Veil Of Shadows

Chapter 2

Bristlefrost slid between the branches of the warriors’ den and into the silver wash of moonlight that filled the ThunderClan camp. Fluffing up her fur against the night chill, she cast a regretful glance over her shoulder at the warm nest she had left.

I wish I didn’t have to go, but the dirtplace is calling. . . .

While she padded across the camp, Bristlefrost raised her head to see the half-moon floating in the sky, and the glitter of countless stars. But instead of rejoicing in the beauty of the night, Bristlefrost felt her belly begin to roil in apprehension.

Where was StarClan now? Why were they keeping silent?

As she walked back from the dirtplace, Bristlefrost spotted movement from the corner of her eye and turned to see two cats slinking quietly along the stone wall on the far side of the camp. At the same time, the scent of catmint drifted into her nose, so strong that she wondered whether the cats had been rolling in a patch of it on purpose. Tasting the air, she picked up another, fainter tang.

Could that be blood?

At first Bristlefrost wasn’t sure which cats these were. They might even be interlopers, disguising their scent, though Rosepetal, on guard beside the thorn tunnel, hadn’t raised the alarm. Then, as the two cats drew closer, she recognized the impostor Bramblestar and the Clan deputy, Berrynose. Her first flash of relief was replaced by unease as she wondered why they were returning to camp so late and smelling so strongly of catmint.

Bristlefrost headed quickly back toward the warriors’ den, hoping that her Clanmates wouldn’t spot her. But before she could reach the shelter of the branches, she heard Bramblestar’s voice behind her, quiet but insistent.

“Bristlefrost! Is all well?”

Turning to face him, Bristlefrost waited for the Clan leader to pad up to her, with Berrynose close behind.

“Yes, Bramblestar. A quiet night,” Bristlefrost replied, dipping her head respectfully.

Bramblestar let out a huff of satisfaction. “Good.”

His manner was normal—he even seemed to be in a good mood—but Bristlefrost felt uncomfortable talking to him. From this distance, she could see his chest fur matted with blood, dark in the silver moonlight. It had turned his pelt into sticky clumps, but there was no sign of a wound, and he was moving easily, with not a trace of pain in his voice. Bristlefrost opened her jaws to ask what had happened, then bit the words back. She was sure of one thing: Questioning the false Bramblestar would be a really bad idea.

“Good night, then,” Bramblestar mewed, and headed toward his den on the Highledge, while Berrynose padded past Bristlefrost and thrust his way into the warriors’ den.

Bristlefrost hurried after him, trying to tell herself that the two cats had simply been out on a moonlight hunt.

But a hunt for what?

The next morning, Bristlefrost woke to find that the clear night had given way to thick cloud and rain that battered the roof of the warriors’ den. She flinched as an icy drop found its way through the interlaced branches and hit her on the back of her neck. She could hear wind, too, buffeting the trees at the top of the stone hollow.

“And guess what? I’m on dawn patrol!” she announced irritably as she hauled herself out of her nest and shook scraps of moss from her pelt.

She hadn’t expected an answer, but Thornclaw looked up from where he was giving himself a quick grooming. “Like any cat would attack us in this weather,” he mewed sourly.

Bracing herself, Bristlefrost headed out into the wind and rain. Her pelt was soaked in the first few heartbeats as she splashed her way to where Stormcloud was gathering the rest of the patrol together.

The night before, still and beautiful in the moonlight, seemed so far away that Bristlefrost almost wondered whether she had dreamed the encounter with Bramblestar.

But it was so real!

While she slogged around the border with Stormcloud, Molewhisker, and Poppyfrost, Bristlefrost’s brief conversation with Bramblestar repeated itself in her mind. She couldn’t forget the sight of his chest fur clotted with blood. By the time she returned to camp, drenched and shivering, she knew she had to tell some cat what she had seen.

As Bristlefrost emerged from the thorn tunnel, she spotted a hunting patrol just ahead of her, carrying their prey to the fresh-kill pile. Stemleaf and Spotfur were among them. Forcing her aching legs into a run, Bristlefrost crossed the camp and caught up to them, skidding to a stop and almost losing her balance on the muddy ground as they dropped a vole and two mice onto the pile.

