The Silent Thaw

Chapter 5

The dawn chill had already faded by the time Bristlefrost followed Rosepetal, Dewnose, and Lionblaze into the beech grove. The sun glittered between the trees, warm now even though it was still a long while until sunhigh.

Bristlefrost tasted the air, relishing the hazy scents of coming newleaf. “Hurry up,” she called to her sister.

Thriftear was trailing behind. “Aren’t you tired after staying up past moonhigh?” They’d arrived home late after the Gathering and talked for a while before finally going to their nests.

“The fresh air has woken me up.” Bristlefrost was happy to be out with her Clanmates.

Lionblaze glanced over his shoulder, his whiskers twitching with amusement. “Young cats need plenty of sleep,” he teased.

“It’s Thriftear who’s tired, not me!” Bristlefrost lifted her tail indignantly. “I like getting up early. I was awake before dawn to send out the day’s patrols.”

“Show-off,” Thriftear grumbled from behind.

“I’m not showing off,” Bristlefrost told her, feeling hurt that Thriftear had missed the point. She guessed her sister was just crabby because she was sleepy. “I want to help Bramblestar. You heard him at the Gathering. We have to be the best warriors we can be. That’s all I’m doing.”

“I wish you’d assigned me to a later patrol,” Thriftear sniffed.

Bristlefrost ignored her. There was no point in arguing with Thriftear when she was tired.

Rosepetal ducked under a low branch. “I think Bristlefrost has done a great job organizing the patrols.”

Lionblaze followed her. “The borders will be marked and the fresh-kill pile full by midmorning.”

Bristlefrost pricked her ears happily. “Do you really think I did okay?” She padded under the branch, letting the rough bark scrape her spine.

“Yes.” Rosepetal blinked back at her. She’d been her mentor, and there was pride in her gaze. “You were polite and firm. And you matched your Clanmates well. Though I’m not sure Thornclaw will enjoy being out with younger cats.”

Lionblaze purred. “He’s going to have to work to keep up. Flipclaw and Stemleaf are as fast as hares.”

Bristlefrost puffed her chest out, padding past the older warriors as they paused at the top of the slope. The trees thinned here, and the delicate branches of the beeches, still in bud, let sunshine stream onto the forest floor. Her paws scuffed over last leaf-fall’s leaves, hardly more than dust now, as she scanned the trailing brambles. Bramblestar had been so sure of what the Clans had to do at last night’s Gathering. They must uphold the warrior code so that StarClan would return. She was determined to do her best to help. She’d set an example to other cats. StarClan would have no choice but to return. She’d be the greatest warrior ThunderClan had ever known. She swallowed back a purr. She was lucky to have a leader like Bramblestar, who had faith in her and who knew exactly what to do. He’d lead the Clans down the right path, she was sure. Soon everything would be perfect thanks to him.

Mouse-scent touched her nose. She jerked her gaze toward an old beech, where tiny piles of freshly dug earth showed between the roots. She stopped, signaling to the others with a flick of her tail. As Lionblaze reached her, his paws barely made a noise on the forest floor.

Dewnose stopped beside him and followed Bristlefrost’s gaze. “It looks like mice are nesting there,” he whispered, as Rosepetal crept up to join them.

Thriftear caught up, her gaze sharpening with interest for the first time that morning. “There might be a whole family,” she breathed softly.

“Let’s surround the tree,” Bristlefrost suggested. “They might have a secret way out. If we cover every side, we’ll catch at least one.”

“Good idea.” Lionblaze nodded her forward. Clearly he wanted her to lead the way.

Bristlefrost crept quickly and silently toward the beech, crouching down behind it and waiting while her Clanmates fanned out around the roots, each covering a side.

“Thriftear.” Lionblaze blinked at the dark gray she-cat as she dropped her belly to the earth. “You start digging them out. We’ll be ready to catch any that try to escape.”

Thriftear nodded and shuffled forward and began to claw away the crumbly soil, using first one paw, then both, until she was digging deep between the roots.

Bristlefrost pricked her ears. Was that a squeak? She tensed, every hair on her pelt bristling with excitement. A flash of brown fur darted from beneath the root. She slammed her paws down, but it was too fast. It shot away and disappeared beneath the roots of a neighboring tree. Another mouse shot from the nest, then more. Thriftear snatched one up. Lionblaze hooked another and gave it a killing bite. Dewnose leaped, triumph shining in his eyes as he pinned a mouse with each forepaw. He killed one and then the other and sat back on his haunches. “Good plan, Bristlefrost.”

