“Okay,” he agreed eventually. “But take a couple of warriors with you. Mistystar was pretty firm about wanting to be left alone.”

“But medicine cats are supposed to be able to cross borders freely,” Alderheart pointed out.

“Even so,” the Clan leader meowed. “We need you in one piece, Alderheart, not shredded by a RiverClan patrol. You’re not going by yourself.”

“I’ll go.”

Alderheart started in surprise at the sound of his sister’s voice, and turned to see Sparkpelt standing behind him. She and Twigpaw were just approaching the fresh-kill pile with prey dangling from their jaws.

“Is that okay, Bramblestar?” she added, dropping her vole on the pile.

A warm feeling of anticipation swept through Alderheart as Bramblestar agreed. It would be good to go with his sister on his expedition to RiverClan, especially since that meant Twigpaw would be going with them.

I’ve been worried about Twigpaw. She looks so sad and anxious all the time. Now I’ll be able to see how she’s getting along with Sparkpelt, and if she’s feeling any better.

“Let’s go,” Sparkpelt said, dipping her head respectfully to her Clan leader. “Alderheart, you can tell us what it’s all about on the way.”

Sparkpelt took the lead as the ThunderClan patrol crossed the border stream and headed through WindClan territory, keeping close to the lakeshore. The rain had stopped; a damp wind still gusted across the lake, fluttering its surface. A heaving mass of cloud still covered the sky, though now and then a few watery rays of sunlight managed to break through.

“How are you?” Alderheart asked Twigpaw as they padded along side by side behind Sparkpelt.

“Fine, thanks,” Twigpaw responded.

The curt answer wasn’t at all like her, and Alderheart had the definite feeling that there was something she wasn’t telling him.

“Are you getting along with Sparkpelt?”

Twigpaw shrugged. “She’s okay.”

Now Alderheart was sure something was wrong, but before he could question Twigpaw any further, Sparkpelt called out, “WindClan patrol!”

Looking up, Alderheart spotted three WindClan cats streaming down the swell of the moor. As they drew closer he recognized Featherpelt, Hootwhisker, and Larkwing; they veered sideways and picked up their pace to intercept the ThunderClan patrol at the water’s edge.

The three ThunderClan cats bunched together. Twigpaw slid out her claws, while Sparkpelt’s shoulder fur bristled, as if they were expecting a fight.

“Take it easy,” Alderheart murmured. “We’re not doing anything wrong.”

To his relief, none of the WindClan cats looked hostile as they drew to a halt. “Greetings,” Featherpelt meowed, dipping her head politely. “Are you on your way to see Harestar?”

“No, we’re going to RiverClan,” Alderheart replied, glad that his sister seemed willing to leave the talking to him. “We need to collect some watermint from over there. There’s not much left in our border stream.”