Thunder Аnd Shadow

Chapter 17

Violetpaw rolled over in her nest, half waking as fur brushed the door of the den. Through a m ist of sleep, she wondered if she’d slept late and Dawnpelt had come to wake her. She half opened her eyes and, seeing it was still dark, decided that she must have dream ed it.

She let sleep drag her into blackness once more.

“Violetpaw.”

A hiss beside her ear m ade her leap to her paws. “Who is it?” Shock pulsed through her as she sm elled unfam iliar scent. This wasn’t a ShadowClan cat. She could make out the shape of a young she-cat in the gloom.

“It’s m e,” the voice hissed again. “Twigpaw.”

Violetpaw froze. “What in StarClan are you doing here?”

“I had to see y ou.”

Violetpaw looked around, alarm spiking her pelt. Thank StarClan Whorlkit, Flowerkit, and Snakekit hadn’t been m ade apprentices y et. She had the den to herself. “You can’t be here!” she whispered anxiously. “If som eone finds y ou, we’ll both be in trouble.” Her Clan was just starting to accept her. She couldn’t be found with a ThunderClan cat. She nudged Twigpaw toward the entrance, her nose wrinkling as she sm elled ThunderClan scent on her sister’s pelt.

“But I have to talk to y ou!” Twigpaw dug her paws in.

Violetpaw shoved her harder. “Not here!” She bundled Twigpaw from the den and hurried toward the shadow at the edge of the clearing. “This way!” Her gaze darted nervously around the camp. Snores sounded from the dens. Nothing m oved apart from Twigpaw, pale in the moonlight.

“Hurry!” Violetpaw led the way quickly and quietly to the dirtplace tunnel.

She turned. Twigpaw wasn’t following. Her sister stood beside the camp wall, her eyes flashing in the darkness. “What are you doing?” Violetpaw dem anded. Did Twigpaw want to get into trouble?

“I went to find our mother,” Twigpaw hissed. “She’s gone. She’s dead. You were right.”

Violetpaw stared at her. “Of course she’s dead. Why else would she have abandoned us? Did y ou come just to tell m e that?”

She saw pain glitter in Twigpaw’s eyes. Frustration welled in her chest. What did Twigpaw want from her? “I’m sorry! But don’t expect m e to be surprised.” She glanced nervously around the camp. The stench of ThunderClan cat was bound to wake som eone soon. “Look,” she growled, “I know y ou’re upset, but y ou’ve got to get out of here.”

“Don’t you care?” Twigpaw stared at her, still not m oving.

Violetpaw’s pelt spiked. Were her dum b sister’s paws rooted to the ground? “What difference does it make?” she reasoned. “We’re not kits any more. We’re apprentices. We’re going to be warriors. We have homes and Clanmates.”

“But we don’t have kin,” Twigpaw whispered. “Only each other. We have to stick together.”

Twigpaw was m aking even less sense. “You want to j oin ShadowClan?”

“Of course not,” Twigpaw snapped. “I just wanted to see y ou. I wanted to know that y ou’re here for m e.”

Violetpaw narrowed her eyes, bewildered. “Of course I’m here for y ou. But you’re in ThunderClan.”

Paw steps brushed the earth nearby. “Who’s there?”

Violetpaw’s heart leaped into her throat as she recognized her m entor’s mew.

Dawnpelt was skirting the camp wall, m aking her way from the warriors’ den. Her cream pelt glowed in the moonlight.

“Quick!” Violetpaw m otioned Twigpaw toward the dirtplace tunnel with a flick of her nose.

But Twigpaw was staring at Dawnpelt, her eyes wide with fear. Violetpaw pressed back a growl.

Was Twigpaw totally m ouse-brained? Did she really think she could stand arguing in another Clan’s camp without being noticed?

Violetpaw hurried toward Dawnpelt. “Hi,” she mewed, try ing to sound innocent. Perhaps Dawnpelt hadn’t noticed Twigpaw.

But Dawnpelt looked past her, her ears flattening. “I sm ell ThunderClan,” she growled.

“Who’s there?” She pushed past Violetpaw and padded toward Twigpaw.

“It’s just m e.” Twigpaw’s mew sounded sm all. “I had to see Violetpaw. It wasn’t her fault. I sneaked in and woke her up. She was try ing to get rid of m e.” She shot a reproachful look at Violetpaw.

Violetpaw rolled her eyes. What else did she expect? Her Clanmates had been right all along: ThunderClan cats were frog-brained.

Dawnpelt paced around Twigpaw, her hackles lifting. “Did you come to spy on us?”

