Treacherous Skies

Chapter 9

Echoheart watched her sister curl up beside Bumblefrost and felt a twinge of jealousy. Echoheart pushed the feeling away; how could she be jealous of Whispersong and Bumblefrost, and the relationship between them, when she had Hailstorm? She shook her head. How could she be jealous of him, a DayClan  cat, for StarClan's sake?

Echoheart looked through the tree branches outlining the hollow and saw the crescent moon glowing above her head, with a few stars surrounding it. The trees whispered in the breeze, dancing in the night. Echoheart was reminded of the forest back home, and her heart ached with homesickness. What was Hailstorm doing right now?

A thought struck Echoheart. She and Whispersong had told Goldheart and Yellowpaw that they were leaving, but had the medicine cats told the rest of the Clan? Or had they so far kept it a secret? Echoheart knew Yellowpaw didn't do well with keeping secrets, and she would want to blurt it out to any cat who was worried. Goldheart would have to tell the Clan eventually; then he'd settle their worries.

Echoheart sighed, staring up at the sky.

If you can hear me, StarClan, please let Goldheart and Yellowpaw know that they need to tell the Clan about where we went. I don't like to make them keep secrets, and... the Clan needs to know we haven't left them for good. She paused, closing her eyes with sorrow. I still love them; please let them know that. I couldn't live with myself if Hailstorm, my parents, or any other cat, thought I didn't care about them anymore. I think about them every heartbeat, miss them with every breath I take. My heart feels numb every time we take a pawstep further from the forest, further from the ones I love. Please, StarClan, please... tell them...

She blinked slowly and flattened her ears in sadness. She listened to the wind in the trees, and the distant humming of the Thunderpaths and the Twolegplace.

Soon she felt herself curling up toward the ground, but she didn't try and lift herself up. She was so tired, and the ground looked suddenly so comfy.

A few heartbeats of rest can't hurt,  Echoheart thought, closing her eyes.

"Echoheart!"

Echoheart opened her eyes in alarm. She'd fallen asleep, while she was supposed to be keeping watch!

"Echoheart!" It was Whispersong, and she was running toward the hollow, fear in her eyes. What was she doing outside their makeshift shelter? And where was Bumblefrost?

"Get up! GET UP!" Whispersong yowled.

"What's going on?"

"Just get out!" Whispersong growled, shoving Echoheart out of the den. Echoheart stumbled and fell into the snow, but Whispersong didn't pause to check if she was okay; she was racing away down the hill so fast that Echoheart had to jump through the snow in giant strides instead of running. They flew down the tree-filled, snow-covered hill, flinging snow and loose pebbles into the air.

What was so urgent?

Echoheart's chest heaved as her breath ran short, and her muscles screamed. Her heart throbbed in worry, fear, and exhaustion.

What was going on? Why was Whispersong so scared?

Echoheart leapt over a log, spraying snow up like water as she landed. Her breath billowed thickly from her mouth like fog, her lungs screaming as she inhaled the ice-cold air.

Suddenly Whispersong skidded to a halt at the edge of a tall wall of stone, bigger than the one in the DawnClan camp. Echoheart unsheathed her claws and stopped as well, nearly losing her balance. Snow flew over the edge in a huge clouds as both cats halted abruptly.