Squirrelflight's Hope

CHAPTER 8

Larksong slid past Squirrelflight and lifted his gaze, his mouth open. “There’s a squirrel nest up there.”

Branches twitched overhead, and leaves flickered in the sunshine that streamed through the canopy. Squirrelflight pricked her ears as she saw gray fur flash high in an oak. A fluffy tail bobbed along a branch, followed by another.

Blossomfall stopped beside her, following her gaze. She swished her tail. “It’s too high up.”

“I see it!” Mousewhisker looked into the branches, his pelt fluffing with excitement.

Larksong padded closer and peered up the trunk. “It’d be simple to climb.” Sturdy branches jutted from the trunk of the oak tree. The bark was gnarled, easy to sink claws into.

“Let’s leave the climbing to SkyClan.” Squirrelflight beckoned Larksong back with a flick of her tail. She didn’t want Larksong to risk such a long climb. Sparkpelt was with them, and she’d be uneasy seeing her mate hunting prey high overhead.

In the days since Sparkpelt had told her parents she was expecting kits, she and Larksong had been inseparable. Larksong had come to Squirrelflight, asking to be assigned to the same patrols as Sparkpelt. Squirrelflight was touched by their protective love for each other, but it made her feel the loss of Bramblestar’s affection even more.

She still shared Bramblestar’s den and followed him up to the Highledge each night, settling self-consciously into the nest beside his. Without speaking, they both knew the importance of hiding the depth of the rift between them. The Clan must not know how divided their leader and deputy were, although Squirrelflight couldn’t help thinking it must be obvious; she and Bramblestar hardly spoke to each other, and were formal when they did, and they never patrolled or hunted together anymore.

“Squirrelflight.” Larksong’s mew jerked her back to the present. “I can smell something strange.” The black warrior’s pelt was bristling along his spine. “It smells familiar, but I’m not sure what it is.”

“It’s a rogue!” Mousewhisker uncurled his claws. Blossomfall glanced around the forest. Larksong moved closer to Sparkpelt.

Squirrelflight tasted the air, stiffening as a scent she knew well bathed her tongue. The Sisters. What were they doing on ThunderClan territory? “Wait.” She nodded to Mousewhisker, hoping she’d find the Sisters first. Surely they hadn’t come to fight? Padding quickly ahead, she scanned the trees, her tail twitching as she glimpsed white fur moving through ferns. She hurried toward it, recognizing the pelt. “Snow?”

Snow turned her blue eyes on Squirrelflight. Squirrelflight could see panic sparking in the she-cat’s gaze.

“Who is it?” Blossomfall stopped beside Squirrelflight.

“It’s Snow,” she told her. “She’s one of the Sisters.”

Mousewhisker caught up to them. “What are you doing on ThunderClan land?” he snarled at Snow.

Blossomfall cut in. “She shouldn’t be here.” The tortoiseshell flattened her ears as Larksong and Sparkpelt reached them.

Sparkpelt blinked at Snow in surprise, then looked at Squirrelflight. “Why’s she here?”

“She’s trespassing on our land,” Blossomfall growled.

Squirrelflight looked at Snow. “Why have you come here?” she asked gently.

“I was looking for you,” Snow mewed. “You said you have medicine cats. They might know what to do. Sunrise needs help. She’s been wounded.”

Squirrelflight tensed. “Is it bad?”

“It’s not our problem.” Blossomfall curled her lip.

Snow kept her gaze fixed on Squirrelflight. “Can one of your medicine cats come and see her? She’s not far from here.”

Why had Sunrise been wounded so close to their territory? Squirrelflight shifted her paws uneasily. Blossomfall’s fur was already bristling. She wouldn’t be pleased if Squirrelflight treated this trespasser too kindly. “I’m not sure there’s anything I can do.”

“But your medicine cat might know, right?” Snow looked at her imploringly.

Squirrelflight hesitated. What would Bramblestar say if she helped the Sisters? Surely he wouldn’t deny help to a wounded cat. And yet he’d been so angry that she’d found the Sisters in the first place. If he knows Snow was looking for me, he might accuse me of bringing them here.

“Let’s just take a look at the wounded cat.” Larksong padded to Squirrelflight’s side. “It might not be as serious as Snow says. We can patch her up and send them on their way without bothering the rest of the Clan.”

She looked at him, wondering. If they could fix this themselves, it would save questions about why the Sisters had been on their land. She frowned. But Bramblestar was bound to find out. The patrol would have no reason to keep this a secret. And yet she couldn’t turn her back on an injured cat. She flicked her tail. “Show us where she is,” she told Snow. “If I think she needs help, I’ll send for our medicine cat.”

“It might be a trap!” Blossomfall’s hackles lifted.

