Veil Of Shadows

Chapter 11

Rootpaw crept between two boulders, keeping his claws sheathed so they wouldn’t scrape on the hard surface. He could just make out the gray fur of the cat in front of him, who seemed unaware of his presence. Drawing his hind legs up beneath him, Rootpaw plunged forward in a pounce; at the same moment he let out a blood-curdling yowl.

He landed squarely on the back of the gray cat, who slid to one side, trying to shake him off. But Rootpaw’s claws were too securely embedded in his fur. Finally, he spoke.

“Okay, you can let go now.” When Rootpaw didn’t move, he added, “Let me get up, you daft furball!”

Rootpaw sprang to his paws, every hair on his pelt glowing with triumph. His mentor, Dewspring, scrambled up and shook debris from his fur. He gave Rootpaw an approving nod. “Not bad.”

Not bad? It was brilliant! Rootpaw couldn’t believe how good it felt to be a warrior apprentice again. In his hunt with Dewspring that morning he had caught two voles, and now his battle moves were better than ever. This beats learning the difference between tansy and comfrey!

“Okay,” Dewspring continued. “You’ve done well so far, but I did hear you creeping up. You breathe like a badger! This time, I want you to sneak up on me without me hearing a thing.”

He padded off for several paces and sat down with his back to Rootpaw, pretending to be very busy cleaning dirt out of his claws. Rootpaw examined the ground between them; it was littered with dead leaves, dry twigs, and odd-shaped pebbles. He knew that if he laid a paw on any of them, they would give him away by rustling or snapping or rolling over the earth.

I need to be clever.

Glancing around, he spotted a fallen tree that had lodged against the hillside at a steep angle. He realized that if he could reach the tree he could pad quietly to the other end and surprise Dewspring from above.

Rootpaw raised his head so that his whiskers could test the wind, and he was satisfied to find that it was blowing away from his mentor, who wouldn’t be able to scent him until it was too late. All he needed to do was to land on the tree trunk without making a sound.

I’ll only have one chance; I can’t miss when I make the leap.

Focusing every muscle on the jump, Rootpaw crouched low, coiling himself into a ball, then launched himself at the tree. Springing upward, he had time to arrange his paws in the air so that he could land as silently as a falling snowflake.

Wow, it worked! he thought triumphantly after he touched down on the tree bark. Then he padded cautiously along the trunk until he reached a spot where he could look down at his mentor. And this time I’m not breathing like a badger!

Dewspring seemed to have forgotten that he was only pretending to clean his claws. He was engrossed in dislodging a tiny splinter of twig from between his pads. Seeing his chance, Rootpaw leaped from his perch and landed with a thump on Dewspring’s shoulders, forcing him to the ground.

His mentor let out a gasp as he rolled away from Rootpaw. “Very good!” he meowed. “I didn’t hear you coming at all. How did you do that?”

Rootpaw waved his tail toward the fallen tree. “I came along there,” he explained. “I knew I’d be bound to make a noise if I tried creeping over all those dead leaves and stuff.”

Dewspring nodded, clearly impressed. “You were always a good apprentice,” he told Rootpaw, “but ever since you came back from the medicine cats’ den, your skills seem even sharper.”

Pleased at his praise, Rootpaw reflected that he might have improved because now he didn’t have an anxious ghost following him around and relentlessly demanding his attention.

It’s amazing what I can accomplish when I’m not distracted by a restless spirit!

But following the thought, Rootpaw immediately felt guilty. He knew that Bramblestar’s ghost hadn’t been following him just to annoy him or interfere with his training. He really needed help. But Rootpaw had no idea what he could do to help him—or bring him back. So there’s no point in ruining my chance to become a great warrior.

“As you know, Rootpaw,” Dewspring began, “Leafstar and I had decided that you would have your warrior assessment soon.”

Rootpaw felt his heart begin to pound harder, and his pads prickled with anticipation. It’s like Dewspring could hear my thoughts! “Yes . . . ,” he said, not sure what to expect. Sudden dread sent a shiver down his spine. They hadn’t changed their minds, had they?

