Эрин Хантер - Thunder Аnd Shadow

Tawny pelt stood beside her son, her chin high. “The sickness scared them. They are like frightened kits looking for som eone strong to protect them!”

Onestar’s tail flicked om inously. “And why didn’t they look to Rowanstar? Isn’t he strong?”

Rowanstar paws suddenly steadied on the branch. He lifted his head, his shoulders squaring. “I have been sick. Crowfrost has died. For day s ShadowClan had no leadership, thanks to y ou. If y ou’d given us the herb earlier, this might never have happened.”

Murm urs of agreem ent sounded around Twigpaw. She turned her head, seeing RiverClan and ThunderClan cats nodding. Even som e of the WindClan cats were staring accusingly at their leader.

“What’s done is done.” Bramblestar’s mew was calm. “For now Rowanstar, Tawny pelt, and Tigerheart will be welcome in ThunderClan. They can stay until their Clanmates realize their m istake.”

Tawny pelt hissed m iserably. “ If they realize their m istake.”

Bramblestar blinked at her sy m pathetically. “I know you feel betray ed. But it takes more than sickness and rogues to destroy the bonds of Clanship.”

Onestar grunted. “Not in ShadowClan.”

Rowanstar turned on the WindClan leader, teeth bared. Twigpaw’s heart lurched. Was he going to attack Onestar? Her breath caught in her throat, but the ginger tom hesitated, then backed away.

He turned to Bramblestar. “Thank you for y our offer. We will be honored to stay with ThunderClan.”

Honey paw snorted beside Twigpaw. “Oh, great,” she huffed sarcastically. “ShadowClan cats in our camp.”

Twigpaw hardly heard her denmate. But where is Violetpaw? Why had she decided to stay with the rogues? What if they were holding her against her will? Was she in danger? Panic gripped Twigpaw’s heart with stone claws.

“Are you okay?” Honey paw stared at her bristling pelt.

“My sister,” Twigpaw whispered hoarsely. “She’s with the rogues.” Her paws itched to race to the ShadowClan camp. She had to speak with Violetpaw. She had to know she was okay.

Paws pattered behind Twigpaw as Ivy pool caught up to her the next day. They were approaching the border of ShadowClan, and Ivy pool was hesitating. “You’re really worried, aren’t y ou?”

“Im agine if it was Dovewing!” Twigpaw snapped.

Ivy pool didn’t reply, but she stay ed in step with Twigpaw.

“All I want to do is check that she’s okay.” Twigpaw felt hot. She didn’t like being so disrespectful, but this was im portant.

“What if ShadowClan takes you prisoner again?” Ivy pool pointed out. “There’s no Crowfrost around this time to let you go.”

Twigpaw padded on, pressing back the fear churning in her belly. “It’s just a risk I’ll have to take. You can go back to camp. I don’t mind going by m y self.”

Ivy pool’s ears twitched uneasily. “I’m not letting you cross the border alone.”

Twigpaw glanced at Ivy pool. “May be you can just wait there for m e while I slip across.” She didn’t want to get her m entor into trouble.

“I’m not letting you out of m y sight.” Ivy pool fell quiet for a few m om ents as they scram bled down a steep slope and leaped over a stream. On the far side, Twigpaw paused to catch her breath.

Ivy pool stopped beside her. “Having ShadowClan cats in our camp is strange. I’m not sure I like it.”

“I guess.” Twigpaw headed toward the border once more.

Ivy pool fell in beside her. “Two leaders and two deputies in one camp is just way too m any.

Did you see Tigerheart and Squirrelflight getting into it this m orning about which to send out first, the border or the hunting patrols? I thought Squirrelflight was going to attack him. It was like a rabbit had just given her hunting advice. And Rowanstar!” Ivy pool rolled her eyes. “He follows

Bramblestar around like a shadow, giving ‘tips.’”

“They seem all right,” Twigpaw said with a flick of her tail. “Any way, they’ll be gone soon, we hope.”

“I guess.” Ivy pool didn’t sound convinced. “I’d like to see them all go home soon. Especially Tigerheart.”

Twigpaw looked at her m entor, surprised. “Why?”

Ivy pool didn’t return her gaze. “I’m not sure it’s good for Dovewing to have him around the camp.”

“Why not?” Twigpaw frowned, puzzled. “He doesn’t seem so bad.” She remembered the prickliness between the two warriors when they’d m et in the forest.

“If only.” Ivy pool lowered her voice. “You know what it feels like to worry about y our littermate, don’t y ou? I mean, that’s why we’re here.”

Twigpaw looked at her in surprise. “Of course.”

Ivy pool flicked her ear. “Well, this is a secret, so you mustn’t tell, but Tigerheart and Dovewing used to have feelings for each other.”

“Feelings?” Twigpaw took a m om ent to understand. “You mean they liked each other?”

“I think it was a bit more than like .” Ivy pool sounded disapproving. “But they’re in different

Clans, so it couldn’t go any where. It’s not good for things like that to be stirred up.”

Twigpaw kept walking, her mind spinning. Dovewing and Tigerheart were in different Clans… just like her and Violetpaw. Couldn’t Ivy pool see that it was even worse to be separated from y our kin? To not even be able to worry about her littermate properly, because she never knew what was going on?

The thought flitted away as ShadowClan scent touched her nose. They were near the border.

She could see the sprawling bramble that straddled the scent line. Slowing, she led Ivy pool to the edge and crept along it. She peered around the end of the bramble and scanned the forest ahead.

Where the oaks turned to pine, shadows closed in.

She narrowed her eyes, wondering where she’d find the quickest trail to the ShadowClan camp. Last time she’d come, she’d had the cover of darkness. Would her gray pelt cam ouflage her in day light? Doubt tugged at her paws. Perhaps they should head home after all. Ivy pool was right; if they were caught this tim e, Crowfrost and Rowanstar wouldn’t be there to protect them.

Only rogues.

Ferns shivered ahead. Paw steps scuffed the earth.

“Quick, hide!” Ivy pool scuttled under the bramble and dragged Twigpaw after her.

Thorns snagged Twigpaw’s pelt, and she screwed up her eyes as Ivy pool pulled her deeper into the thicket.

She could hear two ShadowClan cats talking as they approached.

A she-cat was purring. “Darktail’s not used to having to organize so many patrols. Did you see him this m orning try ing to decide who to send hunting? He looked like a confused badger.”

Twigpaw stiffened. She recognized that mew. Needletail. She wriggled to the edge of the brambles and peered out.

The silver she-cat was walking beside a one-ey ed tom, looking pleased with herself. “He should appoint a deputy to help him.” She brushed close to the tom. “Som eone like y ou.”

The tom stopped and gazed at Needletail. “You remember what happened the last time I challenged Darktail for leadership.”

“You won’t be challenging him this tim e, Rain,” Needletail m urm ured silkily. “You’ll be offering to help him out.”

Rain’s whiskers twitched with am usem ent. “ You should offer to be deputy,” he meowed.

“You’d be good at it.”

As he leaned forward to nuzzle Needletail’s cheek, Twigpaw hauled herself from beneath the brambles. Needletail cared about Violetpaw. She’d help, wouldn’t she?

“Twigpaw!” Ivy pool grabbed for her tail.

Twigpaw tugged it free from her m entor’s paw and burst out in front of Needletail. She shook the prickles from her pelt. “Needletail. You have to help m e!”