Warriors: Power of Three 01 - The Sight by Erin Hunter

the darkness. “It’s cold without Jaykit.”
    â€œHe’ll be back soon,” she murmured, not opening her eyes.
    â€œBut it’s weird when he’s not here.”
    â€œHe’s only on the other side of the clearing, and he’ll be back in a day or two.” Hollykit rolled over. “Go back to sleep.” Within moments her breathing deepened and she was asleep again.
    Lionkit still felt a tug of sadness. Jaykit should be with them, just like always.
    He closed his eyes but the image of his brother lying in the clearing filled his mind again. It was my idea to leave the camp. Jaykit could be dead, or the fox cubs could have chased them into the hollow. What a mess!
    Lionkit got to his paws. He needed fresh air to clear his head.
    He peered through the shadows to where Daisy slept. Her long, creamy fur blended into Ferncloud’s dark gray pelt. Ferncloud’s whiskers were twitching as she dreamed, her two kits snuggled against her flank. Neither queen would be pleased at being woken just so he could ask permission to leave the den; besides, he’d be back before they woke.
    With a flick of his tail, he picked his way past Hollykit and squeezed through the prickly entrance.
    Cold night air stung his nose, and the frosty ground made his paws ache as he padded around the edge of the camp. Prey scents drifted from the forest. A bird chattered an alarm call far away. He glanced up at Silverpelt, spread across the inky sky. He was glad StarClan had let Jaykit stay down here with his Clanmates. Perhaps he could look in on his brother. Leafpool would be asleep by now.
    Lionkit kept to the shadows, painfully aware that he was not supposed to be outside the nursery without permission. As he crept along the stretch of thornbush that sealed the camp, his heart seemed to pound in his chest loud enough to wake his Clanmates. When he scanned the clearing, Lionkit realized with a start that he was not the only cat awake so late. A shape was stirring on the other side of the clearing. Thelithe outline of a cat peeled away from the shadows, followed by another.
    Lionkit ducked under a branch, relieved to find a small space inside the prickly barrier where he could hide. He peered through the twigs at the emerging shapes: Dustpelt and Spiderleg were padding side by side into the pool of moonlight that lit the center of the camp.
    â€œThey’re nearly here,” the long-limbed warrior told Dustpelt.
    â€œGood,” Dustpelt meowed.
    Lionkit strained his ears, listening. Frozen leaves crackled beyond the camp wall. He felt the thorn barrier tremble as Stormfur and Brackenfur pushed their way through the entrance tunnel into the camp. The moonhigh patrol had returned.
    Dustpelt hurried toward them. “Anything to report?”
    â€œAll quiet,” Stormfur replied.
    Lionkit pressed himself further into the thorns. He could always say he had slipped out only to make dirt, but he was not ready yet to be sent back into the nursery.
    Brackenfur held a mouse between his teeth. He dropped it. “It’s good to be out hunting again,” the golden tabby purred.
    â€œDid you patrol the new border at the edge of the clearing?” Spiderleg asked.
    Brackenfur nodded. “ShadowClan have marked it well,” he meowed. “But there’s no sign they strayed onto ThunderClan territory.”
    Dustpelt narrowed his eyes. “They’d better not. It’s bad enough Firestar gave them that piece of land in the first place. If I catch any ShadowClan cat on the wrong side of the border I’ll rip his fur off!”
    â€œThey wouldn’t dare!” Brackenfur growled.
    â€œThey dared before Firestar gave them the territory,” Spiderleg pointed out. He glanced at the scar on Brackenfur’s flank, a reminder of one of the vicious quarrels the two Clans had fought over the stretch of open ground on either side of the stream running down from the Twoleg clearing.