Still, Violetpaw realized that there were worse things than being bored. We’re having fun now… I could almost stop worrying about what Darktail is up to. But the apprehension that was gnawing at her belly wouldn’t entirely go away.
Finally Violetpaw led Zelda back to camp and brought her back to the fresh-kill pile so they could eat together.
“I’ve never eaten an animal before,” Zelda mewed, tucking in enthusiastically to the shrew she had chosen. “I love it!”
Violetpaw’s eyes widened in surprise. “What do you eat, then?” she asked. “Grass, like the cows Needletail told me about?”
Zelda let out a mrrow of laughter. “No, my housefolk give me hard pellets to eat. They’re pretty tasty, but not as delicious as this shrew!”
Pellets? Violetpaw thought. Weird… and gross. It must be like eating mouse droppings. She wished Zelda didn’t have to go back, and could stay with the Kin always and be her friend. But she’s a kittypet, and a kittypet is better off with her Twolegs.
As Violetpaw was finishing the blackbird she had taken from the fresh-kill pile, Max and Loki padded up, escorted by Raven.
“Help yourselves,” the rogue meowed, waving her tail at the pile.
“Thanks!” Max replied, dragging out a vole and starting to gulp it down. “’S good!” he exclaimed around a huge mouthful.
Loki was more hesitant, but after an encouraging prod from Zelda he began nibbling cautiously at a mouse. Raven watched for a few heartbeats, then withdrew to talk to Darktail, who was standing a few tail-lengths away.
“Have you had a good day?” Zelda asked the two other kittypets. “Violetpaw showed me everything! It was fantastic!”
Max nodded. “I’ve had fun.”
“I never knew how many of you there were,” Loki added. “And you have such a great place to live. I’m glad that we got to see it.”
“Now we’ve got stories to tell Minty!” Zelda mewed with a wave of her tail.
“But we ought to be going now.” Max sounded reluctant as he swallowed the last of his vole. “It’s starting to get dark, and our housefolk will be looking for us.”
Loki gave a sharp mew. “Mine will probably try to feed me when I get back, but I’m so full already.”
Zelda gave a nod. “I’m still going to eat. Whenever I don’t, my housefolk get so worried. They just… stare at me. I never like it when they do.”
Relief crept through Violetpaw like the sky paling toward dawn. If the kittypets go now, then nothing bad will have happened to them.
“It was great, showing you around,” she meowed to Zelda. “Maybe I’ll come find you in the Twolegplace sometime.”
“That would be—” Zelda began enthusiastically, then broke off as Darktail loomed up beside her.
“What’s all this talk about leaving?” the rogue leader rumbled. “We still have so much more to teach our new kittypet friends—isn’t that right, Violetpaw?”
The menace that glittered in Darktail’s eyes as he turned his head toward her told Violetpaw that she ought to agree with him. She could just manage a scared little nod, even though she wanted the kittypets to get out of Kin territory and safely back to their Twoleg dens.
“Don’t you want to stay with us?” Darktail asked. His tone was warm and friendly; Violetpaw could see that he was doing all he could to win over the kittypets. “You’re very welcome.”
“Thanks, but no,” Max replied. “We really have to be getting back now.”
“Yes,” Loki added. “My housefolk kit likes me to sleep on her bed.”
Darktail looked surprised and a little offended. “Have you forgotten that you swore an oath of kinship to the cats here?” he asked.
“We did,” Loki replied, looking puzzled, “but how can we be part of your Kin when we’re not actually kin to you?”
That’s a good question, Violetpaw thought.
Darktail’s voice was cold and calm as he replied. “The blood that bonds cats as kin is nothing compared to the blood a cat is prepared to spill to protect those around them. That means so much more, don’t you think?”
For a couple of heartbeats the kittypets were silent, and Zelda exchanged an uncertain glance with Violetpaw.
The blood a cat is prepared to spill? Is Darktail planning another battle?
Then Loki shrugged. “I guess so,” he mewed.
“I just need you to stay for a few more days,” Darktail continued smoothly. “Tomorrow you’ll start learning how to fight, in case those fiendish Clan cats attack again.”
At the idea of fighting, the kittypets looked even more uncertain. “Is that likely to happen?” Zelda asked.
“Anything can happen,” Darktail responded.
“Well,” Max meowed after another moment’s hesitation, “I guess if it’s just for another day or two, we’ll stay. I remember once I got lost, and it took two days for me to find my way back to my housefolk. I’m pretty sure they won’t panic—as long as I’m not away from the den for too long.”
Loki and Zelda both nodded. “Okay,” Loki agreed.
Violetpaw felt a twinge of anxiety in her belly. She remembered the night she had spent with the rogues when she was in ShadowClan, and how that had led to the rogues moving into ShadowClan territory.
What is Darktail planning now? she wondered.
Raven and Sleekwhisker padded up to escort Max and Loki to dens for the night, leaving Zelda with Violetpaw.
“Come on,” Violetpaw mewed to her new friend. “I’ll show you where to sleep.”
“Good night,” Darktail purred, dipping his head and watching them as they went.
Violetpaw took Zelda with her to the apprentices’ den. Or what was the apprentices’ den, back when we had apprentices and mentors. These days, most Kin cats sleep where they like.
Together the two she-cats settled into Violetpaw’s nest of moss and bracken. Zelda was soon asleep, curled up with her tail over her nose and letting out little snores. But Violetpaw stayed awake as twilight deepened into night. It felt good to have Zelda cuddled up next to her, reminding Violetpaw of the time when she’d had her sister, Twigpaw, with her in the ShadowClan camp.
But as she gazed up at the stars between the branches that overhung the den, Violetpaw’s anxiety still gripped her like a badger’s claw.
Why does Darktail want these kittypets? Why does he need more cats willing to spill blood for him?
Chapter 7
The early morning sunlight slanted through the trees, shedding blotches of golden light on the forest floor. Alderheart enjoyed the warmth on his fur as he scoured the ground outside the camp, sniffing at each clump of new growth. Now that his Clanmates’ injuries from the battle were beginning to heal, the medicine-cat den was much quieter; Alderheart had taken the chance to restock the herb stores.
He spotted a tuft of comfrey, nipped off a few stems with his teeth, and headed back through the thorn tunnel into the camp. As he passed the apprentices’ den, he hesitated for a moment, then padded over and stuck his head through the barrier of ferns that screened the entrance.
It took a moment for his eyes to adjust from the strong sunlight outside, but then he could make out the mound of Twigpaw’s back where she lay curled deep in her mossy nest.