The Silent Thaw

by Erin Hunter

  Two ThunderClan warriors were pushing through the crowd, heading toward Rootpaw. He stiffened when he recognized Spotfur and Stemleaf. Were they coming to accuse him of disrespecting their leader?

  “It was an accident—” he began as they reached him.

  “What was?” Spotfur stopped and tipped her head, looking puzzled.

  “Telling Bramblestar to shut up,” he mewed apologetically.

  “We’re not here to talk about that.” Stemleaf glanced furtively over his shoulder. “We just wanted to tell you that we’re planning a secret meeting.”

  He blinked at the white-and-orange tom. “What does that have to do with me?”

  “It’s for cats who are worried about the way things are going in the Clans,” Stemleaf dropped his mew to a whisper. “We thought you might be interested.”

  “Because you told Bramblestar to shut up,” Spotfur chimed.

  “I wasn’t talking about him,” Rootpaw mumbled.

  Stemleaf wasn’t listening. He seemed in too much of a hurry. “We’re going to see if we can stop Bramblestar from trying to punish so many cats.”

  “We’re meeting at the greenleaf Twolegplace,” Spotfur whispered.

  “Three nights from now,” Stemleaf added. “At moonhigh.”

  They turned and hurried after their Clanmates before Rootpaw could speak. His pelt prickled along his spine.

  “You’re going to go, aren’t you?” The ghost’s mew made him jump. He’d forgotten it was there.

  He blinked at it. “I’m still in trouble for sneaking out last time,” he pointed out.

  “But cats are finally realizing something is wrong!” The ghost was staring at him eagerly.

  “If I get caught attending a secret meeting, I might never become a warrior!”

  “You might never become a warrior if Tree decides to take you away from the Clans,” the ghost growled darkly. “And he will if the impostor carries on about making cats suffer.”

  Rootpaw didn’t know what to say. Bramblestar’s ghost was right.

  “You have to go.” The ghost stared at him. “You and Tree are the only ones who know about the impostor. You might be able to save the Clans.”

  Rootpaw stared wordlessly at Bramblestar’s ghost. He felt suddenly small beneath the wide, black sky. He wasn’t even a warrior yet, and the whole fate of the Clans seemed to rest on his shoulders. If he acted, he might get in trouble. But if he did nothing, Tree might take their family away. He could stay, without his kin, but what if the impostor’s accusations tore the Clans apart? He’d have no family and no Clan.

  He blinked helplessly at the ghost. “Okay,” he mewed. “I’ll go.”

  Chapter 14

  Bristlefrost poked a honeysuckle stem into the wall of the elders’ den and tugged to secure it.

  “I can see the hole,” Flamepaw called to her from the roof. The young tom was balancing carefully on the delicate canopy of stems, a bracken frond in his paw.

  “Can you reach it?” Bristlefrost called back.

  “Yes.” Flamepaw began to thread the bracken into the woven honeysuckle.

  Bristlefrost sat back on her haunches, relieved to be patching the final holes in the den at last. The sun was high, and ThunderClan had sent out two large patrols. Bristlefrost had asked Lilyheart if Flamepaw could stay in camp to help fix the den. He was nimble and light enough to work on the roof without crashing through it.

  Lilyheart had taken the opportunity to clean out her nest and was hauling heather into the warriors’ den while Birchfall, Cinderheart, and Finchpaw rewove loose strands of brambles around the entrance tunnel. Alderheart and Jayfeather were sorting herbs in the medicine den. Poppyfrost was helping Cloudtail and Graystripe line their nests with fresh moss. It was rare these days to see a ThunderClan warrior resting. They preferred to work, which pleased Bristlefrost. StarClan would surely approve of their efforts. Even now, Sparkpelt, Spotfur, and Stemleaf were clearing old ferns from the patch beside the medicine den to give the young ferns more room to grow.

  Below the Highledge, Bramblestar got up sleepily from his favorite patch of grass and padded toward the dirtplace tunnel. Squirrelflight scrambled to her paws as he disappeared and hurried across the clearing. Bristlefrost stiffened. Squirrelflight was heading toward her, her eyes glittering with worry.

  She nosed Bristlefrost away from the den, away from their Clanmates. “I have to speak to you,” she whispered.

