Dawn

Chapter 9

A mournful yowl echoed around the barren land, jolting Crowpaw awake. For a moment he thought he was back in the mountains, that he hadn't come back home and things weren't that bad. Then he smelled the scents of the moor and rushing water in the icy breeze, and remembered that he was at the rabbit burrows, in the new WindClan camp. He blinked open his eyes and looked over the edge of his hollow, his breath billowing like smoke in the freezing air.

"What is it?" Weaselpaw whispered. The ginger apprentice was curled in a tight ball with Owlpaw. Crowpaw felt his soft fur brushing his flank.

"It sounded like Robinwing," he mewed. "But I can't see her."

Two shapes when streaking last, both gray, toward a small crowd that was gathering.

Crowpaw scrambled out, struggling to get a grip on the cold ground, and raced to Ashfoot's side. "What happened?"

"Hawkpaw is dead," Ashfoot whispered. "Robinwing went to wake him for a hunting patrol, but he was stone cold." Her voice cracked in her grief. "She tried everything to wake him but nothing would work."

Crowpaw felt sorrow grip his head. He had vowed to protect his Clan, but he had failed.

A loud wail sounded from behind him, and Weaselpaw and Owlpaw streaked past to collapse beside their brother's body. One by one, the Clan gathered around in grim silence. Poor Bristlebark could hardly stand as he bowed his head in mourning. For once Crowpaw could sympathize with the strict warrior. Weaselpaw, Owlpaw, and Hawkpaw were the sons of Robinwing and Bristlebark. For the first time ever, Crowpaw knew every cat in his Clan, even cats like Mudclaw, shared a common enemy—the Twolegs who were trapping cats and destroying their home.

Barkface scrambled out of a burrow. "Crowpaw, please fetch some poppy seeds, two or three," he requested. "Robinwing must not waste her energy on grieving."

Crowpaw bounded away into a small cleft where Barkface stored his tiny heap of remedies and reached in to pull out a leaf-wrapped hoard of poppy seeds. With all his heart he wished that they were back in the hollow where the Clan could grieve in peace and Barkface had plenty of herbs to help them. Looking at the shriveled leaf beneath his paw, he was sure there were hardly enough doses left for even the apprentices, and there was no hope of finding more with leaf-bare closing in.

Tallstar's call startled him. "Crowpaw!" He turned to see his elderly leader stumbling toward him with Whitetail and Onewhisker behind him. "What's happened?"

"Hawkpaw is dead," Crowpaw told him. "Barkface asked me to get some poppy seeds."

"I didn't think it would get this bad so soon!" Tallstar growled. "Oh, StarClan! Why didn't Skystar agree to leave?" He raised his eyes to Silverpelt, fading quickly in the dawn light.

"Last night was so cold," Whitetail remarked. "The poor little scrap didn't have enough flesh on his bones to keep him warm."

"Weaselpaw and Owlpaw are still alive," Crowpaw remarked. "We can focus on keeping them and the others well."

"But the nights are only going to get colder, and once the snow comes. . ." Onewhisker glanced away toward the border with Fourtrees.

Crowpaw glanced at him. "If we are to leave we should go soon," he meowed. "Before snowfall makes the mountains too difficult to cross."

"You already know how I feel. We will not make it unless ThunderClan joins us," Tallstar growled. Crowpaw sighed. His leader had great trust in Skystar, but more cats would die if they didn't leave soon.

"I must take these to Barkface," he murmured, picking up the bundle of seeds.

As he reached the group, Tornear was padding away, his eyes dull with sorrow. He didn't even look up as he went past. Crowpaw noticed that he was trodding carefully on the frost-covered ground as if it hurt his paws. He pushed through the crowd and dropped the poppy seeds at Barkface's paws. Robinwing was hunched over her son between Bristlebark and Weaselpaw, staring at nothing. Owlpaw pressed into his father, too shocked to speak. Ashfoot was crouched nearby, murmuring comfort.