And when the final decision was made about their future, he and Needlepaw would be rivals.
Alderpaw realized that while these thoughts had been passing through his mind, the four leaders had leaped up into the branches of the Great Oak. The deputies had gathered on the roots, while the medicine cats sat nearby.
Gradually silence fell over the cats in the clearing.
“I’ll begin, shall I?” Mistystar began when she had greeted the Clans. “Prey has been plentiful in RiverClan, and—”
She broke off with an annoyed look as Rowanstar interrupted by rising to his paws and pacing to the end of his branch.
“Why are we acting like this is a typical
Gathering?” the ShadowClan leader demanded.
“I know that Bramblestar has news to share—don’t you?” he added, turning to face the ThunderClan leader and giving him a hard stare.
Bramblestar froze for a moment. Alderpaw knew what he must be thinking, and he felt the same flare of panic. Did Needlepaw tell Rowanstar about SkyClan?
“News that might relate to the prophecy?
Maybe about some young cats?” Rowanstar continued, his voice heavily sarcastic. “Surely you want to tell us all about that.”
Alderpaw drew a long breath of relief. She didn’t give away the secret.
Clearing his throat, Bramblestar rose to his paws. “Yes, there is news,” he meowed, raising his voice so that every cat in the clearing could hear him. “But I’m not sure that it relates to the prophecy.
Our medicine-cat apprentice, Alderpaw, went on a quest to find what lies in the shadows. Sadly, our wise elder Sandstorm died on that quest, and her whole Clan grieves for her. But on his way home, Alderpaw found those two kits”—Bramblestar pointed with his tail—“just outside our territories.”
Alderpaw realized that every cat was staring at him and the two kits with him and Sparkpaw.
He wanted to hide under the nearest bush, but he made himself sit still and meet the curiosity with a calm gaze.
“I don’t think that’s quite right, Bramblestar,” Rowanstar went on. “Don’t you mean that Alderpaw and Needlepaw found the kits, working together? Didn’t Needlepaw save Alderpaw’s life on the quest, helping him to shore when he was drowning?”
Bramblestar dipped his head. “Yes, that’s true. But what was Needlepaw doing there in the first place? Is it normal for ShadowClan apprentices to wander off by themselves?”
“That’s not your concern,” Rowanstar snapped; Alderpaw could see he was embarrassed by the question. “ShadowClan can look after its own apprentices, thank you very much. What’s important is that ThunderClan did not find these kits without help. And what I understand,” he added, twitching his whiskers, “is that the kits were brought to ThunderClan for urgent care from your medicine cats, but that where they would stay permanently would be decided at this meeting.”
Before Bramblestar could respond, Mistystar took a step forward. “I think Onestar and I would appreciate a bit more information,” she mewed politely. “This is the first we’ve heard about this quest.”
“You bet we would,” Onestar growled from where he crouched on a lower branch, hardly more than his eyes visible among the leaves.
“Or is this another case of ThunderClan thinking it can control the whole forest?”
“Not at all,” Bramblestar replied; Alderpaw could tell that he was making an effort to hold on to his temper.
The ThunderClan leader launched into an account of the quest, although he left out any mention of SkyClan. “Sandstorm’s spirit guided Alderpaw to discover the kits,” he finished.
“That makes me think that they must be important for us somehow, even if they’re not ‘what you find in the shadows’ from the prophecy.”
The cats in the clearing broke out into excited speculation and argument. Alderpaw was worried that the noise and curious glances would frighten the kits, but they seemed untroubled by it; they were curled up together, listening to what was going on but clearly not understanding that their future was being decided.
Up in the branches of the Great Oak, the leaders were wrangling too.
“You’ll never convince me that those kits are what we were meant to embrace,” Onestar grumbled. “I mean… they’re kits! What do they know?”
“They don’t have to know anything,” Rowanstar pointed out with an irritated lash of his tail. “But StarClan guided us to them, and that’s good enough for me.”
Mistystar nodded in agreement.
“We can’t be sure about this,” Bramblestar meowed, his glance sweeping around to take in the other three leaders. “Not until the kits grow and reveal more about themselves. What is clear is that it’s the Clans’ responsibility to take care of them.”
“That’s all well and good,” Rowanstar responded, baring his teeth in the beginning of a snarl, “but it doesn’t mean the kits need to stay in ThunderClan. Perhaps they belong in ShadowClan with Needlepaw, who helped find and care for them.”
“But they’re happy and safe now,” Bramblestar argued. “It would be cruel to move them.”
“You would say that, Bramblestar,” Onestar hissed. “All that interests you is keeping the kits for ThunderClan.”
“It looks like that, Bramblestar.” Mistystar sounded almost apologetic. “But the prophecy came to every Clan, not just to ThunderClan. You don’t have the right to keep the kits.”
“That’s so unfair!” Sparkpaw exclaimed, but Alderpaw waved his tail for her to be quiet. He didn’t want to miss a single word of the argument.
“I accept that,” Bramblestar meowed, to Alderpaw’s dismay. “And I agree that ShadowClan has a claim to the kits—or at least to one of them.”
“Then the only fair thing,” Mistystar pointed out, “is for ThunderClan to keep one kit, and give the other to ShadowClan.”
Alderpaw glanced down in horror at Twigkit and Violetkit. Splitting them up would be so cruel!
“What’s happening?” Twigkit asked, blinking rapidly in agitation.
“Yes, why is every cat angry?” Violetkit added.
“It’s okay, little ones.” Alderpaw gave each kit an affectionate lick around the ears. “Clan leaders are always arguing.”
The kits grew calmer, accepting what he said, while Alderpaw felt guilty that he might be lying to them.
“You don’t think Bramblestar will really allow them to be separated!” Sparkpaw whispered into his ear.
“I don’t know,” Alderpaw murmured in reply, but inwardly he was afraid that their Clan leader would. He doesn’t really have any choice, with all the other leaders against him.
When Alderpaw was able to listen to the leaders again, Bramblestar was speaking. “I’m not happy about this,” he meowed, “but I feel I have to agree that one kit goes to ShadowClan.”
“But that’s not good enough!” Onestar protested, while Alderpaw felt cold all over with despair. “What about WindClan and RiverClan? Shouldn’t all the Clans try to raise the kits together?”
His suggestion met with silence from the other leaders. “Is he mouse-brained?” Sparkpaw muttered to Alderpaw. “How would that work?”
Onestar just let out a hiss of annoyance and retreated even farther into the leaves, glaring out balefully.
The cats in the clearing were still whispering together. Some of them crowded around to get a good look at the kits. Twigkit and Violetkit shrank closer together, looking even smaller with so many full-grown cats looming over them.