“We’ve caught a morning’s worth,” Lionblaze purred. “And the sun is hardly above the trees.”

“Maybe getting up early wasn’t so bad.” Thriftear held up the mouse she’d caught and purred.

Bristlefrost shook out her pelt. She didn’t care that she hadn’t caught a mouse. She was happy her idea had worked. Her Clan would eat because of her.

“Let’s bury them here and hunt some more,” Lionblaze suggested. “We can pick them up on our way back to camp.”

Thriftear hollowed out a space beneath the tree and Lionblaze and Dewspring dropped their catches into it. As Bristlefrost watched them, her pelt fluffed with satisfaction, she stiffened. A thought flashed across her mind. She’d been so proud of her idea that she’d forgotten it was StarClan who had guided her paws. They’d guided the whole patrol’s paws. “We never thanked StarClan for the prey!” Alarm sparked beneath her pelt. Thanking StarClan was the first thing every kit learned. Worry crawled through her belly. She hadn’t realized how easy it was to forget the warrior code. Her Clanmates could be breaking it all the time without even realizing. She looked around at her Clanmates, expecting to see their pelts bristle too. How could they have forgotten something so simple? “We must thank StarClan.”

“I thanked StarClan.” Dewnose shrugged. “Just not out loud.”

Thriftear glanced at her paws. “Me too,” she mewed quickly. “I said it to myself.”

Bristlefrost narrowed her eyes. Really? She was unconvinced. Her sister always made excuses when there was something she should have done; it was easier to keep the peace than own up to mistakes. “Perhaps we should all say it out loud now, so we know we’ve done it.” She couldn’t let StarClan be mad at Thriftear.

Thriftear rolled her eyes. “We’re not kits.”

Bristlefrost blinked at her earnestly. “It’s important,’ she mewed. “You heard Bramblestar at the Gathering. We have to stop breaking the code if we want StarClan to talk to us again.”

Rosepetal’s ears twitched, as she and Lionblaze shared a glance. “Do you really think StarClan would stop talking to us because of something so small?”

“It’s not small if every cat does it,” Bristlefrost pointed out. “I think we should all thank StarClan out loud from now on, after every catch. That way we can be sure we’ve done it, and we can remind any cat who forgets.”

“We can’t start yowling after every catch,” Lionblaze mewed gruffly. “We’ll scare off our next prey while thanking StarClan for our last.”

Bristlefrost stared at him. Why were her Clanmates risking StarClan’s anger over such a small thing? “Warriors have been giving thanks to StarClan for their prey since the warrior code was invented. It must be important.”

The older warriors swapped glances.

“She has a point,” Dewnose conceded. “There’s a reason it’s part of the code.”

“Exactly.” Bristlefrost looked hopefully at Lionblaze. Would he agree?

“Okay.” The golden warrior dipped his head. “We’ll thank StarClan out loud from now on.”

“I’ll mention it to Bramblestar so he can remind the other warriors,” Rosepetal chimed.

Relief washed Bristlefrost’s pelt. StarClan couldn’t be angry with them now. She glanced at the prey buried in the fresh earth. “Let’s start by thanking them for this catch.”

“Thank you, StarClan, for sending us this prey.” The older warriors mewed the words, and Thriftear mumbled along haltingly.

“Thank you, StarClan.” Bristlefrost raised her muzzle to the sky. “It was a good catch and we’re really grateful.” Pride swelled in her chest. She was already showing her Clanmates how they could please StarClan. It wouldn’t be long before their ancestors were speaking to them again.

As the sun reached high above the forest, spilling sunshine into the hollow, Bristlefrost followed Rosepetal, Dewnose and Lionblaze into the camp. She was carrying a rabbit between her jaws. It was so heavy that her neck ached, but she barely noticed; she couldn’t help feeling that thanking StarClan for their prey had made a difference. After unearthing the mouse nest, they’d gone on to catch a rabbit and a squirrel. Thriftear had even trapped a shrew that had darted across her path on their way home. It felt as though StarClan had been sending prey toward them because they were so pleased that the warriors were following every part of the code.

She dropped the rabbit on the fresh-kill pile and looked around the clearing. Bramblestar and Squirrelflight lay beneath the Highledge. The deputy’s rich, deep purr echoed around the camp as Bramblestar joined in. His eyes shone with affection as he gazed at Squirrelflight. Bristlefrost paused, pressing back a purr of her own. She hoped she’d find a mate who loved her as much as Bramblestar clearly loved Squirrelflight.

