Squirrelflight's Hope

CHAPTER 6

Squirrelflight jerked awake, her nose twitching. The air was thick with the scent of nighttime dew. She could smell another scent in the darkness, one that made her heart quicken, filled with the warmth of memory and home. She scrambled to her paws. Bramblestar! He was near. She could smell Thornclaw too, and Larksong and Sparkpelt. “Wake up, Leafstar!”

The SkyClan leader lifted her head blearily. “What’s going on?”

“Quick!” Squirrelflight darted to the entrance. “They’re here. A rescue party’s here!”

As she spoke, wails shrilled outside the den. Alarm bristled through her pelt. She couldn’t let them fight. No cat must be hurt. “Stop!” She exploded from the den, skidding to a halt as she saw Clan warriors facing the Sisters.

Pale in the moonlight, Snow and Tempest had puffed out their fur. Ears flat, lips drawn back, they hissed at the warrior patrol. Bramblestar, Thornclaw, and Larksong snarled back at them. Furze, Sunrise, and Hawk slid like hissing snakes around their sisters as SkyClan cats—Hawkwing, Plumwillow, and Tree—fanned out around the ThunderClan patrol. The cats glared at one another through slitted eyes.

“Wait!” Squirrelflight flung herself between the Sisters and the warriors. ThunderClan and SkyClan outnumbered the Sisters. Blossomheart, Macgyver, and Sagenose appeared, pushing between their Clanmates, as Berrynose and Ambermoon stepped out from behind the ThunderClan warriors and bared their teeth. “You mustn’t fight!”

Confusion clouded Bramblestar’s gaze.

Leafstar limped from the den and stopped at the edge of the clearing, her eyes round with alarm. “Listen to her.”

Hawkwing stared at her, as though trying to understand.

“They haven’t harmed us,” Squirrelflight told him. She knew that it was a lie. Snow had wounded Leafstar, but only because the SkyClan leader had tried to escape. There would be time for honesty later; right now it was more important to defuse the rage sparking around her.

Creek, Flurry, and Sparrow darted from the shadows and stood beside their mothers. Moonlight hurried from the back of the clearing and wove between her campmates. She stopped at the front of the group and stared at Bramblestar.

Squirrelflight was shocked to see how small the Clan cats looked in front of the Sisters. She’d grown used to these cats, forgetting their size. She realized once more how different they were—their fur was longer, their bodies larger than any warrior or rogue Squirrelflight knew. Even Bramblestar seemed overshadowed by their size. She wondered suddenly if, for all their training, the Clans could win a fight with these cats. She brushed the thought away. Of course they can. Skill would always beat strength. And yet, how could she be sure the Sisters didn’t have as much skill as strength?

Moonlight lashed her tail. “What are you doing in our camp?” She curled her lip as she glared at the warrior patrol.

Bramblestar answered, his ears twitching with rage. “We’ve come to fetch our Clanmates.” He didn’t look at Squirrelflight.

Worry wormed in her belly, as she guessed that some of his anger was directed at her. He’d be wondering why in StarClan she was defending her captors and why she’d come here without telling him, putting herself and Leafstar in danger. She’d gone against his wishes. What would he have felt if any other of his warriors had ignored his orders so blatantly? Her mouth felt dry. What would I feel if one of our warriors ignored my orders?

“They shouldn’t be here,” he growled.

“Your Clanmates are our guests,” Moonlight told him.

Hawkwing jerked his gaze toward Leafstar. “Is that true?”

Moonlight answered for her. “We have treated them like sisters.”

Bramblestar flicked his tail angrily. “They haven’t stayed here voluntarily. No warrior would! You’ve held them against their will.”

“It was necessary,” Moonlight growled.

Hawkwing glared at her. “Why?”

Squirrelflight looked from Moonlight to Bramblestar as she stood between them. “They were scared we’d bring our Clanmates here if they let us go.”

Bramblestar looked puzzled. “But they must have known we’d come looking for you.”

“They’re not Clan cats,” Squirrelflight explained. “They didn’t realize you’d try so hard to get us back.”

