Warriors: Power Of Three 1 - Sight Read Free Page A

they did not notice the sudden noise outside the camp.
    But Jaykit did.
    Cats’ paws were pounding toward the camp entrance.
    Jaykit recognized the scents of Spiderleg and Thornclaw. The patrol was returning. But something was wrong. The warriors’ paws drummed the forest floor in a panicked rush, their scents bitter with fear.
    Jaykit’s fur stood on end as Spiderleg and Thornclaw burst through the entrance.
    Firestar and Sandstorm were on their paws in an instant.
    “What is it?” Firestar meowed.
    Spiderleg drew in a deep breath, then announced, “There’s a dead fox on our territory!”

CHAPTER 2
    “Where?” Firestar’s meow was tense.
    “By the Sky Oak,” Thornclaw mewed, panting. “It was killed by a trap.”
    Jaykit heard loose pebbles clattering down the wall of the hollow. Brambleclaw was scrambling down into the camp, followed by Squirrelflight.
    “What’s happening?” he called.
    “Thornclaw and Spiderleg have found a dead fox,” Firestar explained. “Killed by a trap.”
    “Male or female?”
    “Female,” Spiderleg told her.
    “Then there may be cubs,” Brambleclaw growled.
    Jaykit was puzzled. “What harm can a couple of fox cubs do?” he whispered to Hollykit.
    “Cubs grow up into foxes, mouse-brain!” she hissed back.
    “An adult fox can kill a cat.”
    “The fox had the scent of milk on her,” Thornclaw reported.
    “So there are definitely cubs,” Firestar concluded.
    The warriors’ den rattled as Ashfur scrambled out.
    “Where was this trap?” Brambleclaw asked. Was that anxiety Jaykit heard in his voice? Surely his father knew enough about the Twolegs’ traps not to be scared by them? No, Jaykit decided, it wasn’t anxiety, but something else, some darker emotion Jaykit did not recognize.
    Thornclaw’s answer broke into his thoughts. “The trap is lakeside of the camp, not far from the Sky Oak.”
    “The cubs must be near,” Brambleclaw guessed. “Their mother will not have wandered far from them.”
    “What should we do?” Ferncloud had emerged from the nursery. “We can’t let the forest be overrun by foxes! What about my kits?”
    “We must find the den,” Brambleclaw replied without hesitation.
    “If the cubs are very young, they’ll starve without their mother,” Firestar meowed. “It would be best to kill them quickly.”
    There was nothing malicious in the ThunderClan leader’s voice; Firestar had to do what was best for the Clan.
    “What if they’re old enough to survive alone?” Hollykit asked curiously.
    “Then they must be driven out,” Firestar told her. “They can’t be allowed to settle in our territory.”
    “The cubs will be hungry by now,” Ashfur pointed out.
    “What if they’ve ventured out of their den already?”
    “They might find the camp!” Ferncloud gasped.
    “The camp will remain well guarded,” Firestar promised.
    “I’ll take Sandstorm and check the old Thunderpath up to the empty Twoleg nest. Brambleclaw, you sort out the other patrols.” The ThunderClan leader and his mate raced away through the prickly thorn barrier that shielded the camp from the forest.
    “Stormfur, Brook!” Brambleclaw called. “Patrol outside the hollow! Ashfur, guard the entrance.”
    Brightheart and Cloudtail paced in front of him. “What do you want us to do?”
    “Head toward the ShadowClan border,” Brambleclaw told them. “The earth is sandy there, ideal for a den. Squirrelflight will lead you. Do whatever she tells you. There may be more traps, and Squirrelflight is the best at springing them. Take Cinderpaw, but keep her close to you.”
    Cloudtail called his apprentice’s name, but the young gray tabby was already charging across the clearing.
    Squirrelflight headed toward the entrance. Jaykit felt her warm pelt brush past him.
    Brambleclaw called to Thornclaw and Spiderleg, “Go back to where you found the fox. See if you can trace its scent back to her den.”
    Sorreltail’s kit Poppypaw and Mousepaw were waiting