Squirrelflight held her breath. Surely StarClan must have told him they could treat Sunrise! Perhaps Jayfeather hadn’t understood their message. “What did she say?”
The medicine cat turned his blind blue gaze on her. “She said that clouds from the mountains will make it difficult to tell friend from enemy. But if the Clans stay united, the way forward will be clear.”
Thornclaw grunted. “‘Clouds from the mountains …’” He stared at the Sisters. “I think the message is clear. These cats bring trouble. We must send them away.”
“No!” Squirrelflight hurried forward. “The message doesn’t say they are the enemy, only that clouds will make it hard to tell
Bramblestar frowned. “But they say the Clans must stay united. If we treat this cat, Tigerstar will see it as betrayal.”
“You don’t know that!” Squirrelflight flicked her tail angrily. “Sunrise needs herbs. Her wound is infected. StarClan would not ask us to let her die. And if they did, perhaps we shouldn’t be listening to them.” Silence gripped the Clan, and a chill ran beneath her pelt.
Bramblestar looked at her in disbelief. “If we turn our tails on StarClan, then we might as well turn our tails on the whole warrior code.” His gaze hardened. “We might as well live like
“Of course I wouldn’t prefer that, but I can’t stand by and let you decide to let a cat die. It’s wrong!”
Thornclaw’s ears twitched. “And what if the future of the Clans depends on it?”
Mousewhisker padded forward. “No future is decided by a single life!”
“We can’t ignore StarClan!” Blossomfall called.
“We can’t sit by while a cat suffers,” Twigbranch countered.
Murmuring spread among the watching cats, as ears flattened and pelts prickled.
Squirrelflight looked imploringly at Bramblestar. “You have to decide! You have to save this cat!”
Bramblestar returned her gaze, his eyes glistening with doubt. “I can only try to do what’s best.”
Tempest started forward. “We’ll take her home. She can at least die among friends.”
“You should never have brought her here in the first place!” Thornclaw spat.
As Hawk and Snow clustered protectively around their campmate, Leafpool got to her paws. “You can argue until dawn for all I care.” She turned toward the medicine den. “All I know is that StarClan hasn’t told us to let this cat die. I’m fetching herbs to treat her. I will not sit vigil for a cat I could have saved.” She began to head across the clearing.
“No!” Bramblestar leaped in front of her, squaring his shoulders as he stared at her. Leafpool froze, her eyes wide.
Squirrelflight’s paws seemed rooted to the ground. Was Bramblestar going to fight her sister to stop her treating a wounded cat? As she blinked in disbelief, Sunrise let out a low groan. She was dying! Energy surged beneath Squirrelflight’s pelt. She crossed the clearing and pushed in front of Leafpool, meeting Bramblestar’s fierce gaze with her own. “Let her go,” she growled.
Bramblestar stared at her miserably. “We can’t keep doing this,” he whispered only loud enough for her to hear. Desperation edged his mew. “If you keep undermining my authority, you could destroy the whole Clan.”
Squirrelflight held her ground. “I have to do what I think is right.”
“Even if it costs you your Clan?”
“ThunderClan is stronger than that,” Squirrelflight spat. “At least I hope it is. If our future depends on letting a cat die, then it’s not the Clan I thought it was.”
Bramblestar stared at her. Uncertainty glittered in his gaze. “Why are you doing this to me?” His words pierced her heart. “You’re my deputy. You’re my mate. You’re supposed to support me.”
“Being a good deputy doesn’t mean blindly following orders.” Squirrelflight didn’t move. “It means standing up for what I believe, and this time, I believe I’m right.” The camp seemed to swim around her. She knew she was hurting him. But she had to convince him. As the Clan watched her silently, their eyes round in the moonlight, Bramblestar backed away.
His gaze flicked to Leafpool. “If you insist on treating Sunrise, go ahead. But take her to the medicine den. If she’s out of sight, perhaps the Clan will feel less angry.” He nodded toward the Sisters. “They can stay in the elders’ den. Berrynose and Bumblestripe will stand guard tonight. Move Millie, Brightheart, Cloudtail, and Graystripe to the nursery.” Around him, the Clan got to their paws. Mousewhisker and Twigbranch helped Tempest and Hawk lift Sunrise. Leafpool nosed her way into the medicine den. Bramblestar narrowed his eyes, his face like stone. Squirrelflight tried to drag her gaze from his, her heart cracking as he curled his lip. “StarClan wanted unity among the Clans,” he snarled. “Thanks to you, there’s not even unity in ThunderClan anymore.”
CHAPTER 10
