Эрин Хантер - Thunder Аnd Shadow

Crowfrost’s pelt bushed. “Two of our elders are sick. They can’t last much longer without the herb,” he snapped at Onestar. “Are you determ ined to see innocent cats die?”

“No ShadowClan cat is innocent,” Onestar spat. “You are all sheltering the rogues.”

Crowfrost flattened his ears. “They live outside our territory!”

“How can we be sure?” Onestar thrust his m uzzle close to Crowfrost’s. “You took Violetpaw back. Can you be sure of her loy alty? And now y ou’re the Clan with a sickness y ou’ve never seen before. Perhaps the rogues brought it into y our Clan.”

Crowfrost held his gaze, hackles rising. “Violetpaw is one of us. The rogues are not living with our Clan.”

“But y our Clanmates are living with the rogues!” As Onestar spat back, y owls of agreem ent rose am ong the WindClan cats. RiverClan shifted uneasily, while ThunderClan exchanged anxious glances.

Fear spiked through Alderpaw’s pelt. The leaders mustn’t fight over this. Fighting wouldn’t cure any cat. “Kestrelflight?” He stared at the WindClan medicine cat. “Surely you won’t let Clan cats die?”

Panic sharpened the m ottled gray tom’s gaze. He glanced at Onestar, who was glowering at him, ears flat. “I can’t betray m y Clan,” he mewed hoarsely.

Mothwing touched Alderpaw’s shoulder with her tail softly. “It’s not fair to ask that of him.”

“Of course it’s fair. He’s a medicine cat, not a warrior!” Leafpool bristled beside them.

“What’s not fair is asking innocent cats to die because of one cat’s stubbornness!” She turned her furious gaze on Onestar.

Onestar stared at her coldly. “If ShadowClan drives the rogues away, they can have the herb.” Without waiting for a response, he leaped from the oak and pushed his way through the gathered cats. His Clanmates j oined him, and they stalked away through the grass, pelts spiking.

“I’m sorry.”

Kestrelflight’s whisper m ade Alderpaw j um p. The WindClan medicine cat was murmuring in Puddleshine’s ear. Before Puddleshine could respond, the WindClan medicine cat hurried away to j oin his Clanmates.

Bramblestar’s tail drooped over the edge of the branch as he watched WindClan leave.

Misty star glanced at the sky. Clouds were trailing across the moon. She turned to Crowfrost. “I will send patrols to search RiverClan territory for this herb,” she offered. “But if StarClan has said it is only on the m oor, I don’t have much hope of finding it.”

Crowfrost dipped his head gratefully as the RiverClan leader j um ped down from the branch.

Alderpaw blinked at Puddleshine as ThunderClan headed for the tree-bridge. “Congratulations on y our dream.”

“Thank y ou.” Puddleshine dipped his head. “I just wish Runningnose had told m e som ething that had helped us instead of m aking things worse.” He hurried away, following Crowfrost and Tawny pelt into the shadows. Misty star had already led her Clanmates into the long grass. The clearing was nearly em pty.

Alderpaw padded to the foot of the great oak and waited for his father to j um p down. “Could y ou send a secret patrol to gather lungwort in WindClan’s territory?” he mewed as Bramblestar landed behind him.

Bramblestar padded wearily past him. “And what would happen when Onestar found out?”

Alderpaw hurried after him. “Who cares about Onestar?” Frustration rippled through his pelt.

“Sick cats will die unless we help them.”

“Then ShadowClan must deal with the rogues,” Bramblestar meowed sim ply.

Alderpaw blinked eagerly. “We could help them!”

“It’s not our battle.”

“It’s every one’s battle! These are the rogues who drove Sky Clan away.”

“So?” Bramblestar’s shoulders sagged.

“Don’t you care about Sky Clan?” Why was his father giving up so easily? “They m ay be part of the prophecy!”

Bramblestar faced him in the deserted clearing. “Sky Clan is gone,” he meowed. “The sooner y ou accept that, the better.”

Alderpaw watched his father walk away, shock pulsing in his paws. Did Bramblestar really believe that? He glanced at the sky. StarClan! Would you really let SkyClan disappear without giving us a chance to save them?

Twigpaw paced the edge of the clearing, her pelt fizzing with excitem ent. The dawn patrol had already left, and the sun prom ised warmth as it lifted over the m isty forest. Ivy pool was in the medicine den, asking Jayfeather for traveling herbs. They would leave soon.

She could still hardly believe that Ivy pool had suggested they search for her mother. At the Gathering last night, Twigpaw had barely heard the Clans bickering. She was tired of their dum b argum ents. All any cat seem ed to care about was prophecies and rogues. No one cared that her mother might be out there som ewhere, searching for her lost kits.

And then, on the trek back from the island, Ivy pool had asked her what was worry ing her.

“Your mind hasn’t been on y our training for a half-moon,” she’d mewed softly.

Twigpaw had hesitated about confiding in her. Would her m entor think it was selfish to still be worry ing about her mother after the Clan had done so much for her? But Ivy pool had understood.

“Every cat needs kin,” Ivy pool had said. “One day I hope the Clan will feel like y our kin. But if you need to find out about y our mother, I’ll help y ou.” The silver-and-white she-cat had suggested they set out first thing in the m orning. Bramblestar had agreed reluctantly, after Ivy pool had prom ised they’d be careful.

Now, as she waited to leave, she listened to Squirrelflight giving orders below the Highledge.

“Check for rogue scent near the ShadowClan border.” She nodded to Cloudtail and Thornclaw.

“Poppy frost and Berry nose can go with y ou.”

“Can I go too?” Fernsong blinked at her eagerly. “I haven’t been on a border patrol for day s.”

Squirrelflight shook her head. “I want you to travel with Ivy pool and Twigpaw. Will you go?”

“On their mission to find Twigpaw’s mother?” Fernsong glanced across the clearing at Twigpaw, his eyes sparkling. “Of course!”

Twigpaw felt a surge of happiness. Fernsong was coming with them! This was turning into a real Clan mission. Just like the one Bramblestar should have sent in the first place.

Squirrelflight frowned. “It’s a long j ourney,” she warned Fernsong. “I want every one back safely.”

Cloudtail flicked his tail. “Is there any point in traveling so far? Surely there’ll be no trace of Twigpaw’s mother now. It’s been so long.”

Ivy pool padded from the medicine den as he spoke. She glared at the white warrior.

“Twigpaw has hope. It’s a risk, but what if she’s right? We have to look.”

Poppy frost tipped her head thoughtfully. “But if Squirrelflight’s search party didn’t find her, how do you hope to?”

Ivy pool fluffed out her fur. The hollow was chilly where the sun hadn’t y et reached it.

“Twigpaw might notice som ething Squirrelflight’s party didn’t.”

Twigpaw felt a surge of gratitude toward her m entor. She was glad there was one cat in the Clan who believed in her. She scowled at the medicine den. She still resented Alderpaw for his part in ly ing about the quest to find her mother.

The brambles at the entrance twitched. Alderpaw padded out, a bundle of herbs in his jaws.

He crossed the clearing and dropped them in front of Twigpaw. “Jayfeather say s you and Ivy pool have to eat all of them.” He separated the pile into two.