The next day, Hawkeye and Silverfur set out on a tour of ThunderClan territory. It wasn't long before they came to a huge tree.
"This is the Great Sycamore," Silverfur said. "Apprentices learn to climb trees here. It's also a great place for hunting."
He jumped up to a root under the tree. "Do you know how to climb trees?"
"No," Hawkeye answered. Not as a cat.
The huge tom balanced on his hind legs and dug his front claws into the trunk. He scooted up the trunk to a low branch and jumped neatly onto it.
"Your turn," he invited.
Hawkeye wasn't sure he had enough strength to claw his way up the trunk, so he figured a running jump would help. He managed to jump to a point about a foot off the ground. He unhooked one paw and put it up higher, then the other. He somehow managed to haul the rest of his body up along with it. When he finally got to the point where Silverfur had jumped to the branch, he awkwardly sprang. His claws scored through the bark and he was suddenly on the ground.
"Good first try!" Silverfur called from above. "That jump was a little short, though."
"That would explain why I'm on the ground," Hawkeye muttered.
Silverfur flicked his ears. "Try again."
Three attempts later, and Hawkeye managed to scrabble his way onto the branch where Silverfur stood.
"There," he panted. "I did it."
"Yes, but we must keep going. We have a lot to see." Silverfur jumped lightly off the branch.
Hawkeye stared after him in disbelief. "But… I just got up here."
Apparently not hearing, Silverfur called over his shoulder, "Are you coming, or practicing being a squirrel?"
Hawkeye sighed. "Yeah, I'm coming."
They came to a small, rocky clearing.
"Be careful," Silverfur warned. "This is Snakerocks. Adders live around here. A bite from one of them, and you would die before Ravenfrost could do anything."
A chill ran down Hawkeye's spine at the realization that the cats had minefields of their own.
Next, Silverfur led Hawkeye to a river.
"This is the same river that you were next to when we found you, although this is downstream. This is the border with RiverClan."
From farther upstream, the sound of screeching and yowling could be heard.
"Sounds like a battle." Silverfur bounded urgently towards it.
Panic flared in Hawkeye. A battle? Oh no, oh no, oh no, anything but a fight. After a few moments of painful indecision, Hawkeye decided he didn't want to be caught alone, especially since he was close to another's territory. He followed Silverfur to the clearing with the flat rocks where the Clan cats had first found him. Next to the rocks, in the small patch of grass between the trees and the rocks were three pairs of fighting cats.
Hawkeye recognized the black and orange she-cat, Shadowleaf, rolling in the grass with an unfamiliar orange tabby. Snowcloud swiped a paw over a black and silver tabby's ear, spraying blood onto her light pelt. Ravenwing, the small black she-cat, looked even smaller compared to the huge tabby tom who was pinning her to the ground.
"What's going on here?" Silverfur snarled.
Shadowleaf and Snowcloud separated from their opponents and moved closer together. The big tabby kept Ravenwing trapped, though he turned his attention to the ThunderClan deputy.
"RiverClan was trying to lay claim to Sunningrocks," Snowcloud answered, glaring at the cat with the freshly shredded ear. "Again."
"It's rightfully ours!" the huge tabby hissed, his claws digging angrily into Ravenwing.
"The border is on the other side of Sunningrocks," Silverfur hissed furiously. "I suggest you get to your side."
Suddenly, Ravenwing's hind legs shot up and she raked her hind claws down her captor's belly. He yowled in pain and surprise and jumped off her. The three RiverClan cats gathered together, fur bristling and tails lashing.
This isn't over," the huge tom menaced before the three cats shot across the rocks and jumped into the river.
Hawkeye stared, astonished, as they swam to the other side. "They can swim?"
"They're called RiverClan for a reason," Silverfur said as he watched them through narrowed eyes.
"Why do they think these rocks belong to them?"
"The river once ran on both sides, making them the only cats who could reach it. But the river changed its course and we claimed it. Of course that was long ago. But there has been conflict ever since."
"But, it sounds like it should be theirs. If it was originally, it only makes sense."
Snowcloud jumped up angrily. "You would say that, filthy pest! If you want to be a ThunderClan cat, you have to be willing to protect ThunderClan and its land with your life!"
A horrible, twisting, fearful despair welled inside Hawkeye. Death. Blood. Violence. That's what I was trying to get away from.
Silverfur sighed. "Anyway, Hawkeye, to continue with the tour, this is Sunningrocks. It's good for hunting and keeps the sun's warmth well, making it the perfect place to bask when not hunting or patrolling." His voice sounded flat and distracted. "We'll have to see the rest later. Let's get back to camp."
Shadowleaf, Snowcloud, and Ravenwing fell in step with Silverfur and Hawkeye and returned to camp. Snowcloud walked behind Hawkeye and he felt her hateful stare burning into him all the way to camp. When they entered the camp clearing, she pushed past him, knocking him into Shadowleaf and Ravenwing.
"S-sorry," he stammered, trying not to get any more of these ferocious creatures angry at him.
Shadowleaf purred. "I see Snowcloud is making you nervous. Don't worry about it; most cats think you're alright."
"Yes," Ravenwing agreed quietly. "You remind me of one of my kits."
"You mean one of the-" Hawkeye paused, not wanting to say "dead kits."
"You can say they're dead," she murmured. "I'm rather aware."
"Er, right."
"His name was Hawkkit. He didn't live very long, so I guess you can't really remind me of him, but I suppose it's the name…" She trailed off and her eyes held such sadness that Hawkeye's heart went out to her. There was a glow of pride there, too, and Hawkeye realized this little, sad cat had adopted him into her Clan in more ways than one.
Hawkeye had a hard time sleeping that night. He was exhausted from the day, particularly the pointless climbing of that damn tree. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape his thoughts. Distressing images of the past two days flashed in his mind: Snowcloud and Lionpelt's loathing, Flamepelt and Flowershine's Frank-like behavior and veiled threats, Graystar's angry indignation at his Clan's prejudice, Smokepaw's depressed eyes, Ravenwing's grief and loneliness driving her to see a stranger as her kit, the story of the disease that swept through the camp, and, perhaps worst of all, the RiverClan cats' blood staining Sunningrocks as they fled.