Warriors but Wolves: Into the Wild

Chapter 15

     Spottedstar stood and began to pad toward Mothermouth. Bearclaw walked beside her, matching her strides step for step.

"Come on, Graypaw!" called Ravenpaw. Graypaw was still sitting on the rock, staring up at the rocks. At Ravenpaw's yip, he stood and began to follow slowly. Firepaw realized his friend had hardly said a word the whole journey. Is he just worried about ShadowPack, or is there something else troubling him? Firepaw wondered.

It took the wolves only a few moments to reach Mothermouth. Firepaw stood on the threshold and peered inside. The blackness beyond the stone archway was darker than the cloudiest night. Firepaw narrowed his eyes, trying to see where the tunnel led, but he couldn't see a thing.

Beside him, Ravenpaw and Graypaw craned their heads nervously around the entrance. Even Bearclaw seemed unsettled by the black hole ahead of them.

"How will we find our way in such darkness?" Ravenpaw asked.

"I will know the way," answered Spottedstar. "Just follow my scent. Bearclaw, you will remain on guard outside. You three will accompany me to the Moonstone." Firepaw felt a thrill jolt through him. What an honor! Firepaw glanced sideways at Bearclaw. The warrior sat with his chin boldly raised, but Firepaw could detect a subtle fear-scent coming from him. It grew stronger as Spottedstar stepped forward into the blackness. With a brief nod to the other apprentices, Firepaw followed.

Inside the cave, his eyes still detected nothing. The complete and utter blackness felt strange, but he was surprised to find that he wasn't frightened. His eagerness to discover what lay ahead was stronger. The cold, damp air reached through his thick fur and into his bones, stiffening his muscles. Even the coldest nights in the ThunderPack camp did not hold the same chill as the air here. This ground has never known the warmth of the sun, thought Firepaw, feeling the rock smooth like ice beneath his paws.

Freezing air filled his lungs with each breath, until he felt light-headed. He followed Spottedstar through the darkness, judging his way by scent and touch alone. They were walking along a tunnel that sloped down and down, winding first one way and then the other. Firepaw's fur brushed the side of the cave, telling him where to walk and where to turn. His nose told him that

Spottedstar was only a tail-length ahead of him. On and on they went.

How far have we come? Firepaw wondered. Then he felt a tingle in his whiskers. The air in his nostrils seemed fresher than before. He sniffed again, relieved to smell the familiar world above.

He could smell peat, and prey, and the scent of heather. There must be a hole somewhere in the roof of the tunnel. "Where are we?" he whispered into the darkness.

"We have entered the cavern of the Moonstone," came Spottedstar's soft reply. "Wait here. It will be moonhigh soon." Firepaw folded his hind legs under him on the chilly stone floor and waited. He could hear the steady breathing of Spottedstar and his friends.

Suddenly, in a flash more blinding than the setting sun, the cave was lit up. Firepaw's eyes were wide open after the blackness of the tunnel. He closed them quickly against the cold, white light. Then, slowly, he opened them into tiny slits and peered ahead. He saw a gleaming rock, which glittered as if it were made from countless dewdrops. The Moonstone! Firepaw looked around.

In the cold light reflected from the stone, he could make out the shadowy edges of a

high-roofed cavern. The Moonstone rose up from the middle of the floor, several wolf-lengths high. Spottedstar was staring upward, her fur bleached almost white in the glow of the Moonstone. Even Ravenpaw's black pelt glowed silver. Firepaw followed Spottedstar's gaze. High in the roof was an opening that revealed a narrow triangle of night sky. The moon was casting a beam of light through the hole, down onto the Moonstone, making it sparkle like a star.

Firepaw looked back at the Moonstone. His eyes had gotten used to its light and he was no longer dazzled. Instead, it soothed him. With a twitch of his tail, he remembered his dream. This was the brilliant ball of light he had seen!

Awestruck, Firepaw watched as Spottedstar padded up to the stone and lay down beside it. She reached her head forward and touched the Moonstone with her nose. Her amber eyes sparkled with its reflection for a moment before they closed. Now she rested her head on her paws, her breathing quickly slowing. Was she sleeping? Then Firepaw remembered Ravenpaw's words: "new alphas have to sleep near the stone, and as they sleep, they have special dreams."

He waited beside Ravenpaw and Graypaw, no one saying a word. The chill was not so intense here, but still he found himself shivering. He had no idea how much time had passed, but suddenly the rock stopped glowing. The cavern was plunged into darkness once more. Firepaw looked up to the opening in the roof of the cavern. The moon had passed on, out of sight. All

that remained were tiny stars shimmering in blackness. Firepaw could just make out the pale shape of his alpha, lying beside the Moonstone. He wanted to call out her name, but did not dare break the silence. After more endless moments, she spoke to him. "Firepaw? Graypaw? Ravenpaw? Are you still there?" Her voice sounded remote and agitated.

"Yes, Spottedstar." Firepaw heard Spottedstar's pawsteps approaching.

"Hurry," she yapped. He felt her fur brush past him. "We must return to camp."

Firepaw raced after her, astonished by the speed with which she rushed through the blackness. He followed her scent blindly, up and up the stone tunnel, until she led him safely back to the outside world. The sky was just beginning to lighten with the first traces of dawn, though the sun was still a long ways off.

Bearclaw was waiting at the opening as Spottedstar and the apprentices climbed out of the cave. His expression was cold and his fur was slightly ruffled, but he sat motionless and dignified.

"Bearclaw." Spottedstar greeted him with a brief nod.

Bearclaw shook himself. "What did you learn?"

"We must return to camp immediately," Spottedstar barked tensely.

Firepaw saw a look of desperation in his alpha's eyes. Now the horror of his dream forced its way back into his memory: the fleeing wolves; the great, dark warriors; the ear-splitting wail of distress. Firepaw tried to ignore the cold fear that gripped his muscles, and followed Spottedstar as she and the others raced down the dark slope away from Mothermouth. Was his nightmare vision about to come true?