The Forgotten Warrior
Erin Hunter
OMEN OF THE STARS
WARRIORS
THE FORGOTTEN WARRIOR
ERIN HUNTER
Dedication
Special thanks to Cherith Baldry
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Allegiances
Maps
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Back Ad
Warriors Adventure Game
Training Day
After the Adventure
About the Author
Also by Erin Hunter
Credits
Copyright
About the Publisher
Allegiances
THUNDERCLAN
LEADER FIRESTAR—ginger tom with a flame-colored pelt
DEPUTY BRAMBLECLAW—dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes
MEDICINE CAT JAYFEATHER—gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes
WARRIORS (toms and she-cats without kits)
GRAYSTRIPE—long-haired gray tom
DUSTPELT—dark brown tabby tom
SANDSTORM—pale ginger she-cat with green eyes
BRACKENFUR—golden brown tabby tom
SORRELTAIL—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with amber eyes
CLOUDTAIL—long-haired white tom with blue eyes
BRIGHTHEART—white she-cat with ginger patches
MILLIE—striped gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes
THORNCLAW—golden brown tabby tom
SQUIRRELFLIGHT—dark ginger she-cat with green eyes
LEAFPOOL—light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes, former medicine cat
SPIDERLEG—long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes
BIRCHFALL—light brown tabby tom
WHITEWING—white she-cat with green eyes
BERRYNOSE—cream-colored tom
HAZELTAIL—small gray-and-white she-cat
MOUSEWHISKER—gray-and-white tom
CINDERHEART—gray tabby she-cat
LIONBLAZE—golden tabby tom with amber eyes
FOXLEAP—reddish tabby tom
ICECLOUD—white she-cat
TOADSTEP—black-and-white tom
ROSEPETAL—dark cream she-cat
BRIARLIGHT—dark brown she-cat
BLOSSOMFALL—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat
BUMBLESTRIPE—very pale gray tom with black stripes
DOVEWING—pale gray she-cat with blue eyes
IVYPOOL—silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes
QUEENS (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)
FERNCLOUD—pale gray (with darker flecks) she-cat with green eyes
DAISY—cream long-furred cat from the horseplace
POPPYFROST—tortoiseshell she-cat (mother to Cherrykit, a ginger she-cat, and Molekit, a brown-and-cream tom)
ELDERS (former warriors and queens, now retired)
MOUSEFUR—small dusky brown she-cat
PURDY—plump tabby former loner with a gray muzzle
SHADOWCLAN
LEADER BLACKSTAR—large white tom with one jet-black forepaw
DEPUTY ROWANCLAW—ginger tom
MEDICINE CAT LITTLECLOUD—very small tabby tom
WARRIORS OAKFUR—small brown tom
SMOKEFOOT—black tom
TOADFOOT—dark brown tom
APPLEFUR—mottled brown she-cat
CROWFROST—black-and-white tom
RATSCAR—brown tom with long scar across his back
SNOWBIRD—pure white she-cat
TAWNYPELT—tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes
OLIVENOSE—tortoiseshell she-cat
OWLCLAW—light brown tabby tom
SHREWFOOT—gray she-cat with black feet
SCORCHFUR—dark gray tom
REDWILLOW—mottled brown-and-ginger tom
TIGERHEART—dark brown tabby tom
DAWNPELT—cream-furred she-cat
PINENOSE—black she-cat
FERRETCLAW—cream-and-gray tom
STARLINGWING—ginger tom
QUEENS KINKFUR—tabby she-cat, with long fur that sticks out at all angles
IVYTAIL—black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat
ELDERS CEDARHEART—dark gray tom
TALLPOPPY—long-legged light brown tabby she-cat
SNAKETAIL—dark brown tom with tabby-striped tail
WHITEWATER—white she-cat with long fur, blind in one eye
WINDCLAN
LEADER ONESTAR—brown tabby tom
DEPUTY ASHFOOT—gray she-cat
MEDICINE CAT KESTRELFLIGHT—mottled gray tom
WARRIORS CROWFEATHER—dark gray tom
OWLWHISKER—light brown tabby tom
APPRENTICE, WHISKERPAW (light brown tom)
WHITETAIL—small white she-cat
NIGHTCLOUD—black she-cat
GORSETAIL—very pale gray-and-white tom with blue eyes
WEASELFUR—ginger tom with white paws
HARESPRING—brown-and-white tom
LEAFTAIL—dark tabby tom with amber eyes
ANTPELT—brown tom with one black ear
EMBERFOOT—gray tom with two dark paws
HEATHERTAIL—light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes
APPRENTICE, FURZEPAW (gray-and-white she-cat)
BREEZEPELT—black tom with amber eyes
APPRENTICE, BOULDERPAW (large pale gray tom)
SEDGEWHISKER—light brown tabby she-cat
SWALLOWTAIL—dark gray she-cat
SUNSTRIKE—tortoiseshell she-cat with large white mark on her forehead
ELDERS WEBFOOT—dark gray tabby tom
TORNEAR—tabby tom
RIVERCLAN
LEADER MISTYSTAR—gray she-cat with blue eyes
DEPUTY REEDWHISKER—black tom
APPRENTICE, HOLLOWPAW (dark brown tabby tom)
MEDICINE CAT MOTHWING—dappled golden she-cat
APPRENTICE, WILLOWSHINE (gray tabby she-cat)
WARRIORS GRAYMIST—pale gray tabby she-cat
APPRENTICE, TROUTPAW (pale gray tabby she-cat)
MINTFUR—light gray tabby tom
ICEWING—white she-cat with blue eyes
