by Erin Hunter
Bramblestar’s ghost bristled. “He sounds just like the impostor.” He stared at Rootpaw, his eyes glittering with alarm. “Why is every cat listening to that liar?”
Rootpaw ignored him.
Hawkwing narrowed his eyes. “What does StarClan want from us?” he mewed. “We can’t do more than we’re already doing.”
Leafstar shrugged. “I guess we have to wait and see what the other Clans do.”
Tree stepped forward. “What about Bramblestar?” he meowed grimly.
“He must deal with his codebreakers as he thinks fit,” Leafstar answered.
“But you’ve seen him at the Gatherings,” Tree pressed. “He’s been accusing any cat who speaks out against him of being a codebreaker. I don’t trust him. He’s using StarClan to turn the Clans against one another.”
The ghost pricked his ears. “Tree understands!” He blinked gratefully at the yellow tom. “The impostor is trying to divide the Clans by making them accuse one another. Why is he the only cat who can see that?”
Rootpaw tried to keep his fur from ruffling. Tree and the ghost were seeing problems that might never happen. The message from StarClan had made it clear that the codebreakers were the problem.
Leafstar blinked at Tree. “Bramblestar has been aggressive in calling out codebreakers,” she conceded. “But now that he knows which ones StarClan is concerned about, he might relax.”
“Does she really believe that?” The ghost stared in disbelief.
Leafstar gazed at her warriors. “This will be a difficult time for the other Clans,” she told them. “Our home is beside the lake now, and even if StarClan’s message doesn’t include us, we must support every Clan in whatever they decide.”
“Support them by standing up to that impostor!” The ghost’s pelt bristled as Leafstar followed Frecklewish and Fidgetflake to the medicine den and SkyClan’s warriors returned to their duties.
Rootpaw headed back to the warriors’ den, beckoning the ghost to follow with a flick of his tail. “Perhaps StarClan will let you go back to your body when the codebreakers have been dealt with,” he whispered as soon as they were clear of his Clanmates.
The ghost stared at him in amazement. “Do you think StarClan let an impostor take my place on purpose?”
“Not exactly.” Rootpaw dropped his gaze. “But Squirrelflight was named as a codebreaker,” he pointed out. “Maybe StarClan thought it would be easier for some other cat to deal with them.”
The ghost flexed its claws. “No. The impostor is the one using StarClan. We have to stop him before it’s too late.”
“How can he use StarClan?” Rootpaw met his gaze, puzzled. “They’re more powerful than any cat.”
The ghost stared at him, his gaze shimmering with frustration. “Something is very wrong,” he murmured darkly. He turned away, his tail quivering.
“Rootpaw.” Violetshine was heading toward him, her gaze sharp with worry. “You must promise not to see Bristlefrost again,” she mewed urgently.
He blinked at her. “I wasn’t planning to.”
“I know,” she mewed, only half listening. “But if StarClan is worried about codebreakers, you have to behave. No more sneaking away to ThunderClan. No SkyClan cat has been named yet, and I don’t want you to be the first.” She looked scared. “And I don’t want you mixed up with a ThunderClan cat. Bramblestar’s going to use this to cause trouble, whatever Leafstar says.” Her ears twitched nervously. “I just hope Twigbranch is okay. She switched Clans before you were born.” Violetshine looked worried. “Does that count as codebreaking?”
Rootpaw shrugged. “Frecklewish didn’t mention her.”
Violetshine looked at him anxiously. “Do you promise you won’t try to see Bristlefrost?”
“I promise.” He touched his nose to her cheek. It wasn’t a lie, but he wasn’t sure it was a promise he could keep. If this news was going to bring trouble to ThunderClan, Bristlefrost might need help.
Rootpaw fluffed out his fur. The night was cold and a sharp breeze was blowing across the island. Bramblestar had called an emergency Gathering the day after the medicine cats had shared the news of Shadowsight’s vision. Rootpaw nosed his way among his Clanmates and settled between Violetshine and Tree. Over the heads of the other cats he could see that Bramblestar was already on the lowest branch of the Great Oak.
The ThunderClan leader lifted his muzzle. “Let’s begin!”
Tigerstar and Mistystar were still hurrying toward the tree as their Clanmates gathered in its shadow. As the two leaders scrambled up the trunk, Harestar and Leafstar shifted to let them take their places on the branch.
