Эрин Хантер - The Silent Thaw

“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?