“I have to speak to you,” she murmured. “It’s urgent.”

Stemleaf turned to her, his eyes wide and questioning, but several cats were crowding around the pile, and he said nothing, only drawing her and Spotfur away from the others. They found a quiet spot beside the wall of the camp, beneath a jutting stone that gave them some shelter from the wind and rain. Spotfur glanced around warily, checking that no cat could overhear them.

“Tell us,” Stemleaf mewed.

“Last night I went out to make dirt . . . ,” Bristlefrost began, and went on to describe her weird encounter with Bramblestar and Berrynose, the overwhelming scent of catmint, and the blood clumping Bramblestar’s chest fur. “I don’t want to accuse a leader of something so serious,” she added, “but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. What do you think—am I making something out of nothing?”

Stemleaf blinked thoughtfully. “Maybe you are,” he responded, “but given what we know about Bramblestar, it doesn’t seem likely. I think he’s up to something.”

“We’ll have to watch him even more closely,” Spotfur put in.

“Yes,” Stemleaf agreed. “But we know he sent dogs after Sparkpelt because she’d disobeyed him. And now he’s coming back to camp covered with blood. What will we do if Bramblestar is up to something terrible?”

“I don’t know,” Bristlefrost admitted.

Neither of the others could suggest a plan, either. Still tense with anxiety, Bristlefrost returned with Spotfur and Stemleaf to the fresh-kill pile to choose some prey. They were sharing a squirrel when Bramblestar emerged from his den and stood on the Highledge, his amber gaze raking across the camp.

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting,” he yowled.

The Clan began to assemble, those who had been sheltering in their dens hunching their shoulders against the driving rain as they ventured into the open. Bristlefrost made herself take a place at the front of the crowd, though she dreaded hearing what Bramblestar might be planning next.

“I have an important announcement to make,” Bramblestar announced when the Clan had gathered. “Last night, Jayfeather and Alderheart returned from the medicine-cat meeting at the Moonpool. They brought the news that Shadowsight, the young ShadowClan cat whose visions have helped us face up to our codebreaking ways, has gone missing.”

Bristlefrost’s heart lurched at the news. Her forepaws kneaded the muddy ground as she remembered her meeting with Bramblestar the night before, and the blood clotting on his chest. She remembered too that Rootpaw and Tree had been planning to tell the medicine cats the truth about Bramblestar’s spirit.

I wonder if they convinced them. Her apprehension swelled as she added to herself, Does Shadowsight’s disappearance have anything to do with their plan?

“I believe Shadowsight has fled from the Clans,” Bramblestar continued, his voice cold and severe. “I believe he couldn’t cope with knowing that his mother, Dovewing, shared the blame for driving StarClan away, and that all codebreakers must be punished. Shadowsight was weak.”

Bristlefrost stared at her leader in shock. What is he talking about? She didn’t know the young ShadowClan medicine cat well, but she knew enough to believe there was no way he would have left his Clan—and his kin—willingly.

Bramblestar paused, gazing down at his Clan, and his voice grew warmer, trickling from his jaws like honey. “But of course, you, cats of ThunderClan—you are stronger. Those of you who need to atone will do so, and those who resist will be punished. In this way, we will set an example for the other Clans.”

The Clan grew quiet and thoughtful as they listened to the impostor’s words. Glancing around at her Clanmates, Bristlefrost thought that some of them seemed cowed, with their heads bowed, staring at their own paws, while others exchanged uneasy glances. She guessed they might be thinking of their past mistakes.

But Stemleaf and Spotfur, Bristlefrost noticed, had a glint of anger in their eyes, though they stayed silent and their shoulder fur remained smooth and flat.

Bristlefrost looked for Jayfeather and Alderheart. Did they know what had really happened to Shadowsight? She spotted them at the entrance to their den; Jayfeather leaned over to Alderheart and muttered something into his ear.

But the blind cat hadn’t muttered quietly enough. Bristlefrost caught the word nonsense, and from his sudden sharp look she guessed that the false Bramblestar had heard it, too. Her belly cramped with fear.

Before Bramblestar could speak, Alderheart sprang to his paws, dipping his head to Bramblestar with the deepest respect. “Jayfeather says it’s nonsense for a cat to have any reason to fear your orders, or try to escape atonement,” he explained.

