Darkest Night

CHAPTER 6

Violetpaw wrinkled her nose. She could still feel the bitterness of the traveling herbs on her tongue. She swiped it around her lips, hoping to get rid of the taste.

Hawkwing’s whiskers twitched. “You didn’t like the herbs?”

“No.” Violetpaw shuddered.

They were standing near the camp entrance, waiting to leave. Blossomheart and Rabbitleap, Violetpaw’s mentor, crouched beside them, sharing a mouse while Molewhisker paced beside the stream.

Rabbitleap looked up. “Have you eaten?” he asked Violetpaw.

“Only the traveling herbs.” Violetpaw had been too nervous to eat anything else. She’d never traveled so far beyond Clan territory before.

“It’s a long journey,” Rabbitleap reminded her. “I don’t know when we’ll be able to stop and hunt.”

“The traveling herbs will stop her getting hungry for a while.” Hawkwing said, watching the nursery. Tinycloud’s kitting had started before dawn. Leafpool was with her.

The ThunderClan medicine cat had arrived two days ago, just after half-moon. She had been tending to Finpaw, who was recovering from his accident but was still confined to his nest. The stock of herbs that Leafpool had brought with her had been safely stored in the hollow beneath the cedar tree, and she’d made her nest there. She’d moved Finpaw there too, so she could watch over him. Molewhisker had joined her in the SkyClan camp yesterday after Macgyver had gone to fetch him from ThunderClan.

Now it was nearly time to leave for the gorge, and Violetpaw was so nervous that she felt as though frogs were jumping inside her belly. She wished Twigpaw were coming with them, but Twigpaw had asked to stay behind to help finish building the new camp. Violetpaw could see her tail now, sticking out from beneath the juniper bush where she was hollowing out the space for the apprentices’ den.

“How far is it to the gorge?” Violetpaw asked Hawkwing, trying not to imagine the dogs and Twolegs and unfamiliar land that lay between here and there.

Molewhisker answered. “It may take a quarter moon.” Blue sky showed through the branches above the camp. “But the weather is with us.”

Blossomheart swallowed the last of her share of the mouse and sat up. “Leaf-fall weather can be changeable.” She licked her paw and ran it over her face.

“A little rain won’t hurt us,” Hawkwing meowed.

As he spoke, Leafpool’s face appeared at the nursery entrance. She slid out, blinking happily at Sparrowpelt, who was pacing anxiously outside. Leafstar was with him, and both cats lifted their tails excitedly as Leafpool shared the news.

“You have three newborn kits,” the medicine cat announced happily. “A tom and two she-kits.” She dipped her head to Sparrowpelt. “You can go and see them if you like.”

“Thank you!” Purring loudly, the brown tabby tom squeezed through the entrance.

“Is Tinycloud okay?” Leafstar asked when he’d gone.

“She’s tired,” Leafpool told her. “But she did fine. Perhaps Sparrowpelt could sleep in the nursery for a few days to keep her company? A new litter can be daunting.”

“Of course.” Leafstar glanced toward the party preparing to leave.

As Leafpool turned back toward the nursery, the SkyClan leader headed toward her deputy. “May StarClan guide your paws,” she meowed.

Hawkwing flicked his tail. “With Molewhisker’s help.”

Leafstar blinked at the ThunderClan tom. “Are you sure you know the way?”

He nodded.

Violetpaw looked around the camp. Even though SkyClan had been here only a short while, it felt like home. She would miss the sound of the stream and the swishing branches of the pine forest.

Hawkwing seemed to sense her unease. He swept his tail along her spine. “We’ll be home soon, hopefully with some more of our Clanmates.” He purred. “There are so many cats I want you to meet.”

Leafstar caught his eye. “I hope you find them.”

“We will find as many as we can,” Hawkwing promised. “Soon we will be a bustling Clan again.”

Wistfully, Leafstar held his gaze. “We will never be as we once were.”

The juniper bush shivered as Twigpaw scrambled from underneath. She raced across the camp, leaping the stream and stopping beside her sister. “Are you leaving now?” She rubbed her muzzle along Violetpaw’s jaw.

Violetpaw pressed against her. “I wish you were coming with me.”

“I’ll be here when you get back.” Twigpaw blinked at her brightly. “You’re going to have such an exciting time.”

Violetpaw shifted her paws nervously. “I hope so.”

