The Raging Storm

“Do you think Tigerstar will kill him if Puddleshine dies?” Daisy’s mew jerked Twigbranch from her thoughts. The queen was sitting beside Ivypool while the silver-and-white she-cat washed Bristlekit between the ears.

Bristlekit ducked from beneath her mother’s tongue. “Graystripe says that the old Tigerstar murdered Firestar. Perhaps all Tigerstars are murderers.”

“Don’t be silly.” Ivypool tugged the kit closer and carried on washing her. “Tigerstar and Firestar died in the same battle, that’s all,” she mewed between licks. “And this Tigerstar is nothing like the old Tigerstar.”

“How do you know? You never met the old Tigerstar.” Bristlekit blinked up at her. “Graystripe knew him since he was a kit.”

“Graystripe likes to make an adventure out of every story,” Ivypool mewed dismissively, but she glanced uneasily at Daisy.

Who was Tigerstar going to kill? Twigbranch hurried toward the nursery and blinked at the queens as she reached them. “What are you talking about?”

Ivypool shooed Bristlekit away. “Go and play with Thriftkit and Flipkit.” The kit scampered away, and Ivypool met Twigbranch’s gaze solemnly. “Tigerstar brought a patrol to the camp while you were out. They took Puddleshine back to ShadowClan and made Alderheart go with them.”

Twigbranch had known that Puddleshine would have to return to ShadowClan at some point. She supposed it made sense for Alderheart to go with him, to nurse him and provide a medicine cat for the rest of ShadowClan while Puddleshine was sick. “Didn’t Alderheart want to go?”

Daisy’s eyes were wide with worry. “Bramblestar said he volunteered, but you could see Alderheart was scared.”

“But Bramblestar wouldn’t let him go if he thought he was in danger,” Ivypool reasoned.

“It sounds like he had no choice,” Daisy mewed. “Molewhisker said he overheard the whole conversation. Alderheart has been feeding Puddleshine deathberries.”

Ivypool’s tail twitched nervously. “Tigerstar found out and accused Alderheart of trying to poison Puddleshine, and now he’s made him go to ShadowClan to prove the treatment will work.”

Twigbranch glanced toward the camp entrance, her heart quickening as she thought of Alderheart alone in ShadowClan. “And you think Tigerstar will kill him if Puddleshine dies?”

“He said as much,” Daisy breathed.

“He said Alderheart will be punished,” Ivypool corrected. “But there’s no way he can believe Alderheart would really try to hurt Puddleshine. He was just talking like a fox-heart to get Bramblestar to send Alderheart to his camp. They must need a medicine cat there, and Tigerstar’s too much of a ShadowClan cat to ask politely. ShadowClan cats love to feel they’re in charge. They think manners are for rabbits.”

A plaintive mewl sounded from behind the nursery. Flipkit was complaining. “I want to be the hunter this time. I was the prey last time!”

Ivypool got to her paws.

“I’ll go.” Twigbranch flicked her tail to signal to the queen that she should stay where she was. “You relax for a bit. I’ll show them some hunting moves.”

Ivypool blinked at her gratefully. “Don’t let them wear you out.”

“I won’t.” Twigbranch padded around the nursery. The news of Alderheart had been alarming, but it hadn’t pushed her worries about Flypaw away. Perhaps teaching the kits how to stalk would cheer her up. She might discover she wasn’t such a bad mentor after all.

Moonlight seeped through the brambles and pooled around Twigbranch’s nest. Her paws ached from playing with the kits. Her attempt to teach them hunting moves had quickly turned into more exciting games, and she’d spent the afternoon chasing them around the camp or giving them badger rides across the clearing. Perhaps all young cats were easily distracted. Or perhaps I’m just no good at teaching. She tried to push the thought away. If only Finleap were here to talk to. She glanced at his empty nest. He hadn’t come back to camp with Snappaw after training. Snappaw had told her there was something Finleap wanted to do before he returned to camp. Twigbranch had waited for him as the rest of the Clan settled down at dusk to share tongues. She’d saved him a shrew from the fresh-kill pile, and had sat beside the mouse she’d taken for herself, staring hopefully at the entrance, expecting him to walk in at any moment. But he’d never appeared, and she’d eaten her mouse alone and returned the shrew to the pile. Now his nest was empty, and as the other warriors began to snore around her, she wondered where he could be. Worry pricked in her paws. Perhaps he was hurt and couldn’t come home. Should she report his absence to Squirrelflight or Bramblestar? Her chest tightened. What if he was staying out on purpose? Perhaps he wanted to try night hunting. Or he might be on his own secret mission to spy on ShadowClan. Finleap was still quite new to ThunderClan. She didn’t want to get him in trouble.