Эрин Хантер - The Apprentice's Quest

Needlepaw let out a snort. “We could use a bit of luck!”

By this time the sun was starting to go down, casting scarlet light over the river.

Alderpaw realized they would soon have to look for somewhere to spend the night. At least we’re far from those Twoleg dens, he thought.

Soon the Thunderpath veered away from the river, so that a grassy stretch of ground opened up, dotted here and there with clumps of bushes.

“This would be a good place to rest,” Alderpaw meowed, stretching his jaws in a yawn. “Any chance of prey?”

Needlepaw perked up at the thought of hunting. “Just watch me!”

She disappeared into the nearest bushes and returned a few moments later with the limp body of a blackbird dangling from her jaws.

Meanwhile Alderpaw found a sheltered hollow underneath the branches of a hazel bush and scraped together some dead leaves to make a nest. As he ate his share of the fresh-kill, he realized how exhausted he was. Not even his worries about finding his way home were enough to keep him from falling into a deep sleep. But StarClan still did not visit him in his dreams.

For three more sunrises Alderpaw and Needlepaw trekked along the river. Their hopes revived when now and again they picked up traces of their friends’ scents and knew that they were still following in their paw steps. The river rolled on, wider and stronger now; there was nowhere safe for the cats to cross.

During the third day Alderpaw began to pick up the reek of monsters again, and there was a haze in the air ahead of them. Shortly after sunhigh more Twoleg dens loomed on the horizon.

“That’s a really big Twolegplace,” Alderpaw meowed, stifling a groan. “And I know we never passed it on the way to the gorge. We’ve come too far downriver.”

Needlepaw shrugged. “We didn’t have much choice.”

“And we still don’t.” Alderpaw cast a glance at the surging river, the far bank looking impossibly far away. “We’re going to have to travel through the filthy place.”

“You know, that might not be a bad thing,” Needlepaw mused as the two cats padded on side by side and the first of the Twoleg dens grew closer and closer.

Alderpaw was already feeling oppressed by the stinks and noises of the Twolegplace. “Not funny, Needlepaw,” he snapped.

“I’m not joking.” Needlepaw halted and turned to face him.

Amusement was glimmering in her green eyes, but her tone was serious as she added, “We need to find a kittypet.”

“A kittypet ?” Alderpaw was outraged. “Are you feeling okay? I don’t think there’s an herb for a cat with bees in her brain.”

“No, listen, idiot.” Needlepaw gave her ears and impatient flick. “A kittypet might be able to tell us where we can cross the river.”

Alderpaw snorted. “What makes you think that?”

“A kittypet would know this area well,” Needlepaw replied, “which we do not. And maybe they would even give us some kittypet food.”

Alderpaw wanted to retch with disgust.

“You’re joking now, right?”

“No. We still have a long journey ahead,” Needlepaw meowed. “It makes sense to fill up while we can.”

“I’m not filling up on that stuff,” Alderpaw muttered as they set off again. “It’s totally against the warrior code to eat kittypet food.

And they say it looks like mouse droppings!”

Alderpaw knew there was no point in protesting any more as he followed Needlepaw toward the Twolegplace. She kept marching on determinedly until they reached a Thunderpath that ran alongside the nearest dens. Needlepaw halted, glancing up and down for monsters, then stretched out a paw and rested it gently on the hard black surface of the Thunderpath.

“What are you doing?” Alderpaw asked.

“Feeling for vibrations,” Needlepaw replied. “Monsters are so huge, you can feel them coming before you can see them.”

“That’s useful,” Alderpaw murmured. He had never seen Needlepaw do that before, but then, Sandstorm, and then Molewhisker and Cherryfall, had taken the lead when they’d crossed Thunderpaths on the outward journey.

I wonder how much wandering Needlepaw has done on her own before this.

Needlepaw’s prodding him in the side roused Alderpaw from his thoughts. “Come on!

It’s safe to cross.”

Alderpaw felt more and more uneasy as he bounded across the Thunderpath behind

Needlepaw and followed her as she plunged deep into the network of Twoleg dens. It’s like she owns the place, he thought. How can she stand getting so close to Twolegs? They might even pick us up and stroke us!

His whole body thrilled with tension as Needlepaw trotted up to a male Twoleg who was bathing a bright blue monster outside his den. Showing no fear at all, she rubbed up against the Twoleg’s legs and let out a friendly little trill.

Before the Twoleg could make a grab, Alderpaw dashed up and gave Needlepaw a shove, pushing her until they were well away.

“What are you doing ? Do you want him to feed you to his monster?”

“Don’t be stupid!” Needlepaw retorted.

“Don’t you know that if you cozy up to Twolegs they’ll often give you a piece of meat or something else tasty? I do it all the time at the greenleaf Twolegplace on ShadowClan territory. Of course, it wouldn’t work for you ,” she added, looking Alderpaw up and down. “It only works for cute cats.”

“You’ve got bees in your brain,” Alderpaw growled. “Just keep moving.”

Looking smug, Needlepaw strode on again, her tail waving high in the air.

To Alderpaw’s relief, as soon as they rounded the next corner, they spotted a kittypet: a large ginger tom stretched out lazily on top of a wall. “Hi! Hi there!” Needlepaw yowled as she charged up to him.

“Hi,” the kittypet responded, startled out of his doze. “How can I help you?”

“We’re Clan cats, and we’re lost,” Needlepaw explained. “We need to get back to our territories, and to do that we have to cross the river. Do you know the way?”

Alderpaw was surprised, and a little disturbed, that Needlepaw was giving the kittypet so much information. We don’t know this cat. But then, he reassured himself, he probably has no idea what she’s meowing about.

The ginger tom stretched his jaws in a huge yawn. “Do you have anything to do with those three cats who were here at sunrise?” he asked.

“Three cats?” Alderpaw pressed forward urgently. “A cream-and-brown tom, a ginger she-cat, and a younger orange tabby?”

The kittypet nodded. “That’s them. They were really upset. They said they’d lost two young cats.”

Wonderful relief surged over Alderpaw.

“Did they say where they were going?”

“You’re the cats they lost, right?” The kittypet’s eyes were full of sympathetic interest. “They were looking for a place to cross the river, too.”

“And did you tell them?” Needlepaw asked.

“Right down there.” The ginger tom pointed with his tail down a narrow alley that led between two rows of Twoleg dens. “That brings you back to the river. A little way downstream there’s a bridge.”

“A Twoleg bridge?” Alderpaw asked doubtfully.

“Of course a Twoleg bridge, mouse-brain!”

Needlepaw gave Alderpaw an irritated shove.

“We’ve dealt with those before. Thanks,” she added, looking up at the kittypet again.

“Anytime,” the kittypet responded with another yawn.

Alderpaw was beginning to turn away when another thought struck him. “You haven’t seen another, bigger group of cats traveling through here?” he asked the kittypet. “It would have been a while ago now.”

The kittypet shook his head. “Sorry, no.”