Эрин Хантер - Thunder Аnd Shadow

“Violetkit,” Needlepaw called again.

Violetkit glanced toward Pinenose. The queen was picking irritably through the fresh-kill pile at the far end of the camp. Violetkit scram bled to her paws and hurried across the clearing.

Needlepaw was dragging a large bundle of bracken toward the elders’ den. She let go as Violetkit reached her. “Dum b old cats,” Needlepaw huffed. “They’re always wanting something.

‘Pull this tick, Needlepaw.’ ‘Bring m e food, Needlepaw.’” Needlepaw m im icked their husky mews.

“‘I need new bedding, Needlepaw.’” She sat down wearily.

“Can I help?” Violetkit offered eagerly.

Needlepaw’s eyes brightened. “Yes.”

Violetkit leaned closer, preparing for orders. Would Needlepaw want her to look for m oss around the camp? Or fetch prey from the fresh-kill pile?

Needlepaw leaned close and whispered in Violetkit’s ear. “I need you to travel to the rogues’ camp tonight.”

“Me?” Violetkit blinked at her in surprise. “Are you coming too?”

“Of course not!” Needlepaw rolled her eyes. “How can I leave with every old fleabag in the Clan watching to make sure I stick to m y stupid elder duties?”

Violetkit frowned. “Then why do I need to go?”

“I want you to give a m essage to Rain. I prom ised to m eet him tonight, but I can’t now, since I got caught with y ou.”

Violetkit felt a prickle of guilt in her belly.

“So y ou’ll go?” Needlepaw was staring at her im ploringly.

Violetkit shifted her paws. “How can I? Pinenose will be watching m e. And Grassheart.”

“They’ll be asleep by the time the moon’s up,” Needlepaw mewed. “They sleep like hedgehogs. Nothing will wake them until dawn.”

Violetkit glanced at the nursery. Both queens did sleep heavily. The kits too. She probably could slip out of the nursery without any one noticing. But she’d never been in the forest at night alone.

What if she m et a fox? And what if she was caught? Rowanstar would be m ad. Fear sparked beneath her pelt.

Needlepaw seem ed to read her m ind. “You’ll be fine. If a warrior patrol catches y ou, tell them I m ade you go. And keep an eye out for foxes and owls. Fox stench is easy to spot. Just stay away from it. Check the canopy for owls. Their eyes flash in the dark.”

Owls? Violetkit shivered. She never wanted to see an owl again!

“You have to go!” Needlepaw looked desperate. “Rain will be expecting m e, and if I don’t turn up, he might not like m e any more.”

Sy m pathy filled Violetkit’s heart. Needlepaw was her only real friend in the Clan. She’d been so kind. No one else had taken her to see Twigkit. “Okay,” she agreed.

Needlepaw’s eyes brightened at once. “Thanks! You must reach their camp before moonhigh.”

An owl screeched. Violetkit glanced nervously up through the dark canopy, looking for eyes flashing in the shadows. But this deep into the pine forest, there was hardly a glim pse of light between the closely packed trees. Her heart leaped into her throat as the owl sounded again. She felt sure it had been following her since she crossed the last ditch.

Pelt bushed, she padded onward, fear pushing exhaustion away.

She’d crept from the warm m oss beside Pinenose as soon as she was sure that the two queens and the kits were asleep. Gentle snores had filled the nursery as she squeezed through the entrance. She’d stiffened as she hit the chilly night air, her heart thum ping as she’d crept through the dirtplace tunnel. Alone in the forest, she’d felt like prey. Now she was close to the edge of ShadowClan territory. The rogues’ camp was near. Even in the dark she remembered the route, and she crawled under a bramble that still sm elled of Needlepaw’s scent from last tim e.

The trees thinned bey ond the border where the land sloped up, and Violetkit trekked onward, com forted by the moonlight that began to light her path. At last pine gave way to alder and beech and stars sparkled reassuringly between the bare branches. She strained to see ahead, glim psing the rowan bushes that m arked the edge of the rogues’ camp. I made it!

As pride surged through her, a screech sounded above. She j erked her head up and glim psed the m assive silhouette of an owl. It swooped toward her so fast she froze in panic. Claws glinted as the owl stalled in m idair, twisting its wings as it dropped toward her. She felt a rush of air, then pain as talons dug into her fur.

A cat’s y owl pierced the night. Feathers whipped her ears. The owl’s grip loosened as som ething slam m ed into it, knocking it away.

She glim psed gray fur, and silver. Rain and Roach reared and dragged the owl to the ground.

“Run!” Rain screeched as he grappled against the owl’s powerful wings.

Violetkit couldn’t m ove. Her heart nearly burst as she watched Roach leap onto the owl’s back and sink his teeth into its thick plum age. The owl flapped wildly, its wings thum ping against the ground as it threw him off. It wrenched free of Rain and struggled into the air, screeching as it beat the air and flapped up between the branches.

Rain turned on her, panting. “I said run !”

Violetkit shrank away, trem bling as he glared at her.

“Be gentle!” Raven bounded from between the rowan bushes and slithered to a halt beside

Violetkit. “She must be terrified.” She curled her tail around Violetkit, searching her gaze.

“Where’s Needlepaw?”

Rain stiffened. “Did the owl get her?”

Violetkit shook her head, struggling to find her voice. “Sh-she couldn’t come,” she stam m ered.

“That’s why I’m here. She sent m e to tell y ou.”

“You cam e through the woods alone?” Raven looked shocked.

“So?” Rain was unim pressed. “I thought Clan cats could do any thing. A little forest walk in the night isn’t hard.”

“She’s barely three moons old.” Raven crouched close to Violetkit, pressing her warm flank close.

I’m trembling. Violetkit realized she was shaking like trapped prey.

Roach nudged Rain, his eyes glinting. “Needlepaw couldn’t make it, Rain. She must have better things to do.” He sounded as though he was teasing his campmate.

“She doesn’t,” Violetkit mewed quickly. “She got in trouble and has to stay in camp and look after the elders.”

Flam e slunk from the rowan bushes, her orange pelt pale in the moonlight. “Ain’t that sweet,” she drawled m ockingly, her voice light now that her terrible whitecough had passed—and, with it, her kindness. “Needlepaw has to look after the old cats.”

“She’ll come as soon as she can,” Violetkit prom ised.

Raven touched her m uzzle to Violetkit’s head. “I’m sure she will.”

Violetkit felt a wave of gratitude for Raven’s kindness. For the first time since leaving the nursery, she felt safe. “I guess I’d better go home.” She glanced at the sky, hoping the rogues had scared the owl off for good.

Paw steps sounded in the shadows behind a beech. “You mustn’t leave now.” Darktail padded from the darkness, his eyes round with concern. “It’s too dangerous for you to travel alone.”

“But I have to be back in the nursery by dawn.” Violetkit’s heart skipped a beat. What if Pinenose woke and found her gone?

Darktail padded past her, weaving around his campmates. “Don’t worry, little one. We’ll have y ou home by then.” He exchanged glances with Rain. “You must be tired and hungry. Nettle!”

He called into the shadows.

The brown tabby padded out, a rabbit hanging from his jaws. Silt followed, carry ing a squirrel.

“We’ll share our catch with you and you can sleep.” Darktail stopped in front of Violetkit and leaned so close that his breath washed her m uzzle. It sm elled of blood.