"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Star Rock for a Clan meeting!"
At Windystar's yowl, Orchidpaw got to her paws and headed toward the Star Rock along with the rest of the Clan. It had been snowing pretty heavily, but the weather was now clearing up. About halfway to the Star Rock, she stopped suddenly, nearly causing Whitespot to run into her.
"What's wrong?" asked the tom.
"Briarpaw and Roseheart are still asleep!" she said. "Should I go wake them?"
"No, let them sleep," he decided. "They've had a rough day."
"All right," said Orchidpaw. She continued toward where the rest of the Clan was congregating and took a seat next to Ferntail.
Windystar stepped forward so that he was standing on the very edge of the Star Rock.
"Doom has attacked once again," he growled. The Clan was unsurprised: News and gossip spread around the camp faster than greencough in the elders' den. "Lionclaw is injured," Windystar went on, "but he is young and strong. Cedarheart, though, has been critically wounded. There is no telling whether he will recover." The gathered cats were silent, heads bowed, except for a small wail of grief from Sandstripe, who was sitting just outside the nursery with the other queens.
"I have had enough!" Windystar cried suddenly. "I will not take anymore of these ambushes! Doom has taken too many great warriors from us: Graystar, Mothflight, Littlestream, Blossomfur, and Slashpaw have all fallen beneath his paws. It is not right for us to sit here in our camp and cower like mice, waiting for him to strike once more! We must act!"
Yowls of agreement resounded throughout the camp. One voice cut through them.
"What are you proposing, Windystar?" Brookfur called.
Windystar met her eyes. His green eyes, usually so calm and kind, were fiery with rage. "We attack!" he hissed. "We shall become the hunters! We will find him and make him pay for what he has done! Who is with me?" The cats assembled below cried out in agreement.
"He must be stopped!"
"Doom shall take no more of our warriors!"
"We must put an end to this!"
"We will not tolerate these cowardly attacks any longer!"
"Sunstorm!" Windystar said, his voice rising above the noise. The Clan stopped speaking amongst themselves to listen rapturously.
"Yes, Windystar?" the fiery-pelted deputy asked respectfully.
"You will lead a patrol to the fallen pine where Cedarheart and Lionclaw were attacked. See if you can find his trail there."
Sunstorm nodded. "Who should I take?"
The leader's emerald eyes scanned his Clan. "You will need our best fighters ... take Smokefang, Braveheart, Hawkscar, and Moosefur. Also, bring Orchidpaw along."
"Me?" gasped Orchidpaw.
"Why take an apprentice?" Otterpelt asked. "I want to go!"
"Orchidpaw is our best tracker," Windystar explained. "Doom's trail will be stale by now. She might be needed."
"Windystar!" Sandstripe cried, leaping to her paws. "Please ... can I go along? Doom killed my father, and Cedarheart's all the family I have left."
"Sandstripe, you know I can't let you," Windystar said gently.
"Please!" the striped queen begged desperately. "I can't just sit here and do nothing while my brother dies!"
"Applekit and Goldenkit need you," said Windystar. "If something were to happen to you –"
"But..."
"No, Sandstripe. You must stay here," he said firmly. His decision was final, and every cat knew it. Sandstripe sat down, hanging her head. Willowfur rested her tail over the other queen's shoulders and murmured comfortingly to her.
"Sunstorm," the leader said, "get your patrol together and leave as soon as you can. Cloudstorm, I with to speak with you. Meeting dismissed."
Orchidpaw got to her paws, still a bit stunned. She was going on a mission to track down a ruthless murderer?
"Good luck," Ferntail said, pressing her nose into her daughter's fur. "Be careful and come back safely." She lowered her voice. "Graystar would be proud of you." Orchidpaw nodded to show that she had heard, and stumbled toward where the rest of the patrol was gathered.
"Orchidpaw," Sunstorm said, waving her over with his tail. The eyes of all the other warriors turned to her. Orchidpaw suddenly felt very small among these large, muscular warriors. "This is a dangerous mission," Sunstorm said, "but we are in need of your talent. We will protect you the best that we can, but you know as well as the rest of us what Doom and his band of rogues are capable of. If things get rough, don't try to be a hero. Run and hide, okay?"
