“Its den must be in WindClan territory, mousebrain,” Squirrelflight muttered, but she helped in the search, padding along the border for several fox-lengths in each direction before heading further back into the trees.
When the three cats joined each other again at the border, none of them had found the den.
“It looks as if the fox crossed the border. WindClan can deal with it now,” Squirrelflight mewed.
“I’m not sure Firestar will see it that way,” Brambleclaw warned. “He might want to warn Onestar.”
Squirrelflight knew he could be right. The awkward meeting with the WindClan patrol a few days before hadn’t seemed to change her father’s faith in his friendship with Onestar. And a true friend wouldn’t keep news of the fox to himself. Besides, even if the fox crossed the border, ThunderClan cats were still in danger.
“OK,” she agreed. “Let’s get back to camp and tell Firestar about it.”
Squirrelflight lay near the entrance to Cinderpelt’s den, gritting her teeth while Leafpool dabbed chewed-up marigold leaves onto her scratches. Nearby, Cinderpelt was applying cobwebs to the wound in Ashfur’s neck. He flinched, and Squirrelflight gave him a sympathetic glance.
“That should be fine,” the medicine cat told him. “Take it easy for the next couple of days, though. And make sure you let one of us check the wounds every day, to make sure they’re not infected.”
“You say the fox went across the WindClan border?” Leafpool asked her sister.
She looked worried. Squirrelflight couldn’t imagine why Leafpool should be bothered about a fox in WindClan’s territory. It would be much more worrying if it lived on the ThunderClan side of the border.
“That’s right,” she mewed, wincing as marigold juice seeped into the puncture wounds where the fox’s teeth had pierced her fur.
“You didn’t see any WindClan cats, did you?” Leafpool went on. Squirrelflight began to pick up embarrassment from her, and some deep, churning feeling she couldn’t identify. “Like—like Crowfeather, for instance?”
“No. If we’d seen any WindClan cats we would have told them about the fox, mousebrain. We wouldn’t have to think about visiting them again.” Brambleclaw was with Firestar right now, describing what had happened, and Squirrelflight was fairly sure what her father’s reaction would be. “Anyway, what made you think of Crowfeather?”
Leafpool was taking a long time to sort through the heap of marigold leaves. “Oh, no reason,” she mewed. “I just know he’s a friend of yours, from when you went to the sun-drown-place.”
“I don’t know about a friend,” Squirrelflight remarked. “I don’t think Crowfeather is capable of getting close to another cat—especially now that Feathertail’s dead. He really loved her. He must miss her so much.”
“I expect he does,” Leafpool replied. She sounded as if something was choking her, and Squirrelflight looked at her in concern, but she had bent down to chew up another leaf.
Ashfur hissed at the sting of marigold as Leafpool slapped the chewed-up leaf on his clawed hindleg. Squirrelflight blinked. Her sister was usually gentler than that!
There was a rustle among the brambles that sheltered the den and Firestar appeared, followed closely by Brambleclaw.
“Brambleclaw said you’d be here,” the Clan leader meowed to Squirrelflight and Ashfur. “I’ve decided to go over to WindClan to warn Onestar about the fox, and I want you to come with me.”
Squirrelflight wasn’t surprised. But we didn’t warn ShadowClan about the badger, she thought.
Cinderpelt raised her head. “I don’t think—”
“I know what you’re going to say,” Firestar interrupted. “But my shoulder’s fine now, and I’ve made up my mind.”
“That’s not what I was going to say.” The medicine cat’s blue eyes flashed. “These cats have been hurt in a fight and they need to rest.”
“I need them to tell Onestar what they saw,” Firestar objected.
“They can tell you, and you can pass on the message,” Cinderpelt mewed stubbornly.
“Hang on.” Squirrelflight heaved herself to her paws. “What about asking us? I feel strong enough to go over to WindClan. What about you, Ashfur?”
“Sure.” The grey warrior rose and stood beside her.
Firestar’s gaze swept over them. “Yes, you look fine to me. You can rest when we get back.”
“And if you get into another fight over there?” Cinderpelt challenged him.
“That won’t happen,” Firestar said calmly. “WindClan are our friends.”
