Bramblestar blinked at the elder. “Is that our problem?”
Squirrelflight stiffened. “Of course it is! A sick kit is every Clan’s problem.”
Bramblestar’s gaze darkened. “And what if WindClan still refuses to help when we ask?”
Alderpaw watched the warriors gaze at one another, worry worm ing in his belly. Twigpaw must be terrified. She was being held hostage in a strange Clan. “We have to do som ething!” he blurted.
Bramblestar gazed at him solem nly. “We will,” he prom ised. “But first we have to decide what.” He turned and leaped up the rock tum ble, signaling with a flick of his tail for Squirrelflight to follow.
Breath quickening, Alderpaw watched them disappear into his den. What would they decide?
Alderpaw padded into camp, thyme dangling from his jaws. He’d been pleased to find it this early in newleaf, but his thoughts were still on Twigpaw. He’d spent all m orning wondering if he could find an excuse to visit Puddleshine in the ShadowClan camp. He might get a chance to talk to her.
Bramblestar stood in the clearing, Squirrelflight, Jayfeather, and Leafpool beside him. He looked up as Alderpaw reached the edge. “You’re back!” The ThunderClan leader sounded pleased.
Alderpaw headed toward them and laid the thyme on the ground. They were looking at him expectantly. Did they have news about Twigpaw? “What’s happened?”
“We have a plan.” Squirrelflight told him.
Alderpaw leaned closer, his heart quickening.
Bramblestar m et his gaze. “I want you and Leafpool to travel to WindClan and speak with Kestrelflight and, if possible, Onestar.”
Alderpaw’s m outh dried. He glanced at Jayfeather. He could understand why Bramblestar would entrust the mission to medicine cats. It would seem less confrontational. But surely Jayfeather would be a better choice. “Why me?”
Jayfeather grunted. “Apparently, y ou’re less likely to offend any one.” He sounded prickly, as though Bramblestar’s decision had irritated him.
Leafpool blinked at Alderpaw. “This is a mission that requires tact and politeness.” Her gaze flashed toward Jayfeather.
The blind medicine cat huffed. “I don’t know why we don’t just travel to the moor and take some of this lungwort.”
Bramblestar stared at him. “We want to settle this peacefully, not make it worse.”
“Besides,” Leafpool interj ected gently, “we don’t know what it looks like.”
“It’s dark green with gray spotted leaves. How hard can it be to find?” Jayfeather grunted.
“Bramblestar has m ade his decision,” Leafpool meowed firm ly. “Alderpaw is coming with m e. We will speak with Kestrelflight and see if there’s any chance of getting our paws on this herb.”
Alderpaw shifted nervously. “What if WindClan is angry that we crossed their border?”
“That’s why I’m sending medicine cats,” Bramblestar explained. “Even Onestar can’t obj ect to that.”
Squirrelflight’s gaze darkened. “I wouldn’t be so sure. He’s been getting more unreasonable every moon.”
“Will he listen to us?” Alderpaw asked nervously.
“I don’t know,” Leafpool confessed. “That’s why we need to speak with Kestrelflight first. If we can get his support, perhaps he can persuade Onestar to see reason. We have to try. Not just for Twigpaw’s sake, but for Puddleshine’s sake too.” Her eyes glittered with worry. Alderpaw suddenly realized that she must be concerned about her form er apprentice coping alone with the illness that was raging through ShadowClan.
Alderpaw lifted his chin. “When do we leave?”
“The sooner the better,” Bramblestar meowed. “I want Twigpaw home as soon as possible.”
“Can we leave now?” Alderpaw whipped his tail.
“I’m ready if you are,” Leafpool told him.
Nodding good-by e to their Clanmates, they headed out of camp and followed the trail to the WindClan border, as though traveling to the Moonpool. But instead of following the stream uphill, they leaped over it and crossed onto the m oor. Heather crowded around them as they clim bed the slope. Gorse rose ahead, its y ellow buds bright in the afternoon sunshine.
Alderpaw glanced around nervously. “Should we stop and wait for a WindClan patrol to find us?” he asked Leafpool.
“Let’s find them.” She ducked into a swath of heather.
Alderpaw followed. The peaty earth felt soft underpaw, and the prickly fronds scraped his pelt. As they em erged at the far side, Alderpaw glim psed the pale gray-and-white pelt of Gorsetail across a stretch of grass. Emberfoot was with her.
Leafpool halted and lifted her tail. “Hi!” she called across the slope.
The WindClan cats j erked their heads around and stared, anger sparking in their gazes.
Alderpaw m oved closer to Leafpool, his heart pounding.
“Don’t worry,” she whispered. “We’re medicine cats, remember?”
She held her tail high as the WindClan cats bounded across the hillside to m eet them.
Emberfoot reached them first, his pelt bristling. “What are you doing on our territory?”
Leafpool m et his gaze, unflinching. “We need to speak with Kestrelflight.”
Gorsetail caught up. “What about?”
Leafpool sniffed. “It’s medicine-cat business.”
Alderpaw blinked at her adm iringly. Wasn’t she afraid? Gorsetail’s and Emberfoot’s ears were flat. Mistrust glittered in their eyes.
Leafpool lifted her chin. “Are you going to take us to him or do we have to find our own way?”
Gorsetail’s ears twitched. “We’ll take y ou,” she growled grudgingly.
Leafpool brushed against Alderpaw as the WindClan cats turned and headed up the slope.
“Stick close to m e,” she whispered.
Alderpaw’s heartbeat thundered in his ears as he followed Gorsetail and Emberfoot into the WindClan camp. Although it was tucked into a dip in the hillside, the wide, grassy clearing felt exposed. Wind whipped over the encircling gorse and tugged at Alderpaw’s fur.
WindClan cats stared from the long grass rippling at the edges of the camp, surprise glinting in their eyes. Breezepelt strode toward them, chest puffed out indignantly. “What are they doing here?”
“They want to speak with Kestrelflight,” Emberfoot told him.
Breezepelt narrowed his eyes.
Nearby, Nightcloud’s gaze flicked nervously toward a den entrance at the head of the clearing.
Was that Onestar’s den?
Gorsetail stopped. She nodded toward an opening in the gorse wall of the camp. “He’s in there.”
Leafpool dipped her head and ducked inside.
Alderpaw followed her quickly, relieved to be out of the wind and hidden from the curious gazes of the WindClan cats.
Kestrelflight was tearing borage leaves into strips and rolling them into tight bundles. He looked up as Leafpool and Alderpaw entered. “What are you doing here?” Surprise edged his mew.
Leafpool whisked her tail. “One medicine cat m ay visit another, surely?”
Kestrelflight glanced nervously toward the den entrance. “Does Onestar know y ou’re here?”
“He probably does by now,” Leafpool answered m atter-of-factly.
Alderpaw looked over his shoulder, half expecting the WindClan leader to barge angrily into the den.
“He won’t be pleased,” Kestrelflight warned.
“We’re not ShadowClan cats,” Leafpool pointed out.
“Onestar doesn’t trust any cat these day s,” Kestrelflight lowered his voice. “Not even his own
Clanmates.”
Leafpool’s eyes rounded. “Why not?”
Kestrelflight looked at his paws, not answering.
“Surely losing a life can’t have affected him so badly?” Leafpool’s ears twitched impatiently.