by Erin Hunter
Puddleshine gave a husky purr. “You’ve made yourself popular here,” he teased.
“I’ll be even more popular once I tell Tigerstar that you’re recovering.” Alderheart hadn’t had a chance to share the news with the ShadowClan leader.
Across the den, Grassheart groaned.
“She’s waking up!” Shadowkit mewed excitedly.
“I think you’d better go help your apprentice,” Puddleshine purred.
“He’ll be your apprentice soon.” Alderheart crossed the den.
“Shall I chew up the marigold?” Shadowkit picked up a stem in his teeth.
“You’re too young to be chewing up herbs,” Alderheart took it gently away. “Marigold is quite strong. It might make you feel sick.”
“Can I help rub the ointment into her wound then?”
Alderheart didn’t answer. Grassheart was lifting her head. She looked at him blearily, pain shadowing her eyes. “My side hurts.”
Alderheart checked the wound. “It’s not infected,” he told her. “It’ll feel better once I’ve put some fresh marigold on it.”
Shadowkit fluffed out his fur. “I’m going to help,” he told the tabby proudly.
Alderheart’s whiskers twitched with amusement. “You have a much more important job.”
“What?” Shadowkit stared at him.
“Grassheart and Puddleshine need water. I want you to take that moss”—he jerked his muzzle toward a bundle beside the den entrance—“carry it to the puddle next to the elders’ den, and give it a good soak. Then bring it back quickly before all the water drips out.”
“Okay!” Shadowkit raced to the moss, grabbed it between his jaws, and sprinted out of the den.
Quickly, Alderheart chewed a marigold stem. Then he lapped the pulp gently into Grassheart’s wound. She closed her eyes and seemed to drift back to sleep. It felt strange to be treating another Clan’s battle injuries. What would SkyClan say if they knew a ThunderClan cat was helping to heal their rivals? Would they think he was a traitor? It’s not my battle. Besides, medicine cats weren’t supposed to take sides. They were meant to save lives and ease suffering. If warriors wanted to fight, let them. Alderheart wasn’t going to refuse any cat care.
A rustle at the entrance shook him from his thoughts. Was Shadowkit back already? He turned and saw Tigerstar padding into the den.
“I just saw Shadowkit soaking moss in the puddle. It’s good to see him looking so happy after—” The ShadowClan leader hesitated as he saw Puddleshine sitting up in his nest. His eyes brightened. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted to make sure he could eat first.” Alderheart padded to Puddleshine’s nest. “If he can eat, he’s definitely recovering.” He noticed with a flicker of satisfaction that the second morsel of mouse had disappeared.
Puddleshine licked his lips and blinked at Tigerstar. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a worry. It was mouse-brained of me to get tangled up in that Twoleg mesh. But I couldn’t resist trying to reach the borage underneath.”
“I’m just glad to see you better.” Tigerstar lifted his tail. “You see?” He swished it toward Alderheart. “All he needed was proper care in his own den.”
Alderheart glanced at the gap beneath Puddleshine’s nest where the deathberries were hidden. Should he tell Tigerstar that he’d carried on feeding Puddleshine the deathberry flesh? He hesitated, unease pricking beneath his pelt. And yet, if he had found a new cure, he should share it. Another medicine cat might have need of it one day. He looked Tigerstar in the eye. “I brought the deathberries with me from ThunderClan. I’ve been feeding the flesh to Puddleshine since I arrived.”
Surprise flashed in the ShadowClan leader’s eyes. Alderheart stiffened, waiting for anger. But Tigerstar only tipped his head and looked thoughtful. “You’re as brave as a warrior,” he meowed at last. “What if the deathberries had killed him?”
“It was a risk I had to take,” Alderheart told him. “He’d have died for sure if I hadn’t given them to him.”
Puddleshine stretched his muzzle forward. “I owe him my life.”
Tigerstar narrowed his eyes. “Then we must thank you, Alderheart. ShadowClan honors your courage.”
Alderheart dipped his head, warmed by Tigerstar’s praise. “I’m a medicine cat,” he murmured. “I had no other choice.”
“What can I do for you in return? Do you want to go home?”
“I’ll go as soon as Puddleshine is well enough to return to his duties here,” Alderheart told him. “ThunderClan can manage without me until then.” Tigerstar nodded as he went on. “But tonight I’d like to go to the Moonpool to share with StarClan.”
