Dark river, p.1
Dark River, page 1
Warriors: Power of Three: Dark River
Erin Hunter
For Geof
Special thanks to Kate Cary
Contents
Allegiances
Map
Prologue
The indigo sky stretched over the moorland, holding in the…
Chapter 1
“Look out!” Lionpaw lashed his tail. “ShadowClan warriors behind us!”
Chapter 2
Hollypaw was dreaming. She was charging through the forest as…
Chapter 3
Jaypaw winced as grit from the trail dug into his…
Chapter 4
“I’m still really tired,” Jaypaw complained.
Chapter 5
Lionpaw stiffened when he saw Hollypaw’s eyes flash in the…
Chapter 6
Hollypaw yawned and stretched in the den entrance. The early…
Chapter 7
“Ow!” Birchfall snatched his paw away from Jaypaw.
Chapter 8
“I name you Lionclaw, warrior of DarkClan!”
Chapter 9
The full moon rippled on the surface of the lake…
Chapter 10
Jaypaw heard the brambles swish. “Hollypaw’s gone?” He blinked. Hollypaw…
Chapter 11
“For StarClan’s sake!” Ashfur bounded from the ferns and glared…
Chapter 12
“Watch out!”
Chapter 13
“It was Blackclaw’s idea to push the stones into the…
Chapter 14
Rain pattered on Jaypaw’s pelt as he crossed the clearing.
Chapter 15
Lionpaw leaped and twisted in the air, diving forward as…
Chapter 16
Hollypaw wriggled against Willowpaw, trying to get comfortable. There was…
Chapter 17
Jaypaw plucked at the moss in the bottom of his…
Chapter 18
Lionpaw shivered. The rain had reached right to his skin.
Chapter 19
“I’ll go first.”
Chapter 20
Water roared in Hollypaw’s ears as the pale light of…
Chapter 21
Lionpaw’s muscles still hurt from the race through the tunnels…
About the Author
Other Books by Erin Hunter
Credits
Copyright
About the Publisher
ALLEGIANCES
THUNDERCLAN
LEADER
FIRESTAR—ginger tom with a flame-colored pelt
DEPUTY
BRAMBLECLAW—dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes
APPRENTICE, BERRYPAW
MEDICINE CAT
LEAFPOOL—light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes
APPRENTICE, JAYPAW
WARRIORS
(toms, and she-cats without kits)
SQUIRRELFLIGHT—dark ginger she-cat with green eyes
DUSTPELT—dark brown tabby tom
APPRENTICE, HAZELPAW
SANDSTORM—pale ginger she-cat
APPRENTICE, HONEYPAW
CLOUDTAIL—long-haired white tom
APPRENTICE, CINDERPAW
BRACKENFUR—golden brown tabby tom
APPRENTICE, HOLLYPAW
SORRELTAIL—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with amber eyes
THORNCLAW—golden brown tabby tom
APPRENTICE, POPPYPAW
BRIGHTHEART—white she-cat with ginger patches
ASHFUR—pale gray (with darker flecks) tom, dark blue eyes
APPRENTICE, LIONPAW
SPIDERLEG— long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes
APPRENTICE, MOUSEPAW
BROOK WHERE SMALL FISH SWIM (BROOK)— brown tabby she-cat, formerly of the Tribe of Rushing Water
STORMFUR—dark gray tom with amber eyes, formerly of RiverClan
WHITEWING—white she-cat with green eyes
BIRCHFALL—light brown tabby tom
GRAYSTRIPE—long-haired gray tom
MILLIE—silver tabby she-cat, former kittypet, blue eyes
APPRENTICES
(more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)
BERRYPAW—cream-colored tom
HAZELPAW—small gray-and-white she-cat
MOUSEPAW—gray-and-white tom
CINDERPAW—gray tabby she-cat
HONEYPAW—light brown tabby she-cat
POPPYPAW—tortoiseshell she-cat
LIONPAW—golden tabby tom with amber eyes
HOLLYPAW—black she-cat with green eyes
JAYPAW—gray tabby tom with blue eyes
QUEENS
(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)
FERNCLOUD—pale gray (with darker flecks) she-cat, green eyes, mother of Dustpelt’s kits: Icekit (white she-cat) and Foxkit (reddish tabby tom)
DAISY—cream long-furred cat from the horseplace
ELDERS
(former warriors and queens, now retired)
LONGTAIL—pale tabby tom with dark black stripes, retired early due to failing sight
MOUSEFUR—small dusky brown she-cat
SHADOWCLAN
LEADER
BLACKSTAR—large white tom with huge jet-black paws
