by Erin Hunter
“Okay,” he purred. “But only if we both want them.”
Twigbranch pressed her muzzle against his, happiness warming her pelt for the first time in days. “I love you so much, Finleap.”
“And I love you.”
Tree padded from the woods, a squirrel between his jaws. Macgyver and Sandynose followed him, each carrying a pigeon. They dropped them inside the cave entrance.
Macgyver blinked at Twigbranch. “There’s good hunting here.”
“Harrybrook and Dewspring are bringing more,” Sandynose told her.
Finleap sniffed one of the pigeons. “It smells good.”
Macgyver pushed it toward him. “Take it.”
“We can hunt for ourselves,” Twigbranch told him quickly. She didn’t want to take his catch when there were so many mouths to feed.
“Why bother? By the time both patrols are back, there’ll be enough for everyone,” Tree purred.
Macgyver winked at her. “Besides, it looks like you two have more talking to do.”
Twigbranch looked away, her ears burning.
Macgyver purred. “Don’t be embarrassed. . . . We’ve all been in love before.”
“Are you teasing my sister?” Violetshine padded from the back of the cave and gave Macgyver a stern look.
“Just a little.” Macgyver picked up his catch and nudged Sandynose away.
Tree shook the rain from his pelt and settled beside the pigeon they’d left behind. “It would be a shame to waste it.”
Violetshine lay down and leaned against him. She tugged the pigeon closer with her paw and took a bite. “I’m too hungry to argue.”
Finleap caught Twigbranch’s eye. “Let’s eat,” he told her. “I think we’ve both earned our meal tonight.”
“Do you think we should?” Twigbranch glanced guiltily toward SkyClan.
“Of course.” He followed her gaze. Harrybrook and Dewspring were back from their hunt, and the Clan looked happy, giving out prey. Leafstar lay on a pile of bracken, her eyes weary but content as she watched. Flypaw was demonstrating a hunting crouch to some of the other apprentices. Hawkwing was hurrying up the slope, three mice hanging from his jaws. Reedclaw and Plumwillow followed, carrying more.
Relieved to see every cat so relaxed, Twigbranch settled beside Finleap. He tore a wing from the pigeon and passed her the carcass. Her mouth watered as she smelled its warm scent. She sank her teeth into its soft breast and tore away a juicy mouthful. Chewing, she looked at Tree. “Finleap was right. You do know where all the best prey lives.”
Tree’s eyes sparkled. “There’s a difference between knowing where it lives and being able to catch it.” He glanced teasingly at Finleap. “Do you want to catch another scrawny sparrow? Twigbranch might get hungry in the night.”
Finleap huffed. “I was having a bad day.”
Tree purred. “Perhaps you should try fishing instead of hunting. You’re a natural swimmer.” He glanced at Leafstar. “I don’t know how you managed to pull her out of that flood. You were amazing.”
“I guess StarClan guided my paws.” Cheerfully, Finleap tore a bite from the pigeon wing.
Violetshine flicked a feather from her nose with her paw. “How did you find us? We were so far from the lake.”
“We still are,” Tree grunted, his mouth full.
“The search patrol was Twigbranch’s idea,” Finleap explained.
“Tree led the way,” Twigbranch chimed in. “We’d never have known which trail to follow without him.”
“He’s smart for a loner.” Violetshine’s eyes flashed playfully.
“He’ll make a good Clan cat.” Twigbranch took another bite of pigeon.
Violetshine pricked her ears. “You sound as though you approve.”
Twigbranch swallowed. “I do.”
They finished their meal in contented silence. As they began to wash afterward, Hawkwing padded toward them. He was licking his lips. “There’s good hunting around here.” He stopped beside them. “I haven’t tasted squirrel that delicious since the gorge.”
Violetshine rolled her eyes. “Don’t talk about the gorge. We’re not going back there. You’ll have to get used to lake squirrels.”
He touched his nose to her head and settled beside her. The woods were dark now. Night had fallen. Behind him, the other SkyClan cats were climbing into their nests. Harrybrook was already snoring.
Violetshine stared into the shadows beyond the cave, her gaze thoughtful. “How did you know which route to follow after the hollow?” she asked. “Tree wouldn’t have known which way to go.”
