Sunset

by Erin Hunter

  Bristling with fury, he paused for a couple of heartbeats to size up the enemy patrol. There were four ShadowClan cats: Russetfur, Oakfur, and Cedarheart—the same three who had watched Berrykit struggling in the fox trap—and Rowanclaw. The ThunderClan cats were outnumbered, but Brambleclaw knew there wasn’t time to wait for reinforcements to arrive.

  “Russetfur!” he called to the ShadowClan deputy. “What are you doing here?”

  All four ShadowClan cats whipped around to face the ThunderClan patrol.

  “What does it look like?” Russetfur mewed insolently.

  “It looks like you’re trying to steal our territory,” Thornclaw hissed.

  “The Clan boundaries were agreed on long ago,” Brambleclaw reminded them. “Every cat knows the extent of their territory.”

  “That was then,” meowed Cedarheart.

  “ShadowClan needs more space.” Russetfur narrowed her eyes at Brambleclaw. “And ThunderClan is too weak to defend it anyway, ever since the badgers attacked your camp.”

  “What do you know about the badgers?” Sandstorm asked, taking a step forward.

  “Enough,” Russetfur replied. The tip of her tail twitched. “We know that you are all too badly injured to fight us right now. You’re too busy repairing your camp to watch over your borders. And you lost your medicine cat.”

  For a heartbeat Brambleclaw was utterly bewildered. How could ShadowClan have found out about the badger attack? Then he remembered that only three nights earlier Leafpool had paid her half-moon visit to the Moonpool. She must have revealed ThunderClan’s weakness to Littlecloud.

  His claws sank into the ground; there was no time to think about that now. “Get out of our territory,” he snarled at Russetfur. “Or we’ll show you the same welcome we gave the badgers.”

  Russetfur curled her lip. “I don’t think so.”

  Letting out a fearsome screech, Brambleclaw hurled himself down into the hollow. His first rush landed him on top of Russetfur; his claws raked across her shoulder. She tried to fasten her teeth into his throat, but he pushed her off with one paw on her chest. She writhed under his weight, her eyes blazing with anger.

  Brambleclaw caught a glimpse of Sandstorm locked in battle with Oakfur, her hind paws battering his belly, while Rowanclaw and Cedarheart had Thornclaw pinned down between them. Brambleclaw aimed one more blow at Russetfur and sprang to help his Clanmate, only to feel Russetfur’s claws score his haunches as he bounded away.

  Birchpaw, get a move on!

  He leaped on top of Cedarheart, gripping the dark grey tom’s neck fur in his teeth. Russetfur bit his tail; he lashed out with his hind legs to beat her off. He rolled on the ground in a tangle of fur and mingled scents, hardly knowing which cats were his enemies.

  Then he heard a yowling in the distance that rapidly grew louder. Russetfur, her face pushed close to his as she clawed his neck, spat, “Fox dung!” and leaped away from him. Cedarheart wriggled out of his grip. Brambleclaw staggered to his paws to see Firestar and a fresh patrol of ThunderClan warriors racing down into the hollow.

  Firestar leaped on Russetfur, caterwauling a challenge, and fastened his teeth in her throat. Russetfur scored her claws across Firestar’s shoulder, but she couldn’t struggle free. Squirrelflight rushed straight at Cedarheart, carrying him off his paws and pinning him to the ground. Just behind her, Dustpelt leaped on top of Rowanclaw, sinking his claws deep into the ShadowClan warrior’s fur. Oakfur let out a screech of terror as he saw Spiderleg and Rainwhisker surging through the bracken towards him; Sandstorm aimed a last blow at his haunches as he scrambled over roots and through brambles, heading for the ShadowClan border.

  “Back off!” Russetfur yowled. She managed to stagger to her paws, leaving tufts of fur in Firestar’s teeth and claws. She was bleeding from her throat as she retreated.

  Firestar flicked his tail, ordering his own warriors to let the ShadowClan cats go. Squirrelflight bit down hard on Cedarheart’s ear and sprang away from his flailing paws. Dustpelt rolled away from Rowanclaw and came to his paws snarling. Both ShadowClan warriors turned and fled, but Russetfur stood her ground a few heartbeats longer.

  “Don’t think you’ve won, Firestar,” she spat, her sides heaving. “ShadowClan will set a new border.”

  “Not here in ThunderClan,” Firestar retorted. “Now get back to your own territory.”

