Shattered Sky

The two surviving kittypets had changed since the battle, when Max had been killed. Their excitement and enthusiasm had drained away, and they seemed to realize that they would never be allowed to leave the Kin. Darktail no longer treated them with fake friendliness; he and the other rogues simply ignored them, and Violetpaw was their only friend.

“Well,” she mewed, “Darktail says that the fish is ours now, just like the territory, so we all have to get used to it.”

“Some of the rogues really like it,” Loki pointed out. “I saw Roach and Nettle fighting over a fish yesterday.”

“Raven, too,” Zelda agreed. “And they all leave the nasty scraps and bones lying all over the camp! Don’t they realize they could attract scavengers?”

Forcing down the last of the disgusting fish, Violetpaw sat up to clean her whiskers. On the far side of the camp Raven and Sleekwhisker were bringing the prisoners out of the bramble thicket that had once been the RiverClan nursery. Darktail stood waiting for them in the middle of the clearing.

Almost all the rogues and remaining ShadowClan cats had moved over to RiverClan; Darktail had only left a small group to guard the ShadowClan territory. The camp here was crowded, and keeping the prisoners only made it worse.

Why doesn’t Darktail just let these cats go? Violetpaw asked herself. What does he want with them?

At sunrise the day before, every cat had realized that Berryheart and Beenose were nowhere to be found. Violetpaw assumed they had gone to ThunderClan, like Dawnpelt, but when she’d tried to ask Needletail about it, her friend had changed the subject.

Why does Darktail let the ShadowClan cats leave, and yet he keeps these prisoners so close? It doesn’t make sense.

The prisoners all looked skinny and half-starved, tottering up to Darktail on shaky paws.

“It is time for you to recite the pledge of loyalty to the Kin,” Darktail meowed when they were standing in front of him. “Repeat after me: I swear to be a friend to the Kin…”

Violetpaw felt a faint tingle of excitement as the prisoners hesitated, exchanging reluctant glances. Darktail had begun demanding the oath from them on the day after the battle, insisting that no cat would be fed unless they proved they were loyal to the Kin. At first the RiverClan warriors had held out—but as the days passed, first one and then another had given in, until Reedwhisker was the only one left who wouldn’t repeat the pledge of loyalty to Darktail, proudly refusing to betray his Clan in spite of his hunger and the many wounds he had taken in the battle.

Will he be brave enough to defy Darktail again? she asked herself.

But her small bubble of hope burst as Reedwhisker dipped his head and joined in the oath with his Clanmates, so that all four cats were reciting the words.

He must be too hungry to fight anymore, she thought sadly.

“What was that, Reedwhisker?” Darktail asked. “I didn’t quite hear you. Say it again, louder this time.”

Looking deeply humiliated, his head and tail drooping, Reedwhisker raised his voice and repeated the words. Violetpaw thought that her heart would break for him.

Once the pledge was finished, Darktail took up a couple of scrawny mice and tossed them at the prisoners, who were herded back into the thicket by Sleekwhisker and Raven.

That’s hardly enough for one hungry cat, let alone four of them!

Darktail nodded to the guards and turned away, a satisfied expression on his face.

Thinking about the missing cats made Violetpaw want to go and find Needletail, to try once again to get some information out of her. She started to slip away when Darktail wasn’t looking, only to be called back by the rogue leader.

“Violetpaw! Over here! I need to talk to you.”

Even though Darktail’s voice was warm and friendly, something about it made every hair on Violetpaw’s pelt start to rise. When he uses that voice, that’s when he’s most dangerous.

Obediently, she padded over to Darktail and halted a tail-length away from him. She kept her paws neatly together and curled her tail along her side, with her head bent submissively—she knew this was a pose that would please Darktail.

“I’ve heard that some herbs are missing from the medicine-cat den,” Darktail began. “I’m afraid that one of our own cats has stolen them.”

Violetpaw risked a glance at him and saw that though his face was calm, there was something malignant in the depths of his eyes.