Shattered Sky

Bramblestar nodded, his amber eyes warm as he met Alderheart’s gaze. “Alderheart,” he mewed. “Which of us deserves better than Purdy to walk with StarClan? I know he’ll be there, watching over us.”

“Thank you,” Alderheart whispered.

But Bramblestar’s assurance did little to ease Alderheart’s grief. He still felt as if there should have been something he could have done to save Purdy. It’s okay to think that he’ll watch over us from StarClan, but he watched over us while he was here. Sighing, he rose to his paws and headed back toward the medicine cats’ den.

Halfway there, he halted. The stress of Purdy’s death had driven everything else from his mind, but now he remembered what he’d been worried about when he found him.

Twigpaw…

If she had come back to the camp, Alderheart knew she would have come out to pay her respects to Purdy.

That means she really must have left. And I have a horrible feeling that I know where she went.

Alderheart turned and raced back to where he had left Bramblestar beside Purdy’s body. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” he murmured, so as not to disturb the other cats. “But this is an emergency. I need to talk to you.”

Bramblestar didn’t protest, but rose to his paws and gestured with his tail for Alderheart to follow him to a spot near the entrance to the warriors’ den, out of earshot of the grieving cats. “Well?” he asked.

“Twigpaw is missing,” Alderheart announced. “I’m afraid that she may have gone out on her own to look for SkyClan and the cat who might be her kin.”

Bramblestar slid out his claws and dug them hard into the ground. “Great StarClan!” he exclaimed, exasperated. “Could Twigpaw have chosen a worse time to run away?” Then he shook his head, clearly trying to recover his calm. “We’ll send out a patrol to look for her,” he meowed.

Bramblestar turned back to where the rest of the Clan was sitting. “Cats of ThunderClan!” he called, and as his Clanmates’ faces turned toward him, he continued, “Yesterday we decided that we would not send out cats to look for SkyClan. But now Twigpaw is missing, and Alderheart and I believe that is where she has gone—to find her kin. The journey is too dangerous for an apprentice traveling alone, and so we must bring her back.”

As he spoke, Ivypool sprang to her paws. “This is all my fault,” she mewed, her blue eyes filled with distress. “I spoke out against sending a patrol, and I know that upset Twigpaw. But I didn’t realize she would react like this. I should have known… ,” she finished miserably.

“Don’t blame yourself,” Bramblestar told her. “We all agreed that this was not the right time to search for SkyClan. No one cat is responsible. All we can do now is send some cats out to look for Twigpaw and bring her home safe.”

“I’ll go,” Tigerheart offered immediately.

“And so will I,” Dovewing added.

“Thank you.” Bramblestar glanced around at his Clan. “Molewhisker, you will go too,” he decided. “You made the first journey with Alderheart, and you know the way to the barn where he saw SkyClan in his vision.”

“Sure, Bramblestar.” Molewhisker got up and padded over to join Dovewing and Tigerheart.

The three cats dipped their heads to their Clan leader, then headed across the stone hollow and disappeared into the thorn tunnel.

Alderheart watched them go, thankful that they would look out for Twigpaw and bring her home safe. Then his belly twisted with worry as he remembered the huge Thunderpath that lay between their territory and the yellow barn.

She has to go that way, he thought anxiously. I hope she remembers how to find the tunnel.

And even if Twigpaw managed to cross the Thunderpath safely, there were more hazards on the other side. A young apprentice, all on her own, just wasn’t safe out there.

I know she would do anything to find her kin, but does she really know how terrifying a journey like that can be for a cat?

Alderheart wanted to claw off his own fur when he remembered how distressed Twigpaw had been when they’d discussed SkyClan the night before.

“I could have been more reassuring,” he murmured aloud. “And now she’s gone.”

I’ve already lost one friend today, he thought, his heart heavy. Am I going to lose another?

Chapter 8

The sun had only just begun to slide down the sky, but already Twigpaw’s injured leg was aching. She couldn’t remember ever having been so tired and thirsty before.