The Apprentice's Quest

When Sandstorm only waited, her green gaze fixed on him, he began to pour out the story of everything that had happened since she died: finding Darktail and his cats in the gorge; discovering that they weren’t the real SkyClan, and that SkyClan had been driven out; trying to decide what to do, then escaping from the camp and being washed downriver with Needlepaw.

“Please tell me what to do now!” he finished.

When Sandstorm did not respond, Alderpaw let his head droop wretchedly. “I know I’ve made a complete mess of everything.”

“How?” Sandstorm asked.

Alderpaw thought that was obvious. “I didn’t get there in time! If we were meant to save SkyClan to ‘clear the sky,’ now no cat can do that. I led every cat on this quest into great danger, and what have we accomplished?

Nothing! I’ve failed.”

Unable even to look at Sandstorm anymore, he let out a despairing whimper. A moment later, he felt her nuzzle his neck, and a sense of comfort spread through his whole body. He managed to look up.

“Do you know the difference between you and Sparkpaw?” Sandstorm asked.

Alderpaw couldn’t see the point of the question. “What?”

“Sparkpaw believes she’s solved every problem,” Sandstorm replied, affection glimmering in her eyes. “And you believe you’ve caused every problem. You’re two sides of the same leaf. But you haven’t caused this problem,” she went on. “You have not failed.

And it is not too late to fulfill the quest. It will merely require a different path.”

“What do you mean?” Alderpaw asked, but even as he spoke the words, he felt himself being shaken. The starshine on the surface of the Moonpool began to fade, and Sandstorm’s shape faded with it. “Wait!” Alderpaw exclaimed in alarm. “What different path?”

But he was already waking, to find

Needlepaw shaking his shoulder. “It’s stopped raining,” she meowed. “I thought you’d want to know, since you’re so eager to get home.”

Groggily Alderpaw sat up. “Yes, let’s go home,” he murmured. But, he added silently to himself, we’ll need to follow a different path.

…

Chapter 22

Alderpaw and Needlepaw were approaching the first Thunderpath they had crossed after they left their territories so many days ago.

Tired and sore-pawed, Alderpaw was struggling with mixed feelings at the thought of being so close to home.

“I can’t wait to get back to ShadowClan territory,” Needlepaw mewed as she trotted along at his side. “I’ve missed my den so much, and—”

“Won’t you be in trouble with your Clan?”

Alderpaw asked. “What’s your mentor going to say? Apprentices aren’t supposed to leave without permission.”

“I left in service of my Clan, remember?”

Needlepaw replied. “Because I knew you sneaky ThunderClan cats were going in search of what you find in the shadows. Besides,” she added airily, “no cat ever really gets in trouble in ShadowClan. Sure, the older cats will yowl and stomp a bit, but what can they…”

Her voice trailed off as they drew close to the Thunderpath and halted at the sight of glittering monsters flashing past in both directions.

Alderpaw wasn’t really listening to her anymore. He stood still, staring thoughtfully into the distance.

After a moment Needlepaw prodded him.

“What are you doing?”

“Thinking.”

Needlepaw gave an exasperated snort.

“Thinking about what?”

“I’m not looking forward to getting home,” Alderpaw replied with a sigh. “Because that means the quest will be over. And I still don’t know what it was about.”

“It was about embracing what you find in the shadows, right? And we didn’t find it, but we found out a lot about it. You don’t have to stand here moping over it. Why can’t we just go?”

“Because I feel there’s more I should be doing.” Reluctantly Alderpaw admitted to himself that he would have to tell Needlepaw about Sandstorm visiting him when he was sleeping in the Twoleg barn. He had tried hard to work out what the starry warrior had meant by “a different path,” but with the last paw steps of their quest ahead of him he had still not found understanding. “I had a dream… ,” he began.

Needlepaw’s eyes widened as he revealed to her what Sandstorm had said. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” she asked.

Alderpaw shrugged awkwardly. “It was my vision. I wanted to figure it out by myself.”

“After all we’ve been through,” Needlepaw responded with an exaggerated sigh, “you should realize that you need me! Hmm… ,” she mused, glancing around her. “A different path…”

“I don’t think Sandstorm meant a literal different path,” Alderpaw meowed. “Just a different way of thinking. Like—”

But Needlepaw wasn’t paying attention.

“Look!” she cried, dodging away from the Thunderpath.

Alderpaw watched as she bounded down a dip in the grass beside the edge of the black surface. It led to a tunnel opening, its mouth covered by bars of hard Twoleg stuff that were set wide enough for a cat to slip between them.

A musty, damp scent flowed out of the opening.