Twilight

Chapter 12

Brambleclaw reappeared from the den with Brackenfur, Thornclaw, Cloudtail, and Rainwhisker behind him. Squirrelflight dashed across to join them.

“Good luck!” Ashfur called.

Squirrelflight waved her tail in farewell. Once through the thorn tunnel, she joined Brambleclaw at the head of the patrol.

“Tawnypelt should be waiting where I left her,” she meowed. “She can take us to Blackstar.”

Brambleclaw nodded. “Okay. You lead the way, then.”

He kept pace with her as she trotted through the trees, not racing at top speed because they had a long way to go and had to be fit to fight when they got there.

“What’s the plan?” Thornclaw asked.

“There isn’t one,” Brambleclaw replied. “We’ll tell Blackstar that we’ve come to help and are willing to do whatever he wants. If he wants us to stay, we’ll work out a plan with him and his warriors.”

Tawnypelt was sitting close to the border, crouched under a brittle clump of bracken that hid her pale fur. She sprang to her paws, relief showing in her eyes when she saw her brother and the strong force of cats he had brought with him.

“See?” Squirrelflight meowed. “I told you Firestar would send help.”

Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt touched noses. “Take us to Blackstar,” Brambleclaw meowed.

Tawnypelt turned and led the way swiftly through the undergrowth, deeper into ShadowClan territory. Soon the leafless trees gave way to dark pines, shutting out most of the light, and the ground underpaw grew soft with a covering of fallen needles. They splashed through a stream, the water running cold and shallow over a stony bed, and up a gentle slope on the other side. Gradually the scent of ShadowClan grew stronger, and Squirrelflight realized they were approaching the camp.

The ground sloped more steeply here, with rocks jutting out of the covering of fallen pine needles. At the top of the rise the trees grew more thickly, guarding the edge of a wide, shallow dip almost filled with bushes. Squirrelflight recognized the place she and her friends had discovered when they first explored the territory. Back then, no cat had expected that the kittypets would be a problem, but now she wondered whether ShadowClan had made their camp too close to the Twoleg nest.

Although the scent of fear and injury wafting from the camp almost took her breath away, Squirrelflight couldn’t spot any cats at first. But as they waited at the edge of the hollow, branches rustled beneath them and Blackstar appeared. He climbed up in a couple of bounds, his fur bristling.

“What’s going on?” he demanded. “ThunderClan cats in my territory? Tawnypelt, what do you know about this?”

Tawnypelt dipped her head to her Clan leader.

“Squirrelflight helped me fight off one of the kittypets. I told her about the trouble they’re causing, and she brought a ThunderClan patrol to help us.”

A growl rose in Blackstar’s throat. “You told a warrior from another Clan about our Clan’s problems?”

Tawnypelt stared at him without flinching. “I told Squirrelflight. She’s a friend.”

“And Tawnypelt’s my sister,” Brambleclaw added, stepping forward to stand beside her.

Blackstar gave a contemptuous sniff. “Tawnypelt’s first loyalty is to her Clan—or it should be.”

The tortoiseshell warrior began to bristle. “Blackstar, I’ve never given you any reason to doubt my loyalty.”

The ShadowClan leader’s gaze swept over the six ThunderClan cats. “You expect me to believe that, when you bring these warriors right into our camp?”

“We’ll turn right around and go home again if that’s what you want,” Thornclaw meowed. “Just say the word.”

“Don’t be a fool, Blackstar.” The voice was Cedarheart’s.

The gray tom heaved himself out of the cover of the bushes and scrambled up the slope to stand beside his leader.

Squirrelflight saw that he was limping, and she remembered Tawnypelt telling her that the Twolegs had injured him when he went to fight the kittypets. “We can’t deal with this by ourselves.”

“Cedarheart is right.” Rowanclaw came to stand at his Clanmate’s shoulder. “Those kittypets killed my apprentice.

I’d welcome any cat who’d help me rip out their entrails.”

