Эрин Хантер - Thunder Аnd Shadow

“I don’t know.” Alderpaw followed her gaze, his belly pricking with guilt. Twigpaw had hardly spoken to him since he’d told her that Bramblestar had never sent a search patrol to look for her mother. Even though he shared the apprentices’ den with her, she would leave her nest by the time he woke and would be curled asleep—or pretending to be asleep—when he settled down for the night. During the day they were both busy with training, but he noticed how she always took her prey to the far side of the clearing and avoided his gaze when they passed in camp.

“Is she upset about som ething?” Leafpool pressed.

Alderpaw couldn’t explain. Leafpool, like the rest of the Clan, believed that the search party had been looking for Twigpaw’s mother. She didn’t know about Sky Clan. He shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

“Ivy pool say s she works hard.” Leafpool frowned. “She must be com m itted to the Clan.

Perhaps she still misses her sister.”

“Perhaps.”

Leafpool wrapped her tail over her paws. “She must be happy to know that Violetpaw is back with ShadowClan. She’ll be safer away from those rogues.”

“I guess.” Alderpaw wished he knew what she felt. When Dovewing had returned to camp with the news, he’d hurried to congratulate Twigpaw. But Twigpaw had only shrugged and turned away.

The Clan cats were beginning to glance toward the long grass, shifting impatiently. There was still no sign of ShadowClan. The round white moon was crossing behind the great oak. Had

ShadowClan decided not to come?

Bramblestar crossed the clearing, nodding to Misty star as he passed her. The RiverClan leader followed him to the oak and clim bed the trunk after him. As they settled on the lowest branch, Onestar leaped up beside them and took his place, glowering at the cats as they clustered below.

Squirrelflight followed Harespring and Reedwhisker to the deputies’ spot am ong the roots.

Kestrelflight, Mothwing, and Willowshine sat down beside Leafpool.

“Let’s begin,” Bramblestar called.

Misty star shifted beside him. “Should we wait a little longer for ShadowClan?”

“They can j oin in when they arrive.” There was impatience in Bramblestar’s mew. He lifted his gaze to the gathered cats. “I have im portant news, and if ShadowClan isn’t here to share it, then I must. Violetpaw, one of StarClan’s chosen kits, has returned to ShadowClan.”

The RiverClan cats lifted their gaze happily, ears pricking.

Misty star blinked at Bramblestar. “Did ShadowClan rescue her?”

“She returned because she wanted to,” Bramblestar told her.

Onestar’s eyes flashed with anger. “So she claim s, and ShadowClan is fool enough to believe her. What about the other ShadowClan traitors?”

“As far as I know, they are still with the rogues,” Bramblestar meowed.

Uneasy m urm urs rippled through the cats below him.

The ThunderClan leader ignored them. “But Violetpaw is back. StarClan’s prophecy is safe once more.”

Crowfeather called from the crowd. “Are we sure the prophecy is safe? StarClan hasn’t confirm ed that Violetpaw and Twigpaw are part of it.”

Misty star flicked her tail. “They haven’t told us they’re not.”

Minnowtail called from am ong the other RiverClan warriors. “What else could the prophecy mean? The kits are the only things we’ve found in the shadows.”

It could mean SkyClan. Alderpaw swallowed back frustration. Embrace what you find in the shadows, for only they can clear the sky. The sky had to refer to Sky Clan. Even though StarClan hadn’t shared with him for moons, he felt sure that Sky Clan was crucial to the prophecy. He glanced toward Twigpaw, who was sitting beside Ivy pool, her round eyes fixed on the leaders. Of course Twigpaw and Violetpaw might be part of it too, but surely StarClan would not let Sky Clan sim ply disappear. And y et how could the four Clans have a serious conversation about the prophecy when hardly any cat knew about the missing Clan?

Onestar stepped to the edge of the branch, his ears twitching angrily. “Why are we wasting time when there are im portant m atters to discuss?” He glared at the Clans. “A few day s ago, a

ShadowClan patrol invaded our land—with one of the form er rogues!”

Dovewing j erked her head up. “It wasn’t an invasion! I saw the patrol. It was Puddleshine and Violetpaw, who is a ShadowClan apprentice now. They wanted herbs, not a battle!”

“Then why send two warriors with them?” Onestar scowled at her. “Why send a cat who has aligned herself with those who killed my warrior?”

Bramblestar snorted. “Two warriors and an apprentice don’t make an invasion.”

Onestar lashed his tail. “They were ShadowClan !” he hissed. “For all we know, that apprentice was scouting for her rogue friends.”

“Traitors!” Emberfoot y owled.

“Rogue lovers!” Crowfeather hissed.

Oatclaw flattened his ears. “ShadowClan has forgotten what it is to be a Clan.”

Harespring leaped onto an oak root, his pelt bushed. “Half their apprentices live with the rogues.”

Onestar nodded approvingly at his deputy. “They don’t even come to Gatherings any more.”

Leafpool padded to the front of the crowd and glared up at the WindClan leader. “Stop y owling about ShadowClan’s m istakes and think about y our own!”

Onestar’s eyes narrowed to slits. He leaned down toward the ThunderClan medicine cat, hissing, “I have m ade no m istakes.”

“You denied a valuable herb to a Clan in need!” Leafpool hissed back.

As she spoke, the grass at the edge of the clearing rustled. Crowfrost was leading his Clan into the clearing. They stream ed around the other cats, eyes flashing watchfully in the moonlight.

Crowfrost pushed through the crowd and clim bed into the great oak. He sat in Rowanstar’s place.

“Rowanstar has the sickness that has stricken our Clan. I will take his place tonight.”

Bramblestar and Misty star dipped their heads to the ShadowClan deputy as, below them, cats shifted to make room for his Clanmates. Puddleshine sat down beside Willowshine and Mothwing.

A low growl rum bled in Onestar’s throat.

Crowfrost ignored it. “Rowanstar would be well by now if Onestar had allowed us to gather herbs on his land.”

Onestar showed his teeth. “Gather y our precious herb som ewhere else. No ShadowClan cat will ever set paw on WindClan land again.”

Mothwing blinked up at Crowfrost. “What is this herb?”

“Lungwort,” Crowfrost told her. “StarClan shared dream s with Puddleshine. Runningnose told him that the sickness is called y ellowcough and that lungwort is the only cure.”

“Puddleshine had a dream from StarClan!” Willowshine’s eyes lit up. “Then he is truly a medicine cat.”

Mothwing shifted stiffly beside her.

Willowshine j erked her nose toward her form er m entor, guilt flashing in her gaze. “Of course that’s not the m ost im portant part of being a medicine cat,” she mewed quickly.

Alderpaw felt a stab of sy m pathy for Mothwing. “But he is ShadowClan’s only medicine cat,” he m urm ured. “It will be better for them that he can speak with StarClan.”

Mothwing looked at Puddleshine. “What does the herb look like?”

“It has dark green leaves specked with gray,” he told her. “I would show you if I could find som e. But Runningnose told m e it only grows on the m oor.”

Mothwing turned to Onestar. “May I pick the herb on y our land? I’m not a ShadowClan cat.”

Alderpaw leaned forward. Mothwing’s idea was a good one.

Onestar curled his claws into the oak bark. “Not if the herb is for ShadowClan,” he snarled.