Эрин Хантер - Thunder Аnd Shadow

“You sm ell of herbs,” Jayfeather grunted. “Leafpool must be teaching you something .”

Leafpool hurried forward. “Puddlepaw is a fast learner.”

“Good,” Jayfeather mewed. “Because we need you back in ThunderClan. Is he ready to become a full medicine cat y et?”

Already? Alderpaw’s pelt prickled with indignation. I’ll be training until I’m an elder if Jayfeather gets his way.

“A full medicine cat?” Leafpool looked at Jayfeather in horror. “After one moon’s training?”

Mothwing whisked her tail over the stone. “I’m sure you and Alderpaw can m anage to take care of ThunderClan without Leafpool for a while longer. If you ever need help, send for me or Willowshine.”

Jayfeather snorted dismissively. “We won’t need help.” His blind gaze fixed on Puddlepaw.

“But it would be good to know how long you will be wasting your talents on ShadowClan.”

Leafpool’s ears twitched crossly. “Shared knowledge is never wasted.”

Anxiety sparked in Puddlepaw’s eyes. “I appreciate every thing Leafpool has taught m e, and I’m learning as fast as I can.”

Alderpaw felt a sudden surge of pity for the young cat. Perhaps training too quickly was worse than training too slowly. In another moon Puddlepaw would be expected to take responsibility for the welfare of every cat in his Clan. “I’m sure you will be a great medicine cat,” he assured him. “It just takes patience.”

Jayfeather snapped his head around. “And the ability to tell the difference between chervil root and leaves.”

Anger pricked through Alderpaw’s pelt. “That’s not fair—”

Leafpool interrupted him. “At least we know that Alderpaw has plenty of patience.” She stared meaningfully at Jayfeather.

As though he could see her fierce gaze, Jayfeather turned away and padded to the edge of the pool. “Since there’s little else to say, let’s share with StarClan.” Crouching, he touched his nose to the water’s sm ooth surface.

Alderpaw pulled his nose tip from the chilly water, disappointed.

“Did StarClan speak to y ou?” Leafpool was looking at him hopefully.

He shook his head, straightening. He’d seen nothing but his own thoughts. Jayfeather, Kestrelflight, and Willowshine glanced at each other. Puddlepaw stared at the ground.

“Didn’t any one speak with them?” Leafpool pressed.

Jayfeather shook out his pelt. “I guess there was nothing to share.”

“What about the rogues?” Leafpool looked worried.

“They must be no threat,” Willowshine guessed.

“I told y ou,” Mothwing j erked her head up. She lay by the water, but she hadn’t dipped her nose to it like the other medicine cats. How could she share with a Clan she didn’t seem to believe in? Even though she’d witnessed the great battle with the Dark Forest, she’d never truly believed that those cats were their own ancestors, but sim ply thought of them as rogues from bey ond Clan territory. “They’ll have m oved on by now.”

Alderpaw wished he could believe her. But that wasn’t the worry that worm ed in his belly.

He’d been hoping for StarClan to give him a clue about Sky Clan. The more he thought about it, the more convinced Alderpaw felt that the sky that would clear in the prophecy referred to Sky Clan.

And surely StarClan knew where the lost Clan had gone. Why couldn’t their ancestors send word?

Or at least give a clue about whether Twigkit and Violetkit were part of their prophecy? With a twinge of pity, he thought of Twigkit snuggling in beside him, shivering after her fall in the lake. If I am an ordinary cat, the Clan won’t want me anymore. He pushed the thought away with a shiver.

Of course the Clan would want her, whether she was special or not.

“Are you ready to return?” Sedgewhisker’s mew sounded from the rim of the hollow. She stood silhouetted in the moonlight.

Kestrelflight hurried toward her. “I’m coming.” He glanced back at the others. “May StarClan light your paths,” he called as he j oined his Clanmate.

Mothwing and Willowshine followed him up the slope. “See you at the Gathering,” Mothwing mewed over her shoulder.

Willowshine dipped her head as she passed. “Take care.”

Jayfeather was inspecting Puddlepaw again. “Tell m e what herbs you know,” he quizzed the young cat.

“Waterm int, horsetail, m arigold…”

As Puddlepaw began to list them, Alderpaw noticed Leafpool gazing anxiously at the moon’s reflection in the water.

“Were you hoping that StarClan would tell you if Rowanstar has m ade the right choice in Puddlepaw?” he asked softly, padding to her side.

“I know he has,” Leafpool answered quietly. “Puddlepaw is quick to learn and has sy m pathy for his patients. He’s going to make a fine medicine cat.”

“Then why do you look so worried?” Alderpaw recognized the dark shadows in Leafpool’s eyes.

“I’m worried about ShadowClan,” she m urm ured.

“Is som ething wrong?” Alderpaw leaned closer.

“Not exactly wrong,” Leafpool meowed hesitantly. “Not y et, any way. But it’s so chaotic.”

“Perhaps ShadowClan is just like that. Not all Clans are the sam e.”

“ShadowClan has always had its own sense of the warrior code, but at least they respected it.”

Leafpool m et Alderpaw’s gaze anxiously. “These day s, the younger cats show their elders no respect. They ignore som e rules com pletely. I had to hunt for Grassheart yesterday. The apprentices aren’t bringing her enough food to keep her m ilk flowing. Flowerkit, Whorlkit, and Snakekit are growing fast. Grassheart needs all the prey she can eat.”

“Why don’t the warriors send their apprentices out hunting?” Alderpaw was confused.

“Mentors don’t seem to be able to tell their apprentices anything . Sleekpaw talks back to every one, even Rowanstar. And Needlepaw’s not much better.”

Alderpaw’s hackles pricked as Leafpool criticized the young she-cat. “She’s still looking after Violetkit, though, isn’t she?”

Leafpool blinked at him. “If you mean does she have Violetkit trailing every where after her, y es. She takes her out of camp to StarClan knows where.”

“Out of camp?” Guilt warm ed Alderpaw’s pelt. Is that my fault? It was me who encouraged her in the first place. “Doesn’t Rowanstar punish her?”

“I don’t think he even knows,” Leafpool sighed. “There are sim ply more apprentices than the Clan can handle. Beepaw and Yarrowpaw have been say ing that we shouldn’t bother with StarClan. They ask why should they believe in a bunch of cats they’ve never even seen.”

Alderpaw interrupted, shocked. “They mustn’t rej ect StarClan!”

Leafpool went on anxiously. “Sleekpaw say s dead cats are dum b. She say s StarClan can’t possibly understand the forest any more. They’ve been living in their own hunting grounds too long.”

Alderpaw leaned forward. “Can’t you tell them they’re wrong—what y ou’ve seen with your own eyes?”

“I’m a ThunderClan cat.” Leafpool stared at him helplessly. “Any thing I say will just make it worse. And the warriors have stopped arguing with them. It’s like they don’t see the point any more.”

Alderpaw’s heart quickened with fear. “Perhaps that’s why StarClan didn’t share with us tonight. They might be angry about ShadowClan.”

Leafpool closed her eyes. “Or m ay be StarClan doesn’t know what to do.” She blinked them open, as though pushing away worry. “Perhaps it’ll pass. These are young cats. They’ll grow out of this nonsense.” She fluffed out her pelt against the chilly night air. “I’m probably worry ing over nothing. Like you say, ShadowClan has always been different. It could be that every new set of apprentices is the sam e and the warriors are doing the right thing by quietly waiting it out.”