  Her eyes glaring hatred, Russetfur let out a furious hiss before turning to flee after her Clanmates. Spiderleg and Rainwhisker followed hard on her paws, letting out fearsome screeches as they pursued the invaders out of sight.

  “Thanks,” Brambleclaw gasped as Firestar shook his rumpled fur and padded up beside him. “And you, Birchpaw,” he added; the young apprentice, bright-eyed and panting, flanked his Clan leader. “That was well run. You brought help just in time.”

  Rapidly he explained to Firestar how Birchpaw had found ShadowClan scent marks a long way inside the border, and how he and the rest of the patrol had come across the ShadowClan warriors stealing even more territory. “They thought we’d be too weak to stop them, after the badger attack,” he added.

  “Are you hurt?” Squirrelflight asked, pushing forward to reach Brambleclaw. Her green eyes were full of concern, and she stood with her pelt brushing his as she examined him for wounds.

  Brambleclaw took a moment to check their injuries. To his relief, his wounded shoulder was no worse, though he had lost several pawfuls of fur from his flank, and his tail stung as if Russetfur had done her best to bite it off. Sandstorm had a clawed shoulder, and blood was trickling from a scratch on Thornclaw’s throat.

  “You’d better all come back to camp and let Leafpool see to you,” Firestar meowed.

  “I’m fine,” Brambleclaw insisted. “We need to set our scent markers along the proper border, just in case ShadowClan feel like having another try.”

  “I’m OK too,” Sandstorm added. “But Thornclaw, I think you should go back. That throat wound looks as if it could turn nasty.”

  Thornclaw just nodded; he looked too battered to argue.

  “Then I’ll come with you,” Squirrelflight mewed to Brambleclaw. Her eyes gleamed as she flexed her claws. “And if another ShadowClan cat dares to put one whisker across our border, I’ll show them they just made the biggest mistake of their life!”

  When Brambleclaw and his patrol returned to camp after renewing the scent markers, his ears pricked at the wails of outrage coming from the stone hollow. He slipped through the thorn tunnel to find Firestar standing on the Highledge, with the rest of the Clan gathered below.

  “We should attack their camp!” Mousefur yowled.

  Firestar twitched his tail for silence. “We won’t attack them,” he meowed. “You know as well as I do that we’re not back to full strength yet. If we forced a battle and then lost, it would be a disaster.”

  True enough, Brambleclaw thought. Too many Thunder Clan cats still bore the marks of the badgers’ claws.

  “But from now on,” Firestar continued, “all patrols should look for signs of ShadowClan warriors on our territory.”

  Guessing he was about to bring the meeting to a close, Brambleclaw strode forward. “Firestar, there’s something I want to say.”

  Firestar dipped his head, inviting him to speak.

  Brambleclaw gazed around until he spotted Leafpool, sitting not far from the entrance to her den. “Leafpool, did you tell Littlecloud about the badger attack?” he demanded.

  Leafpool looked confused. “Yes—I told him when we met at the Moonpool.”

  “And it never occurred to you that he would tell Blackstar? We wouldn’t have had this trouble if you had kept your mouth shut.”

  The medicine cat sprang to her paws, her amber eyes flashing. “I had to tell Littlecloud how Cinderpelt died!” she exclaimed. “Did you think he wouldn’t want to know what happened to her?”

  Brambleclaw knew he had been too harsh. But the fight against ShadowClan had shaken him; of all cats Leafpool sh
ould know when she was putting her Clan at risk!

  “Did you tell the other medicine cats everything?”

  “Barkface already knew,” Leafpool replied. “And Moth wing didn’t come to the Moonpool.” Eyes still gleaming angrily, she added, “Brambleclaw, it’s none of your business what I say to other medicine cats.”

  “It is if you need to decide where your loyalties lie,” he retorted. “You’re a ThunderClan cat as well as a medicine cat.”

  Leafpool opened her mouth to reply, but said nothing. She looked stricken, and Brambleclaw realised too late that he shouldn’t have accused her so openly of being disloyal.

  “How can you say something like that?” Squirrelflight gave him a glare that was fierce enough to scorch his fur. “Of course Leafpool is going to share important news like that with the other medicine cats. Her mentor died, for StarClan’s sake! That matters to all medicine cats, not just ThunderClan.”

  “I know, but—” Brambleclaw tried to interrupt, but Squirrelflight swept on.

