Эрин Хантер - The Apprentice's Quest

“I’ll come too,” Needlepaw added, sidling up to them. “I’d like to get a better look at the gorge.”

Alderpaw couldn’t imagine why Needlepaw would want to see any more of such a barren, dirty place, but there was no point in objecting.

Needlepaw is weird anyway. Nothing she does makes sense!

Rain took the lead as the three cats headed downstream, passing the den that Alderpaw was sure must have been Echosong’s at one time.

With every paw step Alderpaw began to feel more optimistic. If he could teach these cats how to treat illness, they might start to show more compassion for one another, instead of heartlessly ignoring sick cats like Flame. They would start to feel and behave more like a real

Clan. And then they could return to the forest as real allies.

This is the first stage of completing the quest—to help SkyClan find the way back to Clan life.

Alderpaw shifted restlessly in his den, unable to sleep. He kept thinking about the tour of the territory he had taken with Needlepaw and Rain, and how much Rain needed to be taught. They had found yarrow and more tansy, and Rain had seemed to think that these two herbs could cure everything.

“You’ll need to search for herbs on either side of the gorge,” Alderpaw had pointed out.

“And maybe even travel farther than your usual hunting territory. There are lots of different diseases that can strike a cat, and they need different herbs and different kinds of treatment.”

Rain had shrugged, seeming okay with that.

“It might make more sense for Darktail to lead us to new territory soon,” he had meowed.

Now Alderpaw curled up more tightly and tried to will himself into sleep. He was desperate for another vision, perhaps a visit from Sandstorm to reassure him that everything was happening how it was supposed to. He knew deep within himself that there was something not right about SkyClan. However hard he tried to tell himself that it was only because they had lived apart from other Clans for so long, he couldn’t shake the feeling that all this was somehow wrong . Was there a reason why he hadn’t had any visions since they arrived in the gorge?

Then a reason occurred to him, and he shivered all over, wanting to mewl in terror like a tiny lost kit. Suppose StarClan can’t reach me in this place!

As Alderpaw’s shuddering died away, he was distracted by the sound of voices. He had already discovered how the walls of the gorge trapped sound, so it was useless trying to have a quiet conversation, or say anything they didn’t want the SkyClan cats to hear. He wrapped his tail over his ears to blot out the sound, only to raise his head alertly as he heard Darktail’s voice.

“It will be easy.”

As silently as he could, Alderpaw edged toward the entrance to the den and peered out into the darkness. There was just enough light from the moon for him to make out Darktail and Rain a few tail-lengths away, along with a long-furred black she-cat named Raven.

“I don’t know… ,” Raven mewed doubtfully. “The journey will be long and hard.

I’ve heard stories about huge Thunderpaths out there, and how many cats lose their lives on them.”

“Thunderpaths hold no fear for us,” Darktail responded with a dismissive wave of his tail.

Hope thrilled through Alderpaw. Maybe the SkyClan cats are deciding to leave tomorrow, to journey with us to the lake and reunite with the other Clans!

He rose to his paws, intending to join them and tell them how happy he was about their plan, but before he could leave the den, the SkyClan cats split up, padding off in three different directions.

Movement in the shadows caught

Alderpaw’s eye, and to his astonishment he spotted Needlepaw, emerging from the shelter of a boulder and padding up to Rain. Until then he hadn’t realized that she wasn’t asleep in the den with him and his Clanmates.

“It sounds like you’re close to making your minds up,” Needlepaw purred to Rain.

The big gray tom loomed over her. “It’s rude to eavesdrop,” he hissed.

“I hardly had a choice.” Needlepaw was not at all intimidated; her voice was even playful.

“You’re not exactly subtle in how you go about your plotting.”

Rain muttered something in reply, but because he turned to walk away, Alderpaw couldn’t make out the words.

Needlepaw pattered alongside the SkyClan cat, and without knowing why, Alderpaw emerged from the den and followed them as they headed upstream toward the rock pile.

Although he kept his distance, he could still hear Needlepaw’s teasing purr.

“Life in the other Clans is different, Rain.

There are… rules. You and Darktail and the others will have to learn them if you want to fit in.”

“Everything will work out,” Rain responded.

“Just the way it’s meant to.”

Alderpaw couldn’t decide whether the big tom’s voice was hopeful or amused, but either way, he wasn’t sure he liked it. I’ve heard enough, he thought, turning back toward the den.

But as he turned, his paw dislodged a pebble that clinked against another. Needlepaw and Rain both swiveled around to stare at him.

“Who’s that?” Rain asked sharply.

“Only me,” Alderpaw mumbled. “I… er… I just came out to make dirt.”

Not waiting for any comment, he scampered off into the darkness, panting hard as he reached the den where his Clanmates still slept peacefully. His hopeful feelings had evaporated, the flutter in his chest replaced by a heavy weight that seemed to be pushing from the inside, trying to force him to the ground.

Alderpaw crawled out of the den the next morning feeling so exhausted that he could hardly put one paw in front of another.

Pondering how he could return the SkyClan cats to Clan life, when they obviously had no idea what it meant to be a warrior, had kept him awake all night, and so had the ache in his chest after he’d heard Needlepaw talking to Rain.

“I think we should hunt,” Molewhisker announced when all the questing cats had emerged from the den and sat grooming themselves at the waterside. “It’s no use expecting to eat with the SkyClan cats.”

“Let’s do that,” Cherryfall agreed. “I can’t wait to get out of this StarClan-forsaken gorge.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Needlepaw yawned, showing a mouthful of spiky teeth. “It’s not so bad when you get used to it.”

“You stay, then,” Sparkpaw snapped, and added under her breath, “No cat asked you to come with us anyway.”

“That’s enough,” Molewhisker meowed, rising to his paws and speaking with authority.

“Needlepaw, you can do what you want. The rest of us are going to hunt.”

“It looks like there’s thicker forest on the other side of the river,” Cherryfall pointed out.

“Let’s go that way.”

Few of the SkyClan cats were around, and none of them tried to stop the ThunderClan cats as Molewhisker led the way across the pile of rocks. Alderpaw stumbled along in the rear, convinced that he would be even worse at hunting when he could scarcely keep his eyes open.

But when he found himself under the trees, Alderpaw revived a little. It felt good to have damp earth and leaf mold beneath his paws again, and to catch glimpses of sky between crisscrossing branches. The leaves were beginning to turn brown and gold, and for the first time Alderpaw realized that leaf-fall was almost upon them.

Cherryfall and Sparkpaw headed off together, while

Molewhisker turned to Alderpaw. “Do you want to hunt with me?” he asked.