Squirrelflight's Hope

CHAPTER 19

Squirrelflight sat back on her haunches and watched as Leafpool dropped into a hunting crouch. A sparrow was rummaging through fallen leaves a few tail-lengths ahead, sunshine dappling its feathers. Leafpool’s tail flicked excitedly.

Quick! Squirrelflight held her tongue. Would her sister know not to wait too long? She was a medicine cat, not a warrior. One breath of wind and the sparrow might take fright and flutter into the branches overhead.

Squirrelflight was still surprised that Leafpool had asked to join the hunting patrol. “I need to stretch my legs,” Leafpool had told her, hurrying after them as Squirrelflight had headed out of camp with Twigbranch, Finleap, and Honeyfur. “I’ve been crouching in the medicine den sorting herbs for too long.”

“I would think you’d rather go gathering herbs.” Squirrelflight blinked at her.

Leafpool had flicked her tail. “I want warm fresh-kill,” she insisted. “It’s always cold by the time it reaches the pile.”

Finleap whisked his tail happily. “We’ll catch more prey with another pair of paws.”

“I didn’t know medicine cats hunted,” Twigbranch mewed.

“Of course we hunt,” Leafpool had snorted. “When we get time.” She slid past the patrol and headed out of camp.

Twigbranch, Finleap, and Honeyfur had stopped nearby to investigate a mouse nest dug deep into the roots of an oak while Leafpool had led Squirrelflight to this dip in the forest floor. It was shady and alive with bugs. “Always hunt where prey looks for prey,” Leafpool had mewed.

Squirrelflight had recognized the old hunting rule at once. “That’s what Dustpelt used to tell me.”

“I know.” Leafpool purred fondly. “You used to come back to the apprentices’ den after training and tell me everything you’d learned.”

Squirrelflight tried to remember. It seemed such a long time ago. “Did you tell me all about herbs?”

“Of course.” Leafpool’s whiskers twitched. “But you usually fell asleep halfway through.”

Squirrelflight felt a rush of guilt. “Did I?”

Leafpool purred again. “It’s okay. I know how hard Dustpelt made you work.” As she spoke, a sparrow flitted down from a tree. Leafpool lowered her voice. “I’m just glad you showed me some of the skills you learned.”

Quick! Leafpool was still staring at the sparrow, her eyes slitted now. Before it flies away. Squirrelflight held her breath as Leafpool finally leaped. She was impressed by her sister’s speed as Leafpool caught the sparrow before it could flutter up into the branches, then killed it with a bite.

“Well done!” Squirrelflight got to her paws, her mouth watering at the juicy tang of blood. She padded to Leafpool’s side and sniffed her sister’s catch.

Leafpool sat back purring. “Should we eat it now?”

Squirrelflight scanned the clearing, listening for Twigbranch, Finleap, and Honeyfur. “We’d have to do it quickly before the others catch up with us.” Wind rustled the branches overhead, and birds chattered in the sunshine. “Dustpelt would have put me on tick duty for a moon if he’d caught me eating prey before it reached the fresh-kill pile.”

“I’m a medicine cat,” Leafpool purred. “I don’t have to follow every warrior rule. And it’s my catch.”

Squirrelflight shot her a look. Her sister was tempting her. “Okay,” she purred, feeling suddenly as playful as a kit. “But I’m a warrior, so I’ll have to catch something for the Clan before we go back.”

“If that’s what it takes.” Leafpool tore the sparrow in two and pushed one half toward Squirrelflight.

Squirrelflight hooked it and took a mouthful. She closed her eyes, the warm blood delighting her. The flesh was soft and sweet. She swallowed it happily.

“Have you visited Sparkpelt today?” Leafpool asked.

Squirrelflight paused, forgetting suddenly the sweetness of the sparrow. “I saw her this morning.”

“I’m glad.” Leafpool was chewing. “She needs company. Daisy is with her, and a few other cats have visited. Stormcloud stopped by this morning. But she needs to feel part of the Clan as much as possible.”

Squirrelflight’s belly tightened as she remembered Sparkpelt lying in her nest, staring blankly as her kits played with Daisy. “She doesn’t seem to be getting better.”

“It’ll take a while for her to get over Larksong’s death.” Leafpool swiped her tongue around her lips.

“But she’s missing out on motherhood,” Squirrelflight fretted.

