Warriors: Dawn of the Clans #2: Thunder Rising by Erin Hunter Read Free Book Online Page A

around him, examining his position with a critical eye. “Not bad,” he commented. “Move your forepaws back a bit, and keep your tail out of the way.”
    Thunder felt his denmate pushing his haunches down with one paw. The pose felt awkward for a moment, until he began to get used to it.
    “That’s the right position,” Shattered Ice meowed. “Stay like that for a moment so you remember—”
    “Teaching your friend how to steal prey?” asked a sudden voice.
    Thunder whirled around. Two strange cats had appeared at the edge of the clearing: a black-and-white tom and a smaller yellow she-cat. Thunder realized they must have approached them from upwind while Shattered Ice was showing him how to crouch. They were staring at Thunder and Shattered Ice with hostile eyes. I was right , Thunder thought. We weren’t alone.
    Shattered Ice had whipped around too, and was returning the strange cats’ glares. “Leaf. Petal,” he mewed, moving protectively in front of Thunder. “How nice to see you.”
    The newcomers padded forward and stalked around Thunder and Shattered Ice, their shoulder fur bristling and their tails lashing.
    “You’re trespassing,” Petal snarled. “What should we do with them, Leaf?”
    “Slash their noses to start with,” Leaf growled. “And then rip their pelts off.”
    Shattered Ice slid his claws out defiantly. “I’d like to see you try!” Hissing, he added, “We’re not thieves or trespassers. We’re just cats like you, trying to survive.”
    Petal’s eyes narrowed and she shoved her face up close to Shattered Ice. Thunder’s belly clenched and he winced as he wondered how his denmate would react.
    To Thunder’s surprise, the gray-and-white tom didn’t attack, which made Thunder realize that this encounter was even more serious than he’d thought. Shattered Ice would never allow himself to be pushed around. Not unless he had no choice  . . .
    “You and your friend here can go back where you came from,” Petal hissed. “Pass on the message that you’re not welcome in the forest anymore. If you dare to hunt here, there will be consequences.”
    The expression on Shattered Ice’s face hardened. “What sort of consequences, dungface?” he demanded.
    There! Shattered Ice had finally reacted, throwing one of the worst insults Thunder knew.
    Petal’s fur bristled and she drew back a paw to slash her claws across Shattered Ice’s muzzle.
    “No!” Thunder yowled before he could stop himself.
    But suddenly there was a movement at one side of the clearing. A clump of ferns parted and two other cats strode into the open.
    Relief flooded through Thunder as he recognized them: Falling Feather and Moon Shadow. Both of them had made the journey from the mountains; Thunder had met them when they had come to visit the camp on the moor.
    “Petal, what are you doing?” Falling Feather asked, bounding forward. “Shattered Ice saved my life!”
    “What?” Petal drew back grudgingly. “When?”
    “When we were traveling from the mountains,” Falling Feather replied. “He saved me from a bright red monster.”
    “Is that true?” Leaf asked.
    Shattered Ice gave a curt nod. “Yes.”
    Leaf took a pace back, looking uncomfortable. “You know we’re not supposed to let cats trespass on our territory,” he protested to Falling Feather. “These cats were trying to hunt.”
    “We were only defending ourselves,” Petal added.
    “Don’t worry.” Moon Shadow puffed out his chest importantly. “I can escort these cats away.”
    Shattered Ice rolled his eyes. “You haven’t changed then, Moon Shadow,” he mewed. “Still showing off. We don’t need escorting, thank you very much.”
    Thunder cringed as Moon Shadow flexed his claws and drew his lips back in a snarl. He hoped that Shattered Ice hadn’t gone too far. “Would you prefer a fight, flea-pelt?”
    Falling Feather pushed her way between the two toms before either of them could strike a blow. “Stop this!” she