“I swam the farthest, didn’t I?” mewed Patchkit proudly.
Suddenly a dark shape blocked the path. Mapleshade looked up and met Ravenwing’s searching blue gaze. The medicine cat glanced down at the kits. “What were they doing in the river?” he asked.
Mapleshade’s paws started to tingle. “Did… did you see them?” she whispered.
Ravenwing nodded. “I saw everything. What’s going on, Mapleshade?”
Before Mapleshade could reply, the kits tumbled over themselves to tell him about their adventure.
“A RiverClan warrior had to save Patchkit—” mewed Larchkit.
“He did not! I was just resting!” Patchkit interrupted crossly.
“It’s fine, no one was in any danger,” Mapleshade meowed as Ravenwing narrowed his eyes.
“The RiverClan cat was really nice!” squeaked Patchkit. “He said I was very brave, and a really good swimmer!”
“Did he?” mewed Ravenwing. “What else did he say?” He took a step closer.
Mapleshade curled her tail around the kits. “Come on, little ones, time to go home.”
Ravenwing didn’t move out of the way. “I’ve seen an omen, Mapleshade,” he murmured. “I wonder if you know anything about it?”
There was something in his voice that made Mapleshade’s fur prick. “Why would I know anything about an omen? I’m not a medicine cat.”
Ravenwing stared at her without blinking. “A tiny stream appeared in my den, in a place where no stream has run before. It carried with it three pieces of water reed.” He swept his paw over the ground as if he was tracing the path of the rivulet. “Water reed doesn’t grow in ThunderClan territory,” he went on. “It doesn’t belong inside our boundaries. Do you understand?”
Mapleshade shrugged. “There’s been so much rain this leaf-fall, bits and pieces must be washing all over the place.” She tried to keep her voice light but there was a cold, heavy feeling in her belly, as if she had swallowed a stone from the river.
Ravenwing watched the kits play with an acorn, shuffling it from one to the other with their paws.
“I think this omen means that the river has washed three strange cats into ThunderClan—three cats who don’t belong there.”
Mapleshade’s heart was pounding so hard, she could hardly breathe. “What are you trying to say?” she whispered.
Ravenwing gazed at her, and suddenly he didn’t seem like a young, inexperienced cat anymore.
Knowledge glittered in his eyes like frosty stars. “Birchface is not the father of these kits, is he?
Rabbitfur told me what happened today, how they showed no signs of being able to stalk or pounce like him. And don’t tell me that they take after you instead,” he added, cutting Mapleshade off as she opened her mouth. “You tread as lightly as any ThunderClan warrior.” He looked past her, at the river splashing beyond the shade of the trees. “I watched your kits swim in that river as if they were fish. I think these kits were fathered by a RiverClan cat. Appledusk, I’d guess, judging by the color of their fur and by the way he spoke to you when he brought Patchkit back.”
Mapleshade felt the ground sway beneath her paws. “ThunderClan is blessed to have three beautiful, strong kits,” she hissed. “The truth will be revealed at the right time. It’s not my fault that everyone assumed Birchface was their father.”
“I cannot let you lie to our Clanmates!” Ravenwing spat. “And now that I know the truth, I cannot lie, either.”
“I have told you nothing,” Mapleshade mewed through clenched jaws.
“You have told me plenty,” Ravenwing responded, and there was sadness in his sky-colored eyes.
“The truth must come out.”
“Please don’t say anything!” Mapleshade begged. “These are ThunderClan’s kits!”
“They are half RiverClan,” Ravenwing corrected, his voice as hard as ice. “Our Clanmates deserve to know. I’m sorry, Mapleshade. Sorry for you, but even sorrier for these kits. They will end up suffering for the lies that you have told.” He whirled around and vanished into the bracken.
Mapleshade stared after him. StarClan, help me! For a moment she considered taking her kits and running deeper into the forest, hiding her kits away from any cat who might harm them. But then she looked at Petalkit balancing the acorn on her head while her brothers tried to knock her off her paws and dislodge it. ThunderClan loves these kits and won’t do anything to hurt them. I always planned to tell them the truth. It’s just happening sooner than I thought.
Chapter 4
By the time they reached the path leading down to the ravine, the kits were dragging their paws with weariness. “Nearly there, little ones!” Mapleshade mewed encouragingly. She hoped she would be able to settle them in the nursery and give them a feed before Ravenwing came looking for her.
Patchkit stumbled on the pebbly slope so Mapleshade let him lean against her shoulder and took almost all of his weight as they descended to the gorse tunnel. Petalkit let out a huge yawn. “I’m so sleepy!” she murmured.
“I’m hungry,” Larchkit squeaked. “My belly is rumbling louder than a badger!”
They pushed through the gorse tunnel, ducking their heads to keep the sharp twigs out of their eyes. Mapleshade followed, nudging Patchkit in front of her. When she emerged, Larchkit and Petalkit had stopped dead at the entrance. “Come on,” Mapleshade urged, her attention on Patchkit as he swayed on his feet.
“I think something’s happening,” Petalkit whispered.
Mapleshade looked up. The clearing was ringed with cats, all staring at them. Oakstar stood on Highrock, silhouetted against the trees. Ravenwing was crouched below him, his gaze fierce. The deputy Beetail was next to the medicine cat, his striped coat ruffled as if he had been interrupted mid-groom. Mapleshade started to tremble.
Patchkit pressed himself against her. “What’s wrong?” he whimpered.
“Nothing for you to worry about,” Mapleshade told him. “Go stand over there.” She pointed with her tail to a clump of bracken at the edge of the clearing. The three kits trotted over in silence and huddled together.
“Come here, Mapleshade,” Oakstar commanded.
On legs that seemed to be made of stone, Mapleshade walked forward until she was standing in the center of the clearing. “What is it, Oakstar?”
The dark brown tom twitched the tip of his tail. “Who is the father of your kits?” he asked. “Tell the truth!”
Before Mapleshade could speak, there was a flurry of ginger fur beside her. Frecklewish pushed past a cluster of warriors and joined Mapleshade below Highrock. “We know it’s Birchface!” she called up to Oakstar. “Why are you asking this?”
“I want Mapleshade to tell us herself,” Oakstar mewed, his voice soft with menace. “She let me believe that my son Birchface was their father. I cannot imagine that one of my warriors would dare to tell such a lie.”
Mapleshade shifted her weight onto her hind paws so she could hold the leader’s gaze. “Any Clan would be proud to have these kits grow up to serve them,” she declared.
“Even if they knew the kits were half-Clan?” Ravenwing meowed. “We deserve to know the truth, Mapleshade. Appledusk is their father, isn’t he?”
For a moment, the whole forest seemed to hold its breath. Then there was a screech of pure horror and Frecklewish launched herself at Mapleshade. “Is this true?” she yowled, clawing at Mapleshade’s face. “What have you done?”
Mapleshade stumbled backward. “Stop!” she gasped. She tried to raise her front paws to shield herself but Frecklewish had pinned her down.