The ThunderClan hollow, before dawn. Jaypaw emerges from the medicine cat’s den.
He walks sure-footedly, but senses other than sight—hearing, smell, touch— help him
move confidently around his territory. Brambleclaw enters the hollow, just back from
patrolling the forest alone.
NARRATOR: In the ThunderClan camp at dawn the following day, Jaypaw wakes
early. Jaypaw is the apprentice to ThunderClan’s medicine cat, Leafpool. All medicine
cats need to have a good memory for herbs and remedies, as well as having the ability
to talk to StarClan, their warrior ancestors, in their dreams. Jaypaw has more power than
any other medicine cat and sees cats from StarClan as if they were right there beside
him—even though he is blind in his everyday life.
Brambleclaw: You’re up early, Jaypaw. Is everything all right?
Jaypaw: (quietly) Yes, fine.
Brambleclaw: You don’t sound fine. Did something happen at the Gathering last night?
Were any cats mean to you?
Jaypaw: No, nothing like that. Anyway, they’re all too thin to be mean. Do you think
the other Clans have any fresh-kill right now?
Brambleclaw: (coming over, looking concerned) Jaypaw, there’s nothing in the warrior
code that says we have to feed the other Clans when prey is scarce. Leaf-bare is tough
for all of us. The others chose to live where they do; it’s not our problem if they can’t
find fresh-kill in every season.
Jaypaw: (under his breath as he heads out into the forest) He’s right. It’s not part of the
warrior code. If I can just find the stick. . . .
NARRATOR: Jaypaw heads through the trees to the shore, where he has hidden the
stick he found in the lake under some roots at the edge of the water. The stick is stripped
bare of bark, about two cat-lengths long, with short scratches on its surface. It comes
from the ancient community of cats who used to live by the lake. The scratches
represent new warriors who made it safely through the initiation ceremonies held far
underground. Jaypaw learned about the ancient cats from a cat called Rock, who lives in
the tunnels beneath ThunderClan.
Jaypaw: (pulls the stick out and crouches over it, running his front paw over the
scratches) Rock? Rock, are you there? Why won’t you talk to me?
Hollyleaf appears behind him, having followed him through the trees. Lionblaze is a
couple of paces behind her.
NARRATOR: Jaypaw’s littermates, Lionblaze and Hollyleaf, also have special powers.
These three cats are part of a long-ago prophecy that promised they would have the
powers of the stars in their paws. They know they have a unique destiny, and are
waiting to learn what it is. In the meantime, they keep the prophecy secret from their
Clanmates, knowing that some cats might be afraid of the power they have been
promised.
Hollyleaf: Jaypaw, are you talking to rocks?
Jaypaw: (looking up guiltily) Uh. . . no, not exactly.
Lionblaze: What are you doing with that stick?
Jaypaw: It’s medicine cat stuff.
Lionblaze: (crossly) Okay, don’t tell us, then.
Jaypaw: (standing up, fur bristling) Did you follow me?
Hollyleaf: Brambleclaw said you were being weird.
Jaypaw: I was not being weird! I was thinking—that’s all. You should try it some time.
(He looks down at the stick again.)
As he’s speaking, three cats appear in a row at the back of the stage: Brightspirit,
Braveheart, and Shiningheart.
Brightspirit: Don’t quarrel. Leaf-bare is cruel enough.
Jaypaw: (still looking at the stick) I wasn’t quarrelling, Hollyleaf. Anyway, he started
it.
Hollyleaf: Er, Jaypaw? Are you talking to me?
Jaypaw: (looking up in surprise) Yes. You just told me to stop quarrelling and—
Hollyleaf: No, I didn’t.
Jaypaw: Yes, you did.
Lionblaze: She didn’t.
Jaypaw: She did! I heard her!
Shiningheart: Actually, it was Brightspirit.
Jaypaw looks up, and he sees the three starry cats behind his littermates. His mouth
drops open in amazement. He knows he’s having a vision because he can see. He’s met
these cats before, just briefly. Because they are cats from StarClan, only Jaypaw can
see them, since he is a medicine cat. His littermates have no idea the starry cats are
there.
Jaypaw: Brightspirit!
Lionblaze: Who?
Hollyleaf: (looking around) Jaypaw, are there cats from StarClan here?
Jaypaw: (walking past his littermates, ignoring them) Shiningheart, Braveheart! What
are you doing here? Is something wrong?
Brightspirit: (steps forward and bows her head solemnly) Yes, there is. The other
Clans are starving.
Shiningheart:They need your help.