Cinderpelt let out an angry hiss and stalked into her den, her tail twitching irritably.
Firestar watched her with a warm look in his green eyes. “She gets more like Yellowfang every day,” he murmured.
By the time Firestar led his patrol across the WindClan border the sun was beginning to set. There was no sign of any other cats; even the scent of the most recent WindClan patrol was faint. Squirrelflight struggled to pick it out among the rich odours of rabbit that drifted down from the moorland, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since early morning. They had not gone far when she spotted three rabbits hopping slowly along as they nibbled the grass.
“It’s as if they know we’re not allowed to chase them,” she complained to Ashfur.
Ashfur’s whiskers twitched. “I know. But just think what Onestar would say if he caught us taking prey in his territory.”
Soon they came to a stream that fell steeply over a series of tiny waterfalls. A few stunted thorn trees grew beside it. There were no WindClan cats to be seen until the patrol was climbing the slope that led to the camp. Then Squirrelflight spotted the outline of a single warrior keeping watch on the skyline; the cat whisked round and disappeared as Firestar led the others up the final stretch of turf. A few heartbeats later, Onestar appeared from the thorn bushes that surrounded the hollow and stood waiting for them. Webfoot and Crowfeather flanked him, their faces expressionless.
“Firestar.” Onestar dipped his head in greeting. “What are you doing in WindClan territory?”
His tone was polite, but he spoke to Firestar as an equal, his head proudly raised and his gaze steady. This was not the cat who had pleaded to Firestar for help when Tallstar first made him Clan leader.
“We came to see how you are,” Firestar replied. “I’d have come before, but I wrenched my shoulder in the battle.”
“WindClan is fine,” Onestar meowed. “Is there any reason we shouldn’t be?”
Squirrelflight’s jaws gaped in astonishment. How could he ask that, when less than a moon had passed since Mudclaw’s rebellion?
Firestar’s gaze slid past the WindClan leader to where Webfoot was standing in front of the barrier of gorse bushes. Squirrelflight guessed her father was reluctant to point out that some of the traitorous cats were still members of the Clan—not when one of those cats was in earshot.
Onestar’s eyes narrowed. “Every cat in my Clan knows that I am the cat chosen by StarClan to be their leader. There will be no more trouble. You don’t need to watch over me as if I were a helpless kit.”
“That’s not what I was doing,” Firestar protested. “We also came to bring you some news,” he went on. “Brambleclaw, tell Onestar what happened today.”
Brambleclaw stepped forward beside his leader. “These two”—he flicked his tail at Squirrelflight and Ashfur—“surprised a fox.”
“A young dog fox,” Ashfur put in. “One of the biggest I’ve seen.”
“The three of us fought it off,” Brambleclaw explained, “and it crossed the border into your territory. We think it must have a den—”
“—among some rocks near the foot of the hill,” Onestar finished. He flicked his tail dismissively. “My warriors have already tracked it. We’re keeping an eye on it; don’t worry.”
“It’s more savage than most foxes,” Brambleclaw warned. “Look at the wounds on Squirrelflight and Ashfur.”
“You can say that again!” Squir
relflight murmured, wincing as she flexed her shoulders.
“WindClan can deal with it,” Onestar insisted. “Many seasons have passed since ShadowClan drove us out of our old home, but too many cats still see WindClan as the weakest clan. You act as if we can hardly feed ourselves. But WindClan is as strong as any other Clan and we shall prove it. We do not need help from any cat.”
Firestar bent his head. Squirrelflight saw pain in his eyes and she longed to be anywhere but here, listening to one of her father’s oldest allies rejecting his friendship.
“WindClan did just as much as any other Clan to bring us to our new home,” Onestar went on. “We owe nothing to any cat.”
Squirrelflight barely stopped herself from yelling, That’s not true! Without ThunderClan, WindClan would have died in their former home, every last cat caught by Twolegs or killed by their gigantic, churning monsters!
Firestar lifted his head. “I’m sorry if we offended you,” he said evenly. He gestured with his tail at his Clanmates, indicating that they should leave. “Goodbye, Onestar,” he mewed. “I’ll see you at the Gathering.”