Squirrelflight turned on her. “I know these cats well enough to know they won’t hurt us.”

Mousewhisker narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure? They held you captive, don’t forget.”

“They didn’t harm me.” Squirrelflight nodded to Snow. “Let’s go.”

Snow led the way past the ferns and followed a rabbit trail through brambles. She crossed a dried streambed and ducked beneath a juniper. On the other side, she halted.

Squirrelflight scanned the forest ahead. Where was Sunrise? “I don’t see her.”

Sparkpelt and Larksong stopped beside her, glancing nervously between the trees.

Mousewhisker padded toward the bushes, which lined the slope ahead, and sniffed them warily. They quivered, and he recoiled in surprise, arching his back as Sunrise, Tempest, and Hawk slid out.

Blossomfall darted to his side, teeth bared. “I told you it was a trap!” Even with her pelt bushed, the Sisters were far bigger than her.

Tempest blinked at her in surprise. “Why would we trap you?”

“How should I know?” Blossomfall bristled.

Tempest ignored her and looked hopefully at Squirrelflight. “Have you come to help?”

“If we can.” Squirrelflight could smell blood and saw that Sunrise was leaning heavily on Hawk. The yellow fur on her flank was stained red.

Larksong padded around the Sisters, his ears twitching. “What happened?”

“We got into a fight with some toms.” As Hawk spoke, Sunrise collapsed to the ground.

Alarm sparked through Squirrelflight’s pelt. There was no way they could fix this themselves. Sunrise needed a medicine cat.

“Should we fetch Alderheart?” Mousewhisker blinked at her.

“It would take too long,” Squirrelflight told him. This was more serious than she’d imagined. “Let’s carry Sunrise back to camp.” She nodded to Snow, Hawk and Tempest. “You can go home. We’ll take care of her.”

Snow stiffened. “We’re not leaving her.”

Sparkpelt looked anxiously at her mother. “We can’t let them all come to the camp.” She leaned closer, lowering her voice so the others couldn’t hear. “Bramblestar wouldn’t be happy. He already thinks you’re too quick to defend the Sisters.”

“And he’s right to be cautious.” Blossomfall fluffed out her fur. “Don’t forget what happened when ShadowClan took Darktail and his friends in.”

“Darktail had always planned to destroy the Clans. He wasn’t wounded when ShadowClan found him,” Mousewhisker pointed out. “This cat really needs our help.”

“Her friends aren’t wounded,” Blossomfall argued. “Why do they need to come?”

“To make sure our campmate is okay,” Snow mewed. “We’ve met your Clanmates, remember? They weren’t exactly friendly.”

“We’ll take care of her,” Larksong promised.

Tempest lifted her chin. “We’re coming with her.”

Sparkpelt whispered in her mother’s ear. “Bramblestar won’t like it.”

Squirrelflight pulled away, her heart quickening as blood spread wider over Sunrise’s flank. “We have to help them.” Flesh showed where the wound opened. She couldn’t let a cat die. She’d deal with Bramblestar later. After all, things couldn’t get any more strained between them, surely. It was a risk she’d have to take. “You’ll have to carry her,” she told Hawk and Tempest. She nodded to Larksong and Mousewhisker. “You can help.”

She stood back as the toms ducked down and tucked their shoulders beneath Sunrise. Hawk and Tempest jerked their campmate up with their muzzles. Sliding beneath her, the four cats heaved Sunrise onto their backs and then, pressing together, began to head for camp. Sparkpelt walked close to Larksong’s side, while Blossomfall circled the group uneasily as it made its way toward the streambed.

Squirrelflight padded ahead, scanning the forest to find the easiest route. Snow fell in beside her as she led the way up a gentle rise where the trees grew so thickly that the brambles had died away. She looked back as she reached the top. Tempest and Hawk walkedslowly, their gazes dark with concentration as they carried their campmate. Mousewhisker and Larksong pressed close, matching the Sisters’ steps paw for paw. Sunrise lay limply across their backs. “We have to hurry.”

As Squirrelflight picked up the pace, Sparkpelt caught up to them. “Sunrise is still breathing, but only just.”

Squirrelflight kept her gaze on the trail. “We’ll get her home in time.” She hoped it was true.

“Alderheart will know what to do,” Sparkpelt mewed.

“I didn’t know if you would help.” Snow blinked gratefully at Squirrelflight. “But I had to do something. We were so far from home.”

“What were you doing here?” Squirrelflight returned her gaze. “You’ve never trespassed on Clan land before.”

Snow’s eyes darkened. “You’re not the only Clan cats who are suddenly interested in the land we’re using.”

Squirrelflight’s belly tightened. “What do you mean?”

