The Silent Thaw

by Erin Hunter

  The older warriors swapped glances.

  “She has a point,” Dewnose conceded. “There’s a reason it’s part of the code.”

  “Exactly.” Bristlefrost looked hopefully at Lionblaze. Would he agree?

  “Okay.” The golden warrior dipped his head. “We’ll thank StarClan out loud from now on.”

  “I’ll mention it to Bramblestar so he can remind the other warriors,” Rosepetal chimed.

  Relief washed Bristlefrost’s pelt. StarClan couldn’t be angry with them now. She glanced at the prey buried in the fresh earth. “Let’s start by thanking them for this catch.”

  “Thank you, StarClan, for sending us this prey.” The older warriors mewed the words, and Thriftear mumbled along haltingly.

  “Thank you, StarClan.” Bristlefrost raised her muzzle to the sky. “It was a good catch and we’re really grateful.” Pride swelled in her chest. She was already showing her Clanmates how they could please StarClan. It wouldn’t be long before their ancestors were speaking to them again.

  As the sun reached high above the forest, spilling sunshine into the hollow, Bristlefrost followed Rosepetal, Dewnose and Lionblaze into the camp. She was carrying a rabbit between her jaws. It was so heavy that her neck ached, but she barely noticed; she couldn’t help feeling that thanking StarClan for their prey had made a difference. After unearthing the mouse nest, they’d gone on to catch a rabbit and a squirrel. Thriftear had even trapped a shrew that had darted across her path on their way home. It felt as though StarClan had been sending prey toward them because they were so pleased that the warriors were following every part of the code.

  She dropped the rabbit on the fresh-kill pile and looked around the clearing. Bramblestar and Squirrelflight lay beneath the Highledge. The deputy’s rich, deep purr echoed around the camp as Bramblestar joined in. His eyes shone with affection as he gazed at Squirrelflight. Bristlefrost paused, pressing back a purr of her own. She hoped she’d find a mate who loved her as much as Bramblestar clearly loved Squirrelflight.

  Squirrelflight started to get to her paws, but Bramblestar flicked his tail toward her. “Stay with me,” he mewed.

  “A Clan doesn’t run itself.” Squirrelflight looked at him, pretending to be stern. “I want to check the pile. It’s barely newleaf and I want to make sure we’re not hunting more young prey than we should. The forest can only provide so much.”

  “You can see the pile from here.” Bramblestar gazed at her imploringly. Sparkpelt’s patrol had already returned, and the pile was half full. “And there’s another hunting patrol still out. Check the fresh-kill pile when they get back.”

  Squirrelflight gave him an exasperated look but lay down again beside him. “I guess it can wait a little.”

  Rosepetal dropped two mice beside Bristlefrost’s rabbit. She tipped her head appreciatively. “I haven’t seen such a haul in moons.” She flicked her gaze toward Bristlefrost. “I’m going to tell Squirrelflight and Bramblestar about your idea.”

  “Which idea?” Bristlefrost blinked at her self-consciously. Did she mean her hunting strategy?

  “About thanking StarClan out loud,” she told her. “I think it might have helped.”

  Bristlefrost fluffed out her pelt proudly. “Do you really think so?” Should she tell her that she thought so too?

  “Come on.” She beckoned her with a jerk of her muzzle.

  “Where?”

  “To tell Bramblestar.”

  “Now?” She wanted to help her Clanmates be the best warriors they could be, but she hadn’t imagined that her plan would make a difference so soon. She forced her fur to smooth. She didn’t want Rosepetal to see how excited she was.

  Rosepetal led her across the clearing and stopped in front of Bramblestar and Squirrelflight. Bramblestar didn’t seem to notice them, only turning his muzzle when Squirrelflight sat up and greeted them with a dip of her head.

  “It looks like the hunt went well.” She nodded appreciatively toward the fresh-kill pile.

  “Prey is returning,” Rosepetal told her.

  “We must be careful not to catch all of it,” Squirrelflight warned. “We want some left for greenleaf.”

  “There’s plenty left,” Rosepetal promised. “The forest is so full of prey-scent, it’s hard to know which trail to follow first.”

