The Apprentice's Quest

Chapter 20

At first Alderpaw lay in an exhausted stupor with Needlepaw by his side, but the thought of his Clanmates soon roused him. “We should get up,” he panted. “Try to figure out a way to get back to the others.”

Needlepaw gave her shoulder fur a couple of feeble licks. “I don’t know about you,” she meowed, “but I need to rest.”

“But we don’t know what happened to them!” Alderpaw asked, with a fretful look upstream. “We need to find them!”

And how are we going to find SkyClan now?

Needlepaw snorted. “You need to quit worrying about the others so much and start worrying about yourself. Let them find us.

Meanwhile, we need to rest.”

Alderpaw realized that Needlepaw was right. Staggering to his paws, he gazed around, only to see monsters dashing to and fro on a

Thunderpath a few fox-lengths away, with a row of Twoleg dens on the far side. The air was filled with the reek of monsters and Twolegs.

“I don’t believe it!” he groaned. “Twolegs everywhere!”

“It’s fine,” Needlepaw responded, waving her tail toward a tangle of elder bushes growing between the water’s edge and the Thunderpath.

“We can make a nest here. The Twolegs won’t find us.”

Hoping she was right, Alderpaw followed her as she thrust her way deep into the bushes and flattened a clump of long grass for a makeshift nest. His legs aching with weariness, Alderpaw curled up beside her.

Soon Needlepaw’s snores echoed around their den. But in spite of his exhaustion, Alderpaw found it hard to sleep. The sound and stink of the monsters was too close, and the events of their desperate escape from the rogues kept flickering through his mind.

Snuggling up to Needlepaw, Alderpaw filled his nose with her scent, trying to imagine that he was back in camp, snoozing in the apprentices’ den with Sparkpaw. Finally he slept.

When Alderpaw awoke, bright sunlight was filtering through the branches of the elder bushes. Anxiety stabbed at him as he saw that Needlepaw had vanished. The sound of Twoleg voices drifted into Alderpaw’s ears, and when he crept cautiously out of the bushes he spotted several Twoleg kits playing beside the nests, tossing something brightly colored to each other.

A wave of homesickness for the lake and the forest flooded over Alderpaw. Those kits are so noisy! When will we ever get a bit of peace?

Then the grass parted to reveal Needlepaw, trotting up to him with a plump sparrow clamped in her jaws. “Fresh-kill!” she announced, dropping it at Alderpaw’s paws.

“Thank StarClan you’re back!” Alderpaw exclaimed. “I was worried about you.”

Needlepaw flicked her tail. “No need.

Come on, eat.”

“What do you think we ought to do next?”

Alderpaw asked, his jaws watering as he gulped down warm bites of the sparrow. It was good to sit in the shelter of the bushes and let the sun warm his damp fur, but he knew they shouldn’t stay there any longer.

“Look for the others, I guess,” Needlepaw replied with her mouth full.

Alderpaw was glad that he didn’t have to argue with her. He couldn’t imagine turning for home without at least trying to find his Clanmates.

When they had finished eating, he and Needlepaw headed back upstream as far as the waterfall. “I guess we have to go this way,” he muttered, gazing up at the moss-covered rocks that jutted from the cliff face beside the cascading water.

“It doesn’t look too hard,” Needlepaw meowed, springing up onto the first of the rocks.

Not sure he agreed, Alderpaw followed. The river thundered down beside him, and his legs began to shake as he remembered how he had been swept away and almost drowned. The rocks were slippery from spray, and if he sank his claws into the moss, it pulled away and almost made him lose his balance. Needlepaw was climbing determinedly ahead of him, showering him with grit and drops of water.

Alderpaw was panting hard by the time he reached the top. He would have liked to rest again, but urgency gave strength to his paws as he thought about his Clanmates.

He and Needlepaw trudged on beside the stream, now and again calling out to their friends and casting back and forth as they tried to pick up their scent. Alderpaw began to grow discouraged as they drew closer to the gorge again. Maybe the rogues recaptured them.

They could all be dead by now!

“Hey!” Needlepaw exclaimed at last, pausing to taste the air among the roots of an elm tree that grew close to the waterside. “Over here!”

Alderpaw padded over to join her and sniffed into the leaf-lined hollow made by the roots. He could discern the scents of all three of his Clanmates.

