Эрин Хантер - The Silent Thaw

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.

Chapter 6

Shadowsight tucked a loose bracken stalk into the nest he’d woven and sat back to check his work. A rustle above him made him look up. Through the roof of the medicine den, he saw a bird swoop low, settling for a moment on the brambles before fluttering away. He pricked his ears hopefully. Was that the sign he’d been waiting for? He’d been on tenterhooks all morning, jumping at every sound and movement in case it turned out to be a message from StarClan. Above him, the bird had disappeared, leaving no trace. His heart sank. It’s not a sign. I’d have known if it was.

He looked back to the nest. It was neat and, once he’d lined it with moss, would make a comfortable bed for an injured cat. As he gazed at the long, clean strands of bracken lit by the sunshine flooding through the entrance, his thoughts drifted to last night’s Gathering. Bramblestar had asked him directly if he’d heard from StarClan. He’d hated lying, but he’d promised Tigerstar he wouldn’t share his vision about the codebreakers. What he’d told Bramblestar had been partly true. StarClan hadn’t shared with him when he’d visited the Moonpool with the other medicine cats, and hadn’t spoken to him since.

Worry wormed beneath Shadowsight’s pelt. He’d grown used to the idea of being StarClan’s chosen cat. So why wouldn’t they speak to him now? Had he done something wrong?

Puddleshine was on the other side of the den, pulling apart an old nest that had grown damp and moldy over the long leaf-bare. He caught Shadowsight’s eye. “Don’t just look at it,” he told him as Shadowsight stared at the nest. “Put some moss in.”

Shadowsight blinked at him, startled from his thoughts. “Sure.” He reached for the moss piled beside him.

“Is everything okay?” Puddleshine tipped his head, concerned. “You’ve been distracted since we got back from the Gathering.”