The Darkest Hour by Erin Hunter

Author:Erin Hunter
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780060525859
Publisher: Avon
Published: 2003-01-02T07:00:00+00:00

Yet the dark tabby’s words gave Firestar hope. It sounded as if Tigerstar was about to banish Stonefur and the two apprentices. If he did, then Firestar and his friends could wait for them at the border, ready to take them back to ThunderClan, where they would be safe.

When Tigerstar spoke again, his voice was measured and cold. “Stonefur, I will give you a chance to show your loyalty to TigerClan. Kill these two half-Clan apprentices.”

An eerie silence spread through the clearing, broken only by Graystripe’s gasp of outrage. Luckily the TigerClan warriors were so intent on the scene in front of them that no cat heard him.

“Firestar!” Graystripe whispered. “We must do something!” His claws dug into the ground and his muscles bunched, ready to spring, yet his eyes were fixed on Firestar as if he would not attack without his leader’s order.

Ravenpaw’s eyes, bright with distress, turned to Firestar. “We can’t just watch them die!”

Firestar could feel his fur prickling with tension. He knew he could not stay crouching here in hiding while Graystripe’s kits were slaughtered a few foxlengths away. If all else failed, he was ready to give up his life in a battle to save them.

“Wait just a moment,” he murmured. “Let’s see what Stonefur does.”

The blue-gray warrior had turned to face Leopardstar. “I take orders from you,” he growled. “You must know this is wrong. What do you want me to do?”

For a heartbeat Leopardstar looked uncertain, and again Firestar began to hope that she would take a stand against Tigerstar and stop the destruction of her Clan. But he had underestimated the strength of her ambition, and her misguided faith that Tigerstar offered an invincible future. “These are difficult times,” she meowed at last. “As we fight for survival we must be able to count on every one of our Clan mates. There is no room for divided loyalties. Do as Tigerstar tells you.”

Stonefur held her gaze for a moment more, a moment that to Firestar seemed to last for several moons. Then he faced the two apprentices and they shrank away from him, their eyes glazed with terror.

Stormpaw gave his sister a comforting lick. “We’ll fight him,” he promised. “I won’t let him kill us.”

Brave words, Firestar thought desperately. Stonefur was a skilled, experienced warrior, and even in his weakened state he was a formidable threat to two half-trained apprentices who had obviously been ill-treated and imprisoned as well.

The RiverClan warrior gave a little nod to Stormpaw, just like any mentor approving of his apprentice’s courage. Then he turned to look up at Tigerstar again.

“You’ll have to kill me first, Tigerstar!” he spat.

Narrowing his eyes, Tigerstar flicked his tail at Darkstripe. “Very well. Kill him,” he ordered.

The black-striped warrior crouched low, every hair on his pelt quivering with joy that Tigerstar had given him a chance to prove his loyalty to his new Clan. With a grunt of effort, he hurled himself at Stonefur.

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