  Bramblestar’s tail flicked impatiently. He looked past the dark cream she-cat, his gaze fixing on Bristlefrost. She straightened as he looked at her, conscious that her paws were still dusty from the hunt. “Are you enjoying organizing the patrols?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she told him eagerly. “It’s a great honor.”

  “Good.” He nodded curtly. “It saves Squirrelflight from getting up before dawn.”

  Rosepetal shifted her paws. “Bristlefrost had a good idea while we were out hunting.”

  Bramblestar’s eyes widened. “What was it?”

  “She suggested every cat say their thanks to StarClan after every catch, like the warrior code says, but out loud.” Bristlefrost looked shyly at her paws as Rosepetal went on. “That way, no cat can forget.”

  Bristlefrost’s heart seemed to stop in the pause that followed her mentor’s words. She looked nervously up at Bramblestar. Did he think it was a dumb idea?

  His eyes were shining. Relief washed her pelt.

  “That’s a great idea.” Bramblestar blinked at her. “I’m glad to see you taking the warrior code so seriously.”

  “I remembered what you said last night,” Bristlefrost told him eagerly. “About upholding the code so StarClan will come back.”

  Bramblestar tipped his head approvingly. “I’ll make an announcement to the Clan this evening. If every cat follows your lead, Bristlefrost, StarClan will be back before we know it.” He nodded to Rosepetal. “Thank you for sharing this with me.” He flicked his tail toward the fresh-kill pile. “No doubt you’ll want to taste some of the prey you helped catch.”

  “Yes.” Rosepetal dipped her head politely and turned away. As Bristlefrost began to follow her, Bramblestar pricked his ears. “Wait, Bristlefrost,” he mewed. “I want to talk to you about something.”

  Her heart quickened. She blinked at him excitedly. What did he want to say? Was he pleased with her? Was there something else she could help with?

  Squirrelflight glanced at Bramblestar curiously. “Why not let her go with Rosepetal? She’s been up since before dawn. She probably hasn’t eaten. Let her go and get some prey.”

  “She can go in a moment,” Bramblestar told her without taking his eyes from Bristlefrost. “But it’s important our warriors know how we appreciate them.”

  Bristlefrost lifted her chin. Was he going to praise her again?

  “You’re doing exactly what I wanted you to do,” he told her, his gaze warm with approval. “You’re obviously a very dedicated warrior, and observant too.”

  Bristlefrost tried to stop her chest from puffing out more. “I’m just trying to do my best,” she mumbled modestly. “I don’t want StarClan to abandon us. I want . . .” Her mew trailed away, and her ears grew hot as Bramblestar stared at her thoughtfully.

  “You’ve done so well assigning patrols,” he meowed evenly. “And by noticing that your Clanmates haven’t been thanking StarClan—”

  “I’m sure they have.” She interrupted, anxious they he’d think her Clanmates had been doing something wrong. “But in case they ever forget, I thought it would be a good idea—”

  “Yes, of course.” Bramblestar’s mew was smooth as he pressed on. “Could you take on another special task?”

  “Sure!” Bristlefrost answered immediately. She didn’t care what it was. She was eager to help her Clan any way she could.

  “I can’t help feeling the whole Clan has been a bit sloppy when it comes to following the code,” Bramblestar began.

  Squirrelflight glanced at him sharply. “Our Clanmates are loyal and honorable warriors.”

  “Indeed they are,” Bramblestar agreed. “But it’s easy to
become forgetful and to fall into bad habits. Even the most loyal and honorable warrior might overlook a small part of the code here and there. It’s hard to remember all of it.”

  “I guess.” Bristlefrost felt his gaze burn into her. Hurriedly she tried to remember any time she might have forgotten the code without realizing it.

  “I can’t fix what I don’t see.” Bramblestar blinked at her innocently. “But if I know exactly how and when my Clanmates might be breaking the code, I can help them.”

  “So can I!” Bristlefrost stretched her muzzle forward eagerly. If they both helped ThunderClan follow the code, StarClan would be back in no time!

  Bramblestar’s tail swept the earth. “I want you to be my eyes and ears in the Clan, Bristlefrost. You can see things I can’t. I want you to report back to me if you see or hear any codebreaking.”

  Squirrelflight shifted her paws uneasily. “Is that fair?”

