Darkest Night

CHAPTER 11

Alderheart padded along ThunderClan’s shore until the pebbles gave way to boulders. Early morning light sparkled on the water. Soft clouds drifted across the pale blue sky, and a mild breeze blew from the distant moor. Here, mallow grew in clumps. He bounded along the smooth, flat rocks until he reached a cluster of paw-shaped leaves. A few wilting flowers nodded among them, and he picked them first, pleased that he’d found some before cold weather killed them off. He tore off a leaf and rolled the petals in it, wedging in a crevice until he was ready to head home.

Movement caught his eye near the halfbridge. A cat slid from beneath it and hurried toward him.

Willowshine! His heart leaped as he recognized the RiverClan medicine cat’s gray pelt. He hadn’t seen a RiverClan cat since Duskfur had turned him and the other medicine cats away. She was heading straight toward him, and as she neared, he could see that her gaze was fixed on him. She looked anxious. He hurried to meet her, keeping close to the water as he crossed SkyClan’s shore. Had something happened to RiverClan?

“Are you okay?” he called as he neared her.

She glanced nervously across the lake toward RiverClan territory.

Alderheart guessed she wasn’t supposed to be here. He flicked his tail toward the woods at the top of the shore, and headed that way, glancing back to make sure Willowshine was following. He slid into the cover of the trees, ducking down behind a screen of bracken.

Willowshine reached him, breathless. “I had to come,” she panted. “StarClan sent me a message.”

Alderheart blinked at her anxiously. “What was it?”

“When I was looking for a fresh supply of marigold yesterday, I had a vision.”

“While you were awake?” Alderheart was surprised. StarClan usually only shared dreams with medicine cats. This must have been important. Did it have something to do with the prophecy?

“It was sunny, and I’d just left the reed beds and was climbing the slope toward some herbs that prefer drier soil. Then the sky darkened.”

Alderheart’s breath caught in his throat. It must be the prophecy!

She went on. “I looked up and saw that the blue sky had been covered by thick clouds. They were dark, as though a storm was about to break. The air around me seemed to shimmer, and the air grew darker and darker. I was so frightened. Then a cat rushed past me. I felt the wind from its fur on my pelt. It raced down the slope, and as it disappeared into the reed beds, everything turned black as though the sun had disappeared.” The medicine cat was shaking. “Then, in a blink, it was light again. The sky was blue. The sun was shining. I wondered if I’d been dreaming.”

Alderheart stared at her expectantly. Was this StarClan’s way of sharing the prophecy with her?

“The weird thing is”—Willowshine frowned, her bright green eyes clouding—“the picture that stuck in my mind was the cat’s hind paw.”

“Why?” Alderheart leaned forward eagerly.

“It had six toes.” She shifted her paws nervously. “And then a voice sounded in my mind. ‘To fend off a storm, you will need an extra claw.’”

Alderheart’s thoughts raced. What could it mean? An extra claw . . . Most cats had five claws on each paw, just as there were five Clans. Was the extra claw a sixth Clan? Was StarClan promising to help them? Were they the sixth Clan? “What did the cat look like?”

“I don’t know. It was too dark. I don’t even know if it was a tom or a she-cat. The only thing I remember is the toes. I think that’s all StarClan wanted me to see.”

Alderheart sat down. “Do you know about the prophecy?”

“Which prophecy?” Willowshine looked puzzled.

“When we shared with StarClan at the Moonpool, Echosong told us all, ‘The dark sky must not herald a storm.’ We tried to tell you, but Duskfur—”

Willowshine interrupted him, her thoughts already on the prophecy. “‘The dark sky must not herald a storm’? What does that mean?”

“We don’t know.” Alderheart shifted his weight onto his haunches. “Rowanstar thinks the dark sky must mean SkyClan. Harestar thinks something bad is coming, and he’s ordered extra patrols. Leafstar says she’s too busy building a new home to think about it.” He frowned. “Bramblestar doesn’t seem too bothered either.”

Willowshine widened her eyes. “Mistystar reacted the same way to my vision! I told her what I’d seen, and she said she had too many real things to worry about without wasting her time on stuff she couldn’t see.”

Alderheart’s pelt prickled. “Why don’t leaders understand that StarClan is their best ally?” He grunted. “Patrols and borders,” he muttered under his breath. “That’s all leaders care about.”

“We have more information now,” Willowshine pointed out. “I only had my vision and you only had yours. But if we tell them about both, then they’ll have to listen.”

