Bursting through the camp wall, Ravenpaw bounded over to Bluestar, who was resting by her den.
"Bluestar!"
Bluestar bolted upright immediately, eyes flashing with alarm. "What happened?"
Cats began to emerge from their dens and gather around the Highrock as Ravenpaw gasped to catch his breath. "It's Dustpaw and Graypaw!" he meowed. "They've been captured!"
Shocked yowls rippled through the crowd. "How did this happen?" Bluestar asked, her voice clear.
"Graypaw and I were trying to follow Dustpaw's and Yellowfang's scent trail when we were attacked," Ravenpaw meowed, raising his head so the Clan could hear his statement above their own voices. "We had just found Dustpaw when four ShadowClan warriors leaped at us from out of nowhere and pinned us down. I managed to escape and I ran straight back." Some of the cats murmured to each other in low voices, shooting distrusting looks in his direction. "I met Whitestorm and his patrol at the border and told them," he went on, ignoring the other cats. "They went ahead into ShadowClan territory."
More caterwauling erupted. "What about Yellowfang? Did you find her?" a voice called above the rest of the noise.
Ravenpaw looked straight at Bluestar and answered: "She was among the four cats that attacked us." He noticed Frostfur from her spot with the queens giving him a searching look, and felt his heart expand with hope. Could she possibly believe him? Ravenpaw waited for the caterwauling to die down before he spoke again. "And there's more. We scented kit's blood just before we were attacked." Bluestar's eyes darkened and the yowls of outrage rose to a roar.
"I knew it!" spat Speckletail, her tail lashing.
Tigerclaw, who seemed to have momentarily forgotten his hatred of his apprentice, added his yowl to the thunder of voices. "ShadowClan has committed an act of war! We must fight!"
Ravenpaw twisted his ears back to hear what the elders were saying. "This is beyond anything I've seen before," meowed Patchpelt from his spot at the edge of the crowd. "I never thought it would come to this, stealing kits, taking apprentices hostage. I didn't realize ShadowClan would stoop so low."
"ShadowClan has lost touch with the warrior code," Dappletail agreed.
"But can we trust Ravenpaw's words?" Halftail spoke in an undertone to the other elders, but his voice was drowned out by the speculations of the other cats. Ravenpaw looked back and saw Patchpelt meowing something in One-Eye's ear, and the elderly she-cat blinked and shook her head vigorously.
He kneaded the dusty ground, his impatience rising. Cats were in danger and they were wasting time!
"ShadowClan will pay for this!" The yowling grew louder and louder, and Ravenpaw flattened his ears against the clamor of voices.
"ThunderClan!" Bluestar yowled, silencing the alarmed caterwauling. "I had hoped that ShadowClan would see reason, but this is beyond the pale. By stealing our kits and our apprentices, and by using their medicine cat to spy on us, Brokenstar has made us his enemy more than we ever were before now. We have been left with no other option. We will attack at once!" Attack?! Ravenpaw felt his eyes widen as Bluestar continued. "I will lead this mission. Tigerclaw, Longtail, and Ravenpaw, you will join me. Hopefully we can catch up to Whitestorm's patrol before we launch the rescue." Bluestar beckoned the named cats with her tail, and together they moved toward the camp entrance.
"I must come along as well," Frostfur meowed, taking a step toward the group. "I'm sorry, Bluestar, but I can't take no for an answer. These are my kits, and if ShadowClan has done anything to them . . ." She trailed off, digging her claws into the ground.
Bluestar regarded her for a heartbeat, and then nodded her assent. "Very well." She turned to the rest of the Clan. "Stay on guard, all of you. Although it seems that ShadowClan's warriors are otherwise occupied in their own territory, we can never be entirely sure. Speckletail you are in charge of the camp."
The older queen nodded solemnly in return, and Ravenpaw realized with a shock that every single ThunderClan warrior would soon be on ShadowClan territory, fighting for their abducted Clanmates.
Bluestar led the patrol through ThunderClan's territory, briefing them as they sped toward the ShadowClan border. "Dustpaw and Graypaw both are in terrible danger. I wouldn't put it past Brokenstar to kill them for trespassing, even though they aren't full warriors." Ravenpaw felt a thrill of fear at her words. Bluestar's serious blue gaze met his eyes. "Ravenpaw, do you remember where you last saw them?" He nodded stiffly. "Then you will lead us to where they were captured."
"Is that wise?" Longtail muttered under his breath, but only Tigerclaw showed any sign that he heard him, a barely perceptible twitch of his ears.
"Should we not track Whitestorm's patrol instead?" Tigerclaw asked.
Bluestar shook her head. "If we do that, we waste time. The patrol's scent may have been washed away as well. We know where Dustpaw and Graypaw were last seen; we can track them from there. I'm counting on Whitestorm to have the same idea." Ravenpaw had never seen Bluestar look so resolute, and when she turned to him her eyes blazed like blue fire. "Lead the way, Ravenpaw."
