The Apprentice's Quest

“I’ve been to visit the kits,” Alderpaw explained.

Jayfeather let out a snort. “I should have known. Anyway, you need to come with me.

Bramblestar and Leafpool want to talk to you.”

There had been a time when Alderpaw would have been worried by a summons from his Clan leader. Now, although he still felt slightly nervous, anticipation was stirring inside him.

As he followed Jayfeather, Alderpaw remembered his return to camp a few days before. All his Clan had been excited to welcome him back, and Sparkpaw had barely left his side since. This morning was her first hunting patrol without him, along with Cherryfall, Brackenfur, and Sorrelstripe.

Bramblestar had taken the first opportunity to draw Alderpaw aside and ask for his view of what had happened in the gorge.

“It was so frustrating!” Alderpaw admitted.

“We should have gotten there in time to save SkyClan from the rogues. I feel like I’ve failed.”

Bramblestar rested his tail-tip briefly on Alderpaw’s shoulder.

“I’m puzzled,” he confessed. “Why should StarClan send you a vision when it was already too late to do anything about it? But it wasn’t your failure,” he added hastily.

Alderpaw shrugged uneasily. “I feel like I’ve missed something important… I feel like Sandstorm died for nothing, and it was my fault.”

“You are not to blame for Sandstorm’s death,” Bramblestar assured him firmly. “I grieve for her, and so does the rest of our Clan.

But going on the quest was what Sandstorm wanted. Remember how I tried to forbid her from going? She was determined, and you would never have convinced her otherwise.”

“I guess so… ,” Alderpaw mewed, though he still couldn’t suppress his feelings of guilt.

“Meanwhile,” Bramblestar meowed, changing the subject, “I’ve spoken to Molewhisker, Cherryfall, and Sparkpaw about keeping SkyClan a secret, at least for now.”

“I hope it was okay to tell them… ,” Alderpaw began apologetically, remembering once again that Needlepaw shared the secret, too.

“It’s fine. You didn’t have much choice.”

“So what are we going to do about SkyClan, or what remains of it?” Alderpaw asked, relieved by his father’s approval. “And what about those horrible rogues in the gorge?”

“I’ve thought it over,” Bramblestar replied, his amber gaze fixed on Alderpaw, “and I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s nothing ThunderClan can do for SkyClan now.”

“But—” Alderpaw began to protest.

Bramblestar overrode him. “SkyClan has scattered, and no cat knows where they have gone.

Unless

ThunderClan gets more information…”

Alderpaw felt the weight of his Clan leader’s stare. He means another vision.

Anxiety rose inside him like a gathering storm cloud. Will I have one? What if I don’t?

“I told the rest of the Clan that you reached the place you saw in your vision,” Bramblestar continued briskly, “but you found nothing there.

That should be enough to keep SkyClan a secret until we get a stronger sign from StarClan. At least…” He hesitated. “What about Needlepaw?”

“I asked her to keep the secret,” Alderpaw replied, “but I don’t know whether she will.”

Bramblestar nodded thoughtfully. “Well, it’s the best we can do for now,” he decided at last.

“We’ll discuss the kits later, with Leafpool and Jayfeather,” he finished.

Thinking back to that earlier meeting, Alderpaw assumed that now he was being summoned to talk about Twigkit and Violetkit. I hope they can stay with us, he thought.

Jayfeather climbed up the tumbled rocks, neat-pawed and as confident as if he could see.

Alderpaw scrambled up after him and found

Leafpool and Squirrelflight already waiting with Bramblestar in his den on the Highledge.

“Good, you’re here,” Bramblestar meowed, sweeping his tail affectionately along

Alderpaw’s back, as if he was still amazed that his son was alive after all. “Have you recovered from your journey yet?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Alderpaw replied.

“Then we need to talk about the future,” Bramblestar announced. “Most urgently, about Twigkit and Violetkit.” With a wave of his tail, he invited the other cats to sit down. “Alderpaw, tell us what you know.”

Alderpaw stayed on his paws as he described how Sandstorm had come to him in a dream, and given him the clue that allowed him and Needlepaw to find the kits in the tunnel.

“Needlepaw really helped?” Squirrelflight asked, sounding surprised.

“Oh, yes. It was her idea to go through the tunnel. And she helped me bring the kits back to the lake, and helped feed and care for them, too. She was really gentle with them.”

“So the question remains about what to do with them now,” Bramblestar continued.

“Leafpool, Jayfeather, do you think that they could be ‘what you find in the shadows,’ according to the prophecy?”

Jayfeather wriggled his shoulders as if he felt uncomfortable in his pelt. “I’m not sure. It feels too simple. Maybe they’re just a pair of abandoned kits. Their mother was probably killed on the Thunderpath, or maybe a fox got her.”