Erin Hunter - Starlight

Blackstar nodded. “We’ll check that out as soon as we arrive.”

“Then ThunderClan’s territory will begin at the clearing,” Firestar meowed. “And Brambleclaw says there’s a stream on the other side of the woods, at the foot of the ridge of hills, that might make a good boundary with WindClan.”

“RiverClan’s territory will begin here at the horseplace.”

Leopardstar spoke up. “And stretch as far as the Thunderpath at the edge of the pinewoods.”

“Then WindClan territory will be from the horseplace to the stream that Firestar mentioned,” Onewhisker meowed.

Brambleclaw caught Tawnypelt’s eye across the clearing and nodded. That sounded fair. Each Clan would have a good stretch of territory with access to the lake and plenty of space for hunting the prey they were most used to.

“This is only a rough idea,” Firestar warned. “We need to get to know the territory better before we put down our scent markers. We’ll announce the exact boundaries at the next Gathering.”

“And let’s try to do it without fighting,” Barkface called out. “Before you claw some warrior’s ear off, kindly remember that we medicine cats haven’t had time to build up our stores of herbs yet.”

A ripple of amusement passed through the cats, and Brambleclaw spotted more than one warrior nodding in agreement. But it wasn’t the threat of a low supply of herbs that made fighting seem wrong. Much more than that, it would feel strange to fight cats who had struggled side by side to survive the destruction of the forest and the long journey through the mountains.

“Let’s get going,” Firestar urged. “And may StarClan be with us all.” He jumped down and padded over to the ThunderClan cats, his tail sticking straight up in the air with barely restrained excitement. “Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight, you’d better lead, as you know the way.”

Brambleclaw dipped his head and went to the front of the Clan. This felt right—after all, he had brought them this far.

His Clanmates should know how much he had done for them, to find their new home. And maybe, just maybe, Firestar would realize that he deserved to be made deputy.

As they began to make their way through the trees, Onewhisker hailed them, bounding over with his Clan behind him. “I thought we’d travel together for a while,” he meowed to Firestar. “We’re going in the same direction.”

Firestar nodded. “Good idea.”

As they continued, Brambleclaw noticed that Crowfeather was among the cats at the front of his Clan, but the young warrior didn’t even glance sideways at Brambleclaw. Instead, he kept his gaze fixed straight ahead, padding determinedly down toward the shore of the lake where they would pick up a trail that led to the ridge of hills.

Just behind him, Brambleclaw saw Mudclaw scowling at Onewhisker, but it was impossible to tell whether his hostility came from simple envy, or because he didn’t want to travel with ThunderClan.

A little way off, RiverClan and ShadowClan were heading slantwise across the slope in the opposite direction.

Narrowing his eyes, Brambleclaw recognized Hawkfrost at the edge of his Clanmates. At exactly the same instant, he turned and met Brambleclaw’s gaze. Murmuring something to the warrior beside him, he bounded away from his Clan and came over.

“Brambleclaw.” Hawkfrost dipped his head in the formal greeting, but his ice-blue eyes were friendly. “Good luck in your new territory. May StarClan be with you.”

“And with you,” Brambleclaw responded.

“I’m looking forward to meeting you again at Gatherings,” Hawkfrost added. His eyes searched Brambleclaw’s as if there were more that he wanted to say, but a yowl from one of his Clanmates made him jerk his head around. The two Clans had almost reached the shore of the lake, and if he wasn’t careful he would have a long run to catch up. “I have to go,” he meowed to Brambleclaw. “Until the Gathering, then.” He blinked, then whipped around and raced back to his Clan.

“Until the Gathering!” Brambleclaw called after him, and his heart twisted with regret that the opportunity to know his half brother better was gone.

“Do you think we can get a move on?” Squirrelflight complained. “Or are you planning to stand gossiping all day?”

“He was only trying to be friendly!” Brambleclaw retorted angrily.

“Friendly?” Squirrelflight hissed, her eyes stretched wide with disbelief. “We can do without his friendship. Look at the way he tried to grab the island for RiverClan’s camp.”

“He wasn’t trying to grab the island. No other Clan can use it. He was only trying to do his best for RiverClan.”

“If you believe that, you’ll believe anything.” Squirrelflight whisked around with her tail in the air and stalked on.

As Brambleclaw followed her, he could see tension prickling in every hair on her pelt. His belly clenched with pain. Of all the friendships he had made on the long journey, surely this one should have survived the separation of the Clans?

Instead, it had vanished as quickly as dew in morning sunlight, because Squirrelflight couldn’t bear to see him with his half brother. And if she thought he would rather be friends with Hawkfrost than with her, she was wrong. It was Squirrelflight that Brambleclaw wanted, and he missed her so much it took his breath away.

ThunderClan and WindClan followed the edge of the lake, slipping quietly past the fence of the horseplace and then climbing the hill a little way so they could look down on the shining expanse of water. On the shore near the island Brambleclaw could just make out two groups of tiny dots, moving slowly: ShadowClan and RiverClan, heading for their own new territories. At that distance he could not distinguish individual cats, but he knew that his sister, his half brother, and his half sister Mothwing would be among them, and whatever trouble Hawkfrost had caused between him and Squirrelflight, he wished them well.

The cats padded across the hillside together until they reached a narrow fold in the hill with rocks jutting out of the tough grass and a trickle of water along the bottom.

Onewhisker stopped and gathered his Clan around him with a wave of his tail. “We’ll leave you here,” he meowed to Firestar. “This should lead up to the ridge where Crowfeather found our camp.” Dipping his head, he added, “Our thanks go with you to your new home. Without you, WindClan would never have seen these hills.”

Brambleclaw heard a suppressed hiss from among the WindClan warriors. He couldn’t see which cat it came from, but he didn’t need to. Mudclaw would be the first to resent any suggestion that WindClan owed thanks to ThunderClan.

Firestar swept his tail lightly across Onewhisker’s shoulder. “Go well. StarClan has found a good home for all of us.”

Lowering his voice, he added, “If there’s any trouble, let me know. ThunderClan will be glad to help.”

Brambleclaw wasn’t sure he had been meant to hear that, and he drew away in case Firestar realized he was aware of the ThunderClan leader’s promise. Brambleclaw’s fur pricked.

Surely it was a bad idea for Onewhisker to rely on the leader of another Clan for support? And not just that—Onewhisker knew that Firestar and Brambleclaw were the only other cats who knew what Tallstar had said, and not said, when appointing his new deputy. He was relying on them to keep his secret, to be loyal to him beyond the demands of the warrior code, and support his leadership even though it might not be approved by StarClan.

The two leaders made their farewells, echoed by other cats in both Clans as WindClan began the steep climb up the ravine. The ThunderClan cats stood watching them for a while; Brambleclaw noticed Leafpaw, a bunch of herbs in her jaws, looking after the departing Clan with her head tipped questioningly to one side. He wondered if something was worrying her—perhaps StarClan had warned her of trouble on the way for WindClan—but before he could ask, Firestar called his Clan together.