The band of ThunderClan cats moved quickly, and Ravenpaw struggled to keep up with Bluestar's pace as he raced alongside her at the head of the patrol. With all the running he'd done today, his paw pads were growing cracked and sore, and he resolved to visit Spottedleaf at the end of the night. Then he remembered that she was dead. A renewed sense of anxiety washed over Ravenpaw. What would his Clan do without a medicine cat if there were injuries tonight? And what would they do in the long term as leaf-bare approached, bringing with it illness and disease? The worry hung like a weight in his belly as he continued through the woods.
They had soon reached the spot at the edge of ThunderClan territory where Ravenpaw had intercepted Whitestorm's patrol. Bluestar flicked her tail as a signal for silence, and the four cats raced across the Thunderpath on light, silent paws.
Bluestar touched her tail to his flank, and then nodded, allowing him to retake the lead. Ravenpaw led them deeper into ShadowClan's hunting grounds. He was aware of the stronger scent of ThunderClan overlaying his own weaker scent trail from earlier in the day. Whitestorm's patrol had weaved back and forth across his and Graypaw's original path- at least what he thought had been his original path; with the rain having washed away most of the scent, he wasn't entirely sure- and Ravenpaw grew less and less certain as they kept going.
They soon passed through a moss covered clearing. Pausing to sniff the air, Ravenpaw dug his claws into the ground. The tree with the split trunk was just fox-lengths away now. He hesitated, imagining ShadowClan warriors pouncing at them from the surrounding undergrowth. But where could they be? "Lost your way?" Tigerclaw growled.
"I was just trying to figure out how we should approach the spot," explained Ravenpaw. "It's up ahead, but I don't want to walk right into another trap."
They crept around the thick pine tree, their pelts blending into the shadows. Staring out at the space between the undergrowth and the trees, Ravenpaw inhaled sharply as the rest of the ThunderClan patrol did the same. Bluestar met his eyes and he nodded. This was the place he and Graypaw had been attacked.
With a flick of her tail, Bluestar led the patrol out into the open, ready to fight.
There was no scent of the kits at all here. Ravenpaw breathed in again and caught a faint whiff of the stolen apprentices. This had to be the spot. . . but there was no sign of them now.
Frostfur blinked. "They're not here."
"Graypaw and Dustpaw were though." Bluestar padded forward, sniffing. After a few moments she shook her head. "The scent trail ends here. They must have doubled back."
Frostfur began to walk around the clearing, nosing leaves and branches to try to pick up the scent, while Longtail followed her, shooting suspicious glances back at Ravenpaw. When they returned to the rest of the patrol, there was a long, awkward silence.
"Maybe we could go that way," Ravenpaw suggested, anxiety spreading through his pelt. "The trail probably breaks off somewhere-"
Longtail interrupted him. "The scent is long gone, it's washed away! We can't follow them now."
"Where are you taking us?!" Frostfur spat, her hackles rising. "Where are my kits?!"
"Silence!" Bluestar hissed. Frostfur and Longtail grew quiet although they still bristled, glaring at Ravenpaw. "Can you hear that?"
For a moment all Ravenpaw could hear was his own beating heart. Then a screech, barely audible and muffled by the thick trees and marshy ground, echoed through the forest.
"That way!" yowled Tigerclaw, abandoning any attempt at staying quiet. "Their camp!" The four cats pelted in the direction of the shriek, Ravenpaw falling to the back of the patrol. As they raced through the forest, Ravenpaw realized that Whitestorm's patrol had been here, and the scent of Yellowfang and the other ShadowClan cats hit his nostrils as he ran through the undergrowth. Had Whitestorm and the others somehow fought their way to the camp by themselves?
The ThunderClan warriors rushed the camp, their battle cries piercing the cold, damp air.
Bluestar raised her head and let out a fierce yowl. "Attack, ThunderClan!"
Bluestar, Tigerclaw and Longtail bounded to the middle of the ShadowClan camp, intercepting Brokenstar and several hard muscled warriors. Ravenpaw braced himself to fight them, but before he realized what was happening, the ShadowClan warriors swerved around the group and pelted out of the camp, the sound of their pawsteps fading rapidly into the distance.
Utterly confused, Ravenpaw realized that the camp was now silent. Blood and tufts of fur littered the ground. The fight was over.
Frostfur bounded forward, frantic. She paced the clearing and looked around, imploring the ShadowClan cats. "My kits! What have you done with them?" The ShadowClan cats didn't respond. Most of them crouched near the bramble wall of their camp, their eyes dull. "Where are my kits?!" she yowled. "If you've harmed one hair on their pelts you will pay!"
"They're right here." A familiar voice met Ravenpaw's ears. Dustpaw! Ravenpaw spun around, and recognizing another familiar face, was about ready to collapse in relief. And Graypaw! They're alright! Thank you, StarClan!
Then he saw Yellowfang sitting at the edge of the camp, right next to Dustpaw and Graypaw. Frostfur must have seen her as well; with a snarl, the queen leaped at the old she-cat, her claws unsheathed.
"No! Frostfur!" Whitestorm bounded over to stand in front of the irate queen. "It wasn't Yellowfang who took your kits!" But Frostfur didn't seem to hear him through her fury.
