“We don’t need the pine forest y et!” Darktail snapped. “For now we’ve got every thing we need and we don’t have to fight for it. We won’t be taking over any one’s territory until I say so.”
Rain flattened his ears. “You’ve grown soft.” A growl sounded in his mew as he crouched threateningly.
Darktail’s eyes flashed. With a y owl, he flung him self at Rain. Rain reared and caught him, staggering back as the full force of the m uscular tom hit him. Digging in his claws, Rain rolled onto his spine and thrashed viciously at Darktail’s belly with his hind paws. Violetpaw leaped back, her heart pounding, as the two cats rolled, screeching, across the clearing. She’d seen the rogues fight each other before, but today there was a viciousness in their y owls that set her fur on end.
Needletail darted around them, her gaze fixed on Rain, her pelt rippling as though thrilled by the fight.
“Watch out!” Violetpaw y elped a warning as Darktail struggled free and swung a paw wildly through the air.
Needletail dodged it as it sliced past her and caught Rain hard on the cheek, drawing blood.
Scrabbling to his paws, Rain ducked a second blow and lunged at Darktail’s forepaws.
Knocking them from under him, he sent the rogue leader crashing onto his belly. Rain reared and slam m ed his paws hard onto Darktail’s spine.
The rogue leader rolled clear with a snarl. He sprang to his paws, his gaze flam ing. Baring his teeth, he leaped at Rain. Violetpaw gasped as she saw the rogue leader sink his teeth into Rain’s neck.
With a grunt, the long-furred tom collapsed. Darktail let out a low y owl as he pressed Rain to the ground, his teeth still in the gray tom’s neck.
Rain j erked beneath him, his breath gurgling in his throat.
“Let him go!” Needletail’s panicked cry split the air. “You’ll kill him.”
Violetpaw’s breath caught in her throat as Rain fell still beneath the rogue leader. Only when Rain slum ped in defeat did Darktail let go. Fear surged beneath Violetpaw’s pelt as Darktail backed away. Was this how it would always be in the rogue camp? Bloody fights over leadership? She glanced warily around at the other rogues. Would any of them challenge Darktail?
Needletail dropped down beside Rain. “Are you okay?” Terror lit her gaze.
Rain grunted. The fur at his neck shone with blood. Rasping, Rain staggered to his paws and faced Darktail.
Darktail scowled. “Who’s the leader?”
Rain glared at him. “You are,” he growled.
Violetpaw was trem bling.
“Don’t challenge m e again,” Darktail hissed softly. The tip of his tail twitched m enacingly behind him.
Rain stared at him, anger showing in his gaze. “I won’t.”
“No, you won’t.” Without warning, Darktail lashed out, as fast as a snake. His claws raked Rain’s eye before the tom could close it.
Violetpaw’s belly heaved as blood welled around the socket. Rain staggered backward, ears flat with shock. He let out an agonized y owl before collapsing to the ground.
Needletail hunched over him. “You’ve blinded him!” she shrieked at Darktail.
Darktail curled his lip. “I only half blinded him,” he growled. “A half-blind cat threatens no one.” He padded to the fresh-kill pile and grabbed the plum p rabbit between his jaws, then carried it to the edge of the clearing and began to eat.
Violetpaw stared at Rain, horror scorching though her as she saw his face. She’d seen fights here before, but none this cruel. His cheek was ripped and his eye was closed and oozing blood.
Nausea swept over her, and she raced from the camp. Skidding to a halt behind an alder, she vom ited, her body convulsing with shock.
Hunched in her nest, Violetpaw stared through the darkness. The camp was quiet except for Rain’s m oans and Needletail’s soothing mews as she nursed him the best she could. Nettle had been racing in and out of camp all evening with herbs. Now he crouched outside the patch of long grass where Rain and Needletail were huddled together.
Violetpaw watched Nettle’s eyes slowly close as sleep overwhelm ed him. Darktail’s snores echoed across the camp. No moon lit the clearing, and clouds covered the sky. The other cats were curled in their nests. There was still prey on the pile. Darktail had been the only cat to eat.
The others had slunk to the edges of the camp in silence. Violetpaw wondered if they were as shocked as she was by the brutality of their campmates. She wondered if the ShadowClan cats regretted leaving their Clan now. Perhaps ShadowClan did have too many rules, but the cats looked after one another. They would never blind one another!
Violetpaw knew she had to leave. She could not live like this, in a group ruled by fear and claws. But where could she go? Her heart fluttered anxiously as she im agined life as a loner.
Perhaps she could ask Rowanstar to take her in, or Bramblestar. Perhaps som e of the Clan cats still believed she was part of the prophecy and would welcome her back. She just knew she couldn’t stay here. These cats were too unpredictable. What if she said som ething wrong? Or failed to bring home enough prey? How long would it be before Darktail or one of the other rogues turned on her?
She could hear Needletail m urm uring bey ond the long grass. Needletail had been growing closer and closer to Rain. She won’t leave him. Especially not now. And if they did become mates, would Needletail still have time for Violetpaw? I’d be alone here.
Quietly Violetpaw got to her paws and clim bed from her nest. Heart pounding in her ears, she tiptoed across the clearing. She paused beside Nettle, who was snoring gently now, and strained to see past him through the grass but could make out nothing but shadow. She wanted to tell
Needletail she was leaving, and to thank her. But she didn’t dare risk being caught.
“Don’t worry, Rain. It’ll hurt less soon.”
She listened to the soft m urm ur of her friend. This would be the first time in moons she’d be without her. Good-bye, Needletail. Her heart aching, she turned away and headed out of camp.
The scent of pine and m oss filled her nose as dawn broke and early newleaf sunshine seeped into ShadowClan territory. Violetpaw crouched beneath a bramble a tree-length from the camp wall. A j uicy rabbit lay beside her. Would it be enough?
Rowanstar had turned Darktail away when he had come bringing a gift of prey. And he’d told Needletail to take her. You did ShadowClan no favors by finding her. There’s been nothing but trouble since she arrived. We’re better off without her. His words still rang in her head, as they had in the moons since she’d left. Was she wasting her time even try ing to come back? Perhaps she should head straight for ThunderClan territory and beg Bramblestar to take her in. Twigpaw would support her, wouldn’t she?
Her heart quickened with fear. What if no Clan wanted her? What if they saw her as trouble: just an extra m outh to feed? The rogues would never forgive her for leaving. She’d be a loner.
“Who’s there?”
Tawny pelt’s mew took her by surprise. A tortoiseshell m uzzle pushed through the brambles, and Violetpaw found herself staring into the warrior’s green eyes. “Violetkit?” She blinked.
“I’m Violetpaw now,” Violetpaw mewed uncertainly. She’d had no nam ing cerem ony.
Needletail had decided it was time she began her training. Did that mean she wasn’t a proper
’paw?
Tawny pelt backed out. “Come out here.” She sounded stern.
Nervously Violetpaw grabbed the rabbit between her jaws and crept out.
Spikefur and Tigerheart stared at her from behind Tawny pelt.
“Are you hunting on our land?” Tawny pelt stared at her, shocked.