Ravenpaw's Farewell by Erin Hunter

Author:Erin Hunter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2015-12-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

They slept in the long grass beside the waterfall, lulled by the soft splash of water, and woke as the first rays of sun crested the trees. Barley caught a squirrel, and Ravenpaw was relieved to see Bella eating as eagerly as her brother once more.

The river grew steadily narrower and shallower beside them until it was tumbling between steep sandy banks, with barely enough room for the cats to squeeze through beside the water. They walked in single file, Ravenpaw in the lead and Barley bringing up the rear. Riley and Bella were full of chatter, competing to spot minnows beneath the glittering surface. Ravenpaw only listened with half an ear; he knew they were approaching the end of the river, and that meant they could cross SkyClan’s boundary at any moment.

“I’m as hot as a fox on fire!” Barley panted. “Can we find somewhere shady to stop?”

Ravenpaw narrowed his eyes. There seemed to be nothing but the stream and its sandy banks ahead of them. There were trees at the top of the banks, but he doubted they could scramble up the sheer slope. Then Riley squeezed past him.

“I’ll take a look!” The gray tom ran a short distance along the bank to some gorse bushes. He paused to sniff them, then vanished from sight.

When the others caught up to him, Riley was peeking smugly from a small cave sheltered by the gorse. It was cozy but shallow, with just enough room for the four cats to lie down.

“I’m hungry,” Bella mewed.

“We’ll rest here for a moment, then find somewhere to hunt,” Ravenpaw promised. His paws were sore from the scorching sand, and his belly was aching. As the others settled around him, he closed his eyes.

Suddenly his nose filled with powerfully familiar scents. He heard soft whispers, not from his companions but from two other cats. These were voices he hadn’t heard in a long time, and Ravenpaw’s heart leaped. Although he couldn’t make out the words, he knew he was listening to Firestar and Sandstorm. He could feel them all around him, nervous and excited. They had sheltered here too, knowing that their journey was close to its end.

I’ve done it! Ravenpaw thought. I have followed their paw steps to SkyClan!

He opened his eyes to see Bella standing at the entrance to the little cave, gazing out.

“I think I heard something!” she mewed. “Another cat!”

Ravenpaw took a deep breath. “We are close to SkyClan territory now,” he meowed. Three pairs of eyes stared at him in the dim light. “I don’t think we’ve crossed their border, but we must tread carefully from now on. No Clan welcomes trespassers.”

Riley licked his chest. “What if they don’t like us?” he muttered.

“What if they think we’re just dumb kittypets?” Bella added.

Barley rested his tail on her flank. “If you’re not welcome, we’ll take you home. We won’t abandon you, I promise.”

Ravenpaw met his friend’s gaze over the heads of the young cats and nodded.

They crept out of the cave and padded quietly along the stream.

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