Oh, sure he does, Bristlefrost thought. From the look of anger in Bramblestar’s eyes, and the snort he let out, she was pretty sure that he shared her skepticism.

But to her relief, Bramblestar said nothing. Instead he drew himself up, standing tall and straight, and let his gaze travel once again over his Clan. “Shadowsight’s cowardice has convinced me that we must act swiftly and openly,” he meowed. “We must deal with the codebreakers. I am not afraid to show StarClan that ThunderClan wants to make up for their mistakes. Therefore . . .”

He paused, and Bristlefrost’s belly clenched again in fear for what was coming.

“Therefore,” Bramblestar went on, “Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Twigbranch, step forward.”

Jayfeather rose to his paws at once and took a pace forward, his tabby fur bristling with a kind of angry pride. Lionblaze and Twigbranch hesitated for a few heartbeats, glancing at each other uncertainly, before stepping out from the crowd of their Clanmates and facing Bramblestar where he stood on the Highledge.

“I haven’t broken the code,” Lionblaze protested.

“Maybe not,” Bramblestar responded. “But you and Jayfeather are half-Clan cats. The result of codebreaking. And while you live in ThunderClan, your very existence displeases StarClan.”

“What?” Jayfeather snarled. He took another pace forward, his tail lashing in fury. “How am I to blame for the way I was born? I wasn’t around to be given a choice!”

Alderheart slipped to his side and rested a tail-tip on his former mentor’s shoulder, but if he had hoped to restrain Jayfeather, the gesture was useless. Jayfeather shook him off, all his attention still focused on the false Bramblestar.

“We all know,” he continued, “that my mother, Leafpool, who deceived the Clan about our birth, is in StarClan now. If my so-called codebreaking existence bothers StarClan so much, why did they forgive the cat who was actually responsible?”

For a moment Bramblestar seemed to be caught off guard. Bristlefrost watched, fascinated, as his jaws flapped like a gasping fish. “StarClan works in mysterious ways,” he mumbled at last. “I know very well that they don’t always explain themselves clearly.”

“I know more about StarClan than you ever will!” Jayfeather retorted. “And I know that you’re lying. You’re not even—”

Bristlefrost’s ears twitched forward. Does Jayfeather know that Bramblestar isn’t really Bramblestar? Ice-cold panic flooded through her, as she realized that Jayfeather might be about to reveal the truth to the whole Clan. She recalled that Rootpaw and Tree were meant to tell the medicine cats about Bramblestar’s ghost at last night’s half-moon meeting. But the resistance had discussed the danger of letting all the Clan cats know too soon, before they had evidence to prove it. It would be a rash step to accuse a leader of being an impostor. I can’t imagine the chaos. . . .

“I don’t always understand StarClan’s meaning,” she mewed, feeling awkward at interrupting the medicine cat in front of the whole Clan. “They can be confusing sometimes.”

Jayfeather shot her a sour look and muttered something too softly for Bristlefrost to catch.

But she was pleased to see a look of surprise spread over Bramblestar’s face, and to hear some of her Clanmates yowl their agreement.

“StarClan!” Mousewhisker exclaimed. “Why can’t they just say what they mean?”

“Half the time, even the medicine cats don’t understand them,” Sparkpelt added.

“I’m just repeating what the young medicine cat told all of us,” Bramblestar told Jayfeather sternly. “However it happened, you and your brother are half-Clan, which means you are codebreakers. As for you, Twigbranch,” he continued, turning his attention to the young she-cat, “you changed Clans several times, and you even convinced a SkyClan-born cat to come with you. That is how you violated the code. All three of you were named in Shadowsight’s vision, and you must be exiled.”

Jayfeather let out an angry hiss as the whole Clan gasped in consternation at Bramblestar’s decree. Lionblaze took a step back, angry resignation in his face, drawing level with his mate, Cinderheart, who gazed at him, stricken and worried. Twigbranch, however, sank down on her belly and gazed up at the Clan leader pleadingly.

“Please let me atone instead,” she begged. “I know I’m a ThunderClan cat in my heart. That’s why I came back. I’ll prove my loyalty any way I can!”

