Thunder And Shadow

Tigerheart turned, signaling with his tail for the patrol to follow.

Violetpaw hurried after him as he headed for the entrance. She could feel Puddleshine crowding her heels and sm ell his fear. As they em erged from the entrance, Tigerheart broke into a run. “Keep up!” he called over his shoulder. “Onestar is out of his m ind. The sooner we get out of here the better.” As he raced away from the WindClan camp, Violetpaw charged after him.

Scorchfur dropped back and fell in behind. Violetpaw felt a rush of gratitude to the tom. She knew that he was placing him self between her and the WindClan patrol that would soon be on their tails.

Perhaps he was beginning to accept her at last.

Chapter 15

“And then”—Sparkpelt followed Alderpaw onto the bridge—“Spikefur told Yarrowleaf it was nothing to do with ThunderClan and dragged her away from the border before she could tell m e any thing else. But it is totally to do with us. If WindClan and ShadowClan start fighting, it will affect all the Clans, surely?”

“I guess.” Alderpaw padded over the dam p bark, try ing not to look into the dark water swirling below. “But Yarrowleaf might just have been spreading gossip. You can’t be sure it was true.”

Sparkpelt had been chattering about the spat between ShadowClan and WindClan since they’d crossed the RiverClan border.

The full moon lit the lake. The trees on the island glowed, their buds pale in its light. He wondered if WindClan and ShadowClan were already waiting at the Gathering and glanced up to check for stray clouds. Would the two Clans be able to keep the truce? Or would StarClan cover the moon with clouds to keep the battling Clans apart? What if they fought any way? Alderpaw’s m outh grew dry.

He j um ped onto the beach, pebbles crunching beneath his paws. “I can’t believe Onestar would drive away a medicine cat asking for herbs.” He waited as Sparkpelt j um ped down beside him.

“Of course he would,” Sparkpelt mewed. “Every one knows he’s been as crazy as a cuckoo since he lost that life.”

Alderpaw frowned. Losing a life did seem to have m ade the WindClan leader burn with a strange fury. But enough for him to deny help to sick cats?

Sparkpelt brushed past him. “Hurry up. I can’t wait to see what will happen.” She headed into the long grass.

Bramblestar and Squirrelflight were ahead, leading Brightheart, Cloudtail, and Berry nose toward the clearing with Leafpool. Alderpaw glanced over his shoulder. Molewhisker was coaxing Honey paw onto the tree-bridge. “I’ll be right behind y ou,” he prom ised his apprentice. “If y ou slip, I’ll grab y our scruff.”

Larkpaw and Leafpaw j ostled on the far shore, staring eagerly at the tree-bridge.

Rosepetal nudged them away. “Let y our sister cross first.”

“Honey paw’s scared of water!” Larkpaw teased.

Rosepetal glared at her apprentice sternly. “Sometimes being afraid is sm art.”

Leafpaw snorted. “Warriors aren’t meant to be afraid of any thing.”

Bum blestripe nudged her play fully. “I’ll rem ind you of that next time we sm ell a fox while we’re out training.”

Leafpaw puffed out her chest. “I wasn’t being afraid,” she sniffed. “I was being sm art.”

Bum blestripe and Rosepetal swapped bem used glances. Behind them Poppy frost, Graystripe, and Millie waited patiently, while Twigpaw hung back with Ivy pool and Dovewing.

“Alderpaw!” Sparkpelt called from the long grass. “Come on! WindClan is already here. I can sm ell them.”

Alderpaw nosed his way into the dew-soaked grass, following her trail. He opened his m outh, tasting for scents. There was no sign of ShadowClan. He padded into the clearing. Brightheart and Cloudtail were already sharing tongues with Minnowtail and Mallownose. The RiverClan cats were looking sleek again after the long leaf-bare. The fish must be teem ing in the river once more.

WindClan cats skirted the clearing, keeping their distance. They glanced anxiously at one another and then at the other Clan cats. Alderpaw’s pelt prickled with foreboding. He scanned the clearing for Onestar.

The WindClan leader was pacing beneath the great oak, his pelt rippling along his spine. As

ThunderClan arrived, his gaze flashed toward the long grass, sharp with suspicion as though he was waiting for an am bush. He flinched as Leafpaw, Honey paw, and Larkpaw raced into the clearing.

“Nightpaw! Breezepaw!” Leafpaw greeted the RiverClan apprentices with a purr and hurried to j oin them. Larkpaw and Honey paw followed.

Fernpaw and Brindlepaw, the WindClan apprentices, ey ed them eagerly but didn’t m ove from their m entors’ side.

As Sparkpelt headed toward a group of RiverClan warriors, Alderpaw followed Leafpool toward the great oak. Jayfeather had stay ed in camp, complaining that if he wanted to spend the night listening to cats bicker, he could sit in the elders’ den. “It’s going to be a weird Gathering,” Alderpaw m urm ured softly as he stopped beside her.

She followed his gaze toward Onestar. “Tensions are high.”