Darkness Within

by Erin Hunter

  “How can we know?” Lionblaze challenged. “No Clan has had a leader stranded between life and death before.”

  “Exactly,” Thornclaw snapped. “And no Clan should. Our leader should be here, leading us.”

  “How?” Lionblaze looked confused.

  Thornclaw ignored the question. “A Clan isn’t a Clan without a proper leader.”

  “We have Squirrelflight!”

  “She’s our deputy.”

  “I’m your deputy for now!” Lionblaze thrust his muzzle toward the golden-brown tabby.

  “Which is why you’re so happy with the way things are.” Thornclaw’s eyes flashed accusingly. “You were a warrior a moon ago, like the rest of us.”

  Bristlefrost’s pelt pricked with tension as Twigbranch marched forward. “Is that what this is about?” She stared boldly at Thornclaw. “Is that the real reason you’re so angry? You think you should be acting deputy?”

  Thornclaw shrank back, ears flattening as though he were offended. “That’s not what I said!” he snapped.

  Bristlefrost saw Bumblestripe and Ivypool exchange glances. Sorrelstripe snorted. They clearly weren’t convinced by Thornclaw’s denial. Neither am I. Thornclaw had been ordering cats around since she was a kit. He’d grown worse after the battle, and Bristlefrost suspected Twigbranch might be right. He was an experienced warrior and still strong despite his age. Why shouldn’t he set his sights on being Thunderclan’s deputy?

  Bumblestripe wove between Lionblaze and Thornclaw. “The Clan doesn’t need cats competing to be deputy,” he mewed soothingly. “We’ve got bigger problems.”

  “I know!” Thornclaw glared at the striped warrior. “That’s exactly why we need to think about who should be making our decisions. I’m thinking of my Clan, not myself.”

  More cats were gathering at the edge of the clearing. Myrtlepaw and Flamepaw had slid from the apprentices’ den, and Lilyheart had padded over from the shady patch where she’d been resting beneath the Highledge. Alderheart nosed his way through the brambles at the entrance to the medicine den and watched as Lionblaze thrust out his chest.

  “Do you think you’d make better decisions than me?” the golden warrior demanded.

  “No, but I do think the only reason you’re the one making decisions is because you’re Squirrelflight’s kin.”

  Pelts ruffled uneasily around the clearing as Thornclaw stared at Lionblaze. The tabby warrior was accusing Squirrelflight of choosing favorites instead of putting her Clan’s needs first. Bristlefrost curled her claws nervously into the earth as Lionblaze lashed his tail angrily.

  “Take that back!” the golden warrior hissed.

  “How can I take back the truth?” Thornclaw retorted. “Since Firestar’s time, there’s been no question about who Thunderclan’s next leader might be.”

  “Thunderclan’s leadership has always passed from leader to deputy, as the warrior code says it should!” Lionblaze reminded him sharply.

  Thornclaw held his gaze. “So it’s just a coincidence that Firestar made his daughter’s mate deputy.”

  “Bramblestar was the strongest warrior in Thunderclan!” Lionblaze objected.

  “And Bramblestar named his own mate deputy,” Thornclaw went on. “And now—”

  “She deserved to be deputy!”

  Thornclaw was clearly determined to finish his point. “And now Firestar’s kin—a cat Squirrelflight and Bramblestar raised as their own kit—is Thunderclan deputy. Are we supposed to believe that only one family in this Clan can raise kits to be leaders? Are the rest of us just here for them to order around? Who will you name deputy? Sparkpelt? Flamepaw?” He glared at Sparkpelt’s kit. Flamepaw seemed to shrink beneath his fur, moving closer to his denmate.

  “Don’t be mouse-brained!” Lionblaze growled.

  But Thornclaw didn’t seem to hear him. He was looking at his Clanmates. Bristlefrost guessed he was gauging their reactions.

  Flywhisker’s tail had been twitching throughout Thornclaw’s outburst; Snaptooth’s eyes were wide. Both looked conflicted, their muzzles twisting with concern. Elsewhere, Flipclaw was nodding.

  Flipclaw? Bristlefrost tried to catch her brother’s eye. Surely he couldn’t agree with the old warrior—Thornclaw was threatening the stability of the whole Clan with his accusations! But Flipclaw’s gaze was fixed eagerly on the tabby tom. The whole Clan was staring at him, but no cat spoke out.