“A loner had seen you,” Twigbranch told her.
“Spider!” Violetshine seemed to remember him.
“Yes.” Twigbranch purred.
“You caught up with us pretty quickly,” Hawkwing commented. “And just in time.”
“We knew you were in trouble.” Finleap washed his ear with a paw.
Hawkwing looked at him. “How?”
Finleap and Tree exchanged glances.
“Pebbleshine told Tree,” Twigbranch mewed softly.
Violetshine jerked her muzzle toward Twigbranch. Amazement flashed in her eyes.
“Pebbleshine?” Hawkwing stared at her, confusion clouding his gaze.
“Yes.” Twigbranch’s mew was no more than a whisper.
“She spoke to Tree?” Grief thickened his mew.
“Yes.” Twigbranch’s heart ached with pity as she realized how much her father still missed her mother. “While we were making camp here for the night.”
Violetshine’s pelt prickled. “Are you sure it was her?”
Tree brushed his tail along her flank. “She had Twigbranch’s eyes,” he murmured. “I should have guessed it was her mother.”
“Have you seen her before?” Violetshine blinked at him.
“Yes, we met briefly when she was alive. And she’s the warrior who told me that StarClan should stay by the lake.”
“Why didn’t you tell me it was Pebbleshine?” Violetshine sat up.
“I didn’t realize until I described her to Twigbranch,” he explained. “I had forgotten her name. But suddenly it was obvious.”
Hawkwing’s eyes had clouded. “Is she happy?”
“You can ask her yourself,” Tree mewed, looking up. “She’s here with us.”
Twigbranch’s heart lurched. “Here?”
Violetshine jumped to her paws. “Where is she?”
Hawkwing stared at Tree. “Can you see her right now?”
Tree nodded. “I can help you see her, too—like I did with the lost ShadowClan cats at the lake.” He got to his paws and closed his eyes. As he stood, still like a rock, the air around them seemed to shimmer. Twigbranch got shakily to her paws as a dark shape moved on the slope in front of the cave. A warm scent touched her nose, and her heart ached with joy. “Pebbleshine,” she whispered.
A white she-cat stopped a tail-length away. Her soft green eyes shone in the darkness. Her pelt was specked with brown, like owl feathers, and there was a sleekness to her fur that reminded Twigbranch of Violetshine. How familiar she looked, and yet Twigbranch had never seen her before.
Violetshine leaned forward, sniffing.
Hawkwing padded past them and touched his nose cautiously to Pebbleshine’s muzzle. “My love.” He closed his eyes, as though drinking in her scent. “I thought I would never see you again.”
“I’m so sorry I left you alone,” Pebbleshine whispered. “I was trapped in the monster. I could feel it taking me farther and farther away. I fought to get out, but there was nothing I could do.”
“I wish I’d been able to find you.” Hawkwing’s mew caught in his throat.
“Losing you was unbearable, but then . . .” Pebbleshine’s gaze drifted from Hawkwing’s. She blinked at Twigbranch and then Violetshine. “Then our kits came.” Love flooded her mew. She padded forward and wove around them. Twigbranch shivered as her mother’s fur brushed hers, no more than a breeze and as cool as stone. “I
’ve been with you both since you were born,” Pebbleshine murmured. “Even after I died, I couldn’t leave you. I couldn’t go to StarClan, not while you faced life with only each other.”
“They have me now,” Hawkwing mewed softly. “And their Clans.”
Pebbleshine’s gaze flitted to Tree and then Finleap. “And they have cats who love them.” There was a purr in her mew. “Thank you for letting me speak to them, Tree—just for a moment.”
Tree stared at her, his ears peaked in concentration. “It’s my pleasure. I’m sorry I didn’t realize the connection earlier. I knew you were a Clan cat, but . . .”
Pebbleshine purred. “You are a good cat, Tree. You have always helped me when I needed help. I’m glad they are loved. They don’t need me anymore.”
Panic flared in Twigbranch’s belly. “We will always need you!”
Violetshine stared frantically at her mother. “We’ve only just found you.”
“You have much more now than I could ever give you.” Pebbleshine backed away toward the shadowy woods.
Violetshine darted forward, but Hawkwing waved her back with his tail. “Let her go,” he breathed. “Let her take her place in StarClan, where she belongs. She must be lonely here.”
