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Ravenpaw flinched and bounded forward until he caught up with Firepaw and Graypaw.
“Are you okay?” Firepaw asked.
“Yes,” Ravenpaw panted, not meeting Firepaw’s eyes. “Just a bit tired.”
They scrambled down a deep ditch and up the other side.
“What did Tigerclaw say when he came out of the cave?” Firepaw meowed, trying not to sound too curious.
“He wanted to check that we were still guarding the entrance,” replied Graypaw. “Why?”
Firepaw hesitated. “Did you scent anything strange about him?” he asked.
“Only that damp old cave,” Graypaw mewed, looking surprised.
“He seemed a little edgy,” ventured Ravenpaw.
“He wasn’t the only one!” Graypaw meowed, looking at the black cat.
“What do you mean?” asked Ravenpaw.
“Just that the fur on your neck stands up whenever you see him these days,” whispered Graypaw. “You nearly jumped out of your skin when he came out of the cave.”
“He just surprised me, that’s all,” Ravenpaw protested. “You have to admit, it was a bit creepy by Mothermouth.”
“I suppose so,” agreed Graypaw.
The cats slipped under a hedge into a cornfield that glowed silver in the moonlight, and followed the ditch that ran around its edge.
“So what was it like inside, Firepaw?” Graypaw demanded. “Did you see the Moonstone?”
“Yes, I did. It was amazing!” Firepaw felt his fur tingle at the memory.
Graypaw shot him an admiring glance. “So it’s true! The rock really does shine underground.”
Firepaw didn’t reply. He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the image of the Moonstone that dazzled his mind. Then pictures from his dream crowded into his head, and his eyes shot open. Bluestar was right: they had to get back to camp as quickly as they could.
Ahead, Tigerclaw and Bluestar had leaped through a fence, out of the cornfield. The apprentices followed, squeezing under the fence, onto an earth track. It was the path that led past the Twoleg nest and the dogs. Firepaw looked up and saw Bluestar and Tigerclaw trotting tirelessly together, silhouetted against a skyline tinged with red. The sun would be rising soon.
“Look!” he called to Graypaw and Ravenpaw. An unfamiliar cat had jumped out in front of the two warriors.
“It’s a loner!” hissed Graypaw. The three apprentices hurried forward.
The stranger was a stout black-and-white tom, shorter than the warriors, but well muscled.
“This is Barley,” Bluestar explained to the apprentices as they caught up. “He lives near this Twoleg nest.”
“Hi!” meowed the cat. “I haven’t seen any of your Clan for some moons. How are you, Bluestar?”
“I’m well, thank you,” replied Bluestar. “And you, Barley? How’s the prey been running since we last passed this way?”
“Not so bad,” replied Barley, with an amiable gleam in his eye. “One good thing about Twolegs—you’ll always find plenty of rats nearby.” The black-and-white tom went on: “You seem in more of a hurry than usual. Is everything all right?”
Tigerclaw looked at Barley. A growl rumbled deep in his chest. Firepaw could sense that the warrior was suspicious of the loner’s curiosity.
“I don’t like to be away from my Clan too long,” Bluestar answered smoothly.
“As always, Bluestar, you are tied to your Clan like a queen to her kits,” observed Barley, not unkindly.
“What is it you want, Barley?” asked Tigerclaw.
Barley flashed him a reproachful look. “I just wanted to warn you that there are two dogs here now. You’d be safer going back into the cornfield instead of past the yard.”
“We know about the dogs. We saw them earlier—” Tigerclaw began impatiently.
“We are grateful to you for the warning,” interrupted Bluestar. “Thank you, Barley. Until next time…”
Barley flicked his tail. “Have a safe journey,” he meowed as he bounded away up the track.
“Come,” ordered Bluestar, heading off the track. She pushed her way through the long grass between the path and the fence that led back into the cornfield. The three apprentices followed, but Tigerclaw hesitated.
“You trust the word of a loner?” he meowed.