Bramblestar’s ghost was watching from the edge of the clearing. Rootpaw could hardly see it from where he was at the center of the throng. The ghost had been restless since Frecklewish had announced the vision, pestering Rootpaw for reassurance that he’d do something to stop the living Bramblestar from using the vision to harm the Clans. Rootpaw had tried to keep an open mind. ThunderClan’s current leader hadn’t actually harmed any cat yet. Rootpaw wanted StarClan to stop being angry and come back, and if that meant putting up with an impostor for a while, maybe that was okay.
“You’ve all heard about Shadowsight’s vision by now.” Bramblestar’s gaze burned in the starlight. The gathered cats glanced warily at each other. “What I’ve been saying all along is true. StarClan is angry that so many warriors have broken the code. They’ve even given us a list of the worst offenders.” His gaze flashed from Dovewing to Crowfeather, flickered angrily over Mothwing and Jayfeather. Rootpaw wondered if he was angry with Squirrelflight too. She was on the list, and yet the ThunderClan leader didn’t look at his mate as she sat stiffly among the other deputies. Instead he pressed on. “I have a plan.” As he narrowed his eyes, the Clans seemed to lean closer, pricking their ears. “The codebreakers must publicly take responsibility for their wrongdoings. They must atone!”
Tigerstar bristled beside the ThunderClan leader. “‘Atone’?” he snapped. “What does that mean, exactly?”
Below, Dovewing sat unmoving while her Clanmates shifted nervously around her. Rootpaw noticed Tigerstar’s gaze flick nervously toward his mate before snapping back to Bramblestar.
Bramblestar swung his muzzle toward the ShadowClan leader. “They must be punished, of course.”
“How?” Tigerstar demanded.
Bramblestar held his gaze. “That’s what this Gathering is for,” he mewed smoothly. “StarClan won’t return until the codebreakers have suffered for their crimes.”
Squirrelflight glanced up at him, her eyes dark. “Are you sure StarClan wants them to suffer?” she mewed nervously. “They only said that every Clan must pay a price. Perhaps we must all suffer together rather than target individual cats.”
Bramblestar’s gaze flashed toward her. “They named the codebreakers!” he snapped. “They clearly want them punished.”
Squirrelflight looked at her paws, seeming to shrink beneath her pelt. Rootpaw frowned. Was she going to back down so easily? As she stared at her paws, the ThunderClan leader looked around at the gathered cats once more.
“We must decide how the codebreakers suffer,” he growled.
“‘We’?” Tigerstar flattened his ears, his mew outraged. “Don’t you mean you? You’ve wanted cats to suffer since this began. You’re using StarClan’s silence as a way to divide the Clans!”
Rootpaw saw the ghost padding closer to the oak, its pelt prickling excitedly as it stared at Tigerstar.
Bramblestar leaned down over his branch, his lip curling with menace. “But StarClan isn’t silent any longer. They’ve sent us this vision. They’ve made it clear exactly who the codebreakers are and why they should be punished. They won’t come back until amends have been made. In ThunderClan, we’ve already begun giving out stricter punishments to cats who break the code. You’ll notice that Lionblaze is not here. . . .”
A murmur rippled through the gathered cats as, one by one, they realized that the golden tabby tom wa
s nowhere to be seen. Cats let out nervous rumbles and exchanged surprised glances. Lionblaze had been a ThunderClan warrior for moons, and had fought in great battles that took place long before Rootpaw had been born—not that this seemed to matter to Bramblestar.
“He has not yet returned from his exile,” the ThunderClan leader went on. “But he betrayed the code, and he accepted that he had to pay a price. Spotfur, too”—he gestured with his tail at the spotted tabby she-cat, standing at the edge of the Gathering with Stemleaf—“was very grateful to be ignored by all her Clanmates for a quarter moon. Weren’t you, Spotfur?”
Spotfur said nothing. Bramblestar purred contentedly—something about the sound made Rootpaw’s flesh prickle beneath his pelt. “StarClan will appreciate us for this, you’ll see.”
Tree shifted uneasily beside Rootpaw. “He’s using this to turn the Clans into a bunch of vengeful rogues,” he breathed into Rootpaw’s ear. “This impostor is no better than Darktail. He will destroy the Clans if he’s not careful.”
Rootpaw blinked at his father. “Perhaps he’s just trying to help.”
“How can making cats suffer help anything?”