  Bristlefrost’s pelt prickled. “Is everything okay?”

  “Remember what Rootpaw said?” Squirrelflight told her urgently. “At the Gathering? That’s not Bramblestar.” She glanced nervously toward the dirtplace tunnel.

  “Of course it is.” Bristlefrost blinked at her. “Who else could it be?”

  “I know it sounds crazy,” Squirrelflight hissed. “But Bramblestar is my mate. I can tell. I had a feeling something was wrong . . . I just told myself it was because he’d lost a life. Now I think it’s more than that. I’ve been paying close attention to him today. He’s . . . different.”

  “But he’s our leader.” Bristlefrost lifted her chin. “And he’s obeying StarClan.” How could he be any cat but Bramblestar? Things had been going too well. The Clan was following the warrior code more closely than ever. Prey was plentiful. StarClan must be pleased. Bramblestar was making ThunderClan the best Clan in the forest.

  Squirrelflight stared at her, her gaze suddenly unreadable. Then she headed back to the Highledge, settling into the spot she’d left just as Bramblestar padded into camp.

  “Bristlefrost.” The ThunderClan leader beckoned her with a flick of his tail.

  She hurried to meet him, shaking out her fur smartly as she reached him. She narrowed her eyes. He looked like Bramblestar. His mew was exactly as it had always been. She glanced at Squirrelflight, puzzled. How had an apprentice from another Clan managed to convince her that her mate was some other cat? “What is it?” She blinked at him eagerly. Did he have another special duty for her?

  “I want a word in private.” He padded slowly around the clearing and stopped at the far side, a distance from their Clanmates. “The camp is in good order.” He nodded toward Flamepaw, who was still weaving bracken. “And our Clanmates seem to be following the code. You’ve been a really big help making sure the Clan does its best.”

  Bristlefrost’s pelt warmed with pride. She dropped her gaze shyly. “I want StarClan to come back, that’s all.”

  “Of course.” Bramblestar’s gaze drifted toward the forest. “Prey has been running well, which is a good sign. I’m pleased to see the fresh-kill pile so full, but I think our warriors could be doing better.” He swung his gaze back to Bristlefrost. “Don’t you agree?”

  She blinked at him. Was he about to criticize her? Had she let him down? Anxiety burrowed beneath her fur. “I—I guess?” She searched his gaze, trying to guess what he was thinking.

  “I’ve been out in the forest, and I’ve seen prey trails that haven’t been followed and undisturbed mouse nests. I’m worried that some of our warriors aren’t pulling their weight.”

  Relief swamped Bristlefrost. She’d been hunting more diligently than ever before. He couldn’t be blaming her. “I think every cat is trying,” she told him earnestly. Her Clanmates had been working hard too. She didn’t want Bramblestar to be disappointed in them.

  “Every cat?” He tipped his head to one side.

  She met his gaze. “Every cat.”

  “Are you sure?”

  As he stared at her she hesitated. Am I sure? She tried to remember, feeling less sure by the moment. Had every warrior on her patrols hunted as hard as she had? She frowned as she remembered yesterday’s patrol with Sparkpelt, Spotfur, and Thornclaw. Sparkpelt hadn’t caught as much prey as usual, even though she’d ventured deeper into the forest than the others. Bristlefrost could feel Bramblestar’s gaze boring into her. It couldn’t do any harm to mention Sparkpelt. After all, she was Bramblestar’s kit. If she was having trouble keeping up wit
h her Clanmates, surely he’d just want to help her. “Sparkpelt went off by herself during yesterday’s patrol,” she mewed. “She said she knew a good hunting spot near the edge of our territory, but she didn’t bring any prey back.”

  “None?” Bramblestar narrowed his eyes.

  “She caught a mouse later and a shrew on the way home,” Bristlefrost told him quickly. “She’s a really good hunter. I think she was just having a bad day.”

  She held her breath as Bramblestar’s eyes clouded in thought. This was the sort of information he wanted, right? So his warriors could please StarClan. She stiffened as he stalked away, his tail twitching ominously.

  “Sparkpelt!” He yowled his daughter’s name, and she turned and blinked at him.

  Bristlefrost’s belly tightened. She crept around the clearing so she could see Bramblestar’s expression. Was he as angry as he sounded?

