Squirrelflight's Hope полностью

Squirrelflight’s heart filled with dread. Three leaders were determined to fight the Sisters. And she could see by the excited murmuring of the watching cats that they had the full support of their Clanmates. How could she expect any cat to resist the promise of a return to their traditional borders? She looked helplessly at Bramblestar. Surely he could find a way to stop them! She searched his gaze expectantly. Was he going to defend the Sisters, despite everything?

“We have a Clan mediator.” Bramblestar lifted his chin. “Why not use him?”

Leafstar pricked her ears. “Tree.” She scanned the crowd, her gaze settling on the yellow SkyClan warrior. Tree blinked back at him, pelt bristling in surprise. “Could you go to the Sisters and persuade them that it is in everyone’s best interests for them to leave?”

Tree’s gaze glittered with unease. “I mediate between the Clans, not with outsiders.”

Mistystar narrowed her eyes. “But they’re not outsiders to you,” she told Tree. “They’re kin. Moonlight’s your mother, right?”

Tree’s hackles lifted. “I barely know her. She forced me out when I was a kit.”

“In that case you won’t mind asking her to leave,” Mistystar shot back.

Tree looked away for a moment, then turned back to face Mistystar, clearly uncomfortable. “She won’t listen to me,” he said finally. “I’m happy to be a Clan cat; I’m happy to do my duty by mediating between the Clans. But please, if it’s all the same to you, I would like to be left out of this. I much prefer my life without Moonlight or the Sisters in it.”

Squirrelflight stared at the yellow tom in surprise. She heard murmurs of sympathy, and some shocked exclamations.

“So you want to be a Clan cat until we ask you do to something you’d rather not?” she heard Crowfeather mutter.

Squirrelflight raised her voice. “I think we should listen to Tree,” she said, shooting Leafstar a glance. “Leafstar and I have seen the tension between him and Moonlight. Perhaps we should wait until we have no other voice.”

Leafstar nodded at Squirrelflight, then raised her voice above the din. “Very well, Tree,” she said. “We’ll consider other options … for now. But if your connection to Moonlight might help—”

“It won’t,” Tree interrupted.

Bramblestar heaved a sigh. “Let’s move on,” he said. “In terms of moving the Sisters, I believe we must do nothing without the counsel of StarClan.”

Hope flashed beneath Squirrelflight’s fur. Perhaps that would stall them.

“StarClan has been silent lately,” Harestar pointed out. “They must feel we can make our own decisions.”

Squirrelflight saw Bramblestar hesitate. He pricked his ears, as though ready to speak, but said nothing. She wanted to call out for him, But StarClan isn’t silent! They had shared with Jayfeather. But how could she tell them without giving away the secret of the Sisters’ presence in the ThunderClan camp? Worse, if the Clans knew StarClan’s message, with its talk of enemies, it might convince them that StarClan wanted war against the Sisters.

It was better to say nothing.

Bramblestar dipped his gaze for a moment, then lifted it to meet Harestar’s once more. “They won’t be silent on a matter of war,” he growled. “And there is no unity among the Clans in this plan. SkyClan isn’t with you.” He glanced at Tigerstar. “And ThunderClan will not agree to any action against the Sisters without the approval of StarClan.”

Squirrelflight felt a rush of pride. How could any leader argue with him? She watched as Tigerstar eyed Bramblestar ominously.

Then the ShadowClan leader dipped his head. “Very well.” He exchanged glances with Harestar and Mistystar. “We will wait to hear from StarClan. Until then, we must all be vigilant. Who knows when the Sisters will strike again? And next time it might cost a cat more than their hearing.” As he leaped from the branch, his Clanmates gathered around him, eyeing ThunderClan and SkyClan defiantly.

Mistystar and Harestar scrambled down the trunk, and Leafstar jumped after them. The SkyClan leader nodded politely to Squirrelflight as she passed. Squirrelflight nodded back, longing to know when she would make the final decision to move her Clan onto the Sisters’ territory. Suddenly she found herself hoping Leafstar would delay it. As long as she wasn’t sure she wanted the Sisters’ land, it would weaken the other Clans’ support for Tigerstar’s plan.

Squirrelflight’s Clanmates were heading for the long grass. She watched them trail after the other Clans.

“Trust Tigerstar to find an excuse to turn this into a war,” Jayfeather grumbled as he passed.

Alderheart padded beside the blind medicine cat, nervously twitching his whiskers. “Do you think any of the Clans suspected?”

“Hush!” Bumblestripe fell in beside him. “Let’s wait until we get clear of the island before we say anything.”