Erin Hunter - Sunset

“Yes—that’s the clever part of it,” Hawkfrost explained.

“No cat will be expecting trouble.”

“And two strong warriors will be all you need to guard the end of the tree-bridge,” Tigerclaw added. “No cat will be able to escape.”

Brambleclaw took a step back. “How can you suggest killing at a Gathering? StarClan would never forgive us if we broke their truce.”

Hawkfrost shrugged. “StarClan were angry when the fight broke out at the last Gathering—or so Barkface said. But I didn’t see any cat being hurt because of it.”

“Everything is possible.” Tigerstar’s voice growled deep in his chest; his amber eyes were fixed on Brambleclaw with a baleful glare. “You will never be a powerful leader if you keep cringing to StarClan. Or if you’re afraid to get blood on your paws.”

“I’m not afraid of anything,” Brambleclaw retorted. “But I won’t kill at a Gathering.”

Hawkfrost padded over to him and swept his tail across Brambleclaw’s shoulder. “Keep your fur on,” he mewed. “It was only an idea. If you don’t like it, there are other ways.”

“There’d better be.” Brambleclaw wasn’t sure he wanted to go on with this at all, but he found it hard to talk freely—or even think—under Tigerstar’s ominous amber gaze.

“We need to talk properly about this.” Brambleclaw jumped as his half brother seemed to echo his thoughts.

“Why don’t we meet when we’re awake?”

There can’t be any harm in that , Brambleclaw decided. Perhaps if he could discuss things with his half brother without their father listening to every word, he could get things straight in his own mind. He might even be able to convince Hawkfrost that leading their own Clans would be enough, without trying to take over the others.

“Okay,” he mewed. “Where?”

“Your territory, I think,” Hawkfrost replied. “I’ll find it easier to get away than you will, now that you’re deputy.”

Brambleclaw nodded; that made sense. “By the lake, then.

Just beyond the ShadowClan border the woodland stretches right down to the water’s edge. Let’s meet there.” That way, he added to himself, Hawkfrost could stay within the agreed two tail-lengths from the shore. No cat could accuse them of doing anything wrong.

“Fine,” Hawkfrost agreed. “Let’s meet in two days, at sun-rise. You’ll need all of tomorrow to get used to your new duties,” he added with a friendly flick of his tail.

“Excellent.” Tigerstar’s voice rumbled in his throat, the nearest the fierce cat ever came to a purr. “Go now. We will meet again soon and discuss the plans you have made.”

Brambleclaw turned to go, only to glance back as Hawkfrost called his name. His half brother’s ice-blue gaze was fixed on him with glittering intensity.

“You won’t forget our meeting?” Hawkfrost meowed.

“No, of course not.”

“Remember, the way to power is hard, and paved with difficult choices,” Tigerstar warned.

He held Brambleclaw with an unwavering stare. For a heartbeat Brambleclaw felt like a piece of prey, trapped and unsure of which way to run.

“I’m not afraid,” he meowed, trying to sound confident.

“I’ll be there, don’t worry.”

“Hey, wake up!” A paw prodded Brambleclaw sharply in the side. “Are you planning to sleep until leaf-bare? It’s time to appoint the patrols.”

Brambleclaw blinked his eyes open to see Squirrelflight standing over him. “You’re deputy now,” she informed him.

“Or had you forgotten?”

Brambleclaw scrambled up, shaking himself to scatter scraps of moss and fern from his pelt. To cover his confusion, he gave his chest fur a few quick licks. Since the Clan had been in their new home, the senior warriors had divided the deputy’s duties among themselves; now they would all fall on his shoulders.

I can handle it , he told himself.

A misty light was already filling the warriors’ den; the dawn patrol would have to leave right away.

“Okay,” Brambleclaw meowed. “I’ll lead the dawn patrol.

Squirrelflight, will you come with me? Cloudtail, we’ll take you as well, and Rainwhisker.”

Cloudtail stretched his jaws in a huge yawn, mumbled, “Right with you,” and woke the younger warrior by tickling his nose with the tip of his tail. Rainwhisker sat bolt upright, staring around as if he wasn’t sure what had disturbed him.

“Sandstorm,” Brambleclaw went on, feeling awkward to be giving orders to a senior warrior, “would you choose a hunting patrol, please?”

The ginger she-cat dipped her head in agreement. “Two would be a good idea, don’t you think?” she suggested.

“Which cat would you like to lead the other?”

“Er… Dustpelt?” Brambleclaw would have been quite prepared for the tabby tom to react with annoyance at being ordered around by a younger cat, but all he did was stretch and mutter, “Okay.”

“You know, Brambleclaw,” Sandstorm meowed, a trace of amusement in her voice, “you don’t need to worry about giving us orders. You’re deputy, and that’s that.”

“Thank you,” Brambleclaw replied. Trying to sound convincing, he added, “I’ll be loyal to my Clan as long as I have breath enough to fight.”

He repeated the words in his mind as he led his patrol out through the thorn barrier and up the slope toward the ShadowClan border. It was true. Nothing mattered to him more than the well-being of ThunderClan. He would show every cat in the forest what a great deputy he could be.

Regretfully he realized that there was still more than a half moon to wait before the next Gathering, when Firestar would announce his deputyship to the other Clans, and he would be able to sit on the oak roots with Mistyfoot, Ashfoot, and Russetfur.

When they reached the border he half hoped that they might meet a ShadowClan patrol, so that he could mention his new position to them, but everything was quiet. The scents of ShadowClan cats were fading, suggesting that their dawn patrol had passed by earlier. Brambleclaw’s pelt prickled with impatience. He was desperate to tell his news to some other cat; he almost felt that if a mouse crossed his path he would stop to inform it that it was about to be eaten by the ThunderClan deputy.

By the time the dawn patrol returned, the hunting patrols were bringing in their first catches. Brambleclaw dispatched Birchpaw and Whitepaw to take prey to the elders, and to Firestar and Leafpool. Then he called the remaining cats around him and started assigning patrols for the following day. He didn’t want to be flustered again as he had been this morning; besides, he wanted to be sure he was free for his meeting with Hawkfrost.

While Brambleclaw was speaking, Berrykit scurried out of the nursery and skidded to a halt in front of him. “I want to go on patrol,” he announced. “Can I?”

“No,” Brambleclaw told him firmly. “Not till you’re an apprentice.”

“You’ll take me then, won’t you?”

“Yes, of course.”

Berrykit’s eyes shone. “I’m going to be the deputy’s apprentice,” he announced to every cat within earshot.

Brambleclaw gave him a friendly nudge with one paw, and went on giving out the duties.

“Hey, bossypaws.” Squirrelflight’s voice held a mrrow of laughter as she flicked his ear with her tail-tip. “You’ve already assigned Ferncloud to a hunting patrol. She can’t do the dawn patrol as well.”

“Sorry,” Brambleclaw muttered to a confused Ferncloud.

“You go hunting with Dustpelt. I’ll find another cat for the dawn patrol.”

“Later will do,” Squirrelflight told him. “First you can come and eat.” She led the way over to the fresh-kill pile, glancing over her shoulder to add, “Deputies do eat, I suppose? They don’t have to do their duties all the time?”