Dovewing felt another flash of anger toward Breezepelt. She had seen his furious attacks on her Clanmates. There was nothing noble about him! He didn’t deserve forgiveness from anyone.
The cats began to file out of the clearing. Tigerheart drew level with Dovewing and caught her eye, a swarm of questions in his gaze. Dovewing turned her head away. He was part of the past, just like the battle with the Dark Forest.
Bramblestar’s words were still echoing around the cliffs when cats started appearing from half-built dens and thickets of bramble. It was too early even for the dawn patrols to have gone out; the moon was still visible against the pale gray sun. Dovewing looked up at the dark tabby cat standing on Highledge and wondered how it felt to summon the Clan as their leader. If Bramblestar was daunted by his new position, he showed no sign.
When all the cats were standing in the clearing, yawning and ruffled with sleep, Bramblestar walked halfway down the tumble of rocks. “It has been decided by the leaders of all four Clans that any cat who fought on the side of the Dark Forest in the Great Battle must swear a new oath of loyalty to the warrior code.” A murmur rippled through the Clan. Bramblestar raised his tail for silence. “After this, the past will be forgotten in favor of looking toward our future. This Clan must be united if we are to survive our losses, and the leaf-bare that lies ahead. Is that understood?” He gazed down at the cats, and Dovewing noticed a few of them flattening their ears, including Dustpelt and Berrynose.
“You are asking us to forgive a great deal,” Dustpelt meowed, and there were nods around him.
“No ThunderClan cat finished the battle fighting for the Dark Forest,” Bramblestar pointed out. “When they learned the truth about their new allies, they showed nothing but loyalty to the Clans. There is little to forgive, in my opinion.”
Dustpelt didn’t look satisfied, and Berrynose hissed something into Poppyfrost’s ear. Dovewing looked at her father. Birchfall, Thornclaw, Mousewhisker, Blossomfall, and Ivypool were standing at one side of the cats, tails clamped down with tension.
“I hope this works,” Bumblestripe muttered. Dovewing rested her tail-tip on his shoulder.
Bramblestar nodded to the five cats. “Come,” he invited, walking down the rocks until he stood in the clearing. The warriors lined up in front of them. Bramblestar looked nervous for the first time, and Dovewing realized that nothing had been decided about the form this ceremony should take. How would Bramblestar know what to say?
“Warriors of ThunderClan,” he began, “only you know the true reason you let yourself be persuaded to join the Dark Forest cats. That reason, whatever it was, no longer matters. The only thing of importance is that you are loyal to ThunderClan and to the warrior code, to the exclusion of everything else. Whatever might be promised to you,” he added with a note of stone in his voice.
The five cats nodded. Bramblestar thought for a moment, then continued. “Repeat after me: I am a true warrior of ThunderClan, loyal to my Clanmates and to the code from this moment forward until it is my time to join StarClan.”
Birchfall started speaking first, then the others joined, a little clumsily and bristling with discomfort. Dovewing felt a stab of indignation that Ivypool had to swear along with the others. She had risked her life spying on the Dark Forest! What greater proof of her loyalty did Bramblestar need?
When the cats had stumbled to the end of the oath, Bramblestar swished his tail. “Let that be an end to the divisions within this Clan,” he declared. “You all know what you have to do to make ThunderClan strong again. Carry on, and may StarClan light your path.” He twitched his ears as a signal for the meeting to break up. Most cats headed back to their dens to wash and sort out patrols, but a few stayed clustered in a group, Berrynose and Dustpelt among them.
“Are we really supposed to forgive and forget?” Berrynose protested. “If they hadn’t given away all our secrets, the Dark Forest might never have attacked!”
Dovewing couldn’t believe that any of her Clanmates would think this was true, but Poppyfrost was nodding. “Those cats need to prove they can be trusted,” she growled. She glanced around fearfully as if she thought Birchfall might be inviting Dark Forest cats into the camp at that very moment.
