Erin Hunter - Starlight

“Hi, Swallowtail! How’s the prey running?”

The dark tabby she-cat flicked an awkward glance toward her Clan leader, Leopardstar, who was sitting a couple of tail-lengths away. “Fine,” she murmured.

Rainwhisker bent down to lick her ears in greeting, then jerked his head back. Embarrassed, he licked his own paw instead and swiped it over his face. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I keep forgetting things are different now.”

Tawnypelt came up, but after that abrupt reminder of Clan differences Brambleclaw stayed a tail-length away from her and formally dipped his head. “It’s good to see you,” he meowed.

“And you, mousebrain.” Tawnypelt stepped forward to press her muzzle against Brambleclaw’s. “This is ridiculous!

We’ve been through far too much together to forget about the past. Sharing memories, and liking each other because of it, doesn’t make us traitors to our Clans!”

Brambleclaw blinked. She was right, but he knew that other cats didn’t feel the same. A little way off, a group of ShadowClan cats was glaring at them, including Rowanclaw, the one who had attacked him when he accidentally crossed the other Clan’s scent markings. As Brambleclaw met his furious gaze, Rowanclaw turned to make a sneering remark to one of his Clanmates. Brambleclaw was too far away to hear, but he could guess it was a long way from being compli-mentary.

He headed for the tree stump, wanting to find a good place to listen to the leaders. He had gone only a few pawsteps when Hawkfrost appeared. The broad-shouldered tabby warrior looked expectantly at Brambleclaw as if he were waiting for him to speak first.

“Er, hi,” Brambleclaw meowed. Moonlight dappled Hawkfrost’s pelt, reminding Brambleclaw sharply of his dream. “How are you settling in?”

Hawkfrost dipped his head. “Fine, thank you.” His voice was cool, and Brambleclaw backed away, feeling his pelt prickle. Did Hawkfrost think he was being disloyal to ThunderClan by talking to him?

“Sorry,” he muttered. “I just thought—”

Hawkfrost tilted his head with a knowing look in his ice-blue eyes. “Don’t worry; I’m not one of the cats who thinks cats from different Clans shouldn’t have anything to do with one another. I saw what happened with Tawnypelt,” he meowed sympathetically. “It’s tough to have loyalties divided.

We all have friends in other Clans now, and yet we have to act as if being rivals is the only thing that matters.”

Part of Brambleclaw wanted to yowl, Yes! That’s just how I feel.

But he could sense curious gazes burning into him from all sides, so he just mewed quietly, “It’s hard to forget what we’ve been through.”

Hawkfrost twitched his tail. “I was just saying the same thing to Mudclaw, actually. He’s been telling me about the problems in WindClan.”

Brambleclaw stiffened. “What problems?”

“Don’t you know?” Hawkfrost’s eyes glinted with surprise.

“The way Onewhisker won’t establish firm boundaries, for starters. According to Mudclaw, he gave a whole slice of territory to ThunderClan in return for some healing herbs.”

Brambleclaw narrowed his eyes. It looked like Mudclaw was using anything he could to suggest that Onewhisker wasn’t fit to be Clan leader.

“Perhaps Tallstar made a mistake when he chose Onewhisker to follow him,” Hawkfrost went on. “It would be a pity for WindClan if their leader wasn’t strong enough. Not the best start for their new life.”

“I’m sure Onewhisker can be a great leader,” Brambleclaw argued, pushing away the memory of Tallstar faltering over the ceremony with his last breath. “There’s no reason why WindClan can’t be as strong as any Clan in their new home.”

“It takes a strong leader to make a strong Clan,” meowed Hawkfrost. “Onewhisker hasn’t received his name or his nine lives yet. Could that be a sign that he doesn’t have StarClan’s approval?”

His voice was level, mildly curious rather than hostile, and it was impossible for Brambleclaw to disagree. What if StarClan refused to recognize Onewhisker as WindClan’s leader? It was certainly true that they hadn’t sent any signs to tell him how to receive his nine lives.

“Mudclaw feels the same,” Hawkfrost went on. “He knows his Clanmates need strong leadership now more than any other time. Every cat knows it’s hard to fix new boundaries when we’ve all been living so close together, but if we don’t, how will the Clans support themselves? What we decide now will affect every cat for many seasons to come. WindClan could end up starving if Onewhisker doesn’t claim enough territory.”

This new view of Mudclaw burst on Brambleclaw like a ray of sunlight penetrating the forest canopy. He had started to think that the former deputy cared only about his own ambitions. But Mudclaw had shown as much courage and determination as any cat on the journey. Would he really make a more effective leader than Onewhisker?

“Mudclaw was a very good deputy,” Brambleclaw began thoughtfully.

Hawkfrost narrowed his eyes. “Speaking of deputies, when’s Firestar going to make you his?”

Brambleclaw scuffed his forepaws among the dead leaves.

“There are more experienced warriors—”

Hawkfrost flicked his tail dismissively. “ Older warriors,” he corrected, “but more experienced? I think not. How many of them could have made your journey to the sun-drown-place, and then led us here? You’re strong and skillful and you uphold the warrior code. Why shouldn’t you be deputy?”

“Firestar has good reasons for not appointing a new deputy,” Brambleclaw dodged.

“Are you talking about Graystripe?” Hawkfrost blinked.

“Every cat knows Graystripe is dead. He’d go down fighting rather than let Twolegs turn him into a kittypet. There’s only one reason Firestar won’t appoint you deputy, and you know it as well as I do. It’s because of who your father was. Because of who our father was.”

Brambleclaw stared at Hawkfrost, and the sense that he was looking at his reflection swept over him once more: they had the same dark tabby pelt, the same powerful shoulders, the same intensity in their eyes, which differed only in color—ice blue and amber.

“Do you have the same problem in RiverClan?” he whispered.

Hawkfrost shook his head. “No. Tigerstar was never such an enemy to RiverClan. Any trouble I have comes from not being Clanborn. It used to bother me, but now I just look at Firestar. If a kittypet can become Clan leader, so can I.”

As he spoke, the flicker of a ginger pelt caught Brambleclaw’s eye as Squirrelflight hurtled around the stump. Not looking where she was going, she nearly crashed into him and Hawkfrost, skidding to a halt just in time.

“Sorry, I was looking for—” She broke off as her green gaze took in the cats in front of her. “Oh, it’s you,” she mewed ungraciously to Hawkfrost.

“Greetings, Squirrelflight.” The RiverClan warrior dipped his head politely. “Brambleclaw and I were just discussing WindClan. We’re afraid there’ll be trouble if Onewhisker doesn’t receive his nine lives soon.”

Brambleclaw was relieved that Hawkfrost hadn’t mentioned his speculations about a new deputy for ThunderClan, but his relief didn’t last long. Squirrelflight was gazing at his half brother with undisguised hostility, her neck fur beginning to bristle.

“What’s that got to do with RiverClan?” she demanded.

Hawkfrost’s ice-blue eyes widened, but he said nothing.

“Of course it matters to RiverClan,” Brambleclaw meowed to his Clanmate. “Strong leadership is important to every Clan in the forest.”

Squirrelflight’s only reply was a snort of disgust. Anything more she might have said was interrupted by Mistyfoot, bounding up to join her Clanmate. “Leopardstar wants you, Hawkfrost,” she meowed. “We have to discuss what we’re going to report at the Gathering.”