Chapter one.
The icy wind whirled snow
into Fireheart's face
as he struggled down the ravine
toward the thunder clan camp.
The mouse he had just killed
gripped firmly in his jaws.
The flakes were falling so thickly that
he could scarcely see where he was going.
His mouth watered as the prey scent
of mouse filled his nostrils.
He hadn't eaten since the previous night.
A grim sign of how scarce
prey was in leaf-bare.
Hunger clawed his belly, but
Fireheart will not break the warrior code.
The clan must be fed first.
A glow of pride briefly drove off the
chill from the snow that matted his flame
colored coat.
As Fireheart remembered the battle that
had taken place only three days before.
He had joined the other Thunder clan
warriors to help support wind clan.
When the Moreland cats were attacked
by the other two clans in the forest.
Many cats have been
injured in that battle.
So it was even more important for those
who could still hunt to bring home prey.
As Fireheart pushed his way through
the gorse tunnel leading into the camp,
he dislodged snow from
the spiky branches above.
And he flicked his ears as
the cold lumps fell on his head.
The thorn trees around the camp gave
some shelter from the wind, but
the clearing in the center
of the camp was deserted.
All the cats preferred to stay in their
dens to keep warm when the snow lay
this thick.
Broken tree stumps and
the branches of a fallen tree
poked above the covering of snow.
A single line of paw prints
crossed from the apprentice's den
to the bramble thicket where
the kids were cared for.
Seeing the trail Fireheart could not
help remembering that he was without
an apprentice now, since Cinderpaw had
been injured beside the thunder path.
Trotting across the snow into the heart of
the camp, Fireheart dropped his mouse on
the pile of fresh kill near
the bush where the warriors slept.
The pile was pitifully small.
Such preys could be found was thin and
scrawny.
Hardly a mouthful for a famished warrior.
There would be no more plump mice until
new leaf, and that was many moons away.
Fireheart was turning away ready
to go back on hunting duty,
when allowed meow sounded
behind him the roll around.
Shouldering his way out of the warriors
den was the clan deputy Tigerclaw.
Fireheart.
Fireheart padded through the snow toward
him respectfully lowering his head,
but conscious that the huge tabbies
amber eyes burned into him.
All his misgivings about Tigerclaw
flooded through and again.
The deputy was strong, respected and
and outstanding fighter but Fireheart
knew there was darkness in his heart.
You don't need to go out hunting
again tonight, Tigerclaw growled,
as Fireheart approached.
Bluestar is chosen you and
gray stripe to go to the gathering.
Fireheart ears twitched with excitement.
It was an honor to accompany
the clan leader to the gathering
where all four clans met
in peace at full moon.
You'd better eat now,
added the dark coated deputy.
We leave at moon rise.
He began to stalk across
the clearing toward the high rock
where Bluestar the clan
leader had her den.
Then he paused and swiveled his massive
head to look back at Fireheart.
Just make sure you remember which clan you
belong to at the gathering, he hissed.
Fireheart felt his fur bristle
as anger flared inside him.
What makes you say that?
He demanded boldly.
Do you think I would be
disloyal to my own clan?
Tiger Claw turned to face him and
Fireheart tried hard not to flinch at
the menace in the cat's tensed shoulders.
I saw you in the last battle.
The deputy's voice was in a low growl and
his ears were flattened
against his head as he spat.
I saw you let that
RiverClan warrior escape.
Fireheart winced, his mind flashing
back to the battle in the WindClan camp.
What Tigerclaw said was true.
Fireheart had allowed the RiverClan
warrior to flee without a scratch, but
not out of cowardice or disloyalty.
The warrior had been Silverstream.
Unknown to the rest of thunder clan,
Firehearts best friend Graystripe,
was in love with her and Fireheart
could not bring himself to wound her.
Fireheart had done his best to talk his
friend out of visiting Silverstream, their
relationship went against the warrior code
and put both of them in grave danger.
But Fireheart also knew that he
would never betray Graystripe.
Besides, Tigerclaw had no right
to accuse any cat of disloyalty.
He had stood on the edge of the battle,
watching while Fireheart fought for his
life against another river clan warrior
and turned away instead of helping him.
And that was not the worst accusation
Fireheart can make against the deputy.
