Эрин Хантер - The Apprentice's Quest

“Right,” Cherryfall agreed. “If we say we’re leaving, we’ll leave.”

Alderpaw realized in despair that Darktail had no need to respond. Without a word from him, the rogues tightened the circle around them, their tails raised and their claws flexing, ready to fight.

We’re outnumbered, Alderpaw thought.

They can keep us here. They can do what they like with us.

“It’s nothing personal,” Darktail meowed smoothly. “Already one enemy has trespassed in the forest. I’m just making sure that no more danger is brought here to the gorge. Once I’m convinced that the danger has passed, I’ll let you go.” He licked one paw and drew it over his ear. “I promise…”

But how can we believe your promises?

Alderpaw added silently.

The sun had gone down, and deep shadows lay over the gorge. After the earlier confrontation, Alderpaw and the others had been escorted to a different den, no more than a jagged crack in the rock, where they huddled together tightly. The rough walls pressed into their fur, and it was impossible to get comfortable.

Just outside, Raven was sitting on guard, her back to the den. Seeing her ears pricked alertly, none of the questing cats had felt able to discuss plans for what they might do next.

“So what happened to the real SkyClan?”

Cherryfall asked Alderpaw at last, her voice a low murmur. “Did you find out?”

Alderpaw nodded. “Mistfeather—the cat I met in the forest—told me that the rogues attacked SkyClan and drove them out of the gorge. After that, the SkyClan cats scattered.

Mistfeather didn’t know where they went. And then Darktail killed him.”

Sparkpaw let out a horrified gasp, and dug her claws hard into the sandy floor of the den.

“Darktail is evil,” Molewhisker mewed.

Turning to Needlepaw, he added, “What were you thinking this morning? We shouldn’t have tried to explain to him. We should have walked out of our own accord.”

“And don’t you think the rogues would have followed us?” Needlepaw retorted. “We would have led them straight to our own Clans.”

Her voice rose as she spoke. Alderpaw and the others all turned to look at Raven, but if the black she-cat had heard them, she was giving nothing away.

The Clan cats settled once more into an uneasy silence, nestling down into the uncomfortable new den. Alderpaw felt the dust sticking to his pelt, the sharp stones and pebbles jabbing at his flesh, and he began to wonder where this quest had gone so wrong.

We found what’s left of SkyClan… but will we share their fate?

Alderpaw dozed uneasily, only to rouse again as he felt a paw prodding him gently in the shoulder. He opened his eyes; there was just enough light for him to see Sparkpaw staring down at him.

“Shh!” she whispered. “We need to go—now.”

Alderpaw blinked at her. “What are you talking about?”

“The rogues are asleep,” Sparkpaw murmured, “but who knows for how long? The sun will be up soon. This is the best chance we’ll have.”

Alderpaw staggered to his paws, stretching his jaws in a massive yawn. As he arched his back, stretching his cramped body, he saw

Molewhisker and Cherryfall standing just behind his sister. Needlepaw, looking unusually hesitant, was waiting near the entrance to the den.

“I think this is a bad idea,” she mumbled. “If they catch us—”

Molewhisker brushed his tail across her shoulder. “We’ll just have to make sure they don’t,” he said.

Needlepaw’s head drooped in reluctant agreement as Molewhisker turned to the others and jerked his head to signal they should move.

He led the way out into the open. A couple of tail-lengths away, Raven was sleeping with her tail curled over her nose. Alderpaw guessed she would be in trouble with Darktail when he woke up.

Silently the questing cats wove their way among the rocks, heading toward the water’s edge. Alderpaw’s pelt prickled as he imagined rogue cats looking out from the dens in the cliff face and spotting their stealthy movement.

But no warning yowls split the dawn silence.

Eventually they reached the river and turned downstream. Molewhisker picked up the pace until they were loping swiftly over the rocks.

Alderpaw shivered in the damp, chilly air; the sky was covered with cloud, and there was no sign of where the sun would rise.

Before they had gone very far, they came to a spot where a spur of rock jutted out from the cliff. The river curled around it, running fast and deep.

“Mouse dung!” Molewhisker muttered as he scrambled up to the top of the rock. “Can’t we ever get out of this filthy place?”

Alderpaw struggled up after him, driving his claws into tiny cracks and feeling the grit digging into his pads. To his relief, the rock sloped down more gently on the other side, and he was able to slide down easily to stand beside

Molewhisker.

“At least now we can’t be seen from the camp,” Cherryfall mewed as the others joined them.

“We still have to get a move on,” Molewhisker commented. “Don’t forget that the rogues can follow our scent.”

“Then maybe we should cross the river,” Alderpaw suggested. “That would break our scent and make it harder for Darktail and the rest to follow us. It would give us a better chance of getting clear.”

“Good idea,” Cherryfall responded. “Let’s look for a place to cross.”

But as Molewhisker swung into motion again, Sparkpaw hung back.

“What’s the matter?” Molewhisker asked, a trace of irritation in his voice.

“I’m wondering if we should leave,” Sparkpaw replied hesitantly. “StarClan sent us here, and we haven’t found SkyClan. Maybe we should stay close by and look for them.”

“We can’t help SkyClan now,” Alderpaw responded grimly, even though he admired his littermate for her courage in making the suggestion. “We have no idea where they’ve gone. And if we try to stay in the woods, Darktail and his rogues will surely find us.

Maybe when we get home, Bramblestar will have some idea of what we can do to help

SkyClan, but this quest…” He paused, willing his voice not to shake. “This quest is a failure .

The best we can do is get home safely.”

“He’s right,” Cherryfall meowed, touching her apprentice sympathetically on her shoulder.

“We did everything we could, but we can’t save SkyClan right now.”

Sparkpaw sighed, nodding. “I guess so.”

Molewhisker took the lead again, padding along at the edge of the river. Alderpaw looked out for a place where it would be safe to cross, but it was still too dark to tell how deep the water was, and it was rushing past quickly, a tumbling current that could easily sweep a cat away.

RiverClan cats swim, he thought with a shudder. But we’re not RiverClan cats, and I don’t want to try it.

“There are trees farther downstream,” Sparkpaw pointed out, as if she shared her brother’s thoughts. “Maybe there’ll be a way to cross there.”

Cherryfall gave a brisk nod. “Good idea.

Let’s hurry. The sun will be up soon, and the rogues will be waking.”

She set off, bounding toward the trees, and the others followed. The first trees they reached were small and spindly, and too far away from the water to be any help in crossing.

Alderpaw had hoped for a fallen tree trunk, like the one that the Clans used to cross the lake for Gatherings, but the only log he spotted was wedged at an angle into the bank, the far end jutting out into the current.