Alderheart blinked at her. She was right. Her vision had given them an important clue. Now at least they knew what would help them avoid the storm. If only they knew what the cat with the six toes meant. “Come on.” He got to his paws. “We have to tell this to Bramblestar.”

“But I need to get back.” Willowshine glanced anxiously toward the lake. “I sneaked out.”

“Your Clanmates will think you’re gathering herbs,” Alderheart reassured her. “That’s what I was doing just now. That’s what all medicine cats do at the start of leaf-fall.” He didn’t give her chance to argue and began to head toward the ThunderClan camp. It had been too long since he’d heard from RiverClan. He wanted a chance to talk to her. She needed to know that Duskfur had turned them away when they’d tried to share the prophecy. If RiverClan cut themselves off from StarClan as well as the other Clans, that could only lead to trouble. “We missed you at the Moonpool meeting,” he mewed as he followed a rabbit track across the border into ThunderClan territory.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come. Mistystar ordered me and Mothwing to stay in camp.” Willowshine hurried after him, her pelt ruffling uneasily.

“I tried to visit to tell you the prophecy. Jayfeather, Kestrelflight, and Puddleshine were with me, but Duskfur wouldn’t let us cross the border.”

“I know.” Willowshine fell in beside him as he began to follow the stream that flowed down to the lake.

She knew? Alarm jabbed Alderheart’s chest. Didn’t she care?

She went on. “The patrol made their report to Mistystar loud enough for the whole camp to hear. Duskfur was furious that you tried to reach the camp. When Mothwing pointed out that medicine cats are allowed to cross borders, she wouldn’t listen.”

“Did Mistystar agree with her?” Alderheart glanced at her anxiously. He’d hoped that Duskfur’s attitude wasn’t shared by the whole of RiverClan.

Willowshine avoided his eye. “She said she was right to send you away.”

Alderheart’s heart sank. Why was RiverClan behaving like this? Mistystar hadn’t seemed this hostile at the Gathering. Now it sounded like she was following in the paw steps of Onestar, the late WindClan leader who’d acted so oddly before Darktail was driven off. “StarClan is unhappy about RiverClan cutting themselves off,” he mewed softly. He didn’t want to upset Willowshine, but he hoped she might pass on his words to Mistystar.

“Mistystar feels betrayed by the other Clans,” Willowshine murmured, as though she feared being overheard. “She feels they should have stopped Darktail before he caused so much harm.”

Alderheart glanced at her sympathetically. “RiverClan suffered. We all did. But how could the Clans have known Darktail was so evil? How could we imagine the unimaginable?”

Willowshine didn’t answer. She was clearly torn between loyalty to her Clanmates and loyalty to StarClan. Instead she changed the subject. “How is SkyClan?”

Alderheart remembered that RiverClan had left the Gathering before SkyClan’s fate had been decided. “They have their own territory now. Rowanstar gave them a piece of ShadowClan land.”

Willowshine blinked at him in surprise. “Why?”

“Tigerheart suggested it,” Alderheart told her. “He said it made sense to have a grateful ally on their border.”

Willowshine was quiet for a moment. Then she mewed, “Should Rowanstar have let Tigerheart make such an important decision? After everything ShadowClan has been through, they need their leader to be strong.”

“Perhaps having a strong deputy is as good as having a strong leader.” Alderheart cut away from the stream and began to head for the rise, which led to the camp. He hadn’t thought about Tigerheart’s speech much; he’d been too worried about SkyClan’s fate. But Willowshine was right. By speaking up, Tigerheart had made Rowanstar seem less powerful.

The sight of the thorn barrier distracted him from the thought. What would Bramblestar say about Willowshine’s vision? Please let him take it seriously this time. Worry pricked at his paws as he padded into camp.

Bramblestar sat alone on Highledge. Dovewing was talking with Millie and Graystripe outside the elders’ den. Blossomfall was encouraging her kits to chase a moss ball beside the nursery, knocking it softly away from them as they stumbled to catch it. They were still unsteady on their paws, blinking at the daylight.

Stemkit’s white-and-orange fur was fluffed out as he scrambled ahead of his littermates and reached the moss ball first. “I got it!” he squeaked triumphantly.

Eaglekit hooked it away from him with a delighted mew.

Willowshine purred. “They look well.”

“They are healthy and strong,” Alderheart reported proudly. “In SkyClan, Tinycloud’s had her kits too. Two she-kits and a tom.”

Graystripe called across the clearing. “Willowshine! It’s good to see you. How is RiverClan?”

