Thunder And Shadow

“Are you really okay?” she hissed in Violetpaw’s ear when they were out of range of Needletail.

Perhaps Violetpaw was putting on a show for the rogues.

“Yes!” Violetpaw drew away.

Twigpaw kept her voice soft. “You can come back with me and Ivy pool. You don’t have to stay with the rogues. You can j oin ThunderClan, with m e.” She stared desperately into

Violetpaw’s amber eyes. This was their chance to be together again.

Violetpaw frowned. “Why should I? You didn’t want to j oin ShadowClan to be with m e.”

“I didn’t want to leave y ou! But I couldn’t turn m y tail on m y Clanmates.”

“Neither can I. Go back to y our Clan and I’ll go back to m ine.”

Twigpaw stared at her. “We’re still sisters, right?”

Violetpaw blinked slowly. “I suppose.” She glanced at Needletail again. “But we’ve each found our own Clan. We’ve each found where we belong.”

Twigpaw stared at her. Was Violetpaw telling her they could never be together again?

A paw knocked Twigpaw aside. “Stop whispering!” Needletail pushed between them and glared at Twigpaw.

“It’s okay,” Violetpaw mewed. “We’re done.”

“Good.” Needletail whisked her tail, still staring at Twigpaw. “Now leave.”

Ivy pool padded forward. “Is every thing okay?”

Twigpaw nodded. “Every thing’s fine—”

Needletail lashed out, slicing Twigpaw’s ear tip with a claw. “I said leave!”

Twigpaw flinched as pain seared through her.

“How dare y ou?” Ivy pool hurled herself at Needletail. Hissing, she dragged Needletail to the ground, pum m eling her belly with her hind paws. Needletail wriggled free, glowering at Ivy pool.

The sm ell of blood tainted the air as fur fluttered around them.

“Stop!” Panic flashed through Twigpaw. Rain was padding closer. “There’s no need to fight.”

Needletail and Rain circled them, eyes slitted and growls rum bling in their throats.

Violetpaw shoved Twigpaw away, her frightened gaze on the one-ey ed tom. “Run! Get away from here before you get hurt!”

Ivy pool nodded to Twigpaw. “Let’s go.”

Twigpaw ran. Her paws sent leaf litter fly ing as she hared around the bramble and crossed the scent line. She felt Ivy pool’s breath at her tail and heard Rain and Needletail chasing them.

Pushing harder, she raced into ThunderClan territory. Ivy pool pounded after her. Behind them, the sound of paw steps faded. She glanced back. Needletail and Rain were standing at the border, backs arched. Violetpaw stood beside them, watching with round, sad eyes.

Good-bye, Violetpaw. Twigpaw slowed, her lungs burning. Was that the last she’d see of her sister? Now that ShadowClan had turned rogue, could they ever m eet again? She stum bled as her paws grew num b beneath her. Grief choked her. She and Violetpaw had chosen different Clans.

May be their bond of kinship wasn’t strong enough to survive their decision.

Chapter 24

Alderpaw peered closer at Twigpaw’s ear. The split in the tip had opened again, and he could sm ell fresh blood oozing from it. The sun had set, but the light of the half-moon, seeping through the medicine-den entrance, gave enough light to work by.

He reached for the herbs Jayfeather stored beside the pool for cats who cam e in with fresh cuts and scratches. The m arigold would clear up any infection. “Rem ind m e how you got this wound?” Alderpaw asked casually. He had asked Twigpaw when she’d first come to him, the day after the Gathering, when the nick in her ear was fresh. She’d just shrugged and told him it was a training accident.

She shrugged again now. “I can’t remember. But I caught it again today on a bramble.” Was she protecting her denmates? Had one of them been practicing their battle m oves a little too roughly?

Worry worm ed through his belly as he chewed m arigold leaves to pulp. He couldn’t help feeling that there was more to it than that. Twigpaw had been quiet since the ShadowClan rogues had cut ties with the other Clans. He spat pulp onto his paw. “Are you worried about Violetpaw?”

Twigpaw stared at the ground as he sm eared it onto her ear. “I wish she weren’t with the rogues.”

“She has Needletail.”

Alderpaw’s words seem ed to make Twigpaw’s shoulders droop more.

“And Pinenose and Puddleshine.” Alderpaw pressed on, determ ined to com fort her. But Twigpaw carried on staring at the ground.

“She grew up there,” he rem inded her. “ShadowClan is probably like fam ily to her now.”

Twigpaw looked at him, her gaze blank. “Are you finished?”

For a m om ent he wondered what she meant. Was she telling him to stop talking about Violetpaw and ShadowClan?

“My ear?” Twigpaw mewed when he didn’t answer. “Are you finished treating m y ear?”

“Y-y es.” Alderpaw wondered if she’d been listening to a word he said.

“Thanks.” She turned to leave.

“Twigpaw.” He called after her. “You would tell m e if som ething was really wrong, wouldn’t y ou?”

She blinked at him, sadness glittering in her eyes. “Yes.” Her mew was barely more than a whisper.

“Are you okay?”