Chapter Fifteen

Briarpaw opened her eyes to see moor stretching out as far as the eye could see. It seemed different from WindClan territory, yet familiar at the same time.

It's StarClan's hunting grounds, she realized. Maybe they're here to tell me more about the prophecy.

She craned her head, looking around eagerly for a familiar silver pelt. But she saw no one.

"Hello?" she called. "Is anyone here?" But only the soft whistling of the wind answered her cry.

Glancing up, she saw dark clouds rolling over the sky, and caught the faint rumble of thunder in the distance. It seemed like a storm was coming.

She looked around, scanning her surroundings carefully, and managed to catch sight of a swathe of trees in the distance. Perhaps they're sheltering from the brewing storm over there.

I didn't know there were storms in StarClan. And wouldn't they come get me first before going to the forest? She had to admit, it seemed like a long shot, but she didn't really have any other ideas. And besides, if a storm did break while she was here, at least she would have a little protection from the rain.

The storm came on much quicker than Briarpaw had imagined. The rain had soaked her pelt long before she reached the trees. She quickened her pace, squinting her eyes to try to see through the rain, and being careful not to slip on the wet grass. A loud clap of thunder made her jump, and she tried to run faster.

At last, she reached the cover of the trees, and she darted under them, panting. The trees at the edge of the forest, however, were sparse and offered poor cover. Hoping to find better purchase from the storm, she headed deeper into the woods.

Maybe I was wrong, she thought, shaking out her fur as rivulets streamed down it. Maybe StarClan isn't here.

A bolt of lightning cracked overhead, and she glanced up apprehensively. If they're not, there's no reason to stick around. This is a dream, right? Can't I just wake up?

Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to imagine she was in her nest. Cushiony moss, lined with soft stems of heather, beneath her. The faint sound of the deep, slow breathing of her denmates filling her ears, and the soft breeze from the moor stirring her fur. She opened her eyes.

She was still in her dream.

How do I wake myself up? she wondered. It wasn't exactly a problem that she had needed to deal with before.

Suddenly, a white hot light flashed across her vision. Momentarily blinded, she stumbled back with a sharp cry. When she could see again, she saw that lightning had struck a tree only a short ways in front of her. Its rough trunk was charred and black, and flames were springing up from its branches, rapidly spreading to the surrounding trees.

Briarpaw whipped around, racing through the trees. The branches of bushes thwacked against her, and tree roots underpaw nearly tripped her up several times. Come on, where's the moor? Shouldn't I have reached it by now?

But no matter how far she ran, only trees stretched on in front of her. I must have taken a wrong turn! She had a brief fear of what ThunderClan would do when they found her so deep in their territory, before remembering she was in StarClan. In the waking world, she would want to avoid the other Clans in this situation, but here, she hoped that she would see someone, so they could bring her to safety. But no one was here. She was alone.

Suddenly, she heard a gurgling sound up ahead. Horrified, she skidded to a halt.

A river blocked her path. Worse yet, the torrential rain had swelled its banks, and it seemed to be steadily growing wider. There had been a very slim chance that Briarpaw would've been able to swim across before, but now it would be impossible. The river was nearly twice its normal width, and debris from the storm hurtled through the angrily churning waters. She didn't think that even a RiverClan cat would be able to make it.

She gasped as something cold washed over her paws, and glancing down, she saw the river had flooded up to where she stood. She turned to run in the other direction, but it was only a few heartbeats before the scent of smoke filled her nostrils, and she caught sight of flickering red light in the distance.

I'm trapped!

She glanced around frantically, searching for some sign of escape, but there was none.

StarClan help me!

Bright flames seared across her vision for a heartbeat, and then everything went dark.

…

Briarpaw pounded across the moor, her paws thudding against the ground. Ahead of her, the brown rabbit was bolting over the slope. Exhaustion tugged at her pelt, the heat draining her energy, but the rumble of her stomach drove her forward. I have to catch this rabbit, for the sake of my Clan.

She longed for a breeze to ruffle her fur, but the air was undisturbed. The heat had subsided somewhat in the last few days, but the air was sticky with humidity.

I'm not going to let that stop me. I've never had trouble catching rabbits before, and I don't see why I shouldn't be able to now. This is just a minor setback.

The rabbit unexpectedly jolted to the left, and Briarpaw skidded across the grass, only just managing to regain her balance before she slipped. Changing direction to keep pace with her prey, she sprinted forward again.

She was tiring, but the rabbit was too. It seemed to sense that she was gaining on it, and darted sideways. Briarpaw had only just managed to realign herself to match its new position, when the creature darted the other way.

It's zig-zagging, she realized. The rabbit wasn't going to give up easily- it still had a few tricks to throw at her.