“They’re fine,” she reported, not meeting the old tom’s eye.

“Has Mistystar opened the border?” Dovewing asked.

“No.” Willowshine’s pelt ruffled. “I just came to discuss something with Alderheart.”

Dovewing shrugged and headed toward the nursery. As she began playing with the kits, Alderheart led Willowshine up the tumble of rocks.

Bramblestar met them at the top. “Willowshine.” He flicked his tail uneasily. “What are you doing here? Is everything okay in RiverClan?”

“RiverClan is fine.” Willowshine dipped her head. “I came to share a vision I had with Alderheart.”

Bramblestar’s gaze sharpened. “Did StarClan send you their message about the dark sky?”

“It wasn’t the same as the prophecy they shared with us,” Alderheart told him. “It’s a new message.”

Willowshine met the ThunderClan leader’s gaze. “I had a vision of a six-toed cat. StarClan told me that to fend off the storm, we will need an extra claw.”

Bramblestar’s gaze narrowed.

At last! Relief washed Alderheart’s pelt. His father finally seemed interested in the prophecy.

“Do you know what it means?” Bramblestar looked from Willowshine to Alderheart.

“I was thinking maybe the claws could mean Clans,” Alderheart said tentatively. “Five claws . . . five Clans.”

Bramblestar looked into the distance and flicked his tail, agitated. “So it means another Clan? A sixth Clan?”

“It could mean StarClan,” Alderheart told him.

Willowshine shook her head. “That’s not what it felt like in the vision,” she mewed. “I think the cat I saw is a real cat. I think we have to find it.”

Alderheart turned to her. “Are you sure it’s that simple?”

Willowshine blinked at him. “Perhaps not . . . but we must start somewhere.”

“Well, assuming it is a cat, do you know what the cat looks like?” Bramblestar asked.

“Only that it has six toes on its hind paw. I don’t even know if it’s a tom or a she-cat.” Willowshine dipped her head. “I wish I could tell you more.”

“It was good of you to come and share this much,” Bramblestar meowed. “I’ll certainly keep thinking.”

Alderheart shifted his paws impatiently. “If it is a real cat . . . do we know any six-toed cats in the Clans?”

Willowshine shook her head, and Bramblestar tipped his head to one side thoughtfully. “None that I can think of,” he meowed.

Alderheart sighed and nodded. “There’s one way to find out,” he mewed. “Can we travel to the other Clans?”

“Now?” Bramblestar blinked.

“Yes.”

“You should have an escort.” The ThunderClan leader glanced around the camp. Dovewing had left. Only Graystripe, Millie, Blossomfall, and her kits remained. “Can you wait until Brackenfur’s patrol gets back? They won’t be long.”

Willowshine’s tail twitched nervously. “I should get back to my camp. Mothwing will be worried.”

Alderheart glanced at her. He wanted Willowshine to share her vision with the other leaders. They wouldn’t question it as much if they heard it from her directly. “If we leave straight away, we could visit ShadowClan and SkyClan before sunhigh—it won’t take long.” It would be a start. They could make the longer trip to WindClan another day.

Willowshine shifted her paws. “All right, but we’ll have to hurry.”

Alderheart nodded and stared straight at his father. “We’re medicine cats. We don’t need an escort.”

Bramblestar dipped his head. “All right, but be careful.”

As Alderheart turned to head down the rocks, he remembered Jayfeather. “Share the news with Jayfeather!” he called over his shoulder. “Tell him I’ll talk to him when I get back.” He knew Jayfeather would be angry that Alderheart had acted without him, but there wasn’t time to guide a cantankerous blind cat through the woods.

Willowshine raced beside him as he headed out of camp. Together they burst into the woods and ran for the border. Alderheart slid into the lead, showing Willowshine the way as they crossed SkyClan territory and headed toward Leafstar’s camp.

They arrived, panting, and burst through the fern tunnel.

Leafstar looked up from the mouse she was sharing with Macgyver and got to her paws, her eyes round with worry. “Has something happened?” she asked, eying their ruffled pelts.

“Willowshine had a vision.” Alderheart nodded toward the RiverClan medicine cat as he struggled to catch his breath.

“I saw a six-toed cat,” Willowshine puffed.

Leafstar blinked at her. “Where?”

“In my vision.” Willowshine took a long gulp of air. “StarClan told me that we will need an extra claw to fend off the storm. They want us to find a six-toed cat.”

