Sparkpelt brushed past him. “Hurry up. I can’t wait to see what will happen.” She headed into the long grass.
Bramblestar and Squirrelflight were ahead, leading Brightheart, Cloudtail, and Berry nose toward the clearing with Leafpool. Alderpaw glanced over his shoulder. Molewhisker was coaxing Honey paw onto the tree-bridge. “I’ll be right behind y ou,” he prom ised his apprentice. “If y ou slip, I’ll grab y our scruff.”
Larkpaw and Leafpaw j ostled on the far shore, staring eagerly at the tree-bridge.
Rosepetal nudged them away. “Let y our sister cross first.”
“Honey paw’s scared of water!” Larkpaw teased.
Rosepetal glared at her apprentice sternly. “Sometimes being afraid is sm art.”
Leafpaw snorted. “Warriors aren’t meant to be afraid of any thing.”
Bum blestripe nudged her play fully. “I’ll rem ind you of that next time we sm ell a fox while we’re out training.”
Leafpaw puffed out her chest. “I wasn’t being afraid,” she sniffed. “I was being sm art.”
Bum blestripe and Rosepetal swapped bem used glances. Behind them Poppy frost, Graystripe, and Millie waited patiently, while Twigpaw hung back with Ivy pool and Dovewing.
“Alderpaw!” Sparkpelt called from the long grass. “Come on! WindClan is already here. I can sm ell them.”
Alderpaw nosed his way into the dew-soaked grass, following her trail. He opened his m outh, tasting for scents. There was no sign of ShadowClan. He padded into the clearing. Brightheart and Cloudtail were already sharing tongues with Minnowtail and Mallownose. The RiverClan cats were looking sleek again after the long leaf-bare. The fish must be teem ing in the river once more.
WindClan cats skirted the clearing, keeping their distance. They glanced anxiously at one another and then at the other Clan cats. Alderpaw’s pelt prickled with foreboding. He scanned the clearing for Onestar.
The WindClan leader was pacing beneath the great oak, his pelt rippling along his spine. As
ThunderClan arrived, his gaze flashed toward the long grass, sharp with suspicion as though he was waiting for an am bush. He flinched as Leafpaw, Honey paw, and Larkpaw raced into the clearing.
“Nightpaw! Breezepaw!” Leafpaw greeted the RiverClan apprentices with a purr and hurried to j oin them. Larkpaw and Honey paw followed.
Fernpaw and Brindlepaw, the WindClan apprentices, ey ed them eagerly but didn’t m ove from their m entors’ side.
As Sparkpelt headed toward a group of RiverClan warriors, Alderpaw followed Leafpool toward the great oak. Jayfeather had stay ed in camp, complaining that if he wanted to spend the night listening to cats bicker, he could sit in the elders’ den. “It’s going to be a weird Gathering,” Alderpaw m urm ured softly as he stopped beside her.
She followed his gaze toward Onestar. “Tensions are high.”
“Has this happened before?” Alderpaw asked.
Leafpool sat down. “Clans have always fought.”
“But has a Clan ever refused to help others treat their sick?” Alderpaw blinked at her earnestly.
“It’s been known to happen,” she adm itted.
“Did they ever let cats die?” Alderpaw shifted his paws uneasily.
“Warriors and medicine cats think differently,” Leafpool sighed.
“Why?” Alderpaw was puzzled. It didn’t make sense. If the Clans helped one another, then no one needed to suffer.
“Only StarClan knows.” Leafpool gazed across the clearing and changed the subj ect. “Is
Twigpaw okay?” She was watching the young she-cat, who was sitting alone beside a clum p of ferns.
“I don’t know.” Alderpaw followed her gaze, his belly pricking with guilt. Twigpaw had hardly spoken to him since he’d told her that Bramblestar had never sent a search patrol to look for her mother. Even though he shared the apprentices’ den with her, she would leave her nest by the time he woke and would be curled asleep—or pretending to be asleep—when he settled down for the night. During the day they were both busy with training, but he noticed how she always took her prey to the far side of the clearing and avoided his gaze when they passed in camp.
“Is she upset about som ething?” Leafpool pressed.
Alderpaw couldn’t explain. Leafpool, like the rest of the Clan, believed that the search party had been looking for Twigpaw’s mother. She didn’t know about Sky Clan. He shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
“Ivy pool say s she works hard.” Leafpool frowned. “She must be com m itted to the Clan.
Perhaps she still misses her sister.”
“Perhaps.”
Leafpool wrapped her tail over her paws. “She must be happy to know that Violetpaw is back with ShadowClan. She’ll be safer away from those rogues.”
“I guess.” Alderpaw wished he knew what she felt. When Dovewing had returned to camp with the news, he’d hurried to congratulate Twigpaw. But Twigpaw had only shrugged and turned away.
The Clan cats were beginning to glance toward the long grass, shifting impatiently. There was still no sign of ShadowClan. The round white moon was crossing behind the great oak. Had
ShadowClan decided not to come?
Bramblestar crossed the clearing, nodding to Misty star as he passed her. The RiverClan leader followed him to the oak and clim bed the trunk after him. As they settled on the lowest branch, Onestar leaped up beside them and took his place, glowering at the cats as they clustered below.
Squirrelflight followed Harespring and Reedwhisker to the deputies’ spot am ong the roots.
Kestrelflight, Mothwing, and Willowshine sat down beside Leafpool.
“Let’s begin,” Bramblestar called.
Misty star shifted beside him. “Should we wait a little longer for ShadowClan?”
“They can j oin in when they arrive.” There was impatience in Bramblestar’s mew. He lifted his gaze to the gathered cats. “I have im portant news, and if ShadowClan isn’t here to share it, then I must. Violetpaw, one of StarClan’s chosen kits, has returned to ShadowClan.”
The RiverClan cats lifted their gaze happily, ears pricking.
Misty star blinked at Bramblestar. “Did ShadowClan rescue her?”
“She returned because she wanted to,” Bramblestar told her.
Onestar’s eyes flashed with anger. “So she claim s, and ShadowClan is fool enough to believe her. What about the other ShadowClan traitors?”
“As far as I know, they are still with the rogues,” Bramblestar meowed.
Uneasy m urm urs rippled through the cats below him.
The ThunderClan leader ignored them. “But Violetpaw is back. StarClan’s prophecy is safe once more.”
Crowfeather called from the crowd. “Are we sure the prophecy is safe? StarClan hasn’t confirm ed that Violetpaw and Twigpaw are part of it.”
Misty star flicked her tail. “They haven’t told us they’re not.”
Minnowtail called from am ong the other RiverClan warriors. “What else could the prophecy mean? The kits are the only things we’ve found in the shadows.”
It could mean SkyClan. Alderpaw swallowed back frustration. Embrace what you find in the shadows, for only they can clear the sky. The sky had to refer to Sky Clan. Even though StarClan hadn’t shared with him for moons, he felt sure that Sky Clan was crucial to the prophecy. He glanced toward Twigpaw, who was sitting beside Ivy pool, her round eyes fixed on the leaders. Of course Twigpaw and Violetpaw might be part of it too, but surely StarClan would not let Sky Clan sim ply disappear. And y et how could the four Clans have a serious conversation about the prophecy when hardly any cat knew about the missing Clan?
Onestar stepped to the edge of the branch, his ears twitching angrily. “Why are we wasting time when there are im portant m atters to discuss?” He glared at the Clans. “A few day s ago, a