River Of Fire

Her eyes glowed as she spoke of her mate, and Alderheart could understand how badly she wanted to reassure her former Clanmates. But he could see she realized that the first happiness at her return had faded.

“Well, kits,” Dovewing mewed, gathering them closer to her with a sweep of her tail. “It’s time to go. We need to get back to your father and ShadowClan.”

For a heartbeat a frozen silence settled on the cats of ThunderClan. Alderheart’s belly clenched as he realized that they had all thought Dovewing was returning for good.

“You’re going to ShadowClan?” Sparkpelt exclaimed. “You traitor!”

Ivypool said nothing, only turning her back on her sister and gathering her kits away from her.

“I’ll come back to visit.” Dovewing’s voice was pleading. “I had to make this choice. I couldn’t be torn between my Clan and the cat I love.”

Her words did nothing to soothe the outrage that rose like a powerful scent from the cats who surrounded her. Even Whitewing and Birchfall looked deeply disappointed as they gazed at her.

Eventually Bramblestar stepped forward. “You need some protection for those young kits,” he mewed. “I’ll send a patrol with you to the ShadowClan border.”

“We’ll go,” Birchfall offered, taking a pace that brought him to his daughter’s side.

Bramblestar nodded. “Good. Fernsong, you can go too. Once you see Dovewing safely onto ShadowClan territory, you can do the dawn patrol along the border.” Turning to Dovewing, he added, “We look forward to seeing you at the next Gathering. But if you’re not part of the Clan anymore, you can’t just drop by the camp whenever you feel like it.”

For a moment Dovewing looked taken aback, as if she hadn’t realized quite what her choice would mean. Then she dipped her head in acceptance. With a last glance at Ivypool, who was still refusing to look at her, she gathered her kits together and headed out of camp, escorted by Birchfall, Whitewing, and Fernsong.

As the dawn light strengthened, Squirrelflight began to arrange the remaining patrols, while some cats moved away to pick over the remains of the fresh-kill pile.

Alderheart felt so tired that his paws seemed to have turned to rocks. He dragged himself over to the medicine cats’ den, muttered greetings to Leafpool and Jayfeather, and collapsed into his nest.

His wonder at the return of Tigerstar had faded into sadness. I thought everything would be fine now. We listened to StarClan’s warnings, and the missing ShadowClan cats have found their way home.

But things hadn’t worked out like that. Instead of relief that the storm had passed, there was still so much tension between the Clans and within ThunderClan itself.

Please, StarClan, show me the way forward, he prayed as he sank into the darkness of sleep.

Sunlight striking through the bramble screen woke Alderheart, and he realized that the morning was well advanced. Neither Leafpool nor Jayfeather was there. Rising from his nest, Alderheart shook scraps of debris from his pelt and gave himself a quick grooming. Then he slipped out between the brambles and into the camp.

The sky above the hollow showed a clear blue, with not a cloud in sight. There was a tang of frost in the air, but the sun was shining. Alderheart’s worries of the night before seemed distant, less urgent. Now he felt fresh and invigorated.

Maybe this beautiful weather is a sign from StarClan that all will be well, now that there are five Clans again.

Wandering aimlessly around the camp, enjoying the feeling of sunlight on his fur, Alderheart reached the apprentices’ den, where Velvet had stayed briefly before she went home. On the ground outside the den, in the shadow of the ferns, he spotted what he thought at first was a dead mouse. But when he hooked it out with one paw, he realized it was the scrap of fur Velvet had brought with her from the Twolegplace.

Her favorite toy, he thought. Did she leave it behind on purpose, or did she drop it as she left?

A little way away, outside the nursery, Ivypool was questioning Fernsong about everything that Dovewing had said when he escorted her to the ShadowClan border.

“Did she send me a message? Did she say anything about leaving ThunderClan?”

Fernsong was shifting his paws uncomfortably, obviously finding it hard to deal with his mate’s persistent questioning.

On the other side of the camp, at the bottom of the tumbled rocks, Bramblestar and Squirrelflight had their heads together in some intense, worried discussion.