  Should I say something? Bristlefrost’s mouth felt dry. But what? Every word Thornclaw had spoken had been true. And yet Thunderclan’s leaders and deputies had always been the strongest warriors in the Clan. This was what she’d been taught and she was certain of it. Of course it wasn’t a coincidence that they were related; one generation had passed on its skills to the next. Before she could point this out, Lionblaze spoke.

  “Why are you trying to stir up trouble in the Clan?” he demanded, glowering at Thornclaw. “Don’t we have enough to worry about?”

  Thornclaw turned on him. “Should we blindly trust you without asking questions?” he demanded. “The way we trusted Bramblestar?”

  “I’m not asking you to blindly trust any cat—”

  Thornclaw cut Lionblaze off. “It’s trusting our leaders that got us into this trouble in the first place. Our faith in Bramblestar allowed the impostor to get away with his crimes for moons! It almost destroyed Thunderclan.”

  Lionblaze’s pelt spiked with rage. “The only cats who might destroy Thunderclan now are featherbrained warriors starting trouble for no reason!” He padded menacingly closer to Thornclaw. “Like you!”

  Bristlefrost’s heart seemed to skip a beat as she saw both warriors unsheathe their claws. Were they really going to fight about this? Frustration jabbed her belly. Clearly Ashfur could still hurt Thunderclan, even though he was a prisoner in ShadowClan’s camp.

  Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jayfeather emerge from the medicine den and pause beside Alderheart. Could the blind medicine cat stop what was happening? He was never one to hold his tongue when something needed saying. She looked at him hopefully, but Jayfeather didn’t speak.

  Before she had time to talk herself out of it, Bristlefrost padded forward and yowled. “Stop this! Can’t you see this is just what Ashfur wanted? To have us fighting one another?”

  “Stay out of this, Bristlefrost,” Thornclaw hissed, a growl rumbling in his throat as he eyed Lionblaze. The golden warrior glared back at him, his spine beginning to arch. Bristlefrost swallowed. If she could push her way between them, she might be able to stop them fighting. As she hurried forward, the camp entrance rustled. She paused, turning her head to see Squirrelflight duck into camp.

  The Clan leader was carrying a pigeon between her jaws. Her eyes widened as she saw Thornclaw and Lionblaze glaring at each other. Behind her, Poppyfrost, Birchfall, and Spotfur hurried in, prey between their jaws. They froze as they saw what was happening.

  Squirrelflight put down her catch and crossed the clearing quickly. “What’s going on?” Her gaze flicked from Thornclaw to Lionblaze.

  Lionblaze’s gave a low growl. “Thornclaw is questioning Thunderclan’s leadership.”

  Squirrelflight’s muzzle jerked toward Thornclaw. “What does Lionblaze mean?”

  “I’m not ashamed to say it.” The tabby tom was unrepentant. “If we’d questioned our leader earlier, we might have avoided a lot of trouble.”

  Squirrelflight’s gaze hardened. “It’s pointless worrying about what we should have done,” she mewed firmly. “It’s what we do next that’s important. And right now, Thunderclan must stick together. Until we can find a way of getting Bramblestar back, we need to trust one another.”

  Thornclaw snorted. “You didn’t seem to think that when you abandoned your Clan.”

  “I never abandoned my Clan,” Squirrelflight snapped. “I had no choice but to leave. And it’s because I spent time in exile that I understand why it’s so important we pull together now.”

  Thornclaw’s gaze flitted
back to Lionblaze. “I suppose you mean we should support all your choices without question,” he mewed sourly. “However unfair they seem.”

  Squirrelflight’s ears twitched angrily. “I am being as fair as I know how,” she growled. “And like it or not, I am the Clan’s best option until Bramblestar returns.”

  Thornclaw narrowed his eyes. “And what if he doesn’t return?”

  “He will!” Squirrelflight’s eyes suddenly glistened with emotion. “Of course he will. He has to.”

  Bristlefrost noted the way the other cats looked around quietly, clearly feeling that Squirrelflight was being delusional. Bristlefrost had her doubts too, but she trusted Squirrelflight. Wasn’t any cat going to support her?

  Bristlefrost swished her tail. If no other cat would speak up for Squirrelflight, she would. “We know he’s around somewhere,” she mewed. “We just have to find a way to get him back where he belongs.”