DEPUTY
RUSSETFUR—dark ginger she-cat
MEDICINE CAT
LITTLECLOUD—very small tabby tom
WARRIORS
OAKFUR—small brown tom
ROWANCLAW—ginger tom
APPRENTICE, IVYPAW
SMOKEFOOT—black tom
APPRENTICE, OWLPAW
SNOWBIRD—pure-white she-cat
QUEENS
TAWNYPELT—tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes, mother of Tigerkit, Flamekit, and Dawnkit
ELDERS
CEDARHEART—dark gray tom
TALLPOPPY—long-legged light brown tabby she-cat
WINDCLAN
LEADER
ONESTAR—brown tabby tom
DEPUTY
ASHFOOT—gray she-cat
MEDICINE CAT
BARKFACE—short-tailed brown tom
APPRENTICE, KESTRELPAW
WARRIORS
TORNEAR—tabby tom
APPRENTICE, HAREPAW
CROWFEATHER—dark gray tom
APPRENTICE, HEATHERPAW
OWLWHISKER—light brown tabby tom
WHITETAIL—small white she-cat
APPRENTICE, BREEZEPAW
NIGHTCLOUD—black she-cat
WEASELFUR—ginger tom with white paws
QUEENS
GORSETAIL—very pale gray-and-white cat with blue eyes, mother of Thistlekit, Sedgekit, and Swallowkit
ELDERS
MORNINGFLOWER— very old tortoiseshell queen
WEBFOOT—dark gray tabby tom
RIVERCLAN
LEADER
LEOPARDSTAR—unusually spotted golden tabby she-cat
DEPUTY
MISTYFOOT—gray she-cat with blue eyes
APPRENTICE, DAPPLEPAW
MEDICINE CAT
MOTHWING—dappled golden she-cat
APPRENTICE, WILLOWPAW
WARRIORS
BLACKCLAW—smoky black tom
VOLETOOTH—small brown tabby tom
APPRENTICE, MINNOWPAW
REEDWHISKER—black tom
APPRENTICE, POUNCEPAW
MOSSPELT—tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes
APPRENTICE, PEBBLEPAW
BEECHFUR—light brown tom
RIPPLETAIL—dark gray tabby tom
QUEENS
DAWNFLOWER—pale gray she-cat
GRAYMIST—pale gray tabby, mother of Sneezekit and Mallowkit
ICEWING—heavily pregnant white cat with blue eyes
ELDERS HEAVYSTEP—thickset tabby tom
SWALLOWTAIL—dark tabby she-cat
STONESTREAM—gray tom
OTHER ANIMALS
PIP—black-and-white terrier who lives with Twolegs near the horseplace
Map
PROLOGUE
The indigo sky stretched over the moorland, holding in the night’s chill.
Wind stirred the heather and set the hillside rippling. Between the low bushes, feline shapes, their fur slicked flat by the breeze, streamed down the slope.
Among them, a tabby queen kept pace with a young tom. “Are you sure you are ready for this?”
“I’m ready,” the tom answered, his green eyes flashing in the moonlight.
“You’re my eldest, Fallen Leaves,” the queen whispered. “The first of mine to face the ordeal.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“He was trained well!” a low voice called from behind.
“Even trainin’ can’t prepare a softpaw for rain!” growled another.
Fallen Leaves glanced up. “But the sky’s clear.”
“I smell rain on the wind, I tell you.”
Murmurs of alarm spread among the other cats.
“The sky’s clear!” Fallen Leaves insisted as he stepped out from the swath of heather and halted. The moon lit his ginger-and-white pelt. His Clanmates crowded at his heels, their tails flicking. Beneath his forepaws, the slope fell away steeply. Here, moons of wind and rain had flayed the moorland, peeling away the earth until the stone beneath lay bare, a wall of jagged rock amid the rolling heather.
“Good luck, softpaw!”
Fallen Leaves bounded down the cliff and landed lightly on the sandy earth at its base. His mother scrambled after him. “Take care!”
Fallen Leaves brushed muzzles with the queen. “I will see you at dawn,” he promised.
Ahead of him, a black gash opened like a wound in the cliff face. The fur along his spine lifted. He had never been inside. Only chosen cats entered the Cave.
He padded forward, feeling the darkness swallow him. There must be some light to show the way! He struggled to crush the fear thrashing in his chest like a landed fish.
The tunnel will take you to the cave, his tutor’s voice echoed in his mind. Let your whiskers guide you.
His whiskers shivered, alert to the slightest touch, steering him along the narrow passage.