“They must have stopped here to rest,” he mewed, his voice shaking with relief.

“Sparkpaw! Molewhisker! Cherryfall!” he called, hoping that they might still be within earshot. But no cat replied.

“I’ll tell you something,” Needlepaw murmured, concentrating hard as she followed the scent away from the tree. “They were traveling downstream. I’ll bet you a moon of dawn patrols they were looking for us.”

Alderpaw’s heart began to thump with excitement. “Then did we pass them on the way?”

“I don’t see how we could have.” Needlepaw looked puzzled for a moment.

“Anyway,” Alderpaw went on, energy surging back into his paws, “all we have to do is follow their scent. Come on!”

“And climb back down that StarClan-cursed waterfall!” Needlepaw groaned as she followed him.

The scent trail led downstream, sometimes by the waterside, sometimes ranging farther away. Now and again individual scents split off from the main trail, but they always joined it again.

“They’re searching for us,” Needlepaw mewed. “I can’t think how we missed them.”

But when they reached the bushes near the Twoleg dens where they had curled up to rest, they found that the scent trail led onward, past their makeshift den and along the grass between the river and the Thunderpath.

“I don’t believe it!” Needlepaw snarled with a lash of her tail. “They missed us! They must have walked straight past while we were asleep.”

Alderpaw bit back a growl of frustration.

“We were so wet, the water would have washed out our scent,” he meowed. “And all these

Twoleg scents don’t help. But it’s not so bad. At least we know that they’re alive, and they haven’t been recaptured by Darktail. All we have to do is follow them.”

But when he and Needlepaw headed downstream, they found it wasn’t as easy as that. There were so many conflicting reeks of Twolegs and monsters covering the scent trail.

Finally they came to a place where Alderpaw guessed that a monster must have stopped, leaving splashes of something dark and foul-smelling on the grass. The cat scent was completely swamped, and they couldn’t pick it up again on the other side.

“We’ve lost them,” Alderpaw mewed.

“They probably think we drowned,” Needlepaw responded in a tiny voice. “Who knows where they went after this?”

“They must still be following the river,” Alderpaw pointed out. “Where else is there for them to go? There’s no way of crossing here.”

“Maybe.” Needlepaw seemed unusually despondent. “But what if we’re wrong? What if we never find them?”

Alderpaw swallowed hard. “Then we have to find our own way back to camp from here,” he stated, trying to sound confident. “If they give up looking for us, that’s where they’ll go.”

Glancing around, Alderpaw realized that he had no idea where they were. They had approached the gorge from the opposite bank, and everything looked different from where he was standing now. He wasn’t even certain if they had been swept past the point where they had first come upon the river.

“We have to cross back to the other side,” he meowed, “and then head toward the setting sun.”

“That’s a bit vague,” Needlepaw pointed out with a sniff. “We could completely miss the lake and the Clan territory. And don’t even think about swimming across the river, because I’m not going to.”

“No cat asked you to,” Alderpaw meowed mildly. “We’ll head downstream on this side to start with, and maybe there’ll be a fallen tree or something where we can cross. We might even catch up with the others, if we’re lucky.”

Needlepaw let out a snort. “We could use a bit of luck!”

By this time the sun was starting to go down, casting scarlet light over the river.

Alderpaw realized they would soon have to look for somewhere to spend the night. At least we’re far from those Twoleg dens, he thought.

Soon the Thunderpath veered away from the river, so that a grassy stretch of ground opened up, dotted here and there with clumps of bushes.

“This would be a good place to rest,” Alderpaw meowed, stretching his jaws in a yawn. “Any chance of prey?”

Needlepaw perked up at the thought of hunting. “Just watch me!”

She disappeared into the nearest bushes and returned a few moments later with the limp body of a blackbird dangling from her jaws.

Meanwhile Alderpaw found a sheltered hollow underneath the branches of a hazel bush and scraped together some dead leaves to make a nest. As he ate his share of the fresh-kill, he realized how exhausted he was. Not even his worries about finding his way home were enough to keep him from falling into a deep sleep. But StarClan still did not visit him in his dreams.

For three more sunrises Alderpaw and Needlepaw trekked along the river. Their hopes revived when now and again they picked up traces of their friends’ scents and knew that they were still following in their paw steps. The river rolled on, wider and stronger now; there was nowhere safe for the cats to cross.

