Эрин Хантер - Thunder Аnd Shadow

“Who?”

“Quick! Hide!”

Violetkit felt like her heart was going to burst as Needlepaw darted behind the arching roots of an oak. She scampered quickly after her, panting as she ducked down beside the apprentice. She could hear paw steps. You said they’d all be sleeping. Violetkit didn’t dare speak out loud. Blood roared in her ears. She wanted desperately to peer over the root, but she knew she mustn’t be seen.

“Needlepaw.” A soft mew sounded a few tail-lengths ahead. “Are you here?”

Violetkit frowned. She’d heard that mew before. She opened her m outh and let scent wash over her tongue. It was a tom—a tom she’d m et only a few day s ago. “It’s Alderpaw!” she hissed at Needlepaw, less alarm ed now. “What’s he doing here?”

“He’s brought som eone to see you.” Needlepaw leaped onto the root and swished her tail. “Hi, Alderpaw.” Her eyes shone with am usem ent as Alderpaw backed away, alarm spiking his pelt.

“You m ade m e j um p!” he mewed reproachfully.

“Did I?” Needlepaw tipped her head innocently to one side. “Did you bring her?”

“Bring who?” Pelt prickling with anxiety, Violetkit scram bled up beside Needlepaw and stared at Alderpaw.

A sm all shape m oved behind him. Two ears poked out beside him, then a m uzzle.

“Violetkit?” A tiny mew sounded through the darkness.

Violetkit froze, her thoughts racing. Could it be? She j um ped down from the root and sniffed the air. A strange scent touched her nose, fam iliar and not fam iliar. “Twigkit?”

Green eyes blinked beside Alderpaw. Then a gray kit darted forward and slam m ed into

Violetkit. Unbalanced, Violetkit tum bled backward.

“It’s you! It’s really you!” Twigkit thrust her nose against Violetkit’s cheek, purring loudly.

Surprised, Violetkit shook her off and leaped to her paws. She stared at Twigkit.

Twigkit stared back. “You remember me, right?”

“Of course I do!” Violetkit blinked at her, too overwhelm ed to m ove.

Worry sparked in Twigkit’s gaze. “You are pleased to see m e, aren’t you?”

Violetkit hesitated, em otions swirling through her like storm clouds. She was more pleased than she could say. But what did Twigpaw expect? How should she act? “Of c-course!” she stam m ered.

“You look different and not different all at the sam e tim e,” Twigkit blurted. She leaned forward and sniffed Violetkit. “And you sm ell weird.”

“So do you.” Violetkit was surprised that the sm ell of ThunderClan seem ed so strange to her now. “You sm ell like cobwebs.”

“You sm ell like pine needles.” Twigkit padded around her, purring loudly and rubbing against her. “It’s so good to see you again. I’ve been learning how to be a medicine cat. I want to be a medicine apprentice when I’m old enough. Just like Alderpaw. Alderpaw’s m y friend.” She glanced at Needlepaw. “Is she your friend?”

Violetkit followed her sister’s gaze nervously. Would Needlepaw mind if she said yes? She didn’t want Twigkit to think she hadn’t m ade friends in ShadowClan. Twigkit was clearly close to Alderpaw. She probably had lot of friends in ThunderClan. “I guess,” Violetkit mewed softly.

“What’s her name?” Twigkit blinked at Needlepaw.

“I’m Needlepaw.” The sleek, silver she-cat j um ped down from the root and padded around

Alderpaw. “Did you m anage to sneak out of camp without being seen?” Violetkit saw a glint in Needlepaw’s eyes. She sounded like she was teasing Alderpaw. She frowned. Were they friends?

“Let’s play!” Twigkit’s mew took Violetkit by surprise. A paw thum ped her flank. “Got y ou!

You’re the warrior now and I’m the m ouse.” Twigkit raced toward the root and scram bled over it.

Violetkit watched her go, wondering what to do.

“It’s a gam e, toad-brain,” Needlepaw told her. “Go and chase her. Alderpaw and I can talk.

Don’t go far though. There are owls here too.”

Owls? Violetkit’s heart lurched.

The tips of two sm all ears showed behind the root. “Come on, Violetkit! Chase m e!” Twigkit called. Her ear tips twitched enticingly.

Excitem ent tugged at Violetkit’s paws. In a m om ent she forgot owls and, with a squeak of delight, leaped over the root and bowled into Twigkit, rolling them both through the leaf litter.

Twigkit struggled away. “Now you’re the m ouse!” She raced for a patch of blackberry bushes.

Violetkit darted away, leaves brushing her face as she pushed through the blackberries. Ferns rustled behind her as Twigkit dived into a clum p.

“I’m going to catch y ou!” Twigkit called happily. Violetkit plunged through the ferns, squirm ing between the fronds until she felt soft paws touch the tip of her tail. Twigkit tugged. “I’m the m ouse now!” she cried. Turning, she squeezed her way out and hared across a stretch of open ground.

As Violetkit ran after Twigkit, her heart leaped. She’d been so lonely in ShadowClan. Now she was with her littermate again. And they were play ing like she hadn’t play ed since they’d been parted. She felt like she might burst with j oy.

They play ed until they were both out of breath and scram bled to a halt in front of Alderpaw and Needlepaw. The apprentices were talking, Alderpaw watching Needlepaw with wide, beseeching eyes, while Needlepaw paced back and forth, her tail high.

“I bet Tawny pelt is a grum pier m entor than Jayfeather.”

“No cat is grum pier than Jayfeather.”

Violetkit interrupted them. “Why don’t you play?”

Alderpaw blinked at her. “I’ve been training all day,” he told her. “I don’t want to play.”

Needlepaw rolled her eyes. “ThunderClan cats are so dull.”

“That’s not true.” Alderpaw nudged her shoulder teasingly with his nose.

Needlepaw stepped away. “Come on.” She nodded at Violetkit. “We’d better head home.”

“Hom e?” Grief j abbed Violetkit’s heart. Weren’t she and Twigkit meant to be together now?

Wasn’t that why Needlepaw had brought her here? She blinked desperately at the ShadowClan she-cat. “Is Twigkit coming with us?”

“Twigkit can’t come to ShadowClan.” Needlepaw sounded surprised.

“Then why did you bring m e here?” Violetkit asked. She wanted to wail.

“To visit your sister.” Needlepaw shrugged. “You’ve had fun, haven’t y ou? Now it’s time to go.”

Sorrow threatened to knock Violetkit off her paws as Alderpaw glanced up through the branches. “Dawn will be coming soon. We should get home before the camps start to wake up.”

“Ours is already awake,” Needlepaw sniffed. “Littlecloud died yesterday. The old cats are sitting vigil.”

Alderpaw’s gaze darkened with sorrow. “I’m sad to hear that.”

Needlepaw shrugged. “It’s not exactly a surprise. He was, like, the oldest cat in the forest.”

Needlepaw headed upslope toward the pines. “Come on, Violetkit.”

Violetkit stared at her num bly, struggling to understand. Why would Needlepaw bring her here and then just take her away?

Needlepaw flicked her tail. “We need to get back before Pinenose notices y ou’re gone.”

Violetkit’s throat tightened. She stared desperately at Twigkit. “Did you know we were just visiting?”

“Alderpaw explained.” Her sister touched her m uzzle gently to her cheek. “He and Needlepaw wanted to cheer us up. This was the best way he could think of.” Her warm, sweet breath tickled Violetkit’s ear. Violetkit pressed against her, trembling. Suddenly she remembered what it felt like to sleep beside her sister, curled tight against her soft fur.

“We’ll see each other again soon,” Twigkit prom ised.