Эрин Хантер - Thunder Аnd Shadow

Rowanstar hissed, struggling free from Darktail’s grip. He turned on the rogue leader, but Darktail was quicker. He dived beneath Rowanstar’s belly and heaved him off his paws. As

Rowanstar fell, Darktail lashed out, slicing the ShadowClan leader’s m uzzle. Blood splashed across the clearing, shining darkly in the moonlight.

Tigerheart snarled and leaped at the rogue leader.

At last! Violetpaw leaned forward, blood roaring in her ears.

Tawny pelt hurled herself after Tigerheart, and together they shoved Darktail away from Rowanstar. Batting at him with vicious blows, they drove him back toward his campmates.

Tigerheart glanced at Tawny pelt, and together they began stalking toward the glowering rogues, snarling. But then, suddenly, Tigerheart looked around and seem ed to realize that he and Tawny pelt were the only cats m oving to defend their leader. “Wait,” he hissed to Tawny pelt, looking around the camp. She dropped onto all four paws, narrowing her eyes as she glared at the invading cats.

The rest of ShadowClan watched, unm oving.

Tigerheart and Tawny pelt looked at each other, uneasy acceptance flashing in their eyes, and then slowly backed away.

What was wrong with the others? Violetpaw stared at them in disbelief. Did they truly all want a rogue leader instead of Rowanstar?

She glanced at Rowanstar as he staggered to his paws. Blood welled on his m uzzle and darkened his neck fur. As he backed toward Dawnpelt, Violetpaw could see that he was trem bling.

Dawnpelt pressed against his flank to steady him. Tigerheart and Tawny pelt j oined them, bunching close together like cornered m ice.

Violetpaw blinked at the huddled group of her Clanmates, feeling sick. “What do we do?” she breathed, one eye on the rogues.

Rowanstar looked at her, pain showing in his eyes. “We go to the Gathering.” He padded forward, lifting his chin. Tigerheart and Tawny pelt followed. Violetpaw started after them, Dawnpelt at her side.

Spikefur curled his lip. “If you go,” he rem inded the ShadowClan leader, “don’t come back.”

“Puddleshine!” Rowanstar beckoned to the medicine cat with a flick of his tail. “Come with us.”

Puddleshine hurried after him.

“Wait.” Spikefur blocked his son’s path. “You can’t leave. Your Clan needs y ou.”

Puddleshine halted, his pelt ruffling. He glanced toward the den where the sick cats lay, then around at his Clanmates and the rogues.

Spikefur went on. “ShadowClan can’t be without a medicine cat again. What if Pinenose relapses? Would you ever forgive y ourself if y our mother died because you left?” He leaned closer to Puddleshine. “If any of y our Clanmates died?”

Puddleshine’s eyes glittered with uncertainty.

Rowanstar paused and looked at the young medicine cat. “I will understand if you decide to stay,” he meowed grim ly.

Puddleshine dropped his gaze. “I can’t leave,” he m urm ured. “I have sworn to protect my Clanmates.”

As he turned and retreated to the medicine cat den, Sleekwhisker padded forward and fixed her gaze on Dawnpelt. “Didn’t you miss m e and Juniperclaw?”

Violetpaw felt Dawnpelt stiffen beside her, but her m entor could hardly m eet her kit’s gaze.

“You betrayed your Clan,” she mumbled.

“But we’ve come to help them. And you.” Sleekwhisker’s eyes glittered in the moonlight.

“Now that Crowfrost is dead, we’re all you have.”

Dawnpelt puffed out her chest. “I still have Strikestone.” But as she glanced at the young tom, he backed away. “Are you staying?” She sounded like she could hardly believe it.

“Where else can I go?” Strikestone m urm ured. “Where can you go? This is our home.”

Dawnpelt hesitated.

“You can’t stay!” Violetpaw stared at her desperately, but she could see resignation in her m entor’s gaze.

“He’s right,” Dawnpelt whispered. “I can’t leave every single one of m y kits. And this is the only home I’ve known. How can I leave?” She blinked apologetically at Rowanstar, her father, and then Tawny pelt and Tigerheart.

The ShadowClan leader turned away, dism ay darkening his eyes. Lifting his tail, he barged between the rogues and ducked through the tunnel. Tigerheart and Tawny pelt followed him, their pelts spiking.

Violetpaw glanced at Needletail, who was watching Rowanstar’s retreat with satisfaction. It’s like I don’t even know her, Violetpaw thought. But then she swallowed hard. Except I do. Hadn’t

Needletail always questioned all the rules of the Clan? It was what had always scared Violetpaw about her—and thrilled her.

Violetpaw tore her eyes from Needletail and headed after her Clanmates.

“Wait!” Needletail’s mew sounded in her ear as she passed. The silver she-cat’s scent washed over her. “Where are you going? I thought y ou’d stay. Please don’t leave m e again!”

Violetpaw m et Needletail’s pleading gaze. Even as her paws tingled with eagerness to leave, the fact that Needletail wanted her to stay warm ed a place deep inside her. “You don’t need m e.

You have plenty of friends here.” Her gaze flashed to Rain. “And you have him.”

“But they’re not m y kin, not like you are.” Needletail stared at her anxiously.

My kin. She’d felt the sam e way about Needletail. Guilt surged through Violetpaw. Needletail had been the only cat in ShadowClan who had always been kind to her, and she had repaid her by abandoning her without a word. Could she leave her again? Was that fair?

“Please stay,” Needletail begged. “We can make ShadowClan the Clan it used to be, before y ou cam e. A great Clan. A brave Clan. You’ll be proud to be part of it.” She looked around the rogues. “These are cats who understand what it’s like not to belong. They will be as loy al to you as I have been. We’re like kin now. Can you say that about any other cat y ou’ve known?”

Grief clawed at Violetpaw’s heart as she remembered how ThunderClan had let Rowanstar take her from her sister without lifting a paw to stop him, and how Twigpaw had walked away from her to return to her Clanmates. Needletail was right. She was the closest thing Violetpaw had ever known to real kin.

She blinked at Needletail. “Okay,” she mewed. “I’ll stay.”

As Needletail purred and pressed her m uzzle to Violetpaw’s cheek, Violetpaw breathed in her scent. It felt good. She turned her back on the entrance through which Rowanstar, Tigerheart, and Tawny pelt had disappeared and gazed at her new Clan.

Twigpaw shifted her paws nervously. Countless scents washed over her, and the chatter of voices wasn’t helping to calm her anxiety. Would Violetpaw come to the Gathering? Guilt still pricked her belly each time she remembered leaving the ShadowClan camp, Violetpaw staring desperately after her.

Beside her, Wavepaw looked around. The RiverClan apprentice’s eyes were wide as she, Nightpaw, and Breezepaw took in the scene. “It’s our first Gathering.”

Honey paw sniffed. “I’ve been to plenty.”

Wavepaw’s sister shifted closer as Brindlepaw and Fernpaw padded toward them. “I didn’t realize there’d be so many cats here,” she breathed.

“Don’t worry, Cy presspaw.” Wavepaw nuzzled his sister’s ear. “There’s a truce, remember? We’re safe here.”

“Hello!” Brindlepaw stopped and blinked at Wavepaw. “You’re new, right?”

Wavepaw nodded.

Honey paw barged in front of him.