Thunder And Shadow

She glim psed gray fur, and silver. Rain and Roach reared and dragged the owl to the ground.

“Run!” Rain screeched as he grappled against the owl’s powerful wings.

Violetkit couldn’t m ove. Her heart nearly burst as she watched Roach leap onto the owl’s back and sink his teeth into its thick plum age. The owl flapped wildly, its wings thum ping against the ground as it threw him off. It wrenched free of Rain and struggled into the air, screeching as it beat the air and flapped up between the branches.

Rain turned on her, panting. “I said run!”

Violetkit shrank away, trem bling as he glared at her.

“Be gentle!” Raven bounded from between the rowan bushes and slithered to a halt beside

Violetkit. “She must be terrified.” She curled her tail around Violetkit, searching her gaze.

“Where’s Needlepaw?”

Rain stiffened. “Did the owl get her?”

Violetkit shook her head, struggling to find her voice. “Sh-she couldn’t come,” she stam m ered.

“That’s why I’m here. She sent m e to tell y ou.”

“You cam e through the woods alone?” Raven looked shocked.

“So?” Rain was unim pressed. “I thought Clan cats could do any thing. A little forest walk in the night isn’t hard.”

“She’s barely three moons old.” Raven crouched close to Violetkit, pressing her warm flank close.

I’m trembling. Violetkit realized she was shaking like trapped prey.

Roach nudged Rain, his eyes glinting. “Needlepaw couldn’t make it, Rain. She must have better things to do.” He sounded as though he was teasing his campmate.

“She doesn’t,” Violetkit mewed quickly. “She got in trouble and has to stay in camp and look after the elders.”

Flam e slunk from the rowan bushes, her orange pelt pale in the moonlight. “Ain’t that sweet,” she drawled m ockingly, her voice light now that her terrible whitecough had passed—and, with it, her kindness. “Needlepaw has to look after the old cats.”

“She’ll come as soon as she can,” Violetkit prom ised.

Raven touched her m uzzle to Violetkit’s head. “I’m sure she will.”

Violetkit felt a wave of gratitude for Raven’s kindness. For the first time since leaving the nursery, she felt safe. “I guess I’d better go home.” She glanced at the sky, hoping the rogues had scared the owl off for good.

Paw steps sounded in the shadows behind a beech. “You mustn’t leave now.” Darktail padded from the darkness, his eyes round with concern. “It’s too dangerous for you to travel alone.”

“But I have to be back in the nursery by dawn.” Violetkit’s heart skipped a beat. What if Pinenose woke and found her gone?

Darktail padded past her, weaving around his campmates. “Don’t worry, little one. We’ll have y ou home by then.” He exchanged glances with Rain. “You must be tired and hungry. Nettle!”

He called into the shadows.

The brown tabby padded out, a rabbit hanging from his jaws. Silt followed, carry ing a squirrel.

“We’ll share our catch with you and you can sleep.” Darktail stopped in front of Violetkit and leaned so close that his breath washed her m uzzle. It sm elled of blood.

She blinked at him uneasily. She didn’t want to stay, but she didn’t want to walk home by herself either. “Could you take m e home now?” she asked hopefully.

Raven purred softly beside her. “You must be exhausted, m y dear.” She glanced at Darktail, whose gaze was unreadable. “Eat with us and rest for a while. Then we’ll take you home.”

Violetkit woke up. Her heart lurched as she saw pale dawn light seeping between the trees. She sat up, the bracken rustling around her. Raven had m ade her a bed to rest in after they’d shared the rabbit. She’d lined it with m oss, and it had been so warm and soft that Violetkit couldn’t resist closing her eyes for a m om ent and dozing for a little while before the rogues took her home.

“It’s dawn!” She glanced around her. The rogues sprawled in their nests. They’d fallen asleep too! She leaped from the bracken and crossed the sm all hollow in the hillside where they had m ade their camp. She stopped beside Raven. “Wake up.” She poked the she-cat with a paw.

Raven j erked away, baring her teeth. “Who is it?” she snarled.

Violetkit j um ped back, shocked. “It’s m e! We fell asleep. I’m meant be back at camp.”

Raven’s gaze softened quickly. “Oh, you poor thing,” she mewed. She got to her paws and stretched. “Darktail.” She called softly to the rogue leader, who was still snoring in his nest.

His tail twitched.

“Darktail,” Raven called again. “It’s time we took Violetkit back to her camp.”

Darktail lifted his head and stared at her blearily. “Is it that time already?”

“I thought you were going to take m e home last night,” Violetkit ventured uneasily.

“I guess the fine prey Nettle and Silt caught for us m ade us sleepier than we expected.”

Darktail sat up. “Rain! Roach! Wake up!” He called to the sleeping tom s. “We’re taking Violetkit home.”

Violetkit watched anxiously as the rogues y awned and stretched. She could see the fiery tip of the sun bey ond the forest now. The Clan would be waking. What would Pinenose say when she found her gone? She began to pace.