River Of Fire

Puddleshine and Frecklewish had resumed their argument, making Violetshine’s fur prickle with annoyance. Since she didn’t want to listen anymore, she turned away, wondering if there was a hunting patrol she might join. As she headed toward the warriors’ den to see who was around, she was intercepted by her father, Hawkwing.

“Is everything okay with you?” he asked her, looking concerned and even a little suspicious.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Violetshine assured him. “I’m just tired. There’s a lot going on in camp just now. I’m sure you’ve noticed that too!”

Hawkwing glanced toward the medicine-cat den and nodded. “Making one Clan out of two isn’t as simple as moving all the cats into the same camp.”

At that moment Leafstar slid through the lichen that screened her den and took up a position on the tangle of cedar roots outside the entrance. “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highroot for a Clan meeting!” she yowled.

Cats appeared from the warriors’ den and sat in a ragged semicircle around the rock. They were joined a few heartbeats later by the apprentices, scampering over from their den under the low-growing juniper boughs. Frecklewish and Puddleshine gave up their argument and moved away from their den entrance to sit next to the elders. Last of all, Tree strolled over to join Hawkwing and Violetshine.

When the cats were assembled, Leafstar let her gaze travel over the combined Clan until it rested on the former ShadowClan leader. “Rowanstar, do you want to stand up here with me?” she asked.

Nearly as one, all the Clan cats turned their heads toward Rowanclaw, waiting to find out how he would respond.

The ginger tom dipped his head. “I wouldn’t want to tread on your tail, Leafstar,” he meowed. “I’m just a SkyClan warrior now. And I’m not Rowanstar anymore—just Rowanclaw.”

At his words, a deep groan of dismay came from one of the former ShadowClan cats, but when Violetshine turned her head, trying to work out which cat it had come from, she couldn’t be sure.

With a nod of appreciation to Rowanclaw, Leafstar began to assign the day’s duties. Violetshine wondered why she didn’t leave that task to her deputy, then realized that maybe with so much confusion it was better for orders to come from the Clan leader.

“Rowanclaw,” she mewed, “I’d like you to lead a patrol down to the old ShadowClan camp. And while you’re there, maybe you could collect some of the material for nests that was left there.”

“What?” Tawnypelt, Rowanclaw’s mate, sprang to her paws, her tortoiseshell fur fluffed up and her green eyes glittering with fury. “That’s an apprentice job. Rowanclaw is a former leader!”

“It’s not a slight on Rowanclaw,” Leafstar assured her. “It’s just that you both know your old camp really well.”

“I’m okay with it,” Rowanclaw added, resting his tail on Tawnypelt’s shoulder. “I’m not a leader anymore, and I want to pitch in and help, just like any cat.”

Violetshine noticed that even while he spoke to Tawnypelt, Rowanclaw was avoiding her gaze with a faint look of guilt. She wondered whether disappointing his mate was the worst part of his decision to disband ShadowClan.

“Thank you, Rowanclaw,” Leafstar mewed. “I’m grateful that you feel that way. Tawnypelt, you can go with him. And Violetshine, too,” she went on, turning toward her. “You know ShadowClan territory from the time you lived with them.”

“Sure, Leafstar,” Violetshine replied.

“May I go too?” Hawkwing asked.

Violetshine glanced at her father with narrowed eyes. I’m a warrior now! I can go on a patrol without any cat to watch over me.

But she said nothing, and after a brief hesitation Leafstar nodded. “Of course, Hawkwing. It’ll be good for you to learn every paw step of our new territory.”

Rowanclaw raised his tail to gather his patrol together, and all four cats headed out of the camp, leaving Leafstar to organize the other patrols.

As soon as they were out in the forest, Hawkwing slowed his pace a little, angling his ears at Violetshine to draw her to his side.

“Let Rowanclaw and Tawnypelt go on ahead,” he murmured.

“Don’t you want to patrol with them?” Violetshine asked, surprised that her father would show hostility toward his new Clanmates.

“No, it’s not that at all,” Hawkwing replied. “But they’re mates, so they might want to speak together privately.” He hesitated, then added, “You’ll understand when you’re older.”

Violetshine tensed. The last cat I want to talk about mates with is my father!

But Hawkwing said nothing more. Distracted by a scuffling sound in the debris underneath a beech tree, he sprang forward, then straightened up again with a mouse in his jaws.

“Good catch!” Violetshine exclaimed, glad to talk about something else.