“Well,” Dewspring continued, “you’ve impressed me with your skills today, and I see no reason to put off your assessment any longer. I’ll confirm it with Leafstar when we get back to camp, but I think we’ll do it tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? Really?” Rootpaw gasped in excitement.

Dewspring grinned. “Really. There’s no sense in waiting when you’re clearly ready.”

Rootpaw let out a joyful yowl, springing straight up in the air. A few moments before, he had focused all his energy on being quiet. Now, as he and Dewspring headed to collect the voles he had caught earlier, he romped boisterously through the fallen leaves and grass.

“You’re making enough noise to drive all the prey deep underground,” Dewspring commented, though his tone was humorous and Rootpaw could tell he wasn’t angry at all.

By the time he and his mentor arrived back in camp, Rootpaw had managed to calm down a little, though excitement still thrilled through him. Once he had deposited his voles on top of the fresh-kill pile, he bounded over to Tree and Violetshine, who were sharing a squirrel a few tail-lengths away.

“I’m going to be a warrior!” he announced. “Dewspring says I can do my assessment tomorrow.”

“That’s excellent news,” his mother purred, leaning over to give Rootpaw’s ear a lick.

Tree’s eyes gleamed with approval, too, though he seemed slightly concerned as his gaze traveled over his son. “Are you absolutely sure this is what you want?” he asked.

Rootpaw could see the reservation in his father’s eyes. It wasn’t so long ago that Tree had argued against staying in the Clans at all. When Rootpaw finally became a full warrior, it would tie him to the Clan in a way that would be hard to walk away from.

“Yes, absolutely,” Rootpaw assured him eagerly. “All I’ve ever wanted is to be a warrior for my Clan.”

Tree nodded. “Good. In that case, I’m very happy for you.”

To Rootpaw’s relief, he could see that his father was being genuine. Perhaps the issue of whether to stay or leave the Clans was finally closed, once and for all.

“Congratulations!” Rootpaw turned to see his sister, Needleclaw, dashing toward him. “Dewspring just told me. I wonder what your warrior name will be.”

She plopped down beside Rootpaw and nuzzled his shoulder; Tree and Violetshine joined in too. Rootpaw thought it wasn’t possible to be any happier.

Curling up that night in his nest in the apprentices’ den, Rootpaw felt better than he had in a long time. Even though he could hear the wind howling outside, and his worries about Bramblestar still nagged at the back of his mind, all he could really think about was his assessment and how he had to make sure he did his best.

When at last he went to sleep, he fell instantly into a dream where he and Dewspring were in the middle of the forest. Dewspring was calling out battle moves for him. “Backward leap! Strike with forepaws! Underbelly dive!” Rootpaw performed them all perfectly.

But then Dewspring began yowling at Rootpaw to wake up. Rootpaw couldn’t understand him, because he was awake already. He was staring right at Dewspring.

“I don’t understand,” he meowed. “Is this another sort of test?”

But Dewspring didn’t explain. He just kept on calling Rootpaw’s name as he drew closer, and his gray pelt began to give off a silver glow. As Rootpaw gaped in astonishment, the light grew brighter and brighter until it was so dazzling that it blinded him. He let out a choking cry of terror and found himself startling awake in his den.

His chest heaving from the memory of the dream, Rootpaw needed a few heartbeats to be sure he wasn’t still in the woods. Wrenpaw was curled up asleep close by, and above his head Rootpaw could make out the arching ferns that formed the roof of the den. The wind had calmed, and dawn was creeping into the sky, but Rootpaw realized that wasn’t the only light. A warm glow was coming from behind him, casting his shadow forward. He turned around and saw that something was standing there.

No, not something . . . Some cat.

As the glow began to fade, Rootpaw was able to make out the cat’s features. He was a small, skinny tom with sleek black fur and intense yellow eyes. Rootpaw had the strange sense he had glimpsed him before, and he was sure of one thing. This cat is dead.

“Who are you?” Rootpaw asked.

“There’s no time to explain,” the ghost cat responded. “You have to come with me—now.”

“What?” Rootpaw yowled so loud that he was afraid he had woken Wrenpaw, but the younger apprentice never stirred. “I can’t! I have my warrior assessment at sunrise. I can’t miss it for anything.”