“Do you know any?” Alderheart urged. “Have there ever been any six-toed cats in SkyClan?” Perhaps Hawkwing’s patrol would bring back an old Clanmate with six toes.

Leafstar shook her head. “We’ve never had a six-toed cat.”

Macgyver padded to join them, still chewing. “Have we counted the toes on Tinycloud’s kits?”

“She’d have told us by now.” Leafstar gazed at Alderheart. “Are there any six-toed cats in the other Clans?”

“Not that we know of.”

“At least we know that there is a way to fend off the storm.” The SkyClan leader looked relieved.

“If it really is a cat.” Alderheart didn’t want her to think their troubles were over. “And we can find the cat.”

Leafstar turned back to her mouse. “I’m sure we’ll figure it out,” she mewed, settling down beside it.

Macgyver swished his tail. “StarClan is watching over us. They’ll help you find the cat you’re looking for.”

As he turned away, Alderheart sighed and glanced at Willowshine.

She met his gaze. “Don’t they care?” she whispered.

Alderheart headed out of the camp. “Perhaps SkyClan’s ancestors never sent prophecies. Maybe their StarClan solved SkyClan’s problems themselves instead of warning them.” He headed toward the ShadowClan border, his pelt ruffled. At least Rowanstar would understand that beside the lake, StarClan didn’t have the power to save anyone. They can only guide our paws.

At the ShadowClan border, they met Juniperclaw and Ratscar. Alderheart had been surprised to see an elder patrolling but, as Juniperclaw had explained, with so few Clanmates left, every cat must help. And Ratscar had seemed happy with his duties. “I’m old,” he had told them. “But I’m not dead yet.”

Now they faced Rowanstar at the head of the ShadowClan clearing. Beside him, Puddleshine listened eagerly. Juniperclaw and Ratscar waited at the entrance. Scorchfur, Grassheart, and Stonewing watched from the edge of the camp as Whorlpaw and Flowerpaw shifted nervously nearby. Tawnypelt stood beside the wide, flat rock beside Rowanstar’s den while Tigerheart hung back in the shadows. The dark tabby’s eyes narrowed with interest as Willowshine told Rowanstar her vision.

“We will need an extra claw.” The ShadowClan leader repeated her words thoughtfully.

“Do you know any cats with six toes?” Alderheart asked.

“Not in ShadowClan,” Rowanstar answered.

“One of the rogues, perhaps?” Alderheart pressed.

Willowshine shuddered beside him.

Scorchfur growled from the edge of the clearing. “Why would a rogue help us fend off a storm?”

Willowshine flashed a look at the ragged-eared warrior. “You once thought rogues would solve all your problems.” There was bitterness in her mew.

Alderheart flicked his tail. “We need to look forward, not backward,” he mewed quickly. “If we can find this cat, then everything will be okay.”

“We should send out a search party,” Grassheart meowed.

“Perhaps we should look in Twolegplace,” Stonewing suggested. “Maybe there’s a kittypet with six toes.”

“A kittypet!” Juniperclaw snorted scornfully.

Scorchfur’s ears flattened. “How can we send out a search party? We have barely enough cats to patrol our borders.”

“The SkyClan border can’t be left unguarded,” Rowanstar agreed.

Alderheart prickled with frustration. “SkyClan is not your enemy. They are your allies. Wasn’t that what Leafstar said when you gave her the land?” He looked at Tigerheart, hoping the ShadowClan deputy would speak up. He wanted support. If there really was a six-toed cat, it must be found.

But Tigerheart only watched as Rowanstar shifted his paws.

“Leafstar did promise us friendship,” the ShadowClan leader conceded.

Scorchfur glared at him. “And you believed her!” he mocked.

“It was Tigerheart’s idea,” Rowanstar reminded him.

“‘It was Tigerheart’s idea.’” Scorchfur mimicked his leader as though teasing a kit. “When was the last time you had an idea of your own?”

Alderheart’s belly tightened.

“I’d like to see you try to lead a Clan!” Rowanstar snapped. “Perhaps you could use the skills you learned from Darktail.”

“At least he knew how to lead!”

Tawnypelt glared at Scorchfur. “You betrayed your Clan. Now you insult your leader? Show him some respect!”

“He’s done nothing to earn it,” Scorchfur spat back. “If he’d chased Darktail off in the first place, none of us would have followed those rogues. Instead he let them hunt on our land, while our apprentices grew arrogant and reckless. He couldn’t manage to stop any of it.”