Bramblestar hesitated. Bristlefrost thought he was enjoying the sight of Twigbranch prostrated in the mud in front of him. “Very well,” he meowed at last. “But your atonement will be very difficult, because I have to be hard on you to please StarClan.”

“I’ll do anything!” Twigbranch promised eagerly.

“Then I want you to spend half a moon away from the Clans,” Bramblestar went on, “and when you come back, you must bring twenty pieces of prey to feed your Clanmates.”

What? Bristlefrost stifled a gasp of astonishment. Every cat praises my hunting skills, but I can’t imagine catching all that on my own.

“Twenty!” Twigbranch exclaimed. “I know it’s newleaf, but I’ll be working alone. . . .”

“If that’s the only way to prove to StarClan that you’re a loyal warrior,” Bramblestar responded, his eyes hard and implacable, “surely you can make it happen.”

Twigbranch let out a long sigh, then scrambled to her paws, her head hanging. “I’ll do it, Bramblestar,” she mewed. She stepped back, trembling, mud dripping from her belly fur, and her mate, Finleap, pressed himself against her side and nuzzled her shoulder comfortingly.

“Half a moon isn’t very long,” he whispered.

Meanwhile Alderheart had padded forward to stand below the Highledge and face Bramblestar. “How can it be StarClan’s wish for cats to be punished for their parents’ mistakes?” he asked. “If that’s true, is any cat innocent?”

Though Alderheart hadn’t named any names, Bristlefrost could hear murmurs of understanding coming from some of her Clanmates. She understood, too. Though Bramblestar’s own father, the first Tigerstar, had died long before she was born, she had heard stories about him from her father, Fernsong. In his quest for power, Tigerstar had betrayed his Clan and almost destroyed them all. He had left his son Bramblestar a terrible heritage.

But this isn’t the real Bramblestar, Bristlefrost reminded herself. I don’t suppose he cares what Tigerstar did.

“Enough!” Bramblestar snapped at Alderheart. “These are the codebreakers who StarClan chose to show Shadowsight in his vision. I’m aware—very aware—that others in the Clan have broken the code, but first we must expel the cats StarClan has pointed out. As for you, Alderheart, make sure you don’t show disloyalty to your leader or try to get in the way of StarClan’s wishes.”

Or you’ll be next. Bristlefrost supplied the words Bramblestar had not spoken. She was sure that every other cat in the Clan could fill them in, too.

“Leave now,” Bramblestar continued, gazing down at Lionblaze and Jayfeather. “And don’t look back. The rest of you, turn away from them.”

Mews of dismay came from some of the Clan, but Bristlefrost forced down her protest. She longed to disobey the order, but it was vital for her to convince the false Bramblestar that she was loyal, so that she could go on passing information to the cats who were working against him. She sprang to her paws at once and made sure she was the first to comply.

She could hear the paws of the exiled cats splashing through the mud, then pausing as Jayfeather spoke. “You may think all of ThunderClan is taken in by your performance,” he spat. “But it’s not true, and you’ll find that out very soon.”

Bristlefrost froze. So Jayfeather does know. Rootpaw and Tree must have succeeded after all. But how would the false Bramblestar react to being very nearly exposed?

She glanced at the leader, but couldn’t read anything in his gaze beyond his usual annoyance with the blind medicine cat. Bramblestar let out a growl from deep within his chest. “Hurry up and leave,” he ordered.

He didn’t pick up on it, she thought with relief.

“Come on, Jayfeather,” Lionblaze meowed. “There’s nothing we can do here.”

Bristlefrost longed to speak to the exiled cats before they left the stone hollow, but she didn’t dare, only standing with her back to them and listening as their paw steps faded away. She could feel the tension in the camp gripping every cat like a set of massive claws.

When Lionblaze and Jayfeather were gone, Bramblestar bounded down the tumbled rocks to the floor of the camp. To Bristlefrost’s consternation, he stalked straight toward her.

“Make sure Twigbranch begins her atonement at once,” he instructed, jerking his head to where the young she-cat still stood beside Finleap. She looked small and miserable, her gray fur plastered to her body by the pouring rain.

