Эрин Хантер - Thunder Аnd Shadow

Crowfrost lifted his head sharply, baring his teeth as he saw the rogues. He hurried across the clearing to m eet them. “What are you doing here?” His ears were flat as he stopped in front of Rain.

Leafpool poked her head from the medicine den, her eyes rounding with surprise.

Rowanstar bounded from his den and skidded to a halt beside his deputy. “I told you to leave our territory!” he told the rogues.

Rain laid the pigeon in front of the ShadowClan leader. “We brought you these offerings.” He dipped his head as Flam e placed a young rabbit beside the pigeon and Raven dropped a fat thrush on top. It was fine prey.

Crowfrost stared at the heap warily. Rowanstar flexed his claws.

“We want to j oin y our Clan,” Rain meowed before either cat could speak.

“Join ShadowClan?” Rowanstar stared at the rogue, eyes widening.

Tawny pelt, Tigerheart, and Spikefur padded from the shelter of the great stone. Leafpool m oved closer to Puddlepaw. The other apprentices lined up at the edge of the clearing, their eyes sparkling with interest.

Needlepaw! Violetkit suddenly realized that her friend was am ong her denmates. She blinked.

Where had she been?

Rain crouched submissively in front of Rowanstar and gazed hopefully at the Clan leader.

Rowanstar glared at him. “Did you think you could bribe y our way in with prey you caught on our land?”

Crowfrost hissed. “No cat hunts in ShadowClan territory except ShadowClan.”

Rain crouched lower. “I’m sorry. We didn’t realize.” He glanced at his campmates, who both dipped their heads hum bly. “Forgive us,” he went on. “If we have offended y ou, we will leave.”

As he turned, Rowanstar leaned forward. “Wait.”

Rain faced the leader, a faint glow lighting his eyes.

“Where in our territory did you find such good prey?” Curiosity softened Rowanstar’s mew.

“We are lucky when it comes to hunting,” Rain told him. “Perhaps we can bring som e of that luck to y our Clan.”

“No.” Crowfrost stepped forward, his black-and-white pelt bristling. “Take y our prey and leave!” He glared at Rowanstar. “We can’t accept prey from cats who attacked another Clan!”

“Why not?” Needlepaw dem anded.

Violetkit stiffened as her friend padded forward.

“Is WindClan our friend now?” Needlepaw looked around her Clanmates. “I thought

ShadowClan stood alone. The only truce we recognize is the truce of the Gathering. Why deny ourselves prey on WindClan’s behalf?”

Sleekpaw and Strikepaw were nodding.

So was Berry heart. The young black-and-white she-cat lashed her tail. “Would WindClan do the sam e for us?”

Sleekpaw j oined Needlepaw. “WindClan has never brought us prey. Nor has ThunderClan or RiverClan. But we’re supposed to feel loy al to them. Why?”

Violetkit frowned. If the Clans weren’t meant to stick together, did that make Twigkit her enemy? Anxiety prickled in her fur.

“Why?” Rowanstar repeated Sleekpaw’s question, his eyes widening with surprise. “Because they are Clanborn like us. They follow the warrior code.”

“These are rogues!” Crowfrost puffed out his chest. “They have no code.”

“We could learn,” Rain mewed softly.

Rowanstar stared at him. “Why should we believe y ou?”

Rain glanced around the camp. “We see how you live,” he meowed. “How you thrive. We want to be like y ou.”

Tigerheart m arched forward, his eyes glittering with outrage. “Then go and start y our own

Clan, on y our own land!”

Rowanstar drew him self up. “I’ve had you escorted from our land before. Today you will be escorted again.” He nodded sharply to Tigerheart, Spikefur, and Tawny pelt. “Next time we find y ou on ShadowClan territory, you will feel the sharpness of our claws.”

The rogues glanced at one another. Violetkit searched their gaze for som e sign of fear, but they showed only calm acceptance.

Rain blinked at Rowanstar. “We will respect y our wishes.”

Rowanstar stiffened. “You have no choice.”

Rain flashed him an am used look before turning away and letting Tawny pelt lead the way out of camp.

Violetkit swallowed. She realized that her heart was beating hard. Needlepaw had taken a risk speaking out for the rogues. Why had she done it? Wasn’t her Clan more im portant than her new rogue friends?

As the patrol disappeared through the bramble tunnel, Needlepaw crossed the clearing.

Violetkit’s breath caught in her throat as Needlepaw stopped in front of Rowanstar.

She kicked the prey toward him. “What are you going to do with this?” she snarled. “Throw it out with the rogues?”

Rowanstar’s eyes widened with shock. “ShadowClan catches its own prey.”

“We’d catch more if we had Clanmates like them.” Needlepaw flicked her tail toward the entrance. “Why didn’t you let them j oin?”

Dawnpelt padded from the edge of the clearing. “They’re not Clanborn.”

“Neither is Violetkit,” Needlepaw retorted. “But you let her j oin. And what did she offer the Clan but another m outh to feed?”

Violetkit’s heart lurched. Was that truly what Needlepaw believed? I thought you were my friend!

Tigerheart looked at the silver apprentice. “You’re the one who brought her back from Alderpaw’s quest,” he pointed out. “You m ade such a big deal about her being part of the prophecy that Rowanstar had to take her.”

Dawnpelt flicked her tail. “She is part of the prophecy. One day Violetkit m ay clear the skies.”

“You don’t even know what that means!” Needlepaw’s pelt bristled along her spine. “You turned away three strong hunters. Why?”

Tawny pelt padded forward, her stern gaze raking Needlepaw. “That’s enough!” she snapped.

“It’s not enough!” Strikepaw m arched forward and stopped beside Needlepaw. “We have a chance to make ShadowClan powerful again.”

Yarrowpaw whisked her tail. “Aren’t you tired of agreeing with every thing ThunderClan suggests? Don’t you wish we could hunt where we please instead of where the other Clans tell us we can hunt?”

Rowanstar flexed his claws. “Do you want war with the other Clans?”

Strikepaw flattened his ears. “We want to choose our own path, not follow the path of other Clans.”

“What you want doesn’t m atter!” Rowanstar hissed. “ I am ShadowClan’s leader. I decide what’s best. Taking in strange cats who have proved they are dangerous is not good for any Clan.”

“Not for weak Clans like WindClan or RiverClan,” Strikepaw snarled. “But we are

ShadowClan. With cats like those, we could rule the whole lake!”

“You are young and foolish.” Rowanstar struggled to calm his mew. “You don’t understand the pain and loss that battle brings. I have been too soft with y ou.” His gaze flicked around the other apprentices. “With all of y ou. I’ve let sm all rules be broken.” He caught Juniperpaw’s ey e. “Don’t think I don’t sm ell the prey blood on y our breath when you return from hunting. What you catch is for the fresh-kill pile, not y our own belly.” He lifted his chin, y owling across the camp. “From now on, the warrior code will be followed. StarClan is watching us. Respect for our ancestors will guide our paws.”

Violetkit watched Needlepaw, wishing she’d drop her gaze and back away.

Instead the silver she-cat glared at the ShadowClan leader. “You want us to obey a bunch of dead cats!” She nodded toward the pines looming over the camp. “Look at the living world. It has every thing we need. We can push our territory as far as we like and take whatever we want. Who cares what StarClan thinks? Their lives are over. It’s our turn to live.”