Эрин Хантер - The Silent Thaw

Reluctantly, Rootpaw rolled in the leaf litter until he could feel his fur itching with it. He got to his paws, resisting the urge to shake his pelt out.

“We need to find a shady place where we can hide.” Tree led Rootpaw between the trees until they reached a spot where a sprawling bramble spilled between the alders. He crouched beside it, hunching down in its shadow. “Now we just sit quietly until the prey comes,” he whispered.

Rootpaw ducked and squeezed in beside him. “Wouldn’t it be quicker to find a prey trail and track it?”

“Sometimes it’s better to let prey come to you.” Tree’s litter-specked pelt brushed Rootpaw’s as he shifted to get more comfortable. “Warriors insist on making everything harder than it should be.”

Rootpaw bristled. Why did Tree have to criticize Clan cats all the time? “They just want to be the best warriors they can be. Is there something wrong with that?”

“Nothing.” Tree purred. “But it’s nice just to sit around with another cat while you’re pretending to be a bush.” He glanced at Rootpaw. “It’s a good excuse to talk.”

Does he know something? Rootpaw wondered, dread tingling in his belly. Is that why Tree brought me here? To talk? He glanced suspiciously at his father. “What about?”

“Leaving the Clans.”

Alarm pricked in Rootpaw’s pelt. “But . . . I’m about to become a warrior,” he mewed. “I’ve been training for moons.” Tree had talked about leaving the forest after the last Gathering when Bramblestar had suggested that cats should start accusing one another of crimes that could get them expelled. He’d been worried that it was the sort of rule Darktail would have made. Rootpaw had heard all about Darktail and the Kin and how they had taken over ShadowClan first, then the other Clans, and killed and starved any warrior who’d stood in their way. Tree had said that it would be safer to live as rogues than to live with Clans who behaved like rogues.

Tree gazed thoughtfully into the distance. “I’m not saying we have to leave now. But this Gathering wasn’t any better than the last one. I don’t think Bramblestar is going to let go of this codebreaking issue any time soon. The Clans are changing, and I think that you, Needlepaw, Violetshine, and I need to be prepared to walk our own path if we have to.”

Rootpaw frowned. Bramblestar’s ghost would leave him alone if he left the Clan. That would be good. But was it worth becoming a rogue? “I think we should stick it out. Isn’t that what being a warrior is all about?”

“Maybe, but I’m not sure staying would be good for any of us.” Tree glanced at Rootpaw anxiously. “Why did you run away after the Gathering? It’s not like you.”

Rootpaw felt hot. “I saw something that startled me, that’s all.”

“What startled you?” Tree’s gaze darkened.

“It doesn’t matter.” Rootpaw wished his father would stop questioning him. What could he say? That he’d seen a ghost? What if Tree was proud that he shared the same weirdness?

Tree shifted beside him. “If there’s anything you’re worried about, you can always talk to me,” he mewed softly.

“I know.” Rootpaw felt a flood of affection for his father. He wasn’t like other Clan cats, but he never hid how much he loved Rootpaw, Needlepaw, and Violetshine. Rootpaw felt suddenly lucky to have him. He wished he could tell him about Bramblestar’s ghost. But how would it help? His heart lurched as a pelt shimmered among the alders. He recognized the ghostly fur. Bramblestar had found him and was pacing between the trees a few tail-lengths away. At least the ghost isn’t trying to get my attention. Rootpaw watched Bramblestar out of the corner of his eye as the ThunderClan leader paused and seemed to taste the air. Perhaps my bush disguise worked, he thought. Perhaps it can’t see me. Disappointment pierced his chest as Bramblestar stiffened, his eyes brightening as he caught sight of Rootpaw. Mouse dung!

“Did you learn anything from Fidgetflake?” Bramblestar padded nearer and stared at Rootpaw eagerly. “Do you know who the other Bramblestar is yet?”

Rootpaw blinked back at the ghost helplessly. Did it really expect him to speak? Are you blind? Tree’s sitting right next to me! Rootpaw stiffened as an idea flashed in his mind. Would Tree be able to see the apparition here? “Look,” he mewed loudly, nudging Tree with a paw. A bird was hopping along the branch above Bramblestar’s head. “Should we catch it?”

As Tree stared thoughtfully at the bird, Rootpaw willed him to notice the ghost standing underneath.

“It looks jumpy,” Tree mewed. “It’ll fly away the moment it sees us move.”

Rootpaw’s heart sank. His father still couldn’t see Bramblestar’s ghost. Why not? Frustration welled in his chest. If you can see ghosts, why not this one?

Tree got to his paws and shook the leaf litter from his pelt. He blinked at Rootpaw. “Would you think about leaving the Clans if things get worse?”

Rootpaw shrugged, feeling Bramblestar’s gaze on his pelt. “I don’t know. I want to be a warrior.”

“Think about it,” Tree told him. “I know it’s complicated, but with every Gathering, I can’t help feeling more sure it would be for the best. I don’t like where Bramblestar is leading the Clans. If he pushes this codebreaker talk much further, I think we ought to go.”

Rootpaw saw Bramblestar’s ghost shift uneasily. He wanted to tell his father everything. Tree might know a way to get rid of the apparition. He hesitated. But if Tree knew there were two Bramblestars causing trouble, would he insist on leaving straight away? Rootpaw couldn’t risk it. He wasn’t ready to give up his chance to become a SkyClan warrior. He would have to make this ghost go away by himself. He looked into his father’s eyes. “It will work out,” he mewed earnestly. “I know it will. The Clans won’t let anything really bad happen.”

Tree narrowed his gaze. “I hope so,” he mewed darkly. “But I’ve seen more of life than you. Sometimes things don’t work out the way we want.” He brushed leaf litter from Rootpaw’s pelt with his tail. “Are you coming back to camp?”

“I’ll stay here and practice some hunting moves,” Rootpaw told him. He was going to talk to the ghost. The time had come, and even if he couldn’t answer its questions, he could find out what it wanted and, like Fidgetflake had told him, try to figure out a way to honor its wishes. He blinked at his father. “I want to be ready for my assessment.”

“See you later.” Tree touched his nose to Rootpaw’s ear, his breath billowing in the chilly air, then headed between the trees.

The ghost turned its head to watch the yellow tom disappear, then slumped onto the ground. Resting its chin on its forepaws, it stared blankly at Rootpaw. “I don’t know what’s happening,” it murmured. “But if warriors are thinking about leaving the Clans already, it can’t be good.”

Rootpaw stared at Bramblestar. Was he giving up? “You must have some idea what’s going on.”

Bramblestar started in surprise. This was the first time Rootpaw had addressed him. “I’m just as confused as you are,” the ghost confessed.

Rootpaw frowned, thinking. “Perhaps you just need to go back to StarClan.”

“I don’t know how,” Bramblestar told him. “I haven’t seen a single StarClan cat since I died. I’m stuck in the forest.”

“Why can’t you go back to your body?”

“There’s some other cat in it, or haven’t you noticed?”

“Who?” Rootpaw began to pace.

“I don’t know.”

Rootpaw stared at the ghost cat. “Do you think I can do something about it?” he asked. “Because I can’t. I’m not a medicine cat. I’m not even a warrior yet. I don’t even know why you keep following me. There must be another cat who can help you.”