During the third day Alderpaw began to pick up the reek of monsters again, and there was a haze in the air ahead of them. Shortly after sunhigh more Twoleg dens loomed on the horizon.

“That’s a really big Twolegplace,” Alderpaw meowed, stifling a groan. “And I know we never passed it on the way to the gorge. We’ve come too far downriver.”

Needlepaw shrugged. “We didn’t have much choice.”

“And we still don’t.” Alderpaw cast a glance at the surging river, the far bank looking impossibly far away. “We’re going to have to travel through the filthy place.”

“You know, that might not be a bad thing,” Needlepaw mused as the two cats padded on side by side and the first of the Twoleg dens grew closer and closer.

Alderpaw was already feeling oppressed by the stinks and noises of the Twolegplace. “Not funny, Needlepaw,” he snapped.

“I’m not joking.” Needlepaw halted and turned to face him.

Amusement was glimmering in her green eyes, but her tone was serious as she added, “We need to find a kittypet.”

“A kittypet?” Alderpaw was outraged. “Are you feeling okay? I don’t think there’s an herb for a cat with bees in her brain.”

“No, listen, idiot.” Needlepaw gave her ears and impatient flick. “A kittypet might be able to tell us where we can cross the river.”

Alderpaw snorted. “What makes you think that?”

“A kittypet would know this area well,” Needlepaw replied, “which we do not. And maybe they would even give us some kittypet food.”

Alderpaw wanted to retch with disgust.

“You’re joking now, right?”

“No. We still have a long journey ahead,” Needlepaw meowed. “It makes sense to fill up while we can.”

“I’m not filling up on that stuff,” Alderpaw muttered as they set off again. “It’s totally against the warrior code to eat kittypet food.

And they say it looks like mouse droppings!”

Alderpaw knew there was no point in protesting any more as he followed Needlepaw toward the Twolegplace. She kept marching on determinedly until they reached a Thunderpath that ran alongside the nearest dens. Needlepaw halted, glancing up and down for monsters, then stretched out a paw and rested it gently on the hard black surface of the Thunderpath.

“What are you doing?” Alderpaw asked.

“Feeling for vibrations,” Needlepaw replied. “Monsters are so huge, you can feel them coming before you can see them.”

“That’s useful,” Alderpaw murmured. He had never seen Needlepaw do that before, but then, Sandstorm, and then Molewhisker and Cherryfall, had taken the lead when they’d crossed Thunderpaths on the outward journey.

I wonder how much wandering Needlepaw has done on her own before this.

Needlepaw’s prodding him in the side roused Alderpaw from his thoughts. “Come on!

It’s safe to cross.”

Alderpaw felt more and more uneasy as he bounded across the Thunderpath behind

Needlepaw and followed her as she plunged deep into the network of Twoleg dens. It’s like she owns the place, he thought. How can she stand getting so close to Twolegs? They might even pick us up and stroke us!

His whole body thrilled with tension as Needlepaw trotted up to a male Twoleg who was bathing a bright blue monster outside his den. Showing no fear at all, she rubbed up against the Twoleg’s legs and let out a friendly little trill.

Before the Twoleg could make a grab, Alderpaw dashed up and gave Needlepaw a shove, pushing her until they were well away.

“What are you doing? Do you want him to feed you to his monster?”

“Don’t be stupid!” Needlepaw retorted.

“Don’t you know that if you cozy up to Twolegs they’ll often give you a piece of meat or something else tasty? I do it all the time at the greenleaf Twolegplace on ShadowClan territory. Of course, it wouldn’t work for you,” she added, looking Alderpaw up and down. “It only works for cute cats.”

“You’ve got bees in your brain,” Alderpaw growled. “Just keep moving.”

Looking smug, Needlepaw strode on again, her tail waving high in the air.

To Alderpaw’s relief, as soon as they rounded the next corner, they spotted a kittypet: a large ginger tom stretched out lazily on top of a wall. “Hi! Hi there!” Needlepaw yowled as she charged up to him.

“Hi,” the kittypet responded, startled out of his doze. “How can I help you?”

“We’re Clan cats, and we’re lost,” Needlepaw explained. “We need to get back to our territories, and to do that we have to cross the river. Do you know the way?”

Alderpaw was surprised, and a little disturbed, that Needlepaw was giving the kittypet so much information. We don’t know this cat. But then, he reassured himself, he probably has no idea what she’s meowing about.

