Thunder Аnd Shadow

Chapter 10

Crouching miserably beside the nursery, Violetkit stared across the camp. Clouds covered the sun, and a dam p wind rattled the brambles. She shivered. Beside her, Pinenose swallowed the last m orsel of m ouse and sat up. “I’m going inside. Bad weather’s coming.” She glanced at Violetkit.

“You’d better come with m e.”

Violetkit’s heart sank. “Can I just finish this?” She pawed her half-eaten shrew closer. She wasn’t hungry, but she wanted to stay outside a while longer. Being stuck in camp was boring, but being inside the nursery was worse. Especially when Grassheart’s kits were asleep and she wasn’t allowed to make a sound.

“Okay,” Pinenose agreed. “But don’t be long.”

As the queen disappeared into the bramble den, Violetkit pretended to take another m outhful of shrew. Since the rogues had brought her back, Pinenose had watched her like a hawk. Violetkit felt a prickle of resentm ent toward Darktail. Why had he m arched right into the camp? She knew the Clan blam ed her for leading enem ies into their home. The older warriors ey ed her as if she were a traitor. But weirdly, the younger warriors and apprentices had begun to greet her as they passed, interest glittering in their gaze as though they had just noticed she existed. Yarrowpaw had even stopped and asked what the rogues were like, but Pinenose had shooed the apprentice away. “How would Violetkit know?” the queen had snapped. “They just found her in the woods. They didn’t make friends with her.”

As her thoughts wandered, Violetkit gazed across the clearing. Leafpool and Puddlepaw were rolling herbs into bundles outside the medicine den. Crowfrost was sharing a thrush with Dawnpelt. Berry heart and Rippletail lounged outside the warriors’ den, half-asleep as the wind rippled their fur. Tawny pelt, Tigerheart, and Spikefur sheltered from the wind beside the great stone, while Rowanstar sat outside his den, watching the camp through half-closed eyes.

Violetkit looked toward the elders’ den. Was Needlepaw there? She hadn’t seen her friend all m orning. Perhaps Kinkfur had sent her to fetch fresh bracken for her bedding again.

Loneliness gnawed at Violetkit’s belly. She looked hopefully toward Yarrowpaw and Beepaw.

They were practicing battle m oves at the edge of the clearing while Sleekpaw lay in the long grass and watched. Perhaps they would teach her how to fight. That had to be more interesting than sitting in the nursery with Pinenose. She tried to catch their ey e, but they didn’t notice her.

She blinked at Juniperpaw. The black tom was trotting toward the entrance after his m entor, Stonewing. He didn’t look her way. Perhaps Strikepaw would speak to her. But the tabby tom was nodding unenthusiastically as Wasptail dem onstrated a hunting stance in the clearing. He y awned wearily as Wasptail crouched close to the ground.

Suddenly a hiss sounded beside the entrance. Violetkit j erked her gaze toward the bramble tunnel. Stonewing stood, back arched, his pelt spiked. Strikepaw crouched beside him, growling.

Their gaze was fixed on a tom padding into camp.

Rain.

Violetkit recognized the gray tom at once. She got to her paws, her pelt rippling nervously along her spine. What was he doing here?

A plum p pigeon hung from his jaws. Behind him, Raven and Flam e squeezed through the tunnel. They each carried prey. Violetkit sm elled the warm fragrance of blood.

Crowfrost lifted his head sharply, baring his teeth as he saw the rogues. He hurried across the clearing to m eet them. “What are you doing here?” His ears were flat as he stopped in front of Rain.

Leafpool poked her head from the medicine den, her eyes rounding with surprise.

Rowanstar bounded from his den and skidded to a halt beside his deputy. “I told you to leave our territory!” he told the rogues.

Rain laid the pigeon in front of the ShadowClan leader. “We brought you these offerings.” He dipped his head as Flam e placed a young rabbit beside the pigeon and Raven dropped a fat thrush on top. It was fine prey.

Crowfrost stared at the heap warily. Rowanstar flexed his claws.

“We want to j oin y our Clan,” Rain meowed before either cat could speak.

“Join ShadowClan?” Rowanstar stared at the rogue, eyes widening.

Tawny pelt, Tigerheart, and Spikefur padded from the shelter of the great stone. Leafpool m oved closer to Puddlepaw. The other apprentices lined up at the edge of the clearing, their eyes sparkling with interest.

Needlepaw! Violetkit suddenly realized that her friend was am ong her denmates. She blinked.

Where had she been?

Rain crouched submissively in front of Rowanstar and gazed hopefully at the Clan leader.

