River Of Fire

CHAPTER 18

Alderheart watched Velvet carefully as she padded in front of him around the camp. He stood beside her as she paused to watch Ivypool’s kits tumbling and playing in front of the nursery, and joined in with her soft mrrows of laughter at the little creatures’ antics. The sun was going down, and every cat was enjoying the last of the warmth before shadows filled the stone hollow.

A quarter moon had passed since Briarlight’s death, and Alderheart could finally think without pain about how much she would have enjoyed watching the kits.

She gave so much to the Clan, he thought, and we’ll all miss her, but I know she’ll be able to run again in StarClan.

“Your leg is much better,” Alderheart told Velvet as they resumed their walk. “You’re hardly limping at all now.”

He was glad she was better, but he suppressed a wistful sigh at the thought that she didn’t need his help anymore, and soon she would go back to the Twolegplace.

We’ll still be friends, though, won’t we?

As they turned back before they reached the thorn tunnel, Alderheart spotted Sparkpelt and Larksong talking to Bramblestar in the middle of the camp.

“They all look pleased about something,” Velvet mewed.

“Maybe there’s some good news,” Alderheart responded. “We could certainly do with some. I’d better get back,” he added. “There’ll be herbs to sort, even if no sick cats come by.”

Reluctantly he began leading Velvet back to the medicine cats’ den. After her brief visit when Briarlight died, Leafpool had returned to RiverClan, and Jayfeather would shred Alderheart’s fur if he thought that he was shirking his duties.

“I can help you,” Velvet offered. “I’ve learned even more about herbs since I’ve been with you in the medicine-cat den. I can be useful!”

When they slipped past the bramble screen into the den, Alderheart saw that Jayfeather was peering down Rosepetal’s throat, while Fuzzball bounced around at his paws.

“What’s wrong with her, Jayfeather?” he asked. “Can I fetch the herb for her? I know lots now!”

Jayfeather muttered something between his teeth, of which Alderheart caught the words annoying little furball. Suddenly worried about what he had done, Alderheart beckoned the little ginger tom with a twitch of his ears.

“Are you okay with Jayfeather?” he asked in an undertone. “I know he can be difficult—”

“Oh, no!” Fuzzball exclaimed, blinking up adoringly at the skinny gray tabby. “Jayfeather is so cool! I know he’s strict, but that’s because he’s so important.”

Alderheart exchanged an amused glance with Velvet. There’s no accounting for tastes. . . .

“Hi, Jayfeather,” he meowed. “Can I do anything to help?”

Jayfeather’s only reply was a slight shake of his head. He straightened up from examining Rosepetal. “It’s only a sore throat,” he told her. “I’ll give you some tansy for it, but you can go back to your warrior duties.” Then his glance fell on Alderheart and Velvet. “On second thought,” he added to Rosepetal, “maybe you’d better spend the night here.”

“Oh, come on, Jayfeather!” Rosepetal meowed. “It’s not that bad.”

“I still don’t want you passing the sickness on to other cats,” Jayfeather retorted. “We had enough of that with the bellyache. Velvet, how’s your leg doing?”

“It’s much better, thanks,” Velvet replied, clearly confused by the abrupt change of subject.

Jayfeather bent his head and gave the injury—barely visible now among Velvet’s long gray fur—a good sniff. “You’re right, it is,” he mewed. “Now that Rosepetal’s here, you’d better move into the apprentices’ den with Fuzzball. We need the space, and I don’t want to send you back to the Twolegplace sick.”

So that’s what it’s all about! Alderheart felt his shoulder fur beginning to bristle. He sensed that Jayfeather felt threatened because he and Velvet were so close, but he didn’t have to make her feel so unwelcome. He’s only fussing over Rosepetal because he wants Velvet out of our den.

“I don’t know when I’ll be able to go back to the Twolegplace,” Velvet responded sadly. “I don’t know whether my housefolk will ever come home. But you’re right, Jayfeather. I shouldn’t take up space in the medicine-cat den now that I’m better.”

With a huge effort Alderheart made his pelt lie flat again. I don’t like this, but I have to admit that Jayfeather has a point. Velvet doesn’t need to be here anymore.

While Jayfeather was fetching the honey for Rosepetal, the bramble screen swayed back, and Twigpaw barreled into the den. “Guess what, Alderheart!” she exclaimed. “Sparkpelt and Bramblestar say that I’m ready for my warrior assessment.”

“That’s great news!” Alderheart told her.

“Larksong’s going to assess Finpaw, too,” Twigpaw continued, her eyes sparkling. “And I’m finally going to be a ThunderClan warrior!”

“I’m glad you’ve finally decided to settle down,” Jayfeather mewed waspishly.

“Pay no attention to him,” Rosepetal put in, with a flick of her tail at Jayfeather. “We’re all really pleased for you, Twigpaw.”