"Okay," Orchidpaw managed, her throat feeling a bit constricted with fear.
"Are you sure it's a good idea to bring an apprentice along?" Hawkscar asked, looking at Orchidpaw. She realized that the fur along her spine was standing up with fright, and she tried to flatten it.
"That's better," Braveheart soothed, placing his tail across her shoulders. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." Orchidpaw blinked slowly at him to show her thanks.
"All right, then," Sunstorm said. "Let's go." He lead the way out of the camp, his son Hawkscar at his side. Braveheart and Orchidpaw followed while Smokefang and Moosefur took up the rear. The six cats strode through the forest. It was very quiet, with no singing birds or breeze to rattle the branches of the giant pines. The tension surrounding the patrol, though, seemed very loud to Orchidpaw.
By the time they reached the fallen pine, Orchidpaw thought the silence would make her go mad. No cat had spoken the entire journey; all of them were too strung up. Orchidpaw surveyed the area. All signs of the battle had nearly been erased by the fresh snow.
"Start sniffing around, all of you," Sunstorm ordered. "Hopefully the trail hasn't completely disappeared." Orchidpaw opened her mouth obediently and drew the dry, winter air across the scent glands on the roof of her mouth. She had to find the trail. She could not let her Clan down.
"We'll never find it,"said Moosefur after a long while, flopping down hopelessly in the snow.
"And even if we did," Smokefang said, "how could be ever catch up to them? They've had an immense head start."
"We must try," Sunstorm said from across the clearing. "Keep searching."
"Wait!" Orchidpaw cried. "Over here!" The other cats rushed over. "This branch," the apprentice said, gesturing to a low pine bough. "One of the rogues must have brushed against it while they were running away!"
"I can't scent anything," Smokefang said.
"Neither can I," Hawkscar concurred.
"No, I can smell it too," Sunstorm said. "The snow has made it very faint, but it's there."
Orchidpaw moved very close to the branch, breathing deeply. She quickly memorized the scent so that she would know it anywhere. Then she walked forward slowly, eyes closed, drawing air over her scent glands. She filtered out all other scents except for the smell of the rogues....
Orchidpaw opened her eyes. Over here one had brushed against a holly bush... up ahead one had snagged a clump of fur on a sharp bit of bark on a pine trunk.... Orchidpaw raced forward, ignoring the surprised exclamations of the rest of the patrol. She had the trail! It was so clear now. How had she missed it before?
"Orchidpaw! Stop!"
A loud voice brought her to her senses. The other cats were chasing after her, calling for her. Orchidpaw ceased running, and Sunstorm slid to a stop beside her.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked angrily.
"I'm sorry," Orchidpaw said, embarrassed. "I found the trail."
"You did?" Smokefang asked.
"Yes!" Orchidpaw exclaimed impatiently. They had to let her keep tracking. She had the trail, and she must follow it.
"Well," said Sunstorm, "lead on, then. But slow down so we can keep up!"
Orchidpaw nodded, sheepish, and trotted away, back on the trail.
At one point, Orchidpaw lost the scent. She stopped, confused, and realized that they were at the OakClan border.
"What's wrong?" Braveheart asked as the rest of the cats stopped beside her.
"I... I lost the trail," Orchidpaw said. She turned and went back to the last place she had picked up the scent: a clump of snow-covered ferns that the two rogues seemed to have waded through. She scented the air, filtering out unimportant smells, searching for the one she was seeking.
"Oh!" She had picked up the trail. The rogues' scent had been masked by the OakClan scent markers.
"What?" Moosefur asked eagerly. "Did you find it?"
"Yes," Orchidpaw answered. "They went into OakClan territory."
"Now what do we do?" Smokefang asked uncertainly. The patrol turned instinctively to Sunstorm.
"We have to follow them!" Hawkscar said before Sunstorm could speak. "We can't let them get away!"
"Nor can we trespass on another Clan's territory," Sunstorm said, sounding put-off by the interruption.
"So we came all this way for nothing?" asked Hawkscar furiously.
"There must be something we can do," Braveheart said, looking around as if the answer to their predicament was hiding somewhere in the forest, waiting to be found.
