Free A Dangerous Path by Erin Hunter Page A

forest that he didn’t understand, and he could not help fearing that it meant danger for his Clan.
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    Cutting across the corner of Tallpines, Fireheart and Sandstorm made for the river and Sunningrocks. There was no sign of prey anywhere among the scorched trees; the noise made by the Twolegs had seen to that.
    â€œWe’ll follow the RiverClan border up toward Fourtrees,” Fireheart decided. “There might be something there worth catching.”
    But as they came within sight of Sunningrocks, Fireheart stopped at the sound of a familiar voice calling his name. He looked up to see Graystripe poised on top of the nearest rock; the gray warrior scrambled down and bounded over to him.
    â€œFireheart! I was hoping to catch you.”
    â€œA good thing a patrol didn’t catch you ,” Sandstorm growled. “You’re very comfortable in our territory, for a RiverClan warrior.”
    â€œCome off it, Sandstorm,” Graystripe meowed, giving her a good-natured push. “This is me, Graystripe, remember?”
    â€œOnly too well,” retorted Sandstorm. She sat down, licked a paw, and started washing her face.
    â€œWhat’s the problem, Graystripe?” Fireheart asked, worried that his old friend wouldn’t have ventured into ThunderClan territory without good reason.
    â€œIt’s not exactly a problem,” replied the gray warrior. “At least, I hope it isn’t. Just something I thought you ought to know.”
    â€œSpit it out, then,” meowed Sandstorm.
    Graystripe flicked his tail at her. “Crookedstar had a visitor yesterday,” he told Fireheart. He narrowed his amber eyes. “It was Tigerstar.”
    â€œWhat? What did he want?” Fireheart stammered.
    Graystripe shook his head. “I don’t know. But Crookedstar is very weak now. The whole Clan knows he’s on his last life. Tigerstar spent only a short time with him, but he had a long talk with Leopardfur.”
    The mention of the RiverClan deputy increased Fireheart’s fears. What did she and Tigerstar have to say to each other? Visions of an alliance between ShadowClan and RiverClan raced through his mind, with ThunderClan trapped between the two of them. Then he tried to tell himself he was worrying unnecessarily. He had no reason to thinkthat the two cats were planning anything.
    â€œIt’s not unknown for leaders to visit each other,” he pointed out. “If Crookedstar is dying, Tigerstar might want to pay his last respects.”
    â€œMaybe.” Graystripe snorted. “But then why spend so much time with Leopardfur? I tried to get close enough to listen, and I heard Tigerstar say something about coming again to our camp.”
    â€œWas that all he said?” Fireheart asked.
    â€œThat’s all I heard.” Graystripe ducked his head in embarrassment. “Leopardfur saw me and told me to stay out of her fur.”
    â€œPerhaps Tigerstar’s just getting to know her,” Fireheart guessed. “She’ll be Clan leader, after all, when Crookedstar dies.”
    He turned as he heard another cat calling his name, and saw Mistyfoot pulling herself up out of the river.
    â€œOh, great StarClan!” exclaimed Sandstorm. “Are we going to have all of RiverClan over here?”
    â€œFireheart!” Mistyfoot panted, shaking off her fur; Sandstorm jumped back crossly as some of the spinning drops spattered against her paws. “Fireheart, have you seen Graypool anywhere?”
    â€œGraypool?” Fireheart echoed, picturing the short-tempered elder whom Mistyfoot believed to be her mother. Fireheart still felt gratitude to the RiverClan queen for telling him the truth about the two ThunderClan kits she had brought up as her own, but he hadn’t seen her for a longtime. “What would Graypool be doing here?”
    â€œI don’t know.” Mistyfoot padded up the slope from the river, her face creased with anxiety.