“She has us!” Twigbranch flashed him an angry look. Hawkwing returned it, his gaze soft. Shame washed her pelt. She was being selfish. She dipped her head. “I’m sorry. Of course she must go.”
“I will still be able to see you from StarClan,” Pebbleshine promised.
“But you won’t be close.” Grief pressed in Twigbranch’s throat.
“I will always be in your heart, just as you are in mine.” Pebbleshine blinked at her fondly. “You will be a great warrior, Twigbranch. I can see that already. And you.” She turned her gentle green gaze on Violetshine. “You’ll be a wonderful mother to those kits.”
“Kits?” Violetshine tipped her head, puzzled.
Pebbleshine glanced at her belly. “Don’t you know?”
Shock showed in Violetshine’s eyes. “I’m going to be a mother!”
Twigbranch pricked her ears. A mother! She lifted her tail happily. Violetshine was going to have the family she’d always wanted. She heard Tree purring loudly. He rubbed his muzzle against Violetshine’s cheek. “I can’t wait to be a father.”
Hawkwing’s eyes shone. “Is that why you’ve been so tired and irritable?” he mewed. “I thought it was just the weather getting you down.”
“So did I!” Violetshine purred at him.
Twigbranch glanced at her mother. Pebbleshine was turning away. “Wait!” Twigbranch hurried after her into the rain. She wanted to drink in her scent once more, but by the time she reached her, the scent had vanished. Her mother moved like a shadow toward the trees.
“I will always love you!” Hawkwing called after her.
“Good-bye!” Violetshine wailed.
“Good-bye, Pebbleshine.” Twigbranch’s words were hardly more than a whisper as she watched her mother disappear into darkness. Her heart ached with loss as she felt the rain pound against her pelt. And then she saw, on the grass where Pebbleshine had walked, that stars seemed to sparkle in her paw prints.
CHAPTER 24
As they crested the hill, Violetshine narrowed her eyes against the rain. It swept up from the lake, carried on a wind that seemed hungry for fresh bones to chill. She thought of her kits, warm and safe inside her, and felt protective. She was happy to bear the brunt of the storm if it sheltered them from its fury.
Tree was at her side. He hadn’t left her as they’d trekked back from the cave. Last night, SkyClan had decided to approach the lake through RiverClan territory, staying clear of the flood and making straight for ShadowClan’s camp. Tigerstar was the only leader left to convince. Leafstar had already dispatched messengers to WindClan and ThunderClan territory, begging them to send patrols to support them as they faced the ShadowClan leader.
“Go to WindClan,” Leafstar had told Macgyver and Plumwillow. “Ask Mistystar and Harestar to send cats to ShadowClan. We don’t intend to fight, but we need voices to support our claim.” She’d told Nettlesplash and Sandynose the same as she’d sent them to ThunderClan.
Now, as they headed down the slope into RiverClan territory, Violetshine’s heart pricked with hope. Perhaps, at last, the question of land for SkyClan could be settled. Tigerstar couldn’t hold out against four Clans, could he?
Hawkwing followed them, Leafstar at his side. Frecklewish and Fidgetflake trailed behind with their Clanmates. Nectarpaw was limping. A clumsy jump had twisted her paw. Sandynose and Bellaleaf pressed beside her, helping her to walk.
Tree led the group toward the river, which tumbled downhill. It was swollen by rainwater but still narrow here. As it flowed to the lake, it grew wider. Where once it had gently encircled RiverClan’s camp and spread idle streams through their land, now it churned angrily. The camp had disappeared beneath the muddy torrent.
Violetshine halted. She stared down at the shore, shocked by how high the lake had risen. “The rain must stop soon, or every camp will be lost!”
“The five Clans are together,” Tree reminded her. “We will survive this storm.”
“We’re not together yet.” Doubt pricked at her pelt.
Leafstar padded to her side. “Have faith,” she mewed gently. “We didn’t come this far to fail.”
Violetshine met the SkyClan leader’s gaze, relieved to see her so determined.
Tree stopped at the river’s edge. He nodded to the fallen tree that bridged the water. “Let’s cross here.”
