Эрин Хантер - Thunder Аnd Shadow

Before Alderpaw could com m ent, she padded toward Puddlepaw, interrupting Jayfeather, who was questioning Puddlepaw about how to treat an infected claw. “Come on. It’s time we were going.”

Puddlepaw looked relieved. He nodded to Leafpool and headed for the top of the hollow.

“I’ll be home in a moon or two,” Leafpool told Jayfeather as she followed him.

“I wish it were sooner,” Jayfeather huffed.

“So do I.” Leafpool caught Alderpaw’s eye as she went on. “Be patient with Alderpaw. Cats learn far more from kindness than anger.”

Alderpaw glanced nervously at Jayfeather, wishing Leafpool hadn’t said any thing. Never poke your claw into a bees’ nest.

Jayfeather’s whiskers twitched with am usem ent. “If I start being gentle with him now, he’ll worry I’m getting soft in m y old age.” He followed Leafpool up the slope. “It sounds like y ou’re doing a good j ob with Puddlepaw. At least he seem s to know what chervil is for.”

Alderpaw hardly heard his m entor’s j ibe. He was worry ing about ShadowClan. What if Leafpool was wrong? What if the bad behavior of the apprentices didn’t pass? What would happen to Needlepaw? His heart lurched. How could Violetkit learn to be a true warrior in a place like that?

Violetkit narrowed her eyes as she glanced at the setting sun blazing between the treetops. Her paws ached. She was getting used to the walk back from the rogues’ camp. Needlepaw usually helped her over fallen trees and ditches, but it still felt like a long way. She was relieved to see the bramble wall of the camp ahead.

“Come on,” Needlepaw whispered, guiding her toward the dirtplace tunnel.

Violetkit stum bled wearily as a mew took her by surprise.

“Where have you been?” Tawny pelt strode from between the trees and blocked their path.

Her angry gaze fell on Needlepaw.

Needlepaw blinked back at her, unfazed. “I was showing Violetkit the best spot for squirrel hunting.”

Tawny pelt glared. “Violetkit is too young to hunt squirrels. She shouldn’t even be out of camp.”

Needlepaw rounded her eyes im ploringly. “But she gets so bored. Pinenose’s kits are apprentices now.”

“What about Grassheart’s kits?” Tawny pelt stood her ground. “She could be helping to entertain them.”

Violetkit stepped forward. “Pinenose say s they’re too young for m e to play with.” At least that was true. The kits were so cute, but Pinenose always had a reason why Violetkit should stay away from them.

“Nonsense,” Tawny pelt snapped. “When I was a kit, I play ed with m y denmates the m om ent

I opened my eyes, no matter how old they were.”

But you were Clanborn. Violetkit swallowed back resentm ent. She didn’t want to appear ungrateful. Pinenose and Grassheart were kind to her. They were just overprotective, that’s all.

“I’d play with them if I was allowed to,” she mewed defensively.

Tawny pelt narrowed her eyes. “I’ll speak with Pinenose and Grassheart.” Then she switched her gaze sharply back to Needlepaw. “If Violetkit is having problem s in the nursery, you won’t solve them by breaking rules. You should have come to m e straight away.” Her tail twitched irritably. “That’s an afternoon’s training wasted. I’d planned to teach you how to track scent trails.

It’s the m ost im portant warrior skill you can learn.”

Violetkit stiffened. What if Tawnypelt tracked our scent to the rogues’ camp?

But the tortoiseshell went on. “I went hunting with Snowbird and Stonewing instead.” She looked Needlepaw up and down. “Did you catch any squirrels?”

“They were too fast,” Needlepaw mewed quickly.

“So y ou’ve got nothing for the fresh-kill pile at all?” Tawny pelt looked exasperated. “The Clan comes first!”

“I was taking care of Violetkit,” Needlepaw protested.

“You were teaching her how to break rules.” Tawny pelt’s mew deepened to a growl. “Come with m e. This must be reported to Rowanstar.”

She turned away, tail twitching om inously.

Needlepaw glanced at Violetkit. “Don’t worry,” she m urm ured. “I won’t let you get into trouble.”

Violetkit’s heart was pounding. Rowanstar! The ShadowClan leader occasionally paused while crossing the camp to say hello and ask her how she was settling into Clan life, but she’d never m anaged more than a squeak in reply. Now she was going to be reported to him for breaking Clan rules.

As Needlepaw padded after Tawny pelt—shoulders loose, tail flicking breezily —Violetkit pressed back the panic rising in her chest. Forcing her pelt to sm ooth, she followed them, pretending to be calm.

The sun had dipped behind the trees and the Clan had settled around the clearing to eat.

Violetkit glanced at the fresh-kill pile, alm ost em pty now. Beepaw was rooting through it. Violetkit’s belly churned as the apprentice sniffed at a thrush. She felt too sick to be hungry.

Rowanstar looked up from the m ouse he was eating beside Crowfrost. “Tawny pelt.” He got to his paws, greeting the she-cat with a worried look. “What’s happened?” Clearly, he could see anger in her rippling pelt.

“Needlepaw took Violetkit out of camp.” Tawny pelt stepped aside and let Needlepaw face

Rowanstar.

Violetkit halted. Her paws felt shaky as she sensed the eyes of the other cats lifting from their fresh-kill and fixing on her. She glanced nervously at Needlepaw. Was her friend in serious trouble? And what about me? Did ShadowClan punish kits?

Rowanstar glared at Needlepaw. “Kits don’t leave camp,” he meowed sternly. “What were y ou thinking? There m ay be rogues in the forest. There are certainly foxes, and Spikefur said he saw an adder yesterday. A warrior would be lucky to survive an adder bite. A kit would die.”

Needlepaw blinked at him coolly. “I look out for adders and foxes. I wouldn’t let any thing hurt her.”

Rowanstar’s hackles lifted as though he was surprised to hear her talk back. “Kits do not leave camp,” he repeated.

Needlepaw glanced calm ly at Beepaw beside the fresh-kill pile. “It’s a dum b rule.”

Beepaw leaned closer, her eyes sparking with interest.

Violetkit stared at Needlepaw, shock fizzing through her fur. Had she really said that? And why had she shot a sly glance at Beepaw? Had they been planning to challenge Rowanstar like this?

Crowfrost stood up. His tail twitched angrily as Needlepaw went on.

“Like I told Tawny pelt, Violetkit was bored in camp.” She flicked her m uzzle dismissively toward the clearing. “There’s nothing to learn here except how to grow old.”

Sleekpaw, Juniperpaw, Yarrowpaw, and Strikepaw were padding closer, their eyes flashing with interest. Birchpaw and Lionpaw hung back, ey eing each other nervously, but Beepaw pricked her ears excitedly, as though willing Needlepaw to say more.

Rowanstar’s gaze flicked toward them, then back to Needlepaw. It was blazing with anger.

“There is plenty to learn in camp,” he hissed. “The warrior code , for a start. Too many rules are being ignored.”

“It’s im possible to remember all your rules.” Needlepaw flicked her tail irritably. “Perhaps if we had fewer rules, we’d obey more of them.”

Crowfrost flattened his ears. “Perhaps if we had sm arter apprentices, they wouldn’t have such a hard time remembering.”

Sleekpaw and Strikepaw, Crowfrost’s kits, hissed at the ShadowClan deputy. “Are you calling us dum b?”