“It’s half-moon!” Tigerstar sounded as though he’d forgotten. He dipped his head. “I mustn’t stop a medicine cat from sharing with StarClan. And you can tell the other cats that Puddleshine is recovering. ShadowClan is whole again.”
And I’m no longer your prisoner. Alderheart blinked politely at the ShadowClan leader. “Thank you.”
As he spoke, Shadowkit trotted into the den. He flopped the dripping moss over the side of Grassheart’s nest and hurried to his father’s side. “Why is Alderheart thanking you?”
“I told him he could go to the Moonpool tonight.”
Shadowkit’s soft fur fluffed excitedly. “Can I go with him?”
Alderheart shook his head. “I’m afraid not,” he told the kit gently. “It’s a meeting for medicine cats. We’re going to share with StarClan.”
“I can share too.” Shadowkit lifted his muzzle. “I have visions.”
Alderheart saw Tigerstar’s gaze darken with worry. Was he remembering Shadowkit’s dream too?
“You have to stay in camp,” Tigerstar told Shadowkit. “Someone has to look after Puddleshine and Grassheart while Alderheart is gone.”
Shadowkit pricked his ears. “I’ll be in charge of the medicine den!”
“Yes.” Tigerstar purred indulgently. “And Tawnypelt can help you. Just in case you get sleepy.”
“I won’t get sleepy,” Shadowkit promised. He blinked earnestly at Alderheart. “I’ll make sure Puddleshine and Grassheart get the best care while you’re away.”
“Thank you.” Alderheart touched his nose to the kit’s head. “That will be a great help.”
The bright half-moon hung overhead. The high cliffs encircling the Moonpool reflected its light, sparkling where quartz cut lines through the granite.
Alderheart followed the trail dimpled by ancient paw prints to the bottom of the hollow. Frecklewish sat with Willowshine at the water’s edge. As Alderheart approached and dipped his head in greeting, the SkyClan medicine cat stood up. His ears pricked guiltily. Not long ago he’d been treating a wound inflicted by Frecklewish’s Clanmates. Did that make him disloyal? And if so, to whom? It’s not my battle. He pushed the thought away.
Leafpool was already hurrying to greet him, and Jayfeather was blinking at him, his blue gaze expectant.
“Are you okay?” Jayfeather sounded anxious.
“We were worried you might not come.” Leafpool pressed her muzzle eagerly to his cheek.
“I’m fine,” Alderheart reassured them.
“How’s Puddleshine?” Jayfeather’s fur twitched.
“He’s recovering. The fever broke last night.”
“Thank StarClan!” Leafpool lifted her eyes to the glittering sky.
Jayfeather padded closer. “The deathberries worked?”
“I told you they would.” Alderheart flicked his tail, relieved to feel certain at last.
“You were taking a risk,” Jayfeather grunted.
“You would have taken the same risk if it had been your idea,” Alderheart teased.
“Maybe.” Jayfeather settled at the water’s edge. A faint breeze stirred the water’s surface and set it rippling against the tips of the blind cat’s paws.
“Congratulations, Alderheart.” Leafpool’s eyes glistened with relief. “When can you come home?”
“I prom
ised Tigerstar I’d stay until Puddleshine is well enough to return to his duties.” ShadowClan needed him.
“Hi.” Kestrelflight reached the pool breathlessly and nodded greetings to the other cats. He must have run the last part of the journey. Alderheart hadn’t seen him on the trail.
“Is all well in WindClan?” Leafpool asked.
“Yes, thank you.” Kestrelflight took his place at the water’s edge.
“How is ThunderClan?” Willowshine asked. “Any sickness?”
“The usual coughs and bellyaches,” Leafpool told her.
“RiverClan is well,” Willowshine reported. “Softpaw got caught in a strong current that carried her close to the rapids. Dapplepaw managed to drag her out in time, but she swallowed a lot of water.”
“Was she sick?” Leafpool asked.
“She’s getting better now.” Willowshine sounded relieved. “Mothwing’s back at camp, keeping an eye on her.” She glanced at Frecklewish. The SkyClan cat hadn’t spoken. “Where’s Fidgetflake?”
Frecklewish gazed into the water. “He stayed behind,” she mewed softly.