“They’ve only been here two days.” Moonlight scanned the warrior patrol curiously. “That’s not long to be away from home. Don’t any of you ever wander?”

Hawkwing growled. “We’re warriors, not loners. We stay with our Clan.”

The Sisters exchanged glances, but no cat spoke.

Bramblestar let his pelt smooth. Around him the Clan cats shifted self-consciously, as though suddenly wondering what they were doing here, if Squirrelflight and Leafstar didn’t seem to be in danger.

Squirrelflight padded to Bramblestar’s side, her heart quickening out of habit as his scent filled her nose. She reached her muzzle toward him. Did he feel the same way? Or was he too angry with her to feel relieved that she was safe? “I’m glad you came to get us.”

He pulled away, blinking at her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Leafstar limped toward her warriors.

“Not so fast.” Snow darted from the group and blocked her way. “We haven’t said you can leave.”

“Why keep us now?” Leafstar blinked at her. “Our Clanmates know where your camp is. There’s nothing left to hide.”

“No,” Snow agreed, her pelt rippling along her spine. “But as long as you’re our guests, your friends will have to respect our boundaries.”

Squirrelflight looked at her in surprise. “I thought the Sisters didn’t have boundaries.”

“Not permanently,” Snow conceded. “But when one of us is ready to kit, we must mark out some sort of territory to protect her and her newborn.”

Bramblestar’s gaze flitted around the Sisters, stopping as it reached Moonlight. He dipped his head. “I should have seen that you are expecting kits.”

Squirrelflight blinked at him. “Do you see why I couldn’t let you fight?”

He ignored her. “But you can’t keep Leafstar and Squirrelflight here. They’re coming home with us now.”

As he spoke, Tree pushed his way to the front. The SkyClan tom’s eyes were on Moonlight. Squirrelflight watched him, alarm sparking in her belly. Why was Tree glaring at the gray she-cat so resentfully?

“Hello, Mother.”

Squirrelflight blinked. Mother? Had he once been part of this group? She stiffened as another thought flashed in her mind. Were they actually mother and son? Tree—small, muscular, thickly pelted—looked nothing like the broad, long-furred, bushy-tailed she-cat. And yet there was a dark determination in his amber gaze that reminded her of Moonlight.

Moonlight stared back at Tree, blankness giving way to excitement as she recognized him. “Earth!” Sunrise, whose coat was the same shade of yellow as Tree’s, stepped forward, her tail rising in excitement, but paused at Tree’s next words.

“I’m not Earth anymore.” Anger hardened Tree’s mew. “I named myself Tree after you sent me away.”

“Tree.” Moonlight repeated his name, as though testing it. She tipped her head. “I like it. It suits you. You were always a strong-minded kit.”

“Is that why you abandoned me?”

“Abandoned you?” Moonlight looked surprised. “You were old enough to hunt.”

“Barely.”

“But the Claw Stars were pointing to the sunset. It was time for you to wander.”

“You let the stars dictate my fate.” Tree held his mother’s gaze scornfully for a moment longer, then looked away.

Squirrelflight glanced around at the Sisters. They shifted uncomfortably. Sunrise was staring guiltily at her paws. Perhaps their way of life wasn’t as uncomplicated as she’d thought. She saw Creek shoot a nervous glance at his mother. Was he anxious about leaving when his time came to wander?

Bramblestar moved beside him. “Tree is one of us now. If he wishes to know you better, that’s up to him, but he came here for the same reason we did. You are holding our Clanmates against their will. Let them go!” He flexed his claws. “You may be carrying kits, but that doesn’t mean we won’t fight to get our Clanmates back.”

As Moonlight hesitated, Squirrelflight saw Plumwillow and Berrynose drop into battle stances. Hawkwing and Thornclaw bared their teeth. Her breath caught in her throat. “They only want us to stay here until Moonlight’s kits are ready to travel,” she mewed quickly.

Bramblestar swung his gaze toward her. “Do you want to stay with them until then?” he growled.

