Squirrelflight's Hope полностью

Squirrelflight’s ears twitched. What if Leafstar made the decision tomorrow, or in a quarter moon, before Moonlight’s kits were born? She tried to push the thought away. Surely Leafstar wouldn’t knowingly endanger Moonlight or her kits. But what if she did? She glanced at Bramblestar. “Would you drive the Sisters away before they’re ready to leave?”

“I’ll try to keep the peace as long as I can, but the Clans’ interests must come first.”

Squirrelflight’s pelt sparked with anger. Did Bramblestar really believe that the impatience of warriors was more important than the Sisters’ needs? “Why?”

“Do you think we should put the comfort of rogues before ourselves?”

Squirrelflight bristled. “The Sisters aren’t rogues!”

He looked at her, puzzled. “How are they different?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “I can’t let my Clan go hungry so that the Sisters can eat.”

“No cat is going without food!” Squirrelflight stared at him. Bramblestar was twisting the argument. “We don’t have the right to take land just because we want it.”

“We need it,” Bramblestar insisted. “And the Sisters have proved that they pose a threat to the Clans.”

“What threat?” Squirrelflight’s hackles lifted.

“They’re willing to attack Clan cats and hold them hostage. I call that a threat.”

“They were just defending themselves,” Squirrelflight argued.

“And we’re just defending ourselves.”

“So why are you holding Tigerstar back?” Squirrelflight’s paws pricked with frustration. “Why not just let him start his war against the Sisters now?” She didn’t want an answer. “You told him that we had to wait for word from StarClan. But we’ve had word from StarClan. Tigerstar could easily twist what Hollyleaf told Jayfeather into an excuse for war. Why not tell him what StarClan said and let him attack the Sisters?” She fixed his gaze, her heart aching. She wanted him to say that it was because he knew it was wrong to steal land, that he had pity for Moonlight and her unborn kits.

Bramblestar looked at her coldly. “There’s no need for war with the Sisters until we know for sure that SkyClan wants their land.”

Squirrelflight’s heart sank. She knew that Bramblestar was being honorable in his own way. He was putting the needs of the Clans first, as a leader should. And if he hadn’t cared about the Sisters at all, he would have already shared StarClan’s message and let ShadowClan start the war. Still, the coldness of his reasoning irked her. Couldn’t he see that the Sisters deserved respect too? A warrior’s way of life wasn’t the only way to live.

Her tail drooped as she matched Bramblestar’s paw steps. Around them, birds chattered and sunshine dappled the forest floor. There was no point in wishing Bramblestar were different. She was ThunderClan’s deputy. She needed to focus her thoughts on what was best for her Clan. The confrontation with Breezepelt had been close to an open declaration of war. She must support Bramblestar now. If he could come to a compromise with Harestar at this meeting, they could maintain the uneasy peace among the Clans while still delaying the invasion of the Sisters’ territory. Whatever was decided in the WindClan camp this afternoon might give Moonlight the chance to have her kits in the birthing den the Sisters had built for her.

At the WindClan border, they waited for a patrol. The wind in the heather covered the silence between them. Squirrelflight stared across the moor, relieved when she saw Larkwing, Slightfoot, and Oatclaw on the hillside.

“Slightfoot!” Bramblestar whisked his tail.

Slightfoot’s pelt bristled. Larkwing narrowed her eyes. The patrol headed toward them, eyeing them warily.

“I want to talk to Harestar,” Bramblestar told them as they neared.

Slightfoot looked unsurprised. WindClan must have heard about the encounter between Breezepelt and Squirrelflight by now. His stony gaze flitted over Bramblestar and Squirrelflight. “We’ll take you to him.”

He stepped aside, inviting them over the border with a nod of his head. Squirrelflight followed Bramblestar nervously between the gorse bushes. She’d known these WindClan warriors their whole lives, remembered their first Gathering as apprentices, and yet the hostility in their eyes made her keenly aware that she was treading on enemy territory. StarClan might demand that the Clans unite, but could the wishes of StarClan really undo countless moons of rivalry and suspicion?

Bramblestar stayed close to her as they followed Larkwing along the hillside, cutting through swaths of heather and winding between stiff bracken stems. She felt comforted by the brush of his fur against hers as Slightfoot and Oatclaw padded close at their tails.