Эрин Хантер - Thunder Аnd Shadow

Outrage surged in Alderpaw’s chest. “Nothing scares Bramblestar!”

“Perhaps he’s just too proud.” Scorn laced Onestar’s mew. “I assum e y ou’ve come to beg for lungwort. Has ShadowClan been whining in his ear?”

Alderpaw faced the WindClan leader, try ing to stop his paws from shaking. “ShadowClan is holding Twigpaw hostage until you give them the lungwort.”

He felt Leafpool’s warning gaze flashed toward him. Had he said too much?

Onestar drew him self up, eyes blazing. “Ty pical ShadowClan. If they can’t get what they want fairly, they resort to sly tricks.”

“They’ve promised not to hurt her,” Alderpaw blurted, hoping to sm ooth over his m istake. He didn’t want to make Onestar hate ShadowClan more.

Onestar sniffed. “Then why are you worried? Let her stay with them. She has a sister in their Clan, doesn’t she? Perhaps she’ll enj oy living there.”

Leafpool stepped forward. “Twigpaw is not the issue. We miss her, of course, but if Rowanstar has prom ised not to hurt her, he will not hurt her. He will keep his prom ise.”

Onestar’s ears flattened. “Just as he’s kept his prom ise to the rogues.”

Alderpaw’s tail twitched with anger. Onestar was being so unreasonable! “He’s prom ised nothing to the rogues!”

“Then why are they still here?” Onestar glared at Alderpaw.

Alderpaw groped desperately for a reply, but the WindClan leader went on.

“ShadowClan allowed them to stay near their territory.” His mew rose to an angry y owl.

“They paid for this foolishness by losing som e of their best apprentices. When the so-called ‘special’ kit returned, they took her back in, and now she lives am ong them —giving who knows what inform ation to her rogue friends! They are weak and foolish! They deserve no help. They don’t even deserve the name of Clan cats. They are no more than rogues them selves. Let them keep Twigpaw. Let them die of sickness. I will not be tricked or bullied into helping them. They deserve every thing StarClan has brought upon them.”

Alderpaw stared into Onestar’s wild, blazing eyes. Fear ran beneath his pelt like icy water. He glanced at Leafpool. She was staring in disbelief at the WindClan leader.

“Come on,” she mewed loudly to Alderpaw. “We’re wasting our time here.” She shot a last pleading look at Kestrelflight, but the WindClan medicine cat had backed away, his gaze on his paws as though sham e washed his pelt.

Leafpool turned and headed for the camp entrance.

Alderpaw hurried after her, his pelt burning as he felt Onestar’s intense gaze on it. “What are we going to do?” he whispered desperately.

Pale sunshine streamed through the gaps in the walls as Twigpaw paced the ShadowClan apprentices’ den. The scent of pinesap was m aking her queasy. She missed the musty sm ell of the ThunderClan camp.

Violetpaw watched her, anxiously. “Won’t you come outside?”

“I don’t want to.” Anxiety prickled in Twigpaw’s belly. This wasn’t her Clan. She didn’t know any of the cats. And she felt foolish for having come here and gotten caught. “I just want to stay inside.” She’d spent yesterday hiding in the apprentices’ den while Violetpaw went training with Dawnpelt. She had been relieved when Violetpaw had returned, although the ShadowClan cats had kept her well-fed. Fresh-kill had been left at the entrance of the den, as well as m oss soaked with water to quench her thirst. But Birchpaw and Lionpaw, who shared the den, had only come there to sleep and had hardly acknowledged her presence. She’d been relieved when they’d left their nest this m orning and headed into the clearing.

Violetpaw tipped her head impatiently. “You can’t stay here forever.”

Twigpaw stiffened. “I hope I won’t be here forever!”

Violetpaw ignored her. “Dawnpelt said I was excused from training today so I could spend time with y ou. She’s worried about y ou. She say s young cats need exercise. It’s newleaf, and the forest is filled with prey -scent.”

“All I can sm ell is pinesap,” Twigpaw growled. “Besides, Crowfrost would never let m e roam the forest. I could hear warriors outside the den all last night. He’s keeping m e under guard.”

Violetpaw blinked at her apologetically. “I know it’s not nice for you to be held here. But let’s make the best of it.”

Paw steps pattered outside. “Grassheart say s ThunderClan cats can clim b trees,” Whorlkit mewed.

“She told me that if kits m isbehave, they throw them in the lake.” There was a tremor in Flowerkit’s mew.

Whorlkit snorted. “Don’t be frog-brained! You’re too old to believe nursery tales. We’re going to be apprentices in less than a moon.”

“What if she sm ells funny?” Flowerkit fretted.

“Hold y our breath.” The entrance rustled as Whorlkit barged in. “We’ve come to see y ou.”

He blinked at Twigpaw. “Is that okay?”

“I guess.” Twigpaw stared uncertainly at the gray -and-white tom.

A pair of eyes blinked in the gap behind him. “Is she there?” Flowerkit squeaked.

“Of course she’s here!” Whorlkit rolled his eyes. “Where else would she be?”

A silver she-kit crept in. Her eyes widened as she saw Twigpaw. “You look like a norm al cat today!”

“What did you think I’d look like?” She glared at Flowerkit.

Flowerkit looked thoughtful. “Last night, in the moonlight, you looked like a fox.”

Violetpaw’s whiskers twitched. “Your head is full of fluff!”

“It’s not!” Flowerkit retorted. “Scorchfur and Ratscar say all ThunderClan cats are just foxes in cat pelts.”

Twigpaw flicked her tail irritably. “Scorchfur and Ratscar are a pair of old gossips.”

Flowerkit spluttered with am usem ent. “Can I tell them you said that?”

“No!” Alarm spiked through Twigpaw’s pelt.

Whorlkit was still staring at her. “Is it true that y ou’re special?”

Twigpaw exchanged glances with her sister. She hadn’t thought about being special for ages.

She’d been too busy try ing to be the best Clan cat she could be.

When Twigpaw didn’t answer, Violetpaw answered for her. “Only StarClan knows if we’re special or not, and they’re not telling.” She trotted to the den entrance and peeked out. “What are y ou doing here, any way?”

“We’re bored,” Whorlkit complained.

“Grassheart spends all her time with Snakekit,” Flowerkit mewed sadly.

“She’s sick,” Whorlkit told Twigpaw.

Flowerkit shifted her paws. “I hope she gets better in time for our nam ing cerem ony,” she whim pered.

Twigpaw felt a sudden wave of sy m pathy for the two kits. “Would you like us to play with y ou?” she suggested. “We could teach you som e hunting m oves.”

Whorlkit’s eyes brightened. “That’d be great.”

Twigpaw crouched, starting to show him a stalking position, but Whorlkit blinked at her.

“There’s not enough space here. We’ll have to go outside,” he mewed.

“Outside?” Twigpaw stared at him, her heart lurching.

“Good idea!” Violetpaw nudged her toward the entrance. “Come on, Twigpaw. Let’s go outside.”

Reluctantly, Twigpaw let Violetpaw nose her out of the den. Flowerkit and Whorlkit pushed past them and raced into the clearing.

Twigpaw hesitated at the edge. Early m orning light broke through the thick canopy, splashing puddles of sunshine over the camp.

Tawny pelt stood at the head of the clearing. ShadowClan warriors paced restlessly around her while Tigerheart listened intently a few tail-lengths away. “Snowbird and Pinenose have both come down with the sickness,” Tawny pelt told them. “There’s not enough room in the medicine den, so Crowfrost is helping to m ove them all to the warriors’ den.”