Why me? Bristlefrost wondered, though she had enough sense not to protest. “Of course, Bramblestar,” she murmured, dipping her head.

She felt as though every cat in the Clan was staring at her as she padded over to Twigbranch. “It’s time for you to go now,” she meowed awkwardly. “Twenty pieces of prey is a lot for any cat . . . you’d better get started, I think.”

“You don’t have to be so unkind about it!” Finleap began hotly.

Bristlefrost wanted to murmur reassurance, but she knew that she couldn’t let any cat see how she really felt. She hardened her expression, even though her heart was throbbing with pain.

Twigbranch stretched out her tail and rested the tip on Finleap’s shoulder. “Don’t,” she murmured. “If this is truly what will bring StarClan back, then . . .” She broke off, her voice shaking, and leaned closer to Finleap to give his ear a farewell lick. Turning to leave, she added, “I’ll see you in half a moon.”

Her head held high, Twigbranch strode toward the thorn tunnel. A few cats called good-bye to her, but she didn’t look back. Bristlefrost watched her go until she disappeared into the forest.

Turning, Bristlefrost found herself face to face with Finleap.

“I hope you’re satisfied!” the brown tom hissed, fixing Bristlefrost with a hostile glare.

Startled by the force of his anger, Bristlefrost could find no response. She could only stand in stony silence as he whipped around and stalked away from her.

Though by now the rain was easing, most of the Clan headed for their dens as the meeting broke up. Glancing around, Bristlefrost realized that no cat was paying any attention to her. Swiftly she bounded across the camp and dived into the thorn tunnel.

If any cat asks, I’ll tell them I’m going hunting.

In spite of the rain, Lionblaze’s and Jayfeather’s scents still lingered strongly in the grass. Bristlefrost followed them easily; they were heading for the edge of the territory, in the direction of SkyClan. The scents grew stronger still as she brushed through the wet undergrowth, and soon Bristlefrost realized that she had caught up to them; they were only just ahead of her, on the other side of a bramble thicket.

Why are they still here? she wondered. There’ll be trouble if Bramblestar sends out a patrol.

Then she heard their voices rising above the brambles, and she understood. Lionblaze and Jayfeather were in the middle of an argument.

“. . . about as useless as a day-old kit!” Jayfeather was snarling as Bristlefrost came into earshot. “You gave in to Bramblestar far too easily!”

Lionblaze’s voice in reply was far calmer, but Bristlefrost could discern the anger beneath his level tone. “Maybe you didn’t realize we were heavily outnumbered. What were we supposed to do, attack our father?”

“Bramblestar isn’t our father,” Jayfeather scoffed. “And what’s more, that’s not Bramblestar!”

Bristlefrost took in a deep breath. I was right—he knows. And if our medicine cat knows the truth, then maybe there is hope.

She swiftly skirted the bramble thicket and joined her two Clanmates. “Greetings,” she meowed.

Startled, both cats turned toward her. Bristlefrost forced herself not to flinch at the deep distrust in Lionblaze’s eyes.

“What are you doing here?” he growled. “Has our glorious leader changed his mind, or has he sent my own kin to drive us out of the territory?”

“I know about Bramblestar,” Bristlefrost explained quickly. “I know our leader isn’t really himself. I’m here to help you, if I can.”

Lionblaze let out a sigh, half irritated and half confused. “Jayfeather has just been trying to explain that, but if you ask me, it’s all a load of mouse droppings. How can that not be Bramblestar?”

“I know Bramblestar when I hear him,” Jayfeather snapped. “Besides, last night that weird little SkyClan apprentice showed me and Alderheart and all the medicine cats that Bramblestar is currently a spirit, haunting the forest, and not the cat who’s leading ThunderClan at all.”

“I’m glad you and Alderheart know the truth,” Bristlefrost mewed, massively relieved. “Tigerstar knows the truth, too. Squirrelflight is living with ShadowClan. If you follow me, I’ll take you to her.”

“Really?” Lionblaze’s amber eyes reflected Bristlefrost’s own relief. “Then lead on!”

The three cats headed through the forest and crossed the border into SkyClan territory, listening warily for SkyClan patrols as they padded through the trees. Rustling in a clump of ferns alerted Bristlefrost; she spun around to face the sound and spotted Twigbranch’s face peering out nervously between two arching fronds.

