Dawn

Chapter 22

Squirrelpaw glimpsed movement on the ledge above. She stopped, her paws sinking into the banked snow, and glanced up. A falcon was feasting on a shrew a few tail-lengths up the rocky outcrop. Squirrelpaw knew her ginger pelt must stand out like a sunset in a pale sky, and she stood motionless, hoping that the falcon hadn't noticed her.

The snow felt soothing against her raw pads. She wondered if she had the power to leap up the short distance and catch the falcon. Probably not. The past few days had sapped her strength until she almost couldn't be bothered to hunt at all.

The falcon flattened the shrew against the rock and stopped to pull the flesh from it. Squirrelpaw felt a wrench of envy as hunger clawed at her belly. Slow as melting ice, she prowled forward, praying the thickly falling snow would camouflage her pelt.

She had to catch some prey. The cold could start killing cats faster than any eagle if the Clans grew any hungrier. Despite their bold promises to Tallpoppy, the shock of losing Smokepaw and Marshkit had shaken the confidence of even the strongest warriors. Squirrelpaw felt a flood of regret so strong it stopped her in her tracks. She had helped to lead the Clans to their death. She was not even sure she would be able to find her way back to them if she caught the falcon. She knew only that they were somewhere near, huddled in the snow, praying to StarClan for deliverance.

If only she could be sure they had reached far enough into the Tribe's territory for them to get some help. Stormfur had taken to ranging out at night, among the snowy crags. The other cats were furious at Squirrelpaw and her friends for being so comfortable in strange territory. She knew he was searching for Small Brook, or any sign of the Tribe, but he had found nothing so far. The Tribe's scent markers were too hard to identify under the snow and icy breeze.

The falcon ruffled its feathers, shaking off some snow, and brought Squirrelpaw's wandering thoughts back to the hunt. She tensed her muscles and prepared to leap.

Suddenly a flash of fur above her made her draw back. Three lean, mud-streaked cats hurled themselves from the rocks above the falcon. One snared the falcon in its long claws, while the other two bundled Squirrelpaw backward, knocking the breath from her. She felt strong paws pinning her under the snow and struggled, but they were too strong for her, and after a few terrified moments she lay still, her breath hoarse and ragged.

"Squirrelpaw?"

She heard a familiar voice growl her name and felt paws tug her out of the snow. She blinked cold flakes of ice from her eyes and saw Swooping Talon staring at her in undisguised surprise. Two more cave-guards, Running River and Jagged Rock, stood behind him, wide-eyed in astonishment.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

As Squirrelpaw tried to gather her confused thoughts, her brain finally caught up to the fact that she recognized all of these cats. Jagged Rock, the father of Wild Snow and Shining Snow, looked the most pleased to see her. Knowing these three cats made her feel a little better. "We've left the forest," she explained. "We're traveling over the mountains."

Swooping Talon narrowed his eyes. "Again?"

"We're all going this time."

"All?"

"The four Clans," Squirrelpaw mewed. "We couldn't stay in the forest any longer. There was too much destruction. But we never thought the Clans would have such a hard time! Smokepaw fell into a ravine, and then an eagle killed Marshkit. . ." She trailed off breathlessly.

"Kits?" Swooping Talon demanded. "Out here? Are you mad? You must bring all of these cats to the Cave of Rushing Water and rest. Where did you leave them?"