“No!” Twigpaw sounded offended. “I told y ou. I had to speak with Violetpaw.”

“What about?” Dawnpelt stopped a whisker from her nose and glared at her.

“About our mother,” Twigpaw told her. “She’s dead.”

Dawnpelt flashed a look at Violetpaw. “Is that news?”

Violetpaw padded forward, sighing. “It’s news to Twigpaw.” She stopped beside her m entor, feeling a sudden wave of pity for her littermate. “She was hoping our mother was still alive.”

Dawnpelt sniffed Twigpaw warily. “What changed y our m ind?”

“I went searching for her.” Twigpaw sounded forlorn. “I saw the Thunderpath where she’d m ade our nest. When I saw the m onsters, I knew one of them must have killed her.”

“Give her a break,” Violetpaw mewed softly. “She didn’t mean any harm.”

Dawnpelt narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. “She can’t just come here every time she wants to tell you som ething.”

“It was som ething im portant!” Twigpaw lifted her chin.

“You thought it was im portant,” Dawnpelt growled. “That doesn’t mean every one agrees.

You’re as arrogant as y our Clanmates.”

Don’t criticize my sister! Violetpaw glared at Dawnpelt. “Just let her go home. No one need ever know she cam e.”

A voice sounded from the clearing. “It’s a bit late for that.”

Violetpaw stiffened. Tawny pelt was staring at them, the fur spiking along her spine. Scorchfur and Yarrowleaf padded sleepily from the warriors’ den. Snowbird and Tigerheart followed.

Kinkfur peeked from the elders’ den. Whorlkit and Flowerkit tum bled out of the nursery, their eyes widening as they saw Twigpaw.

“Invasion!” Whorlkit dashed across the clearing, y owling loudly.

Grassheart darted from her den, panic lighting her eyes. She wrapped her tail around

Flowerkit and stared at Whorlkit as he hared around the clearing, his fur fluffed out excitedly.

Violetpaw shrank inside her pelt as Crowfrost padded sleepily from his den.

“What’s happened?” He blinked in the moonlight, his gaze widening as it reached Twigpaw.

Dawnpelt lifted her tail. “A ThunderClan apprentice has found her way into our camp.”

“Twigpaw.” Crowfrost looked relieved as he saw Twigpaw standing alone in the clearing. He put out a paw to stop Whorlkit as the young tom hared toward him. “Go back to y our mother,” he ordered. As Whorlkit trudged reluctantly toward Grassheart, Crowfrost turned back to Dawnpelt.

“Is it just Twigpaw?”

Dawnpelt nodded. “She wanted to speak with Violetpaw.”

Crowfrost’s gaze flashed warily to Violetpaw. “Why?”

Dawnpelt shook her head wearily. “Som e nonsense about their mother. Nothing im portant.”

Violetpaw saw Twigpaw draw herself up indignantly. She guessed Twigpaw was about to tell the ShadowClan deputy that her mother was very im portant. “I’m sorry,” Violetpaw butted in quickly. “It won’t happen again. Twigpaw m ade a m istake, that’s all.”

Scorchfur let out a low growl. “How do we know Violetpaw didn’t invite her here?” he snarled.

“Perhaps she’s planning to invite the rogues here next.”

“That’s not fair!” Violetpaw lashed her tail. She’d worked hard to be accepted. How could they distrust her so easily?

Twigpaw stepped forward, puffing out her chest. “My sister would never betray any one like that!”

Scorchfur scowled at the ThunderClan apprentice. “And y et y ou’re here.”

Crowfrost padded heavily across the clearing. “Clearly, these young cats have m ade a m istake. But there’s no harm done.” He looked sternly at Twigpaw. “You can’t come here to visit y our sister, understand? If you need to speak to her, wait for a Gathering. You m ay be kin, but y ou live in different Clans now.”

Twigpaw blinked at him anxiously. “But what if it’s im portant?”

“Then speak to Bramblestar about it,” he told her. “He’ll know the proper way to behave.”

Twigpaw hung her head. “I’m sorry,” she m urm ured.

Twigpaw’s sadness touched Violetpaw’s heart. She blinked sy m pathetically at her sister.

Twigpaw hadn’t meant any harm.

Crowfrost beckoned to Snowbird and Tigerheart with a flick of his tail. “Take this apprentice back to her Clan. Speak to Bramblestar and make sure he doesn’t let it happen again.”

Tigerheart nodded and headed toward Twigpaw. Snowbird followed at his heels.

“Wait!” Scorchfur’s growl m ade Violetpaw j um p.

