Эрин Хантер - Thunder Аnd Shadow

She blinked at him uneasily. She didn’t want to stay, but she didn’t want to walk home by herself either. “Could you take m e home now?” she asked hopefully.

Raven purred softly beside her. “You must be exhausted, m y dear.” She glanced at Darktail, whose gaze was unreadable. “Eat with us and rest for a while. Then we’ll take you home.”

Violetkit woke up. Her heart lurched as she saw pale dawn light seeping between the trees. She sat up, the bracken rustling around her. Raven had m ade her a bed to rest in after they’d shared the rabbit. She’d lined it with m oss, and it had been so warm and soft that Violetkit couldn’t resist closing her eyes for a m om ent and dozing for a little while before the rogues took her home.

“It’s dawn!” She glanced around her. The rogues sprawled in their nests. They’d fallen asleep too! She leaped from the bracken and crossed the sm all hollow in the hillside where they had m ade their camp. She stopped beside Raven. “Wake up.” She poked the she-cat with a paw.

Raven j erked away, baring her teeth. “Who is it?” she snarled.

Violetkit j um ped back, shocked. “It’s m e! We fell asleep. I’m meant be back at camp.”

Raven’s gaze softened quickly. “Oh, you poor thing,” she mewed. She got to her paws and stretched. “Darktail.” She called softly to the rogue leader, who was still snoring in his nest.

His tail twitched.

“Darktail,” Raven called again. “It’s time we took Violetkit back to her camp.”

Darktail lifted his head and stared at her blearily. “Is it that time already?”

“I thought you were going to take m e home last night,” Violetkit ventured uneasily.

“I guess the fine prey Nettle and Silt caught for us m ade us sleepier than we expected.”

Darktail sat up. “Rain! Roach! Wake up!” He called to the sleeping tom s. “We’re taking Violetkit home.”

Violetkit watched anxiously as the rogues y awned and stretched. She could see the fiery tip of the sun bey ond the forest now. The Clan would be waking. What would Pinenose say when she found her gone? She began to pace.

Darktail nodded to Rain and Roach. “You two can come with m e. The rest of you stay here.”

Violetkit glanced at Raven. She wanted the kind she-cat to come with them. But she wasn’t going to argue with Darktail. He seem ed friendly, but there was a darkness that never left his gaze, and it scared her.

“Come on.” The rogue leader headed from the camp. Violetkit followed, Rain and Roach at her heels.

The sun was up by the time they reached the bramble wall of the ShadowClan camp. Mist swirled between the trees. Violetkit pricked her ears as they neared, her heart sinking as she heard the sounds of the Clan preparing to start their day.

“Needlepaw!” Kinkfur mewed huskily. “Tell Leafpool I need m ouse bile. I’ve found another tick near m y tail.”

“Tawny pelt and Stonewing.” Crowfrost’s order sounded through the chilly air. “You’ll each lead a hunting party. And make sure your apprentices catch som ething worth eating this tim e.

Crow-food doesn’t count.”

“Yarrowpaw! Strikepaw!” Wasptail sounded cross. “You should be out of your nests by now.

Crowfrost is organizing the patrols.”

Darktail’s ears pricked. He stopped at the entrance. “Patrols? Apprentices?” He looked intrigued. “It’s awfully regim ented here, isn’t it? You must not have a lot of freedom.”

Violetkit didn’t answer. She was straining to hear if any one was looking for her. Perhaps she’d been lucky. Perhaps Pinenose and Grassheart hadn’t noticed she was missing. She blinked at Darktail. “Thanks for bringing m e home.” Her gaze flitted to Roach and Rain. “And thanks for saving m e from the owl.” She turned, heading for the dirtplace tunnel so she could slip into camp unnoticed.

“Wait.” Darktail’s mew sent a chill through her pelt.

“What?” She faced him uneasily.

“I want to make sure you don’t get into trouble.” Darktail was ey eing the camp entrance.

“It’s okay.” Foreboding tightened Violetkit’s belly. What was he planning? “I’ll be fine.”

But Darktail was already ducking through the entrance tunnel.

Rain nudged Violetkit after him. “Go on,” he encouraged. “We might as well see you safely into camp.”

Heart pounding, Violetkit followed Darktail through the tunnel. Rain and Roach followed.

As they em erged into the camp, Violetkit felt the eyes of the Clan flash toward her. She wanted to run and hide. What would Rowanstar say? She’d brought rogues into the camp.

Darktail m arched across the clearing, tail high.

Hisses sounded around him. Stonewing arched his back. Spikefur and Snowbird burst from the warriors’ den, their eyes wide with shock.

Crowfrost pushed through the warriors that were gathered around him. “What are you doing here?” He m et Darktail in the clearing.

Darktail signaled to Rain and Roach with a flick of his tail. They stopped a few paw steps behind. Violetkit halted between them, her pelt lifting along her spine. “I found this kit wandering in the woods,” he told Crowfrost. “I thought I should bring her home. It’s dangerous out there.”

Spikefur lunged at him, but Darktail batted him away with a swift swipe of his paw.

“Is that the gratitude you show to a cat who has returned a lost Clanmate?” The rogue leader sounded hurt.

“Violetkit!” Pinenose burst form the nursery, her pelt bristling. “Are you okay? Did they harm y ou?”

Violetkit stared at the queen. “They looked after m e,” she whispered hoarsely.

“What were you doing out in the forest?” Pinenose dem anded, her fear sharpening to anger.

Needlepaw hurried from the elders’ den. “Violetkit. There you are. Did you get lost try ing to find the dirtplace again?”

Violetkit blinked at her, confused. What had happened to the plan for Violetpaw to say that Needlepaw had sent her out?

But she is trying to cover for me, in a way , Violetkit thought. Maybe she’s just changed her mind about how .

Kinkfur snorted. “Who gets lost finding the dirtplace? You only have to follow your nose.”

Spikefur hissed, glowering at Darktail. “Why are we talking about the dirtplace? There are strangers in our camp.”

“Worse than strangers.” Dawnpelt fell in beside Spikefur, flexing her claws. “Rogues.”

“What are you doing in our camp?” Rowanstar’s growl cut through the angry m urm uring of his Clanmates. The ShadowClan leader strode across the clearing and stopped a whisker away from Darktail.

“I brought your kit home.” Darktail nodded toward Violetkit.

Violetkit shrank beneath her pelt as Rowanstar’s gaze flicked toward her.

Darktail went on. “I don’t understand why y ou’re being so unfriendly.” He blinked at Rowanstar with round eyes. “We were just try ing to help your Clan.”

Rowanstar narrowed his eyes. “Like you helped WindClan?”

Darktail returned his gaze innocently. “We were just defending ourselves. We have the right to do that, surely?”

“Rogues have no right to be on Clan territory!” Spikefur snarled.

Sleekpaw padded into the clearing. “Why not?”

Her Clanmates j erked their gazes toward her.

“Why not ?” Tawny pelt’s fur spiked. “I can’t believe you would ask that. They’re not Clan cats.”

Yarrowpaw padded to Sleekpaw’s side. “If they weren’t on our territory, they couldn’t have rescued Violetkit.”

Sleekpaw blinked at her leader. “And what would your precious StarClan have said if som ething had happened to their special cat?”

“Be quiet!” Rowanstar glared at the y ellow apprentice.