Warriors: Dawn of the Clans #1: The Sun Trail by Erin Hunter, Wayne McLoughlin Read Free Book Online Page A

days, as if the sun was shining outside. Maybe that’s a good sign , he thought. Better than trying to hunt in a blizzard, anyway.
    As he loped toward the entrance he heard the swift pattering of paws behind him, and Jagged Peak’s voice rose shrilly. “Gray Wing! Wait for me!”
    Gray Wing turned as Jagged Peak skidded to a halt beside him. “I want to hunt with you,” the kit announced.
    Gray Wing suppressed a sigh. “You’re too young,” he replied. “Go and play with the other kits.”
    “They only want to do dumb stuff,” Jagged Peak muttered. “Pouncing on a pebble and pretending it’s an eagle! I want to pounce on real eagles.”
    “An eagle would just make a mouthful of you,” Gray Wing meowed.
    “Would not !” Jagged Peak protested. “I’m big ! I’m the oldest kit—I should be allowed to hunt.”
    Reluctantly, Gray Wing admitted to himself that his brother had a point. Maybe it is time he started to train. We could certainly use another hunter.
    “What’s the matter?” Quiet Rain asked, padding up to them. “Jagged Peak, are you making a nuisance of yourself?”
    “He wants to learn how to hunt,” Gray Wing explained, before Jagged Peak could reply.
    He caught a swift flash of fear in his mother’s eyes, as if she was thinking of all the dangers outside the cave for a cat as small as Jagged Peak. “He’s so young. . . .”
    Jagged Peak’s fur bristled. “I’m the oldest—”
    Gray Wing slapped his tail over the kit’s mouth, earning himself an indignant glare.
    “He is nearly old enough,” he told Quiet Rain. When his mother still looked doubtful, he added, “Better he comes with me than tries to sneak out on his own.”
    Quiet Rain hesitated for a moment longer, then gave a reluctant nod. “All right.” Turning to Jagged Peak, she added, “Stay with Gray Wing, and do exactly what he tells you.”
    Jagged Peak nodded vigorously. His eyes were bright and he began pacing with excitement. “Let’s go!”
    Gray Wing held Jagged Peak back with his tail as the kit tried to scamper up the path that led behind the waterfall. “The first thing you have to learn,” he said, “is not to go dashing off. Follow me, and keep quiet.”
    Though Jagged Peak’s eyes still sparkled, he settled down and padded after Gray Wing. Quiet Rain brought up the rear. Stone Song and Hollow Tree had already left; when he emerged into the open, Gray Wing spotted them together, climbing the opposite slope.
    Quiet Rain caught up to Jagged Peak, hesitated, then mewed, “Good hunting,” before she headed up the rocks toward the top of the cliff.
    Gray Wing guessed that she would rather have stayed with her kit, but she knew she had to concentrate on her own hunting.
    “Okay,” he began, “the most important thing to remember is that, out here, you can be prey too. Some of these birds are strong enough to fly away with a full-grown cat in their talons. Always be aware of what’s going on above your head. Got that?”
    Jagged Peak’s eyes stretched wide. “Got it.”
    Gray Wing was relieved that his brother seemed to be taking the warning seriously.
    “The next thing,” he went on, “is searching for prey. Charging around is pointless—you’ll just scare the animals back into their holes. Use your eyes and nose, and taste the air for scent. Try it now, and see if you can pick up anything.”
    Jagged Peak stood still, his ears pricked and his jaws parted. His gaze swiveled around, taking in the snow-covered slopes; Gray Wing was glad to see that he kept casting glances upward as well.
    “Can you spot anything?” he asked after a moment.
    Jagged Peak dipped his head, looking disappointed. “No.”
    “Don’t worry, neither can I,” Gray Wing told him. “Prey doesn’t usually come this close to our cave. We’ll go and look somewhere else in a moment, but first I want to show you how to stalk. You have to learn to get as close as you can to your prey without it knowing you’re there. How