Ravenpaw's Farewell by Erin Hunter Page A

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.
    â€œI 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 welcomestrespassers.”
    Riley licked his chest. “What if they don’t like us?” he muttered.
    â€œWhat 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. There was no sign of the cat that Bella thought she had seen, but Ravenpaw kept his mouth open to taste the air. The gorge widened, and the banks sloped downward until they were walking through trees beside the sparkling stream. Barley caught a young rabbit, and they ate quickly, with the older cats keeping a wary eye out for signs of the Clan.
    The sky had filled with clouds, bringing an early dusk. Ravenpaw decided that they should spend the night here and enter SkyClan in the morning. Barley found a heap of dry leaves under a hazel tree, which would make a decent enough nest. Riley and Bella settled down obediently; they were much quieter than usual, as if they knew that the real adventure was about to begin. Ravenpaw asked Barley to stay with them while he scouted around the immediate area.
    â€œWe don’t want SkyClan to find us sleeping a mouse-length from their border!” he pointed out, and Barley nodded.
    Ravenpaw left the stream and slipped through the trees, pausing every few steps to sniff bushes and taste the air. Therewas a strong smell of cats here, though he hadn’t found any border marks yet. There were tangs of kittypet scent too, sometimes almost hidden beneath the wild-cat traces, at other times clear and sharp and unexpected so far from any Twoleg dens. Ravenpaw hadn’t been anticipating such a mix of scents, even knowing that SkyClan had some warriors who lived as kittypets part of the time.
    He returned to the hazel bush and lay down. Barley was fast asleep, snoring, but Riley and Bella were still awake.
    â€œWe’re not sleepy!” Bella whispered.
    â€œTell us some more about the warrior code!” Riley begged.
    Ravenpaw sighed. “Okay, but after that you must go to sleep. Who can remember the rules we’ve talked about so far?”
    â€œYou must be ready to die for your Clan,” Riley began. “And you can’t be friends with cats from other Clans.”
    â€œDon’t trespass on another Clan’s territory,” Bella mewed. She put her head to one side. “But if SkyClan is the only Clan around here, that doesn’t matter, does it?”
    Ravenpaw flicked his ears. “There could be loners in the woods who won’t welcome visitors. Go on.”
    â€œElders and kits must eat first,” Riley meowed. “And you only kill something if you’re going to eat it.”
    â€œThat’s two rules!” Bella protested.
    â€œYou’re both doing very well,” Ravenpaw told them. “Right, here are some more.” For a moment he was back in the training hollow, listening to Whitestorm addressing all the new apprentices. Kind, patient Whitestorm, who had tried so hard to make Ravenpaw’s apprenticeship bearable. “A newwarrior keeps vigil for the whole Clan on their first night. A warrior must mentor at least one apprentice before they can become deputy.” Ravenpaw