Scorchfur padded across the clearing and stopped beside Crowfrost. “We have sick cats in our Clan,” he meowed. His gaze was sly.

Crowfrost narrowed his eyes. “Yes?”

“And we need WindClan to let us have the herb.”

Violetpaw’s paws prickled nervously as Scorchfur went on. What was the old fleabag up to?

“But WindClan won’t help us.” Scorchfur looked around his Clanmates meaningfully. “None of the Clans will help us. But perhaps we could use this opportunity to persuade them to help us.”

Dawnpelt looked confused. “How?”

Crowfrost’s gaze sharpened. “You mean we could persuade ThunderClan to help us.” He glanced pointedly at Twigpaw.

Violetpaw stepped forward, anxiety rippling thorough her fur. “What are you talking about?”

Was Twigpaw in danger?

Crowfrost must have seen her panic. “Don’t worry. No one is going to hurt y our sister. But she’s going to stay with us a while so that we can reason with Bramblestar.”

“A hostage?” Violetpaw gasped. “You’re going to use her as a hostage?”

Tawny pelt shifted her paws. “It makes sense, Violetpaw. ThunderClan and WindClan have always had a special relationship. ThunderClan has saved WindClan more than once. If we can’t persuade WindClan to give us the herb, perhaps ThunderClan can.”

“Given the right incentive.” Scorchfur’s eyes lit with m alice as he looked at Twigpaw.

Crowfrost flicked his tail. “I think Rowanstar would agree if he were well enough. No harm will come to Twigpaw while she’s with us.” He gazed around at his Clanmates. “She will be treated as one of our own. But she will rem ain here until WindClan gives us the lungwort.”

Violetpaw stared at Twigpaw, her belly tightening as she saw fear flash in her sister’s eyes. She hurried to stand beside her, letting her pelt brush Twigpaw’s. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “I won’t let any one hurt y ou. If Crowfrost say s y ou’ll be safe, y ou’ll be safe.”

Twigpaw blinked at her gratefully.

“Take her to y our den,” Crowfrost told Violetpaw. He nodded to Tigerheart. “Stand guard outside until dawn; then Tawny pelt can take over. Twigpaw must not be left alone while she’s with us.” He gave a warning stare to his Clanmates. “She is our best chance of securing the cure for this sickness. I will send a patrol to speak with Bramblestar in the m orning.”

Ripples of agreem ent sounded around the clearing. Violetpaw nudged Twigpaw toward the apprentices’ den. Twigpaw padded stiffly in front of her and ducked inside.

Violetpaw followed, relieved to be away from the eyes of her Clan. “I said you shouldn’t have come here!” Irritation prickled through her pelt as she stared at her sister. She felt sorry for Twigpaw’s predicam ent, but it was her own fault.

Twigpaw’s shoulders drooped. “What will Bramblestar say when the ShadowClan patrol tells him what’s happened? I’m such a m ouse-brain.”

She sounded so sad that Violetpaw’s anger m elted. She touched her nose to her sister’s cheek.

“You are a m ouse-brain,” she teased softly. “But y our heart is in the right place.”

Twigpaw leaned against her wearily.

“Come on.” Violetpaw nosed her into her nest. “You must be tired. Let’s get som e rest.”

Twigpaw clim bed into the m oss-lined bracken and sat down.

Violetpaw curled around her. “It’ll be okay,” she prom ised. “Perhaps this is the best way to get WindClan to help us. You’re doing ShadowClan a favor. If WindClan gives us the herb and our Clanmates are cured, it will be because of y ou.”

Twigpaw lifted her gaze toward Violetpaw’s hopefully. “It will, won’t it?”

Violetpaw purred. “I bet y our Clanmates won’t mind if they know they’re saving lives.”

“Alderpaw will be pleased.” Twigpaw slowly lay down beside her sister. “Jayfeather will think I’m a bee-brain, but he always has, so that won’t be different.”

“Get som e sleep and try not to worry.” Happiness suddenly infused Violetpaw’s pelt. She’d never had the chance to com fort another cat before. It warm ed her to feel Twigpaw relax beside her. She watched her sister y awn.

“I guess I am tired,” Twigpaw mewed. “I haven’t slept all night.”

“Sleep now, then,” Violetpaw urged gently. “Every thing will look better in the m orning. It always does.”

As Twigpaw rested her nose on her paws, Violetpaw curled tighter around her. It felt good to share her nest with her littermate. Sensing the soft warmth of Twigpaw seeping through her pelt, she closed her eyes. Purring quietly, she let herself drift back into sleep.