“Yes, congratulations,” Velvet added.

Alderheart could feel a purr surging through his whole body. He thought that he would burst with pride. I can’t believe that the tiny little kit Needletail and I found will be a warrior tomorrow!

“Come on,” he meowed to Velvet. “I’ll help you get settled into the apprentices’ den.”

“Oh, are you joining us, Velvet?” Twigpaw asked. “I’ll help you make a nest. It’s pretty crowded in there just now: there’s me and Finpaw, Eaglepaw, Shellpaw, Stempaw, and Plumpaw, as well as Fuzzball. But there’ll be two less after tomorrow!”

Still fizzing with excitement, she headed out of the den again.

Alderheart and Velvet followed more slowly. “I’ll miss having you around all the time,” Alderheart murmured as they padded across the camp. “You’ll still come and help in the medicine-cat den during the day, won’t you?”

Velvet’s reply was cut off by a disturbance at the mouth of the thorn tunnel. Poppyfrost, Shellpaw, and Bumblestripe were returning from a border patrol, but they weren’t alone. A strange cat was with them: a powerful tom who, for all his size and strength, looked very nervous to be entering a Clan camp. More of the ThunderClan cats were gathering around to find out who the stranger was.

“That’s Ajax!” Velvet exclaimed. “He’s a kittypet like me. He lives with his housefolk just a few dens away from mine.”

She veered aside to greet her friend, but before she reached him, Squirrelflight raced past and confronted the newcomer. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“We found this kittypet on ThunderClan territory,” Poppyfrost reported.

“We were going to chase him off,” Bumblestripe added, “but he said he was looking for Velvet and Fuzzball, so we thought we should bring him to camp.”

“And why are you looking for them?” Bramblestar asked, padding up to stand beside his deputy.

“I hope we’re not planning to take in more kittypets,” Sparkpelt put in, with an unfriendly look at Ajax.

“Right,” Thornclaw meowed. “We have too many as it is.”

Several other cats were murmuring agreement.

Squirrelflight whirled around, her gaze raking over them. “We’ll respect Bramblestar’s decision, whatever it is,” she snapped.

“But I don’t want to stay with you,” Ajax protested. “I like my housefolk just fine, thanks. I only want to talk to Velvet and Fuzzball.”

Velvet slipped through the crowd to stand in front of him, and Alderheart followed, along with Fuzzball, who scurried across from the medicine cats’ den. Jayfeather followed with a curious look on his face.

“Hi, Ajax,” Velvet mewed, dipping her head toward him.

“Hi!” Fuzzball added, with an excited little bounce. “It’s great to see you, Ajax.”

“Thank goodness I’ve found you,” Ajax responded. “I thought I’d be wandering around this creepy forest all night. I’ve come to tell you that your housefolk are back, and they’ve fixed their dens after the fire. Won’t you come home where it’s safe?”

“Oh, we’re fine here!” Fuzzball exclaimed. “I’ve had such a great time with these wild cats, and now I can hunt and fight just like they can. And I’ve learned about all sorts of herbs.”

Alderheart spotted several cats exchanging amused glances at the little tom’s enthusiastic boasting.

“But I’ve really missed my housefolk,” Fuzzball went on. “And they’ll be so happy to see me.” Blinking happily, he gazed around at the cats gathered around him. “Thanks for being such great friends. Especially you, Jayfeather.”

Alderheart gave Velvet a long look. I’m really going to miss her, he thought.

“That’s good news, that you can go home now,” Bramblestar meowed firmly. “But since it’s getting dark, you’re welcome to stay the night and leave in the morning.” His brisk tone made it quite clear that the two kittypets weren’t invited to think about staying any longer with the Clan.

“I’m not sure about this,” Ajax muttered as Velvet and Fuzzball led him over to the apprentices’ den. “It’s dark and crowded in there,” he added as he peered through the ferns, wrinkling his nose at the scent of Clan cats. “I don’t want to get fleas.”

“We offer him a bed for the night, and he fusses about fleas,” Sparkpelt murmured to Alderheart. “Does he think we’re rogues?”

Fuzzball had dashed over to the fresh-kill pile and returned with a large thrush. “Look,” he mewed to Ajax, “I’ve brought you some prey.”

Ajax stared at the bird, clearly struggling to stay polite. “It’s got feathers,” he choked out after a moment.

“Well, yes, it’s a bird,” Fuzzball responded. “Don’t you want it?”

“Er . . . no, I’ll pass, thanks,” Ajax told him. “I had a big meal earlier, so I’m not really hungry.”

“Your friend is a bit . . . strange,” Alderheart meowed to Velvet. He had fetched a vole to share with her, and they crouched side by side to eat in the gathering twilight.

“I know,” Velvet replied. “But he’s a good friend to come so far to find us. I know he doesn’t like to stray too far from his housefolk.”

“Do you want to get back to your housefolk?” Alderheart asked her.