  “What is it?” When she saw her father’s face, her emerald gaze sharpened. She glanced toward Squirrelflight.

  “Don’t look at her.” Bramblestar snapped. “I’m your leader.”

  Bristlefrost’s pads itched with foreboding. Should she have kept quiet?

  Squirrelflight got to her paws slowly as Sparkpelt crossed the clearing.

  “Is something wrong?” Sparkpelt stopped in front of Bramblestar. Bristlefrost hung back at the edge of the clearing, her fur pricking with fear.

  “You disappeared during your hunting patrol yesterday,” Bramblestar growled. “Where did you go?”

  Sparkpelt stuck out her chest. “I was hunting,” she told him. “I wanted to check the territory near the border. We hadn’t hunted there for a while.”

  Bramblestar held her gaze. “Why didn’t the rest of the patrol go with you?”

  “I don’t know,” she told him. “I didn’t ask. I didn’t realize I had to ask. I’ve hunted alone before. We all have.”

  “But things are different now,” Bramblestar growled. “StarClan is angry. We have to be careful what we do. We must stay with our Clanmates.”

  “How will that make StarClan happy?” Sparkpelt’s ears twitched.

  “It will make me happy,” Bramblestar snapped. “And while StarClan is silent, I’m their voice in the forest. They gave me nine lives. I think they must trust me to care for my Clan, don’t you?” He leaned closer to Sparkpelt. “Or do you think you know better than StarClan?”

  “Of course I don’t!” Sparkpelt bristled.

  “Where did you go?” Bramblestar snarled.

  “I was hunting!”

  “Then why didn’t you bring any prey back? Did you forget how to catch it?”

  “No!” Sparkpelt was angry now. As her hackles lifted, Squirrelflight padded closer. Flamepaw slid quietly from the elders’ roof and watched, his eyes rounding with alarm.

  Bristlefrost glanced guiltily at the apprentice. She hadn’t meant to get his mother into trouble. She’d only wanted to help Bramblestar take care of the Clan.

  “Where did you go?” Bramblestar demanded again.

  Sparkpelt glared at him. “I went to look for Lionblaze, okay? Has StarClan made a rule against caring about our Clanmates now?”

  Bristlefrost’s heart quickened with fear. She hadn’t known Sparkpelt had been looking for Lionblaze. If she had, would she have told Bramblestar about his daughter’s disappearance? Had Sparkpelt broken the code? She no longer knew.

  She glanced at the ThunderClan leader, seeing that his ears had flattened. “How dare you!” he snarled at Sparkpelt. “I banished Lionblaze. You had no business going after him.”

  “I didn’t go after him. The quarter moon was up two days ago, and he’s still not back yet. I went to see if he might be on his way home.”

  As Sparkpelt stood her ground, Bramblestar stared at her. Around them, the Clan had fallen silent. They were watching, pelts ruffled with unease.

  Squirrelflight padded softly to Bramblestar’s side. “She only went to check on a Clanmate,” she mewed.

  He rounded on her. “This has nothing to do with you. Keep your whiskers out of it.”

  “She’s my kit!” Squirrelflight snapped.

  “She’s a ThunderClan warrior and she broke the rules!” Bramblestar snapped back.

  “What rules?” Squirrelflight demanded.

  Bramblestar bared his teeth. “She left her patrol without permission and she went to look for a codebreaker I banished!”

  Sparkpelt stared at her father, her gaze glittering suddenly with fear as he loomed over Squirrelflight. “I’m sorry,” she blurted. “Okay? It was wrong of me and I won’t do it again.”

  Bristlefrost flinched as Bramblestar turned back to his daughter. He looked ready to rake her muzzle with his claws. She held her breath, relief swamping her as the ThunderClan leader’s fur finally began to smooth.

  Flamepaw was shivering as he watched his mother. Sparkpelt seemed suddenly small as she blinked at Bramblestar. “Don’t banish me too,” she mewed quietly. “I can’t leave my Clan, and my kits are still only apprentices. They need me.”

  Bramblestar stared calmly at Sparkpelt. Bristlefrost pressed back a shudder. Was he enjoying the look of fear on his daughter’s face? Of course not. He’s not a fox-heart. But if she’d known he’d react like this, she’d never have told him. And yet Sparkpelt had broken the rules, hadn’t she? Bramblestar was only making sure his Clan was obeying StarClan. It was more important than ever now that Shadowsight had shared his vision about the codebreakers.