Rowanstar glared at him. “Did you think you could bribe y our way in with prey you caught on our land?”

Crowfrost hissed. “No cat hunts in ShadowClan territory except ShadowClan.”

Rain crouched lower. “I’m sorry. We didn’t realize.” He glanced at his campmates, who both dipped their heads hum bly. “Forgive us,” he went on. “If we have offended y ou, we will leave.”

As he turned, Rowanstar leaned forward. “Wait.”

Rain faced the leader, a faint glow lighting his eyes.

“Where in our territory did you find such good prey?” Curiosity softened Rowanstar’s mew.

“We are lucky when it comes to hunting,” Rain told him. “Perhaps we can bring som e of that luck to y our Clan.”

“No.” Crowfrost stepped forward, his black-and-white pelt bristling. “Take y our prey and leave!” He glared at Rowanstar. “We can’t accept prey from cats who attacked another Clan!”

“Why not?” Needlepaw dem anded.

Violetkit stiffened as her friend padded forward.

“Is WindClan our friend now?” Needlepaw looked around her Clanmates. “I thought

ShadowClan stood alone. The only truce we recognize is the truce of the Gathering. Why deny ourselves prey on WindClan’s behalf?”

Sleekpaw and Strikepaw were nodding.

So was Berry heart. The young black-and-white she-cat lashed her tail. “Would WindClan do the sam e for us?”

Sleekpaw j oined Needlepaw. “WindClan has never brought us prey. Nor has ThunderClan or RiverClan. But we’re supposed to feel loy al to them. Why?”

Violetkit frowned. If the Clans weren’t meant to stick together, did that make Twigkit her enemy? Anxiety prickled in her fur.

“Why?” Rowanstar repeated Sleekpaw’s question, his eyes widening with surprise. “Because they are Clanborn like us. They follow the warrior code.”

“These are rogues!” Crowfrost puffed out his chest. “They have no code.”

“We could learn,” Rain mewed softly.

Rowanstar stared at him. “Why should we believe y ou?”

Rain glanced around the camp. “We see how you live,” he meowed. “How you thrive. We want to be like y ou.”

Tigerheart m arched forward, his eyes glittering with outrage. “Then go and start y our own

Clan, on y our own land!”

Rowanstar drew him self up. “I’ve had you escorted from our land before. Today you will be escorted again.” He nodded sharply to Tigerheart, Spikefur, and Tawny pelt. “Next time we find y ou on ShadowClan territory, you will feel the sharpness of our claws.”

The rogues glanced at one another. Violetkit searched their gaze for som e sign of fear, but they showed only calm acceptance.

Rain blinked at Rowanstar. “We will respect y our wishes.”

Rowanstar stiffened. “You have no choice.”

Rain flashed him an am used look before turning away and letting Tawny pelt lead the way out of camp.

Violetkit swallowed. She realized that her heart was beating hard. Needlepaw had taken a risk speaking out for the rogues. Why had she done it? Wasn’t her Clan more im portant than her new rogue friends?

As the patrol disappeared through the bramble tunnel, Needlepaw crossed the clearing.

Violetkit’s breath caught in her throat as Needlepaw stopped in front of Rowanstar.

She kicked the prey toward him. “What are you going to do with this?” she snarled. “Throw it out with the rogues?”

Rowanstar’s eyes widened with shock. “ShadowClan catches its own prey.”

“We’d catch more if we had Clanmates like them.” Needlepaw flicked her tail toward the entrance. “Why didn’t you let them j oin?”

Dawnpelt padded from the edge of the clearing. “They’re not Clanborn.”

“Neither is Violetkit,” Needlepaw retorted. “But you let her j oin. And what did she offer the Clan but another m outh to feed?”

Violetkit’s heart lurched. Was that truly what Needlepaw believed? I thought you were my friend!

Tigerheart looked at the silver apprentice. “You’re the one who brought her back from Alderpaw’s quest,” he pointed out. “You m ade such a big deal about her being part of the prophecy that Rowanstar had to take her.”

Dawnpelt flicked her tail. “She is part of the prophecy. One day Violetkit m ay clear the skies.”

“You don’t even know what that means!” Needlepaw’s pelt bristled along her spine. “You turned away three strong hunters. Why?”

Tawny pelt padded forward, her stern gaze raking Needlepaw. “That’s enough!” she snapped.

“It’s not enough!” Strikepaw m arched forward and stopped beside Needlepaw. “We have a chance to make ShadowClan powerful again.”

