of the den. “Are you going to explain to me what just happened?” Firestar stood in the entrance, green eyes sharp with rage. “Graystripe told me that you started a fight with a ShadowClan patrol!” His ears twitched as he studied Lionblaze. “Why did you let them do that to you?”
Lionblaze stiffened. “Do I have to win every fight?”
“Yes!” Firestar thrust his muzzle into Lionblaze’s face. “That’s your destiny! That’s what the prophecy has decided!”
Lionblaze growled. “So I don’t get a choice?”
“No! You don’t get a choice!” Firestar flexed his claws. “You have to follow your destiny.”
Fury swept through Lionblaze like wildfire. “I wish I didn’t! I never asked for it! You can’t make me do anything I don’t want to do!”
Firestar stared at him a moment, then took a step back. “You’re right.” His mew was weary. “I can’t force you to follow the path StarClan has chosen for you, Lionblaze.” His tail brushed the ground as he turned. “It’s a destiny you must choose for yourself.”
Lionblaze watched his leader disappear through the brambles. “So?” He turned on Jayfeather. “Aren’t you going to tell me how dumb I am, too? Go on!” he goaded. “Remind me again how the prophecy is the most important thing in the world!”
Jayfeather picked up a mouthful of chewed leaves and padded to Lionblaze’s side. He dropped the leaves and rolled them under his paw. “No.”
Lionblaze blinked. “What? ”
Jayfeather lapped up a tongueful of leaf pulp and licked it into a wound. Lionblaze gritted his teeth, shocked by the pain. “Whatever you want to say, get it over with!”
Jayfeather sat back on his haunches. “What can I say?” he murmured. “What if the prophecy isn’t enough to save the Clans? What if it’s just the last desperate hope of a Clan of fading ancestors?” He sniffed a long scratch on Lionblaze’s cheek. “You can fight; Dovewing can hear; I can wander into thoughts and dreams. But does it make any difference? Are we any closer to defeating the Dark Forest? If we were, why would we need a fourth cat?”
“You think the prophecy won’t save the Clans?” Lionblaze suddenly forgot the sting of his scratches.
“I don’t know.” Sighing, Jayfeather began working on the rest of Lionblaze’s wounds.
Lionblaze lay back on the hard stone floor. Could his brother be right? Was the prophecy nothing more than StarClan’s last hope?
C HAPTER 9
“No, not like that!” Bumblestripe yowled.
Dovewing spun around to face him, gripping hard on the branch to stop herself from falling out of the tree. “You told me to climb, I’m climbing!” she snapped. Can’t I do anything right?
“Not the trunk.” Bumblestripe padded along the thick oak branch toward her. “In a battle, if every cat climbed the trunk, it’d be chaos.” He tipped his nose up and focused on the branch two tail-lengths above his head. Crouching, he sprang and gripped it with his forepaws, then hauled himself up. “Your turn.” He peered at her through the browning leaves.
Dovewing scowled. Hunkering down, she bunched her muscles, then leaped and dug her claws into the branch above. Flicking her tail, she landed nimbly beside Bumblestripe. “Is that better?” she sniffed.
Bumblestripe glanced at the leaves she’d sent fluttering to the ground. “You really need to aim for a bare bit of branch,” he suggested. “The enemy’s going to know you’re here if you shower him with leaves every time you move.”
Dovewing clamped her jaws together to stop herself from snarling at the arrogant furball. I can’t believe I ever thought we might be more than just friends! Seeing Tigerheart again made her realize what a dumb choice that would have been. I only ever liked you because you’re a ThunderClan cat. Tigerheart wouldn’t bother about whether she climbed the trunk or rustled too many leaves. He was a warrior, not a worrier!
They’d been practicing
Lionblaze stiffened. “Do I have to win every fight?”
“Yes!” Firestar thrust his muzzle into Lionblaze’s face. “That’s your destiny! That’s what the prophecy has decided!”
Lionblaze growled. “So I don’t get a choice?”
“No! You don’t get a choice!” Firestar flexed his claws. “You have to follow your destiny.”
Fury swept through Lionblaze like wildfire. “I wish I didn’t! I never asked for it! You can’t make me do anything I don’t want to do!”
Firestar stared at him a moment, then took a step back. “You’re right.” His mew was weary. “I can’t force you to follow the path StarClan has chosen for you, Lionblaze.” His tail brushed the ground as he turned. “It’s a destiny you must choose for yourself.”
Lionblaze watched his leader disappear through the brambles. “So?” He turned on Jayfeather. “Aren’t you going to tell me how dumb I am, too? Go on!” he goaded. “Remind me again how the prophecy is the most important thing in the world!”
Jayfeather picked up a mouthful of chewed leaves and padded to Lionblaze’s side. He dropped the leaves and rolled them under his paw. “No.”
Lionblaze blinked. “What? ”
Jayfeather lapped up a tongueful of leaf pulp and licked it into a wound. Lionblaze gritted his teeth, shocked by the pain. “Whatever you want to say, get it over with!”
Jayfeather sat back on his haunches. “What can I say?” he murmured. “What if the prophecy isn’t enough to save the Clans? What if it’s just the last desperate hope of a Clan of fading ancestors?” He sniffed a long scratch on Lionblaze’s cheek. “You can fight; Dovewing can hear; I can wander into thoughts and dreams. But does it make any difference? Are we any closer to defeating the Dark Forest? If we were, why would we need a fourth cat?”
“You think the prophecy won’t save the Clans?” Lionblaze suddenly forgot the sting of his scratches.
“I don’t know.” Sighing, Jayfeather began working on the rest of Lionblaze’s wounds.
Lionblaze lay back on the hard stone floor. Could his brother be right? Was the prophecy nothing more than StarClan’s last hope?
C HAPTER 9
“No, not like that!” Bumblestripe yowled.
Dovewing spun around to face him, gripping hard on the branch to stop herself from falling out of the tree. “You told me to climb, I’m climbing!” she snapped. Can’t I do anything right?
“Not the trunk.” Bumblestripe padded along the thick oak branch toward her. “In a battle, if every cat climbed the trunk, it’d be chaos.” He tipped his nose up and focused on the branch two tail-lengths above his head. Crouching, he sprang and gripped it with his forepaws, then hauled himself up. “Your turn.” He peered at her through the browning leaves.
Dovewing scowled. Hunkering down, she bunched her muscles, then leaped and dug her claws into the branch above. Flicking her tail, she landed nimbly beside Bumblestripe. “Is that better?” she sniffed.
Bumblestripe glanced at the leaves she’d sent fluttering to the ground. “You really need to aim for a bare bit of branch,” he suggested. “The enemy’s going to know you’re here if you shower him with leaves every time you move.”
Dovewing clamped her jaws together to stop herself from snarling at the arrogant furball. I can’t believe I ever thought we might be more than just friends! Seeing Tigerheart again made her realize what a dumb choice that would have been. I only ever liked you because you’re a ThunderClan cat. Tigerheart wouldn’t bother about whether she climbed the trunk or rustled too many leaves. He was a warrior, not a worrier!
They’d been practicing
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