped at the dog’s face, raking its muzzle before swerving away from it. Ashfur darted underneath the dog’s paws, nipping its foreleg so viciously that blood spurted from the wound. Lionpaw felt the dog stumble beneath him and dug his claws in harder.

The dog, yowling in pain, tried to shake Lionpaw off again.

Lionpaw held on, looking for Heatherpaw, desperate to see if she was safe. His heart plummeted when he saw her pale brown pelt flash toward the dog.

“What are you doing?” he screeched.

“Helping you!” she yowled back. She darted behind the dog and raked its hind legs with her claws. The dog yelped and fell. It rolled onto Lionpaw, and he shrieked in surprise.

The wet, mossy earth cushioned him as the dog scrambled off him and turned. Its jaws dripped with blood and foam as it lunged toward him with a snarl. Lionpaw flipped onto his paws and darted out of the way. He heard jaws snap behind him and then another agonized yelp. He turned to see Ashfur rearing at the dog, slashing its muzzle with his forepaws.

Crowfeather and Birchfall joined him while Heatherpaw dashed behind the dog and snapped at its hind legs. Lionpaw raced to help her, and together they slashed and nipped and clawed until the dog turned tail and fled.

Lionpaw began to give chase, but Ashfur called him back.

“I think it’s had enough!”

Lionpaw skidded to a halt and watched as the massive dog howled away from its attackers. Where was the other dog?

He glanced around and saw with a thrill that it was already racing away into the heather. It spattered the bushes with blood as it hurried to catch up to its companion.

Graystripe padded out from the gorse, his fur hanging out in clumps and one ear stained with blood, but his eyes shining. Millie emerged beside him, followed by Tornear and Harepaw.

“Where’s Brambleclaw?” Ashfur called.

“Here!” Brambleclaw’s deep mew sounded from the heather on the slope above them. He bounded out from the springy bushes, Spiderleg, Nightcloud, and Owlwhisker following.

“WindClan owe you a debt of thanks,” Crowfeather meowed formally.

Brambleclaw dipped his head. “May we accompany you back to the camp? I want to be sure that all’s well there.”

Crowfeather narrowed his eyes, then nodded. “Follow us,”

he meowed, turning and heading away over the grass.

Lionpaw fell in beside Heatherpaw as they followed their mentors back to the WindClan camp. The rain was begin-ning to ease, but Lionpaw could still feel water running along his whiskers.

“Are you okay?” he whispered.

She glanced at him with her soft gaze. “I’m fine.”

Lionpaw’s pelt was stinging from being scratched by the gorse, and his body ached where the dog had fallen on him.

He was thankful for the mossy earth that had softened the fall. But he was also proud of his scars. This time he had won them defending another Clan.

“You were very brave, leaping on the dog like that,”

Heatherpaw mewed. She pointed ahead with her muzzle.

“We’re here,” she told him.

Gorse and heather interlaced with pricking brambles formed a barrier around a dip in the earth. Lionpaw followed Heatherpaw as she wove her way through a complicated tunnel. Suddenly they emerged in a clearing open to the gray sky; around its edge, Lionpaw saw tunnels leading into the thick hedge, and he guessed that was where the dens were hidden.

As the patrol entered the camp, faces peered from the dens, and cats began to creep out into the open. A kit was squealing, its tiny cry filled with fear.

“Hush, Buzzardkit,” a queen soothed from somewhere deep inside the brambles.

Onestar slid out from a tunnel near to where the kit was still mewling.

“We chased them off,” Tornear reported.

“Good,” Onestar meowed.

“How are the kits?” Crowfeather asked.

“Frightened, but they’ll recover,” Onestar answered.

More WindClan cats began to emerge. Lionpaw recognized some from the Gathering. They stared warily at the ThunderClan cats.

“Firestar sent a patrol to help,” Crowfeather told Onestar.

The WindClan leader let his gaze slide over the ThunderClan cats. “WindClan thank you,” he meowed, dipping his head.

“We heard the dogs from the border,” Brambleclaw explained. “I hope you will forgive our crossing the markers, but we were not sure how many dogs threatened you.”

“Fortunately we knew they were coming, thanks to Barkface.” Onestar nodded to the brown medicine cat. “StarClan warned him, and we had a plan ready to draw them away from the camp.”

Lionpaw looked at Barkface in surprise. So Jaypaw had not been the only cat whom StarClan had warned about the dogs.

“Your plan was working,” Brambleclaw meowed.

“But we could never have chased off the dogs without you,” Heatherpaw put in. “The dogs were faster than I ever imagined.” She glanced sideways at Lionpaw. “Lionpaw saved me from one of them.”

Crowfeather instantly weaved between the two apprentices, blocking their view. “That was brave, Lionpaw, but WindClan is perfectly capable of taking care of its own cats.”

Lionpaw felt anger flare inside him. No other cat had been near enough to the dog to reach it before it had harmed Heatherpaw. “But—”

Ashfur silenced him with a warning twitch of his tail, and Lionpaw looked down at his paws.

The brambles shivered as Breezepaw raced into the camp.

“No damage to the barrier,” he called.

“Have you checked it all the way around?” Crowfeather asked.

Breezepaw glared at his father. “Of course! That’s what Whitetail ordered me to do.”