“Of course not!” Squirrelflight blinked at him. “But they meant us no harm. If we wait, this territory will be free for SkyClan to take in a moon or two.”

Bramblestar stared at her coolly. “That is a decision for Leafstar and SkyClan to make.”

Leafstar whisked her tail. “This is good land. I think SkyClan would be happy here.” Relief washed Squirrelflight’s pelt. Leafstar was backing her up. She looked gratefully at her as the SkyClan leader went on. “I’m willing to give the Sisters a moon to move on. Two if they need it.” She switched her gaze to Moonlight. “But they must let us return to our Clans. I’m not staying here another day.”

Moonlight dipped her head. “You can go.” She lifted her gaze to Bramblestar. “We’re bigger than you, and stronger,” she told him. “Any battle between us would be bloody. But there is no need to fight if you leave us in peace.”

Bramblestar narrowed his gaze. “Strength doesn’t always win battles,” he snarled.

Plumwillow showed her teeth. “You held our leader captive!”

“She looks wounded,” Sagenose growled.

Did the Clan cats want revenge? Squirrelflight gazed pleadingly at Bramblestar. “Let’s go.”

Larksong padded forward. “If they’re letting Squirrelflight leave, there’s no need to fight. Leafstar’s wound will heal faster if she returns home right away.”

Squirrelflight looked at the young tom, grateful for his sense. He was thinking with his head, not his claws. Sparkpelt had chosen a good mate.

“Very well.” Bramblestar signaled with his tail, and the Clan cats began to turn toward the fern entrance.

Squirrelflight lingered, catching Moonlight’s eye. “Thanks for sharing your fresh-kill.”

“I am sorry that we met under such circumstances,” the gray she-cat meowed. “If we meet again, I hope that it will be as friends.”

Leafstar eyed Moonlight but didn’t speak. She was clearly less than grateful for the Sisters’ hospitality. She nodded curtly and limped after her Clanmates as Squirrelflight dipped her head to Moonlight.

“I hope your kitting goes well.”

“Thank you.” Moonlight swished her tail.

“Are you coming?” Bramblestar stopped at the entrance and glared at Squirrelflight, his pelt prickling along his spine.

“I have to go.” Squirrelflight headed toward him, irritated at being called away like a kit.

Bramblestar waited for her to push through the ferns, then followed her out of camp. Her Clanmates wound their way out of the valley. She padded after them, relieved to be heading home.

“What in StarClan were you thinking?” Bramblestar fell in beside her.

She dipped her head, bracing herself for the argument she knew must be coming. “I’m sorry.”

“Going off like that on a hare-brained mission without telling me!”

She could feel his gaze burning through her pelt. “You’d have stopped me if you’d known,” she mewed.

“Of course I would have!” he snapped. “Now look what’s happened. You’ve found a whole new group of cats to fight with over territory. As if ShadowClan and WindClan weren’t enough!”

“But we don’t have to fight with them,” Squirrelflight objected. “They’re happy for SkyClan to have the land when they’re finished with it.” She stopped and looked at him. She’d made a mistake coming here as she had, but it was obvious she’d found the answer to the Clans’ problems. “Don’t you see? I’ve found SkyClan the land they need! Now the Clans won’t have to fight over territory ever again.”

“Don’t be naive.” Bramblestar stared at her. “New territory will probably mean new battles. Since when was any Clan satisfied with what they have?”

“When each Clan has enough, then the fighting will stop.” Why was he being so negative? “We haven’t gotten the borders right until now. But once SkyClan moves, every Clan will have plenty.”

Bramblestar brushed past her and padded after his Clanmates.

Squirrelflight caught up to him, irritation spiking her fur. “I had a good idea and I followed it through,” she snapped. “Leafstar likes the new territory, and now SkyClan will have somewhere they can finally make a real home. You just don’t want to admit I was right!”

“Nonsense!” Bramblestar lashed his tail. “I’m Clan leader. I welcome ideas from any of my Clanmates, and if it’s a good idea, I’m happy to be proved wrong.”

“My idea is a good idea!” Squirrelflight swallowed back frustration.

