Creeping forward, Lionpaw peered into the darkness. Hollypaw’s scent mixed with that of the fox. She had gone inside! Impressed by her courage, he crept into the gloom, his heart quickening. The tunnel was narrow, and cold earth brushed his shoulders. It snaked steeply downward almost at once, and Lionpaw’s whiskers twitched as he felt his way through the darkness. The soil beneath his paws was damp and clung to his pads. The tunnel must open out soon, he guessed. The fox’s lair could be only a few steps ahead. The hole plunged onward, and Lionpaw began to wonder if he was wasting his time. But something had spooked Hollypaw, and he had to find out what. He padded on, unnerved by the silence. What could live this far underground?

Suddenly a breeze tickled his nose. There was an opening ahead. He followed the tunnel around a bend, his paws sliding on polished rock. Cold, fresh air spilled over him, stirring his whiskers. The tunnel opened around him, and Lionpaw realized, with a shiver of surprise, that this wasn’t merely a fox den. Light filtered behind him through the tunnel, enough to see that the walls were stone too, and a jagged roof arched high over his head. The air smelled of rock and water, a scent never found in the forest but achingly familiar all the same. This must lead to the dark river! Memories of Heatherpaw and the flood washed over Lionpaw’s pelt. The fur bristled along his spine. Hollypaw had found another way in!

Why hadn’t she told him? Lionpaw’s claws scraped furrows in the stone beneath his paws. He knew why. Oh, yes, it was as plain as Icepaw’s fur at dusk.

She’s scared I’ll start seeing Heatherpaw again! Anger burned in his belly. I’m a loyal ThunderClan warrior! Won’t she ever trust me?

CHAPTER 8

“My kits!”

Jaypaw felt a prickle of annoyance. Daisy only ever worried about her kits. The rest of her Clanmates could starve, for all she cared. It was obvious she wasn’t Clanborn. Firestar’s announcement that WindClan were definitely stealing prey had set the camp fizzing with worry and excitement. The remains of the blackbird lay in the center of the clearing where Brackenfur had dropped it.

Daisy swept her bushy tail around Rosekit and Toadkit.

“Get off!” Toadkit’s tiny gray paws scraped against the ground as he struggled out of his mother’s clutches.

Good for you! Jaypaw padded away from the nursery, where he had been checking on Millie.

“We need to teach them a lesson about boundaries,” Thornclaw growled.

Dustpelt’s tail swished over the ground. “I hope I meet Onestar in battle,” he growled. “He’s stolen from us too many times, the fox-hearted thief.”

Mousefur was pacing outside the elders’ den. “WindClan have changed so much since Tallstar was leader,” she meowed wistfully.