Эрин Хантер - Shattered Sky

The Clan’s enthusiastic meows faded somewhat. But they didn’t seem surprised. After a moment, the tabby she-cat asked, “How did he die?”

“In a great battle, saving his Clan,” Twigpaw replied. “I wasn’t born then, but I’ve heard so many stories about him! ThunderClan also honors his memory.”

“So who is leader of ThunderClan now?” the she-cat mewed.

“He’s called Bramblestar. He’s a great cat, too.”

The tabby she-cat nodded slowly, taking all this in. “My name is Leafstar,” she continued at last. “I met Firestar when he came to the gorge and rebuilt our Clan, and I know that ThunderClan is good and honorable. Can you take us back to your hunting grounds? Echosong had a dream where we came to live beside the other Clans—by a large body of water. We would be so grateful if you could take us to Bramblestar.”

Twigpaw bowed her head, humbled to think that her Clan was held so highly in the memories of these cats who lived so far away. But can I even find my way back? She wasn’t sure what to say. I have to try. They’re all counting on me.

After a moment, the gray tom who looked like Twigpaw stepped forward to stand at Leafstar’s side. “My name is Hawkwing,” he announced.

“He is the deputy of this Clan,” Leafstar meowed. “The deputy Firestar knew, Sharpclaw, was Hawkwing’s father. He was killed when a group of rogues attacked us and took over the gorge. We were forced to leave; at first we settled down by a lake not far from here, thinking it might be the water from Echosong’s dream—but when greenleaf came, Twolegs moved onto our territory. And so we had to leave our home a second time. We have been wandering through the woods, searching for the spark that remains. And it sounds, Twigpaw, like that is you.” Her eyes warmed as she looked down at the young apprentice.

Twigpaw was overwhelmed, but a small part of her registered what Leafstar had said: a group of rogues attacked us and took over the gorge. Twigpaw swallowed hard, wondering how to tell these cats, who had already suffered so much, that Darktail was now causing trouble for the other Clans.

Glancing at the gray tom, Twigpaw realized that he was staring at her. For a moment she wondered if he might actually be the gray tom from her dream—but that cat’s eyes had been the brilliant blue of a clear sky, while Hawkwing’s were warm amber.

Just like Violetpaw’s!

“Are you alone?” Hawkwing asked her. “Where are your Clanmates? We’re not near the lake, are we? What brings you this far from home?”

Twigpaw hesitated, overwhelmed by the questions. “My Clanmates are back on our territory,” Twigpaw explained, struggling to find the right words. “There’s… there’s a lot going on back home. There’s a group of rogues on the territory, led by a cat you might know…” She swallowed, wondering how the SkyClan cats would react. “A rogue named Darktail.”

Leafstar gasped, and Twigpaw saw something dark flash in Hawkwing’s eyes.

“Darktail?” he said, as though the word felt strange on his tongue. “Darktail is… on your territory now?”

As quickly as she could, Twigpaw explained how Alderheart had had a vision of SkyClan, and had led a quest to try to help them, only to get to the gorge too late. She explained how he and the others had been fooled by Darktail into believing that he led SkyClan, only to realize the truth after staying with him for some time.

“They fled and came back to the lake, but Darktail must have followed them,” Twigpaw finished. “Because he showed up and began attacking Clan cats not long after they returned. And now… well, they’re still trying to drive him out.”

Twigpaw saw Leafstar and Hawkwing exchange a serious look.

“Well,” Hawkwing said, determined. “Now I’m even more sure that we have business at the lake.”

Twigpaw looked from the older cats to her paws, feeling awkward.

“Were you on the quest, Twigpaw?” Leafstar asked after a moment. “Have you seen the gorge since we left?”

Twigpaw shook her head. “I was too young; I wasn’t part of ThunderClan yet. Alderheart found me and my sister Violetpaw on his way back to ThunderClan. We were very young, and it looked as if our mother had abandoned us.”

“What cat would do that?” a gray she-cat meowed, while sympathetic murmurs came from several of the others.

“I don’t think she meant to,” Twigpaw responded, quick to defend the mother she had never known. “Some of my Clanmates and I went to look for her, and we decided that she must have died—we think that she was probably hit by a monster on the Thunderpath.” She hesitated. “Then Alderheart had another vision where he saw SkyClan again—and he saw you, Hawkwing. He said you looked… just like me.” As she mewed the last few words, Twigpaw suddenly felt like she was being stupid. She couldn’t meet Hawkwing’s gaze anymore, so studied her paws as she added, “I just had to come and find you. I had to know whether there was any chance…”

For a moment no cat spoke. When Twigpaw dared to raise her head, she saw a stricken look in Hawkwing’s amber eyes.

“You’re right, Twigpaw.” His voice was filled with sorrow. “Your mother must have died, because there’s no way that Pebbleshine would ever have abandoned her kits if she were alive. I know, because… because she was my mate.”

Twigpaw looked up at him, her heart beating so fast she could hardly breathe. “Wait!” she choked out. “Are you saying…?”

“I’m your father, Twigpaw,” Hawkwing meowed, and ran forward to nuzzle her close.

With Twigpaw in the lead, along with Leafstar and Hawkwing, the cats of SkyClan straggled along the bank of a narrow stream that wound its way through dense forest. They were traveling toward a high hill Twigpaw could see in the distance—a hill, she hoped and believed, that was one of the same ones she could see from the lake. At last the trees were thinning out, and ahead Twigpaw could see open country, with hills rising in the distance. Three sunrises had passed since she had found SkyClan, and sometimes she was afraid that they would never find the lake again.

Paw steps sounded behind her, and Twigpaw glanced back to see the pale gray tom, Sagenose, hurrying to catch up.

“Are you sure of where you’re going?” the SkyClan tom demanded, falling into step beside Twigpaw. “We’ve been traveling so long I think my paws are going to fall off!”

Twigpaw halted, suppressing a sigh. How many times have they asked me that question? “No, I’m not completely sure,” she replied. “But I think we’re heading in the right direction.” As Sagenose let out a disbelieving snort, she added, “You see that hill up ahead? I’m sure I see that on the horizon when I hunt! So we must be getting closer.”

Sagenose flicked his ears dismissively. “Is any other cat concerned,” he meowed, turning to Leafstar, “that ThunderClan hasn’t invited us? This one apprentice came looking for us, but she admits she wasn’t exactly sent .”

Twigpaw flinched, looking helplessly at Hawkwing. Could I possibly have come all this way to find my father, only to have his Clan refuse to follow me home?

Hawkwing moved closer to her until their pelts brushed. “Sagenose, we’ve discussed this,” Hawkwing responded. “Twigpaw will take us to Bramblestar. When we talk to him, we’ll know more about what the future holds.”

More cats crowded around as they heard the beginning of the argument.

Sparrowpelt shouldered his way forward and rested his tabby tail for a moment on Twigpaw’s shoulder. “Sagenose, we’ve been wandering for moons, trying to find the right home,” he meowed. “And before Echosong died, she told us to follow the blood trail in the sky, and that led us straight to Twigpaw! Echosong even said she’d had visions of a ThunderClan cat. Surely that means—”