He suspected Tigerclaw of murdering
the former thunder clan deputy Redtail and
even planning to get rid
of their leader herself.
If you think I'm just loyal,
tell Bluestar lead me out challengingly.
Tigerclaw drew back his lips and
a snarl and
dropped into a half crouch
sliding out his long claws.
I don't need to bother Bluestar,
he hissed.
I can deal with a kitty pet like you.
He stared at Fireheart for
a moment longer.
Fireheart realized with a jolt that there
was a trace of fear as well as distrust in
the blazing amber eyes.
Tigerclaw wondered how much I know.
He thought suddenly,
Firehearts' friend Ravenpaw.
Tigerclaws own apprentice had
witnessed the murder of Redtail.
Tigerclaw had tried to kill
him to keep him quiet.
So Fireheart had taken
him to live with Barley,
a loner who lived near a two legged farm
on the other side of wind clans territory.
Fireheart had tried to tell
Ravenpaws story to Bluestar.
But the clan leader refused to
believe that her brave deputy
could be guilty of such a thing.
As he glared at Tigerclaw,
Fireheart's frustration returned.
He felt as if a tree had fallen and
pinned him to the ground.
Without another word,
Tigerclaw swung around and stomped away.
As Fireheart watched him go, there was a
rustling from inside the warriors den and
Greystripe poked his head
out through the branches.
What on earth are you doing?
He meowed, picking fights with Tigerclaw
like that, he'll turn you into co food.
No cat has the right to call me disloyal,
Fireheart argued.
Gray stripe bent his head and gave his
chest for a couple of quick licks.
I'm sorry Fireheart, he murdered.
I know this is all because of me and
Silverstream.
No it isn't, Fireheart interrupted,
and you know it.
Tigerclaw is the problem, not you.
He shook himself,
scattering snow from his coat.
Come on, let's eat.
Graystripe pushed the rest of the way out
and bounded toward the pile of fresh kill.
Fireheart followed him,
picked out a vole and
carried it back to
the warriors den to eat.
Graystripe crouched beside him near
the outer curtain of branches.
Whitestorm and a couple of others senior
warriors were curled up asleep in
the center of the bush.
But otherwise the den was empty.
Their sleeping bodies warmed the air and
barely any snow had penetrated
the thick canopy of branches.
Fireheart took a mouthful of vole.
The meat was tough and stringy, but
he was so hungry that it tasted delicious.
It was gone far too quickly, but
it was better than nothing and
it would give him the strength he
needed to travel to the gathering.
When Graystripe had finished his
meal in a few ravenous gulps,
the two cats lay close together,
grooming each other's cold fur.
It was a relief to Fireheart to share
tongues like this with Graystripe again.
After the troubling time when it
seemed that Graystripe's love for
Silverstream would destroy his
friendship with Fireheart.
Even though Fireheart still worried
about his friend's forbidden affair,
since the battle, he and Graystripe
had rekindled their friendship so
it was as close as before.
They needed to trust each other if they
were to survive the long season of
leaf-bare.
And even more than that,
Fireheart knew he needed Graystripe's
support against Tigerclaw's
growing hostility.
I wonder what news we'll hear tonight,
he murmured in his friend's gray ear.
I hope RiverClan and
ShadowClan have learned their lesson.
WindClan won't be driven out
of their territory again.
Graystripe shifted uncomfortably.
The battle wasn't just greed for
territory, he pointed out.
Prey's even scarcer than usual.
RiverClan are starving since the two
legs moved into their territory, I know.
Fireheart flicked his ears
in reluctant sympathy,
understanding that his friend would
want to defend Silverstream's clan, but
forcing another clan out of their
territory isn't the answer.
Graystripe muttered agreement,
and then fell silent.
Fireheart knew how he must have felt.
It was only a few moons since they had
crossed the thunder path to find WindClan
and to bring them home.
Yet Graystripe was bound to
sympathize with RiverClan, too,
because of his love for Silverstream.
There were no easy answers.
The shortage of prey would be
a desperate problem for all four clans.
At least until leaf-bare relaxed
its cruel grip on the forest.
Growing drowsy under the steady
rasp of Graystripe's tongue,
Fireheart jumped at the rustle
of branches outside the den.
Tigerclaw entered,
followed by Darkstripe and Longtail.
