“Yes.” Leafstar leaned forward. “And we were just going to leave.”
“But you said you thought this would be a good place to make camp.” The queen was still glaring at Squirrelflight. “Why?”
“We were looking for new territory,” Squirrelflight told her. “We didn’t realize this land belonged to a Clan.”
“A Clan?” The queen tipped her head.
Leafstar growled. “Why are you explaining yourself to these cats?” she snapped at Squirrelflight.
Squirrelflight looked at her. What else was she supposed to do? “They outnumber us, or hadn’t you noticed?”
“I noticed.” Anger glittered in Leafstar’s gaze. “But they’re rogues, not a Clan!” She turned back to the queen. “I’m Leafstar, leader of SkyClan.”
“I’m Moonlight, and these are the Sisters.” The queen nodded toward her campmates.
“We only came to find out if this land was empty,” Leafstar snarled. “Now that we know it isn’t, we’ll leave.” She began to pad forward, but Moonlight hissed. The Sisters fanned out until every stretch of grass was covered.
“Wait!” Squirrelflight swallowed back panic. They’d never be able to fight their way out of here. She looked imploringly at Moonlight. “We just want to go home.”
Moonlight’s gaze flicked over her. “Are you one of the cats from the lake?”
“Yes.” Had Moonlight and the Sisters been watching the Clans?
“I didn’t think you ever strayed past your scent markers,” Moonlight meowed.
“We don’t, usually,” Squirrelflight told her. “But as I explained, we’re looking for territory.”
“And you think you’re going to take this land?” Moonlight’s eyes narrowed into hard slits.
“We were just
Moonlight didn’t move. “Who says it’s our land?”
“You live here, don’t you?” Leafstar shot back.
“For now.” She shook out her fur suddenly and sat down. Squirrelflight sensed the other cats relaxing around them. She let her fur smooth and glanced at Leafstar, hoping the SkyClan leader would do the same. These cats clearly didn’t
“If you did,” Leafstar muttered, “we might have stayed away.”
“True.” Moonlight nodded to the white cat, who padded to her side. Her snowy pelt was sleek and well-groomed, and she sat down noiselessly as Moonlight went on. “But other cats don’t show much interest in our land. They come and go; they hunt, then continue on their way. They leave us mostly in peace.” She licked a paw and washed her other ear.
Squirrelflight wasn’t surprised that other cats left them alone. The Sisters were larger than Clan cats. Their broad shoulders and wide paws were intimidating, and she wondered if even a trained warrior could fight more than one of them. The three males she could make out seemed younger than the other cats and smaller, but they were sleek and well-muscled, as though they’d never suffered a harsh leaf-bare or gone to sleep with an empty belly.
Leafstar looked around the camp, her gaze sharp. “You said you only live here for now. Are you going to stay long?”
Squirrelflight pricked her ears. Leafstar sounded curious. Was she considering this territory?
Moonlight followed the SkyClan leader’s gaze. “We’ll stay until my kits are ready to travel.”
Leafstar glanced at her belly. “Will you ever return?”
“It’s a good place for birthing,” Moonlight told her. “But if it’s occupied when we come back this way, we’ll find someplace else.” She sounded unconcerned.
Hope flashed beneath Squirrelflight’s pelt. The Sisters didn’t want this land, and Leafstar sounded interested in making it SkyClan’s home. “Will you move SkyClan here?” she asked Leafstar.
“It’s good land,” Leafstar told her. “Once Moonlight and her friends have moved on, I will send patrols to explore more and discuss a future here with my warriors.”
Squirrelflight’s heart soared. Her plan had worked! She couldn’t wait to tell Bramblestar. He’d see what a great idea it had been once he heard about the land and knew Leafstar was open to moving SkyClan there. She looked at Moonlight’s belly again, trying to guess how long it would be until she had her kits. They would be ready to travel before leaf-bare. Surely the Clans could wait that long to redraw their borders? “Let’s go back and share the news,” she meowed eagerly.
“I don’t want to tell the other leaders until I’ve made a definite decision.” Leafstar’s pelt rippled along her spine.
“But once they know you’re willing to think about moving, they’ll be happy to live with the current borders for a few moons longer,” Squirrelflight argued.
Leafstar dug her claws into the damp grass. “We’re not announcing anything until we’ve checked out the whole territory and found it safe.”
Why was Leafstar being so stubborn? The peace of the Clans depended on SkyClan finding new territory. This was better land even than the forest. “But it’s perfect!”