“Yesterday, we smelled Clan scent on our side of your border,” Snow explained. “Hawk thought you’d sent a patrol back, but you’d promised to leave us alone. Then Moonlight noticed that it was a different Clan scent and sent me, Tempest, Hawk, and Sunrise to investigate.”

Sparkpelt pricked her ears. “Do you know which Clan it was?”

Snow shrugged. “Warriors all smell the same to me. We followed the scent into the pine forest that borders yours.”

“ShadowClan!” Sparkpelt glanced at her mother. Why were they suddenly interested in the Sisters’ land? Squirrelflight’s pelt prickled uneasily. Had her suggestion at the meeting woken ShadowClan’s curiosity about the land outside their border? Perhaps they wanted to check the land out for SkyClan too. Foreboding dropped like a stone in Squirrelflight’s belly. Were they planning to take the land for themselves?

Sparkpelt blinked at Snow. “Is that how Sunrise got injured? Fighting with ShadowClan?”

Snow nodded. “We tracked two toms across the border and followed them into their territory. We stopped them and asked them what they were doing there. They attacked us.”

Squirrelflight flicked her tail nervously. How would she explain to ThunderClan that Sunrise had been hurt fighting Clan cats? She pushed the worry away. The Sisters’ fight had been with ShadowClan, not ThunderClan. Until a few moons ago, ShadowClan had been their enemy. Why should ThunderClan defend them?

“We hurt them pretty good,” Snow meowed with obvious satisfaction. “But one of them—Stonewing, I think that’s what the other cat called him—managed to slice open Sunrise’s flank before they ran away.”

Sparkpelt’s eyes glittered with alarm. “Should we help cats who hurt ShadowClan?”

Squirrelflight lifted her chin defiantly. “We’re not ShadowClan’s protectors. Besides, the Sisters were defending themselves.”

“But Tigerstar won’t be pleased if he finds out.”

“Why should we behave without honor just to suit Tigerstar?” Squirrelflight returned Sparkpelt’s gaze.

“Is that what Bramblestar would say?”

“Sunrise could die from this injury. If Bramblestar is more interested in pleasing ShadowClan than saving another cat’s life, then he’s not the cat I thought he was.” Squirrelflight could see the camp in the distance. She glanced back at the others. “We’re nearly there.”

As she spoke, the bracken rustled ahead. Rosepetal and Bristlepaw burst out. They pulled up a tail-length from Squirrelflight, their eyes widening.

“What’s going on?” Rosepetal looked past her to the Sisters.

“We found a wounded cat in the forest,” Squirrelflight told her. “She needs our help.”

Bristlepaw’s pelt bushed. “Rogues!”

Snow dipped her head to the young she-cat. “We’re the Sisters.”

“The Sisters!” Bristlepaw stared at her. “What are you doing on our land?”

Squirrelflight pushed on. “I’ll explain later.” She padded down the slope toward the hollow and ducked through the tunnel into camp. “Jayfeather! Leafpool! Alderheart!” She called to the medicine cats as Larksong, Tempest, Hawk, and Mousewhisker carried Sunrise into the clearing and laid her down on the sunbaked earth.

Alderheart hurried from the medicine den, Leafpool at his tail. Jayfeather followed, his nose twitching. “Who’s bleeding?” The blind medicine cat paused, his hackles lifting. “What are rogues doing here?”

“They’re not rogues.” Squirrelflight swept her gaze around the camp. Thornclaw was staring in amazement from beside the fresh-kill pile. Below the Highledge, Berrynose and Birchfall were sharing a rabbit. They blinked at the Sisters, hostility glittering in their gaze. Outside the warriors’ den, Twigbranch and Finleap climbed warily to their paws. Hollytuft waved Flippaw back with her tail as the apprentice arched his back and hissed at Snow. Graystripe pushed away the mouse he was eating and narrowed his eyes. Squirrelflight ignored the tension sparking in the camp. “One of the Sisters needs our help.”

Stones clattered on the rock tumble. “What’s going on?” Bramblestar leaped down from Highledge. He stopped beside Squirrelflight and glared at her accusingly.

“Sunrise is injured,” Squirrelflight told him. “She needs a medicine cat.”

Sparkpelt moved closer to her mother. “Squirrelflight was scared Sunrise might die.”

Bramblestar narrowed his gaze.

“I’ll fetch cobwebs.” Leafpool turned back toward the medicine den.

“Stop!” Bramblestar yowled with a flick of his tail.

Leafpool froze.

Squirrelflight stared at him. “Aren’t you going to help her?”

He thrust his muzzle closer. “Why are you putting me in this position?” he hissed, so low only she and Sparkpelt could hear. “I thought I told you to run decisions past me first.”

“Squirrelflight just wanted to help,” Sparkpelt told her father earnestly.