  “It’s not Leafpool’s fault, or Littlecloud’s, that Blackstar and his warriors were mousebrained enough to think they could invade ThunderClan. Besides, we’ve just shown them how wrong they were.”

  Brambleclaw couldn’t meet her burning gaze. “I’m sorry,” he muttered. “Sorry, Leafpool.”

  “Squirrelflight is right,” meowed Firestar from the Highledge. “Blackstar is to blame for allowing his warriors to break the agreement we made. You can be sure of this: I’ll take it up with him at the next Gathering.” His eyes darkened and he bared his teeth in the beginnings of a snarl. “If he forces a war between our Clans, he’ll find ThunderClan is ready and waiting for him.”

  Chapter 11

  The full moon floated high in the sky as Brambleclaw leaped off the end of the tree-bridge and onto the island. The mingled scents of many cats surrounded him, and he realised that the ThunderClan warriors were the last to arrive at the Gathering. Firestar was already racing away from the shore, signalling with his tail for his warriors to follow.

  Brambleclaw bounded after him, along with Squirrelflight and Dustpelt and the other ThunderClan cats. Flattening himself to the ground, he thrust his way through the thick barrier of bushes and into the moonlit clearing dappled by the spreading branches of the Great Oak.

  The tree was in full leaf now; Brambleclaw spotted patches of white fur where Blackstar crouched half hidden on a branch, and the gleam of bright eyes where Leopardstar gazed down on the cats below. Firestar padded up to the roots and nodded to Onestar, before the two remaining leaders clawed their way up the trunk and took their places in the branches.

  Almost as soon as he set paw in the clearing, Brambleclaw was aware of a strange tension around him. Cats from other Clans were staring at the ThunderClan warriors as if they were judging them with new eyes; he caught a few murmurs, commenting on the wounds that were still visible on their pelts.

  Brambleclaw looked around, hoping to see Stormfur and Brook. He spotted Mistyfoot, the RiverClan deputy, and skirted a group of excited apprentices to sit beside her. “Hi, there,” he meowed. “How’s the prey running in RiverClan?”

  “Fine,” Mistyfoot replied. “I hear you had trouble with badgers?”

  Brambleclaw nodded, not really wanting to discuss the attack. “How are Stormfur and Brook? Are they here tonight?”

  Mistyfoot shook her head. “Leopardstar didn’t choose them to come, but they’re both OK. It’s good to see Stormfur again.” Her blue eyes shone; Brambleclaw knew that her brother, Stonefur, had mentored Stormfur, while Mistyfoot had been his sister Feathertail’s mentor. “I’m sorry he’s only staying for a short time,” she added.

  Brambleclaw was surprised. Stormfur and Brook had spoken as if they meant to stay in RiverClan for good. They had clearly said something different to the RiverClan cats. Perhaps their welcome hadn’t been as warm as Stormfur expected; the fact that they hadn’t been chosen to come to the Gathering suggested that too.

  “Are they leaving soon?” he asked.

  “I don’t know exactly when,” Mistyfoot mewed. “But I’m sure they’ll want to go back to the Tribe eventually, won’t they?”

  She dipped her head to Brambleclaw and walked away to take her place on the roots of the tree beside Russetfur and Ashfoot, the ShadowClan and WindClan deputies. Brambleclaw’s belly tightened as he looked at the space beside them, yet another reminder that ThunderClan had no deputy to stand with the others.

  “Hi.”

  Brambleclaw jumped. With his eyes fixed hungrily on the three deputies, he hadn’t noticed his sister, Tawnypelt, pad over to sit beside him.

  “Hi,” he mewed. “How are you?”

  “I’m fine—but what about you?” The tortoiseshell she-cat sounded sympathetic. “I was really sorry to hear about the trouble you had with badgers.”

  “I’m perfectly OK, and so is the rest of the Clan.” Brambleclaw spoke sharply; although Tawnypelt was his sister, she was a ShadowClan warrior too, and he wanted to make it quite clear that ThunderClan was strong. “We’d be even better if Leafpool hadn’t been so quick to tell her medicine cat friends about how much trouble we’re in.”

  Tawnypelt looked puzzled. “Leafpool?”

  “She told Littlecloud when they met at the Moonpool.”

  “But ShadowClan didn’t hear the news from him,” Tawnypelt meowed. “He never even mentioned it.”

