Эрин Хантер - Thunder Аnd Shadow

Twigkit clung on, relishing the warmth pulsing from Cherry fall’s pelt. Closing her eyes, she let the warrior carry her home.

“Why did you even leave the camp?” Jayfeather scolded as he tucked her deep into

Emberfoot’s discarded nest.

“I was try ing to help,” Twigkit rasped sadly. She glanced toward the entrance, hoping Alderpaw would arrive. Would he be cross with her too? She couldn’t bear not knowing.

“Kits should not try to help. They cause nothing but trouble!” He folded dry m oss around her.

“Briarlight, wrap y ourself around her. We need to get her warm.”

Briarlight slid gently into the nest beside Twigkit and curled close. Twigkit was still shivering, her throat sore from coughing up water. She could hear the Clan m urm uring outside. They’d gathered around as Cherry fall had carried her into camp.

“Where did you find her?”

“Did the rogues kidnap her?”

“What was she doing out of camp?”

“How did she get so wet?”

Anxious voices had surrounded her, and she had buried her m uzzle deep into Cherry fall’s fur and closed her eyes. This wasn’t the heroic return she had planned. She hadn’t even brought back any waterm int.

Now, in Emberfoot’s nest, she heard Lily heart’s mew.

“Where is she?” The queen pushed her way through the brambles.

Twigkit peeped at her from the m oss.

“Cherry fall said y ou’d gone to the lake.” Lily heart sounded as cross as Jayfeather. “How could you leave the camp? I’m asham ed of y ou. What will the Clan think?”

Twigkit shrank deeper into the nest.

Jayfeather stepped in front of the queen. “She needs rest,” he told Lily heart. “You can growl at her when she’s recovered.”

Lily heart fluffed out her pelt indignantly. “I’m supposed to be looking after her.”

“Then you shouldn’t have let her wander out of camp.” Jayfeather steered Lily heart firm ly toward the entrance. “Especially when there are rogues in the forest.”

Lily heart grunted and stalked from the medicine den.

Twigkit blinked at Jayfeather. Had he actually defended her?

He headed for the back of the den. “I’ll m ix you som e herbs for the shock,” he mewed over his shoulder. “And don’t complain if they taste bad. You deserve every thing you get.”

As he spoke, Alderpaw raced through the brambles and skidded to a halt beside Twigkit’s nest.

“I was out gathering oak leaves.” He was panting. “Cherry fall told m e when I got back. Twigkit!

What happened? What were you doing by the lake?”

Twigkit blinked at him, bracing herself for another scolding, but Alderpaw was staring at her, his eyes wide with fear. “Are you okay?”

“She’ll be fine.” Jayfeather growled from the back of the den. “Briarlight’s warm ing her up and I’m mixing some thyme and poppy seeds for her.”

Alderpaw leaned forward and nudged Briarlight with his nose. “Let me take your place,” he mewed softly. As Briarlight m oved away, he slid into the nest and wrapped him self around

Twigkit. His fam iliar scent soothed her.

“Sparkpaw said you were try ing to help,” he m urm ured softly. “How could you help by going to the lake?”

“I wanted to get waterm int,” Twigkit whispered, her throat tightening. “You’d run out, and I wanted to prove I was special.” Her heart seem ed to crack as the words tum bled out.

“Mousewhisker and Rosepetal said they thought I wasn’t special. They said there was a prophecy.

The Clan thought I was part of it but I’m not. They said I was just an ordinary cat. But if I’m just an ordinary cat, the Clan won’t want m e any more. So I had to prove I was special.”

Alderpaw squeezed tighter around her and for the first tim e, Twigkit stopped shivering. “Of course y ou’re special! StarClan led Needlepaw and m e to y ou. And the Clan will always want y ou. You’re one of us now, and nothing will ever change that.”

You’re one of us now. His words soothed her. Twigkit relaxed against him and began to purr.

“Alderpaw!”

Sparkpaw’s mew m ade her j um p. The flam e-colored apprentice burst through the brambles.

Her eyes were shining. “Cherry fall told Bramblestar that I rescued Twigkit, and he say s it’s time for m y assessm ent. You know what that means? I’m going to be a warrior!”

Twigkit felt Alderpaw stiffen beside her.

“A warrior already?” His mew was tight. “That’s great, Sparkpaw. That’s really great.”

“I know!” Sparkpaw paced. “I can’t wait for m y cerem ony. That’s if I pass m y assessm ent. I will pass, won’t I?” She glanced anxiously at Alderpaw but didn’t give him a chance to answer.

“Of course I will. I’ve been training so hard for this m om ent. I wonder where the hunting assessm ent will be. I hope they choose the glade beside the stream. There are always squirrels there…”

Twigkit’s attention slid away. The warmth of Alderpaw and the nest was m aking her drowsy.

Her ey elids felt heavy. As she closed them and sleep began to pull at her pelt, she wondered why

Alderpaw had felt so tense when Sparkpaw had told him about her nam ing cerem ony. He was happy for his sister, wasn’t he? Of course he was. Darkness swirled around her. Why shouldn’t he be?

“Sparkpelt! Sparkpelt!”

Pride surged through Alderpaw’s pelt as he called his sister’s new warrior name. His Clanmates cheered around him.

Graystripe’s mew sounded farther around the clearing. The elder was m urm uring to Millie. “I thought they’d choose Sparkfire for her warrior name. She looks more like Firestar than any cat I ever saw. It would be a good way to remember him.” He sighed. “But I suppose Bramblestar is leader. He must know what he’s doing.”

Sparkpelt stood beside Bramblestar in the center of the clearing, her chin and tail high. Joy shone in her bright green gaze. The bright half-moon shone in a clear black sky, lighting the camp and striping the Highledge with shadow.

Bramblestar brushed his m uzzle along Sparkpelt’s chin. Squirrelflight hurried forward and touched noses with her. Alderpaw shifted uneasily. He was try ing to ignore the envy pricking in his paws. Sparkpelt deserved her warrior name. She’d been a great apprentice from her first day of training. Cherry fall and Brackenfur had announced that she had perform ed brilliantly during her assessm ent, catching a pigeon and two m ice and outwitting Cherry fall in a m ock fight with a battle m ove she’d thought up herself. And y et Alderpaw couldn’t help wishing that he were standing in the clearing beside her instead of watching.

He glanced at the moon. Would StarClan speak to him at tonight’s m eeting at the Moonpool?

Perhaps they would tell him that his apprenticeship was nearing its end. Longingly he im agined Jayfeather giving him his medicine-cat name while his Clanmates looked on. Would Jayfeather finally stop telling him what to do?

“Alderpaw!” Sparkpelt’s mew called him from his thoughts. Their Clanmates were drifting to the edges of the camp, back to the prey they had left so they could witness the nam ing cerem ony.

He hurried to m eet her. “Congratulations!”

She looked as happy as a kit. “Thanks.” She touched her m uzzle to his cheek. “It’ll be y ou next,” she prom ised softly.

“I hope so,” he sighed.

Jayfeather stom ped past them, his tail flicking. “Stop wishing and hurry up, Alderpaw. We don’t want to be the last cats to arrive.”