“Do you want a patrol to follow them to the border?” Webfoot spoke for the first time.
Onestar shook his head. “That won’t be necessary.” Without saying anything else, he turned and disappeared into the bushes. Firestar watched the place where he had vanished until the leaves stopped trembling. Then without speaking he turned and headed down the slope. Squirrelflight was about to follow when she heard a low voice call her name. She glanced back; Crowfeather was still standing in the shadow of the bushes.
“Squirrelflight, I wanted to ask you—” he began.
Webfoot thrust his head out of the bushes. “Crowfeather!”
“I’ll be there in a moment!” Crowfeather called back. “Squirrelflight, listen,” he began again.
But Firestar had paused at the foot of the slope. “Come on, Squirrelflight!”
“Can’t this wait until the Gathering?” Squirrelflight mewed to the WindClan warrior. “I’ve got to go.”
Crowfeather took a step back, his tail drooping in disappointment. “OK, I guess it can wait.”
Webfoot called out again, and with a last frustrated look at Squirrelflight, Crowfeather turned away.
Squirrelflight bounded after her Clanmates. She still couldn’t believe the way Onestar had spoken to her father. Any new leader would want his Clan to be strong and independent, but surely he couldn’t have forgotten everything he owed to Firestar?
If that’s the way Onestar wants it, she thought as she caught up to her Clanmates, then fine. It didn’t do us any favours to be his allies. But he’ll be sorry in the end, when he needs ThunderClan’s help again.
CHAPTER 5
A ruffled disc of white light trembled on the surface of the lake, and up above the stars of Silverpelt blazed in the night sky. StarClan must be pleased with how we’re settling in, Squirrelflight decided as she followed her sister along the lakeshore. Her paws tingled at the thought of taking part in the first Gathering on the island. She couldn’t wait to cross the fallen tree and explore.
Firestar led the way with Dustpelt, Sandstorm, and Cloudtail close to his flanks. Ashfur and Spiderleg padded just behind, ahead of Cinderpelt, Goldenflower, and Brackenfur. Brambleclaw brought up the rear, glancing back now and again as if he expected trouble.
His caution reminded Squirrelflight of the uneasy new relationship with WindClan. To reach the tree bridge and the island, they had to pass through WindClan territory, and as far as Squirrelflight knew they hadn’t formally asked for Onestar’s permission.
“It was a lot easier at Fourtrees,” she meowed to Leafpool, with a sudden pang of homesickness. She would never forget the horror of discovering that Twoleg monsters had destroyed the great oak trees where the Clans met every full moon. “Back there, we didn’t have to cross other Clans’ territories to get to Gatherings.”
“Cats can’t possibly fight on the way to a Gathering,” Leafpool mewed.
“I’m not sure. When does the truce start? When we get to the island, or when we’re on the way?”
Leafpool shook her head, unable to reply.
Squirrelflight stayed alert as she and her Clanmates slipped through the shadows with the glimmering lake on one side and the steeply sloping moorland on the other. As they drew closer to the Twoleg horse place, they began to pick up strong WindClan scent, as if a large patrol had just passed that way.
“Onestar and his Clan must be ahead of us,” Squirrelflight meowed. Pausing to taste the air, she distinguished another scent, and a moment later she spotted two pale shapes flitting across the field beyond the horse place fence. “That must be the kittypets who live in the barn,” she commented. “Do you remember Smoky and Daisy? We met last time we came to a Gathering. I wonder if Daisy has had her kits yet.”
“It’s time the ThunderClan queens started having kits,” Leafpool mewed. “The Clan is really short of young cats.”
Squirrelflight nodded. More kits meant more apprentices, and that meant she wouldn’t have to collect any more moss!
They crossed the marshy ground where they had made their temporary camp when they first reached the lake. Just beyond it, a new set of scent marks warned that they had reached the RiverClan border. On the lakeshore ahead of them, Squirrelflight could see a throng of cats; in the bright moonlight it was easy to recognise Onestar and his WindClan warriors.
