Lost Stars

Rootpaw rolled his eyes. What now? It was just like Tree, he reflected, trying not to show his irritation as he followed his sister through the fern barrier. So many cats had come back from the Gathering relieved that Bramblestar was alive again, but Tree couldn’t just let cats be happy. He had to be weird and find some way to bring every cat down.

When he and his sister found Tree and Violetshine under a tree just outside the camp, Rootpaw noticed that his mother was looking bemused at Tree’s serious look. His eyes were troubled as he gestured with his tail for the two apprentices to come closer.

“I was unsettled by the Gathering last night,” Tree announced, when Rootpaw and Needlepaw had burrowed into the pine needles by his side.

“Why?” Violetshine asked. “Everything seemed fine to me. Bramblestar is back!”

Tree gave her a stunned look, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Didn’t you hear what Bramblestar was calling for?” he asked. “He said cats should start accusing one another of crimes that could get them expelled from their Clans.”

Violetshine still looked bewildered. “Why are you afraid? You follow the warrior code, don’t you?”

Tree’s whiskers arched in shock. “I can’t believe you said that!” he exclaimed. “Have you forgotten Darktail? Didn’t you tell me that he would manipulate the rules to punish cats he was unhappy with?” He hesitated, then added, “Like Needletail?”

Violetshine’s expression was suddenly flooded with horror, and though she was clearly struggling to speak, no words came. What just happened? Rootpaw thought, seeing how upset his mother looked, and he wondered who Needletail was. Is that where Needlepaw’s name comes from? And why does mentioning Needletail make my mother look so devastated?

Rootpaw had heard stories about Darktail and his Kin, and how they had nearly destroyed ShadowClan. And he knew that for a while his mother had been part of the Kin, and that she had eventually helped to destroy it. But Violetshine had always refused to talk about it.

Too raw, too painful, Tree had explained to him and Needlepaw.

“That was Darktail’s Kin,” Violetshine responded eventually to Tree. “It had nothing to do with the Clans.”

“Not then,” Tree meowed. “Not yet.”

Violetshine turned her head away, unable to meet his gaze.

Tree reached out with his tail and gently laid the tip on her shoulder. “I just need you to understand why I’m suggesting this,” he told her. “Should we go and be rogues again? I know how to find food wherever we go. I would keep you safe.”

Rootpaw exchanged a shocked glance with Needlepaw. He felt every hair on his pelt prick with apprehension at the thought of setting out into the unknown.

“Leave the Clans?” Needlepaw asked, a dubious look on her face. “You can’t be serious!”

A wave of relief surged through Rootpaw as his mother shook her head. “I can’t do it,” she meowed. “I worked too hard to find my kin. I could never leave Hawkwing.”

Though Rootpaw could see regret in Tree’s eyes, his father nodded understandingly. “I was afraid you would say that, so I have another idea. Maybe we should try to persuade Leafstar to go back to the gorge. SkyClan could live on its own again, like we planned before the big storm.”

Rootpaw’s relief was swallowed up in anger. Trust Tree to make things difficult! “The gorge?” he exclaimed. “But Needlepaw and I have never even been there! And I like having the other Clans around.”

And it would mean leaving Bristlefrost.

Immediately Rootpaw pushed that thought away. The ThunderClan she-cat had made it clear that she didn’t feel the same way about him. And maybe it’s just as well. The last thing the Clans need just now is another pair of mates breaking the code!

Again Violetshine shook her head. “I would never go so far away from my sister, Twigbranch.”

“I don’t want to leave the other Clans, either!” Needlepaw put in. “And StarClan wants us all to live together.”

Tree flicked his ears in irritation at the mention of StarClan. “Okay,” he sighed. “I accept that I’ve been outvoted. But can we promise, as a family, that we’ll keep our eyes open? If things get bad in the Clans, we’ll go—with SkyClan or without them.”

“Okay,” Needlepaw mewed.

Rootpaw nodded in reluctant agreement with his sister, but he still didn’t understand what his father was meowing about. Surely it’s a good thing if cats obey the warrior code?

“Very well,” Violetshine murmured, still clearly unhappy about the decision. “But we have to make the decision together. That’s only fair.”

Tree heaved an even deeper sigh. “Fine.”