Erin Hunter - The Fourth Apprentice

A full moon floated in a cloudless sky, casting thick black shadows across the island. The leaves of the Great Oak rustled in a hot breeze. Crouched between Sorreltail and Graystripe, Lionblaze felt as though he couldnt get enough air.

Youd think it would be cooler at night, he grumbled.

I know, Graystripe sighed, shifting uncomfortably on the dry, powdery soil. This season just gets hotter and hotter. I cant even remember when it last rained.

Lionblaze stretched up to peer over the heads of the other cats at his brother, Jayfeather, who was sitting with the medicine cats. Onestar had just reported the death of Barkface, and Kestrelflight, the remaining WindClan medicine cat, looked rather nervous to be representing his Clan alone for the first time.

Jayfeather says StarClan hasnt told him anything about the drought, Lionblaze mewed to Graystripe. I wonder if any of the other medicine cats

He broke off as Firestar, the leader of ThunderClan, rose to his paws on the branch where he had been sitting while he waited for his turn to speak. RiverClans leader, Leopardstar, glanced up from the branch just below, where she was crouching. Onestar, the leader of WindClan, was perched in the fork of a bough a few tail-lengths higher, while ShadowClans leader, Blackstar, was visible just as a gleam of eyes among the clustering leaves above Onestars branch.

Like every other Clan, ThunderClan is troubled by the heat, Firestar began. But we are coping well. Two of our apprentices have been made into warriors and received their warrior names: Toadstep and Rosepetal.

Lionblaze sprang to his paws. Toadstep! Rosepetal! he yowled. The rest of ThunderClan joined in, along with several cats from WindClan and ShadowClan, though Lionblaze noticed that the RiverClan warriors were silent, looking on with hostility in their eyes.

Who ruffled their fur? he wondered. It was mean-spirited for a whole Clan to refuse to greet a new warrior at a Gathering. He twitched his ears. He wouldnt forget this the next time Leopardstar announced a new RiverClan appointment.

The two new ThunderClan warriors ducked their heads in embarrassment, though their eyes shone as they were welcomed by the Clans. Cloudtail, Toadsteps former mentor, was puffed up with pride, while Squirrelflight, who had mentored Rosepetal, watched the young warriors with gleaming eyes.

Im still surprised Firestar picked Squirrelflight to be a mentor, Lionblaze muttered to himself. After she told all those lies about us being her kits.

Firestar knows what hes doing, Graystripe responded; Lionblaze winced as he realized the gray warrior had overheard every word of his criticism. He trusts Squirrelflight, and he wants to show every cat that shes a good warrior and a valued member of ThunderClan.

I suppose youre right. Lionblaze blinked miserably. He had loved and respected Squirrelflight so much when he thought she was his mother, but now he felt cold and empty when he looked at her. She had betrayed him, and his littermates, too deeply for forgiveness. Hadnt she?

If youve quite finished Leopardstar spoke over the last of the yowls of welcome and rose to her paws, fixing Firestar with a glare. RiverClan still has a report to make.

Firestar dipped his head courteously to the RiverClan leader and took a pace back, sitting down again with his tail wrapped around his paws. Go ahead, Leopardstar.

The RiverClan leader was the last to speak at the Gathering; Lionblaze had seen her tail twitching impatiently while the other leaders made their reports. Now her piercing gaze traveled across the cats crowded together in the clearing, while her neck fur bristled in fury.

Prey-stealers! she hissed.

What? Lionblaze sprang to his paws; his startled yowl was lost in the clamor as more cats from ThunderClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan leaped up to protest.

Leopardstar stared down at them, teeth bared, making no attempt to quell the tumult. Instinctively Lionblaze glanced upward, but there were no clouds to cover the moon; StarClan wasnt showing any anger at the outrageous accusation. As if any of the other Clans would want to steal slimy, stinky fish!

He noticed for the first time how thin the RiverClan leader looked, her bones sharp as flint beneath her dappled fur. The other RiverClan warriors were the same, Lionblaze realized, glancing around; even thinner than his own Clanmates and the ShadowClan warriorsand even thinner than the WindClan cats, who looked skinny when they were full-fed.

Theyre starving he murmured.

Were all starving, Graystripe retorted.

Lionblaze let out a sigh. What the gray warrior said was true. In ThunderClan they had been forced to hunt and train at dawn and dusk in order to avoid the scorching heat of the day. In the hours surrounding sunhigh, the cats spent their time curled up sleeping in the precious shade at the foot of the walls of the stone hollow. For once the Clans were at peace, though Lionblaze suspected it was only because they were all too weak to fight, and no Clan had any prey worth fighting for.

Firestar rose to his paws again and raised his tail for silence. The caterwauling gradually died away and the cats sat down again, directing angry glares at the RiverClan leader.

Im sure you have good reason for accusing us all like that, Firestar meowed when he could make himself heard. Would you like to explain?

Leopardstar lashed her tail. You have all been taking fish from the lake, she snarled. And those fish belong to RiverClan.

No, they dont, Blackstar objected, poking his head out from the foliage. The lake borders all our territories. Were just as entitled to the fish as you are.

Especially now, Onestar added. Were all suffering from the drought. Prey is scarce in all our territories. If we cant eat fish, well starve.

Lionblaze stared at the two leaders in astonishment. Were ShadowClan and WindClan really so hungry that theyd been adding fish to their fresh-kill pile? Things must be really bad.

But its worse for us, Leopardstar insisted. RiverClan doesnt eat any other kind of prey, so all the fish should belong to us.

Thats mouse-brained! Squirrelflight sprang to her paws, her bushy tail lashing. Are you saying that RiverClan cant eat any other prey? Are you admitting that your warriors are so incompetent they cant even catch a mouse?

Squirrelflight. Brambleclaw, the ThunderClan deputy, spoke commandingly as he rose from the oak root where he had been sitting with the other Clan deputies. His voice was coldly polite as he continued. Its not your place to speak here. However, he added, looking up at Leopardstar, she does have a point.

Lionblaze winced at Brambleclaws tone, and he couldnt repress a twinge of sympathy for Squirrelflight as she sat down again, her head bent like an apprentice scolded in public by her mentor. Even after six moons, two whole seasons, Brambleclaw had not forgiven his former mate for claiming her sister Leafpools kits as her ownand therefore his as well. Lionblaze still felt dazed whenever he reminded himself that Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight were not his real mother and father. He and his brother, Jayfeather, were the kits of the former ThunderClan medicine cat, Leafpool, and Crowfeather, a WindClan warrior. Since the truth came out, Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight had barely spoken to each other, and although Brambleclaw never punished Squirrelflight by giving her the hardest tasks or the most dangerous patrols, he made sure that their paths never crossed as they carried out their duties.

Squirrelflights lie had been bad enough, but everything went wrong when she admitted what she had done. She had told the truth in a desperate attempt to save her kits from Ashfurs murderous fury at being passed over in favor of Brambleclaw, moons before Lionblaze and his littermates were born. Lionblazes and Jayfeathers sister, Hollyleaf, had killed Ashfur to prevent him from revealing the secret at a Gathering. Then Hollyleaf vanished behind a fall of earth when she tried to escape through the tunnels to start a new life. Now the brothers had to accept that they were half-Clan, and that their father, Crowfeather, wanted nothing to do with them. And, on top of that, there were still suspicious looks from some of their own Clanmates, which made Lionblazes pelt turn hot with rage.