The ginger tom stretched his jaws in a huge yawn. “Do you have anything to do with those three cats who were here at sunrise?” he asked.

“Three cats?” Alderpaw pressed forward urgently. “A cream-and-brown tom, a ginger she-cat, and a younger orange tabby?”

The kittypet nodded. “That’s them. They were really upset. They said they’d lost two young cats.”

Wonderful relief surged over Alderpaw.

“Did they say where they were going?”

“You’re the cats they lost, right?” The kittypet’s eyes were full of sympathetic interest. “They were looking for a place to cross the river, too.”

“And did you tell them?” Needlepaw asked.

“Right down there.” The ginger tom pointed with his tail down a narrow alley that led between two rows of Twoleg dens. “That brings you back to the river. A little way downstream there’s a bridge.”

“A Twoleg bridge?” Alderpaw asked doubtfully.

“Of course a Twoleg bridge, mouse-brain!”

Needlepaw gave Alderpaw an irritated shove.

“We’ve dealt with those before. Thanks,” she added, looking up at the kittypet again.

“Anytime,” the kittypet responded with another yawn.

Alderpaw was beginning to turn away when another thought struck him. “You haven’t seen another, bigger group of cats traveling through here?” he asked the kittypet. “It would have been a while ago now.”

The kittypet shook his head. “Sorry, no.”

So SkyClan didn’t come this way. “Thanks anyway,” Alderpaw mewed, his last hope dying of finding the lost Clan.

Again he was turning to leave, but Needlepaw didn’t seem keen to follow. “Before we go,” she began, “could you help us out with some food? We’re really hungry.”

“Sure.” The ginger tom rose to his paws and stretched. “Follow the wall along to the opening. I’ll meet you there.” With that he leaped down from his perch and disappeared.

Needlepaw bounded eagerly alongside the wall, and Alderpaw followed reluctantly. The kittypet was waiting for them beside a piece of fence made of something shiny and hard, with wide gaps between the bars. Needlepaw and Alderpaw slipped through.

In front of them was a rough, pebbly surface, and beyond it a stretch of grass surrounded by bushes and bright Twoleg flowers. Beyond that rose the walls of the Twoleg den. Alderpaw’s fur began to bristle at the thought of actually standing on Twoleg territory.

“The food’s in here,” the kittypet meowed, pointing with his tail.

Turning in that direction, Alderpaw’s pelt bushed up in horror. The kittypet was pointing to a small den at the end of the pebbly path; a monster was crouching in the opening.

“You can’t go in there!” he gasped to Needlepaw, who was already heading for the small den with the kittypet at her side.

“The monster’s asleep,” Needlepaw replied nonchalantly. “And to be honest—don’t tell them back in camp—I’m kind of curious to taste kittypet food.”

“But what if—” Alderpaw broke off as Needlepaw, ignoring him, disappeared into the monster’s den with the kittypet.

He didn’t attempt to follow. No cat is going to catch me eating kittypet food! Instead he kept watch, in case Twolegs appeared from the den or the monster showed signs of waking up.

All the while he was tearing at the grass with his front claws, flexing them in and out with impatience. With every heartbeat they delayed here, his Clanmates were getting farther and farther away.

At last Needlepaw and the kittypet reappeared from the monster’s den. Needlepaw was swiping her tongue around her jaws with satisfaction. “That was great!” she mewed.

“Thanks, Bob.”

Bob? Alderpaw thought. The kittypet’s name is Bob? Weird!

“Yeah, thanks, Bob,” he repeated. “You’ve been really helpful.”

“Glad to,” Bob responded, touching noses with Needlepaw. “Good luck on your journey.”

Alderpaw headed off down the alley Bob had shown them earlier, and Needlepaw pattered along by his side. “You can thank me later,” she meowed. “My idea totally worked!

Now we know how to cross the river, and we can make our way back home.” She paused for a moment, then added, “What’s the matter with you now? Why don’t you look happier?”

Alderpaw hoped he had managed to conceal the heavy weight that had been gathering inside him ever since Bob had told them that he hadn’t seen any sign of SkyClan. But clearly it was impossible to hide anything from Needlepaw.

Halting, he turned toward her. “Don’t you get it?” he asked bitterly. “It’s because I’ve failed. What kind of a medicine cat am I?”