Dawn

Chapter 1

It was Crowpaw who scented the moorland first as the morning sun spread creamy light over the dew-soaked grass. Although he was eager to return home to his mother and Clan, he didn't want to leave Squirrelpaw's side. The small apprentice hadn't reacted the same along the initial journey as she did on the journey home; Swiftpaw's death had affected her too badly. Tawnypelt lifted her nose and quickened her pace, hurrying up the slope, where mist still clung to the long grass. Brambletuft followed eagerly after her with the others following behind, Crowpaw and Squirrelpaw at the back of the group. They could all smell the moorland scents now; they all knew they were close to the end of their long, exhausting journey.

Without saying a word, the six cats stopped in a line at the edge of WindClan territory. Crowpaw's instincts screamed for him to run ahead, to return home to something finally familiar. Crowpaw glanced down at Squirrelpaw; she was looking around the moor, her green eyes brightening just a bit for the first time in the entire journey home. Beside him, Feathertail quivered in excitement and her paws kneaded the wet grass.

"We would not have come this far without Swiftpaw," Crowpaw murmured.

"He died to save us all," Stormfur agreed.

Crowpaw tried not to react at the violent flinch from Squirrelpaw. Swiftpaw was Squirrelpaw's brother. He had died to protect her from a ferocious predator after they had met an unfamiliar group of cats in the mountains. The Tribe of Rushing Water lived behind a waterfall and listened to their own set of ancestors—not StarClan, but the Tribe of Endless hunting. A giant mountain cat had been feeding on the Tribe for many moons, picking them off one by one. When it had invaded the Tribe's cavern yet again, Swiftpaw and Quiet Night had worked together to dislodge a pointed spit of stone from the roof and send it crashing down to kill the beast. But he had been fatally wounded from the fall, and now he lay beneath rocks in the Tribe's territory, close by the waterfall with the sound of rushing water to guide him to StarClan.

"He was brave to protect us all," Tawnypelt commented gently.

"He shouldn't have even been there," Squirrelpaw blurted out. "He wasn't chosen by StarClan, and he wouldn't have known about the dream if I never told him. He shouldn't have died for a prophecy from ancestors we don't even know."

Feathertail stepped around Crowpaw to nudge the ThunderClan apprentice gently with her muzzle. "Bravery and sacrifice are part of the warrior code," she murmured. "Would you have wanted him to make a different choice?"

"He could have chosen to come home." Squirrelpaw's voice broke as she remembered what her brother had done.

"Come on, let's go home," Brambletuft meowed.

Tawnypelt, Feathertail, and Stormfur easily followed after the dark tabby, but Crowpaw halted when he felt Squirrelpaw's tail twine with his own. The small apprentice pressed against him, her head tucked under his chin.

"Will you come with me?" she meowed.

Crowpaw pressed himself harder against her. "Of course," he replied, licking her ear gently.

As they set off, Crowpaw began wondering how his Clan would react to him returning home. He hadn't told a single cat, not even his mother, that he was leaving the Clans with enemy warriors. He had wanted to tell his mother about his dream, but he figured Ashfoot wouldn't take him seriously since it was Deadfoot who spoke to him, and Eagleheart was too busy patrolling to listen to him for long.

The other cats slowed down to let Crowpaw take the lead since he knew the territory far better than any of them. He led them toward a swath of gorse and disappeared along a rabbit track, calling back for them to watch their ears. He heard Tawnypelt thundering after him, the ShadowClan warrior the most eager to get back to her own territory.