"Wait!" Orchidpaw cried. "An OakClan patrol is coming!"
Sure enough, a group of four warriors soon came into view. One, a dark tabby, spotted them and said something to the others. They all turned to see the PineClan cats and ran toward them.
"What are a bunch of PineClan cats doing, hanging out so near the border?" asked a white she-cat suspiciously.
"I'll bet they stole some of our prey!" accused another cat, a tom with black and brown patches on his long, white fur.
"Silence!" hissed the leader of the patrol. Orchidpaw thought he looked familiar. His coat was pitch black and his eyes were ice-colored and cold.
"Shadowfrost," said Sunstorm calmly, inclining his head to the black cat. Orchidpaw realized with a jolt that this cat was OakClan's deputy.
"Sunstorm," Shadowfrost returned. "What brings you to this part of the forest?"
"And with so many cats," the dark tabby put in.
"Blackstripe!" Shadowfrost snapped. "Be silent!"
"We assure you that we mean OakClan no harm," the ginger deputy said evenly, ignoring Blackstripe's comment. "We had encountered some rogues on our territory and we are tracking them. Their trail lead us to your territory."
"A likely story!" the white she-cat spat. "Following rogues? Ha! There are no paw prints in the snow beside your own!"
"I think they were going to steal prey," the three-colored tom growled, "but we caught them in the act!"
"Snowcloud, Birchpelt!" Shadowfrost hissed a warning at his warriors. "Still your tongues!"
"You seem a bit paranoid," Hawkscar jeered. "Can't catch enough prey lately?" He was silenced by a look from Sunstorm.
"Shadowfrost, we were wondering," Sunstorm continued as if nothing had happened, "whether you would allow us to continue tracking the rogues on your territory." At these words, Snowcloud and Blackstripe exchanged a quick glance, but Shadowfrost's expression did not change, save for a slight narrowing of his eyes.
"Let them onto our territory?" Birchpelt said. "That's preposterous!"
"And we will be doing no such thing," Shadowfrost said firmly. "I will not allow you onto OakClan territory, especially without Brightstar's permission. We thank you for warning us about the rogues. We will act accordingly."
Smokefang opened his mouth to object angrily, but a stern look from Sunstorm stopped him.
"Thank you," said PineClan's deputy politely. Shadowfrost nodded briskly. Sunstorm turned and lead his patrol away.
"Now what?" asked Hawkscar eagerly when they were out of hearing range.
"Nothing," Sunstorm said firmly. "We will go back to camp and report to Windystar."
"What?" Hawkscar exclaimed. "You're giving up?"
"What else are we supposed to do?" said Braveheart reasonably. "We can't invade another Clan's territory."
"We didn't come all this way for nothing!" Hawkscar protested.
"Hawkscar!" Moosefur said in warning, frowning at the young warrior.
"I want to fight!" Hawkscar cried. "I refuse to give up! Mothflight was my mentor. I won't wait any longer to avenge her and the others!"
"I am your father and your deputy," Sunstorm growled dangerously. "You will obey me or you willbe punished. How does looking after the elders for a moon or two sound to you?"
The two cats glowered at each other for a few tense moments until Hawkscar's defiance slowly faded away.
"Fine," he snarled bitterly, tail lashing angrily. "Have it your way."
As the group headed to camp, Orchidpaw watched Hawkscar. She was surprised at the warrior's lack of respect for his father – not to mention the fact that Sunstorm was also Clan deputy! Not even Bluepaw would so blatantly question such a direct order.
And yet, Orchidpaw could understand his frustration. She was colder than she had ever thought possible, and she had earlier trodden on a sharp stone concealed by snow, the pain all the worse because of the numbness in her paws. They had come all this way for nothing, nothing at all.
As she reflected on the day, a powerful desire for revenge against Doom grew, burning, in her gut. Orchidpaw was surprised and even a little frightened by its intensity. She could picture Doom's face before her, eyes mocking, mouth twisted into a taunting sneer. She wanted to make him suffer for all he had done. She wanted to score her claws across his pelt again and again until he know how much she was hurting. She missed her father terribly. Some day she would avenge him. I want to fight him! she thought. And sooner rather than later....