Squirrelflight started to get to her paws, but Bramblestar flicked his tail toward her. “Stay with me,” he mewed.

“A Clan doesn’t run itself.” Squirrelflight looked at him, pretending to be stern. “I want to check the pile. It’s barely newleaf and I want to make sure we’re not hunting more young prey than we should. The forest can only provide so much.”

“You can see the pile from here.” Bramblestar gazed at her imploringly. Sparkpelt’s patrol had already returned, and the pile was half full. “And there’s another hunting patrol still out. Check the fresh-kill pile when they get back.”

Squirrelflight gave him an exasperated look but lay down again beside him. “I guess it can wait a little.”

Rosepetal dropped two mice beside Bristlefrost’s rabbit. She tipped her head appreciatively. “I haven’t seen such a haul in moons.” She flicked her gaze toward Bristlefrost. “I’m going to tell Squirrelflight and Bramblestar about your idea.”

“Which idea?” Bristlefrost blinked at her self-consciously. Did she mean her hunting strategy?

“About thanking StarClan out loud,” she told her. “I think it might have helped.”

Bristlefrost fluffed out her pelt proudly. “Do you really think so?” Should she tell her that she thought so too?

“Come on.” She beckoned her with a jerk of her muzzle.

“Where?”

“To tell Bramblestar.”

“Now?” She wanted to help her Clanmates be the best warriors they could be, but she hadn’t imagined that her plan would make a difference so soon. She forced her fur to smooth. She didn’t want Rosepetal to see how excited she was.

Rosepetal led her across the clearing and stopped in front of Bramblestar and Squirrelflight. Bramblestar didn’t seem to notice them, only turning his muzzle when Squirrelflight sat up and greeted them with a dip of her head.

“It looks like the hunt went well.” She nodded appreciatively toward the fresh-kill pile.

“Prey is returning,” Rosepetal told her.

“We must be careful not to catch all of it,” Squirrelflight warned. “We want some left for greenleaf.”

“There’s plenty left,” Rosepetal promised. “The forest is so full of prey-scent, it’s hard to know which trail to follow first.”

Bramblestar’s tail flicked impatiently. He looked past the dark cream she-cat, his gaze fixing on Bristlefrost. She straightened as he looked at her, conscious that her paws were still dusty from the hunt. “Are you enjoying organizing the patrols?” he asked.

“Yes,” she told him eagerly. “It’s a great honor.”

“Good.” He nodded curtly. “It saves Squirrelflight from getting up before dawn.”

Rosepetal shifted her paws. “Bristlefrost had a good idea while we were out hunting.”

Bramblestar’s eyes widened. “What was it?”

“She suggested every cat say their thanks to StarClan after every catch, like the warrior code says, but out loud.” Bristlefrost looked shyly at her paws as Rosepetal went on. “That way, no cat can forget.”

Bristlefrost’s heart seemed to stop in the pause that followed her mentor’s words. She looked nervously up at Bramblestar. Did he think it was a dumb idea?

His eyes were shining. Relief washed her pelt.

“That’s a great idea.” Bramblestar blinked at her. “I’m glad to see you taking the warrior code so seriously.”

“I remembered what you said last night,” Bristlefrost told him eagerly. “About upholding the code so StarClan will come back.”

Bramblestar tipped his head approvingly. “I’ll make an announcement to the Clan this evening. If every cat follows your lead, Bristlefrost, StarClan will be back before we know it.” He nodded to Rosepetal. “Thank you for sharing this with me.” He flicked his tail toward the fresh-kill pile. “No doubt you’ll want to taste some of the prey you helped catch.”

“Yes.” Rosepetal dipped her head politely and turned away. As Bristlefrost began to follow her, Bramblestar pricked his ears. “Wait, Bristlefrost,” he mewed. “I want to talk to you about something.”

Her heart quickened. She blinked at him excitedly. What did he want to say? Was he pleased with her? Was there something else she could help with?

Squirrelflight glanced at Bramblestar curiously. “Why not let her go with Rosepetal? She’s been up since before dawn. She probably hasn’t eaten. Let her go and get some prey.”

“She can go in a moment,” Bramblestar told her without taking his eyes from Bristlefrost. “But it’s important our warriors know how we appreciate them.”

Bristlefrost lifted her chin. Was he going to praise her again?

“You’re doing exactly what I wanted you to do,” he told her, his gaze warm with approval. “You’re obviously a very dedicated warrior, and observant too.”