Yarrowpaw whisked her tail. “Aren’t you tired of agreeing with every thing ThunderClan suggests? Don’t you wish we could hunt where we please instead of where the other Clans tell us we can hunt?”

Rowanstar flexed his claws. “Do you want war with the other Clans?”

Strikepaw flattened his ears. “We want to choose our own path, not follow the path of other Clans.”

“What you want doesn’t m atter!” Rowanstar hissed. “I am ShadowClan’s leader. I decide what’s best. Taking in strange cats who have proved they are dangerous is not good for any Clan.”

“Not for weak Clans like WindClan or RiverClan,” Strikepaw snarled. “But we are

ShadowClan. With cats like those, we could rule the whole lake!”

“You are young and foolish.” Rowanstar struggled to calm his mew. “You don’t understand the pain and loss that battle brings. I have been too soft with y ou.” His gaze flicked around the other apprentices. “With all of y ou. I’ve let sm all rules be broken.” He caught Juniperpaw’s ey e. “Don’t think I don’t sm ell the prey blood on y our breath when you return from hunting. What you catch is for the fresh-kill pile, not y our own belly.” He lifted his chin, y owling across the camp. “From now on, the warrior code will be followed. StarClan is watching us. Respect for our ancestors will guide our paws.”

Violetkit watched Needlepaw, wishing she’d drop her gaze and back away.

Instead the silver she-cat glared at the ShadowClan leader. “You want us to obey a bunch of dead cats!” She nodded toward the pines looming over the camp. “Look at the living world. It has every thing we need. We can push our territory as far as we like and take whatever we want. Who cares what StarClan thinks? Their lives are over. It’s our turn to live.”

Behind her, Beepaw, Juniperpaw, and Sleekpaw y owled in agreem ent.

Dawnpelt and Crowfrost stared at them in horror, as though they couldn’t believe that their own kits would turn on their Clan.

Rowanstar m et Needlepaw’s gaze coolly. “You can live according to our rules.”

“Never.” Needlepaw lashed her tail. “I’m sick of living in a Clan that only cares about peace.

The rogues would have m ade us strong. But, if you don’t want them to j oin us, I’m going to join them!”

Violetkit flinched. What?

Around her, pelts spiked.

“Traitor!” Crowfrost glared at Needlepaw.

Tawny pelt seem ed frozen with shock. “Have you gone crazy?” Her mew faltered as she spoke.

Stonewing and Ratscar flattened their ears. Snowbird and Dawnpelt exchanged looks, their eyes wide.

Violetkit swallowed back alarm. Surely Needlepaw didn’t mean it? She watched in disbelief as Needlepaw m arched toward the entrance.

“I’m going with her,” Juniperpaw growled. “Nobody’s going to tell m e what prey I can eat ever again.”

“I’m going too!” Sleekpaw turned and padded after Needlepaw.

As m urm urs of disbelief rippled around the Clan, Rowanstar stared after the apprentices, astonishm ent flashing in his wide amber gaze. “If you leave the Clan, you become our enemy!” he yowled.

Violetkit stared as Needlepaw padded past her. “Don’t go!” Her heart twisted with grief.

Needlepaw was her only friend in the Clan. And y et she’d said that Violetkit was just another m outh to feed. Was I wrong to trust her?

Needlepaw paused and m et Violetkit’s gaze. “You’re coming with m e.”

“I am?” Shock flashed through Violetkit. She felt lim p with relief. She is my friend!

“You’re not stay ing here with these kitty pets.” Needlepaw whisked Violetkit forward with her tail. She glanced back at Rowanstar. “I’m taking the kit because I found her.”

“You can’t!” Leafpool hurried forward. “She belongs to the Clans. StarClan needs her to be here.”

“I found her,” Needlepaw repeated. “If she’s special, she can be special any where.”

Rowanstar flicked his tail angrily. “Take her!” he called to Needlepaw. “You did ShadowClan no favors by finding her. There’s been nothing but trouble since she arrived. We’re better off without her. And without y ou!”

Violetkit felt num b. She stum bled after Needlepaw, Sleekpaw and Juniperpaw flanking her. Her thoughts whirled. Was it true? Had she brought only trouble to ShadowClan? Overwhelm ed, she followed Needlepaw through the entrance tunnel. As it closed around her, she glanced back and saw the fam iliar dens. She was leaving another home. Was she m aking the right choice?

Her eye caught Rowanstar’s. His gaze was as hard as ice.

It’s not a choice. Despair washed through her pelt. I’m not wanted here. I never truly was.