Darkest Night

Leafpool glanced at a half-finished nest outside the apprentices’ den, and then at her medicine den, where herbs were drying outside. “I appreciate your coming, but if you four can handle it, then I’d better stay here. There’s so much to do, and with four cats gone, there aren’t enough paws to do everything.”

“Of course.” Jayfeather nodded curtly. He headed for the entrance, letting Puddleshine guide him out of the unfamiliar camp.

Alderheart hurried after them, Kestrelflight at his heels. “Do you think RiverClan will stop us from seeing Mistystar?”

“If I could predict the future, we wouldn’t need StarClan to guide us.” Jayfeather ducked through the fern tunnel that led into the forest. The browning fronds slicked his fur.

The medicine cats headed back to the shore, skirting the water where it crossed ShadowClan’s shore before heading into the marshy reed beds of RiverClan territory.

Jayfeather took the lead. Alderheart guessed that his whiskers guided him along the meandering route between the rushes, for his paws seemed to find the driest paths and the wind was always behind them. Alderheart tasted the air. The musky fish-scent of RiverClan was strong. The camp must be close. He was eager to meet Willowshine and Mothwing. Their absence from the half-moon meeting had felt strange. The bond between medicine cats felt almost stronger than the bond between Clanmates. They shared knowledge and visions warriors would never experience. Their connection with StarClan tied them to one another almost like kin.

He lifted his muzzle, peering through a clump of bulrushes. Their heads bobbed around him like birds. A heron stalked through shallow water a few tail-lengths away. Its feathers rustled as it lifted suddenly and wheeled into the air.

Jayfeather halted. “Wait.” With a flick of his tail, he signaled them to stop. Ahead, the reeds swished as a cat pushed through. Duskfur hopped onto the path ahead of them. Sneezecloud and Shimmerpelt followed. The RiverClan cats glared at them with open hostility.

“What are you doing here?” Duskfur’s greeting was a snarl.

Alderheart’s pelt prickled uneasily. Why was she being so hostile?

Jayfeather ignored the she-cat’s aggression. “We’ve come to see Mistystar.” He faced them unblinking. “We have news from StarClan.”

“What news?” Duskfur tipped her head, a sneer on her face.

Jayfeather’s tail twitched. “If StarClan wanted to share with warriors, they would.”

Shimmerpelt thrust her muzzle forward. “The border is closed!”

“Is it closed to StarClan too?” Jayfeather shot back.

Sneezecloud looked past the medicine cats, scanning the path behind them. “I don’t see any StarClan cats with you.”

Puddleshine stepped forward and stood beside Jayfeather. “They sent us.”

“We have to speak with Mistystar,” Alderheart chimed.

“Or Willowshine,” Kestrelflight added.

“Mothwing will want to speak with us,” Jayfeather meowed evenly.

Duskfur narrowed her eyes. “My orders are to stop any cat from crossing into our territory. RiverClan is rebuilding. We don’t need any distractions.”

Alderheart sighed. “That isn’t what Mistystar said at the Gathering.”

Duskfur glared at him. “It’s what she’s saying now,” she insisted. Her gaze flicked to the far edge of the reed bed. “You shouldn’t be so far inside our border.”

Shimmerpelt flattened her ears. “There’s no way we’re letting you reach the camp.”

“Then bring Willowshine or Mothwing here.” Jayfeather’s pelt bristled. “We need to share StarClan’s news.”

“If you won’t tell us what it is,” Duskfur growled, “then I guess we’ll have to wait for StarClan to bring the news themselves.”

Sneezecloud showed his teeth. “If it’s important, they’ll let us know.”

Alderheart’s chest was tight with fear. It was bad enough that Bramblestar wouldn’t act. Mistystar wouldn’t even hear them out.

Kestrelflight curled his claws into the soft earth. “Perhaps they only want to share with cats who behave like a real Clan.”

Sneezecloud hissed. “How dare a WindClan cat judge RiverClan after what Onestar did! Cats died when he closed WindClan’s borders. He deprived them of herbs that could save them, all because he couldn’t face the fact that he’d fathered Darktail.”

Kestrelflight’s hackles lifted. “This has nothing to do with Onestar. He’s dead. Harestar is our leader now.”

“So you’re a real Clan again?” Shimmerpelt curled her lip.

“We’ve learned what happens when you reject the other Clans,” Kestrelflight meowed pointedly.

Duskfur padded closer, ears flat. “Are you going to leave or do we need to drive you away?”

Jayfeather lifted his chin. “Will you tell Mistystar we came? Or do you think she might not want to hear that you have been making decisions for her?”

A menacing growl rumbled in Duskfur’s throat.

“Come on.” Alderheart slid in front of Jayfeather and guided him away. “This is in StarClan’s paws now.”