Bristlefrost tried to stop her chest from puffing out more. “I’m just trying to do my best,” she mumbled modestly. “I don’t want StarClan to abandon us. I want . . .” Her mew trailed away, and her ears grew hot as Bramblestar stared at her thoughtfully.

“You’ve done so well assigning patrols,” he meowed evenly. “And by noticing that your Clanmates haven’t been thanking StarClan—”

“I’m sure they have.” She interrupted, anxious they he’d think her Clanmates had been doing something wrong. “But in case they ever forget, I thought it would be a good idea—”

“Yes, of course.” Bramblestar’s mew was smooth as he pressed on. “Could you take on another special task?”

“Sure!” Bristlefrost answered immediately. She didn’t care what it was. She was eager to help her Clan any way she could.

“I can’t help feeling the whole Clan has been a bit sloppy when it comes to following the code,” Bramblestar began.

Squirrelflight glanced at him sharply. “Our Clanmates are loyal and honorable warriors.”

“Indeed they are,” Bramblestar agreed. “But it’s easy to become forgetful and to fall into bad habits. Even the most loyal and honorable warrior might overlook a small part of the code here and there. It’s hard to remember all of it.”

“I guess.” Bristlefrost felt his gaze burn into her. Hurriedly she tried to remember any time she might have forgotten the code without realizing it.

“I can’t fix what I don’t see.” Bramblestar blinked at her innocently. “But if I know exactly how and when my Clanmates might be breaking the code, I can help them.”

“So can I!” Bristlefrost stretched her muzzle forward eagerly. If they both helped ThunderClan follow the code, StarClan would be back in no time!

Bramblestar’s tail swept the earth. “I want you to be my eyes and ears in the Clan, Bristlefrost. You can see things I can’t. I want you to report back to me if you see or hear any codebreaking.”

Squirrelflight shifted her paws uneasily. “Is that fair?”

“Of course it’s fair,” Bramblestar told her. “She wants to help her Clanmates be better warriors.”

Bristlefrost tipped her head. “I can tell them if they’re breaking the code. I’m sure if they realized they were doing it, they’d stop.”

“I guess.” Bramblestar gaze drifted past her. “But it’s important I know too. It’s the best way to help our Clanmates.”

Squirrelflight’s ears twitched. “I don’t think you should make Bristlefrost your spy. That can’t be what StarClan wants.”

Bramblestar looked at his mate. “She’s not going to be my spy,” he told her. “She’s just going to make sure I know if there are any problems in the Clan.”

“Isn’t that spying?” Squirrelflight’s fur ruffled along her spine.

Bristlefrost’s chest tightened. Is she angry with me?

“Let’s talk about this later,” Bramblestar told Squirrelflight.

She stared at him defiantly. “What is there to talk about?”

“You’re overreacting.” Bramblestar eyed her calmly. “Are you worried she might see or hear you doing something wrong?”

“Of course not!”

Bramblestar didn’t seem to hear. “Only a codebreaker would worry about being spied on.”

Anger flashed for a moment in Squirrelflight’s gaze. She looked away but didn’t speak.

Bristlefrost wondered if she should leave them to finish their conversation in private. She began to edge away, hesitating as Bramblestar’s gaze lingered on Squirrelflight. Was he going to change his mind?

“It’s good to see you haven’t lost your fire, Squirrelflight,” he mewed silkily. “It reminds me of the old days. You used to stand up to me then too.”

Squirrelflight looked at him, her gaze unreadable. Was she remembering when she and Bramblestar had been young? Or was she thinking about the argument she and her mate had had a few moons ago, when they had disagreed over whether to drive the Sisters off their territory so that SkyClan could claim it?

They have been arguing quite a lot lately, Bristlefrost realized.

“You can go.”

Bristlefrost realized with a start that Bramblestar was looking at her again. “Y-yes. Of course.” She backed away.

“I’m relying on you,” he told her. “I know such a loyal and smart warrior won’t let me down.”

His words rang in her ears as she padded to the fresh-kill pile. She’d been given another special duty. Bramblestar must really trust her to ask her to keep an eye on the Clan. She pushed away the doubt itching in her paws. I won’t have to report any codebreaking, she told herself. Her Clanmates were loyal warriors, and, if they followed the code, there’d be nothing to report. She hooked a shrew from the pile, imagining how pleased Bramblestar would be when she told him their Clanmates had been following the code. She fluffed out her fur. It wouldn’t be long until StarClan returned, and then everything would be back to normal.