“You will!” Twigpaw insisted. “Some cats never get to leave the forest. You’ll remember this journey forever, and you’ll always be known as one of the cats who helped reunite SkyClan.”

Twigpaw was always so positive. Sometimes Violetpaw wished she were more like her. But then she glanced at Hawkwing; being more like Twigpaw would mean being less like him, and she liked being like Hawkwing. One day she’d be as brave as him too.

“We should leave,” Molewhisker meowed, glancing at the sky once more. “I’d like to get to the Thunderpath before sunhigh.”

The Thunderpath? Violetpaw swallowed.

Rabbitleap stretched and padded toward the entrance. Blossomheart followed.

“Good luck!” Leafstar called as Molewhisker headed after them.

Hawkwing touched his nose to Twigpaw’s head. “Take care of SkyClan while we’re away.”

Leafstar purred. “I’m sure she will.”

Twigpaw turned to Violetpaw, her gaze suddenly dark. “You’ll be careful, won’t you?”

“Of course.” Violetpaw touched Twigpaw’s muzzle with her own. She breathed in the soothing scent of her sister, and then padded after Hawkwing as he followed Rabbitleap, Blossomheart, and Molewhisker out of camp.

As her paws scuffed the needle-strewn forest floor, the frogs in her belly grew still. Suddenly she felt ready for the journey ahead. We’re going to find our lost Clanmates.

Two sunrises later, as the sun reached its peak in the wide, blue sky, Violetpaw smelled the acrid scent of another Thunderpath. They’d crossed many, but the smell of this one was stronger. The sound of growling stirred her ear fur. It came from beyond the trees, as though a pack of huge dogs were arguing over prey. She glanced at her father, wondering if they should stop, but he kept walking. Molewhisker too. Rabbitleap and Blossomheart glanced at each other.

She followed them to the edge of the forest and padded out onto grass. Blinking in the bright sunshine, she saw a wide verge sloping toward a Thunderpath. This one was much wider than the ones they had crossed already, and instead of being deserted as those had been, it had monsters roaring along it in both directions, with barely a gap between them.

Violetpaw stopped, her heart skipping a beat. She thought of Pebbleshine with a sickening jolt. Her mother had been killed on a Thunderpath. “We can’t cross that!”

Hawkwing turned and paused. His eyes were round and dark. “We have to.”

Molewhisker padded back to Violetpaw. “This is the most dangerous Thunderpath we’ll have to cross,” he promised. “Once we’ve crossed it, we’ll be safe.”

Will we? Violetpaw tried to stop herself from trembling. On the other side, home would seem beyond reach.

Rabbitleap met Violetpaw’s gaze. “You are fast and smart. I’ve seen you hunt and I’ve watched you practice battle moves. You have all the skills you need to make this crossing.”

“But how will we ever get back?” Violetpaw suddenly felt very small.

“If we can cross it once, then we can cross it again,” Hawkwing told her.

“You can do this.” Rabbitleap nudged her gently forward.

Violetpaw dug her claws into the grass. “Pebbleshine was killed on a Thunderpath like this,” she croaked.

Hawkwing looked at her, grief sharpening his gaze. “She was unlucky,” he meowed thickly. “But I’m with you. I won’t let the same thing happen to you.”

Reluctantly, Violetpaw began to pad toward the Thunderpath. Every hair in her pelt told her to retreat, but she forced herself on, reassured as Molewhisker and her Clanmates fell in beside her. Together they approached the edge.

Monster after monster hurtled past. Sour air blasted her face. Grit sprayed her paws.

Molewhisker raised his voice. “Wait for a big enough gap.”

Violetpaw wondered if a gap would ever come. The monsters chased after one another like foxes chasing rabbits.

“When I say go”—Hawkwing lifted his chin—“run as fast as you can.”

Blossomheart and Rabbitleap nodded. Violetpaw stared at her father, her mouth dry with terror. A huge monster thundered past. The hot wind from its flanks nearly knocked her off her paws. She clung to the filthy grass and waited, her heart pounding in her ears as the monsters streamed past.

At last, a gap appeared. To one side, a distant green monster trundled toward them, spattered with mud. To the other, the Thunderpath curved toward an empty rise. The way between was clear.

“Run!” Hawkwing’s yowl made Violetpaw jump. Blossomheart shot forward, Rabbitleap at her heels. Molewhisker raced past them, his tail skimming the stone. Hawkwing shoved Violetpaw forward. “Hurry!”

