Эрин Хантер - The Silent Thaw

“Do you think Bramblestar’s right?” Shadowsight ripped a wad of moss from the pile and began to press it into the nest. “About StarClan being angry at us for breaking the code?”

“I don’t think it helps to try to second-guess StarClan.” Puddleshine tore open a bunch of tangled stems. “They’ll let us know if we’re doing something wrong.”

“What about my vision?” Shadowsight remembered with a shudder how he’d seen fire rise from the lake and reach out along the Clan boundaries, dividing the Clans with flame before spreading to consume all their land.

“It was scary.” Puddleshine frowned thoughtfully. “But there’s no reason to think it was anything to do with breaking the warrior code.”

“I guess not.” Shadowsight kept his gaze on his work, his pelt suddenly hot. Puddleshine doesn’t know what I know. Guilt wormed in his belly as he tucked the moss between the bracken stems. StarClan showed me the codebreakers. What if the fire vision was a warning? Would the Clans burn if they didn’t acknowledge the codebreakers? I have to tell them! But how could he betray his father? And what would happen to Dovewing if he did? She had been one of the cats in his codebreaker vision. His chest tightened. Am I making everything worse by keeping quiet?

He had to speak to Tigerstar. He couldn’t keep ignoring the vision and hoping that everything would work itself out. There was too much at risk.

As he headed for the entrance, Puddleshine looked up. “Aren’t you going to finish the nest?”

“I’ll finish it when I get back.” Shadowsight avoided Puddleshine’s eye. He didn’t want to explain where he was going. He ducked outside, relieved that he was a full medicine cat now and Puddleshine couldn’t tell him what to do.

Outside, Tigerstar was rummaging through the fresh-kill pile. The patrols were gone for the morning, and the clearing was empty apart from the Clan leader. Shadowsight crossed it and stopped beside his father.

Tigerstar blinked at him distractedly, as though his thoughts were elsewhere. “Last night, the other Clans said prey was running well,” he mewed. “But it’s still thin on the ground here.” He sat down, his tail flicking uneasily.

“Tigerstar.” Shadowsight tried to catch his eye, but Tigerstar didn’t seem to be listening.

“I wish I knew why,” he murmured. “It’s been cold, but no colder than in WindClan or RiverClan territory.”

Shadowsight tried to get his attention again, leaning closer. “I have to talk to you.”

“I guess I could ask Cloverfoot to double up the hunting patrols.” Tigerstar frowned, his gaze flitting around the deserted clearing. “But we’re already sending out six patrols every day.”

Frustration welled in Shadowsight’s chest. His father needed to listen. “It’s important,” he pressed.

Tigerstar looked at him hazily. “What is?”

“I have to tell the Clans about the codebreakers.”

Tigerstar’s gaze suddenly focused. He stiffened. “No.”

“But what if keeping quiet is making things worse?” Fear jabbed Shadowsight’s belly.

Tigerstar squared his shoulders. “We’ve just survived the hardest leaf-bare any cat has ever known. Things are going to get better.”

“But what about my vision about the fire? There could be a threat to all the Clans—”

“I know you’re worried.” Tigerstar blinked at him reassuringly. “But this is the best way, I promise.”

“I’m not sure it is.” Shadowsight dug his claws into the earth, wondering how his father would react to what he said next. “I want to protect Dovewing, too, but isn’t that selfish? I can’t keep this a secret from the Clans because I’m worried about my own kin.”

Tigerstar narrowed his eyes. “You heard Bramblestar last night. He wants to make an example of any warrior who breaks the code. If you tell him that StarClan is worried about codebreakers, who knows what he’ll do. ThunderClan has always thought it was better than the rest of us. They’ll use this to make the lives of the other Clans miserable.”

“You can’t be sure of that,” Shadowsight argued. “What if this means that Bramblestar’s right ? StarClan may not return until we deal with the codebreakers.”

“‘Deal with’?” Tigerstar’s gaze hardened. “What do you mean, ‘deal with’?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “What do you think will happen to Dovewing—to any of the codebreakers—if we tell the Clans about your vision?”

“I’m sure StarClan just wants the codebreakers to acknowledge what they’ve done,” Shadowsight mewed, hoping he was right. “I can’t believe that StarClan would want to hurt any cat.”

“It’s not StarClan I’m worried about,” Tigerstar mewed darkly. “You don’t know what Bramblestar is like. He thinks he can use this to make ThunderClan stronger and the other Clans weaker. He’ll hurt us if he gets the chance.” He leaned closer to Shadowsight, fear flashing in his eyes. “You said it yourself—I don’t want to risk Dovewing’s safety, and I know you don’t either. We both love her too much.”

A chill ran along Shadowsight’s spine. Was Tigerstar right? Even if he is, can I risk the safety of all the Clans just to save one cat I love? He blinked back at his father. “But—”

Tigerstar interrupted. “We have no choice,” he meowed darkly. “This has to remain between you and me.”

Shadowsight watched his father stalk away and disappear into his den. His belly felt suddenly hollow. He understood why Tigerstar wanted to protect Dovewing. He wanted to protect her too. Bramblestar had seemed far too eager to accuse cats he believed were codebreakers. There had been little sympathy in the ThunderClan leader’s call to expose them. What if he did want to exploit StarClan’s silence to impose ThunderClan’s authority over the rest of the Clans? But StarClan sent me the vision. Shadowsight couldn’t ignore the feeling that his ancestors wanted him to share it.

His ears pricked. A panicked yowl rang outside camp. “Shadowsight!” He recognized Lightleap’s mew. Pelt spiking with alarm, Shadowsight raced for the camp entrance.

Lightleap was pushing her way through with Flaxfoot. Snowbird limped between them.

The white she-cat’s cat face was twisted with pain. She held her forepaw off the ground, and Shadowsight could see at once that it was badly twisted.

“She slipped.” Lightleap pushed past him as she helped Snowbird toward the medicine den.

Puddleshine hurried out, his eyes round with concern. “What happened?”

“Snowbird hurt her paw.” Shadowsight padded beside his sister, peering past her to see Snowbird’s paw. It hung limply, pointing the wrong way. It must be broken.

“She slipped as we were jumping over a log,” Flaxfoot told him. “She landed badly.”

Snowbird closed her eyes and let out a long, agonized breath.

“I’ll get some comfrey and poppy seeds.” Puddleshine ducked back into the medicine den, and Shadowsight followed as Flaxfoot and Lightleap helped Snowbird inside behind him.

Shadowsight hurried past them and quickly piled the remaining moss into the nearly finished nest. He pressed it down quickly. It would have to do for now. “Lay her here,” he told Lightleap.

Lightleap and Flaxfoot helped Snowbird to the nest and let her slump gently onto the moss. She grunted as she slid down.

Puddleshine padded to the nest, a wad of comfrey leaves between his jaws. He dropped and unrolled them to reveal a scattering of poppy seeds in the middle. After dabbing the seeds with his pad, he offered them to Snowbird. She licked them from his paw and lay back, her eyes glittering with pain. Puddleshine nudged Lightleap toward the entrance. “Go and finish your hunting,” he told the brown tabby she-cat. “We’ll take care of Snowbird.”