  Twigbranch nodded eagerly, her gaze switching to Jayfeather. “If we could just get in touch with StarClan,” she mewed hopefully. “Then maybe we would know whether our paws are on the right path. We could all relax a bit.”

  Jayfeather grunted. “Do you think we haven’t been trying? What do you expect me to do? Fly up to the stars and drag them down by their tails?”

  “There’s nothing more we can do until they’re ready to share with us,” Alderheart mewed, more gently.

  Bristlefrost felt her heart sink. Unless it wasn’t their choice to stay away, she mused. It was clear that the false Bramblestar wanted to cause chaos in the Clans. Had he done something to send StarClan away permanently?

  Snaptooth swished his tail crossly. “What’s the point of ancestors who only turn up when it suits them? They could have saved us a lot of trouble if they’d warned us that Ashfur had come back. Surely they noticed he was missing?”

  Jayfeather looked exasperated. “If they did, they clearly couldn’t or didn’t want to share with us.”

  Flipclaw glowered at the medicine cat. “Perhaps they don’t care about us anymore. Or maybe they never did. Perhaps we imagined all their prophecies.”

  Jayfeather’s blind blue eyes flashed with indignation. “Are you saying we’ve been inventing visions all these moons?”

  “That’s not what he means.” Squirrelflight looked sharply at Jayfeather. “He’s just worried about StarClan’s silence, like we all are.”

  Flipclaw’s hackles lifted. “I can speak for myself,” he told Squirrelflight angrily. “Whatever StarClan thought in the past, it’s pretty clear they’re not here for us now. Perhaps they won’t ever be here for us again. We might have to live without them.”

  Twigbranch looked horrified. “How?”

  Flipclaw shrugged. “We all know the Clans were born before there was even a StarClan. We existed without them once; we can do it again.”

  Bristlefrost felt suddenly cold despite the warm afternoon sunshine. How could her own littermate say such a thing? Her Clanmates exchanged anxious glances as Flipclaw stared defiantly around the gathered cats. Did they think he might be right?

  Lilyheart was the first to break the silence. “Can we even be Clans without StarClan?”

  Poppyfrost shifted her paws nervously. “Surely, without StarClan to guide us, we’d be rogues?”

  “Of course we wouldn’t,” Squirrelflight argued. “We’ll always have the warrior code.”

  “What’s the point of following it with StarClan gone?” Flipclaw countered.

  Lionblaze lifted his chin. “Because that’s what makes us warriors. Without it we’d be no better than Darktail and his Kin.”

  “So we carry on, following a code no cat cares about but us?” Flipclaw demanded. “What’s the point?”

  Lilyheart whisked her tail. “The point is that we take care of one another. We’re loyal. We protect one another. We defend our own, and we make sure they are safe and well fed whether they are weak or strong. Do you really believe that if StarClan stops caring about us, we should stop caring about one another?” She stared at Flipclaw angrily.

  “I’m just saying that things need to change,” Flipclaw answered. “If our ancestors have abandoned us, why bother following traditions they invented? We don’t even live in the forests they were born in. We can make up our own codes to suit our new life beside the lake.”

  Lilyheart stared at him in disbelief. “Do you really think the warrior code should change?”

  “I don’t know what I think,” Flipclaw answered. “But isn’t StarClan’s absence a perfect opportunity to work out what we believe?”

  Bristlefrost was lost for words. What was wrong with her brother? Had he rejected everything he’d been taught?

  Lilyheart’s pelt was rippling uneasily, but she didn’t speak. Instead she glanced nervously at Squirrelflight, as though hoping Thunderclan’s leader would say something to settle this.

  But Squirrelflight shifted her paws, and as she looked at Flipclaw, confusion clouded her gaze. “Our beliefs have always served us well enough,” she mewed, a little uncertainly.

  Lionblaze pushed past her and glared at Flipclaw. “We need to stick to our beliefs more than ever, now that StarClan is silent.”

  Dewnose nodded eagerly. “They’re all we have.”

  “It’s the only way StarClan will return,” Bumblestripe added.

  Lilyheart seemed to find words at last. “If StarClan sees we have abandoned the code, they might never come back.”

  Flipclaw lifted his muzzle. “I’m not talking about abandoning the code. I love being a warrior. I would die to protect my Clanmates. But after everything that’s happened with the false Bramblestar, I need a chance to think about what being a warrior really means.” He met Squirrelflight’s gaze. “I think we all do.”