  Slowly, Bramblestar turned his head. “Alderheart, are we running low on catmint?” His yowl rang across the clearing.

  Catmint? Bristlefrost blinked at her leader. What did that have to do with anything?

  Alderheart stuck his head out of the medicine den, looking puzzled. “I guess we’re a little low, but we don’t really need any at the moment.”

  Bramblestar looked back at Sparkpelt. “But it doesn’t do any harm to make sure we have enough.”

  Alderheart frowned. “I’m not sure it will be growing yet. It might be best to wait another moon.”

  Bramblestar was still staring at Sparkpelt. “Do you want to wait another moon until your Clan has enough catmint?”

  Sparkpelt looked puzzled. “N-no.”

  “Then why don’t you go to the abandoned Twoleg nest and check whether the catmint is growing yet?” Bramblestar’s tail swished over the ground.

  “If you want me to.” Sparkpelt glanced at her mother uneasily.

  Bramblestar padded closer. “It would be a good way to prove to your Clanmates that you’re more interested in helping them than in wandering off on your own private missions.” He glanced ominously at Flamepaw. “A mother who’s so worried about taking care of her kits would want to set them a good example.”

  Bristlefrost felt suddenly cold, unnerved by the threat in Bramblestar’s mew.

  “Sure.” Sparkpelt nodded. “If that would help.”

  “Go on, then.” Bramblestar nodded toward the camp entrance. “Off you go.”

  Sparkpelt headed away, glancing back nervously as she crossed the clearing.

  But Bramblestar had already turned to pad to his spot beneath the Highledge. He settled down and looked expectantly at Squirrelflight.

  The ThunderClan deputy watched her daughter leave the camp, then flashed a look at Bristlefrost, which seemed to say, See? It’s not him.

  A chill slid beneath Bristlefrost’s fur. It has to be him! Who else could it be? She pushed back a tingle of foreboding as Squirrelflight joined Bramblestar, her pelt rippling along her spine.

  Bristlefrost glanced again at the camp entrance. Sparkpelt had been gone all afternoon. Would she be back soon? Most of the patrols had returned, and Flamepaw had finished patching the elders’ roof.

  Bristlefrost’s belly growled and she headed toward the fresh-kill pile. As she took a shrew from the top and headed to the patch of grass where Thriftear was sharing a mouse with Twigbranch, paw steps sounded at the entrance. Her heart leaped as Lionblaze p
added into camp. His pelt was unkempt and his eyes hollow. He crossed the clearing, his head high as he stopped in front of Bramblestar.

  His Clanmates turned to watch, relief showing in their eyes, but no cat spoke as Lionblaze faced Bramblestar.

  “The quarter moon is up,” the golden warrior mewed. “I’ve come home to take care of my Clan.”

  “The quarter moon was up two days ago,” Bramblestar grumbled. “What took you so long?”

  Lionblaze stared down at his paws. “I didn’t want to hunt close to Clan territory,” he growled, “so I ended up farther and farther away from the lake. I ran into a Clan of Twolegs, whose mouse-brained kits seemed intent on making me their kittypet. They wouldn’t stop chasing me! I managed to lose them, but I lost track of my way home, too.”

  Bramblestar snorted a laugh as he got to his paws. Bristlefrost searched his gaze. Was he relieved to see Lionblaze home and safe? His face gave nothing away.

  “He looks thin,” Thriftear whispered, looking at Lionblaze.

  “But he’s safe now.” Bristlefrost shifted guiltily. If she hadn’t reported him, he’d never have been exiled. Is he really safe now? She remembered Bramblestar’s warning at the Gathering. He’d said the codebreakers must atone. And Lionblaze had been named. Perhaps the ThunderClan leader was planning to punish Lionblaze again.

  Bramblestar’s gaze flitted over Lionblaze. “It looks like your time away will make you appreciate your life here,” he meowed.

  Lionblaze shook out his pelt. “A warrior is not meant to live without a Clan,” he answered. “But I’m home now and ready to return to my duties.”

  Bramblestar narrowed his eyes. “Not so fast.”

  Bristlefrost pricked her ears. Was he going to send Lionblaze away again?