  “Of course it’s fair,” Bramblestar told her. “She wants to help her Clanmates be better warriors.”

  Bristlefrost tipped her head. “I can tell them if they’re breaking the code. I’m sure if they realized they were doing it, they’d stop.”

  “I guess.” Bramblestar gaze drifted past her. “But it’s important I know too. It’s the best way to help our Clanmates.”

  Squirrelflight’s ears twitched. “I don’t think you should make Bristlefrost your spy. That can’t be what StarClan wants.”

  Bramblestar looked at his mate. “She’s not going to be my spy,” he told her. “She’s just going to make sure I know if there are any problems in the Clan.”

  “Isn’t that spying?” Squirrelflight’s fur ruffled along her spine.

  Bristlefrost’s chest tightened. Is she angry with me?

  “Let’s talk about this later,” Bramblestar told Squirrelflight.

  She stared at him defiantly. “What is there to talk about?”

  “You’re overreacting.” Bramblestar eyed her calmly. “Are you worried she might see or hear you doing something wrong?”

  “Of course not!”

  Bramblestar didn’t seem to hear. “Only a codebreaker would worry about being spied on.”

  Anger flashed for a moment in Squirrelflight’s gaze. She looked away but didn’t speak.

  Bristlefrost wondered if she should leave them to finish their conversation in private. She began to edge away, hesitating as Bramblestar’s gaze lingered on Squirrelflight. Was he going to change his mind?

  “It’s good to see you haven’t lost your fire, Squirrelflight,” he mewed silkily. “It reminds me of the old days. You used to stand up to me then too.”

  Squirrelflight looked at him, her gaze unreadable. Was she remembering when she and Bramblestar had been young? Or was she thinking about the argument she and her mate had had a few moons ago, when they had disagreed over whether to drive the Sisters off their territory so that SkyClan could claim it?

  They have been arguing quite a lot lately, Bristlefrost realized.

  “You can go.”

  Bristlefrost realized with a start that Bramblestar was looking at her again. “Y-yes. Of course.” She backed away.

  “I’m relying on you,” he told her. “I know such a loyal and smart warrior won’t let me down.”

  His words rang in her ears as she padded to the fresh-kill pile. She’d been given another special duty. Bramblestar must really trust her to ask her to keep an eye on the Clan. She pushed away the doubt itching in her paws. I won’t have to report any codebreaking, she told herself. Her Clanmates were loyal warriors, and, if they followed the code, there’d be nothing to report. She hooked a shrew from the pile, imagining how pleased Bramblestar would be when she told him their Clanmates had been following the code. She fluffed out her fur. It wouldn’t be long until StarClan returned, and then everything would be back to normal.

  Chapter 6

  Shadowsight tucked a loose bracken stalk into the nest he’d woven and sat back to check his work. A rustle above him made him look up. Through the roof of the medicine den, he saw a bird swoop low, settling for a moment on the brambles before fluttering away. He pricked his ears hopefully. Was that the sign he’d been waiting for? He’d been on tenterhooks all morning, jumping at every sound and movement in case it turned out to be a message from StarClan. Above him, the bird had disappeared, leaving no trace. His heart sank. It’s not a sign. I’d have known if it was.

  He looked back to the nest. It was neat and, once he’d lined it with moss, would make a comfortable bed for an injured cat. As he gazed at the long, clean strands of bracken lit by the sunshine flooding through the entrance, his thoughts drifted to last night’s Gathering. Bramblestar had asked him directly if he’d heard from StarClan. He’d hated lying, but he’d promised Tigerstar he wouldn’t share his vision about the codebreakers. What he’d told Bramblestar had been partly true. StarClan hadn’t shared with him when he’d visited the Moonpool with the other medicine cats, and hadn’t spoken to him since.

  Worry wormed beneath Shadowsight’s pelt. He’d grown used to the idea of being StarClan’s chosen cat. So why wouldn’t they speak to him now? Had he done something wrong?

  Puddleshine was on the other side of the den, pulling apart an old nest that had grown damp and moldy over the long leaf-bare. He caught Shadowsight’s eye. “Don’t just look at it,” he told him as Shadowsight stared at the nest. “Put some moss in.”

  Shadowsight blinked at him, startled from his thoughts. “Sure.” He reached for the moss piled beside him.