The ghost cat was already heading toward the mouth of the den. Glancing back over his shoulder to look at Rootpaw, he asked, “Not even to save your friend’s life?”

His words brought Rootpaw upright, out of the den, and across the camp into the forest, as if he were being pulled along by an invisible tendril. I have no idea who this is, he thought, but could he be talking about Shadowsight? Is it possible that Shadowsight is still alive?

The dawn light was strengthening as the ghost cat led Rootpaw to the border with ThunderClan, and straight across it, ignoring the scent markers. Gulping nervously, Rootpaw followed.

I really hope we don’t meet the ThunderClan dawn patrol.

When he sniffed the air, all the ThunderClan scents were stale, but Rootpaw still kept his senses alert as he padded through the rival Clan’s territory, ready to leap up into the nearest tree if he caught even the faintest trace of an approaching ThunderClan cat.

Is this ghost really leading me to Shadowsight? Rootpaw asked himself. And is the ghost cat right, that his life is in danger? He had never heard of any cat daring to miss their warrior assessment. Oh, I hope it’s true, or I’ll be in so much trouble, and all for nothing!

Eventually the sun came up, casting long golden rays across the forest floor. Rootpaw felt a tightening in his chest, knowing that at that very moment Dewspring would be heading to his den to tell him it was time. But he’ll find my nest empty. Rootpaw’s only hope was that when he returned to camp and explained what happened, Dewspring would forgive him and give him another chance.

“Is it much farther?” Rootpaw called to the cat in front of him. His paws were beginning to ache.

“No, we’re almost there,” the spirit replied, not turning to look at him.

A few heartbeats later, Rootpaw began to pick up the scent of something bad, like prey that had been left out too long in the sun. “What’s that?” he muttered to himself, wrinkling his nose.

At the same moment, the ghost cat halted at the edge of a narrow ravine. Rootpaw padded up to join him and immediately spotted why he had been brought there. His belly clenched as he saw Shadowsight’s body, sprawled out beside a thornbush near the bank of the small stream that ran along the bottom of the ravine.

Rootpaw realized that the bad smell was coming from Shadowsight, but he couldn’t detect the scent of death. Shadowsight appeared to be unconscious; deep, swollen scars marred his pelt, which was matted with dried blood. He looked terribly frail, as if he hadn’t eaten in days.

Rootpaw padded along the edge of the ravine, desperately searching for a way to reach his friend. Eventually he spotted a ledge that led downward, though it looked too narrow for his paws.

I have to give it a try.

Nervously, Rootpaw ventured onto the ledge, pressing up against the rock face and trying not to think of the sheer drop on the other side. After he had followed it for a few paw steps, it began to grow even narrower, until it vanished altogether.

Now what do I do? I can’t even turn around safely. StarClan, don’t let me be stuck like this!

Just below Rootpaw an elder bush jutted out of the side of the ravine. Its branches looked too thin to support his weight, but Rootpaw didn’t think he had any choice. Bunching his muscles, he launched himself onto it; the branch swayed wildly, but from there Rootpaw could leap to an outcrop of rock and then to a twisted root just above the stream.

Finally Rootpaw jumped down the last tail-length and rushed over to Shadowsight, pressing his ear to his friend’s body. Relief flooded over him as he detected a faint heartbeat and saw Shadowsight’s chest rising and falling with each shallow breath.

“He’s alive!” he cried out happily.

The ghost cat, who had appeared beside him, let out a scornful huff. “Of course he’s alive. Why do you think I brought you here? But you can probably smell that his wounds are infected, and it’s getting worse.”

“I’ll fetch help,” Rootpaw promised. “I’ll be back before you know it. Hang in there, Shadowsight!”

Rootpaw scrambled back to the top of the ravine with far less caution than he had used coming down, and raced through the forest back to the SkyClan camp. I’ll find Fidgetflake. He’ll know what to do.

But before he could reach the medicine cats’ den, Dewspring loomed up in front of him. Intent on his mission, Rootpaw hadn’t noticed him, and had to skid to a halt to stop himself colliding with his mentor.

“There you are!” Dewspring yowled. “I’ve been looking for you all morning. I thought you wanted to be a warrior.”