“There’s no rush.” Leafpool took another mouthful. “Flamekit and Finchkit will be kits for a while yet. And she’s tough.” Leafpool crunched through a bone. “Like her mother.”

Squirrelflight picked at the sparrow distractedly. Am I tough? She didn’t feel it right now.

They ate in silence until there was nothing left but feathers; then Leafpool rolled onto her side. “Have you talked to Bramblestar yet?”

Squirrelflight sat up and began to wash. She knew what Leafpool was getting at. If she wanted to heal the rift between her and Bramblestar, she’d have to talk to him. “It’s not easy.”

“Why not?” Leafstar stretched. “He’s your mate.”

“What if I ask him about kits and he still doesn’t want them as much as I do?” Squirrelflight gazed distractedly between the trees. “Or I ask him about the Sisters and he says they have to leave? I know he’s still angry that I went off and found them in the first place. I’m sure he thinks it’s my fault the Clans are fighting.”

Leafpool huffed. “The Clans are always fighting.”

“I guess.” Squirrelflight felt suddenly weary. “But this time Bramblestar blames me.”

“Are you sure?” Leafpool glanced at her.

Squirrelflight twitched her tail. “I’m not sure of anything right now.”

“Why don’t you ask him?”

“It might make things worse.”

Leafpool sat up. “Will they get better if you keep quiet?”

“Maybe.” Squirrelflight was beginning to think silence was the only way things might get better. “We only spend time together when we’re playing with Flamekit and Finchkit.” Pleasure fluttered faintly in her chest as she pictured Bramblestar giving them badger rides around the nursery. “I think Bramblestar loves them even more than I do.”

Leafpool eyed her steadily. “Do you still want more kits with him?”

“Of course I do.” Squirrelflight felt the familiar twinge of longing in her heart. “But I can’t see that happening now. We barely talk.”

As she spoke, paw steps thrummed at the top of the rise. Twigbranch, Finleap, and Honeyfur charged down the slope carrying prey. They scrambled to a halt and dropped their catch beside Squirrelflight.

“Leafpool caught a sparrow,” she told them proudly.

Finleap eyed the pile of feathers, his gaze sparking with amusement. “Was it tasty?”

“Very.” Leafpool purred. She glanced at Squirrelflight. “We should catch another for the Clan.”

Honeyfur nodded toward the sunny glade ahead. “There’ll be plenty over there.”

“Let’s catch as many as we can,” Twigbranch mewed. “The Clan will want a big meal before tonight’s Gathering.”

As the young warriors hurried away, Squirrelflight got to her paws. “I’m not looking forward to this Gathering,” she confided to Leafpool.

“It will be tense,” Leafpool agreed. They headed after their Clanmates. “Do you think ShadowClan and RiverClan have come to an agreement about their border?”

“I hope so.” Squirrelflight ducked beneath a branch. “Otherwise, Tigerstar might insist on pushing the Sisters off their land.”

“Perhaps the Sisters have left by now,” Leafpool mewed hopefully.

“I doubt it.” Squirrelflight’s pelt prickled nervously. Moonlight must have kitted by now, but the kits wouldn’t be ready to travel for a while.

Ahead, Honeyfur stopped beside an oak and scraped her fur against the rough bark. Squirrelflight padded past her and gazed into the sunny glade. Twigbranch and Finleap were already charging through the ragged blueberrybushes. What if the Sisters had moved on? Everything would be solved. SkyClan could move onto their land, and the Clans would have no reason to fight. She and Bramblestar could forget their differences, and life could go back to how it was.

Her paws felt suddenly heavy. Nothing was ever that simple.

Night folded itself around the lake, swathing the valley in darkness. After the long walk from camp, Squirrelflight sensed tension as soon as she slid from the long grass. ShadowClan,WindClan, and RiverClan hung back at the edges of the island clearing, their gazes glittering with hostility as they eyed one another. Scorchfur tugged Flaxpaw back by his scruff as the ShadowClan apprentice began to head toward RiverClan. “Not tonight,” he growled.

“I was only going to talk to the other apprentices.” Flaxpaw looked at his mentor hopefully.

“You might as well talk to foxes,” Scorchfur hissed.

Lightpaw, Pouncepaw, and Shadowpaw stood close to Dovewing while Tigerstar wove around them protectively. Only SkyClan seemed relaxed. They watched the other Clans, tipping their heads as though puzzled by the unfriendliness. Leafstar hurried to meet Bramblestar as soon as he crossed the clearing.