MINNOWTAIL—dark gray she-cat
APPRENTICE, MOSSYPAW (brown-and-white she-cat)
PEBBLEFOOT—mottled gray tom
APPRENTICE, RUSHPAW (light brown tabby tom)
MALLOWNOSE—light brown tabby tom
ROBINWING—tortoiseshell-and-white tom
BEETLEWHISKER—brown-and-white tabby tom
PETALFUR—gray-and-white she-cat
GRASSPELT—light brown tom
QUEENS DUSKFUR—brown tabby she-cat
MOSSPELT—tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes
ELDERS DAPPLENOSE—mottled gray she-cat
POUNCETAIL—ginger-and-white tom
CATS OUTSIDE THE CLANS
SMOKY—muscular gray-and-white tom who lives in a barn at the horseplace
FLOSS—small gray-and-white she-cat who lives at the horseplace
OTHER ANIMALS
MIDNIGHT—a star-gazing badger who lives by the se
a
Maps
Prologue
Brambles rustled at the edge of a wood as a cat emerged into the open. Watchful eyes flicked to each side; then the cat strode out across a wide stretch of meadow grass, heading toward another belt of trees in the distance. Bright newleaf sun shone down on a landscape patched with fields and hedges. Twoleg dens clustered together beside a Thunderpath.
Even so early in the season, the sun was hot, and the cat’s ears flicked in irritation as flies buzzed around them. It will be cooler under the trees, the traveler thought, pausing for a moment to flex tired paws. And there’s not much farther to go. Just beyond that range of hills . . .
But before the cat reached the inviting shade of the wood, a loud hiss sounded and a second cat leaped out from under a nearby hedge: a tough, lean tom with a gray pelt and one bitten ear.
“What are you doing here?” the tom demanded. “If you’re looking for somewhere to rest, keep looking. This is my place. And the prey around here is mine.”
The traveling cat halted and looked the tom up and down with narrowed eyes. “Your place? You mean, you live in this hedge?”
“No, I’m from the farm over there.” The tom waved his tail in the direction of a large Twoleg den just visible above the thorns. “And I don’t like strangers. Keep going, or I’ll make you.” He bared his teeth and slid out his claws, his mangy cloud-colored fur fluffing up in anger.
The traveler rocked back on its haunches. It’s been a while since I used my fighting skills . . . but I’m not going to let this mange-pelt scare me. “I’m just passing through. I’m no threat to your precious prey.”
The farm cat let out a disbelieving snort and tilted his head to one side. “Are you one of those cats from the lake?”
The journeying cat’s tone was wary. “Why do you ask?”
“Because I’ve seen them coming this way before,” the gray tom replied. “Oh, they haven’t seen me, I’ve made sure of that. But I’ve heard them talking about the mountains.” He rolled his eyes. “Who’d want to go all that way? Can’t they find enough food where they live?”
“Maybe they’re not looking for food.” The first cat’s voice was tinged with scorn. “There are other things in life, you know.”
The farm cat sat down and scratched his ear with one hindpaw. “Like what?” he mewed contemptuously. “Gazing at the stars and imagining your ancestors are looking back at you?” At the traveler’s start of surprise, he added, “I’ve listened to plenty of tales about what happens on the other side of those hills. As long as they don’t trouble me, I don’t care what those cats get up to. They can—”
“Right,” the traveler interrupted, pushing past the farm cat and padding on. “As long as they don’t steal your prey.”
The gray tom sprang to his paws and followed. “You’re one of them, aren’t you?” he asked as he caught up. “I think I’ve seen you before.”
“Maybe.” The journeying cat’s whiskers twitched. “A long time ago.”
“Where have you been?” The farm cat’s voice was curious. “Did you get lost?”
“Oh, no.” The stranger sounded faintly amused. “I always knew where I was.”
The farm cat fell back, watching the stranger pad toward the trees. Then he shook his head and bounded back to the farm, vanishing under the hedge with a whisk of his tail.
The traveler reached the wood and looked around for a place to make a temporary nest, but each paw prickled with restlessness, and none of the hollows or the spaces under the tree-roots seemed quite suitable. A mouse crept out from under a bush, nibbling at fallen grass seeds. Remembering long-forgotten lessons, the traveler dropped into the hunter’s crouch and sprang, killing the mouse with a single swift blow. But the limp body looked unappetizing with the life chased out of it; the cat scraped a few pawfuls of earth over it and left it.
Dusk was falling as the traveler continued, heading up the hill more swiftly through the spindly trees.
It’s been a long time. Will the cats that I remember best still be there?