  “Is everything okay?” Puddleshine tipped his head, concerned. “You’ve been distracted since we got back from the Gathering.”

  “Do you think Bramblestar’s right?” Shadowsight ripped a wad of moss from the pile and began to press it into the nest. “About StarClan being angry at us for breaking the code?”

  “I don’t think it helps to try to second-guess StarClan.” Puddleshine tore open a bunch of tangled stems. “They’ll let us know if we’re doing something wrong.”

  “What about my vision?” Shadowsight remembered with a shudder how he’d seen fire rise from the lake and reach out along the Clan boundaries, dividing the Clans with flame before spreading to consume all their land.

  “It was scary.” Puddleshine frowned thoughtfully. “But there’s no reason to think it was anything to do with breaking the warrior code.”

  “I guess not.” Shadowsight kept his gaze on his work, his pelt suddenly hot. Puddleshine doesn’t know what I know. Guilt wormed in his belly as he tucked the moss between the bracken stems. StarClan showed me the codebreakers. What if the fire vision was a warning? Would the Clans burn if they didn’t acknowledge the codebreakers? I have to tell them! But how could he betray his father? And what would happen to Dovewing if he did? She had been one of the cats in his codebreaker vision. His chest tightened. Am I making everything worse by keeping quiet?

  He had to speak to Tigerstar. He couldn’t keep ignoring the vision and hoping that everything would work itself out. There was too much at risk.

  As he headed for the entrance, Puddleshine looked up. “Aren’t you going to finish the nest?”

  “I’ll finish it when I get back.” Shadowsight avoided Puddleshine’s eye. He didn’t want to explain where he was going. He ducked outside, relieved that he was a full medicine cat now and Puddleshine couldn’t tell him what to do.

  Outside, Tigerstar was rummaging through the fresh-kill pile. The patrols were gone for the morning, and the clearing was empty apart from the Clan leader. Shadowsight crossed it and stopped beside his father.

  Tigerstar blinked at him distractedly, as though his thoughts were elsewhere. “Last night, the other Clans said prey was running well,” he mewed. “But it’s still thin on the ground here.” He sat down, his tail flicking uneasily.

  “Tigerstar.” Shadowsight tried to catch his eye, but Tigerstar didn’t seem to be listening.

  “I wish I knew why,” he murmured. “It’s been cold, but no
colder than in WindClan or RiverClan territory.”

  Shadowsight tried to get his attention again, leaning closer. “I have to talk to you.”

  “I guess I could ask Cloverfoot to double up the hunting patrols.” Tigerstar frowned, his gaze flitting around the deserted clearing. “But we’re already sending out six patrols every day.”

  Frustration welled in Shadowsight’s chest. His father needed to listen. “It’s important,” he pressed.

  Tigerstar looked at him hazily. “What is?”

  “I have to tell the Clans about the codebreakers.”

  Tigerstar’s gaze suddenly focused. He stiffened. “No.”

  “But what if keeping quiet is making things worse?” Fear jabbed Shadowsight’s belly.

  Tigerstar squared his shoulders. “We’ve just survived the hardest leaf-bare any cat has ever known. Things are going to get better.”

  “But what about my vision about the fire? There could be a threat to all the Clans—”

  “I know you’re worried.” Tigerstar blinked at him reassuringly. “But this is the best way, I promise.”

  “I’m not sure it is.” Shadowsight dug his claws into the earth, wondering how his father would react to what he said next. “I want to protect Dovewing, too, but isn’t that selfish? I can’t keep this a secret from the Clans because I’m worried about my own kin.”

  Tigerstar narrowed his eyes. “You heard Bramblestar last night. He wants to make an example of any warrior who breaks the code. If you tell him that StarClan is worried about codebreakers, who knows what he’ll do. ThunderClan has always thought it was better than the rest of us. They’ll use this to make the lives of the other Clans miserable.”

  “You can’t be sure of that,” Shadowsight argued. “What if this means that Bramblestar’s right? StarClan may not return until we deal with the codebreakers.”

  “‘Deal with’?” Tigerstar’s gaze hardened. “What do you mean, ‘deal with’?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “What do you think will happen to Dovewing—to any of the codebreakers—if we tell the Clans about your vision?”