Darkest Night

Violetpaw stiffened. “The Dark Forest?” she asked anxiously.

“No.” Needletail shifted her paws. “I don’t know where I go. I only know that when I open my eyes, I’m near him.”

“Can he see you?”

“Yes.” Needletail flicked her ears. “He’s the only one who can. Well, him and you.”

“Is he dead too?” Violetpaw’s pelt rippled nervously along her spine.

“No.” Needletail looked at her as though she were a mouse-brain. “That’s why I wanted to show him to you. I think he’s important to the Clans. I think that’s why I’m stuck here and why he’s always near.”

“What can I do to help?” Violetpaw was puzzled.

“Take him with you,” Needletail ordered. “Take him to the Clans.”

“Why?”

Needletail shrugged. “I don’t know. All I know is that I can see him and I can see you. I think that I’m meant to make you two meet and that you’re meant to take him to the Clans. If I help the Clans, then maybe I’ll find StarClan.”

Violetpaw gazed into Needletail’s eyes, pity twisting her heart. It must be so lonely here. “I’ll take him,” she promised.

Needletail turned toward the heather.

“Are you leaving?” Violetpaw blinked at her.

“This is your quest now.”

“Don’t go!” One thought blazed in Violetpaw’s mind. Are you still angry with me? Too scared to ask out loud, she stared imploringly at Needletail. Urgency flashed in her friend’s eyes.

“Please,” Needletail begged.

She needs me! Violetpaw’s heart lifted, glad she could help. But has she forgiven me? “Wait—” Before she could finish, Needletail disappeared among the heather. As the breeze whisked away her scent, Violetpaw knew she was gone.

She heard moss stir beside her. The tom was waking. She backed away, her pelt bristling as he lifted his head and yawned.

He stiffened as he caught sight of her. “Who are you?” In a moment, he was on his paws, hackles high.

“Needletail brought me here,” Violetpaw mewed quickly.

“Needletail?” The tom looked surprised. “Can you see her too?”

“Yes.” Violetpaw didn’t entirely trust this tom. She glanced toward a gap in the heather. She could dart away there if he turned nasty. “She was my friend, when she was alive.”

“I met her when she was an apprentice.” The tom narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t see her again until after she died.”

“Why do you keep following her?” Violetpaw asked.

The tom looked indignant. “She keeps following me.” He glanced around the small clearing. “Is she here?”

“She just left.” Violetpaw shifted her paws. “She brought me here to meet you.”

The tom’s eyes sparkled mischievously. “That was kind of her. Perhaps she thinks we’re soul mates.”

“Soul mates?” Violetpaw was confused.

“It is kind of romantic, don’t you think? The moonlight? The heather?”

Romantic? Violetpaw bristled. “Do you flirt with every strange cat you meet?”

“Only the ones who appear in the middle of the night claiming a ghost brought them.”

Violetpaw struggled for words. This tom was being impossible. “Stop it!” she snapped. “Needletail brought me to you for a reason.” She saw his eyes flash with mischief again and pushed on quickly. “She thinks you might help the Clans.”

The tom rolled his eyes. “You’re a Clan cat.” He sounded disappointed.

“So?” Violetpaw glared at him.

“There are two things I know about Clan cats.” He climbed out of his nest. “They don’t like strangers on their land, and they take everything way too seriously.”

“I don’t!” Violetpaw mewed indignantly.

The tom’s ears twitched. “You seem to be taking this very seriously.”

“That’s because it is serious!” Violetpaw turned her tail on him, fuming, and began to march through the heather.

“Hey, wait!” He hurried after her. “I thought you and Needletail wanted me to help the Clans.”

“I doubt that you’ve ever helped anyone but yourself.” Violetpaw kept walking.

“That’s not fair. You don’t even know me.” The tom wove ahead of her and blocked her way as she emerged onto the moonlit hillside.

She stared at him, not speaking.

“My name is Tree.” He rounded his eyes apologetically. “I didn’t mean to tease. I didn’t realize it would upset you.”

Violetpaw stared at her paws, annoyed that he’d been able to ruffle her fur so easily. “My name is Violetpaw,” she mumbled.

“That’s a pretty name.”

She jerked up her muzzle. “Don’t start flirting again!”

He stepped back. “I’m not. It’s just a pretty name. Most of the cats I meet are called Rocky or Snake or something dumb like that. And my name’s Tree.”

Violetpaw narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Are you a rogue?”

Tree shrugged. “I don’t know what I am. I travel alone and I hunt and sleep where I like.”

Violetpaw looked away and sniffed. “A loner.”

“Is that what Clan cats call me?”