“What’s wrong with every cat?” The SkyClan leader blinked at him. “I didn’t realize things had gotten worse. Stonewing lashed out at Mallownose before you arrived.” She glanced nervously at the star-specked sky, where wisps of clouds trailed above the forest. If the truce was broken, clouds would hide the moon and the Clans would have to go home, their grievances unresolved.

Bramblestar glanced around at the gathered cats, his pelt prickling along his spine. “There’s more tension over the borders,” he told the SkyClan leader. “But that doesn’t mean you must make a decision before you’re ready.”

Leafstar caught Squirrelflight’s eye. “Have you heard from Moonlight? Has she had her kits?”

“She must have,” Squirrelflight told her. “But newborn kits won’t be ready to travel for a while.”

Bramblestar flicked his tail impatiently. “I wish she’d hurry up before we’re all at war,” he growled. He padded toward the Great Oak and leaped onto the lowest branch.

Leafstar dipped her head. “I’d better go too.” Anxiety glittered in her gaze as she turned away and leaped up beside Bramblestar.

Tigerstar, Harestar, and Mistystar followed, eyeing one another accusingly as they took their places in the oak.

Squirrelflight hesitated as the Clans streamed around her. Crowfeather, Reedwhisker, and Cloverfoot jostled for position as they climbed onto the roots of the oak and sat, stiffly ignoring one another as Squirrelflight finally joined them. Only Hawkwing acknowledged her with a polite nod.

As the crowd settled in front of her, pelts shifting in the moonlight, Tigerstar stepped forward. “ThunderClan has given WindClan its land back. RiverClan wants to move our border, and ShadowClan cannot accept that. The only way to avoid war now is to drive the Sisters from their camp.”

Scorchfur whisked his tail eagerly. “That’s right. Why fight one another when they’ve got our land?”

Dread wormed beneath Squirrelflight’s pelt as yowls of agreement rose among the Clans.

“We must wait!” Bramblestar’s growl silenced them. He eyed Tigerstar sharply. “Has StarClan sent word yet? Did any medicine cat get an answer from them at their half-moon meeting?”

“Not yet,” Tigerstar snorted. “But silence could mean anything. You’re just playing for time. Why are you so loyal to these rogues?”

Bramblestar bristled. “I’m not loyal to them.”

“Then why are you determined to defend them?”

Bramblestar narrowed his eyes. “I don’t think we should take the Sisters’ land until SkyClan has agreed to move there.”

“SkyClan would be mouse-brained to turn down that land.” Tigerstar lashed his tail. “It’s good land, and we won’t let them stay on our territory forever.”

“You gave them that territory!” Bramblestar glared at the ShadowClan leader.

Tigerstar curled his lip. “And we can take it back, just like WindClan took its territory back.”

“I gave it to them,” Bramblestar retorted. “I was trying to keep the peace,”

Tigerstar rounded his eyes innocently. “That’s all I want,” he meowed. “To keep the peace.”

“By starting a war against the Sisters?” Bramblestar stared at him indignantly.

Squirrelflight realized she was holding her breath. Bramblestar was defending the Sisters. Hope flashed beneath her pelt.

Tigerstar’s tail flicked ominously. “I will fight the Sisters if it means peace among the Clans. Isn’t that what StarClan wants?”

Bramblestar held his ground. “You’re trying to force SkyClan to move again! Look what happened last time you drove them out. A storm nearly killed us all.”

“This time SkyClan wants to move!” The ShadowClan leader swung his muzzle toward Leafstar. “You want SkyClan to have the new territory, right?”

Leafstar hesitated.

“Right?” Tigerstar glared at her.

“I don’t want the land if it means hurting the Sisters,” Leafstar told him, her gaze clouding with uncertainty.

A snarl rang from the back of the clearing as Emberfoot jeered at the SkyClan leader. “You’d rather see war in the Clans than chase a few rogues from land they don’t even want?”

Yowls of agreement exploded around him and rippled through the crowd.

Squirrelflight froze. She pictured the Sisters going about their duties, unaware of the storm building here, ready to sweep them away. Her paws pricked with fear.

Leafstar stared desperately at Tigerstar. “Why can’t we wait until the Sisters leave?”

Harestar flattened his ears. “Why should we?”

“The Sisters don’t need that land!” Mistystar snapped.

Tigerstar held Leafstar’s gaze. “Is SkyClan willing to move?”

