SCENE THREE

The forest, ThunderClan territory. Jaypaw, Hollyleaf, and Lionblaze are stalking prey,

pouncing, occasionally catching and neatly dispatching a mouse, vole, or little bird.

Hollyleaf hunts cautiously and cleverly, stalking the tiniest scent. Lionblaze is better at

taking giant leaps from a distance, using strength and power. Jaypaw is the least

experienced because he’s a medicine cat, not a warrior, and also because he’s blind, but he does his best. They’re collecting a small pile of fresh-kill at the foot of a tree.

(Improvised speech or action would be fine here!)

NARRATOR: The three young ThunderClan cats set out to catch prey for their

starving neighbors. Jaypaw struggles, not just because he is blind, but because he is a

medicine cat and hasn’t been trained to hunt like the others. But he still tries his hardest,

with Brightspirit’s message ringing in his ears.

Hollyleaf: Good catch, Lionblaze! Thanks for coming with us. We wouldn’t have

caught as much without your help.

Lionblaze: (gruffly) I still think what we’re doing is mouse-brained, but we’re the

Three in the prophecy, remember? We have to keep together, whatever happens.

Though if any cat catches us, you can do the explaining.

Jaypaw: (trotting up with a mouse, which he drops on the fresh-kill pile) The prophecy

already sets us apart from our Clanmates. And no cat can accuse us of breaking the

warrior code.

Hollyleaf: Come on. We won’t be able to carry much more. Let’s head to WindClan

first since that border’s closest.

The cats pick up the fresh-kill; Hollyleaf helps Jaypaw pick up some mice by their tails.

Lionblaze drapes a squirrel across his broad shoulders. They set off through the trees to

the WindClan border, which is marked by a stream at the edge of the open moor. The

cats put down the fresh-kill and stand at the edge of the stream, gazing across the moor.

NARRATOR: They reach the border with WindClan, where the forest gives way to an

open stretch of moorland. If they go one step farther, they will be trespassing!

Jaypaw: Can you see any patrols?

Hollyleaf: Not yet.

Lionblaze: The way the wind is blowing, they’ll pick up our scents in no time. We just

have to hope they don’t claw our ears off before we can explain what we’re doing. You

know what WindClan’s like; they’re bound to be too proud to accept our help.

Jaypaw: They will if they’re hungry enough.

Hollyleaf: I think I can see some cats! (They shuffle nervously on their side of the

stream.)

A patrol of WindClan cats arrives: Ashfoot, the deputy; Whitetail his apprentice, and

Breezepaw. All are thin and very suspicious of being attacked in their weakened state.

NARRATOR: A WindClan patrol arrives: Ashfoot, the deputy, with Whitetail and

Breezepaw. Breezepaw has crossed paths with the ThunderClan cats before—and

there’s no love lost between them!

Breezepaw: (hostile) What are you doing here? (spotting the fresh-kill, he arches his

back and bristles) Have you been stealing prey from us?

Lionblaze: Hardly, you mangy lump of crowfood. Unless squirrels and mice have

started living on your territory.

Breezepaw: (squaring up to Lionblaze on the edge of the stream) Who are you calling

crowfood? I’ll rip your pelt if you’re not careful!

Ashfoot: I’ll deal with this, Breezepaw. Lionblaze, what are you doing so close to

WindClan territory? Does Firestar know you’re here?

Hollyleaf: We brought you this (indicates fresh-kill).

Breezepaw: Don’t touch it, Ashfoot! They’ve probably put deathberries in it!

Ashfoot: Why would you bring us food?

Lionblaze: (looking at Jaypaw) Because. . . .

Jaypaw: Because it’s the right thing to do. Because if one Clan suffers, all the Clans

suffer. We have enough food to help all the Clans survive leaf-bare.

Ashfoot: It doesn’t say anything about this in the warrior code.

Jaypaw: (exasperated) Our lives are not confined by the warrior code! We should do

what is right, not only what we are told to do.

As they are debating, Brightspirit, Shiningheart, and Braveheart appear behind the

ThunderClan cats, watching and listening.

Hollyleaf: It’s all right, Jaypaw. You knew it would be hard to make them understand.

Ashfoot: Then we thank you for this gift. May StarClan walk your path, always.

Breezepaw: You’re not going to accept it, are you?

Ashfoot: Breezepaw, if StarClan hadn’t wanted these cats to share their food, our

warrior ancestors would have made sure every last creature stayed hidden in the forest.

But this is a good catch, better than we have seen in moons, which must mean we have

StarClan’s blessing.

Breezepaw: Well, I’m not going to eat any of it.

Ashfoot: That’s your choice. But as your deputy, I’m ordering you to help carry it back

to your camp.

The WindClan cats leap across the stream and collect the prey. There are shy

murmured thanks, although not from Breezepaw, who’s still bristling with fury. Once

back across the stream, Ashfoot pauses to speak to the ThunderClan cats once more.

Ashfoot: This changes nothing between our Clans. We thank you, but we will not be in

your debt for this gift. Set one paw across our border and we’ll rip your fur off.

Breezepaw: Yeah! I’ll be waiting for you, crowfood!

Jaypaw: We understand. This is the way it must be.

Hollyleaf: (quietly) The warrior code has to mean something. Sharing our food doesn’t

make us allies.

Lionblaze: Come on. If we’re going to take fresh-kill to the rest of the Clans, we’d

better get a move on or it’ll be dark.

He starts to lead them away from the stream. Jaypaw brings up the rear. He stops by

Brightspirit and looks up at her.

Jaypaw: You’re sure this was the right thing to do?

Brightspirit: Always. It takes great strength to have mercy—more strength than it takes

to win a battle. Go well, Jaypaw. I will see you again.

Exit Jaypaw, following Lionblaze and Hollyleaf. The starry cats watch them go.

Shiningheart: You did well, Brightspirit. I’m very proud of you.

Brightspirit: Jaypaw is a good cat. He just needs to trust himself more.

Braveheart: He has a difficult path ahead of him.

Brightspirit: But I will be with him, every step of the way.

They exit in opposite directions, with Brightspirit casting one last glance back toward

ThunderClan.

THE END