As he turned and retreated to the medicine cat den, Sleekwhisker padded forward and fixed her gaze on Dawnpelt. “Didn’t you miss m e and Juniperclaw?”
Violetpaw felt Dawnpelt stiffen beside her, but her m entor could hardly m eet her kit’s gaze.
“You betrayed your Clan,” she mumbled.
“But we’ve come to help them. And you.” Sleekwhisker’s eyes glittered in the moonlight.
“Now that Crowfrost is dead, we’re all you have.”
Dawnpelt puffed out her chest. “I still have Strikestone.” But as she glanced at the young tom, he backed away. “Are you staying?” She sounded like she could hardly believe it.
“Where else can I go?” Strikestone m urm ured. “Where can you go? This is our home.”
Dawnpelt hesitated.
“You can’t stay!” Violetpaw stared at her desperately, but she could see resignation in her m entor’s gaze.
“He’s right,” Dawnpelt whispered. “I can’t leave every single one of m y kits. And this is the only home I’ve known. How can I leave?” She blinked apologetically at Rowanstar, her father, and then Tawny pelt and Tigerheart.
The ShadowClan leader turned away, dism ay darkening his eyes. Lifting his tail, he barged between the rogues and ducked through the tunnel. Tigerheart and Tawny pelt followed him, their pelts spiking.
Violetpaw glanced at Needletail, who was watching Rowanstar’s retreat with satisfaction. It’s like I don’t even know her, Violetpaw thought. But then she swallowed hard. Except I do. Hadn’t
Needletail always questioned all the rules of the Clan? It was what had always scared Violetpaw about her—and thrilled her.
Violetpaw tore her eyes from Needletail and headed after her Clanmates.
“Wait!” Needletail’s mew sounded in her ear as she passed. The silver she-cat’s scent washed over her. “Where are you going? I thought y ou’d stay. Please don’t leave m e again!”
Violetpaw m et Needletail’s pleading gaze. Even as her paws tingled with eagerness to leave, the fact that Needletail wanted her to stay warm ed a place deep inside her. “You don’t need m e.
You have plenty of friends here.” Her gaze flashed to Rain. “And you have him.”
“But they’re not m y kin, not like you are.” Needletail stared at her anxiously.
My kin. She’d felt the sam e way about Needletail. Guilt surged through Violetpaw. Needletail had been the only cat in ShadowClan who had always been kind to her, and she had repaid her by abandoning her without a word. Could she leave her again? Was that fair?
“Please stay,” Needletail begged. “We can make ShadowClan the Clan it used to be, before y ou cam e. A great Clan. A brave Clan. You’ll be proud to be part of it.” She looked around the rogues. “These are cats who understand what it’s like not to belong. They will be as loy al to you as I have been. We’re like kin now. Can you say that about any other cat y ou’ve known?”
Grief clawed at Violetpaw’s heart as she remembered how ThunderClan had let Rowanstar take her from her sister without lifting a paw to stop him, and how Twigpaw had walked away from her to return to her Clanmates. Needletail was right. She was the closest thing Violetpaw had ever known to real kin.
She blinked at Needletail. “Okay,” she mewed. “I’ll stay.”
As Needletail purred and pressed her m uzzle to Violetpaw’s cheek, Violetpaw breathed in her scent. It felt good. She turned her back on the entrance through which Rowanstar, Tigerheart, and Tawny pelt had disappeared and gazed at her new Clan.
Chapter 23
Twigpaw shifted her paws nervously. Countless scents washed over her, and the chatter of voices wasn’t helping to calm her anxiety. Would Violetpaw come to the Gathering? Guilt still pricked her belly each time she remembered leaving the ShadowClan camp, Violetpaw staring desperately after her.
Beside her, Wavepaw looked around. The RiverClan apprentice’s eyes were wide as she, Nightpaw, and Breezepaw took in the scene. “It’s our first Gathering.”
Honey paw sniffed. “I’ve been to plenty.”
Wavepaw’s sister shifted closer as Brindlepaw and Fernpaw padded toward them. “I didn’t realize there’d be so many cats here,” she breathed.
“Don’t worry, Cy presspaw.” Wavepaw nuzzled his sister’s ear. “There’s a truce, remember? We’re safe here.”
“Hello!” Brindlepaw stopped and blinked at Wavepaw. “You’re new, right?”
Wavepaw nodded.
Honey paw barged in front of him.
“I m et them first,” Honey paw boasted.
“So?” Brindlepaw glared at her.
Twigpaw swiveled her ears toward the long grass, hoping to hear paws hurry ing toward the clearing. WindClan, ThunderClan, and RiverClan were here. But where was ShadowClan? Were they going to be late again?
Bramblestar and Misty star were talking at the foot of the great oak. Onestar was already seated on the branch above them. His gaze was cast down, as though he was avoiding the eyes of the other Clans. Twigpaw wondered if he felt guilty for having withheld lungwort from ShadowClan.
Is that why they weren’t here? Were too many cats sick? The worry that had been nagging in Twigpaw’s belly since she’d left the ShadowClan camp suddenly hardened. What if Violetpaw was sick? She tried to push the thought away, but then she pictured her sister looking after her Clanmates in the medicine den. She could have easily caught the illness. Twigpaw remembered grim ly how sick the cats had been. Had Oakfur died? Or Wasptail? Or the others? What about Violetpaw?
Guilt surged through Twigpaw’s pelt as she remembered the hurt in her sister’s eyes when she’d left. I had to go! You are my kin, but ThunderClan is my home! She’d hoped for a chance to explain to Violetpaw that they would always be sisters even if they lived in different Clans, but what if she never got that chance?
She glanced at Alderpaw, who sat between Leafpool and Jayfeather. Would he go check on ShadowClan if they didn’t show up at the Gathering? Perhaps he’d let her go with him.
Honey paw’s mew broke into Twigpaw’s thoughts. “Wavepaw say s that RiverClan kits learn to swim before they become ’paws.”
“No way!” Brindlepaw exclaim ed. “Don’t they drown?”
Wavepaw snorted with am usem ent. “RiverClan cats are born to swim.”
Brindlepaw’s eyes widened. “I hate getting m y fur wet.”
Twigpaw gazed at them distractedly. She was only half listening. Her thoughts were still on her sister.
Honey paw blinked at the RiverClan apprentices. “I’ve never even stood in a river.”
Wavepaw shrugged. “You should try it,” she mewed. “Rivers are fun. And fish taste delicious.”
Cy presspaw looked shy ly at Honey paw. “We can teach you to swim if you like.”
Honey paw shuddered. “No, thanks!”
Wavepaw’s eyes sparkled with m ischief. “Are you scared?” He nodded toward the trees.
Bey ond them, the lake glittered in the moonlight.
Honey paw fluffed out her fur. “Of course not. But it’s too cold.”
“No it’s not!” Wavepaw headed through the crowd toward the trees. “Come on.”
Honey paw followed.
“You can’t!” Alarm j erked Twigpaw from her thoughts. She hurried after them. “The Gathering’s going to start in a m om ent.”
Honey paw stared at her. “But ShadowClan isn’t even here y et.”
As she spoke, Onestar’s mew rang across the clearing. “I’m tired of waiting. Let’s start the m eeting.”
Misty star and Bramblestar exchanged glances and scram bled up the oak, taking their places beside the WindClan leader.