“It might bring StarClan back,” Rootpaw insisted even as doubt pricked in his paws.
“Do you want StarClan back if they only want to watch us suffer?” Tree stared at Rootpaw, his eyes glistening.
Rootpaw had no answer. Panic fluttered in his chest. Had this Gathering finally persuaded Tree that he should leave the Clans and take his family with him?
Tigerstar’s pelt was spiked. “You have no right to decide the fate of cats from other Clans,” he snarled at Bramblestar.
“And you have no right to defend codebreakers when one is your mate!” Bramblestar hissed back.
“Your mate is a codebreaker too!” Tigerstar’s gaze flashed toward Squirrelflight. She seemed to flinch for a moment before lifting her chin defiantly.
“I will deal with her myself,” Bramblestar mewed. “And I’ll deal with the other codebreakers in my Clan as harshly as I expect you to deal with yours. Lionblaze, Jayfeather, Twigbranch.” His eyes flashed menacingly toward his Clanmates. “They will all atone.”
Twigbranch! Rootpaw’s heart lurched. He glanced at Violetshine. Her sister had been named after all. Violetshine’s gaze had darted toward Twigbranch. The ThunderClan she-cat sat hunched among her Clanmates, her eyes wide. A cold chill ran along Rootpaw’s spine. Now that StarClan’s threat of suffering was aimed at Twigbranch, he realized how other cats, in other Clans, must have been feeling all along. A flush of heat settled in his gut. Would I ever have spoken up for them if my own kin weren’t being threatened?
Rootpaw glanced toward the ghost. It was pacing agitatedly, its hackles high. It caught Rootpaw’s eye, panic flashing in its gaze. Rootpaw pushed his way through the crowd and slid into the space at the edge of the clearing where the ghost was pacing. He led it away from the gathered cats. “You’re right,” he breathed softly. “The impostor just wants to hurt cats. He doesn’t care what it does to the Clans.”
Bramblestar’s ghost looked relieved. “Thank you,” he murmured. “Thank you for believing me. Maybe you can convince others. . . .”
His voice trailed off as he turned back to the Great Oak, seeing Harestar step warily forward to the edge of the branch, and meet the impostor’s gaze. “How do we know what sort of punishment StarClan wants?” he asked nervously.
“StarClan clearly trusts us to decide,” Bramblestar told the WindClan leader.
Mistystar narrowed her eyes. “Are we sure this vision came from StarClan?”
“Of course it did!” Bramblestar swung his muzzle toward Tigerstar. His gaze hardened. “Your son wouldn’t lie, would he?”
“Of course he wouldn’t!” Tigerstar’s fur ruffled.
Bramblestar turned his gaze back to Mistystar. “A medicine cat has brought us a vision from StarClan. Would you deny that?”
“No,” Mistystar told him. “But I want to be very sure of what we’re doing before we start punishing cats.”
“They broke the code, didn’t they?” Bramblestar stared at her. “What good is a code if it’s not enforced?” He didn’t wait for an answer. Instead he looked at Leafstar. “You’ve been very quiet. Are you going to object to upholding the warrior code too?”
Mistystar bristled. “I didn’t obj—”
Bramblestar cut her off, still staring at the SkyClan leader. “Leafstar, do you agree the codebreakers should be punished?”
Leafstar curled her tail around her paws. “SkyClan has not been accused of codebreaking. What the other Clans do about their codebreakers is up to them.”
Bramblestar dipped his head. “Very well. Then all we have to do now is decide on a fitting punishment.” He turned back to the gathered cats. “Does any cat have a suggestion?”
Rootpaw felt queasy as Bramblestar’s gaze raked the Clans.
The ghost paced around Rootpaw. “Why doesn’t some cat challenge him?”
Rootpaw held his tongue, aware of the silence that had fallen over the Clans.
“You have to do something!”
“What can I do?” Rootpaw hissed, one eye on the crowd beside him. The cats were staring at Bramblestar as though hypnotized.
“Speak up! Say something! You can’t let this happen!” The ghost lashed its tail. “Whoever’s in my body up there, this is just the start.”
Rootpaw tried to ignore him, moving closer to the crowd. It would be useless to speak out now. He’d only get in trouble again.
The ghost thrust its muzzle closer. “He’s going to destroy the Clans!” it yowled. “He’ll turn the Clans against one another, and then he’ll turn each Clan against itself.”
