Firestar was silent, though Jayfeather could almost hear the turmoil of thoughts whirling through his leader’s mind. “You need an escort,” he mewed at last. “And I’m not happy about leaving ThunderClan without its best warriors or its medicine cat when we’re bracing ourselves for an attack.”

Though the ThunderClan leader didn’t mention the Dark Forest, Jayfeather knew that was where his thoughts lay. And he’s right. But I have to do this!

“Are you sure this cat isn’t trying to lure you away?” Firestar added.

Jayfeather shook his head. “I’m positive.” Rock is the last cat who would be involved in a Dark Forest plot. “I trust the cat who gave me this message,” he went on. “He isn’t interested in our battles. He doesn’t care who wins. He just knows that this is our destiny, and he has to make it happen.”

“Very well,” Firestar meowed. “You can go. And I’ll choose some warriors to go with you—but you can’t have Lionblaze.”

“What?” Jayfeather’s feeling of triumph was swallowed up in outrage. “But Lionblaze has to go. He’s one of the Three!”

“You can have Dovewing.” Firestar’s tone was uncompromising. “But Lionblaze stays here. He’s our greatest asset in a battle. And you’re not going to the mountains to fight, are you?”

“How do we know that?” Jayfeather muttered mutinously. He was well aware that there was no point in trying to argue when the ThunderClan leader had made up his mind. “Okay,” he meowed aloud. “But I don’t like it.”

“No cat is asking you to,” Firestar retorted. “You can have Dovewing, as I said, and…let’s see…Foxleap and Squirrelflight.”

“Squirrelflight!” Jayfeather didn’t want to travel with the cat who had lied to him and his littermates season after season, the cat he had believed was his mother.

“I don’t care what you think about Squirrelflight’s actions in the past,” Firestar growled as if he could read Jayfeather’s mind. “What’s done is done. She knows the mountains better than any of us, and she has friends in the Tribe.”

Jayfeather dipped his head. “Okay, Firestar.” He sighed.

“And while you’re away,” Firestar went on, “I’ll ask Leafpool to step in as medicine cat. Just in case there are any emergencies. If there is a battle, we’ll need her trained paws.”

Jayfeather felt his neck fur bristle at the mention of the other she-cat who had betrayed him and his littermates. Yeah, right…. Like StarClan will ever speak to Leafpool again, after what she did.

But he could see the point in making use of Leafpool’s vast knowledge of healing, so he just replied with a curt nod. “Brightheart has had some training, too,” he pointed out.

“True. Then that’s settled.” Firestar still didn’t sound happy, but Jayfeather knew that he wouldn’t go back on what he had agreed. “You can leave tomorrow.”

As Jayfeather reached the bottom of the tumbled rocks, Lionblaze padded across to him; Jayfeather picked up his mingled curiosity and excitement. You’re not going to like this, he thought. “You’re up late,” he remarked out loud.