Alderheart exchanged glances with Leafpool. The SkyClan medicine cat was unusually quiet. Alderheart wondered if he should ask if all was well, but Frecklewish turned toward the pool and crouched beside it.
“Let’s share with StarClan,” she mewed.
Alderheart padded to the water and settled at the edge. As the others took their places around the pool, he closed his eyes and dipped his head.
As the water touched his nose, a vision roared around him. Wind battered his pelt, and he felt himself lifted by a storm that tossed him like a leaf. Rain lashed his face and he fought to see, flailing against the hurricane until, suddenly, the wind dropped him and he fell onto wet grass. He hunkered down while the storm raged above. Against a clouded sky, five saplings stuck up like sharp claws as, around them, the wind streamed through marsh grass and set it rippling like water around their roots. The saplings rattled in the wind, their branches twisting together. Entwined, they stood firm, unbending against the storm. Alderheart narrowed his eyes. Hope flared in his heart when he saw the saplings resist.
Then a fierce gust swept over him and his heart lurched as, with a crack, one of the saplings gave way. It snapped at the roots and in an instant was carried away, tumbling over the grass like a twig. The rain hardened and the wind roared louder. The other saplings untwined and, one by one, the storm tore them from the earth and batted them away. In a moment, Alderheart found himself staring at an empty meadow, where nothing showed against the horizon but an endless sea of grass.
He opened his eyes, snatching his nose from the Moonpool and shaking water from its tip. He sat up as the other medicine cats straightened and stared at one another, blinking. “The five Clans must stand together!” he blurted.
“I saw saplings,” Willowshine gasped.
“When one was uprooted, the others were blown away,” Kestrelflight chimed in.
Alderheart’s fur pricked along his spine. We shared the same vision!
Jayfeather sat up and gazed blindly around the pool. “It sounds like we all saw the same thing. If that’s true, then StarClan is telling us that no Clan must fail. If one fails, we all fail.”
“But which Clan will fail?” Kestrelflight looked puzzled. “ThunderClan and WindClan are as strong as ever. ShadowClan has a leader now and has returned to its home, and RiverClan is one of the five again.”
Frecklewish’s hackles lifted. “All of you! You’re so complacent that you don’t see what’s happening!” Anger sparked in her pale green eyes. “ShadowClan wants to drive SkyClan from the lake! Didn’t you hear Tigerstar’s threat at the last Gathering?”
“We heard it,” Leafpool told her. “But it’s just a territory dispute, isn’t it? Clans have them all the time. We thought you and ShadowClan were going to work it out.”
“How?” Frecklewish stared at them. “Did you think Leafstar could create new territory? Or that Tigerstar could be persuaded to settle for less?”
“Tree said he would help you,” Kestrelflight meowed.
Frecklewish lashed her tail. “Did you really think an outsider could bring peace within the Clans?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “You act like this is not your problem. But StarClan has sent this vision to show you that it is! If the Clans don’t stand together to settle this fight, then SkyClan will be driven from the lake.”
Alderheart stared at the SkyClan medicine cat. She was right. They had ignored the dispute between SkyClan and ShadowClan. It’s not my battle. Shame washed him. He’d acted like the problem would go away if he ignored it. Now StarClan had made it clear that it wouldn’t.
Leafpool gazed evenly at Frecklewish. “Surely it’s not that bad?”
“ShadowClan attacked our camp last night,” she told them.
Alderheart stiffened. It was the first he’d heard of an attack on SkyClan. He wasn’t surprised Tigerstar hadn’t told him, but he had been awake in the night, caring for Puddleshine. Why hadn’t he heard the battle patrol return? Had no cat been injured?
“They shredded our dens while we slept,” Frecklewish went on. “Worse, Leafstar doesn’t want to rebuild. She wants to leave and return to the gorge.”
“Leave the lake?” Kestrelflight’s fur rippled nervously. “You can’t. Not after all we’ve done to bring you here.”
“Why can’t we?” Frecklewish challenged. “You’re doing nothing to keep us here.”
Alderheart shifted his paws uneasily. It was possible that SkyClan could return to the gorge. Darktail had driven them out, but Darktail was dead now and his rogues disbanded. There was nothing to stop SkyClan returning to the home they’d made moons ago.
“We must speak to our leaders,” Leafpool mewed quickly. “We must find a solution.”
