Thunder And Shadow

Is that my mother? She had forgotten that gentle, fam iliar purr. She’d only been with her mother for a few day s, and since Alderpaw had carried her back to ThunderClan, she’d been unable to remember even the touch of her fur. Now her mother’s scent surrounded her.

Swim, my special kit, swim!

At her mother’s command, Twigkit flailed once more, try ing to fight her way to the surface.

Her lungs bursting, she fought the water as it dragged her down. I’m not strong enough! Help me!

Teeth sank into her scruff, biting into her fur and j erking her upward. Mother? Lim p with shock, she felt herself being pulled. The water around her grew lighter and lighter until, like prey escaping the jaws of a fox, she burst into fresh air.

She gulped it down, struggling to fill her lungs and coughing helplessly. The teeth held onto her scruff, dragging her until she felt pebbles brush her paws. She let herself be hauled, helpless, onto the shore. “You saved m e,” she mewed weakly. Her mother had come back! She rescued me!

Dazed, Twigkit coughed up water from her lungs and belched it from her belly.

“Twigkit?” A ginger she-cat was leaning over her, eyes flashing with fear. “Are you okay?”

Twigkit blinked in surprise. “Sparkpaw?” Disappointm ent j abbed her chest. It wasn’t my mother.

Fighting grief, she let her thoughts clear. Of course it wasn’t her mother. I’m a mouse-brain! What would her mother be doing here, beside the lake? She struggled to her paws, forcing a purr. “You saved m e, Sparkpaw! Thank y ou!” Coughing, she collapsed.

Sparkpaw sat down, her wet pelt stream ing. “What in StarClan are you doing here? Did y ou want to see what it’s like being a RiverClan cat?”

Twigkit blinked at her, sham e sweeping over her so hotly it drove the chill of the water from her pelt. “I cam e to fetch waterm int,” she mewed weakly.

Sparkpaw’s eyes widened. “Did Alderpaw send y ou?”

Twigkit shook her head. “It was m y idea. I wanted to help the Clan.”

“I’m not sure drowning y ourself is very helpful.” Sparkpaw shook out her pelt, spraying Twigkit with water.

Paws thrum m ed toward them and pebbles cracked as another cat leaped onto the shore.

Twigkit looked up and saw Cherry fall.

The warrior stared at Twigkit. “You were right, Sparkpaw,” she meowed in surprise. “It was a kit on the shore. I was sure it was an otter.”

“Otters can swim.” Sparkpaw butted Twigkit play fully with her m uzzle.

Twigkit blinked at her helplessly. She was cold, em barrassed, and exhausted.

Cherry fall slid past her apprentice. “I won’t ask what you were doing by the lake, Twigkit. We need to get you home and warm as soon as possible.” She crouched. “Clim b onto m y back. I’ll carry you back to camp.”

Twigkit reached up and tried to haul herself onto the warrior’s shoulders, but her paws weren’t strong enough. She felt Sparkpaw’s m uzzle beneath her haunches as, with a grunt, the apprentice boosted her up.

Twigkit clung on, relishing the warmth pulsing from Cherry fall’s pelt. Closing her eyes, she let the warrior carry her home.

“Why did you even leave the camp?” Jayfeather scolded as he tucked her deep into

Emberfoot’s discarded nest.

“I was try ing to help,” Twigkit rasped sadly. She glanced toward the entrance, hoping Alderpaw would arrive. Would he be cross with her too? She couldn’t bear not knowing.

“Kits should not try to help. They cause nothing but trouble!” He folded dry m oss around her.

“Briarlight, wrap y ourself around her. We need to get her warm.”

Briarlight slid gently into the nest beside Twigkit and curled close. Twigkit was still shivering, her throat sore from coughing up water. She could hear the Clan m urm uring outside. They’d gathered around as Cherry fall had carried her into camp.

“Where did you find her?”

“Did the rogues kidnap her?”

“What was she doing out of camp?”

“How did she get so wet?”

Anxious voices had surrounded her, and she had buried her m uzzle deep into Cherry fall’s fur and closed her eyes. This wasn’t the heroic return she had planned. She hadn’t even brought back any waterm int.

Now, in Emberfoot’s nest, she heard Lily heart’s mew.

“Where is she?” The queen pushed her way through the brambles.

Twigkit peeped at her from the m oss.

“Cherry fall said y ou’d gone to the lake.” Lily heart sounded as cross as Jayfeather. “How could you leave the camp? I’m asham ed of y ou. What will the Clan think?”

Twigkit shrank deeper into the nest.

Jayfeather stepped in front of the queen. “She needs rest,” he told Lily heart. “You can growl at her when she’s recovered.”

Lily heart fluffed out her pelt indignantly. “I’m supposed to be looking after her.”

“Then you shouldn’t have let her wander out of camp.” Jayfeather steered Lily heart firm ly toward the entrance. “Especially when there are rogues in the forest.”

Lily heart grunted and stalked from the medicine den.

Twigkit blinked at Jayfeather. Had he actually defended her?