Shattered Sky

Chapter 22

“I’m really going to miss you,” Violetpaw meowed, stretching out her neck to touch noses with Zelda. “Do you have to go home?”

The young tabby she-cat nodded. “I’ll miss you, too, Violetpaw,” she sighed. “But I need to go back to my housefolk.”

“Me too.” Loki, standing at Zelda’s shoulder, ducked his head shyly. “I think they’ll be really worried about us.”

Violetpaw knew that the two kittypets were right. They were so brave, staying with us until they were sure that Darktail was defeated, but this isn’t their place. They’ll be happier living with their Twolegs.

She knew too that the pain of parting wasn’t the only shadow that lay over them. Max should have been with them, too, but the older kittypet was gone forever, killed uselessly in the attack on RiverClan.

Loki and Zelda were carefree once, Violetpaw thought. But they’ll never be able to forget what they’ve seen under Darktail.

Zelda stepped forward and gave Violetpaw an affectionate nuzzle. “I’ll come visit you now and again,” she promised. “I’m so happy that you’ve found your father!”

“You’ll be okay?” Violetpaw asked. “You don’t want me to come with you?”

“No thanks, we know the way home,” Loki assured her. “And there’s nothing to be scared of, now that Darktail’s gone.”

“Good-bye, then,” Violetpaw mewed. “And may StarClan light your path.”

She stood watching as the two kittypets disappeared through the thorn tunnel.

The sun had risen over ThunderClan’s camp. The storm of the night before had passed, leaving a rain-washed sky, pale blue with a few wisps of white cloud. Cats were moving sluggishly around the camp; ShadowClan and RiverClan had returned there too, as their own camps were too damaged for them to be able to rest and recover there. Violetpaw didn’t think that any of them had slept well after the fight, even though they were all exhausted.

Neither Onestar nor Darktail had reappeared after they sank, still fighting, into the lake. The WindClan cats had been stunned by grief, especially as they would never be able to bury their leader. When the other Clans had withdrawn, they had remained to sit vigil for him, and Kestrelflight had spoken the words that would guide Onestar toward StarClan.

“He died nobly,” the medicine cat had said. “He made up for all his other mistakes when he rid us of Darktail.”

Violetpaw hadn’t been able to sleep, either. She couldn’t stop thinking about how dreadful it was for a Clan leader to lose his final life in such a terrible way.

I have to keep busy, she told herself, heading across the camp and instinctively veering toward the nursery. Alderheart was bustling in ahead of her, on his way to check on the queens and their litters.

It must be almost time for Tinycloud to have her kits.

But before Violetpaw could follow Alderheart into the nursery, she halted at the sound of her sister’s voice.

“Violetpaw—come here! The ShadowClan cats are leaving,” Twigpaw continued, as Violetpaw bounded over to her. “You should say good-bye.”

The ShadowClan cats were gathered together near the entrance to the thorn tunnel, with Bramblestar, Squirrelflight, and some of the ThunderClan, RiverClan, and SkyClan warriors beside them.

“We need to get the stink of Darktail out of our camp,” Rowanstar was meowing as Violetpaw and her sister padded up. “And make sure that the rest of his mange-ridden rogues are off our territory.”

His tone was friendlier than Violetpaw had ever heard it when he was talking to a ThunderClan cat.

“I hope that everything works out,” Bramblestar responded with a dip of his head. “But there’s always help in ThunderClan, if you ever need it.”

“I think we can manage.” Rowanstar had a glint in his eyes. “We’ll see you at the next Gathering.”

He was turning away, with a sweep of his tail to summon the rest of his Clan, when he spotted Violetpaw. “You’re welcome to stay here a little while longer,” he meowed, “if you want to spend time with your kin.”

“I’d really like that,” Hawkwing put in, padding forward to touch his nose to Violetpaw’s ear. “Thank you, Rowanstar.”

What he really means is, he wants me to stay with him in SkyClan, Violetpaw thought, detecting the longing in her father’s voice. She didn’t want to say that out loud, but she did put words to her next thought. “Where will SkyClan go now?”

It was Bramblestar who replied. “They’ll share our territory for the time being. But soon they will have to work out where they can put their own camp.”

Hawkwing’s eyes shone as he gazed at Violetpaw and Twigpaw. “I quite like the idea of exploring and discovering new territory.”

Bramblestar drew himself up, pride clear in the way he lifted his head and held his tail erect. “I can’t believe SkyClan is back where they belong!” he meowed. “We should hold some kind of ceremony to celebrate. Maybe the medicine cats can ask StarClan if there’s something we should do.”

Squirrelflight gave him a hard nudge. “Don’t you dare interrupt Harespring’s nine lives ceremony!” she teased him.

Bramblestar gave his chest fur a couple of embarrassed licks. “I can’t believe I forgot about that!”

Once again, Rowanstar glanced around at his Clan, gathering them together to leave. Violetpaw noticed that Tigerheart was still sitting a few tail-lengths away; Dovewing was close beside him, and the two cats were talking together. Violetpaw couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she could pick up the deep seriousness in their eyes and their voices.

Rowanstar had noticed them too, and watched them for a moment with an odd expression. Then he gave his tail a decisive flick. “Tigerheart!” he snapped. “Get your tail over here! We’re going back to camp.”

Tigerheart scrambled to his paws and bounded over to the rest of his Clan with a final word to Dovewing. “Sorry,” he muttered as he joined his Clan leader.

What was all that about? Violetpaw wondered.

As Rowanstar led the ShadowClan cats out through the thorn tunnel, Hawkwing beckoned his daughters aside, out of hearing of the ThunderClan cats. “When SkyClan establishes its new territory,” he told them, “I want you both to come and live with me. You were born in SkyClan, to SkyClan cats. That’s where you belong.”

Violetpaw exchanged a glance with her sister. This is all so unexpected, she thought. It wasn’t that long ago that we thought we had no kin except each other, but now we have a father, and we each have two Clans we could call our own.

As if he could read Violetpaw’s thoughts, Hawkwing leaned forward and gave each of them an affectionate nuzzle. “You don’t have to decide right now,” he mewed. “All you need to know is that you’re growing up to be fine warriors—and there will always be a place for you in SkyClan, if you want it.”

Violetpaw stared at Twigpaw, who was looking as confused as she felt. Then she glanced at the last of the ShadowClan cats who were just disappearing down the tunnel.

Can I really go back to ShadowClan and follow Rowanstar, after all that’s happened? she asked herself. Now that Needletail is gone, is ShadowClan really my home?

The tingle of joy she’d felt at reuniting with her father was replaced by a twinge of dread in her belly. But would Rowanstar let me go so easily? ShadowClan has been so diminished, they might need every cat they can get.

Then Violetpaw looked at her father: her kin. It was hard to deny the tug of longing she felt to live with him and Twigpaw. But she sensed that change was looming on the horizon, and she had no idea what the future would bring.

I can only hope that the three of us come out of it okay. After everything that we’ve been through, we deserve that much…