Frecklewish’s gaze darkened. “No solution can repair what ShadowClan has done.”
Jayfeather narrowed his eyes. “If you need help rebuilding your camp, I’m sure Bramblestar will send a party to help with the work.”
“I’m not talking about the damage to the camp. ShadowClan poisoned our prey. They want to kill us!” Anger sharpened Frecklewish’s mew.
“Poison?” Unease wormed beneath Alderheart’s pelt. “What do you mean?”
“When the ShadowClan cats were in our camp last night, Violetshine saw Juniperclaw near the fresh-kill pile. She chased him off, but when Sparrowpelt ate a vole from the pile, it made him sick.”
“Perhaps it was an old vole,” Willowshine mewed hopefully.
“Really sick,” Frecklewish growled. “He was in agony. I gave him yarrow to get rid of whatever was hurting him, and he vomited seeds.” She turned her icy gaze on Alderheart. “Deathberry seeds.”
Alderheart felt the chill of the night pierce his fur as the other medicine cats turned to stare at him.
“You took deathberries to ShadowClan to treat Puddleshine, didn’t you?” Frecklewish mewed accusingly.
Alderheart’s thoughts raced. It was true. He’d kept a store of deathberries. But they were hidden. No one knew about them, surely. And yet it seemed strange that Sparrowpelt would get sick so soon after a ShadowClan raid. Had poisoning SkyClan prey been part of a deadly ShadowClan plan?
Jayfeather bristled. “Are you saying Alderheart is behind the poisoning?”
“I’m saying that ShadowClan had access to deathberries because of him.”
“That’s not true!” Alderheart fluffed out his fur indignantly. “I kept the berries hidden. Even Tigerstar didn’t know they were there.” He hoped it was true.
“Did anyone see you give deathberries to Puddleshine?” Leafpool asked.
Alderheart paused. Had Cloverfoot or Scorchfur seen him when they’d been guarding the entrance to the medicine den? “I don’t know! But I know how many berries were wrapped in the leaf, and none are missing.” He was sure he hadn’t noticed any berries missing when he’d given Puddleshine his last dose that morning. “None are missin
g,” he repeated, meeting Frecklewish’s gaze. “If Juniperclaw did poison your fresh-kill pile with deathberries, they didn’t come from me.”
Leafpool whisked her tail impatiently. “Who cares where the berries came from? Every cat knows about deathberries. We’re all taught as ’paws to stay away from them. What’s important is that the dispute between ShadowClan and SkyClan is growing worse. We have to stop it before Leafstar decides SkyClan must leave the lake.”
Jayfeather nodded. “We saw the vision. If SkyClan leaves, we will all be destroyed.”
“We must tell our leaders,” Kestrelflight agreed.
“They must hold an emergency Gathering,” Willowshine mewed.
Alderheart’s shifted anxiously. “The last Gathering didn’t help solve this problem. Another Gathering might make the situation worse.”
Leafpool stared at him. “If Bramblestar knows what’s at stake, he will do whatever it takes to make SkyClan stay beside the lake.”
“Harestar will follow the wishes of StarClan, and StarClan clearly wants SkyClan to stay,” Kestrelflight guessed.
“What about Mistystar?” Alderheart looked anxiously at Willowshine.
The gray tabby hesitated. “Her faith in StarClan’s wisdom is still shaken since Darktail nearly destroyed us. But I will do my best to persuade her that we must stand together to keep SkyClan from leaving.”
Alderheart saw worry flash in Willowshine’s eyes. Did she doubt Mistystar’s commitment to the Clans? It had not been long since she closed RiverClan’s borders, even to medicine cats, refusing to engage with the other Clans. She might see sense in SkyClan doing the same.
“What about Tigerstar?” Jayfeather was staring at Alderheart, his milky gaze more piercing than any sighted cat’s. “You’ve been living in their camp. Do you think Tigerstar can be persuaded to cooperate?”
“I d-don’t know.” What could he say? Tigerstar hadn’t spoken to him about the dispute with SkyClan, but with one of his warriors lying injured in the medicine den, he doubted the ShadowClan leader would feel much compassion for his neighbors. Besides, Tigerstar had started the dispute with his claim to SkyClan territory. And he’d actively encouraged his warriors to cross the border time and time again. The ShadowClan leader would never give up his claim, even if StarClan wanted SkyClan to stay beside the lake.