All three of them glowered at
Fireheart as they settled in a huddle,
closer to the center of the bush.
Fireheart watched them
through slitted eyes,
wishing that he could make
out their conversation.
It was too easy to imagine they
were plotting against him.
Fireheart's muscles tensed as he realized
that he would never be safe within his own
clan while Tigerclaw's
treachery remained a secret.
What's the matter,
asked Graystripe, lifting his head.
Fireheart stretched,
trying to relax again.
I don't trust them, he murmured,
flicking his ears in the direction
of Tigerclaw and the others.
I don't blame you, meowed Graystripe.
If Tigerclaw ever found out about
Silverstream, he shuddered.
Fireheart pressed closer to his side,
comforting him,
while his ears still strained to
catch what Tigerclaw was saying.
He thought he heard his own name and
was tempted to creep a little closer.
But just then he caught Longtail's eye.
What are you staring at, kitty pet,
hissed the tabby warrior.
ThunderClan only wants loyal cats.
Deliberately, he turned
his back on Fireheart.
Fireheart sprang to his paws at once.
And who gave you the right
to question our loyalty?
He spat.
Longtail ignored him.
That does it.
Fireheart mewed in a fierce
undertone to Graystripe.
It's obvious that Tigerclaw's
spreading rumors about me.
But what can you do?
Graystripe sounded resigned
to the deputy's hostility.
I wanna talk to Ravenpaw again,
Fireheart meowed.
He might remember something
else about the battle,
something I could use
to convince Bluestar.
But Ravenpaw lives at
the two-leg farm now,
you'd have to go all the way
across WindClan territory.
How would you explain being
out of the camp for so long?
It would only make Tigerclaw's
lies seem like the truth.
Fireheart knew he was
willing to take that risk.
He had never asked Ravenpaw for
any details about how Redtail had died in
the battle against RiverClan
all those moons ago.
At the time, it seemed more important to
get the apprentice out of Tigerclaw's way.
Now he knew that he had to find
out exactly what Ravenpaw saw,
because he was becoming more and
more certain that his friend
must know something that could prove just
how dangerous Tigerclaw was to the clan.
I'll go tonight, Fireheart mewed softly,
after the gathering,
I'm going to slip away.
If I bring back fresh kill,
I can say I've been hunting.
You're taking a big risk,
mewed Graystripe,
giving Fireheart's ear a quick and
affectionate lick.
But Tigerclaw is my problem, too.
If you're determined to go,
then I'm coming with you.
The snow had stopped and the clouds had
cleared away by the time the ThunderClan
cats, Fireheart and
Graystripe among them, left the camp and
headed through the forest
toward Four Trees.
The snow covered ground seemed to glow
in the white light of the full moon and
frost glittered on every twig and stone.
A breeze blew toward them,
ruffling the surface of the snow and
bearing the scent of many cats.
Fireheart shivered with excitement.
The territories of all four clans
met in the sacred hollow, and
at every full moon a truce was declared
for the clans to gather beneath the four
great oaks that stood in the centre
of the steep sided clearing.
Fireheart fell in behind Bluestar, who had
already dropped into a crouch to creep
the last few tail lengths to the top of
the slope and peer down into the glade.
A rock reared up in the center of
the clearing between the oaks,
its jagged outline black against the snow.
As Fireheart waited for
Bluestar's signal to move,
he watched the other clan cats
greeting one another below.
He could not help noticing the glares and
raised hackles as WindClan faced
the cats of RiverClan and ShadowClan.
Clearly, none of them had
forgotten the recent battle.
If it weren't for the truce,
they would be clawing one another's fur.
Fireheart recognized Tallstar,
the leader of WindClan,
sitting near the great rock with
his deputy, Deadfoot, beside him.
Not far away, Runningnose and Mudfur, the
medicine cats of ShadowClan and RiverClan,
sat side by side, gazing at the other
cats with eyes that reflected the moon.
Beside Fireheart,
Graystripe's muscles were tense, and
his yellow eyes glowed with excitement
as he stared down into the glade.
Following his gaze, Fireheart saw
Silverstream emerge from the shadow,
her beautiful black and
silver coat rippling in the moonlight.
Fireheart suppressed a sigh.
If you're going to talk to her, be careful
who sees you, he warned his friend.
Don't worry, Graystripe meowed.