Blackstar hesitated for a moment, looking from one of his warriors to the other, taking in their burning gazes and bristling fur. At last he bowed his head. “Very well. Cedarheart, fetch Russetfur. We’ll send a patrol with these ThunderClan warriors to the Twoleg nest. But you’re not going,” he added as Cedarheart retreated into the bushes. “You’re not battle-fit.”

Cedarheart shot him a furious look, but vanished without a protest.

“Blackstar, I don’t think we ought to kill these kittypets,” Brambleclaw meowed when he had gone.

“What?” Rowanclaw spat, before his Clan leader could reply. “They killed my apprentice. I want revenge!”

“And if we kill the kittypets, the Twolegs will want revenge,” Brambleclaw pointed out. “They must know you’re here.”

“That’s right.” Cloudtail lashed his tail. “Twolegs have little Clans of their own.” He shuddered as he added, “I was trapped in one once. If their kittypets are hurt or killed, they won’t rest until they’ve killed you or driven you out. You saw what they did to us in the old forest. Do you want that to happen here?”

“Then how do we stop their kittypets from bothering us?”

Rowanclaw challenged. “Just ask them nicely?” He gave a disgusted snort.

“If we could trap them, we could make them promise to stay away,” Squirrelflight suggested. “Seeing all of us together should scare them out of their fur.”

“It’s an idea,” murmured Brambleclaw.

Squirrelflight glanced at him, startled and pleased by his support.

“It’s worth a try,” Blackstar decided, as his deputy Russetfur slid out of the cover of the bushes and came to join her Clanmates. Oakfur, a smaller ShadowClan tom, followed her.

“Right, this is the plan,” Blackstar meowed. “Go to the Twoleg nest, trap the kittypets, and make them promise to leave us alone. Tell them we will kill them if they lay a claw on any of our cats again.” He caught Brambleclaw’s gaze and added, “I mean that. I will do whatever it takes to protect my Clan. But for now, don’t hurt them any more than you have to. Is that clear, Rowanclaw?”

The ginger tom dipped his head, muttering something inaudible.

“Then go,” Blackstar continued. “Russetfur, you will lead.

I’ll stay here and guard the camp.”

They must be really scared of the kittypets, Squirrelflight thought, if the Clan leader has to stay behind to protect the camp! Then she saw Blackstar’s gaze slide sideways to give Brambleclaw a suspicious look. She guessed he was afraid the ThunderClan cats were trying to trick him and meant to attack his camp while his senior warriors were safely out of the way. Typical ShadowClan! She sniffed crossly. They think every cat is as untrustworthy as they are.

“May StarClan be with you,” Blackstar added, before he slipped back into the shelter of the bushes.

The ShadowClan deputy gathered the patrol together with a wave of her tail and led them around the edge of the hollow and down the slope on the other side. Brambleclaw nodded to his Clanmates and waved his tail for them to follow.

Russetfur brought them to a halt a few fox-lengths away from the Twoleg nest, in the shelter of a bank covered with ferns. The nest was surrounded by a rough stone wall. Both the kittypets were sitting on it, gazing out into the forest.

Squirrelflight recognized the big black and white tom with the torn ear who had been fighting with Tawnypelt, and the smaller light brown tabby she had chased out of ThunderClan territory a few days before.

“There they are!” she meowed.

Russetfur irritably flicked one ear. “Quiet!”

Both cats looked full-fed and sleepy; after a moment the big tom started to wash himself, drawing his tongue lazily over his shoulder.

“They don’t know we’re here,” Rowanclaw hissed. “Let’s attack!”

“No!” Russetfur snapped. “As soon as they see us they’ll run into their nest and fetch their Twolegs. We’re no match for those creatures. Even I know that.”

“We’ll have to get them to come out here to us,” Thornclaw put in.

