Spikefur lunged at him, but Darktail batted him away with a swift swipe of his paw.
“Is that the gratitude you show to a cat who has returned a lost Clanmate?” The rogue leader sounded hurt.
“Violetkit!” Pinenose burst form the nursery, her pelt bristling. “Are you okay? Did they harm y ou?”
Violetkit stared at the queen. “They looked after m e,” she whispered hoarsely.
“What were you doing out in the forest?” Pinenose dem anded, her fear sharpening to anger.
Needlepaw hurried from the elders’ den. “Violetkit. There you are. Did you get lost try ing to find the dirtplace again?”
Violetkit blinked at her, confused. What had happened to the plan for Violetpaw to say that Needlepaw had sent her out?
But she is trying to cover for me, in a way, Violetkit thought. Maybe she’s just changed her mind about how.
Kinkfur snorted. “Who gets lost finding the dirtplace? You only have to follow your nose.”
Spikefur hissed, glowering at Darktail. “Why are we talking about the dirtplace? There are strangers in our camp.”
“Worse than strangers.” Dawnpelt fell in beside Spikefur, flexing her claws. “Rogues.”
“What are you doing in our camp?” Rowanstar’s growl cut through the angry m urm uring of his Clanmates. The ShadowClan leader strode across the clearing and stopped a whisker away from Darktail.
“I brought your kit home.” Darktail nodded toward Violetkit.
Violetkit shrank beneath her pelt as Rowanstar’s gaze flicked toward her.
Darktail went on. “I don’t understand why y ou’re being so unfriendly.” He blinked at Rowanstar with round eyes. “We were just try ing to help your Clan.”
Rowanstar narrowed his eyes. “Like you helped WindClan?”
Darktail returned his gaze innocently. “We were just defending ourselves. We have the right to do that, surely?”
“Rogues have no right to be on Clan territory!” Spikefur snarled.
Sleekpaw padded into the clearing. “Why not?”
Her Clanmates j erked their gazes toward her.
“Why not?” Tawny pelt’s fur spiked. “I can’t believe you would ask that. They’re not Clan cats.”
Yarrowpaw padded to Sleekpaw’s side. “If they weren’t on our territory, they couldn’t have rescued Violetkit.”
Sleekpaw blinked at her leader. “And what would your precious StarClan have said if som ething had happened to their special cat?”
“Be quiet!” Rowanstar glared at the y ellow apprentice.
Darktail glanced at Rain and Roach. “I think we should leave,” he meowed calm ly. “We seem to be causing an argum ent.”
He turned toward the entrance.
“Wait!” Rowanstar lifted his chin. “We’re grateful you returned Violetkit to us. But you don’t belong here.”
Rain and Roach exchanged am used glances.
“A patrol will make sure you leave our land,” Rowanstar went on. “Tawny pelt, Spikefur, and Dawnpelt.” He nodded to his warriors. “Go with them and make sure they cross the border.”
Tawny pelt nodded.
“Can I come with y ou?” Needlepaw hurried toward her m entor hopefully.
Tawny pelt curled her lip. “You’re looking after the elders, remember?”
Violetkit saw anger flash in Needlepaw’s eyes. Then she saw the silver apprentice’s gaze dart toward Rain. Rain blinked at her, then looked away. He turned and followed Darktail and Roach as they headed for the entrance.
Tawny pelt, Dawnpelt, and Spikefur hurried after them.
Belly hollow with dread, Violetkit turned to face Rowanstar. The ShadowClan leader stared at her, exasperation glittering in his gaze. Hanging her head, Violetkit prepared for her punishm ent.
Chapter 9
Fluffing her fur out against the cold, Twigkit followed Alderpaw through the moonlit forest. They were going to m eet Violetkit and Needlepaw. It had been over half a moon since they’d m et, and she longed to see her sister. She could tell Violetkit how she’d heard their mother’s voice and sm elled her scent when she’d nearly drowned. Perhaps Violetkit still remembered what their mother had sm elled and sounded like. As Twigkit followed Alderpaw up a leaf-strewn rise, she tried to ignore the sham e worm ing in her belly. “Do you think Bramblestar’s still m ad at m e for falling in the lake?”
Alderpaw stopped beside a clum p of frost-shriveled ferns. “He wasn’t m ad at y ou. He was just worried.”
“The other cats think I’ve got feathers in m y head.” Twigkit remembered the water pressing against her m uzzle. She’d been so afraid. “I wanted to prove to them I was special, but I just proved I’m a m ouse-brain.”
Since she fell into the lake, Leafkit and Honey kit had been teasing her constantly.
Did you want to be a RiverClan cat?
Perhaps she wants to be a fish.
They teased her the sam e way they teased each other—they were not try ing to be cruel at all.
But it had still hurt.
Alderpaw leaped onto a log, which was blocking the path, and waited for Twigkit to scram ble up beside him. “Jayfeather fell in the lake when he was a kit too,” he told her.
She blinked at him, surprised. “Really?”
Alderpaw purred. “He left camp, just like y ou, try ing to prove he was special.”
“But he was special. He was one of the Three.” Hope fluttered in Twigkit’s chest like a moth.
“And you are special too.”
Alderpaw’s words warm ed her. She couldn’t wait to tell Leafkit and Honey kit that she was just like Jayfeather. She knew from nursery tales that Jayfeather had helped save the Clans from the Dark Forest cats. She swallowed. Will I have to do that?
An owl shrieked far away. Twigkit m oved closer to Alderpaw, suddenly aware of how huge the forest seem ed at night and how deep the shadows were. She peered into them. “Do you think the Dark Forest cats will ever come back?” she asked Alderpaw.
His eyes widened in surprise. “What makes you ask that?”
“If I’m special like Jayfeather, m ay be I’m supposed to fight them too.”
Alderpaw whisked his tail. “The Dark Forest cats won’t dare return here.” He leaped from the log and trotted along a trail between brambles.
Twigkit hurried after him. “Did your prophecy say what I’m supposed to do?”
“No.” Alderpaw kept his gaze ahead. “It just said we must find what was in the shadows and it would help clear the sky.”
Twigkit frowned thoughtfully. “Do you think I’m supposed to make the sun shine?”
Alderpaw purred. “Even StarClan can’t do that.”
“But they can make clouds cover the moon if the Clans argue during a Gathering.” Twigkit wondered suddenly how powerful StarClan really was. If they could make clouds cover the moon, why did they need forest cats to help with their prophecies?
“Hurry up.” Alderpaw quickened his pace. He seem ed as excited as Twigkit about the m eeting. “We’re nearly there.”
As they neared the ShadowClan border, he broke into a run. Twigkit hared after him, the cold air burning her lungs. She caught up as he reached the clearing where they’d m et the two
ShadowClan cats last tim e.
Alderpaw was skirting the edge, sniffing the tree roots hopefully.
“Can you sm ell them?” Twigkit scanned the shadows, hoping to see Violetkit’s splotchy white fur glowing in the moonlight. “Are you sure we’re meant to m eet them here?”
“That’s what Needlepaw said when I saw her at the border the other day.” Alderpaw leaned forward.