“Not y et, Leaftail.” Crowfeather padded closer and stopped a m uzzle-length from Tigerheart.
“First we’re going to take them to Onestar so they can explain them selves to him.” Spite glittered in his gaze.
Tigerheart lifted his chin. “I’ll be happy to talk to Onestar. I’m sure he’ll understand why we cam e.”
Crowfeather and Leaftail exchanged glances. Was that am usem ent in their eyes? Violetpaw suddenly felt cold.
Puddleshine seem ed unaware of the m enace in the air. He blinked at the WindClan warriors.
“Are we going to y our camp?” His eyes lit up. “Good! I need to speak with Kestrelflight.”
Crowfeather’s whiskers twitched. “I doubt y ou’ll be doing much talking,” he meowed darkly.
Violetpaw’s belly tightened with foreboding as the WindClan warriors flanked them and began to guide them along the slopes. They crossed the m oor until she saw a dip surrounded by gorse.
Crowfeather led them to a gap in the thick green wall and ducked through it. Violetpaw followed Scorchfur and Tigerheart, Puddleshine at her tail.
The tunnel opened onto a wide stretch of grass. Heather clustered at the edges, backed by thick gorse. Sm all, sleek cats slid from dens and stared at them as the patrol m arched them across the clearing. Their eyes sparkled nervously. Violetpaw’s heart quickened. Tension hung in the air as though thunder was coming. She padded closer to Puddleshine, com forted by the touch of his flank against hers.
Onestar was sitting on a wide, flat rock at the end of the clearing.
His gaze sharpened as he saw them. He leaped onto the grass and stood m otionless as they approached.
Violetpaw blinked at him, her throat tightening. Was this how the rogues had felt when they’d first entered the ShadowClan camp? She doubted they’d been as scared. Rowanstar was stern, but his gaze had never been as icy as Onestar’s.
Her fear intensified when the WindClan leader looked right at her, nostrils flaring. “What is she doing on m y territory?”
Crowfeather looked confused he stopped in front of Onestar. “Er—we caught them inside our border.”
Fury flashed in Onestar’s eyes, turning ice into fire in a m om ent. He lashed his tail in her direction. “This one is a rogue. She lived am ong the sam e cats who killed Furzepelt!”
Violetpaw stiffened with fear.
The WindClan leader’s pelt spiked along his spine. “How dare y ou?” he hissed. “Get her off m y territory before I take m y revenge!”
Tigerheart stepped backward, and Violetpaw saw the two warriors’ claws curl into the grass as though preparing for a fight. She tried to back up as well, but hit a wall of tawny fur, thick with WindClan scent. Cats padded closer on every side. The gorse hem m ed them in. Her paws trem bled. They were trapped.
“Hear m e out. Violetpaw is a ShadowClan cat now. She poses no threat,” Tigerheart said in a steady voice.
Onestar snarled. “Make it quick.”
Tigerheart glanced at Puddleshine, whose gaze was frozen on Onestar. Violetpaw could sm ell his fear. Tigerheart said quickly, “Three of our Clanmates are ill with a sickness we’ve never seen before. StarClan sent Puddleshine a dream telling him which herb would cure it. They told him that he must gather it on the m oor.”
Onestar narrowed his eyes to slits. “I don’t care what StarClan told him. No ShadowClan cat crosses onto WindClan land.”
Tigerheart’s tail twitched and Violetpaw guessed he was angry, but he replied calm ly. “We mean no harm. But we can’t let our Clanmates die.”
Onestar snorted. “And y et you shelter rogues who killed my Clanmate.” He glared again at Violetpaw.
Scorchfur bristled. “Violetpaw is one of us! We’re not sheltering them!”
Onestar thrust his m uzzle close to the dark gray warrior. “Even if she is loy al to ShadowClan… you let the others live at the edge of y our territory, despite the fact that they are m urderers. Half y our apprentices left to j oin them. It just proves what I’ve always thought: ShadowClan cats are no better than rogues. You will not gather herbs on m y land.”
Violetpaw could hardly believe the rage in the WindClan leader’s mew. What was wrong with him? Was he really going to let Clan cats die just because of the rogues? Weren’t leaders meant to be wise?
She saw m ovem ent at the corner of her vision and saw Kestrelflight approach. “Surely Puddleshine can gather herbs?” The WindClan medicine cat blinked nervously at his leader. “The Clans have always allowed medicine cats to gather herbs when lives are at stake.”
Onestar turned on him. “No!”
“But our Clanmates need—”
Onestar cut Kestrelflight off with a hiss. “They will gather no herbs here.” His m alicious gaze flicked back to Tigerheart. “Get off m y land.”
Tigerheart returned his gaze without m oving.
“Go!” Onestar screeched. “Head for the border and don’t stop. The m om ent you leave the camp, I’m sending a patrol after y ou. If they catch up with y ou, they’ll tear the pelts from y our backs.”
Tigerheart shifted his paws. “Please,” he pleaded softly.
Violetpaw stared at the warrior in surprise. He was begging. He must care for his Clan more than his own pride.
“Leave!” Onestar’s y owl rang around the camp.
Tigerheart turned, signaling with his tail for the patrol to follow.
Violetpaw hurried after him as he headed for the entrance. She could feel Puddleshine crowding her heels and sm ell his fear. As they em erged from the entrance, Tigerheart broke into a run. “Keep up!” he called over his shoulder. “Onestar is out of his m ind. The sooner we get out of here the better.” As he raced away from the WindClan camp, Violetpaw charged after him.
Scorchfur dropped back and fell in behind. Violetpaw felt a rush of gratitude to the tom. She knew that he was placing him self between her and the WindClan patrol that would soon be on their tails.
Perhaps he was beginning to accept her at last.
Chapter 15
“And then”—Sparkpelt followed Alderpaw onto the bridge—“Spikefur told Yarrowleaf it was nothing to do with ThunderClan and dragged her away from the border before she could tell m e any thing else. But it is totally to do with us. If WindClan and ShadowClan start fighting, it will affect all the Clans, surely?”
“I guess.” Alderpaw padded over the dam p bark, try ing not to look into the dark water swirling below. “But Yarrowleaf might just have been spreading gossip. You can’t be sure it was true.”
Sparkpelt had been chattering about the spat between ShadowClan and WindClan since they’d crossed the RiverClan border.
The full moon lit the lake. The trees on the island glowed, their buds pale in its light. He wondered if WindClan and ShadowClan were already waiting at the Gathering and glanced up to check for stray clouds. Would the two Clans be able to keep the truce? Or would StarClan cover the moon with clouds to keep the battling Clans apart? What if they fought any way? Alderpaw’s m outh grew dry.
He j um ped onto the beach, pebbles crunching beneath his paws. “I can’t believe Onestar would drive away a medicine cat asking for herbs.” He waited as Sparkpelt j um ped down beside him.
“Of course he would,” Sparkpelt mewed. “Every one knows he’s been as crazy as a cuckoo since he lost that life.”
Alderpaw frowned. Losing a life did seem to have m ade the WindClan leader burn with a strange fury. But enough for him to deny help to sick cats?