“Whatever his mistakes, he still has the blessing of StarClan!” Tawnypelt hissed.

Grassheart and Stonewing exchanged glances. Whorlpaw and Flowerpaw stared at the ground uncomfortably. Alderheart felt his belly churning as the air seemed to sour around him.

Ratscar padded forward. “We must stay united,” he rasped. “I know we have had our differences, but Alderheart is right. We must look forward, not back. There are so few of us left. If we are to remain a Clan, we must work together.”

Grassheart whisked her tail. “Let’s send out a search party and find this six-toed cat. Then we won’t have to face any more storms.”

“ThunderClan can send out search parties!” Juniperclaw called.

“Or WindClan,” Stonewing chimed. “They’ve got nothing better to do.”

Scorchfur glared challengingly at Rowanstar. “So?” he snarled. “What should we do?”

Alderheart saw hesitation in the ShadowClan leader’s gaze. He’s not sure. The thought shocked him. Bramblestar always knew what to do, even if it meant doing nothing. “I must do what’s right for the Clan,” Rowanstar meowed at last.

“Isn’t it a bit late for that?” Scorchfur curled his lip.

Tawnypelt darted forward, facing the dark gray tom. “Rowanstar has always done what’s best for this Clan!”

Scorchfur scanned the half-empty camp, contempt in his eyes. “So we have Rowanstar to thank for the state we’re in?”

“Do you think you could have done any better?” Tawnypelt hissed. “You blame Rowanstar. But it was his Clanmates’ disloyalty that killed them. If our apprentices grew arrogant, blame their mentors, not him. He cared about ShadowClan when none of you did. Rowanstar still wakes in the night, haunted by nightmares about the Clanmates he’s lost.”

Scorchfur flattened his ears. “He’s lucky. He has nine lives to dream about lost Clanmates. They only had one.”

“That’s not fair!” Puddleshine blinked anxiously at Rowanstar. “You can’t let him say that. StarClan gave you those lives because they believed in you.”

Scorchfur’s eyes narrowed to slits. “They believed in him once. Perhaps Rowanstar is the dark sky they’re trying to warn us about.”

Tawnypelt’s green eyes glittered. “If anyone’s the dark sky, it’s you!” Her gaze flicked angrily around her Clanmates. “You let the rogues take over the Clan. You let them drive Rowanstar away. Don’t blame him for your treachery.”

“And why do you think we chose a rogue over Rowanstar?” Scorchfur lashed his tail. “He was a weak leader then, and he’s a weak leader now.”

Tawnypelt’s fur bristled. Spitting with fury, she lashed out at Scorchfur, slicing her claws across his muzzle.

Alderheart backed away, his pelt bushing. What was happening here? Clanmates shouldn’t fight.

Scorchfur reared and slammed his paws onto Tawnypelt’s shoulders. Hooking his claws in, he pulled her to the ground. She flipped over and, tucking up her hind legs, clawed viciously at his belly.

He struggled free and turned on her. Face to face, they snarled at each other. With a hiss, Scorchfur lashed out, raking Tawnypelt’s eye with his claws.

Alderheart froze as she lurched away. ShadowClan gasped around him. What was Scorchfur doing? No warrior should ever attack another warrior’s eyes! Tawnypelt shook her head, blinking. With a rush of relief, Alderheart saw that Scorchfur’s claws had only sliced her cheek. Her eyes shone, unharmed. She’d been lucky.

She showed her teeth, hatred twisting her face, as she advanced on Scorchfur. “You’re no better than a rogue.”

“Stop!” Tigerheart moved at last. Fast as a fox, he crossed the clearing and pushed between the two warriors.

Rowanstar stared, his gaze stricken with shock. “We mustn’t fight.”

Alderheart backed away from the bristling cats. It’s not safe here. No one’s in control. He nudged Willowshine toward the camp entrance. Puddleshine’s light blue eyes were round with shock. He gazed imploringly at Alderheart.

There nothing I can do. Guilt squeezed Alderheart’s belly. He retreated through the entrance, beckoning Willowshine after him.

“Poor Puddleshine,” Willowshine mewed as they hurried away from the camp. “Should we have stayed?”

“It’s not our fight,” he told her. And I didn’t want to put you in danger. “I think ShadowClan needs to be alone to sort out their differences.” Alderheart padded quickly over the needle-strewn earth. ShadowClan seemed more like a group of rogues than a Clan. Fear hollowed his belly. What if they can’t recover from all that has happened to them? What if they aren’t strong enough to remain a Clan?