Yellowfang glanced at the ThunderClan leader. “Didn’t you have kits with a cat from another Clan, Bluestar?” she mewed softly.
“Bluestar wasn’t a medicine cat,” Moth Flight growled.
Yellowfang tipped her head to one side. “You had kits, Moth Flight, before you decided you were the first and last medicine cat who could. Is that fair?”
“It was for the good of the Clans.” Moth Flight glared at her.
“It seems to me”—Yellowfang’s ears twitched—“that Leafpool sacrificed everything she loved to be a loyal medicine cat to her Clan. Can we ask more than that?”
“Of course we can!” Littlecloud glared at his Clanmates. “What’s the point in having rules if cats can break them whenever they like?”
“Leafpool didn’t just have kits,” Crookedstar reminded them. “She had kits with a cat from another Clan and lied about it to every cat.”
Yellowfang flicked her tail crossly. “She gave them up to be a medicine cat, just as Bluestar gave up her own kits to be a leader. I did the same in my time, and I am still a member of StarClan.”
Bluestar held her gaze for a moment, then dipped her head. “Yellowfang has a point. We can’t condemn Leafpool for breaking rules we’ve broken ourselves.”
Crookedstar spoke for the first time. “Leafpool is right about her kits. They helped save the Clans from the Dark Forest.”
“Only because we chose them,” Moth Flight snapped. “We could have chosen any cat.”
Around the clearing, the StarClan warriors shifted uneasily. Squirrelflight’s pelt pricked. Moth Flight seemed determined to keep Leafpool out of StarClan. Was her word enough to overrule the others? She looked anxiously at Leafpool. Her sister’s pelt was smooth as she gazed calmly at the StarClan leaders.
“Don’t argue over me,” Leafpool mewed suddenly. “I don’t regret having my kits. Only that I lied about being their mother. I wish I’d had more courage, but I thought I was doing the best for everyone by choosing to remain a medicine cat. If you decide that I can’t join StarClan, then I must accept your decision. But please don’t turn Squirrelflight away.”
Squirrelflight’s heart leaped into her throat.
Leafpool went on. “Everything she did was out of loyalty to me. I couldn’t wish to have a better sister. She wanted to protect my kits and me, and she was willing to sacrifice everything to keep us safe. If some cat must be punished for what we did, punish me, not her.”
Squirrelflight’s gaze clouded. Star-flecked pelts swam before her eyes. She could only focus on Leafpool, awaiting the judgment of StarClan. Squirrelflight pressed against Firestar. “She deserves to be here,” she whispered.
“So do you.” Firestar nudged her forward.
Squirrelflight’s pelt spiked. Bluestar was looking at her expectantly. Heart quickening, she padded toward the ThunderClan leader. Leafpool blinked encouragingly, but Squirrelflight could see fear in her sister’s gaze.
Crookedstar padded forward and glared at Squirrelflight. “You lied to your Clan,” he told her bluntly. “You lied to your mate. You told them that Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather were yours. Why should such a deceitful cat have a place in StarClan?”
Squirrelflight looked at her paws. Her pelt burned. “That was my only lie,” she mumbled. “I have been loyal to my Clan in every other way.”
“Really?” Bluestar’s mew was sharp. “We have seen you choose the Sisters over your Clan time and time again in the last moon. They are strangers to the forest, and yet you put your own Clan at risk to protect them.”
“Some cat had to!” Squirrelflight raised her head.
“Why?” Bluestar’s eyes flashed.
“Moonlight was expecting kits.”
Crookedstar frowned. “Cats can have kits anywhere. If you’d let the Clans drive her off sooner, she could have had her kits far from Clan territory. No cat would have been hurt. Instead you put the kits in danger, as well as the Sisters and your Clanmates.”
“My Clanmates were never in danger,” Squirrelflight insisted.
Bluestar’s eyes widened. “Have you forgotten the landslide already? Doesn’t that count as danger?”
Guilt clawed at Squirrelflight’s heart. “I was just trying to protect every cat.” She stared helplessly at the StarClan cats. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. I wanted to protect Leafpool when I lied for her. I wanted to protect Bramblestar when I lied to him. Does it matter if rules get broken if it’s to stop cats getting hurt?”
Crookedstar’s gaze darkened. “Without the warrior code, we are nothing but rogues.”
Bluestar glared at Squirrelflight. “Are you saying we should live without it?”
“No!” Panic flared in Squirrelflight’s belly. “This isn’t fair! I’m just trying to explain …” Her mew trailed away.