Bluestar stopped and turned to face him. “Would you rather face those dogs?”
“They were tied up when we passed them earlier,” Tigerclaw pointed out.
“They may be untied now. We’re going this way,” meowed Bluestar. She ducked under the fence into the field. Firepaw slipped after her, followed by Graypaw, Ravenpaw, and finally Tigerclaw.
By now, the sun had lifted its head above the horizon. The hedgerows sparkled with dew, promising another warm day.
The cats padded along the edge of the ditch. Firepaw looked down into the deep gully, steep-sided and filled with nettles. Firepaw could smell prey-scent. There was something familiar about the bitter odor, but it was one he hadn’t smelled for a long time.
An earsplitting squeal made Firepaw whip around. Ravenpaw was struggling and clawing at the earth. Something had hold of his leg and was dragging him down into the ditch.
“Rats!” spat Tigerclaw. “Barley has sent us into a trap!”
Before they could react, all five cats were surrounded. Huge brown rats swarmed out of the ditch, squeaking shrilly. Firepaw could see their sharp front teeth glinting in the early dawn light.
Suddenly one leaped onto Firepaw’s shoulder. Fiery pain shot through his shoulder as the rat sank its teeth into his flesh. Another grasped his leg between its powerful jaws.
Firepaw flung himself down and writhed madly, trying to shake free. He knew the rats were not as strong as he was, but there were so many of them. Yowls, hisses, and spits told him that the others were also being attacked.
Firepaw slashed fiercely with his claws, slicing out at a rat that held on to his leg. It let go, but another one gripped his tail. Fast as lightning, powered by fear and rage, Firepaw fought and hacked at his attackers. Twisting his head around, he sank his teeth into the rat that had embedded itself into his shoulders. He felt the bones of its neck crunch in his mouth and its body go limp, before it fell away onto the dirt track.
Firepaw gasped with pain as yet another rat leaped onto his back and sank its teeth in. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of white fur. For a moment he was confused; then he felt the rat being dragged off him. Firepaw spun around to see Barley flinging the rodent into the ditch.
Without hesitating, Barley glanced around and sprinted over to Bluestar. She was writhing on the path, covered in rats. In a flash Barley had the spine of one between his teeth and was plucking it off her with practiced ease. He spat it onto the ground and grabbed another in his mouth as Bluestar thrashed beneath him.
Firepaw rushed over to Graypaw, who was being attacked from both sides by two smaller rats. Firepaw lunged at the nearest one, giving it a bite that left it dead. Graypaw managed to turn and pin down the other with his claws. He grabbed it with his teeth and flung it into the ditch as hard as he could. It did not come back.
“They’re running away!” Tigerclaw yowled.
Sure enough, the remaining rats were fleeing down into the safety of the ditch. Firepaw could hear the scrabbling of small paws disappearing into the nettles. The bites in his shoulder and hind leg stung sharply. He licked carefully at his fur, wet and matted with blood, its sharp tang mingling with the stench of the rats.
Firepaw looked around for Ravenpaw. Graypaw was standing at the edge of the nettles, mewing encouragement as Ravenpaw pulled himself out of the ditch, muddy and stung. A young rat was still hanging on to his tail. Firepaw bounded over and finished it off quickly while Graypaw helped to pull Ravenpaw over the top of the ditch.
Now Firepaw looked for Bluestar. He saw Barley first, standing at the top of the ditch, scanning the depths for more rats. Bluestar was lying on the path nearby. Alarmed, Firepaw dashe
d to his leader’s side. The thick gray fur at the back of her neck was drenched with blood. “Bluestar?” he mewed.
Bluestar did not reply.
A furious yowl made Firepaw look up.
Tigerclaw leaped on top of Barley and pinned him to the ground. “You sent us into a trap!” he snarled.
“I didn’t know the rats were here!” spat Barley, his paws scrabbling in the dust as he struggled to stand up.
“Why did you send us this way?” hissed Tigerclaw.
“The dogs!”
