Thunder And Shadow

Violetpaw crossed the clearing and stopped beside Lionpaw and Birchpaw. Puddleshine blinked at her from the other side of Kinkfur’s body. Scorchfur and Spikefur sat together, their gazes dark.

“Kinkfur was a loy al ShadowClan cat for many moons before I was born.” Crowfrost’s mew was hoarse. “And she rem ained loy al and kind to the end. She fought beside us against the Dark

Forest cats. She was at the front of every battle. She defended her Clanmates as though she were defending her own kits.”

As the ShadowClan deputy went on, Spikefur narrowed his eyes, watching him as though watching prey.

“StarClan will welcome her. She has many friends there, and a kit, Dewkit, and long day s of endless hunting lie ahead of her.” He dipped his head. “She will be remembered.”

Ratscar leaned down to grasp a prim rose between his teeth. He lifted it and laid it on Kinkfur’s body. Kinkfur’s surviving kits, Mistcloud and Sparrowtail, leaned close, touching their noses to her pelt one last tim e. As Ratscar settled down beside his old friend, Crowfrost began coughing.

His Clanmates turned to watch as Crowfrost crouched, his body j erking. His rasping coughs echoed in the evening air. Violetpaw stiffened. For the first time she saw that his gaze was glassy with fever. Fear spiked through her chest as Puddleshine hurried to the deputy’s side.

“Fetch tansy!” Puddleshine called.

No cat m oved.

The ShadowClan deputy was ill. No one was left to lead.

Violetpaw felt weak with dread. Was sickness going to destroy the Clan?

Chapter 21

Catching his breath, Alderpaw paused on the last rocky slope that led to the Moonpool. His pads burned from the clim b. Leafpool leaped ahead of him. Jayfeather stopped at his tail.

“Hurry up,” the blind medicine cat grunted. “The moon won’t stay up all night.”

Still Alderpaw hesitated. A warrior was standing on the rim of the hollow, looking down at them. Alderpaw couldn’t make out who it was, but he caught the scent of WindClan. “It looks like Kestrelflight brought an escort again,” he told Jayfeather.

“It’s Harespring.” Jayfeather pushed past Alderpaw.

“How do you know?” Alderpaw clambered after him.

“I’ve sm elled his scent all the way along the trail,” Jayfeather puffed. “I wonder why

Kestrelflight only cam e with one warrior this tim e.”

“Perhaps Onestar thinks that his deputy is as good as two ordinary warriors,” Alderpaw guessed.

“Perhaps.” Jayfeather sounded unconvinced. He nodded to Harespring as he reached the top, and padded past him.

Alderpaw followed, glancing nervously at the WindClan deputy, who watched them, betray ing no expression. After his trip to the WindClan camp with Leafpool, he didn’t trust any of WindClan. Perhaps they all shared Onestar’s rage and paranoia.

He padded down the dim pled stone path. The Moonpool shone at the bottom. The half-moon’s reflection was rippling in the wind, which spiraled down between the sheltering cliffs. It ruffled Alderpaw’s fur, but he didn’t feel cold. Newleaf had finally loosened the stone grip of leaf-bare.

The night air was fragrant with scents.

Willowshine was sitting beside Mothwing and Puddleshine, but as the ShadowClan medicine cat spotted Leafpool, he hurried forward.

“How’s Twigpaw?” he asked as she reached the pool.

“She’s fine.” Leafpool dipped her head politely.

In the day s since the ThunderClan patrol had brought her home, Twigpaw had been quiet, her thoughts drifting easily. When Alderpaw had asked her about her time with ShadowClan, she’d told him that they’d treated her well but she was glad she didn’t have to live in such a disorganized Clan. Sadness had tinged her gaze as she’d said it, and, when he’d pressed her, she’d adm itted that even though she didn’t miss ShadowClan, she wished she could still be with Violetpaw.

“It felt good to have kin close by,” she had m urm ured.

Alderpaw had touched his nose to her cheek, wishing there was som ething he could say to com fort her.

In the hollow, Puddleshine’s eyes flashed with gratitude. “Twigpaw was am azing.”

Alderpaw blinked at him as he reached the pool. What had Twigpaw done that had im pressed the medicine cat so much? “Am azing?”

“She helped m e with the sick cats,” Puddleshine explained. “She knew which herbs to give and how to make even the sickest cats swallow them.”

Jayfeather grunted. “I suppose all that time she spent getting under m y paws wasn’t entirely wasted.”

Alderpaw ignored the grum py medicine cat, relishing the pride warm ing his belly. “Twigpaw loves to help.”

Leafpool leaned forward anxiously. “How are the sick cats?”

The glow faded from Puddleshine’s gaze. Alderpaw suddenly noticed how weary he looked, his pelt dull and unwashed, his tail drooping. “Kinkfur died a few day s ago,” he mewed.

Kestrelflight shifted his paws uneasily, avoiding the ShadowClan medicine cat’s gaze. Had he known about Kinkfur’s death before the m eeting? Did he feel responsible?