She ran, eyes narrowed, terror sparking in her belly. The hot stone burned her pads. The green monster rolled closer, as though in no hurry. The rise was still clear. We’re going to make it!

As exhilaration surged beneath Violetpaw’s pelt, a howl rose behind the green monster. A smaller monster had edged out and was hurtling toward her. It let out a desperate wail, as though running for its life. Terror choked Violetpaw’s thoughts. Her paws froze beneath her, and she skidded to a halt. Ahead of her, Molewhisker, Hawkwing, Rabbitleap, and Blossomheart dived onto the safety of the green embankment.

Rooted by panic, Violetpaw stared at the small monster. It roared past the green one, neck and neck with it now. In a moment it would pass it and plow straight over Violetpaw. She knew she should move, but she was frozen with terror. StarClan, help me!

The small monster’s paws squealed on the stone as the Twoleg inside stared in horror at Violetpaw. The monster let out a wail, as though warning her to move. It swerved suddenly, the Twoleg’s eyes bulging as it dived in front of the green monster, veering so close that its flank caught the green monster’s nose. Violetpaw stared, as though watching a nightmare from a long way away. Hypnotized, she heard the thump of their thick hides collide. The small monster spun out across the Thunderpath and came to a juddering halt on the far side.

Teeth grabbed her scruff, and Hawkwing’s fear-scent bathed her as her paws half lifted from the stone. With a grunt, her father dragged her clear. He dropped her on the embankment beside her Clanmates. Blinking dumbly, she gazed at them.

“What in StarClan were you doing!” Hawkwing glared at her. “You just stood there while it—” His mew stopped short. Grief glittered in his gaze. He thrust his muzzle against her neck, his breath hot and quick. “You could have been killed.”

Stiff with shock, Violetpaw looked back at the small monster, silent now on the far side of the Thunderpath. The big green monster had stopped and a Twoleg had jumped out. It ran to the small monster, where another Twoleg had climbed free. The Twolegs yelped at each other for a few moments, and then the Twoleg from the small monster pointed at Violetpaw. As its gaze fixed on her, panic flashed fresh inside her.

“Run!” she shrieked.

She pelted away from the Thunderpath, glancing behind to see the others chasing after her. She kept running, slithering beneath a fence and tearing over a wide stretch of earth, until the sounds of the Thunderpath dimmed behind her.

She stopped, her lungs burning. Hawkwing slowed to a halt beside her, and Molewhisker, Rabbitleap, and Blossomheart pulled up a few tail-lengths ahead. Their flanks heaved as they stared at one another with wide, round eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Violetpaw puffed. Her fur was still on end. “I froze.”

“You’re safe now,” Rabbitleap grunted between breaths. “That’s all that matters.”

“I didn’t know monsters attacked each other!” Blossomheart was trembling. “Why do Twolegs go near them?”

“Who knows why Twolegs do anything.” Molewhisker shook out his fur. “Let’s go. We’ve still got a long way to travel.”

Hawkwing looked at Violetpaw, concern shadowing his eyes. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, swallowing back fear. “Thanks for saving me.”

“I will always save you if I can.” Hawkwing blinked at her. “I just wish I had been around to save your mother.”

Violetpaw was in the starlit woods again. Was it another dream?

Needletail’s mew sounded from the darkness. “You made your choice.”

Violetpaw strained to see her friend’s pelt between the trees. “Wait! Please wait! I can’t lose you.”

Silver flashed in the shadows, weaving between the black trunks. Once more Violetpaw saw Needletail’s green gaze flash at her accusingly.

“I thought you wanted to lose me.”

Violetpaw jerked awake, her heart twisting with grief. She blinked in the darkness of the crevice where the patrol had sheltered for the night. Her Clanmates, plus Molewhisker, were curled around her, squashed into the narrow gap between two boulders, sheltered from the chilly wind.

Her heart was thumping hard. She needed fresh air and to walk off the anxiety itching beneath her pelt. Hardly breathing, she got to her paws and delicately picked her way around the sleeping cats. Molewhisker stretched out his legs, pushing against Rabbitleap, who snorted, wriggled, and fell still as Hawkwing snored softly beside him. At the entrance, Violetpaw hopped out into the fresh wind.

Outside, the moon glowed through thin cloud. The boulders opened onto a sandy clearing in an oak forest. They’d trekked through it most of the afternoon, stopping to hunt and then rest once the sun began to set behind the trees. Violetpaw drew in a deep breath of air, letting it soothe her. A light breeze made the leaves rattle overhead. Somewhere in the distance, a fox screeched. An owl answered as if telling it to be quiet.