Yellowfang backed several foxlengths away from the two struggling ThunderClan cats. Spitting at Yellowfang from across the camp, Frostfur was still trying to wrestle her way around Whitestorm when a shrill squeal sounded from behind Dustpaw.
Frostfur broke off her attack at the sound of her kits' cries. She turned, her eyes filled with relief, and she swept them close to her with her tail. "Oh kits, it's alright," Frostfur purred, nuzzling her kits gently, and covering their ears with licks. "You're safe now." She held them in a protective embrace, eyeing Yellowfang all the while as if daring her to come closer.
"Yellowfang didn't take them," Dustpaw repeated.
Frostfur's gaze hardened as Yellowfang dared to take a step toward her. "But . . ." She blinked, the words seeming to sink in. "It wasn't her?"
"No." Whitestorm shook his head. "Yellowfang did not betray us. It was Clawface who stole your kits and killed Spottedleaf."
Bluestar padded up, looking shocked. "Then what did Yellowfang have to gain from capturing the apprentices?"
An elderly black tom loped over to Bluestar, and Ravenpaw recognized him with a jolt. It was one of the cats that had attacked him and Graypaw! "With all the racket they were making, tramping and yowling through the forest, they would have attracted Brokenstar's warriors."
"I knew they wouldn't give me the chance to explain," Yellowfang meowed. "When I left the camp I intended to find the kits myself, but Dustpaw found me first, and he told me that a ThunderClan patrol would join us soon. I knew that it would take more than a ThunderClan search party to rescue them, so I found some of my old allies to help. We were waiting for the ThunderClan patrol when Graypaw and Ravenpaw arrived, ready to yowl our presence to the entire territory." Her whiskers twitched as she finished.
"But Dustpaw!" Ravenpaw meowed. How was he just calmly sitting there after everything that happened? "You were captured! I saw you!"
Dustpaw shook his head, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "No. I was just waiting for more ThunderClan cats. I wasn't thinking you and Graypaw would show up!" Beneath his amused expression was another emotion, and Ravenpaw knew that just beneath the surface, Dustpaw didn't entirely trust him.
Graypaw paused from grooming a wound on his side and limped forward to speak. "It actually turned out that Yellowfang was loyal to ThunderClan. She really came up with the whole plan." He shrugged apologetically.
Longtail had padded up to the group from out of earshot as Graypaw was speaking. "Wait, so Yellowfang was helping you? But he said you had been captured!" Longtail indicated Ravenpaw with his tail.
"Well, it did certainly look that way at first," Graypaw replied cheerfully. "It took a few moments to realize I wasn't actually being captured myself at the time." Some of the ThunderClan cats were meowing to each other, shooting confused looks at Ravenpaw. Tigerclaw's tail tip twitched, and his eyes narrowed.
"What I don't understand," Longtail put in, slitting his eyes, "is why Yellowfang helped at all. Why did you even leave ShadowClan in the first place? Did Brokenstar set you up?"
Yellowfang let out a bitter mrrow of laughter. "You could say that."
"If most of ShadowClan didn't want Brokenstar as leader, why did they believe him over you?" Darkstripe challenged her, settling himself next to Longtail. Some of the ShadowClan cats looked down, and Ravenpaw recognized the shame in their expressions.
Sighing, Yellowfang flicked her ears. "Brokenstar could convince you that a rabbit was a hedgehog if he put his mind to it." Crouching against the cold ground, Ravenpaw shuddered. He zoned out as Yellowfang told her story: how she had been framed by Brokenstar for murdering kits, and then exiled. It was difficult for Ravenpaw to believe that Yellowfang had done no wrong, even in the face of so much evidence. I was convinced she was a traitor!
At the end of Yellowfang's explanation, the old black tom, who had been listening in silence, padded forward to speak directly to Bluestar. "And now, thanks to ThunderClan, Brokenstar and his warriors have been driven out." The tom dipped his head in a solemn gesture of thanks. "We are grateful for your help."
"We are glad to have been of assistance, Nightpelt," Bluestar replied. She looked around at the devastated camp. "And now it is time for us to leave. I give you my word as leader of ThunderClan that we will leave you in peace until the next Gathering."
Nightpelt nodded. "Thank you."
Bluestar turned to Yellowfang, who was sitting with a serious expression on her face. "Will you stay here?" Bluestar asked her. "Or will you return to ThunderClan with us?"
"If Spottedleaf is dead, then ThunderClan needs a medicine cat." Yellowfang looked at the ShadowClan camp, and then tore her gaze away. "I will return with you. ShadowClan is no longer my Clan. ThunderClan is my Clan now."
A ShadowClan tom Ravenpaw didn't recognize padded up to Yellowfang. "May StarClan go with you."
"May StarClan guide your path as well, Runningnose." The two cats touched noses.
One by one, the cats of ThunderClan began to walk over to the edge of the ShadowClan camp. Bluestar waited by the entrance with the rest of the ThunderClan patrol. Ravenpaw was among the last to join them, and as he approached, Bluestar turned to address the ThunderClan cats. "Come; let us return to camp."
They left the ShadowClan camp, and began to make their way home.
AN: Still 3 chapters to go after this one. We're not done just yet.