The rogues are skittish about the forest, like we were before we learned its ways. The fact that it starts to rain again just as the buildings and streets of town disappear behind us don't help. Zander walks with claws out and hackles up, and Risk sticks to her sister's blind side, eyes and ears swiveling. But the trip is uneventful. The sun is high overhead when we reach Tallpines. Two cats be waitin' there: Ravenpaw and a black-and-white tom I don't know. The former ThunderClan apprentice's eyes widen.
"So many of you!" he gasps.
"Turns out even more cats hate Scourge than I realized," I say.
Ravenpaw's friend is eyeing Chance warily. The one-eyed she-cat's legs are stiff, but she bends her head in the slightest nod.
"That's Barley. He used to be in BloodClan too. He and Chance were mates way back," Cora whispers for my ears alone.
"Ain't much changed. You still know every cat's business," I say, amused.
"What about the clans?" Boulder asks anxiously.
"They're assembling near the ShadowClan border," Ravenpaw meows. "Firestar says we'll launch the attack just after moonrise."
"I can't believe every cat in the forest is fixin' to use my sister's battle plan. I may as well concede defeat in our sibling rivalry forever," Boulder mutters.
"Defeat ain't in our vocabulary," I meow. "Bringin' reinforcements ain't no small thing either."
We can hear and smell the border stream, and we find the gathered warriors waitin' in clan groups along a tree-lined ridge. Relief courses through me when I see that all four clans have showed up. ShadowClan stands a little apart from the rest, but they're here. I lock eyes with Lightningpaw, who stands with Tawnypaw and Oakfur, shivering with nervous excitement. Mistyfoot is talking hesitantly to four RiverClan apprentices I reckon are her kits. Warriors and rogues eye each other warily.
"Welcome to the forest. We're glad for your help," Firestar says, dippin' his head to our companions.
"Well done, Boulder, Nettlethorn," Blackfoot meows.
"We ain't doin' this for you," Scorch rumbles. "We're here for revenge on BloodClan, that's all."
"I give my word that no clan cat will lay a claw on you. All enemies of Scourge's tyranny are welcome here," Tallstar says. Leopardstar dips her chin a little.
A quarter moon hangs in the sky, casting a thin but oddly harsh light. Caats shift from paw to paw, anxiously waitin' for orders. Eventually, Firestar gives the signal to move out. As we slip into ShadowClan territory, I wrinkle my nose in disgust. The place is foul with BloodClan scent. It hardly smells like ShadowClan at all.
"Those mange-pelts will regret ever setting paw on our land. They'll regret that their mothers kitted them," Flintfang growls.
"Your battlefield speeches are legendary," Deerfoot tells his friend dryly.
Apparently, mouse-brained enemies are too much to ask for. Not being a total idiot about security, Scourge has placed a ring of sentries around the camp he thinks is his, two at each post. The clans split up, but ThunderClan, RiverClan, and WindClan each has an experienced ShadowClan guide. Firestar orders my group to go with him and take cover, joining in the battle when the clans looked like they could use a boost. Russetfur is ThunderClan's scout, and she purrs and briefly touches noses with us before takin' her place beside Firestar. The two ginger warriors lead the way as we do our best to set our paws silently. Everyone jumps when a pine cone crunches under some cat's paw. Graystripe looks down guiltily, and Russetfur looks like she wanffs to purr at his expense.
"The wind is against us. It'll blow our scent right into camp," Whitestorm murmurs.
"We can take an alternate route through the marsh," Russetfur meows.
A few ThunderClan cats groan, but everyone follows her as she takes a sharp right into a thick stand of pines. The mud is cold and slimy beneath our paws. At Boulder's suggestion, my group rolls in it to conceal our scents, which might be familiar to some of the enemy.
"Be sure to stay out of sight," Firestar tells my patrol when we're a few fox-lengths from camp. We crouch down in a hazel thicket as the ThunderClan cats pad up the slope just above the hollow.
There are two BloodClan cats on guard, but neither of 'em are high-ranking fighters or very alert. Dustpelt takes the first one completely by surprise, landin' on his back and shovin' his face in the dirt. Sandstorm takes a flyin' leap at the other and manages to tackle him, but not before he yowls in alarm. I don't have long to worry 'bout blowin' our surprise, 'cause a heartbeat later, cats start tearin' through the bramble wall of the camp on the other side. Firestar and his warriors burst into the ShadowClan camp, which is in total chaos.
There are way too many BloodClan cats to fit easily in our camp, so most of 'em have just sprawled out on the ground. I reckon the dens were commandeered by Scourge's elite. It's these lower-ranking, less experienced fighters that the clan cats fall on first. Firestar viciously attacks a white tom with a weirdly smashed face, sinking his teeth into the rogue's flank. Thornclaw rams a BloodClan she-cat headfirst into the bramble wall of the warriors' den and comes away with a faceful of thorns. Every cat in ShadowClan's gonna have rebuilding work for days if we can liberate our camp. Near the elders' favorite sunning spot, the WindClan deputy Deadfoot batters at another enemy. For a few moments, the clans dominate as confusion reigns among the rogues.
But Scourge's top fighters ain't slowed by tricks for long, and they start gettin' organized. I unsheathe my claws as Scourge's high, cold voice rings through the night air, carrying into our hiding place over the screeches of fightin' cats. I can't see the tiny black tom, but it's all too easy to imagine his paws covered in Tigerstar's blood. Fear pulses through me again. Tigerstar was an incredibly strong warrior. Can any of us actually defeat his killer?
"So this is your answer, forest fools? You think a little trickery will make up for BloodClan's superior mite, even after I killed your strongest warrior?" Even though my patrol is well-hidden, I can't shake the nasty feelin' he sees us too. What if he's the one settin' a trap?
"We don't have to fight. We're willing to let you go back to twolegplace in peace," Firestar calls.
"Is he for real?" Chance hisses.
"Yeah. Firestar's one of them eternal optimist types," I whisper back.
"Go back? Do you really think we're such cowards?" Scourge sneers. "This is our home now."
"The forest is ours. We rule here by the will of StarClan," the ThunderClan leader meows.
Scourge don't think much of this. "Tales for kits. Forest fool, StarClan won't help you now. BloodClan, destroy these savages!" And with that order, the battle's on for real.