Эрин Хантер - Veil Of Shadows

“No SkyClan, I see,” he murmured. “I suppose I will have to punish Leafstar for her treachery another day, but we still have the advantage.” Gesturing with his tail, he instructed the other leaders how to position their cats to attack the ShadowClan camp from every side. “Those mange-pelts will have nowhere to run,” he growled.

Under his direction, the cats of all three Clans spread out into a loose half circle as they crossed the border and padded through the trees toward the ShadowClan camp. On the way, the mist began to clear, and a gray dawn light filled the forest as they approached the barrier of bushes that surrounded the hollow.

Silently the three Clans padded up the slope and thrust their way through the bushes at the same moment, almost encircling the camp. Bristlefrost expected that the ShadowClan cats would still be sleeping, except perhaps for the dawn patrol making ready to set out.

She was wrong. Her belly lurched as she looked down into the hollow and saw Tigerstar standing in the middle of the camp with all his warriors around him. Their shoulder fur was bristling and their eyes glittered with fury.

They’ve been warned!

Tigerstar stalked out from the group of his warriors and headed toward Bramblestar, who strode down the slope to meet him at the edge of the camp. “What is all this about?” he demanded.

Bramblestar froze for a moment in utter shock, but rapidly recovered himself. “It’s obvious why StarClan seems to have abandoned the living cats,” he snarled. “All the codebreaking, especially here in ShadowClan. You’re the only Clan that has resisted my decrees.”

“How do you get to make decrees for another Clan?” Tigerstar sneered. His eyes narrowed as he cast a cold gaze around him at the invading cats. “This alliance of three Clans is going to drive out all of ShadowClan to please the spirits of our warrior ancestors?”

“That’s right,” the false Bramblestar replied, his calm, confident voice sending a shiver through Bristlefrost.

Tigerstar looked unimpressed. “I’m not going anywhere, and neither is my Clan,” he meowed. “If you and the other leaders really want to dishonor StarClan with this attack, fine, go right ahead. But know this: Any warriors that ThunderClan, WindClan, or RiverClan lose in this battle will have died for nothing.”

Bristlefrost was aware that some of her Clanmates had begun to shuffle uneasily as Tigerstar spoke, his words giving them something to think about. Her muscles were tense, and she drove her claws hard into the ground, expecting that at any moment the waiting cats would explode into battle.

As the two hostile leaders faced each other, with their muscles bunched to spring and their teeth bared, a new scent washed over Bristlefrost, and she heard the sound of many cats scrambling up the slope outside the ShadowClan camp. A few heartbeats later the warriors of SkyClan appeared. They thrust their way through the bushes and between the encircling warriors of the other Clans, and began to pad down into the camp. Leafstar was in the lead, and dipped her head coldly to Tigerstar and Bramblestar as she halted beside them.

“Better late than never,” Bramblestar grunted.

The ShadowClan warriors were eyeing the newcomers warily; Bristlefrost could see the anxiety in their wide eyes and twitching tails. How could Leafstar have decided to fight for Bramblestar? It had seemed like she was on the rebels’ side! Now it’s four Clans fighting against one, she thought with an inward groan. ShadowClan will be destroyed.

“Greetings,” Leafstar mewed crisply, glancing from one leader to the other. “I see there’s no hope of peace between you.”

“No hope at all.” Bramblestar’s voice was smooth and rich, almost a purr, filled with satisfaction at the appearance of more warriors on his side.

Tigerstar confronted Leafstar with a level gaze. “I hope you’re happy with your decision,” he meowed.

“Very happy,” Leafstar replied. Then, to Bristlefrost’s utter astonishment, she whirled to face the attackers. “Now!” she yowled.

Instantly her warriors spun around and launched themselves at the other Clans. For a couple of heartbeats the ThunderClan, RiverClan, and WindClan cats were so taken aback that they remained motionless, staring as cats they’d thought would be their allies leaped at them with bared teeth and flashing claws.

It must have been Leafstar who warned Tigerstar! Bristlefrost thought in exultation. She did believe us! ShadowClan isn’t alone!

Then the battle engulfed her, and all she could think of was how to defend herself. She didn’t want to hurt any cat, but she had to make her Clanmates believe she was still loyal to Bramblestar. And she had to make sure that his body stayed alive.

The ShadowClan warriors had plunged into the battle along with SkyClan, so the whole camp was heaving with tussling, screeching cats. Bristlefrost backed up toward the bushes, though more than once she was carried off her paws by a heavy body slamming into her, or felt a stray claw rake through her fur.

She tried to dodge around Dewspring, but as Mousewhisker charged at him, the SkyClan warrior stumbled back into Bristlefrost and rolled over onto her as he lost his balance. Bristlefrost felt her legs buckle painfully, and she fell to the ground beneath the fighting cats. All the breath was driven out of her, and her face pressed into the earth.

With both warriors on top of her, Bristlefrost was afraid her legs would be crushed. She tried to wriggle free, but though she strained her muscles, all she could do was wave her tail helplessly.

“Bristlefrost!” Mousewhisker yowled. “Help me pin him down!”

But I’m pinned down! Bristlefrost thought, heaving vainly at the weight of the sturdy gray tom. For all her pain and discomfort, she was relieved: She couldn’t help Mousewhisker, however hard she tried, but he wouldn’t suspect that she was trying to avoid the fight.

At last the two wrestling cats rolled clear, leaving Bristlefrost to stagger to her paws and shake dirt and debris out of her pelt. Glancing around, she spotted some of the secret rebels from WindClan and RiverClan, and saw that they were doing the same as she was: trying to stay out of the fight as much as they could, or lashing out with claws sheathed as they tried to protect their injured Clanmates.

Bristlefrost was edging toward the shelter of the bushes when she saw Bramblestar fighting his way through the writhing mass of warriors, batting cats aside as he stalked determinedly toward Leafstar with fury smoldering in his eyes.

“Traitor!” he screeched. “You think you can get away with this?”

Leafstar was standing with her paws on Stormcloud’s shoulders, pinning him down. “The only traitor is you, Bramblestar!” she yowled in reply. “You are a traitor to StarClan, after all you’ve done.”

In answer, Bramblestar flicked his tail toward Shellfur and Leafshade. “Attack that treacherous mange-pelt!” he ordered, angling his ears toward the SkyClan leader.

But the two ThunderClan warriors turned their backs on Bramblestar. Both fixed their attention on two ShadowClan warriors who were prowling toward them. It was clear to Bristlefrost that they had heard their leader; they were just refusing to pay attention to his command.

“That’s against the code!” Bramblestar yowled. “I told you to fight—and a leader’s orders have to be obeyed!”

The ThunderClan leader let out a snarl of frustration and bunched his muscles to spring, though Bristlefrost wasn’t sure whether he meant to attack Leafstar or his own warriors. But at the same moment a path opened up among the wrestling cats to reveal Tigerstar. His chest was heaving and he was bleeding from one shoulder, but there was a challenge in his eyes as his gaze locked with Bramblestar’s.