Violetpaw padded cautiously between the trees. If she couldn’t sleep, she might as well hunt. Her Clanmates would be pleased to wake to fresh-kill. Opening her mouth, she tasted the air. Among the musty scents of fallen leaves, she smelled mouse.

Violetpaw slowed, scanning the shadows for movement. Something glowed between the trees. She blinked, wondering if she was imagining the hazy light ahead, and padded closer. Curiosity pricked her pelt. Was it a patch of moonlight on the forest floor? But the moon was hidden, and starlight wouldn’t be strong enough to make such a bright pool. She widened her eyes, straining to see.

A familiar scent touched her nose. Needletail? As she neared the glow, she saw the shape of a cat. She recognized it at once. It was Needletail! Am I still dreaming? She curled her claws into the fallen leaves. They crunched. The breeze in her fur felt real. I am awake! She was sure of it.

She hurried toward Needletail. Could the ShadowClan warrior have survived Darktail’s attempt to kill her? I didn’t see her die. All she remembered from when she fled was that the rogues had heavily outnumbered Needletail. “What are you doing here?”

Needletail didn’t answer. She only stared. Her pelt looked as though she were lit from inside.

“What happened to you?” Violetpaw’s thoughts whirled. “Are you dead?”

Needletail snorted. “Of course I’m dead. Do you think Darktail had a change of heart after you got away?”

“But there are no stars in your pelt. . . .” Violetpaw’s mew trailed away. Wasn’t Needletail with StarClan? Her belly tightened. Had she come from the Dark Forest? She swallowed. The young warrior had betrayed her Clan, but StarClan must have known that it was a mistake. They must have seen her give her life to save her Clanmate. She didn’t deserve to go to the Dark Forest.

Needletail turned and began to walk away.

Violetpaw followed. “Am I dreaming you?”

Needletail didn’t answer. She kept walking, the pale light from her fur showing the way between the trees.

“Where are you going?” Violetpaw glanced around as Needletail led her deeper into the forest. She was aware of her sleeping Clanmates, farther behind her with each step. “Do you want me to come with you?”

Violetpaw’s mew echoed through the forest. The fox screeched again. Movement caught her eye and she looked up. An owl glided silently between the trees. Violetpaw’s heart quickened.

“Needletail!” Violetpaw stopped. Where was Needletail going? Why was she so silent? But as she spoke, the faint light disappeared. Needletail was gone.

Violetpaw stiffened, suddenly aware that she was alone in a strange forest.

She turned back, breathing rapidly. What if the owl decided she was prey? What if the fox picked up her scent? She had to get back to her Clanmates.

Why did you lead me so far away, Needletail? She shivered. Had her friend wanted to separate her from Hawkwing and the others? Is she angry with me? She sped up, hurrying back along the path she had come. Quickly she lost her scent trail. Had she gone the wrong way? She looked around. The trees looked the same in the dark. The strange scents of the unfamiliar forest confused her. What if she was heading farther away from the cleft in the rock? She froze, unsure what to do. I should stay here, she decided. When dawn comes it will be easier to find my way back.

She looked around for cover. A hollow between arching tree trunks would give her shelter for the night. She fluffed out her fur, determined not to be afraid. I can hunt and I can fight, she told herself. I will be safe until dawn.

Paw steps made her freeze. Leaves crunched nearby. Something was heading her way. She unsheathed her claws, blood thumping in her ears.

“Violetpaw?”

She recognized her father’s mew. Relief washed her pelt like a cool breeze.

“Hawkwing.” She raced toward the sound, joy bursting in her chest as she saw his familiar pelt in the starlight.

“What are you doing out here?” He hurried to meet her.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she told him. “So I thought I’d hunt. But I got lost.” She could never tell him about Needletail. She didn’t want to tell him about how her friend died, and she didn’t know if she could explain what had just happened.

“We’re not far from the boulders,” Hawkwing reassured her. “Let’s go back. You should get some more sleep. We’ve got a lot of traveling to do tomorrow.”

Violetpaw nodded and let him lead her between the trees, but she couldn’t resist glancing over her shoulder. Where did you go, Needletail? Another thought pricked her mind. And why did you come? Did Needletail want something? And, if she did, what could it be?