For a moment Velvet hesitated, and Alderheart felt his heart lift in the hope that she would stay. I know that would be a really bad idea, but still . . .

“Yes,” Velvet finally responded with a sigh. “But there are some parts of Clan life that I’m going to miss.”

As she spoke, she gave Alderheart a shy, sideways glance, and he realized that she was talking about him. Not sure how to react to her, he concentrated on gulping down his share of the vole.

Later that night, Alderheart couldn’t sleep. The den seemed empty without Velvet sleeping close by him. He tossed and turned in his bedding, feeling hotter and more uncomfortable with every heartbeat. He was fearful of disturbing Jayfeather and Rosepetal, but finally he couldn’t stand being in the den any longer. Rising to his paws, he slipped stealthily past the bramble screen. Out in the open, he stood drinking in the cool night air and gazing up at the frosty glitter of Silverpelt splashed across the sky.

A quiver in his whiskers told Alderheart that some cat was standing beside him; he turned his head to see Jayfeather.

“You may think it would be better, easier, outside of the medicine cats’ den,” his fellow medicine cat meowed. “But it won’t.”

“What do you mean?” Alderheart asked, his eyes widening in confusion.

“I know you and Velvet are starting to care for each other.” Jayfeather’s tone was dry and unemotional. “And I know how that story usually ends.”

“But I—” Alderheart began.

“I understand,” Jayfeather interrupted. “Your feelings aren’t wrong, but acting on them would be wrong. A mate and kits can’t be part of a medicine cat’s life. Your responsibilities to the Clan mean that you stand as a father to them, and they need to be your focus. You know Leafpool’s my mother, right? You’ve heard that story?”

Alderheart nodded, and tried once more to speak, but Jayfeather forestalled him.

“Leafpool decided to fall in love and have kits,” he went on. “Then she had to pretend that they were Squirrelflight’s, and Squirrelflight went along with that because she loved her sister. That decision ruined part of my life, and my littermates’—especially my sister’s life, because Hollyleaf killed Ashfur to keep the secret.”

Jayfeather fixed his blind gaze on Alderheart, sounding unusually serious. “We need you in ThunderClan, Alderheart. You’re a good medicine cat. You work hard to keep your Clan healthy, and you have a real connection to StarClan. And you’re young: you’ll take care of the next generation of ThunderClan cats, just as you looked after Twigpaw. If ThunderClan had to lose you, it would be like a wound that wouldn’t heal.”

For a few heartbeats Alderheart was too stunned and flattered to speak. Is this really Jayfeather telling me this?

“It’s true, I like Velvet,” he mewed at last. “And I do feel a pull toward her. But you don’t have to worry, Jayfeather. I would never leave ThunderClan. I don’t doubt any longer that my place is here. It’s just . . . well, it’s nice to have a cat to talk to who doesn’t need my help. I’ll miss that.”

“Really?” Jayfeather sounded surprised and relieved. “You weren’t thinking you might go with Velvet to the Twolegplace?”

“No,” Alderheart responded. “I was thinking about how to say good-bye.”

Jayfeather gave his shoulder fur a couple of awkward licks, clearly finding it hard to respond. “Thanks, Alderheart,” he meowed with a clumsy dip of his head. “That’s good to hear.” He took a pace backward and disappeared into the den.

Alderheart watched him go, letting out a purr of affection. I know where I belong, he thought. It’s with you, you grouchy, difficult, dedicated furball. And with ThunderClan.

Dawn had turned the sky above the hollow to a soft rose color as Alderheart hovered in the entrance to the medicine cat den. Across the camp, Velvet and Fuzzball were saying good-bye to some of the other cats, while Ajax waited impatiently beside the mouth of the thorn tunnel.

The cowardly part of Alderheart wanted to hide in his den until Velvet was gone, but he saw her glancing around, her nostrils flaring to catch his scent, and he knew she would be hurt if he didn’t appear.

Bracing himself, Alderheart emerged from his den and padded across the camp. Velvet left the group of cats around her and came to meet him.

“I’m going to miss having you around camp,” he mewed.

“I’ll miss you, too,” Velvet responded, a slight quiver in her voice. “But I know there’s no way we could be together. We lead such different lives. I can’t stay here, and I know you have responsibilities and can’t leave your Clan.”

Alderheart nodded. “Thanks for understanding, Velvet. I’ll never forget you.”

Velvet stretched out her neck, and the two cats touched noses briefly. “Good-bye, Alderheart,” she mewed.

“Hey, Velvet!” Ajax’s raucous yowl came from the camp entrance. “Are we standing around here all day?”

“I have to go.” Velvet blinked sadly at Alderheart, then turned and trotted briskly toward the other kittypets.

“Good-bye,” Alderheart called after her.

Velvet’s sweet scent drifted in the air for a few moments. Then she was gone.