Darkest Night

“ThunderClan’s forest is different.” Twigpaw fluffed out her fur, pretending not to be embarrassed. “When the wind blows there, you can hardly tell. The trees protect us from the wind; they don’t whirl about like reeds.”

“ShadowClan seems happy in the pine forest,” Finpaw reminded her.

“At least the wind means there are plenty of twigs to gather,” Dewpaw added.

Twigpaw scanned the forest. Falling twigs caught her eye everywhere, and the forest floor was sprinkled with thin stems that would be perfect for weaving into den walls. She pawed one toward her, then turned to pick up the one that had bounced off her back. She tried not to notice the irritation that wormed in her belly. Why had she been sent out on an apprentice errand? She’d passed her assessment. If she’d stayed in ThunderClan, she’d have her warrior name by now. She’d be building dens, not gathering supplies.

She pushed the thought away. You chose to join SkyClan, she reminded herself. You wanted to be with Violetpaw and Hawkwing. And yet she was finding it strange to have new Clanmates. The SkyClan cats were kind, but she was used to the order and routine of the ThunderClan camp. Leafstar seemed more like an ordinary warrior than a leader. She worked and hunted and patrolled alongside her Clanmates as though she were no different. Hawkwing, even though he was deputy, let the cats organize their own hunting patrols. Occasionally he would suggest that it was time to patrol the border, but he let cats volunteer rather than ordering them to go.

It’s just because they are finding their paws in a new home, she decided.

But that didn’t explain SkyClan’s fondness for kittypets. Twigpaw had been shocked to learn that SkyClan used to have kittypets as part of their Clan, and that they used to come and go, living with the Clan and their Twolegs. SkyClan had called these cats “daylight warriors.” Twigpaw couldn’t understand how you could be a warrior only part of the time. You were either a warrior or you weren’t. At least Macgyver had made the decision to stay with the Clan for good. So he was almost a real warrior. But like Millie back in ThunderClan, he’d kept his kittypet name.

And there are so few SkyClan cats. Twigpaw frowned. There were almost as many apprentices as there were warriors. And it was strange to have no elders at all. Twigpaw remembered, with a pang, Graystripe and Millie. They had seemed like the steadying roots of ThunderClan, always ready with a reassuring word or teasing complaint that made everything feel okay.

She had thought being with Violetpaw and Hawkwing would cure her homesickness, but the longer she spent with them, the more she realized how alike the two of them were. They practically shared thoughts. Sometimes, talking to them felt like talking to one cat. It made her feel like an outsider. I’m supposed to be the one with the special bond with Hawkwing. I rescued SkyClan. She was ashamed of the thought, but she couldn’t help thinking it. You do have a bond with Hawkwing, she told herself. It’s just not the same as Violetpaw’s.

She realized that Finpaw was staring at her. “Are all ThunderClan cats such dreamers?” he mewed.

She blinked at him, sensing that she’d been lost in her thoughts. “Sorry.” She reached for another twig and dragged it onto her tiny pile. Pine needles caught under her claws. “I’m still getting used to being in a new home. Don’t you find it strange?”

“Everything has felt strange for so long, it feels almost normal now,” Finpaw told her.

“Do you miss the gorge?” she asked.

Finpaw shrugged. “I never lived there.”

Dewpaw padded over, a bundle of twigs bunched between his jaws. He dropped them beside Finpaw’s. “We were born beside another lake after they’d left the gorge,” he explained. “SkyClan lived there for a season.”

Twigpaw pricked her ears. “So you’ve never seen the gorge?”

“Never,” Finpaw told her. There was a wistful look in his yellow eyes.

“But you wish you had?” she wondered.

Finpaw looked away. “The other cats talk about it so much,” he mewed. “I kind of wish I knew what they were talking about.”

Twigpaw’s heart pricked with sympathy. “Me too.” She’d thought she was the only one who felt left out when the SkyClan warriors started reminiscing about their old life.

Finpaw blinked at her warmly. “Next time they start talking about their old life, we can remember the exciting day we spent collecting twigs.” He winked at her. Then he nodded at her meager pile. “We should collect a few more and head back to camp.”

Dewpaw scanned the forest floor, whisking his tail as his gaze reached a patch of scattered sticks. “I’ll fetch those.”