Read Online Warriors: Power Of Three 2 - Dark River by Erin Hunter - Free Book Online Page B

inquisitive fawn had discovered the hollow. He would investigate first and call the alarm if there really was any danger.
    Whitewing’s pelt glowed at the camp entrance. She must be on guard. If there was trouble he could call to her.
    Lionpaw slipped around the edge of the clearing and pushed his way among the brambles beside the medicine den.
    He knew he could climb the cliff behind them. Reaching up through the prickly branches he felt the first ledge with his paws and hauled himself up. Then, moving carefully so as not to send grit showering down, he scrabbled up from ledge to ledge until finally he pulled himself onto the grass at the top.
    Panting a little, he began to creep around the edge of the hollow.
    “Lionpaw!” A soft mew hissed from beneath the ferns ahead. He froze as Heatherpaw slipped out from beneath the arching fronds. “Thank StarClan it’s you.”
    “Did you drop those pebbles?” Lionpaw stared at her in alarm. What if she were caught here? “Is everything okay?”
    “I had to see you!”
    He felt a glow inside his chest. She was even braver than he thought. But he had to get her away from the camp.
    “Follow me,” he hissed. He hared off lakeward down the slope. But Heatherpaw didn’t follow.
    “Come on!” Lionpaw begged, skidding around and looking back.
    Her eyes were shining. “Don’t go that way! I’ve got something to show you!” She turned and ducked away under the ferns.
    Lionpaw hurried after her. “Where are we going?”
    “Wait and see!”
    She seemed to be heading toward the old fox den.
    Lionpaw slowed down. “Be careful!” he warned.
    “It’s okay,” she told him. “There aren’t any foxes.” She paused in front of the thick brambles that crowded the bottom of a steep slope. “Wait here.”
    She dived beneath them, and Lionpaw watched her tail disappear into the dense foliage, making the bushes tremble.
    Where was she going? An owl called in the branches above his head. Lionpaw fluffed out his fur and glanced around nervously.
    “Here!”
    Lionpaw looked up the steep slope and saw Heatherpaw blinking at him from the entrance to a small tunnel. “What are you doing in there?” It looked like a rabbit burrow.
    “You’ll never believe what’s inside! Come on!” Heatherpaw scooted backward into the darkness.
    Paws pricking, Lionpaw squirmed under the brambles, wincing as their barbs tugged his fur. He heaved himself up the slope, out of the thorny tangle, and paused at the burrow entrance. “Heatherpaw?” he called, his heart pounding.
    “Come inside!” Her mew echoed strangely from the shadows.
    Lionpaw squeezed in after her.
    The tunnel was pitch-black. Crouching, he wriggled forward, damp earth pressing against his pelt. What was Heatherpaw up to? This place was hardly big enough for a rabbit, let alone a cat. Suddenly, he felt space around him, cold air washing over his fur. The tunnel had widened.
    Relieved, he straightened up and padded forward until he felt Heatherpaw’s breath on his cheek.
    “It leads to a cave!” she mewed. “There are loads of tunnels under this part of the hill, and one of them leads right to WindClan territory.”
    “How in StarClan’s name did you find it?”
    “Breezepaw sent me to catch mice between the rocks just over the top of the moor, not far from camp. I chased one down into a crack and realized that the crack opened into a tunnel. When I went inside I found that there were tunnels leading everywhere.”
    “Weren’t you frightened of getting lost?”
    “I explored slowly at first, making sure I got to know each route really well before trying another. And then I found one that led to a cave. It’s amazing. There’s a hole in the roof where the light comes in. Then I found a way into your territory!” Her mew was triumphant. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
    Lionpaw could hardly believe his ears. “A tunnel from our territory to yours!” he gasped. “That’s fantastic! If there was an attack or a fire,