The Raging Storm

Twigbranch looked hopefully at her father. Was he going to speak to her? He blinked at her, affection brimming in his eyes, but Sagenose and Macgyver were shifting impatiently beside him. He dipped his head and turned away.

Violetshine brushed her tail along Twigbranch’s spine. “Maybe we’ll see you at the next Gathering,” she meowed. “We can catch up then.”

“Yeah.” Sadness welled in Twigbranch’s chest as she watched Violetshine hurry out of camp after Hawkwing and Sagenose. She’d forgotten how comforting it felt to have kin close by.

Bramblestar headed up the rocks back to Highledge as the rest of the Clan returned to their duties.

Finleap caught her eye. He looked apologetic as he padded toward her. “I’m sorry,” he meowed. It was the first time they’d spoken since their argument. “You must have been worried.”

“I was, but it’s okay.” She hurried to meet him, pressing her muzzle to his. “I should have realized how important it was for you to see Reedclaw.” Violetshine’s scent was still in her nose. “Kin don’t stop being kin just because they’re in a different Clan.”

Finleap pulled away. “But I got you into trouble.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Twigbranch gazed at him. It was so good to have him back. “Besides, it might be fun cleaning out the elders’ den if we do it together.”

“I guess.” He looked at her uncertainly.

She frowned. Wasn’t he happy to be home? “Did you miss me?”

“Of course.”

“I missed you. I wondered where you’d gone.”

“I told you,” he protested.

“You said you were worried about Reedclaw. You didn’t say anything about sneaking away for the night!”

“I didn’t plan—” He stopped and took a breath. “Let’s not argue again. Seeing my old Clan and my kin made me think.”

“Think?” Twigbranch shifted uneasily as Finleap looked suddenly serious.

“You’re the only one I feel truly close to in ThunderClan,” he explained. “I miss being around cats I’ve known all my life.”

Her heart began to race. Was he going to tell her he was leaving? “But you’ll settle in soon. In a few moons, you’ll feel like you’ve known ThunderClan forever. You heard how much Bramblestar thinks of you.” You can’t leave. Twigbranch didn’t even dare say it out loud. Didn’t Finleap love her after all?

“I like it here, but I don’t feel like I belong.” Finleap glanced at his paws. “Which is why I want to start a family. Here, in ThunderClan. Then I’ll feel part of the Clan. I’ll feel like I have something here that is truly my own. I want to have kits.”

“Kits?” Twigbranch’s mouth was so dry, she could hardly speak.

Finleap watched her, his gaze expectant.

“But you know how I feel about kits,” Twigbranch blurted. “I’m not ready. I want to concentrate on mentoring. I’ve told you all this.”

“I know.” Finleap held her gaze. “But I need you to think about it again. I have to feel I belong here—that you want me. If you don’t ever want to have kits with me, I’m not sure I’ll ever feel at home in ThunderClan.”

CHAPTER 12

Violetshine’s paws trembled. The smooth bark of the pine branch felt slippery beneath her pads. Trying not to look at the forest floor below, she shuffled closer to Hawkwing. What if she timed her jump wrong? What if she landed badly and twisted a paw? This would be the first time she’d fought since Darktail had infiltrated the Clans. Was she ready to face battle again? “Hawkwing?” she whispered. “How long will we have to wait?” Waiting was making her anxiety worse.

He glanced at her reassuringly over his shoulder. “When you see a ShadowClan patrol, get ready. But don’t jump down until you hear Leafstar give the order.”

The SkyClan leader was crouching in the next tree, on the same branch as Macgyver. Her mottled brown-and-cream pelt was camouflaged among the sun-dappled branches. Bellaleaf and Harrybrook were hunkering down in a pine on the other side of the trail. It would be sunhigh before long. The ShadowClan patrol would come soon, surely? ShadowClan had crossed into SkyClan territory every day since the Gathering. Each time, they’d used this trail to venture deeper and deeper into SkyClan land.

Leafstar’s anger had grown. Each ShadowClan incursion had fed her fury. “We have to make a stand,” she’d told her Clanmates last night. “At the gorge we were the only Clan. We never had to fight to preserve our boundaries. But things are different here. We have to defend ourselves.” No cat had argued. Since the meeting with Juniperclaw, less than a quarter moon earlier, ShadowClan’s incursions had become more and more brazen. They’d even left markers to show they’d been there. “Let’s teach them that no part of SkyClan land is safe for intruders. After tomorrow, they won’t dare set paw here again!”