“Come this way!” she called softly, beckoning with her tail.

“What are you doing here?” Twigbranch asked Bristlefrost as she emerged into the open and bounded over to the others. “Did Bramblestar exile you, too?”

“No,” Bristlefrost replied. “And I have something to tell you, but we’d better keep going. SkyClan might not welcome us here.”

Lionblaze took the lead, and Bristlefrost padded beside Twigbranch as she told her everything she knew about the false Bramblestar. Twigbranch’s eyes widened as she listened.

“I knew it!” she exclaimed, joy flooding into her gaze. “I knew StarClan didn’t blame me for breaking the code. Only that . . . thing that’s inside Bramblestar.”

Bristlefrost nodded. “Of course. But it may be some time before we can convince every cat that that’s true. Meanwhile, you can go and live in ShadowClan, if you want to, until your atonement is finished.”

“I’d like that,” Twigbranch responded.

At the ShadowClan border, the group of cats waited until they could scent that a ShadowClan patrol was approaching. A few heartbeats later Snowbird, Whorlpelt, and Slatefur appeared from behind a clump of hazel saplings. “What are you doing here?” Snowbird challenged the ThunderClan cats.

Bristlefrost dipped her head respectfully. “These three cats have been exiled from ThunderClan,” she explained. “They’d like to join Squirrelflight.”

Slatefur rolled his eyes. “What, more of you?”

Bristlefrost could see Lionblaze’s shoulder fur begin to bristle at the comment, but to her relief the golden tabby warrior had the sense to keep himself under control. She was thankful to see that none of the ShadowClan cats looked particularly hostile.

“Come on, then,” Snowbird meowed. Turning to her Clanmates, she added, “You two finish the patrol. I’ll take these waifs and strays to Tigerstar. StarClan knows how many more cats we’re supposed to take in to our territory.”

Neither Jayfeather nor Lionblaze looked pleased to be called waifs and strays, but they followed Snowbird without protest. Bristlefrost brought up the rear with Twigbranch. The ShadowClan cats know it’s not our fault, she thought. It’s the false Bramblestar they have to blame.

As soon as Snowbird led the ThunderClan cats through the bushes and down into the hollow where ShadowClan had its camp, Tigerstar emerged from his den, took one look at them, and raced across to meet them at the foot of the slope.

“Have you seen Shadowsight?” he demanded, his dark tabby fur bristling. “Do you have any news about him?”

Bristlefrost was tempted to tell Tigerstar how Bramblestar had returned to camp on the previous night, his chest fur soaked in blood. But she kept her jaws shut. I’m not sure it has anything to do with Shadowsight. And if I tell Tigerstar, there’s no going back. . . . If she accused Bramblestar of attacking Tigerstar’s son, ShadowClan would have every reason to start a war. She remembered again what Bramblestar had tried to do to Sparkpelt. What if Shadowsight is dead?

Squirrelflight came bounding up to join them, her green eyes flaring in surprise as she recognized her two foster sons. Her purrs sounded half pleased and half anxious as she nuzzled them close to her.

“We don’t have any news of Shadowsight,” Jayfeather explained when they’d finished their greetings. “But Bramblestar has used his disappearance to crack down even harder on the codebreakers. He sent me and Lionblaze into exile because of what Leafpool and Crowfeather did, and Twigbranch has to atone for half a moon because she changed Clans.”

Tigerstar’s shoulders sagged as soon as he heard that there was no news about his son. “All right, you can stay,” he mumbled.

At the same moment, Squirrelflight drew Bristlefrost aside. “Hurry back to ThunderClan, as fast as you can,” she meowed. “Bramblestar mustn’t suspect that you’re helping the exiles.”

Bristlefrost nodded. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t,” she responded.

“I can’t thank you enough,” Squirrelflight went on. “You and the others who know the truth might be all that stands between ThunderClan and total chaos. Whatever happens, you must not let ThunderClan fall completely into darkness.”

“I won’t,” Bristlefrost promised fervently.

But as she raced back through the forest toward the ThunderClan camp, her promise weighed on her as if she were trying to lift the Great Oak on her shoulders.