His front paws kneeded the hard
ground as he waited for
the moment when he could be
with the RiverClan cat again.
Fireheart glanced at Bluestar,
expecting her to give the signal
to descend into the clearing, but
instead he saw Whitestorm pad up and
crouch beside her in the snow.
Bluestar, Fireheart heard
the noble white warrior murmur.
What are you going to
say about Brokentail?
Will you tell the other clans
that we're sheltering him?
Fireheart waited tensely for
Bluestar's answer.
Brokentail had once been Brokenstar,
leader of ShadowClan.
He had murdered his own father,
Raggedstar, and
stolen kits from ThunderClan.
In retaliation,
ThunderClan had helped Brokenstar's own
clan to drive him out into the forest.
Not long after,
Brokenstar had led a band of rogue
cats to attack the ThunderClan camp.
In the battle, Yellowfang, the ThunderClan
medicine cat, had scratched his eyes, and
now Brokentail was a prisoner,
blind and defeated.
Even though the former leader had been
stripped of his star clan given name and
was kept under close guard, Fireheart
knew that the other clans would expect
ThunderClan to have killed him or
driven him out to die in the forest.
They wouldn't welcome the news
that Brokentail was still alive.
Bluestar kept her gaze fixed on
the cats in the clearing below.
I will say nothing,
she replied to Whitestorm.
It doesn't concern the other clans.
Brokentail is ThunderClan'S
responsibility now.
Brave words, growled Tigerclaw from where
he sat on the other side of Bluestar,
or are we ashamed to
admit what we've done?
ThunderClan has no need to be ashamed for
showing mercy, Bluestar retorted cooly.
But I see no reason to go looking for
trouble.
Before Tigerclaw could protest,
she sprang to her paws and
faced the rest of the ThunderClan cats.
Listen, she meowed.
No cat is to talk about the attack by
the rogue cats or mention Brokentail.
These are matters for our clan alone.
She waited until meows of agreement
came from the assembled cats.
Then she flicked her tail to
signal that the ThunderClan cats
could join the other clans below.
She raced down through the bushes
with Tigerclaw just behind her,
his huge paws scattering snow.
Fireheart bounded after them.
As he slid out of the bushes
into the clearing,
he saw that Tigerclaw had stopped close
by, and was giving him a suspicious stare.
Grey stripe, Fireheart hissed
quietly over his shoulder.
I don't think you should go
off with Silverstream tonight.
Tigerclaw's already,
Fireheart suddenly realized that
Greystripe was no longer beside him.
Looking around, he saw his friend
disappearing behind the great rock.
A heartbeat or
two later, Silverstream skirted around a
group of ShadowClan cats and followed him.
Fireheart sighed, he glanced at Tigerclaw,
wondering if the deputy had seen them go.
But Tigerclaw had padded away to
join Onewhisker from WindClan and
Fireheart let the fur lie
flat on his shoulders again.
Pacing restlessly across the clearing,
Fireheart found himself
near a group of elders.
Patchpelt from ThunderClan, and
others he did not know, crouching beneath
a glossy-leaved holly bush where
the snow did not lie so thickly.
Keeping one eye out for Graystripe,
Fireheart settled down to
listen to their conversation.
I remember a leaf bear
even worse than this.
It was an old black Tom who spoke.
His muzzle turned to silver and
his flank scarred from many a fight.
He had the scent of Wind Clan
on his short patchy fur.
The river was frozen for
more than three moons.
You're right, Crawford,
a Tabby Queen agreed and
prey was scarcer too, even for RiverClan.
For a heartbeat, Fireheart felt surprised
that two elders from recently hostile
clans could talk calmly without
spitting hatred at each other.
But then they were elders, he reflected.
They must have seen many
battles in their long lives.
Young warriors today, the old black
cat added with a glance at Fireheart,
they don't know what hardship is.
Fireheart scuffled among the dead
leaves under the bush and
tried to look respectful.
Patchpelt crouched close to him,
gave him a friendly flick with his tail.
That must have been the season
when Bluestar lost her kits,
recalled the ThunderClan elder.
Fireheart pricked up his ears.
He remembered Dappletail saying something
once before about Bluestar's kits,
who were born just before
she became Clan deputy.
But he had never learned how
many kits she had had or
how old they were when they died.