“It’s okay, Sparkpelt.” Squirrelflight was grateful to her daughter, but this wasn’t Sparkpelt’s fight. She jerked her nose toward Sunrise, who lay unmoving in the clearing, her blood staining the ground. “I didn’t think there was time for a meeting,” she growled icily.

Bumblestripe padded forward. “You’re going to help her, right?”

Thornclaw lashed his tail. “Why should we? We’ve only just rescued our Clanmates from these cats. We owe them nothing.”

“But she’s hurt.” Finleap stared at the dark warrior in surprise.

Leafpool blinked at Bramblestar. “I can’t stand by and watch her suffer.”

Alderheart padded to her side. “That’s not the medicine-cat way.”

“We can’t let her die.” Mousewhisker gazed around his Clanmates. His pelt was stained with Sunrise’s blood.

Blossomfall glared at him. “Didn’t you hear Hawk say they attacked a ShadowClan patrol?”

Mousewhisker narrowed his eyes. “ShadowClan invaded their territory.”

“Two warriors doesn’t make an invasion!” Blossomfall hissed back. “The ShadowClan cats were outnumbered. These Sisters shouldn’t have attacked them.”

Thornclaw lashed his tail. “We can’t treat rogues who attack warriors.”

Hollytuft puffed out her chest. “The Sisters took our deputy captive and invaded ShadowClan land. They’re no better than Darktail’s Kin were. If we treat this cat, we’ll make our enemies stronger.”

Tempest blinked at her in surprise. “We’re not your enemy.”

“You held Squirrelflight hostage,” Hollytuft shot back.

“You attacked ShadowClan,” Birchfall snarled.

“Send them back to where they came from,” Thornclaw yowled.

“Get them out of our camp!” Blossomfall chimed.

Squirrelflight’s throat tightened. How could her Clanmates turn away such a gravely injured cat? She felt Sparkpelt move nervously beside her. Did her daughter want to send Sunrise away too?

Twigbranch padded forward. “It doesn’t matter what they’ve done. Sunrise might die if we send her away.”

“ThunderClan mustn’t have another cat’s blood on their paws,” Finleap meowed in agreement. His Clanmates glanced uneasily at each other, as though they were unconvinced.

“What will Tigerstar say if he finds out we’ve taken her in?” Birchfall nodded toward the Sisters.

“Since when do we let Tigerstar dictate how we act?” Mousewhisker flicked his tail angrily. He looked at Bramblestar. “We can’t let this cat die.”

Bramblestar looked around his Clan. Anger flared in Thornclaw’s eyes. Birchfall’s ears twitched menacingly. Twigbranch and Finleap stared at him. “StarClan must decide,” Bramblestar announced with a jerk of his muzzle toward Jayfeather. “Take Alderheart to the Moonpool and share with our ancestors. They will tell us what to do.”

Squirrelflight blinked at him in surprise. “What does StarClan have to do with this? Do we need them to tell us how to be honorable?”

Bramblestar gazed back at her coldly. “These cats have threatened you and attacked ShadowClan. They clearly don’t care who they harm or how. If we treat this cat, we show them we can be pushed around. And we might make an enemy of Tigerstar forever. StarClan has already told us that the Clans must stand together. For all we know, helping the Sisters might be no better than helping Darktail. We need StarClan’s guidance. Jayfeather and Alderheart will travel to the Moonpool.”

Hawk blinked at him. “Is the Moonpool far?”

Tempest padded closer. “There’s no time to consult with ancestors.” Panic edged her mew.

“We have no choice.” Bramblestar turned to Jayfeather. “Be as quick as you can.”

Squirrelflight could hardly believe her ears. Was Bramblestar going to risk this cat’s life? He should act, not question. “We have to help,” she breathed.

Bramblestar didn’t look at her. Instead he blinked at Leafpool. “Can you keep Sunrise alive until Alderheart and Jayfeather return?”

Leafpool stared anxiously at the bleeding cat. “I’ll do my best.”

As Jayfeather and Alderheart hurried toward the camp entrance, she ducked into the medicine den and returned with a thick wad of cobweb between her jaws.

Squirrelflight followed her to where Sunrise lay unconscious and hardly breathing. “Don’t let her die,” she whispered.

Leafpool began to draw the edges of the wound together. “If I can stop the bleeding—”

Squirrelflight hardly heard her. “How could Bramblestar let this happen?”

“He has to listen to his warriors.” Leafpool wadded cobweb along the gash.

“Even when they’re wrong?” Squirrelflight remembered how tenderly the Sisters had treated Leafstar’s wound. Her heart seemed to twist inside her chest. Suddenly there seemed more honor among the Sisters than among her Clanmates. If Sunrise died because of ThunderClan’s fox-heartedness, she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to forgive them.