Frustration welled in Rootpaw’s chest. Don’t yell at me! I’m as helpless as you are! He ducked away from the ghost.
It darted after him and stood close, its nose a whisker from Rootpaw’s face. “Some cat has to speak out!”
“Shut up!” The words burst from Rootpaw before he could stop himself.
He saw countless faces turn toward him, eyes flashing in the moonlight. His pelt burned as the living Bramblestar stared at him from the Great Oak.
“What did you say?” the ThunderClan leader growled slowly.
Rootpaw stared back at him, his mouth dry. He wanted to run away, but he felt as though his paws had sunk deep into the ground. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I was thinking about something else. I didn’t mean to speak. I was distracted.”
Bramblestar eyed Rootpaw for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the crowd. “So?” He dismissed Rootpaw’s interruption with a flick of his tail. “Has any cat come up with a suggestion?”
As Bramblestar waited for an answer, Rootpaw noticed that Stemleaf and Spotfur were still staring at him. They stood at the edge of their Clan, almost separate from the other warriors. Spotfur still looked a little timid and chastened after being singled out by Bramblestar—but her eyes, like Stemleaf’s, were bright with interest as they regarded Rootpaw. He dropped his gaze, self-conscious.
In the crowd, Scorchfur lifted his muzzle uncertainly. “We should think before we act.”
Agreement rippled through the crowd.
“It’s an important decision,” Hootwhisker agreed. “We should discuss it first.”
Mistystar padded to Bramblestar’s side. “They’re right,” she mewed. “Let’s return to our camps and talk about the best way forward. This Gathering is at an end.”
As she spoke, the crowd shifted and began to break up. The taut knot of gathered cats unraveled as they turned away from the Great Oak and began to head toward the long grass. Tigerstar jumped from the branch and hurried toward Dovewing, pressing against her protectively when he reached her. Leafstar slithered down the trunk and padded quickly toward her Clanmates.
In the oak, Bramblestar was still glaring at Mistystar. “Am I the only cat trying to do as StarClan wishes?” Indignation shone in his eyes.
“We all want t
o do as StarClan wishes,” she answered evenly.
Harestar padded to the RiverClan leader’s side. “You can’t just bully every cat into agreeing with you.”
“I was the last one of us to see StarClan,” Bramblestar snapped. “I lost a life, don’t forget. I speak for StarClan more than any cat here.”
Rootpaw saw orange fur slipping through the crowd. His heart quickened. Squirrelflight was hurrying toward him. He tensed as she stopped in front of him. “Quick,” she hissed, glancing back at Bramblestar. “I don’t have long. Were you telling the truth about Bramblestar’s message?”
As Rootpaw stared at her, the ghost fluffed out its fur excitedly at the edge of his vision.
“Tell me!” She looked scared.
“Y-yes,” he blurted.
“Why should I believe you?” She searched his gaze desperately.
Bramblestar’s ghost whisked its tail. “Tell her that after the battle with the Sisters, we sat here in this clearing, looking up at the stars, wondering which one was Leafpool. She said it didn’t matter, because Leafpool would always be watching over ThunderClan.”
Rootpaw glanced at him, then at the impostor still in the Great Oak. Was this going to get him into more trouble?
“Don’t just stare into space!” Anger hardened Squirrelflight’s mew. “Tell me why I should believe you!”
“After the battle you . . .” He paused, trying to remember the words. “You were here with Bramblestar and you were looking at the stars, wondering which one was Leafpool, but it didn’t matter because she would always be watching over you.” He spoke so fast he nearly tripped over the words.
Squirrelflight stared at him, amazed. “He’s really a ghost?”
“He’s here now,” Rootpaw told her quickly.
She scanned the empty air.
“He can’t get back into his body because some other spirit is there,” Rootpaw told her. Hope flickered in his chest. Perhaps she could make everything right again.
“Squirrelflight!” The impostor’s yowl cut through the night air. “We’re leaving.”
Squirrelflight scanned the air once more, then turned and hurried away. She caught up with Bramblestar as he marched out of the clearing and pushed his way through the long grass, his pelt bristling angrily. The ghost watched her go, and she shot a longing look over her shoulder. Rootpaw searched the thinning crowd for his family. What would Tree say after the impostor’s behavior tonight? If he’d thought about leaving before, tonight must have convinced him that the Clans had changed, and not for the better.