Ravenpaw's Farewell by Erin Hunter Read Free Book Online

front, keeping watch for dogs or Twolegs. The sun warmed his black fur, and although his legs were still tired, he found himself looking forward to rounding each new corner, seeing the river and fields and hedges roll out before him. His whiskers quivered at every fresh sound or smell, and he felt younger than he had in a while. Even the ache in his belly seemed to have faded. Ravenpaw wished that Barley were with him, sharing the adventure.
    A small copse of trees appeared on the bank. Ravenpaw decided to hunt, hopefully for something that Bella would eat.
    â€œWe’ll stop here for a while,” he announced. Riley plunged into the trees, gray tail waving. Bella lay at the edge of the path and scraped at the grass with her paw.
    â€œI’m too tired to hunt,” she mewed.
    â€œThen wait here until we come back,” Ravenpaw told her, trying not to show his annoyance. He whirled around and followed Riley into the trees. There were few scents of prey in the copse, but he managed to track down a mouse in a clump of bracken.
    Ravenpaw hauled his catch back to where he had left Bella. The patch of grass was empty.
    â€œBella?” he called softly.
    No reply. Then Ravenpaw heard the rumbling voice of a Twoleg farther up the river. He turned to see a full-grown male crouching on the edge of the bank beside a long pole, which hung out over the water. Bella was arching her back and purring in delight as she ate something from the Twoleg’s hairless front paw.
    Ravenpaw flung down the mouse and raced along the bank. “What do you think you’re doing?” he screeched. “Get away from there!”
    Bella spun around and glared at Ravenpaw. “He’s giving me something to eat!” she hissed. “I was hungry!”
    Ravenpaw leaped forward and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. It was tricky, as Bella was almost as tall as him. He was aware of the Twoleg stumbling away to the far side of the bank, making noises of alarm.
    â€œCome with me!” Ravenpaw ordered through a mouthful of orange fur. He dragged Bella along the bank and into the shelter of the trees.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” gasped Riley, who was heading through the bushes toward them.
    â€œBella was taking food from a Twoleg!” Ravenpaw spat.
    â€œWhat’s wrong with that?” Bella yowled.
    â€œYou’re supposed to be a wild cat now!” Ravenpaw snarled. “Twolegs are not your friends! And they are never a source of food!” He took a deep breath and tried to make his fur lie flat. “If you’re going to be a warrior, then Twolegs must be your enemies.”
    Bella flattened her ears at him. “That’s mouse-brained! Hewas being friendly and giving me treats!”
    â€œYou can’t trust Twolegs,” Ravenpaw insisted. “They don’t like warriors.”
    Riley flicked his tail. “She didn’t do anything wrong, Ravenpaw. She didn’t know she wasn’t supposed to take his food.”
    â€œLook, these are the rules now,” Ravenpaw growled. “If you aren’t going to listen to me, we may as well turn back.” He tipped his head to one side. “Is that what you want?”
    Riley and Bella stared at him, frozen.
    Ravenpaw nodded. “Come on, then. And don’t stop for anything .”
    He stomped out of the trees and headed along the riverbank once more. The Twoleg had gone, leaving behind a strong scent that made Ravenpaw’s nose twitch. He could hear Riley and Bella trotting behind him, both still bristling at the way he had spoken to them.
    That’s not my problem, Ravenpaw told himself. They have to respect their mentor, or SkyClan won’t have anything to do with them. I will have to start teaching them the warrior code. The vastness of his task struck him again.
    Do Riley and Bella have any chance of becoming warriors?

C HAPTER S IX

    After another uncomfortable night’s sleep, this time under a