Dawn

Chapter 17

"More ThunderClan cats are here!"

That's all Crowpaw heard before he pushed through the dried reeds around the RiverClan camp. Immediately he was met with the whole of RiverClan watching him closely with Leopardstar curling her lip stubbornly.

"What's the excuse this time, Skystar?" she hissed, glaring at the ThunderClan leader.

Squirrelpaw placed her chaffinch down, looking around the clearing instead of at Leopardstar. "We've come with prey for Mistyfoot and her kits," she meowed, spotting the dark gray queen.

Nudging Crowpaw, she grabbed her catch and carried it over, placing it down gently beside Mistyfoot's paws. Crowpaw did the same with his mouse and they backed away, dipping their heads respectfully to the RiverClan deputy.

Mistyfoot's eyes glimmered as she looked the prey over. "Thank you, both of you," she murmured.

"The Clans have lost enough," Squirrelpaw replied, glancing at Crowpaw meaningfully.

Leopardstar had since disappeared into the medicine den before emerging and calling to Skystar. "Shadepelt will remain here with your elder," she meowed. "She wishes to remain in these territories no matter what and to sit vigil for Mudfur."

Skystar nodded. "We will wait until RiverClan is ready to travel," she murmured.

Feathertail, Stormfur, and Hawkfrost approached Squirrelpaw and Crowpaw. For once, Hawkfrost's eyes were gentle as he pressed his muzzle against Feathertail's cheek, his eyes never moving from her. Crowpaw wondered how close the two of them had become since his last talk with the silver she-cat.

"I never thought we'd be leaving anyone behind." Stormfur sighed.

"Neither did I," Squirrelpaw agreed, shivering as she thought about something.

Leopardstar padded to the center of the clearing and looked around. "Is everyone ready?"

"Only Mistyfoot and I have eaten, the rest of you should hunt," a RiverClan queen protested, wrapping her tail protectively around her kit.

"We can hunt on the way," Leopardstar told her.

The moment had arrived. Silently, the cats began to head for the camp entrance. Speckletail and Shadepelt sat in the clearing watching their Clanmates leave.

"Farewell," Squirrelpaw called. "Good hunting."

"Good hunting," Speckletail replied.

Crowpaw looked up at the gray sky crisscrossed by leaf-bare branches. The rain spattered on his face, and he blinked away the drops that clung to his eyelashes. It was as if StarClan wept to see their Clans leave the forest. Bleakly, Crowpaw wondered if their ancestors would travel with them, or if this was the final farewell.

"Come on." Skystar's gentle voice sounded close to him. "The others are waiting for us."

The trek through the forest was hard going, the rain making the leaves slippery under paw. The RiverClan cats stayed together, keeping up with ThunderClan but traveling separately. Mistyfoot was carrying her only daughter, Shellkit, while Blackclaw and Reedwhisker carried Stonekit and Eelkit. Feathertail and Stormfur traveling beside Crowpaw and Squirrelpaw, all of them helping each other when they slipped. As they neared the edge of the forest where there was a narrow strip of RiverClan territory before the moorland began, Crowpaw scented ShadowClan cats. He lifted his head and saw the huddles under the trees, wet and shivering.

"We thought you'd never get here," Blackstar complained, shaking the water from his coat.

The ShadowClan cats paced impatiently around him. They were not comfortable under the trees that had once belonged to ThunderClan; even Tawnypelt looked eager to leave.