The Raging Storm

“I had to do something.” Alderheart felt helpless. How could Bramblestar ever understand the life-and-death decisions a medicine cat had to make?

“It could kill him.”

“He was already dying.” He looked miserably into Bramblestar’s angry gaze. “This is the only thing that might save him.”

“You say a dream told you to use the berries,” Bramblestar grunted. “Are you sure it was from StarClan?”

“As sure as I can be. And I saw the rabbit eat the berries and recover. That was real. Not a dream.”

Bramblestar twitched his tail impatiently. “ShadowClan must be told.”

Alderheart had felt dread welling in his belly as the ThunderClan leader gave Molewhisker and Cloudtail orders to travel to the ShadowClan camp and inform Tigerstar that Puddleshine’s condition was critical.

A whimper from Puddleshine’s nest jerked Alderheart back to the present. He hurried to where Jayfeather was already crouching beside the sick medicine cat and touched his nose to Puddleshine’s head. The fever had still not broken, despite the berries Alderheart had fed him through the night, hoping with each morsel that this would be the one that brought the tom back from the brink of death. It helped the rabbit. Trembling with exhaustion, Alderheart sat down. “I felt sure it would work,” he murmured.

“It hasn’t killed him,” Jayfeather conceded. “And where there’s life—”

“There’s hope. I know! You keep saying.”

“There’s no hope in death, and he’s not dead yet.” Jayfeather sounded encouraging, but Alderheart could tell by the pricking of the blind tom’s pelt that he was still not convinced the deathberries could cure Puddleshine. At least he’s trying to be supportive. Alderheart felt a glimmer of gratitude toward his former mentor.

Jayfeather got to his paws. “Leafpool will be back soon with more feverfew. We must at least be grateful that newleaf has brought fresh herbs.” Alderheart stiffened as Jayfeather’s gaze flicked toward the den entrance. “It sounds like we’ve got visitors,” he mewed ominously.

Alarm spiked through Alderheart’s pelt. “ShadowClan? Already?” Molewhisker and Cloudtail had only just left with the message.

“Go look for yourself.” Jayfeather nodded toward the trailing brambles.

Alderheart hurried toward them and slid through, narrowing his eyes against the glare of the sun. He smelled ShadowClan and, as his eyes adjusted to the brightness, saw Tigerstar in the clearing with Juniperclaw and Sparrowtail. Molewhisker and Cloudtail flanked the ShadowClan cats.

His heart lurched.

Ivypool was watching from outside the nursery as her kits clambered over her. Whitewing and Birchfall blinked from the shadows beside the warriors’ den while their Clanmates shifted uneasily at the edges of the camp.

“They were waiting at the scent line,” Molewhisker called to Bramblestar.

The ThunderClan leader looked down from Highledge, and then jumped into the clearing. “Tigerstar.” He nodded to the broad-shouldered tabby.

Alderheart’s breath grew shallow. Tigerstar’s pelt gleamed in the sunlight. A frown shadowed his wide forehead as he dipped his head politely to Bramblestar.

Cloudtail caught Bramblestar’s eye. “Tigerstar wants to speak with you in private.”

Alderheart saw pelts prickle around the camp. Bramblestar blinked slowly at Cloudtail, a question in his gaze. Alderheart saw the white tom shift his paws, his blue eyes staring at the ground. “We haven’t spoken to him,” he mewed quickly.

Molewhisker nodded. “We found them at the border waiting for a patrol to escort them, so we brought them straight here.”

Alderheart’s tail twitched nervously, as he realized what the two warriors were telling their leader. They haven’t told Tigerstar about how sick Puddleshine is.

Should he feel relieved? The ShadowClan leader was going to find out eventually.

“Let’s speak over here.” Bramblestar guided Tigerstar toward the shade of the Highledge, leaving Sparrowtail and Juniperclaw in the clearing. His sharpening gaze warned his Clanmates to return to whatever they’d been doing. As the warriors busied themselves, Tigerstar narrowed his eyes at Alderheart distrustfully, his gaze like ice cutting through Alderheart’s pelt. “Do ThunderClan medicine cats have to hear everything their leader says?”

Alderheart’s legs twitched, and just for a moment he thought he should go back to his den, but from the way Bramblestar pointedly ignored Tigerstar’s question, he knew that his leader thought he should stay. He will need a medicine cat to explain some things. . . .

“What do you wish to discuss?” Bramblestar asked Tigerstar.

The ShadowClan leader’s gaze was cool. “I’m supposed to be meeting with Leafstar soon to settle the question of territory. I want to have something to offer her, but I don’t see what I can.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Bramblestar’s muscles hardened defensively beneath his pelt.