Warriors: Omen of the Stars #6: The Last Hope Read Free

beside ThunderClan, not against them!”
    Ivypool shifted her paws. These cats believe their loyalty to the Clans is being strengthened. She glanced at Birchfall. But who will they be loyal to when the final battle comes ? Their Clanmates or the Dark Forest warriors ?
    Tigerstar flicked his tail. “Go back to your nests,” he ordered the Clan cats.
    Hollowflight tipped his head. “But it’s early.”
    “The senior warriors have a meeting.” Tigerstar nodded to Mapleshade and Hawkfrost.
    “Can I come?” Ivypool asked.
    Mapleshade narrowed her eyes. “No.”
    “I’m a mentor now,” Ivypool pressed. She had to find out when the Dark Forest cats were planning to attack the Clans by the lake.
    “While you still have the taste of living prey on your tongue, you’re not truly one of us,” Mapleshade snarled.
    Tigerstar nodded. “Go back to your Clan and rest,” he ordered. “You’ll need your strength tomorrow night.” He turned and stalked into the shadows, Mapleshade hurrying after.
    Blossomfall shrugged. “I guess we can practice our new moves in the forest as well as here,” she told Birchfall. Closing her eyes, she began to fade.
    Ivypool watched her Clanmate vanish from the forest. She’ll take her wounds with her. And the memory of what she’s learned. Ivypool’s pelt pricked. She didn’t want those memories, these vicious skills in ThunderClan!
    “Are you coming?” Birchfall flicked his tail.
    Ivypool twitched her ears to send him on his way. “I’ll be right behind you.”
    Hollowflight, Applefur, and Redwillow were melting into the shadows as Birchfall disappeared. As soon as they had gone, Ivypool turned to Hawkfrost. “You trust me to train cats for the Dark Forest, but not to attend gatherings of the senior warriors?”
    His eyes gleamed. “Do you really want to be there?”
    Ivypool nodded.
    Hawkfrost leaned closer. “Tough.” He turned and padded after Tigerstar.
    Ivypool flexed her claws. I’m coming whether you want me to or not! As Hawkfrost’s pelt shimmered away between the trees, she darted forward and, heart racing, began to shadow him. Keeping just enough mist and bramble between them so that he was little more than a flicker at the edge of her vision, she matched his pawsteps.
    “Snowtuft?” Hawkfrost suddenly slowed.
    Ivypool halted and pricked her ears.
    Hawkfrost greeted his Clanmate with a growl. “Are you heading for the meeting?”
    “I wouldn’t miss it for all the mice in the forest,” Snowtuft rasped. “Where are the Clan cats?”
    Hawkfrost snorted. “Tigerstar sent them back to their nests.”
    Snowtuft’s claws scraped the earth. “Are you sure there won’t be any hanging around the training rock?”
    “Brokenstar will make sure there aren’t,” Hawkfrost growled.
    The training rock! Ivypool flicked her tail. They’re meeting beside the river! She knew the Dark Forest well enough now to find her way without being spotted by Hawkfrost. She only had to follow the old stream to the hollow trunks, then aim for the riverbank.
    Crouching, she slunk behind bushes until she could hear the deep murmur of the senior warriors. She slid behind a trunk and peered around. The mist cleared where the river cut through the trees. A large boulder stuck out of the mud on the shore. Ivypool flattened her ears. She had shared her first training sessions with her Dark Forest Clanmates here. Now it was circled by heavily muscled warriors. Feeling the stirrings of fear in her belly, she pushed them away. I am a warrior of the Dark Forest, she reminded herself. I am the equal of any of these cats!
    Brokenstar stood on the stone, his thick, dark pelt spiked with excitement. “The time is close,” he growled.
    Mapleshade lifted her fading white muzzle. “Good,” she hissed. “I’d hate to miss it.”
    Hawkfrost sat and watched through narrowed eyes. Blue as ice, they followed Brokenstar’s every move. Shredtail and Thistleclaw paced while Tigerstar stood stiff-legged,