“I do!” Rootpaw panted. “But—”

“Skipping your assessment is a funny way of showing it,” Dewspring snapped, his eyes narrowed with fury. “Has all your training been a big waste of time?”

“I’m sorry,” Rootpaw meowed. “I know how angry you must be. But I had a good reason—really I did. I’ve found Shadowsight, and he’s hurt!”

Dewspring’s anger gave way to confusion. “Shadowsight?” he asked. “What is he doing on SkyClan territory?”

“He’s not,” Rootpaw explained. “He’s in the forest just over the ThunderClan border.”

Dewspring gave Rootpaw a hard stare. “And what were you doing all the way over there, on ThunderClan territory?

“I’ll explain later!” he meowed, realizing that thanks to this delay, he probably didn’t even have time to go find Fidgetflake now. “Shadowsight is seriously wounded. We have to bring him back to camp right away!”

Dewspring hesitated for a moment, then gave Rootpaw a brisk nod. “Show me where Shadowsight is. If he’s as badly hurt as you say, there’s no time to spare!”

Rootpaw bounded through the forest, following his own scent trail back to the ravine, with Dewspring hard on his paws. He showed Dewspring the way down he had taken to reach Shadowsight, and his mentor scrambled down after him. There was no sign of the ghost cat; Rootpaw guessed he had only appeared long enough to call for help.

In the time it had taken Rootpaw to fetch Dewspring, Shadowsight seemed to have grown even weaker. His breath was coming in thin wheezes and rattles, his chest convulsing as if it was taking him a massive effort to breathe at all.

“How will we ever get him out of here?” Dewspring asked, gazing up at the top of the ravine. “There’s no way we can carry him the same way we came down.”

“We have to figure it out,” Rootpaw responded. “Stay with him; I’ll go look for another path.”

He set off up the ravine, in the opposite direction from the way he had come on his first visit. But both sides rose up like almost-sheer cliffs; there were enough paw holds for a cat on his own, but not for one who had to carry Shadowsight.

Rootpaw was almost ready to give up and try the other direction again when he spotted a place where a few larger boulders had rolled down into the ravine, creating a path stretching almost to the top.

Hope rising inside him, Rootpaw dashed back to Dewspring. “I’ve found a way,” he panted. “Can you carry Shadowsight on your back?”

Dewspring nodded. Crouching down beside Shadowsight, he nudged his head under the injured cat’s limp body. Rootpaw hauled Shadowsight upward until he lay sprawled on Dewspring’s back, with his forepaws dangling over Dewspring’s shoulders. Now that he was so close, the terrible stench of Shadowsight’s wounds was almost too much to bear.

Slowly and carefully Dewspring stood up, managing not to dislodge Shadowsight. “Okay, let’s go,” he mewed. “Walk beside me and keep him steady.”

Transporting Shadowsight was easy until they came to the fallen boulders. Dewspring looked up, blinking. “Oh, StarClan . . . ,” he murmured, then added to Rootpaw, “Keep a grip on him so we don’t drop him. We don’t want to hurt him worse.”

He began to clamber up the rocks, trying to keep his back as level as he could. Rootpaw snagged Shadowsight’s fur in the claws of one forepaw, ready to support him if he started to slip. In one steep place Dewspring almost lost his balance, and the three cats tottered together at the edge of the rock. Rootpaw had a horrific picture of them falling and bouncing down the slope until they reached the stream again.

With poor Shadowsight squashed underneath us . . .

Then Dewspring heaved himself up, Rootpaw settled Shadowsight securely on his back again, and the climb continued.

The path made by the fallen boulders ended about a fox-length from the top of the ravine. A sheer stretch of rock separated them from level ground. “Now what?” Rootpaw asked gloomily.

“Can you leap up there?” Dewspring asked.

“I’m a SkyClan cat,” Rootpaw responded. “Of course I can leap!”

“Then do it.”

Rootpaw crouched down, gathering himself and bunching his muscles for the leap. Then he drove himself upward; his claws scrabbled in the loose soil at the top of the ravine, and he managed to heave himself over the edge.

“What now?” he asked, gazing down at Dewspring.