  She narrowed her eyes, determination quickly sweeping away doubt. “I already know what being a warrior means,” she growled.

  “Then perhaps I should go for a wander,” Flipclaw answered. “Alone. To think things through, and decide whether to come back to Thunderclan. Maybe I can find better, less dangerous territory where we can live. Or maybe it’s time we all stopped living like this, in Clans.”

  Bristlefrost could barely concentrate on what her Clanmates were saying, her littermate’s words shocked her so thoroughly. He would leave? she wondered. Leave not just his family, but the Clans entirely? To find a “better” way to live?

  She felt as though a thorn had pierced her heart. “Flipclaw, you don’t mean that!” she yowled.

  “Maybe he does,” Snaptooth retorted. “And maybe I agree with him.”

  “Then maybe you should both go.” Squirrelflight’s tail flicked angrily.

  Thornclaw padded to Flipclaw’s side. “I want to go for a wander too.” His mew was soft, his anger gone now.

  “Me too.” Flywhisker joined them, speaking over Clanmates’ protests.

  Snaptooth crossed the clearing and stood beside his littermate. “And me.”

  Bristlefrost stared at them. Thunderclan was falling apart. She glanced around at her other Clanmates, her breath shallow, praying that no other cats would join Flipclaw’s group.

  No cat moved. Lionblaze had stepped forward and was saying something to Squirrelflight and his kits. But she could tell by their reactions that they weren’t dissuaded.

  Ivypool hurried forward. “You can’t abandon your Clan,” she mewed to Flipclaw.

  “I’m just going to do some thinking,” he told her.

  “But you’ll come back?” Her plea was desperate.

  “I don’t know.” Flipclaw’s answer felt like a heavy rock on Bristlefrost’s chest. She hurried to her mother’s side and pressed against her. Ivypool was trembling.

  Squirrelflight padded closer, her gaze flitting between Snaptooth, Flywhisker, and Thornclaw. “Are you planning to come back?”

  They exchanged glances.

  “I don’t know,” Flywhisker murmured.

  Thornclaw dipped his head to Blossomfall. “If I decide t
o leave,” he told her, “I’ll return to say good-bye.”

  As Bristlefrost steadied her breathing, paws brushed the earth behind them. Lionblaze’s gaze flashed across the clearing; Flipclaw and Lilyheart turned to look.

  Bristlefrost’s belly tightened. Was another cat going to join Thornclaw and desert the Clan? She jerked her muzzle around to see who it was. Relief washed her pelt. Graystripe was padding from the shadow of the elders’ den. He’d been a Thunderclan warrior since Firestar was leader. He knew the importance of loyalty. He’d reason with Thornclaw and the others. He’d persuade them to stay.

  Poppyfrost shifted to let him pass. Finleap dipped his head as the elder brushed past him.

  As Graystripe stopped beside Thornclaw, silence gripped the Clan. They’re waiting for him to stop this. Bristlefrost leaned forward, willing him to speak.

  Graystripe looked around the Clan solemnly. “I’m going to leave too.”

  Bristlefrost could hardly believe her ears. “No!” she cried, her yowl rising above the shocked murmurs that rippled around the Clan.

  Squirrelflight stared at the elder for a moment, her eyes suddenly hollow with grief. “You told me you’d support me,” she mewed huskily. “You said I could count on you.”

  Graystripe’s ears twitched awkwardly as he bowed his head. “I’m sorry. I can’t keep that promise.”

  “But why?” Squirrelflight didn’t move, but her pelt was rippling along her spine. “You made a promise to my father too, that you’d never leave Thunderclan—or have you forgotten that?”

  “Too much has changed,” Graystripe told her. “I’ve been through so much with Thunderclan: the destruction of the old forest, being lost and living as a kittypet, then finding you again. But the Thunderclan I see today isn’t the same one I served under Firestar. I don’t know that I still belong here. I need time to think.”

  Bristlefrost couldn’t imagine life in Thunderclan without Graystripe. How would he take care of himself in the forest alone? He was an elder. The Clan had been hunting for him for moons. What if he got sick? There’d be no medicine cat to help him. She wanted to point this out, to persuade him to stay, but the old gray warrior looked determined. She guessed she wouldn’t be able to change his mind.