Darkest Night

Barley got to his paws and stretched. “Stay tonight,” he meowed. “You all look tired; a good night’s sleep and more food will do you good.”

“Thank you,” Hawkwing dipped his head. “We will.”

Violetpaw felt a surge of gratitude to the farm cat. The barn was cozy and she might be able to sleep deeply enough to dream. If Needletail wasn’t going to appear in the forest again, perhaps she would visit her dreams. Violetpaw wanted a chance to tell her that, even though she had found Cherrytail and Cloudmist, Needletail would always be more like kin to her than any cat.

But at that thought, Violetpaw’s heart quickened. Was there a reason Needletail hadn’t visited for so long?

Are you still angry with me, Needletail?

CHAPTER 10

Movement flashed at the corner of Twigpaw’s eye. A mouse was threading its way between the shriveling fronds of a fern a few tail-lengths away.

“Are you listening?” Sandynose’s sharp mew jerked her attention back. He was staring up at a pine tree.

“I’m listening,” Twigpaw answered, one eye still on the mouse.

Mist hung between the trees, muffling the sounds of the forest. High above the forest, thick clouds covered the sky. Twigpaw fluffed out her fur against the damp.

Sandynose’s tail twitched irritably. “Can you see the bird?”

Twigpaw dragged her gaze from the mouse, which was nibbling a pinecone, and followed her mentor’s gaze. A sparrow was flitting from branch to branch, pecking at cones that clustered at the tips. “I can see it.”

“I want you to climb the tree and catch it,” Sandynose instructed.

“There’s a mouse over there.” Twigpaw nodded at it. “It’s meatier than a sparrow and much easier to catch.”

Ivypool would have approved of her practical thinking.

But Sandynose glared at her. “When I tell you to catch a bird, I mean catch a bird. If I want you to catch a mouse, I’ll say mouse. You’re a SkyClan cat now. Any cat can catch prey on the forest floor. Only SkyClan can hunt in the trees.”

Twigpaw thought of the bustling ThunderClan camp with a pang of longing. They seemed to be thriving on forest-floor prey. She blinked at Sandynose. Why couldn’t he be more like his son? Finpaw was fun.

And he likes me.

“Twigpaw!” Sandynose growled at her as her thoughts wandered again.

“Sorry.” Twigpaw gazed at him, pressing back irritation.

“Climb the tree!”

Claws itching with frustration, Twigpaw hooked them into the soft bark of the pine.

“Dig your claws in deep,” Sandynose meowed.

I know that, Twigpaw fumed.

“Make sure three paws always have a grip on the trunk.”

Why is he treating me like a kit? She understood Leafstar’s wish for her to gain a little experience as a SkyClan apprentice before she received her warrior name, but Sandynose knew that she’d passed her ThunderClan assessment. And yet he acted like she’d just left the nursery.

She hauled herself up. The lowest branches of a pine were so spindly. She’d have to climb farther to reach a branch she could stand on. She wondered if Finpaw liked climbing trees. He looked strong enough to climb to the top of the Sky Oak in ThunderClan territory. Her thoughts wandered. Even though he was still an apprentice, his shoulders were as broad as a warrior’s. He was going to be a handsome tom. He already was handsome. And so funny and kind.

“Twigpaw!” Sandynose yowled below her. “Are you going to hang there all day like a woodpecker?”

She realized that she’d stopped. Her claws burned from the strain. Pushing hard with her hind paws, she propelled herself upward and scrambled onto the first thick branch she reached.

The sparrow had fluttered higher. Twigpaw sighed. If she’d been allowed to catch the mouse, they could be heading back to camp now with prey for their Clanmates. Did Tinycloud really care whether she ate sparrow or mouse? She had three kits to nurse. Surely any prey was better than waiting?

Twigpaw scrambled onto the next branch, then the next, following them around as they spiraled higher up the tree. The sparrow hopped along a bough overhead. Twigpaw paused to trace out a route through the spiky twigs that would let her creep close to it without being seen.

“Have you caught it yet?” Sandynose’s mew rang from the ground.

Alarmed, the sparrow hopped higher.

Hush! Anger burned through her pelt. Gritting her teeth, she hauled herself onto the next branch, climbing until, at last, she was level with the sparrow.