The Lost Prophecy: Book 1: Ravenpaw's Secret

Chapter 12

The journey kept the four cats busy. Ravenpaw was thankful for the roughness of the terrain; it meant they didn't have time to talk. His black pelt seemed to absorb the heat of the sun more than the others. He didn't know how WindClan cats could stand the sun constantly beating down on them like this. He felt like he was on fire.

As they crossed the moor the wind clawed at his pelt, ruffling it in the wrong direction. Ravenpaw kept his eyes fixed straight ahead. His mind was not on the journey.

He noticed Tigerclaw occasionally glancing back at him. Ravenpaw tried to position himself behind Graypaw, away from his mentor. He flicked his ears, twisting them backward nervously. Why did I have to open my big mouth? Why did I tell them that story? He had let his guard down.

His tail flicked worriedly as he thought back to the Gathering. He hadn't even thought of the possibility that Tigerclaw would overhear his story. He was just trying to entertain the apprentices, but now he realized that his story wasn't the same as what Tigerclaw told the Clan. Tigerclaw's place in the Clan would be in jeopardy if any cat put it together, so his furious reaction made sense.

Ravenpaw anxiously swished his tail back and forth. Maybe Tigerclaw had thought Ravenpaw had put the battle behind him, and they could have continued their silent impasse, but there was no hope of that now. After the Gathering, Ravenpaw was almost certain that Tigerclaw would take action.

The journey across WindClan territory passed quickly with Ravenpaw so distracted. At one point they nearly collided with an enemy patrol. Tigerclaw had been the first to notice, and he had stopped the group with a sharp hiss. Ravenpaw and the others had paused and sniffed the air.

"They're upwind," Bluestar had mewed softly, turning her head to survey her surroundings. "They won't detect us if we keep moving. But we must hurry."

She had then set a quick pace through the moor, and the group crashed through the remainder of the territory. Ravenpaw had checked the area constantly for ShadowClan warriors as they raced across the moorland. Finally, the scent of ShadowClan, as well as WindClan, began to fade. They had reached the edge of WindClan territory.

Now a new landscape opened up in front of them. Twoleg nests covered the land just outside of WindClan's territory and the familiar cat scents were replaced by unfamiliar ones. Ravenpaw wrinkled his nose as he became aware of a burning smell he had only detected before by the ShadowClan border. We must be near the Thunderpath, he realized. He scanned the landscape for the familiar gray path. Sure enough, the Thunderpath was directly ahead of them, past the circle of Twoleg nests.

"Be alert as we pass by these nests," Bluestar warned the apprentices as they entered Twoleg territory. "Most of the time they're harmless, but Twolegs can be unpredictable."

Ravenpaw tensed as they passed a Twoleg nest with a fence. He could smell dog all around them. Suddenly a sharp barking sound filled the air. Ravenpaw unsheathed his claws, arching his back.

Tigerclaw peered through a gap in the fence. "They're tied up," he mewed. "They can't reach us." Tigerclaw and Bluestar calmly herded the two apprentices past the fence, and soon the barking of the dog faded into the general background noise of the territory.

They reached the Thunderpath shortly after that. The cats took shelter beneath a hedge. Gleaming monsters pelted by them, moving so fast that their huge, black paws were a blur. Horrified, Ravenpaw's eyes widened. They had to cross that?!

"We'll go one at a time." Tigerclaw turned to his apprentice. "Ravenpaw, you first."

Ravenpaw bristled, but before he could even think of where to start Bluestar meowed: "No, Tigerclaw, I'll go first. Don't forget, this is the first time of crossing for these two. Let them see how it's done."