Thunder And Shadow

Alderpaw swallowed back a purr. He was happy to see the closeness between the two cats.

Violetkit wasn’t alone in ShadowClan after all. And it was good to see Needlepaw behaving more like the friendly cat who’d traveled with him on his quest.

Violetkit turned to him, her eyes round. “How’s Twigkit?”

“She’s fine,” he told her. “She sends her love and wanted m e to check that y ou’re okay.”

“I’m great.” Violetkit looked fondly at Needlepaw. “I really like ShadowClan now.

Needlepaw’s teaching m e how to hunt. I caught a moth yesterday.”

Needlepaw purred.

“I still miss Twigkit, though,” Violetkit added.

“She misses you too,” Alderpaw told her.

“Violetkit!” Pinenose’s stern mew sounded from inside the nursery. “Come in out of the rain. I don’t want you catching cold. You might spread it to Grassheart’s kits.”

Violetkit’s shoulders drooped. “I have to go.” She turned toward the entrance. “Tell Twigkit I’ve kept her feather safe. I sleep with it every night.”

Alderpaw purred and touched his m uzzle to her head before she clim bed into the nursery.

As she disappeared, Alderpaw blinked at Needlepaw. “Perhaps we can get them together again soon. Twigkit keeps asking.” Another nighttim e m eeting would do both kits good. And it would be nice to see Needlepaw without the gaze of the other ShadowClan apprentices scorching his pelt.

“I guess.” Needlepaw sounded distracted. Her thoughts were clearly elsewhere.

“I’m sure Violetkit would appreciate it,” Alderpaw pressed.

“Yeah.” Needlepaw’s gaze m et his. And y et he felt she wasn’t really seeing him. “Let’s do that.” She nodded and turned to leave.

“Soon?” Alderpaw called after her.

“Soon,” she answered without turning back.

Alderpaw frowned and headed for the camp entrance. Bramblestar and the others would be waiting for him. It would be good to get back to camp and into a dry den. But he couldn’t shake his unease. Soon. Why hadn’t Needlepaw said when? Didn’t she care if the kits m et? She must!

Needlepaw seem ed genuinely fond of Violetkit. Perhaps she doesn’t want to see me anymore.

Disappointm ent weighted his paws like stone as he trudged through the pine forest toward his Clanmates. Perhaps the friendship they’d forged on their j ourney was over now that they were back with their Clans.

Chapter 5

Violetkit gazed across the den. Moonlight showed through the gaps in the brambles and dappled the fluffy pelts of Grassheart’s kits. Snakekit, Flowerkit, and Whorlkit—still too tiny to play with—were snuggled together, a tangle of paws and tails, beside Grassheart’s belly. Violetkit sighed, her heart aching. She and Twigkit used to sleep like that. Now she was alone beside Pinenose, who was snoring. Am I the only one awake? She’d heard the night patrol come in not long ago and whisper a report to Crowfrost before retiring to their dens.

She wondered if they’d found any sign of the rogues. In the day s since Bramblestar’s visit, rum ors had spread through the Clan. Dawnpelt had declared that they were just a pack of kitty pets looking for trouble. “They’ll get bored and go back to their cozy Twoleg dens before long,” she’d predicted. Violetkit hoped she was right. The thought of strange cats roam ing the forest m ade her nervous.

No cat had stirred since the patrol had gone to bed. A fox had screeched in the distance and Whorlkit had lifted his head sleepily, but he’d only y awned and tucked him self deeper am ong his littermates before falling asleep again.

Violetkit longed to cross the den and curl up beside them, but she didn’t want to upset Pinenose.

She knew that the queen did her best and was as patient and caring as she could be. But she suspected that Pinenose’s paws itched to be out in the forest again, hunting with the other warriors, now that her own kits had m oved to the apprentices’ den.

Why can’t I move to the apprentices’ den? She guessed the other cats wouldn’t approve. She was barely three moons old. But Needlepaw, her only real friend, was in the apprentices’ den. She im agined with a purr how much fun it would be to curl up in the nest beside Needlepaw. They could talk all night if they wanted or play m oss-ball or share a m ouse while every one else slept. It would be great.

A pair of eyes shone through the nursery entrance. Violetkit lifted her head sharply, her hackles lifting. Then she sm elled the fam iliar scent of Needlepaw. Had her friend been thinking about her too? Excitem ent tingled in her paws, and she wriggled forward and slithered, quiet as a snake, out of the nest.

“Needlepaw?” she hissed.

“Quick! Come outside,” Needlepaw whispered back.

Violetkit pricked her ears happily. Were they going to go on another nighttim e adventure? Her breath caught in her throat. Were they going to m eet Twigkit?