Dewspring stretched upward so that he was holding Shadowsight as close to Rootpaw as he could. “Reach down and grab him by the scruff,” he directed. “Don’t try to pull him up, just hold him. I’ll be with you in a heartbeat.”

Rootpaw wasn’t sure that would work, but he didn’t try to argue. Leaning down, he craned his neck until he could fasten his teeth in Shadowsight’s scruff. “Got him,” he grunted.

Dewspring slipped out from underneath Shadowsight. Even though Shadowsight was so small and frail, when Rootpaw took his weight he thought it would tip him over the edge and back down into the ravine. He dug all his claws into the loose earth and focused on holding on.

Then Dewspring was beside him, leaning over to get his own grip on the injured cat. “Pull!” he mewed around his mouthful of fur.

Together Rootpaw and his mentor edged backward, drawing Shadowsight with them until his limp body lay safely at the top of the ravine. Anxiously Rootpaw checked him over. “He’s still breathing, thank StarClan!”

“Great!” Dewspring huffed out a long breath. “Give me a moment to rest, and we’ll head back.”

And this would be just the right time for a ThunderClan patrol to appear, Rootpaw thought, warily scanning the surrounding trees. Then he realized that any ThunderClan cats would be so shocked to see Shadowsight that they might not think to ask what two SkyClan cats were doing trespassing on their territory.

But no patrol appeared. Dewspring took Shadowsight on his back again; after their struggle in the ravine, the journey home seemed to take no time at all.

As soon as they emerged into their camp, they were spotted by Plumwillow, who was on guard. She sprang to her paws, her eyes wide with shock. “Who’s that on your back?” she asked.

“It’s Shadowsight, that missing ShadowClan cat,” Dewspring explained. “We need to get him to the medicine cats.”

But as he and Rootpaw headed to find Frecklewish, more of the SkyClan cats ran across from the fresh-kill pile or emerged from their dens, gathering around and asking what had happened.

“Let us through!” Rootpaw yowled, but no cat was paying attention to him.

At last, to his relief, he spotted Fidgetflake shouldering his way through the crowd. “Shift your paws!” the medicine cat hissed at the crowd of warriors. “We have an injured cat here.” Beckoning Rootpaw and Dewspring with his tail, he added, “Bring him to our den right away.”

Violetshine bounded over to join them as Fidgetflake led the way back to his den. She padded alongside Dewspring on the opposite side from Rootpaw, helping to support Shadowsight’s limp body.

“Rootpaw, are you okay?” she asked. “I was so worried when you missed your assessment. I thought something must have happened to you. And you’re covered in blood!”

Rootpaw glanced down at himself, to where Shadowsight’s blood was smeared over his pelt. “It’s not mine,” he reassured his mother. “I’m not hurt.”

Inside the medicine cats’ den, Fidgetflake clawed together a nest of moss and fern. Dewspring gently lowered Shadowsight into it, letting out a huff of satisfaction and flexing his shoulders as he was relieved of the young cat’s weight.

“Some cat should go right away to fetch Tigerstar and Dovewing,” Fidgetflake meowed. “They’ll want to be with their son . . . whatever happens.”

Rootpaw felt his belly heaving at the ominous suggestion in the medicine cat’s words. Shadowsight can’t die! Not after we went to all that trouble to find him. “I’ll go,” he offered immediately.

“You’re still an apprentice,” Dewspring pointed out. “You can’t go wandering into another Clan’s territory by yourself.”

But that’s just what I did! Rootpaw thought, though he had the sense to keep his jaws shut.

“I’ll go with him,” Violetshine mewed. “Shadowsight should be with his kin.”

As Rootpaw left the medicine cats’ den, with his mother padding beside him, Leafstar came bounding across the camp from beside the fresh-kill pile.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

Hurriedly Rootpaw told her how he and Dewspring had brought Shadowsight back from where he lay in the ravine on ThunderClan territory. “He didn’t run away,” he finished. “Some cat tried to kill him.” Daringly he added, “Now do you think challenging Bramblestar is worth the risk?”

Leafstar’s eyes widened; clearly she was too stunned to ask Rootpaw what he had been doing on ThunderClan territory, or to object to an apprentice telling her what to do. She stood staring after Rootpaw and Violetshine as the two cats headed out of the camp.