  “Where did you hear it, then?”

  “Hawkfrost told Russetfur and Cedarheart when they saw each other patrolling the RiverClan border,” Tawnypelt explained.

  Brambleclaw stared at her in surprise. How had Hawkfrost known about the badger attack, when Mothwing hadn’t been at the Moonpool meeting to hear Leafpool’s news? Then icy claws gripped him: he had told Hawkfrost himself, in the dark forest with Tigerstar. Guilt swept over him. What was worse, he couldn’t even apologise to Leafpool for accusing her, because then he’d have to explain what had really happened.

  “Hawkfrost said he was just worried,” Tawnypelt went on. “He wanted to know if our warriors had seen any ThunderClan cats and if you were badly wounded. He knew the badgers must have done serious damage.”

  Brambleclaw nodded distractedly. He needed to think this out. Were Hawkfrost’s questions really prompted by concern, or could he have some other motive for passing on the news to ShadowClan? He must have known how Blackstar would react. He spotted Hawkfrost sitting with a group of RiverClan warriors, but before he could say goodbye to Tawnypelt and make his way over to him, Firestar yowled from the tree to start the meeting.

  Silence spread through the clearing and all the cats turned to face the Great Oak, their eyes glimmering in the moonlight.

  “Leopardstar, will you speak first?” Firestar offered.

  The RiverClan leader rose to her paws, her dappled fur still half hidden by the leaves. “RiverClan has had an outbreak of greencough,” she began. “Our elder Heavystep died, but thank StarClan no other cats were infected.”

  A murmur of sympathy spread throughout the clearing. Brambleclaw spotted Leafpool sitting beside Squirrelflight, and wondered why the young medicine cat looked so stricken. Surely she had no particular reason to grieve for a RiverClan elder?

  “I have better news too,” Leopardstar continued when the comments had died away. “Our medicine cat, Mothwing, has taken Willowpaw as an apprentice.”

  The golden tabby was sitting not far from the tree roots; Brambleclaw guessed that the small grey cat beside her must be the new apprentice. Willowpaw’s green eyes shone with excitement, and she dipped her head awkwardly as her Clan called out, “Willowpaw! Willowpaw!”

  Leopardstar had stepped back, gesturing with her tail for Onestar to speak next, when Hawkfrost rose to his paws at the foot of the tree. “One moment,” he meowed. “Mothwing has some important news.”

  Leopardstar’s eyes narrowed. Brambleclaw could see she hadn’t expected this. Then she nodded. “Very well. Mothwing?”

  The
RiverClan medicine cat rose slowly to her paws. Brambleclaw thought she looked startled, as if she hadn’t expected to speak. Curiosity clawed at him. What was Hawkfrost up to now?

  “Mothwing?” Leopardstar prompted, when the medicine cat said nothing.

  “It’s about that sign,” Hawkfrost reminded his sister, the tip of his tail twitching.

  “Oh, yes . . . the sign.” Mothwing sounded confused. “I—I had a dream.”

  “What’s biting her?” Tawnypelt muttered into Brambleclaw’s ear. “She’s a medicine cat, isn’t she? She must have had loads of dreams before.”

  “Then tell us what the dream was,” Leopardstar mewed frostily. “And explain why you decided to announce it at a Gathering instead of informing your Clan leader first.”

  “I didn’t,” Mothwing muttered, sounding more like a mutinous apprentice than a medicine cat. “That was Hawkfrost’s idea.”

  “I think you’ll understand when you hear the dream,” Hawkfrost put in. “Go on, Mothwing.”

  “I—I’m not sure this is the right time to say anything,” she stammered. “I may have been mistaken.”

  “Mistaken about what StarClan has told you?” Hawkfrost sounded shocked. “But you’re our medicine cat. Only you can interpret the signs our warrior ancestors send to us.”

  “Yes, go on.” Leopardstar sounded interested now. “Let’s hear what StarClan told you.”

  Mothwing shot one more resentful look at her brother before she began to speak. Brambleclaw couldn’t understand why she was so reluctant. He noticed Leafpool sitting as if she was carved from stone, staring at Mothwing with dismay in her eyes. Did she know what Mothwing was going to say? He wondered if the medicine cats had received a message from StarClan about something truly dreadful, something they didn’t want to share with the rest of the Clans yet.

  “I had a dream,” Mothwing began, her voice so low that some cat yowled, “Speak up!”