Suddenly, pale light glowed ahead. The tunnel opened into a cave. Its arching walls glowed in the weak moonlight that filtered through a gap in the roof. The sound of rushing water echoed around the rocks.
A river? Underground?
Fallen Leaves stared at the wide stream that split the sandy floor in two. Its black water glimmered dimly in the half-light.
“Fallen Leaves?”
A croaking mew made the young tom jump. He jerked his white muzzle up to see who had spoken and his eyes narrowed as he saw a creature crouched on a high ledge, lit by moonlight pooled on the cave wall.
Was this Rock?
The creature’s pelt was like moleskin, the fur gone except for a few tufts along his spine, and his sightless eyes bulged like eggs. His long, twisted claws flexed on the smooth branch that lay at his paws. The branch was stripped of its bark and, even in this light, Fallen Leaves could see claw marks etched along it, a crowded series of straight lines scarring the pale wood.
This must be Rock.
“I can feel your surprise,” the blind creature croaked. “It pricks my pelt like gorse.”
“I—I’m sorry,” Fallen Leaves apologized. “It’s just I did not expect—”
“You did not expect a cat could grow so ugly.”
Fallen Leaves froze with embarrassment. Had Rock read his mind?
“A cat needs wind and sun to shine his fur and good hunting to trim his claws,” Rock went on, his mew rasping like stones on stone. “But I must stay close to our warrior ancestors; those who have taken their place beneath the earth.”
“And for that we thank you,” Fallen Leaves murmured respectfully.
“Don’t thank me,” Rock growled. “It was a destiny I was bound to follow. Besides, you may not feel so grateful to me once your initiation has begun.” As he spoke he ran a long claw over the lines scratched into the smooth branch. A second scratch crossed some lines, but not all. “The uncrossed lines mark the cats who went into the tunnels but did not come out.”
Fallen Leaves stared at the dark holes lurking like mouths at the edge of the cave. If they did not lead to air and safety, where did they end up? “Which tunnels did they go into?”
Rock shook his head. “I cannot help you. To become a sharpclaw, you must find your own way out. I can only send you on your way with the blessing of our ancestors.”
“Can’t you give me any advice?”
“Without light, you will have only your instincts. Follow them and if they are true, you will be safe.”
“What if they are not true?”
“Then you will die in darkness.”
Fallen Leaves squared his shoulders. “I’m not going to die.”
“I hope not,” Rock mewed. “You know you are not allowed to return to this cave? You must find a tunnel that leads straight back to the moor. Is it raining?” he asked suddenly.
Fallen Leaves stiffened. Should he mention the tingling in the air that hinted rain might come? No. Rock might tell him to go back the way he had come and wait until another day. He couldn’t put off becoming a sharpclaw any longer. He wanted to do this now. “The sky is clear,” he promised.
Rock ran his paw once more over the lines etched in the branch. “Then begin.”
Fallen Leaves eyed the tunnel beneath Rock’s ledge. It seemed larger than the rest, and appeared to slope upward. Up to the moorland, high above? This was the way he would choose.
Heart pounding, he leaped across the river and headed into the bone-chilling darkness.
By dawn I will be a sharpclaw. His pelt bristled. I hope.
CHAPTER 1
“Look out!” Lionpaw lashed his tail. “ShadowClan warriors behind us!”
Hollypaw whipped around, her black pelt standing on end. “I’ll take them!”
Lionpaw glanced at his brother. “Scent anything, Jaypaw?”
“More warriors coming!” the gray tabby warned. His blind, blue eyes were round with alarm. “Prepare for attack!”
“We’ll ambush them as they come through the camp wall!” Lionpaw ordered. He jerked his head toward Hollypaw. “Can you handle those three?”
“Easy!” Hollypaw rolled onto her back then sprung to her paws, claws glinting in the afternoon sun.
Lionpaw darted forward and crouched behind the prickly wall of thorns. “Quick, Jaypaw! Beside me!”
Jaypaw scooted over and dropped into an attack crouch. “They’re coming!”
A tabby warrior trotted through the entrance.
“Now!” Lionpaw screeched. He hurled himself at the warrior. Jaypaw scrambled between the enemy’s paws. With a grunt of surprise, the invader tripped and tumbled onto his side. Lionpaw was on him in an instant.
“Enough!” Squirrelflight’s sharp mew rang around the small clearing.
Lionpaw stopped pummeling Brambleclaw’s back with his hind legs and stared at his mother as she hurried through the gap in the bramble wall. “But we’re pretending ShadowClan are attacking!”
