“No.” Alderpaw m oved to her hind legs and grasped one between his paws. Pulling it, he worked the weak m uscles. “There’s no sign a fox has taken her. Or scents of strange cats. I think she decided to leave on her own.”
Briarlight j erked her gaze toward him. “Do you think she’s gone for good?”
“I don’t know.” Alderpaw didn’t want to think about it. And y et Briarlight’s words j abbed his heart. Could the realization that her mother was dead have m ade Twigpaw rethink her place in the Clan? Surely it would have m ade her understand that the Clan was her only fam ily now. His belly tightened. Or it made her think that she doesn’t truly belong anywhere. He grabbed Briarlight’s other hind paw and began working it back and forth. As he felt the stiffness in her m uscles ease, Jayfeather cleared his throat.
“She’d be a fool to turn her back on her Clan now,” he grunted. “And Twigpaw is not a fool.”
Alderpaw prickled with irritation. “You’ve called her one often enough.” Perhaps if Jayfeather hadn’t been so hostile toward Twigpaw, she’d have felt more at home in the Clan.
“I call every one a fool.” Jayfeather placed a fresh bundle of herbs with the others. “Twigpaw wouldn’t have wanted m e to tiptoe around her like she was a newborn kit.”
How do you know? As Alderpaw m oved Briarlight’s leg back and forth, a y owl of surprise sounded from the clearing.
He dropped Briarlight’s leg and pricked his ears.
Jayfeather was already tasting the air. “ShadowClan cats.”
“In our camp?” Alderpaw’s heart lurched. He headed for the entrance and barged through the brambles.
Foreboding gripped him as he saw Crowfrost, Scorchfur, and Tawny pelt in the clearing. Did they have news of Twigpaw?
Lionblaze, Dovewing, and Bum blestripe flanked them. Graystripe stood outside the elders’ den with Millie, while Larkpaw, Leafpaw, and Honey paw whispered excitedly beside the fresh-kill pile. Rosepetal and Molewhisker paced the edge of the camp, their hackles high.
Bramblestar was already hurry ing to m eet them. “Why have you come?” His eyes blazed as he stopped in front of Crowfrost.
Lionblaze stepped forward. “They were waiting beside the border. They approached us as soon as we neared. They want to speak with y ou.”
Crowfrost dipped his head. “We thought y ou’d like to know that Twigpaw is safe.”
Alderpaw darted forward. “Where is she? What happened to her?”
Crowfrost didn’t take his eyes from the ThunderClan leader. “We found her in our camp in the m iddle of the night.” His tail twitched. Alderpaw suspected that the ShadowClan deputy was enj oy ing this. “Does ThunderClan teach its apprentices to invade other Clans’ camps while they’re sleeping?”
Bramblestar narrowed his eyes. “Of course not,” he snapped. “I don’t know what she was doing there.”
Alderpaw hurried to his father’s side. “She probably went to see Violetpaw. She was upset about her mother. She probably just wanted to talk—”
Crowfrost spoke over him. “Do none of y our apprentices have m anners, Bramblestar? Or is it usual for ThunderClan warriors to take advice from the youngest cats in the Clan? Perhaps y ou should check the nursery in case a kit has any thing to say.” His mew dripped with sarcasm.
Graystripe snorted. “Don’t lecture us on our younger cats,” he growled. “At least they don’t abandon their Clan to fight for rogues.”
Crowfrost’s hackles lifted. But he ignored the ThunderClan elder and went on. “Twigpaw will be stay ing with us for a while.”
Shock pulsed through Alderpaw. Had Twigpaw decided she’d rather live in her sister’s Clan?
Bramblestar flicked his tail. “I don’t believe it. No ThunderClan cat would choose ShadowClan over ThunderClan.” His gaze instantly flicked to Tawny pelt and flashed with guilt.
Tawny pelt blinked at him slowly. “Yes, they would.” Bramblestar’s sister had chosen to live in ShadowClan moons ago.
Bramblestar shifted his paws, clearly ruffled. “That was different. Our father was in ShadowClan.”
Tawny pelt’s pelt sm oothed along her spine. “Twigpaw’s sister is in ShadowClan,” she reminded Bramblestar. “But that is not why she is stay ing with us.”
Scorchfur curled his lip. “We’re keeping her with us until you agree to help us.”
Alderpaw glanced at his father, fear tightening his belly. Twigpaw!
Bramblestar bristled. “You’re holding an apprentice hostage!” Outrage filled his mew.
“She’s our guest,” Crowfrost told him sm oothly. “And she will be well cared for.”
Bramblestar’s gaze hardened. “What help do you want?”
Tawny pelt exchanged glances with Crowfrost. Alderpaw saw a question in her gaze.
Crowfrost nodded, and Tawny pelt padded forward. “Our Clanmates are sick. Wasptail and Oakfur are fighting for their lives. Kinkfur has come down with the sam e sickness. Rowanstar is so ill that Puddleshine dares not leave his side. And now Yarrowleaf and Snakekit are sick.”
“A kit?” Squirrelflight stepped from the shadow of the Highledge.
Tawny pelt blinked at her. “The sickness is spreading through the Clan, and we can’t cure it.”
“Not without lungwort.” Crowfrost stared at Bramblestar. “But you heard Onestar. He won’t let us gather it.”
Bramblestar’s gaze flitted away from the ShadowClan leader uneasily. “How do you think we can help?”
“Onestar is not angry with y ou,” Crowfrost meowed. “ThunderClan has always had a closer relationship with WindClan than we have. You might be able to persuade him to share the herb.”
Tawny pelt’s eyes rounded pleadingly. “You could tell him you need it for y our own Clan.”
“I will not lie.” Bramblestar lifted his chin.
Tawny pelt stared at him. “But will you help us?”
Squirrelflight padded to her mate’s side. “We can’t let elders and kits die, even if they are not from our Clan.”
Bramblestar lowered his voice as he answered her. “What makes you think Onestar will let us have the herb?”
“Surely we must try?” Squirrelflight pressed.
Molewhisker crossed the clearing, his brown-and-cream pelt bristling. “Why should we help
ShadowClan? They’re holding one of our Clanmates hostage!”
Crowfrost narrowed his eyes om inously. “That’s exactly why you should help us.”
Alderpaw stared at the ShadowClan deputy in alarm. “Will you harm her if we don’t help?”
Crowfrost curled his claws into the earth. “She will stay with us until we get the herb.”
That’s not an answer! Alderpaw wanted to rake the ShadowClan’s deputy’s m uzzle. How dare he threaten an apprentice! A growl rum bled in his throat.
“Hush, Alderpaw.” Bramblestar silenced him. He m et Crowfrost’s gaze grim ly. “We will discuss y our offer and send word when we have decided.”
Crowfrost dipped his head. “Very well.”
“Are you going to let them bully us?” Molewhisker stared in surprise at the ThunderClan leader.
Bramblestar ignored him. “You should go now,” he told Crowfrost. “Dovewing and Bum blestripe will escort you back to y our border.” He nodded to the two warriors.
A chill seeped beneath Alderpaw’s pelt as he watched the ShadowClan patrol head for the entrance.
Molewhisker padded to Bramblestar, his tail lashing. “We should attack their camp and rescue
Twigpaw.”
Rosepetal j oined her denmate, eyes glittering with rage. “It will be easy to get her back. Half their Clan is sick and the other half has j oined the rogues!”
Graystripe crossed the clearing. “And if we get Twigpaw back, what then?” He stopped in front of Bramblestar. “ShadowClan will still need the herb.”