Tigerheart’s Shadow

Fog interrupted him. “What’s the weather got to do with it? Do you think Twolegs stop leaving trash because it gets cold? Ice-chill is the best weather for scavenging. Food rots slower.”

“Come on.” Fierce began to head away. “This argument is pointless. These cats aren’t harming anyone.”

Ant and Spire followed her wordlessly. Tigerheart exchanged looks with Dovewing. Foreboding hollowed his belly. Hadn’t Rowanstar let rogues live beside ShadowClan land because he thought they wouldn’t do any harm?

Fog shook rain from her fur and headed back into the dripping bushes. Her companions followed.

Alone with Dovewing, Tigerheart’s pelt prickled along his spine. “I can see trouble coming.”

“I know it’s different from how Clans live, but the cats here seem happy with it.” Dovewing began to head after Fierce, Spire, and Ant.

Tigerheart wondered why Dovewing didn’t see the danger in living so chaotically. “They may be happy now, but what if Fog and her friends decide they want a warmer den and invade the gathering place? There are sick cats there who can’t defend themselves! Just because the guardian cats chased off a couple of foxes, it doesn’t mean they’re ready for a full battle over territory.” He paused, his heart quickening. “They don’t even understand what territory is!”

Fierce, Ant, and Spire were already crossing the puddled Thunderpath. Dovewing stopped at the edge and blinked at Tigerheart. “We can’t tell them to change the way they live,” she argued. “We’re just visitors here.”

“But don’t you want to help them?” He trotted after her.

“Not if they don’t want to be helped.”

“But it’s so obvious.” As he reached her, Tigerheart felt exasperated. “All they need to do is mark some boundaries and organize some patrols, and everyone will sleep a lot safer in their nests.”

Monsters sent up spray as they passed. Crouching against it, Dovewing waited for a gap and then splashed across the Thunderpath. Tigerheart followed. “This isn’t a Clan, Tigerheart. These cats don’t even have a leader. They’re just a bunch of healers and scavengers who have been kind to us. Don’t start bossing them around.”

“I wasn’t bossing.” Tigerheart’s paws pricked indignantly.

Dovewing went on. “I know you’re used to being Clan deputy and believing that one day you’ll be leader. But you’re not in the forest now, and you won’t be for a while. So you might as well get used to living like a city cat.”

Ahead, Ant, Spire, and Fierce turned a corner. Dovewing quickened her pace. Tigerheart hurried beside her, his thoughts churning. And you won’t be for a while. He glanced at Dovewing, trying to read her gaze. The kits would be ready to travel soon, surely? They were weaned now and growing stronger each day. “How long are you planning to stay here?”

“Are you in a rush to get back to the lake?” She kept her gaze ahead, scanning the bustling Twolegs as they turned the corner.

“I want our kits to grow up in ShadowClan,” Tigerheart told her.

“Why not ThunderClan?” Dovewing dodged between a Twoleg’s paws. The guardian cats were waiting at the mouth of an alley.

Tigerheart stared at Dovewing. Was she planning to take their kits to ThunderClan? His belly tightened. “I’m ShadowClan’s deputy. I can’t just join another Clan.”

“But I can?” Dovewing shot him a look. “Besides, are you sure there’s a ShadowClan to go back to? Didn’t you say it might disappear? Who knows what might have happened while we’ve been away?”

How could she say that so casually? Had Dovewing stopped caring about the Clans? Had she forgotten how much she’d loved her life before she came to the city? Didn’t she remember what it was like to be a warrior? His pelt prickled uneasily. She had never complained about feeding scraps to the kits. And she didn’t seem to worry about territory anymore. Was she enjoying this life? The thought struck him like a blow. He steered her to the side of the path, out of the way of Twolegs. “Don’t you want to go back?”

“Of course I want to go back.” Dovewing blinked at him, her green eyes sparking as the rain pattered around them. “But I want our kits to be safe. It’s a long journey, and it might be dangerous.”

“But they need to grow up in a Clan, among Clan cats, with the warrior code, or they may never truly understand what it is to be a warrior. We need to get them home as soon as possible.”

“Even if that means endangering their lives?” Dovewing’s hackles lifted.

“Of course not.” Tigerheart’s fur prickled uncomfortably. “I’d never let harm come to our kits.”

“Then why are you in such a rush to leave? They’re only two moons old.” Dovewing didn’t wait for an answer. She turned away and hurried toward the guardian cats.

Heart pounding with anxiety, Tigerheart followed her.