“Not yet,” Leafstar answered shakily.

“But would you move once the Sisters are gone?” Tigerstar pressed.

Leafstar stared at him, then nodded. “Yes.”

Tigerstar rounded on Bramblestar. “SkyClan has made its decision. They want to move. Now ThunderClan must support us. The Sisters have to leave.”

Squirrelflight’s heart pressed in her throat as Bramblestar hesitated. Why don’t you object? She lifted her muzzle. “None of us want—”

“Silence!” Bramblestar cut her off with a look. It glittered with rage. “My deputy does not speak for me.” As he dragged his gaze back to Tigerstar, Squirrelflight felt numb. She stared at him. Was Bramblestar going to declare war on the Sisters? Five Clans against a small band of she-cats, and possibly a squealing litter of newborn kits. Shame washed Squirrelflight’s pelt. Was there no honor left in the Clans?

Bramblestar squared his shoulders. “ThunderClan won’t join a war,” he growled.

Tigerstar’s gaze flashed. “But you won’t stop us?”

Bramblestar looked away. “No.” Squirrelflight stared at him, unable to believe her ears as he went on. “I don’t care what happens to the Sisters. They’ve made it clear that they’re no better than rogues. But Leafstar must be heard. Her opinion must be respected.”

“She’s been heard.” Harestar flattened his ears. “She wants their land.”

“Only after they’ve left.” Bramblestar lashed his tail. “And she doesn’t want them hurt.”

Leafstar stepped to the edge of the branch. “Perhaps the Sisters can be reasoned with,” she mewed hesitatingly.

“Why?” Mistystar looked unconvinced. “Reason hasn’t worked so far.”

Leafstar aimed a meaningful glance at Tree. “Perhaps it’s time for them to hear from their own kin.”

Tree groaned, looking suddenly put on the spot. “I’ve told you, it won’t—”

“I know you think it won’t help,” Leafstar interrupted. “But if it could prevent a war—if it were the difference between life and death for Moonlight and her kits—surely you would consider it?”

“I—” Tree began to speak, then stopped himself. He looked around the Gathering, then began again. “I do want peace.”

“Of course you do, Tree,” Bramblestar said smoothly. “So do what you can. Talk to your mother on our behalf.”

Tree looked down at his paws. He shuffled them uncomfortably, then closed his eyes. “All right. I still don’t have high hopes, but I’ll try, if you want me to.” Tigerstar shrugged. “I guess it’s worth an attempt.”

Harestar nodded. “Why fight if we don’t have to?”

Murmurs of approval rippled through the crowd as Tigerstar whisked his tail.

“It’s decided,” the ShadowClan leader growled. “Tree will talk to the Sisters.”

Below him, Breezepelt rolled his eyes. “Why send a loner to do a warrior’s job?”

Hawkwing bristled beside Squirrelflight. “Tree is no loner!” he snarled, eyeing Breezepelt. “He’s a loyal Clan cat now.”

Across the clearing, Violetshine’s gaze glowed with affection at her father, and her Clanmates shifted around her, scowling at the WindClan tom.

“Hawkwing’s right.” Leafstar lifted her chin. “Tree is as much a warrior as any SkyClan cat. And if he goes to the Sisters, I’ll go with him.”

Tigerstar looked at her surprised. “Why?”

“I know them.” Leafstar glanced at Squirrelflight. “So does Squirrelflight. We can both go with him. We might be able to help.”

Tigerstar’s ears twitched. “If that’s what you want.” He eyed Tree menacingly. “You’d better find a solution,” he growled. “Or the next patrol we send to the Sisters won’t be so friendly.”

Squirrelflight caught Bramblestar’s eye. He looked at her, his gaze unreadable. Was she supposed to say she wouldn’t go? He’d silenced her just now. He clearly didn’t want her to be involved. As Tigerstar and the other leaders jumped down from the branch, signaling the end to the meeting, Bramblestar didn’t move.

“Are you coming?” Hawkwing hopped off the root and looked back at her as the crowd began to disperse.

“I’ll wait for Bramblestar.” Squirrelflight watched the Clans head for the long grass. She shifted her paws nervously as the clearing emptied, then looked up at Bramblestar again. He stared past her, then leaped from the tree. Thorns pierced her heart as he shook out his pelt and stalked across the clearing without her. She watched him go, feeling desolate. Had they grown so far apart that they’d never agree on anything again?