As the day began to fade, the cat left the trees behind and reached the crest of a hill covered in tough moorland grass. Below, a scarlet sunset was reflected in the lake, transforming the water to the color of blood. Above the stranger’s head, the first warriors of StarClan were glimmering in the sky.
The traveling cat took a deep breath. I have returned. Let vengeance begin.
Chapter 1
Jayfeather’s dream dissolved into darkness as he woke and stretched his jaws in a massive yawn. His whole body seemed heavy, and when he sat up in his nest he felt as though ivy tendrils were wrapped around him, dragging him back to the ground. The air was hotter than usual for late newleaf, filled with the scents of prey and lush green growth. Noise filtered through the brambles that screened the medicine cat’s den from the rest of the stone hollow: pawsteps and the excited murmuring of many cats as they gathered for the first patrols of the day.
But Jayfeather couldn’t share his Clanmates’ excitement. Although a moon had passed since he and his companions had returned from their visit to the Tribe, he felt cold and bleak inside. His head was full of images of mountains, endless snow-covered peaks stretching into the distance, outlined crisply against an ice-blue sky. His belly cramped with pain as he recalled one particular image: a white cat with green eyes who gave him a long, sorrowful look before she turned away and padded along a cliff top above a thundering waterfall.
Jayfeather shook his head. What’s the matter with me? That was all a long, long time ago. My life has always been here with the Clans. So why do I feel as if something has been lost?
“Hi, Jayfeather.” Briarlight’s voice had a muffled, echoing sound, and Jayfeather realized she must have her head inside the cleft where he stored his herbs. “You’re awake at last.”
Jayfeather replied with a grunt. Briarlight was another of his problems. He couldn’t forget what Lionblaze had told him when he returned to the mountains: how Briarlight was so frustrated by being confined to the hollow, trapped by her damaged hindlegs, that she’d persuaded her brother Bumblestripe to carry her into the forest to look for herbs.
“There was a dog running loose,” Lionblaze had told him. “A cat with four functioning legs would have been hard-pressed to outrun it. If it hadn’t been for me and Toadstep luring it away, Briarlight would have been torn to pieces.”
“Mouse-brain!” Jayfeather snapped. “Why would she put herself in danger like that?”
“Because she’s convinced that she’s useless,” Lionblaze explained. “Can’t you give her more to do? Cinderheart and I promised her we’d help her find a proper part to play in the life of the Clan.”
“You had no right to promise her anything without speaking to me first,” Jayfeather retorted. “Are you suggesting I take her as my apprentice? Because I don’t want an apprentice!”
“That’s not what I meant,” Lionblaze meowed, his tail-tip twitching in annoyance. “But you could find more interesting duties for her, couldn’t you?”
Still reluctant, Jayfeather had done as his brother asked. He had to admit that Briarlight was easy to teach. She had been stuck in the medicine cat’s den for so long that she had already picked up a lot.
She’s actually useful, he mused. Her paws are neat and quick when she sorts the herbs, and she’s good at soaking wilted leaves in the pool without letting them fall to pieces.
“Jayfeather?” Briarlight’s voice roused Jayfeather from his thoughts. He heard her wriggling around, and then her voice came more clearly as if she was poking her head out of the cleft. “Are you okay? You were tossing and turning all night.”
“I’m fine,” Jayfeather muttered, unwilling to dwell any longer on the dreams that had plagued him.
“We’re running low on marigold,” Briarlight went on. “We used up a lot on Dovewing’s scratches when you got back from the mountains. Should I ask Brightheart to collect some more?”
“No, I’ll g
o,” Jayfeather muttered.
“Fine.” Briarlight’s voice was determinedly cheerful. “I’ll get on with sorting the herbs. Oh, one more thing . . .”
Jayfeather heard the young she-cat dragging herself across the floor of the den until she reached his nest and pushed something toward him. “Could you throw this out on your way past the dirtplace?” she asked. “It was stuck at the back of the herb store.”
Jayfeather stretched out his neck until his nose touched a tuft of fur with a few dried scraps of leaf dusted on it. He stiffened as he recognized the faint scent that clung to it.
“Who would have put an old bit of fur among the herbs?” Briarlight continued. “It must have been in there for ages. I don’t recognize the scent or color.”
For a moment Jayfeather didn’t reply. He breathed in his lost sister’s scent, overwhelmed by longing for the time when he and Hollyleaf and Lionblaze had played and trained together, before they knew anything about the prophecy, before they learned how Squirrelflight and Leafpool had lied to them.
I don’t know how Hollyleaf’s fur got into the store, he thought, but I should have thrown it out when I first found it there, not left it for another cat to find.
“I wonder where it came from,” Briarlight meowed. “Maybe a cat from another Clan got in here to steal herbs.” She stifled a mrrow of laughter. “Maybe the kits got in and hid it.”
“How would I know?” Jayfeather snapped, irritated at being jerked out of his memories. “You should stop letting your imagination run away with you.”
Turning so that Briarlight couldn’t see what he was doing, he tucked the scrap of fur deep inside the moss of his nest, and rose to his paws. “I’m going to fetch that marigold,” he mewed, and headed out of the den.