“Okay.” Leafstar went first, Hawkwing and Sparrowpelt at her tail. Violetshine waited for Bellaleaf and Sagenose to guide Nectarpaw over. She held her breath as the injured apprentice limped haltingly over the slippery wood, relieved as she stumbled onto the far shore. Frecklewish followed.
Twigbranch stopped beside Violetshine. “You go next.” She nosed Violetshine toward the branch.
Violetshine resisted. “Let’s make sure Flypaw gets safely across first.” She nodded toward the young she-cat.
Flypaw was staring round-eyed at the tree-bridge. Muddy water frothed beneath. “After this journey,” she mewed, “I’ll never be anxious about crossing the tree-bridge to the island again.”
“Don’t worry, Flypaw.” Twigbranch blinked sympathetically at her apprentice and nudged her forward with her nose. “This will be the last river we cross for a while.”
Flypaw climbed onto the bridge and Twigbranch followed. Gingerly, the young she-cat crept along it. Her wet fur prickled with fear.
Finleap jumped up after them. “Stay close to each other,” he warned. “Watch where you’re putting your paws.”
“We’ll be okay,” Twigbranch told him.
Violetshine stifled a shudder as she watched them cross, then relaxed as first Flypaw and then Twigbranch and Finleap jumped down the other side.
“Come on.” Tree hopped onto the log and looked back at Violetshine. “Stay close to my tail.”
Violetshine blinked, relieved he was with her, and climbed after him. Her heart lurched as her pads slipped on the wet bark. She wobbled. Having a bellyful of kits is throwing off my balance, she realized. Digging her claws in, she steadied herself. She fixed her gaze on Tree and began to follow. Her heart lurched again as the bridge trembled. Lizardtail and Hootwhisker had leaped on behind. Violetshine stopped and looked back, bracing herself against the wind, as she checked to see if they’d found their footing. In single file, they padded after her, their whiskers stiff with concentration. She looked forward once more, swallowing as she glimpsed white water thundering beneath her.
Tree had already reached the other side. He watched her from the far bank, his eyes wide with worry. “Be careful.”
She blinked at him reassuringly. “I’ll be okay—”
A sudden roar made her freeze. Thunder seemed to rumble upstream. She jerked her muzzle around. A wall of water and debris crashed toward her. She stared at it, t
error shrilling through every hair on her pelt. It slammed into the bridge, knocking Hootwhisker and Lizardtail away before sweeping her downstream with such force she thought it would smash her to pieces. A moment later, she was swirling. Water churned around her. It filled her nose and her ears and pressed its way into her mouth. Something hard hit her hind leg. Something else thumped the side of her head. Blinded by water and terrified, she flailed against the torrent. As the water lifted her up, she threw out her forepaws, hope flashing as they hit something hard. She dug in her claws, clinging on for dear life as the deluge surged past her. It dragged at her limbs, trying to haul her downstream. The sudden flood subsided and her head emerged. She took a desperate gulp of air and blinked water from her eyes.
She was gripping a root that jutted from the bank. She struggled to drag herself along it to the safety of the shore, but the force of the water held her in place. She felt as though the lake was sucking her toward it and clung on harder. She wouldn’t let it swallow her into its crow-black depths.
Staring upstream, her heart flashed with relief as she glimpsed Hootwhisker and Lizardtail clinging like wet rats to a rock in the middle. They were stranded, but she could see them hauling themselves clear of the water. She looked past them, fear gripping her once more as she wondered if a second wall of water might sweep down and knock them all away.
“Violetshine!” Tree slewed to halt on the bank beside her. He strained to reach her, but she was too far away, streaming like a weed in the powerful current. The root was sinewy, too thin to walk along, but strong enough to hold her for as long as she had strength to cling on.
I won’t let go, she promised her kits. The muscles in her forelegs screamed with the strain. She ignored the pain. She was going to save her kits.
On the other bank, Lionblaze and Gorsetail leaned over the edge, calling out to Lizardtail and Hootwhisker.
“We’ll find a way to get you off!” Lionblaze yowled.
Gorsetail looked around frantically, as though searching for something they could use to reach the stranded cats. Cherryfall, Nightcloud, and Willowshine clustered around her, their eyes wide with panic. Dewspring and Quailpaw stared in horror toward Violetshine.