She remembered how her patrol had first discovered the island. They had always known it would be a perfect place to gather, but they had assumed it would be impossible to reach, except for the strong swimmers in RiverClan. But StarClan had found a way to help them cross the narrow stretch of water that separated the island from the shore. Squirrelflight felt her fur bristle with anticipation as they approached the tree bridge. It had once been a lofty pine tree, growing close to the edge of the island. Now its roots reared up into the air, while its tip rested on the pebbly lakeshore. As she drew closer Squirrelflight could see its needles were already brown and dry, falling like brittle rain onto the stones.
Cats were bunched together around the topmost branches; their flattened ears and stiffly held tails betrayed their nervousness about trusting the tree to support their weight across the cold black water. Squirrelflight watched Webfoot sniff warily at a twig. Suddenly there was an impatient meow and Crowfeather leapt up onto the trunk, close to where it stretched out over the water. He swayed until he found his balance, then started to walk along the trunk, placing each paw carefully until he was near enough to the opposite shore to jump down safely.
Squirrelflight wanted to push forward and scramble along the trunk so she could explore the island too, but she made herself wait, claws scraping impatiently on the stones. She was conscious of Brambleclaw watching her with amber eyes that gave away nothing of what he felt. Turning her back on him, she padded over to Ashfur.
“This is great!” he meowed, touching his nose to her ear. “I can’t wait to get over there.”
“Me neither,” Squirrelflight agreed.
More WindClan cats began to cross, gripping the trunk with their claws as they advanced pawstep by pawstep towards the far shore. When Firestar waved his tail for the ThunderClan cats to follow, Squirrelflight started forward eagerly, only to bump into Leafpool, who was gazing across the water to the island.
“What’s the matter?” Squirrelflight mewed. “For StarClan’s sake, get a move on!”
Leafpool jumped. “Sorry!”
As Tornear leapt up onto the tree bridge, Onestar padded across and spoke quickly to Firestar before following his warrior. Firestar beckoned his Clan around him.
“RiverClan and ShadowClan have already crossed,” he meowed. “Onestar told me Leopardstar and Blackstar agreed we should all have a chance to explore the island before the Gathering.”
“Where will we meet when it starts?” Cloudtail asked.
Firestar twitched his ears. “Only StarClan knows, until we get
over there. But you shouldn’t get lost. The island’s not that big.”
He jumped on to the tree trunk, followed by Sandstorm and Cloudtail. At last it was Squirrelflight’s turn. She crouched and sprang into the air; the trunk bounced under her weight as she landed. Her fur fluffed out in alarm and she sank her claws into the bark to keep her balance. Suddenly she was conscious of how narrow the trunk was, and how close the water was, lapping at the half-submerged branches beneath her.
“Go on,” Ashfur meowed. “You’re keeping every cat waiting.”
Cautiously Squirrelflight edged out along the tree trunk. The trunk bounced even harder as more cats sprang up behind her, and the branches scraped her pelt as she wove her way between them. But gradually she got used to the motion, and the trunk grew thicker as she crept out across the lake. Her confidence grew; when the branches came to an end she broke into a run until she hurled herself with a yowl of triumph onto the shore on the other side.
Dustpelt leapt into the air and spun to face her. “Great StarClan, you startled me!” he exclaimed. “Any cat would think you were still a kit, the way you behave.”
“Sorry, Dustpelt.” Seeing his tail curl up with amusement, Squirrelflight guessed the brown tabby warrior was as excited as she was to be in their new Gathering place.
She waited in the shelter of the tree roots while Ashfur, Leafpool, and then Brambleclaw crossed. As soon as the broad-shouldered tabby warrior landed on the pebbles, he veered away to join another muscular warrior, as much like Brambleclaw as his reflection in the lake.
“Hawkfrost!” Squirrelflight hissed. “I might have known.”
“There you are, Brambleclaw,” she heard the RiverClan cat meow. “I was hoping you’d be here tonight. Come on—there’s something I want to show you.”
The two cats padded off side by side.
Squirrelflight turned back to look for Leafpool and saw her racing across the shore to join Hawkfrost’s sister, Mothwing, who was the RiverClan medicine cat. The beautiful golden tabby twined her tail with Leafpool’s, excitedly telling her something that Squirrelflight was too far away to hear.