“Listen.” It was Brambleclaw who spoke, pushing forward to stand beside Russetfur. “Suppose one of us goes over there”—he nodded toward the space between the ferns where they were hiding and the wall of the nest—“and pretends to be hurt, or ill. If what you say about them is true, they won’t miss a chance to attack an easy victim. Meanwhile, some of us should get between them and the wall, so they can’t flee back into the nest.”

“Good idea!” Brackenfur meowed enthusiastically. “Then we can jump on them and tell them exactly what we’ll do if they cause any more trouble.”

“What do you think?” Brambleclaw asked Russetfur.

The deputy’s ears twitched. “Great StarClan,” she muttered, “a ThunderClan cat with brains.” Squirrelflight bounced with impatience while she made up her mind.

“Okay, we’ll go with Brambleclaw’s plan,” she decided. “We need a cat to go out there as bait.”

“I’ll do it.” Squirrelflight and Tawnypelt spoke at the same time.

“Tawnypelt,” meowed Russetfur. Waving her tail at Squirrelflight, she added, “If they pick up a different scent, they might guess it’s a trick.”

True enough, Squirrelflight thought.

Brambleclaw pushed his nose into his sister’s fur. “Don’t worry,” he meowed. “We won’t let them hurt you.”

Tawnypelt gave him a long look. “I know.”

Squirrelflight watched as Tawnypelt limped out into the clearing and collapsed on her side as if she were too exhausted to go any farther. Maybe the black and white tom would think he’d hurt her badly when they had fought earlier, by the ThunderClan border.

Russetfur chose Rowanclaw, Oakfur, Thornclaw, and Cloudtail to creep in opposite directions and cut off the kittypets from the nest as soon as they made a move. The rest of the cats stayed where they were.

“Keep as quiet as you can, even in the battle,” Russetfur ordered. “We don’t want the Twolegs to hear what’s going on.”

Squirrelflight crouched in the bracken with her gaze fixed on the kittypets. As soon as Tawnypelt appeared, they both sat up, ears pricked. The black and white tom mewed something to his companion. Then both cats flowed down from the wall and stalked across the open ground toward Tawnypelt.

At once Russetfur signaled with her tail, and the warriors split into two groups and slid away, their bellies pressed close to the ground as they crept in a wide circle. Neither kittypet noticed; Squirrelflight guessed they weren’t used to picking up unexpected scents, and besides, they were too intent on their prey.

Tawnypelt lay on her side, her chest heaving with painful, panting breaths. As the kittypets drew closer she raised her head and gasped out, “Don’t hurt me, please!”

The big tomcat thrust his muzzle into her face. “We won’t hurt you, roadkill,” he sneered. “We’ll just take off a few pawfuls of your fur.”

“That’ll teach you to come into our place,” the tabby hissed, slashing a paw toward Tawnypelt’s eyes.

Tawnypelt flinched. Squirrelflight heard Brambleclaw gasp and saw the huge warrior dig his claws into the ground as if he had forgotten that his sister wasn’t as helpless as she looked.

At the same moment Russetfur leapt out of the bracken.

“Now!”

Squirrelflight pelted across the open ground, Brambleclaw and the rest of the patrol keeping pace with her. The two kittypets took one appalled look at the tide of cats rising to engulf them and turned tail and fled back toward the nest.

But the other warriors were already in place behind them, advancing shoulder to shoulder. The small tabby kittypet let out a terrified wail, but the big tom leapt into battle, charging straight for Cloudtail and carrying the white warrior off his paws. Rowanclaw leapt on top of them as they writhed on the ground in a whirl of teeth and claws.

Tawnypelt scrambled up and sprang at the tabby.

Rainwhisker and Russetfur piled in to help her, so Squirrelflight launched herself at the big tom as he tore himself away from his opponents’ claws and tried to flee across the clearing. Hissing in fury, she raked one paw across his face; his blood spattered onto her fur, warm and sticky. She ducked as he swung a paw at her, slamming her head into his chest so that he staggered back and collided with Brambleclaw coming up behind. Squirrelflight scrambled on top of him, avoiding his battering hindpaws; a heartbeat later Brambleclaw had him pinned by the haunches while Rowanclaw came up and sank his teeth into the thrashing black and white tail.

