River Of Fire

Violetshine snorted with laughter. It feels so good to have fun, when everything in camp is so tense. “Tree, no cat but you could hunt like that!”

“It works,” Tree mewed smugly. “Do you want to share?”

“No, we’re a hunting patrol,” Violetshine responded. “The Clan must be fed first. We’ll bury your mouse and then—”

She broke off as Tree stretched out a paw to silence her. He pointed with his tail, and Violetshine spotted movement in the undergrowth. A flash of black fur showed her Juniperclaw, slinking through the bushes in the direction of the old ShadowClan camp.

“What’s going on?” murmured Tree. “Why is he out here alone?”

“Maybe he just wants some herbs or something from his old camp,” Violetshine suggested. But in that case, why does he look so furtive?

“I think we should follow him,” Tree mewed.

Violetshine nodded, and quickly scraped some earth over Tree’s mouse so they could collect it later. Then, side by side, the two cats slipped through the undergrowth, following Juniperclaw’s scent trail.

They caught sight of him again as he climbed the rocky slope up to the ShadowClan camp and disappeared into the brambles at the top. Tree and Violetshine crept up in his paw steps until they could look down into the hollow of the camp.

Down at the bottom of the hollow, where the fresh-kill pile used to be, Yarrowleaf lay stretched out, grooming herself, while Sleekwhisker, beside her, rose to her paws to welcome her brother Juniperclaw.

Violetshine let out a cry of surprise. Alerted, all three cats turned to face her and Tree, as they paced down the slope to join them. Violetshine forced herself not to flinch under the hostile glares from Juniperclaw and Sleekwhisker. Yarrowleaf simply looked terrified.

“Oh, no!” she yowled, while Sleekwhisker asked, “How did you find us?”

“A more important question is, What are you doing here?” Violetshine retorted. “This is SkyClan territory, and Leafstar ordered you to leave.”

Sleekwhisker stretched out her neck and hissed at Violetshine. “You don’t understand. This is our home!”

“Oh, really?” Violetshine refused to be intimidated; she could feel her back fur beginning to bristle. “You think I don’t understand what it was like to grow up in ShadowClan?”

“You didn’t grow up as a real ShadowClan cat,” Sleekwhisker sneered, narrowing her eyes. “You proved that when you ran off to SkyClan!”

Fury throbbed through Violetshine. She bunched her muscles, ready to spring forward and confront Sleekwhisker, only to find Tree’s tail held across her path as a barrier.

“Sleekwhisker, Yarrowleaf,” Tree meowed, “give me one good reason why we shouldn’t tell Leafstar you’re here right now.”

Violetshine gave him a disbelieving stare. We have to tell Leafstar! Before she could speak the words aloud, Tree gave her a tiny shake of his head, as if he was telling her to let him continue.

“I can’t be wandering the wilderness when I’m about to have kits,” Yarrowleaf mewed sorrowfully. “And I desperately wanted to return to ShadowClan. I’ve changed—I want to come home.”

“That’s true,” Sleekwhisker agreed. “Violetshine, I’m sorry. I’m just so desperate to stay. Will you help us?”

“Please,” Juniperclaw added. “Violetshine, you grew up with all of us. You must remember how close we were.”

I don’t remember that at all, Violetshine thought, but she wasn’t going to say it out loud. You were never my friends.

“You must understand it’s not okay to throw them out,” Juniperclaw continued. “Especially when they’re sorry.”

For a moment Violetshine hesitated. She could understand how the intruders felt, particularly Yarrowleaf, who was so close to kitting. “I’m sorry too,” she responded at last. “Yes, we grew up together,” she added, lifting her head proudly, “but I’m a SkyClan cat now. And Leafstar must know what’s happening on her territory.”

Yarrowleaf let out a terrified wail.

“Wait,” Tree put in. “Maybe we can work out a solution that will make every cat happy.”

Violetshine glared at him. “Have you got bees in your brain?”

“Yarrowleaf is clearly in distress,” Tree murmured to her. “Maybe Leafstar would let her hang around long enough to have her kits.”

“Oh, thank you!” Yarrowleaf had heard Tree’s low-voiced suggestion. “All I want is for my kits to be born in ShadowClan.”

“That doesn’t look likely,” Tree meowed, candid as ever. “But we’ll see what we can do. Violetshine, shall we go and talk to Leafstar now?”

Violetshine sighed. Tree is such fun, and I like him so much, but there are times I could cheerfully rip his pelt off! “Yes, Tree,” she responded. “We’ll go now.”