The Raging Storm

He ducked through the thorn tunnel and hurried into the forest. If the young tom had developed a connection to StarClan, that surely meant that everything was going to be fine. So why don’t I feel more at ease? he asked himself as he headed for the SkyClan border.

By the time he crossed it, rain had seeped deep into his fur. Raindrops collected on his whiskers as he followed a rabbit trail toward the SkyClan camp. He had to find out what Leafstar had decided. No cat would stop him. It would be easy to persuade a patrol that he was on his way to see Frecklewish. Even the toughest warrior would think twice about sending a medicine cat away.

SkyClan’s scent was faint. Perhaps the rain had washed away their markers. He tasted the air as the bramble wall of the camp appeared beyond a rise, hoping to find stronger SkyClan scents here, but he could barely detect their musk through the damp tang of the forest. Worry wormed beneath his pelt. Surely they wouldn’t leave without saying good-bye? He’d known Violetshine longer than anyone else had known her. He’d been the one to find her as a kit and bring her to the Clans. He liked to think she wouldn’t go without seeing him first. He pressed back grief and pricked his ears hopefully as he listened for the sounds of Clan life. He heard the pattering of paws. An apprentice? He halted and scanned the forest. A squirrel flashed across the trail and disappeared among the brambles. He frowned. It was unusual to find such easy prey close to a Clan camp. He hurried to the entrance and ducked inside.

The clearing was empty. Were the SkyClan cats sheltering from the rain? He padded quickly to the warriors’ den and peered inside. Stale scent washed his nose. He ducked out and scanned the camp, unease creeping in his belly. The dens were torn. Brambles scattered the ground. The camp was in ruins. The ShadowClan raid had been thorough. The vision of saplings standing against the storm flashed in his mind. SkyClan wasn’t hiding from the rain; they were gone.

His heart lurched. The vision was coming true. Fear flashed beneath his pelt. He remembered how angry Leafstar had been at the Gathering. And now, after ShadowClan has tried to murder one of our Clanmates, you make excuses. Had ShadowClan really tried to kill a SkyClan cat? Surely not. They were honorable warriors, not fox-hearts. And yet Frecklewish had found deathberry seeds in Sparrowpelt’s vomit. And Violetshine had seen Juniperclaw tampering with SkyClan prey. Neither cat would lie.

Thoughts whirling, he scurried through the rain to the medicine den and ducked inside. Herb smells mingled with the stale scent of sickness. He glanced around, not sure what he was looking for. Violetshine had seen Juniperclaw beside the fresh-kill pile. Alderheart hunched his shoulders against the rain and padded around the edge of the clearing. He sniffed the ground, searching for fresh-kill scents, stopping when he smelled traces of a mouse. They were faint, half washed away by the rain, but blood stained the earth here, and deeper musky prey-scents seeped from the soil. This must be where SkyClan stored fresh-kill. He scouted the ground around the patch, looking for clues. ShadowClan scent? He halted and opened his mouth, drawing the smell over his tongue. Focusing, he followed the faint trail toward the camp wall. Here, sheltered from the rain, the scent was stronger. It was definitely ShadowClan. He ran his paw over the wet earth. It was smoothed by paw prints. Crouching, he peered beneath the tangled stems of the bramble. His paws pricked as he saw seeds scattered on the ground. Reaching in, he pulled them out. He recognized them at once. Deathberry seeds. He smelled ShadowClan scent on them. His hackles lifted.

It was true.

ShadowClan had brought deathberry seeds to the SkyClan camp!

Juniperclaw? Surely not . . . he was the ShadowClan deputy. Violetshine must have been mistaken. Or perhaps she’d seen Juniperclaw after another warrior had planted the seeds. A chill reached through his fur. Had Tigerstar ordered one of his Clanmates to leave deathberry seeds here? Was this his plan to drive SkyClan away?

Alderheart straightened, shock pulsing beneath his pelt. Tigerstar wouldn’t be so cruel. He was fierce, but he was a warrior.

But they’re all warriors. Alderheart had lived among ShadowClan. They were not so different from ThunderClan. He couldn’t believe any of them capable of such malice. And yet some cat had brought deadly seeds into SkyClan.

Quickly he buried them so that no creature could pick them up accidentally, and headed back to ThunderClan. Bramblestar should know what he’d found.