River Of Fire

Violetshine saw that Dovewing was leaving, too, guiding her kits down the slope with sweeps of her tail.

“Hey, Dovewing,” Alderheart called out to her, surprise in his voice. “Aren’t you coming back to ThunderClan?”

Dovewing halted and looked back at him, then shook her head. Her eyes were sad, but her voice was firm. “No, I belong with Tigerstar now. I’ve chosen a mate and kits over ThunderClan. I’m sorry.”

Alderheart blinked in shock, and Violetshine saw his claws extend, scraping on the rock. “But we all thought you were dead,” he protested. “And Ivypool will want to see you. She has kits now, too.”

For a moment Dovewing hesitated, her indecision clear in her eyes. Then, leaving the kits, she bounded down the slope until she had caught up with Tigerstar. They spoke together for a few moments; then Dovewing leaped back up the slope to Alderheart.

“I’ll come and visit ThunderClan before I go to ShadowClan,” she mewed hesitantly, “if you think they’d like to see me. I’ve missed you all terribly. Come on, kits.”

She and Alderheart headed down the slope side by side, both of them helping the kits over the uneven places.

“Well, Violetshine?” Leafstar came to stand beside her, a challenge in her voice. “Are you sure about coming back with us? You can’t be like Twigpaw, or the other ShadowClan cats, and come and go as you please. Either you’re a SkyClan warrior forever, or you need to leave now.”

Violetshine drew herself up proudly. “I don’t have the slightest doubt, Leafstar,” she responded. “I’m a SkyClan cat.”

CHAPTER 21

A cool dawn breeze swept through the forest, and the warriors of StarClan were winking out one by one, by the time Alderheart reached the ThunderClan camp with Dovewing and her kits. He was so exhausted that he could barely put one paw in front of another, and his head was still spinning with wonder.

I can hardly believe that Tigerstar has been brought back from the dead, he thought. Surely it’s a sign that he’s something special.

Relief flowed over Alderheart like a cooling breeze as he reflected that now there were five Clans again. I’m sure we were on the edge of disaster, but now, thank StarClan, I’m starting to think that everything will be all right.

On the long trek from the Moonpool, Dovewing had questioned Alderheart about what had been happening since she left ThunderClan. She listened eagerly as he told her about Ivypool’s and Cinderheart’s kits, and grieved at the news of Briarlight’s death.

“She was such an amazing cat,” Dovewing meowed. “I sometimes think she had more courage than the rest of the Clan put together. I’ll never forget her. I just wish I could have been there to say good-bye to her.”

All the while the three kits were bouncing around their mother’s paws, demanding to know all about Clan life and their kin.

“Will we be made warriors?” Pouncekit asked.

“Not right away,” Dovewing told them. “You have to be apprentices first, and you’re not quite old enough for that yet.”

That drew a groan of protest from all three kits, but soon they were chasing around again, extending their tiny claws and bushing up their soft fur.

“I’m a warrior! Get off our territory!”

“No, you get off, mange-pelt!”

“I don’t know where they get their energy from,” Dovewing sighed.

Now, with the camp entrance in sight, she halted and faced Alderheart. Even in the faint light of the waning moon, he could see how nervous she looked.

“Do you think ThunderClan will forgive me?” she asked. “I ran away, and now I’m leaving to join another Clan. How can they see it as anything but a betrayal?”

Alderheart had an uneasy feeling that she might be right, but he tried to reassure her. “Every cat has been worried about you,” he mewed. “They’ll be so relieved to see you that they’ll understand.”

Dovewing didn’t look as if she entirely believed him, but she said no more, and let Alderheart lead the way through the thorn tunnel and into the camp.

Inside the stone hollow the Clan hadn’t yet begun to stir, and at first Alderheart thought that no cats at all were outside their dens. Then two figures loomed up beside him: Twigbranch and Finleap, keeping their warrior vigil.

At first Twigbranch simply dipped her head to Alderheart as he entered, but when she saw Dovewing and her kits following him, she let out an excited squeal, completely forgetting the rule that she should stay silent.

“Dovewing!”

Her cry echoed around the camp. For a moment it was followed by silence; then cats came bundling out of the warriors’ den, racing across the camp to surround Dovewing and the kits. Graystripe and Millie bounded over from their nests under the hazel bush, while Jayfeather and Leafpool appeared, blinking, at the entrance to the medicine cats’ den.