Well, I'm not going to give up either. Briarpaw chased after the rabbit, this time tightening her turns and trying to guess where the rabbit was headed so she could take shortcuts.

The rabbit's eyes were wild with terror as it glanced back at her. She was getting closer, but she was also rapidly growing more tired. The rabbit's strategy was working, to some extent.

No! This isn't over yet! She still had a chance to catch it, but she would have to be quick, otherwise she would run out of stamina before she could catch it.

I'm going to have to be really fast.

But I'm a WindClan cat. I was born fast.

Honing in on her prey, she blocked out her surroundings, from the twittering of the birds, to the aching of her leg muscles, to the rustle of the grass as she sprinted through it. She saw the rabbit in front of her, and nothing else.

It's working! The rabbit was steadily growing closer, and she forced down the excitement bubbling up inside her. She had to focus.

The rabbit was only a few mouse lengths away now. It was now or never.

She stiffened her back legs, building up power for her pounce.

Any moment now…

Suddenly, someone yowled behind her. Briarpaw stumbled in shock, her fur bristling. Skidding to a halt, she was startled to notice the creature standing nearby.

The sheep had planted its hooves firmly into the ground, and Briarpaw could see the whites of its eyes. It let out a bleat of alarm as Briarpaw readjusted her stance.

Glancing behind it, she saw that she had attracted the attention of several other sheep as well. They watched her with wide eyes, their hooves shuffling anxiously.

"Briarpaw!" a voice hissed under their breath. Briarpaw recognized it as Hazelgorse's, and realized that she must've been the one who had distracted her earlier. She began to turn her head back to look at her Clanmate, but she was stopped with another soft hiss from the warrior.

"Don't look at me, and make no sudden movements, or you'll startle the sheep. And try not to look them right in the eyes either. Now, begin to back away, but very slowly and quietly."

Briarpaw did as she was told, and at first they tensed at her movement, but eventually relaxed as they saw she was retreating. She moved smoothly, her movements graceful and fluid, like a gentle stream flowing over the riverbed. She froze as one of the sheep let out an anxious snort, but after a moment, he turned away, and she continued her retreat.

Finally, she felt the light touch of a tail on her flank, and turned to see Hazelgorse, Smolderpaw, and Spotfur crouching in the grass. She opened her mouth, but Spotfur quickly flicked her tail over her apprentice's muzzle, and her Clanmates quietly got up from their hiding place and slunk away, Briarpaw following close behind.

Once they were a safe distance away, Hazelgorse snapped, "Didn't you hear my warning? Why didn't you turn back?"

"Why did you stop me? That's the biggest rabbit we've seen in days!"

"It wasn't worth it. It's too dangerous, and you could've been trampled by the sheep's sharp hooves. They're docile creatures, but they spook easily, and you could have gotten swept up in their stampede."

"It would've been fine! Another heartbeat, and I would've caught it!"

"Another heartbeat and you would've run straight into that sheep, putting yourself and the rest of the patrol in danger. Now come on, let's head back to camp."

Briarpaw flicked her tail with a huff, reluctantly turning to follow. Smolderpaw paused beside her, letting his fur brush hers in a comforting gesture, although he stayed silent.

"If they're so dangerous," she said after a moment, "then why did you say they wouldn't cause us any trouble?"

"She has a point," Smolderpaw meowed hesitantly. "You also told us that they wouldn't stray far from the Horseplace. Surely those sheep were further away from the Horseplace than last time? I don't remember them being this far out on the moor."

"That's true!" Briarpaw agreed. "I would've known to look out the sheep if we had been that close to the Horseplace."

"I think they have. I guess I was wrong," Hazelgorse said softly, a hint of anxiety creeping into her meow. "These sheep might be more trouble than I hoped. When I was an apprentice, the twolegs brought sheep to the pastures, and they didn't bother us any. But maybe things are different this time." The russet she-cat exchanged a worried glance with Spotfur.

Beside her, Briarpaw felt a tremor running through Smolderpaw's pelt. But she didn't feel afraid, instead, she felt a fiery determination burning inside her. "What can we do? How can we help our Clan?"

"We can't," Hazelgorse meowed simply.

Briarpaw gaped at her. "What? Are you saying that you expect us to do nothing?"

"We don't have a choice. This is beyond our control. Only the twolegs can take the sheep away. And until then, you'd do best staying away from them."

Briarpaw felt her fur bristle, but after a moment she realized it was probably best not to argue with a senior warrior. Besides, the fire was draining from her now, anyway. "I'm sorry I snapped," she mumbled. "I just want to help.

"It's alright," Hazelgorse meowed, gentleness creeping into her voice. "Don't worry, I'm sure the sheep will be gone soon."

"I'm sure you're right," Briarpaw murmured, but even as the words left her mouth, she realized that she wasn't sure at all.