Around him, his Clanmates were working together, following Rowanstar’s orders without question. He pushed his doubts away. Dovewing needs me more than they do.
Rowanstar was padding around the camp, inspecting the work. He nodded approvingly as he passed Whorlpaw, slowing to point out a gap near the bottom of the wall that still needed filling. Whorlpaw dipped his head to the ShadowClan leader and quickly reached for another wad of moss to plug it. Tigerheart’s chest ached with hope. The Clan would be fine without him.
“Tigerheart!” Rowanstar was crossing the clearing.
Tigerheart tensed. What did Rowanstar want? He glanced at the darkening treetops. He’d been hoping to slip away soon. Keeping his fur smooth, he tugged two strands of bramble closer together before dropping onto all four paws to face his father. “Yes?”
“Take out a hunting party.” Rowanstar had stopped beside the fresh-kill pile. A thrush and a vole were all that was left from the morning’s catch.
Tigerheart relaxed. Perfect. I can slip away easily while I’m in the forest.
“Take Grassheart, Snowbird, Juniperclaw, and Scorchfur.” Rowanstar’s green gaze scanned the camp.
Tigerheart followed it. Where were Juniperclaw and Scorchfur? Hadn’t they been helping Grassheart and Strikestone fix up the warriors’ den? Perhaps they were outside camp, fetching bracken to weave into the den walls. “I’ll find them,” he told Rowanstar. He beckoned Grassheart and Snowbird with his tail as he headed for the camp entrance.
He ducked outside and stopped a few tail-lengths from the camp. Opening his mouth, he let the musky scents of leaf-fall bathe his tongue. He could taste the fresh scent of his missing Clanmates, but in the misty air it was hard to tell which way they’d headed.
Grassheart stopped beside him.
“Can you tell which way Scorchfur and Juniperclaw went?” he asked her.
“Don’t worry,” she mewed quickly. “We can hunt without them.”
It’ll be easier for me to slip away from a bigger patrol. Tigerheart looked at the pale brown she-cat and saw her pelt prickling self-consciously. “Do you know where they are?”
“Who? Me?” Grassheart glanced at Snowbird as the white she-cat reached them. Guilt flashed between them. “They were helping with the dens last time I saw.”
Tigerheart pricked his ears. Grassheart and Snowbird were hiding something. “What’s going on?”
Snowbird shot Grassheart a warning look.
Grassheart flicked her tail. “We promised we wouldn’t tell,” she mewed apologetically.
“Promised who?”
“Scorchfur and Juniperclaw.” Grassheart dropped her gaze.
“What are they doing?” Tigerheart thrust his muzzle closer, his pelt rippling with foreboding.
“They’re… on their way to join SkyClan.”
Join SkyClan? Tigerheart could hardly believe his ears. The shock that his Clanmates could be so disloyal was undercut by guilt, and a thought so selfish it made him feel sick. ShadowClan’s supposed to be losing one warrior today, not three. “When?”
“Now.” Grassheart didn’t look at him.
“But they hate SkyClan.” Scorchfur and Juniperclaw had always made it clear that they disliked having SkyClan anywhere near ShadowClan’s territory.
“They said they wanted to be part of a real Clan.” Grassheart shifted her paws.
Snowbird stepped forward. “It’s not just that they’re unhappy here,” she mewed. “Scorchfur was really upset that he nearly blinded Tawnypelt. He’s scared what will happen if he stays in ShadowClan.”
Tigerheart blinked at her. “Scared of his own Clanmates?”
Grassheart shifted her paws. “Scared he might lose his temper again, or that Tawnypelt and Rowanstar might want revenge.”
“But we’re Clanmates!” Tigerheart blinked in disbelief. “We take care of one another!”
“Juniperclaw says that ShadowClan cats have forgotten what loyalty means,” Snowbird mewed.
Tigerheart’s hackles lifted. “But Juniperclaw left his Clan to join the rogues!” How dare he accuse his Clanmates of disloyalty when he’d been one of the first to betray them? Anger pulsed beneath Tigerheart’s pelt. He pushed it away. This was no time for recriminations. ShadowClan was already dwindling. How could he leave if they lost two strong warriors like Scorchfur and Juniperclaw? Puddleshine’s warning would come true; ShadowClan would disappear completely. “I have to stop them.” He bounded toward the SkyClan border.
Pine needles swished behind him as Snowbird and Grassheart gave chase.
“Go and hunt!” He waved them away with a lashing tail. “I’ll take care of this.” He wanted to sort this out as quickly as possible. Nightfall was closing in. He had to persuade Scorchfur and Juniperclaw to return to ShadowClan, and then slip away and meet Dovewing before she left without him.
I’m a snake-heart. He ignored the voice ringing in his head. I’m only going to persuade them to stay so that I can leave.
No. He was doing the best he could, for Dovewing and his Clan. With him gone, ShadowClan would need Scorchfur and Juniperclaw more than ever.
Heart pounding, he raced between the trees. He could smell Scorchfur’s scent trail now. Juniperclaw’s was beside it. He followed it easily over the ditches and to the rise that lifted to the SkyClan border. As he neared the bottom, he glimpsed their pelts slipping around a stretch of brambles. “Stop!” His yowl rang through the damp forest. He saw them stop and pulled up as their faces turned toward him. “Let me talk to you!”
He climbed the slope, fixing them with an urgent glare. “Grassheart told me you’re planning to join SkyClan.”
They looked at each other, then padded toward him. Their gazes were distrustful.
“Please don’t go.” He stopped in front of them, panting.
Scorchfur narrowed his eyes. “Why not?”
“You’re ShadowClan!” Tigerheart stared at him imploringly. “You can’t just forget that. It’s where you were born and raised. You think like ShadowClan cats; you hunt like ShadowClan cats; you fight like ShadowClan cats. You don’t even know what SkyClan is like! You’ll never feel you really belong there.”
Juniperclaw glanced nervously at Scorchfur. “Maybe he’s right.”
Scorchfur frowned. “ShadowClan isn’t the Clan it used to be. SkyClan might be better. We can teach them some useful skills.”
“‘Teach them some useful skills’?” Tigerheart fought to keep his claws sheathed. “If SkyClan learns how we fight and hunt, think how easy it would be for them to defeat us.” He turned his gaze on Juniperclaw desperately. “They might take over the whole forest. You don’t want that, do you?”
Juniperclaw’s eyes widened with alarm. “I hadn’t thought of that.” He looked anxiously at Scorchfur.
Scorchfur snorted. “I thought you said SkyClan cats were our friends.”
“Friends can have a falling-out.” Tigerheart leaned closer. “What if there was a border skirmish with ShadowClan? Could you fight against us for SkyClan?”
Scorchfur’s pelt prickled uneasily. “ShadowClan won’t be fighting any battles for a while. We’re hardly a Clan anymore.”
We won’t be if you leave. Tigerheart scrabbled for another reason for the warriors to stay. “If you join SkyClan, you’ll probably have to retrain. Like Twigpaw did. She’d already passed her ThunderClan warrior assessment when she joined, and she’s still training to be a SkyClan warrior.”
Juniperclaw pricked his ears. “You don’t think they’d make me a ’paw, do you?”
Tigerheart shrugged, trying to appear calm even as he felt each moment slip away like escaping prey. Time was passing. He had to get to Dovewing. “They might, once they found out that rogues gave you your warrior name.” He was bluffing, but he could sense Juniperclaw wavering.