“You’re only seeing it from your point of view,” Bramblestar growled. “Have you really thought about what it would be like for SkyClan to move again so soon? To build yet another camp? To learn about new territory? How do you know there aren’t Twolegs here? Or a family of foxes? Have you checked every tail-length of this land? What if one of their kits is killed by a snake here? Will you take responsibility?”

“Life is risky!” Squirrelflight ignored the doubt shimmering at the edge of her thoughts. “There will be risks wherever SkyClan lives!”

Bramblestar ignored her. “And how does it make SkyClan look—agreeing to live where the other Clans choose again? Do you think the other Clans will treat them as equals once they’ve finished pushing them around?”

“That’s not my problem!” Squirrelflight shot back. “It’s up to SkyClan! Leafstar wants to move. She knows what she’s doing.”

“I hope so.” Bramblestar paused and looked along the track as it steepened and disappeared among boulders. “Are you sure that, after a few seasons living among these hills, SkyClan won’t feel like they’ve been pushed outside the Clans again?”

“Why should they? This land is right next to ours, and ShadowClan’s. And they’ll have a strip of territory right down to the lakeshore. They’ll be as much a part of the Clans as we are.” Squirrelflight hurried after him, following the path as it snaked into a narrow gorge. Ahead, their Clanmates padded beneath overhanging rock. The star-specked sky showed in a narrow band above them. As the trail opened into another valley, Bramblestar spoke again.

“I was worried about you, you know?” His mew was husky.

“I know.” Guilt rippled beneath her pelt. “I didn’t know I’d be away so long, and I told Sparkpelt where I’d gone, just in case.”

“Sparkpelt was worried too,” he told her. “More so because you asked her to keep your secret. She didn’t know whether telling me was betraying you, or remaining silent was betraying me. You should never have put her in that position.”

Squirrelflight shrank beneath her pelt. “I know,” she mewed softly. “I just wanted to make the Clans okay again. How was I to know we’d be taken prisoner?” As she spoke, resentment bubbled in her chest. Bramblestar wasn’t even trying to understand. Was he enjoying making her feel bad? “But we weren’t hurt, and it was good to see how other cats live. The Sisters have an interesting way of life.”

“And we don’t?”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it!” He was acting like a kit! “They treated us well.”

“What about Leafstar’s wound?”

“She tried to escape.”

“And you didn’t?” He shot her a reproachful look. “Did you like the Sisters so much that you didn’t want to come home?”

“Don’t be mouse-brained!”

“‘Mouse-brained’!” He glared at her. “You force me to lead my Clanmates into hostile territory on a rescue mission and you call me mouse-brained. You’re Clan deputy, for StarClan’s sake! You’re supposed to be protecting your Clan, not putting them in danger. And you’re my mate. If there’s anyone I should be able to rely on in ThunderClan, it should be you!”

“You can rely on me!” The ground seemed to shift beneath Squirrelflight’s paws. Didn’t he trust her anymore?

“Not when you behave like a reckless apprentice.” Bramblestar glared at her. “From now on, I want you to run every decision by me. No more going off on your own ridiculous missions. No more arguing with me at Gatherings. If a deputy can’t support her own leader, perhaps she’s not fit to be deputy.” With that, Bramblestar pulled ahead, his shoulders stiff, and followed his Clanmates as the path wound into a wooded ravine.

Some of the ThunderClan warriors shot Squirrelflight sympathetic glances. It only made her feel more wretched. Did my own mate just threaten to replace me as deputy? She trailed behind. What was the point of talking to him? He seemed determined to twist her words, and he clearly didn’t want to admit that her mission might have helped the Clans. Suddenly she missed the amiable calm of the Sisters’ camp. In her days there, no cat had argued or worried about territory or fussed about whether their campmates were following the warrior code. They seemed to take life as it came, without judgment or complaint. As they neared the Clan border, Squirrelflight’s chest tightened as she felt the forest begin to close in on her.

She could sense that Bramblestar wasn’t going to forgive her anytime soon.