Darktail’s comments and replies to Rain grew shorter as the wounded leader grew tired, and eventually he settled down to sleep.
“I ought to go and check on some of the other injured cats,” Puddleshine meowed when he was settled, “but I don’t want to leave Darktail alone.” He was turning to Violetpaw, as if he was about to ask her to stay, and Violetpaw would have been happy to offer, but Rain forestalled them before either of them could speak.
“Don’t worry, Puddleshine. I’ll stay until you come back.”
“Thanks, Rain.” Puddleshine gathered a few herbs and went out.
Violetpaw followed him and wandered around the camp for a while, wondering if she ought to go back and finish off the elders’ ticks. But she knew she would only get another lecture about how worthless the young cats of today were, compared with Oakfur and Ratscar when they were young.
Finally she decided to find a good piece of prey and take it to Darktail for when he woke up. He’s pretty badly hurt, and he was really kind to me about how I fought in the battle. He ought to eat well so he can build up his strength while he’s recovering.
Violetpaw headed for the fresh-kill pile and took her time picking out a plump shrew. She spotted Puddleshine on the far side of the camp, making Scorchfur stretch out his leg to show how his injured shoulder was healing. Carrying the prey in her jaws, she headed back to the medicine-cat den.
But when she emerged from the bramble tunnel, she halted in shock, letting the shrew drop from her gaping jaws. Rain was lying on top of Darktail, his paws over the rogue leader’s nose and mouth. Darktail was struggling feebly and making a terrible choking noise.
Violetpaw stifled a gasp of horror, realizing that Rain was trying to cut off Darktail’s air and kill him. Rain hasn’t forgiven Darktail at all!
Frozen by the sight in front of her, all Violetpaw could do was watch as Darktail’s struggles grew slower. When the big tom was finally still, blood staining the fur around his nose and mouth, Rain rose to his paws, turned, and spotted Violetpaw. His green eyes narrowed, and he began to stride slowly toward her.
Violetpaw had never been so frightened in her life. Her heart thrummed in her chest and she could barely breathe. I wasn’t supposed to see that, she thought, terror turning her muscles to stone so that she couldn’t even flee. Now he will kill me, too!
Before Rain could reach her, he was attacked by a flash of white.
Darktail was not dead.
Violetpaw flattened herself to the ground as the rogue leader reared up over Rain. She didn’t want to watch, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away as Darktail hurled himself forward and drew his claws across Rain’s throat with a single powerful slash.
Rain staggered, his mouth opening and blood spilling over the fur on his chest. The stench of it filled the medicine-cat den. Then Rain’s legs gave way and he dropped at Darktail’s paws. Choking back a screech of terror, Violetpaw flinched away to avoid the sticky stream of blood that flowed from his throat.
Darktail looked down at the long-furred gray tom’s spasmodically jerking body, then raised his head to meet Violetpaw’s horrified gaze. His voice was rough and hoarse as he spoke.
“I always knew that Rain would betray me.”
Chapter 4
Alderheart passed his paws carefully down Twigpaw’s leg, feeling the muscles and bone beneath. The young she-cat didn’t react at all, just stared dully at nothing.
“How is she doing?” Leafpool asked, looking up from where she was helping Briarlight with her stretching exercises.
“Much better,” Alderheart replied. “Her leg was only badly wrenched, after all, not broken. Did I hurt you just then?” he asked Twigpaw, who just shook her head in answer.
“That’s great!” Briarlight meowed cheerfully. “But I’ll miss you, Twigpaw, when you go back to the apprentices’ den.”
“I’m sure Twigpaw will come back to visit,” Alderheart reassured her.
Twigpaw only sighed; Alderheart wasn’t sure whether she was actually listening. He wished he knew what he could do or say to cheer her up: the young apprentice had been depressed ever since her encounter with Violetpaw during the battle.
“Tell me again about Blossomfall’s kits,” Briarlight begged. “I can’t believe she’s a mother now! It seems like it was only yesterday she and I were playing together in the nursery.”
“She’ll be a good mother,” Leafpool mewed. She stifled a yawn. She and Alderheart had been up half the night helping to deliver the new litter. “It’s good to see new life beginning. It gives me hope, even in the middle of all this trouble among the Clans.”
“Are their eyes open yet?” Briarlight asked.
“No, it’ll be a few days,” Alderheart told her, keeping an eye on Twigpaw as he spoke. “But all four of them seem healthy and strong.”
“Let me see if I can remember their names,” Briarlight murmured. “Stemkit, Eaglekit, Plumkit… and what’s the fourth one? Oh—Shellkit! They’re beautiful names, and I’m sure the kits are beautiful, too. I can’t wait to see them!”
Alderheart stifled a mrrow of laughter. “You should have seen Thornclaw last night. We had a hard time keeping him calm while Blossomfall was giving birth.”
“True.” Leafpool’s amber eyes gleamed with amusement. “He might be a senior warrior, but this is his first litter of kits, and it made him as nervous as an apprentice on his first hunt.”
All the time he had been talking, Alderheart had watched Twigpaw. He had thought she would surely be interested in the new kits, but once again she hardly seemed to be listening.
“You’ll be fine now, Twigpaw,” he mewed, rising to his paws and feeling himself sway a little with weariness.
“If you’re done checking on her, you might as well duck into the apprentices’ den to get some sleep,” Leafpool suggested. “I was able to get some rest this morning, but you’ve been on your paws ever since Blossomfall’s pains began just after moonhigh.”
“Okay,” Alderheart agreed, feeling more tired than ever at the thought of collapsing into sleep.
“On the way, you could find Jayfeather and tell him to come back,” Leafpool meowed. “He left to get something to eat, but he’s had enough time to go to the horseplace and return.”
Alderheart nodded, though privately he doubted that he—or any other cat—could make Jayfeather do anything he didn’t want to. Despite this, he dutifully padded out into the clearing and looked around for the other medicine cat.
The first cat he spotted was Purdy, drowsing in a patch of sunlight near the fresh-kill pile. Remembering the old cat’s bellyache on the night of the Gathering, Alderheart hurried over to him.
“How are you feeling, Purdy?” he asked.
Purdy blinked up at him. “Better, thanks,” he replied. “The bellyache comes an’ goes, y’know?”
“Should I get you some juniper berries now?”
Purdy flicked an ear. “No, I’ll manage. At my age, a bit o’ bellyache is nothin’ to worry about. I’ll just take it easy at the fresh-kill pile for a couple o’ days.”
“If you’re sure… ,” Alderheart mewed.
“Sure I’m sure. Herbs can’t fix everythin’, young whippersnapper. I remember one time… ,” Purdy began, but the rest of the story was lost in a massive yawn.
“Well, make sure you come to the medicine-cat den if the pain gets any worse,” Alderheart told him.