He puffed out his chest, ignoring the worry still gnawing in his belly, as Rowanstar shifted in the Great Oak. The ShadowClan leader looked hollow-eyed as he lifted his muzzle. His pelt clung to his frame, showing his ribs.
“You may have noticed,” he began, “that Tigerheart is not present tonight.”
Squirrelflight fidgeted uneasily as the Clans looked at the empty spot beside her.
“He went missing a few days ago.”
Alderheart’s pelt prickled along his spine. He glanced at Ivypool. Her ears were twitching nervously. Brackenfur whispered in Cinderheart’s ear. Bumblestripe and Honeyfur exchanged glances, and Ambermoon looked at her paws. They had all seen Tigerheart and Dovewing share prey when Tigerheart had lived with ThunderClan. Knowing looks had been exchanged when the two warriors had volunteered a little too eagerly for the same hunting patrol. Whispers had filled the elders’ den and nursery when Dovewing had sat beside Tigerheart during Clan meetings.
When Dovewing had gone missing, the Clan had been worried, but beneath the worry there had been a sense of suspicion, which no cat had voiced under the defensive glare of Ivypool.
Now Ivypool seemed to shrink beneath her pelt. Tigerheart’s disappearance was too much to be a coincidence. Could Dovewing really have deserted her Clan to be with the ShadowClan deputy?
Rowanstar went on. “We have sent out search parties, but he clearly took pains to cover his trail. There’s been no sign of him. He gave no clue about where he was going or why he left.”
Fernsong lifted his muzzle. “Perhaps he went in search of the six-toed cat.”
Crowfeather scowled. “Tigerheart would love to be remembered as the cat who saved the Clans.”
Alderheart wanted to believe the story. Setting off on his own quest to fulfil a StarClan prophecy might be the sort of thing Tigerheart would do. Perhaps Dovewing was helping him. Perhaps their only intention was to protect their Clans.
Rowanstar gazed darkly out at the gathered cats. “If Tigerheart wanted to save the Clans, he should have stayed where he was most needed.”
There was an ominous ring in his mew. Alderheart suddenly felt the leaf-fall chill through his pelt.
“I have been struggling to hold ShadowClan together.” Rowanstar’s gaze was hard. “I had hoped, with a strong deputy like Tigerheart, that we could overcome the betrayals that have split the Clan over the past moons. But Tigerheart has left us.” Anger flashed in his gaze as it swept around his Clanmates. “I could not hold the faith of my Clan before the rogues split us in two. I do not have the strength to repair the wounds that have been inflicted since then.”
Alderheart’s belly tightened as he saw ShadowClan stare back at their leader, their eyes reflecting the cold light of the moon. Was there no shred of loyalty left?
“I can no longer lead ShadowClan,” Rowanstar meowed.
Alderheart’s breath caught in his throat. WindClan, ThunderClan, and SkyClan watched silently as ShadowClan shifted, exchanging glances. Had they known Rowanstar would do this?
Scorchfur stared at Rowanstar, his gaze unreadable. Juniperclaw leaned close to Strikestone and whispered in his ear. Only Whorlpaw, Flowerpaw, and Snakepaw looked alarmed.
Rowanstar went on. “Leafstar.” He dipped his head. “I give our territory to you in exchange for a home. Let me, and whatever Clanmates I have left, join SkyClan.”
Scorchfur lashed his tail. “You can’t give our land away!”
Grassheart turned on the dark gray tom. “He wouldn’t have to if your sharp tongue hadn’t cut the Clan into shreds.”
“Don’t blame me!” Scorchfur looked outraged.
“Scorchfur wasn’t alone in wanting a stronger leader than Rowanstar,” Juniperclaw snarled.
Tawnypelt’s fur bristled. “No leader could have been strong enough to deal with so much treachery!”
Whorlpaw, Flowerpaw, and Snakepaw backed away from their Clanmates, their eyes wide with fear. As Stonewing and Grassheart bunched around their kits, Puddleshine pushed his way through the crowd.
The ShadowClan medicine cat blinked up at Leafstar. “Rowanstar is making the wisest decision. Without Tigerheart, we are no more than a bickering mob of starlings. We need the security of a Clan and the safety of Clanmates who hold the warrior code close to their hearts.”
Scorchfur narrowed his eyes. “I’ve always stayed true to the warrior code.”
“Then obey it now and support your leader in his decision.” Puddleshine glared at him.
“He wants to give up our territory!” Juniperclaw spat.
“He wants his Clan to be safe.” Puddleshine lifted his chin.
Stonewing blinked slowly. “There aren’t enough cats left in ShadowClan to patrol our borders. If we join SkyClan, at least we can train our apprentices so that they can become better warriors than we have been.”
Alderheart watched the shocked silence, hardly daring to breathe. ShadowClan was disappearing. How could a Clan simply cease to exist? He looked at Leafstar.
“We will welcome any ShadowClan warriors who wish to join us,” the SkyClan leader meowed calmly. “We will be honored to have them. But those who do not join must leave the territory. I will not have outcasts living on the land Rowanstar has given us.”
Anxious mews sounded from among the other Clans.
Nightcloud’s ears twitched anxiously. “SkyClan must not replace ShadowClan!”
“That’s not what StarClan meant when they led them here,” Leafpool called.
Passion surged in Alderheart’s chest. “There must be five Clans!”
He saw Sparkpelt lean forward to speak. Was she going to agree with him this time? “It didn’t take long for SkyClan to claim more territory!” She stared accusingly at the SkyClan cats. “I knew they shouldn’t have come here.”
“We didn’t claim territory!” Sandynose yowled back. “We have taken nothing that wasn’t given to us freely.”
“The lake Clans were falling apart when we arrived,” Sagenose added. “It’s not our fault.”
The words struck Alderheart like a blow. Sagenose was right. The rogues had torn ShadowClan apart. They’d driven RiverClan to hide within their borders like loners. Five Clans was supposed to be our destiny, and now we are three. The ground seemed to shift beneath Alderheart’s paws. This is the storm. Bringing SkyClan back was supposed to have made the Clans stronger, but instead it had brought about the end of ShadowClan.
He stared desperately at Leafpool. “This is all wrong!” he breathed.
She gazed at him, her eyes like dark pools. “There is nothing we can do but listen for StarClan.”
StarClan! Anger choked Alderheart. StarClan’s meddling had caused this storm. Why should he believe that they would fix it?
CHAPTER 21
Wind blustered across the lake, whipping small waves into whitecaps. The sun lifted into a vivid blue sky. Violetpaw breathed in the musty scents of the leaf-fall forest. She smelled the peaty tang of moorland and looked toward the heather-covered hill, wondering if WindClan cats were watching her patrol’s progress around the shore.
Her paws ached. She glanced back at Cloudmist and Cherrytail. Their paws must be raw from the journey. They weren’t used to such traveling and looked weary and anxious.