Braveheart: ThunderClan has more prey than the other Clans. You will have to share
your food with them.
Jaypaw: No way! That’s not part of the warrior code! Brambleclaw said so, and he’s
right.
Shiningheart: Do you only do things that the warrior code tells you to?
Jaypaw: Well, yes. . . .of course. That’s what being a Clan cat is all about.
Braveheart: Does the code tell you to eat? Sleep? Drink?
Jaypaw: No, but. . . .
Shiningheart: (gently) But you do these things every day.
Brightspirit: (walking forward to touch her muzzle to Jaypaw’s) Does the warrior code
tell you to believe in StarClan?
Jaypaw: (staring at her, wide-eyed) No. No, it doesn’t.
Brightspirit: And yet you do. If you didn’t, we wouldn’t be here.
Hollyleaf: Jaypaw, are you going to introduce us?
Jaypaw: Can. . . .can you see them?!
Lionblaze: No, it looks like you’ve lost your mind and are talking to a birch tree. But
they’re obviously there. So, who is it? Bluestar? Spottedleaf?
Jaypaw: No, it’s Brightspirit, and her parents, Shiningheart and Braveheart. (Each
starry cat in turn dips its head to the other cats, who can’t see them.)
Hollyleaf: Brightspirit? I’ve never heard that name before. Was she once in
ThunderClan?
Jaypaw: I. . . .I don’t think so. I’ve only met her once before. But she knows all about
us, and ThunderClan!
Brightspirit: Tell Lionblaze and Hollyleaf that you can’t let the other Clans starve.
Shiningheart: There have to be four Clans. If one leaves, the others become vulnerable.
Braveheart: The biggest battle the Clans ever face is with what lies outside their
territories. For that, you need one another.
Brightspirit: And right now, the other Clans need you. Have mercy on them, Jaypaw.
Don’t rely on the warrior code to tell you what to do all the time. Do what you know is
right.
Hollyleaf: What are they saying?
Lionblaze: (looking wildly around) Can they see us? I mean—we can’t see them, but
does that mean they don’t know we’re here?
Jaypaw: They can see you. They’re telling me that we must share our fresh-kill with
the other Clans.
Lionblaze: (circling aggressively, just missing the starry visitors) That’s nonsense!
What kind of StarClan cats are they? Don’t tell me—they’re from ShadowClan, trying
to weaken us so their favorites can invade our territory.
Jaypaw: They’re not from ShadowClan. Actually, I don’t know what Clan they belong
to.
Shiningheart: That doesn’t matter, Jaypaw. We are here for the sake of all the Clans.
Braveheart: And the other Clans will starve to death unless you help them.
Lionblaze: Have you told them it’s not part of the warrior code? (Glancing at the place
where he thinks they’re standing, he raises his voice.) The warrior code doesn’t say
anything about feeding our enemies! We’re not going to do it!
Brightspirit: What about you, Jaypaw? Can you find mercy in your heart? As a
medicine cat, you are not bound by the same rivalries as your littermates. Can you
watch the other Clans die when you have enough food to share?
Jaypaw: (quietly) No, I cannot.
Lionblaze: That’s right. We cannot give away our fresh-kill.
Jaypaw: No. I mean, we cannot let our fellow Clans starve. We must take food to them
until newleaf comes.
Lionblaze leaps at Jaypaw and swipes at him with his claws sheathed. Jaypaw stumbles,
caught unawares (he can’t see his brother, only the starry cats). Hollyleaf springs
forward to stop Lionblaze.
Hollyleaf: Stop! What in the name of StarClan are you doing?
Lionblaze: (growling) In case you hadn’t noticed, our brother is about to give away all
our food.
Brightspirit You must listen to your heart, Jaypaw. It might be speaking so softly you
can hardly hear it. But it will tell you what is right.
Brightspirit, Shiningheart, and Braveheart take turns touching Jaypaw’s head with their
muzzles, then exit, fading.
Hollyleaf: Jaypaw, are you okay?
Jaypaw straightens up and faces her, although he is again entirely blind.
Jaypaw: I’m fine. Come on. We need to hunt.
Lionblaze: (planting his paws squarely) You. Are. Talking. Feathers. No way am I
going to waste my hunting skills feeding our enemies!
Jaypaw: Then I’ll hunt on my own. Unless you want to come, Hollyleaf?
Hollyleaf : (glancing at Lionblaze) Yes, I’ll come. The other Clans won’t attack us if
we give them food. And they’ll be in our debt after this.
Jaypaw: (sadly, to himself) That’s not the reason we have to do this. But if it means
you’ll help me, then it’s good enough.