“Don’t mess with our warriors, you hear me?”

Squirrelflight hissed into his ear. At that moment, she was speaking for all four Clans, ready to kill if a hair was harmed on the pelt of a cat from any one of them.

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that Tawnypelt and Rainwhisker had pinned down the tabby cat. Russetfur spoke to him in a low growl, then turned and stalked over to the big tom. She looked down at him in silence for a moment, while he glared back with yellow eyes full of hatred.

“You are a kittypet, and you belong with your Twolegs,” she snarled, her voice full of contempt. “The forest is ours now. Cause any more trouble for us, and you know what will happen to you.”

Squirrelflight jabbed her claws into the tom’s pelt.

“Understand?”

The black and white cat spat at her.

“Understand?” Squirrelflight repeated. “Or would you rather I bit your throat open now?”

“I understand,” the cat growled.

“Let him go,” Russetfur ordered, adding to the big tom, “Go back to your Twolegs and stay there.”

Reluctantly Squirrelflight and the other warriors released the kittypet. He staggered to his paws, shaking drops of blood from his pelt. The tabby slunk over to his side and stood with head lowered and tail drooping to the ground.

“Go!” Russetfur bared her teeth. “Now!”

Both kittypets backed away a couple of paces, then turned and fled for the nest. They scrambled over the wall and vanished into the garden. Squirrelflight heard the door of the nest open and a Twoleg voice raised in alarm.

Russetfur twitched her tail and the combined patrol of ShadowClan and ThunderClan cats bounded back into the shadow of the pine trees, not stopping until they were within sight of the camp.

“I’ll fetch Blackstar,” Russetfur meowed, slipping over the edge of the hollow.

Tawnypelt padded over to Brambleclaw and pushed her nose into his fur. “Thanks. You were great—all of you,” she added, lifting her head.

“It was a pleasure,” Brambleclaw purred. “Any time.”

“Wasn’t that great?” Squirrelflight meowed. “I’ll never forget the look on those kittypets’ faces when they saw us coming. And Brambleclaw, you were in just the right place when I attacked that big brute. You were terrific!”

The warmth welling up inside her turned to ice as Brambleclaw’s gaze swept over her from ears to tail-tip. “You fought well too,” he replied stiffly, as though he were paying a compliment to another cat’s apprentice.

Squirrelflight sank her claws into the leaf mold and bit back an angry retort. She wasn’t going to quarrel with her Clanmate in front of the ShadowClan cats. But his coldness hurt more than any wound she had received in the battle.

The bushes rustled in the hollow and Blackstar appeared.

“Russetfur tells me you made the kittypets promise to leave us alone.”

“You shouldn’t have any more trouble,” Brambleclaw meowed, “but if you do, let us know. We’ll be glad to help.”

“Thank you.” Blackstar’s voice was cool. “But I think we’ll be able to manage for ourselves now.”

His words were a dismissal. Brambleclaw didn’t try to change his mind. He gathered his cats together with a sweep of his tail and briefly touched noses with Tawnypelt. “Good-bye,” he mewed to Blackstar. “I expect we’ll meet at the next Gathering.” He turned and headed back toward ThunderClan territory, following the scent trail they had left on their way.

Padding behind him, Squirrelflight felt dull anger slow her paws. The excitement was over; the brief feeling of closeness to Brambleclaw was over too. Why couldn’t they just be friends? This antagonism was such a waste, when the two of them fought so well together. Her belly twisted with pain that Brambleclaw could put aside old rivalry for the sake of ShadowClan, but not for her.

“Fine. If that’s the way he wants it,” she muttered, too low for any cat to hear. “See if I care.”

But her shoulders ached and her drooping tail brushed the pine needles as she followed her Clanmates back to the stone hollow.