“I couldn’t.” Shadowsight looked at his paws. “Tigerstar wanted me to keep it secret. He was scared for Dovewing.” He glanced at the medicine cats. They were staring at him wordlessly. “He was scared for all the codebreakers.”
Jayfeather growled. “He was right to be scared. Bramblestar has already been calling for any cat who breaks the code to be punished.”
“Perhaps Bramblestar’s right,” Shadowsight mewed softly. “The vision says the Clans will suffer for what the codebreakers have done. But perhaps if the codebreakers make amends, the rest of us will be spared.”
Mothwing lashed her tail angrily. “This is nonsense! This proves what I’ve always thought. We shouldn’t let our ancestors guide us. Why should every cat suffer because a few have made mistakes?”
“We can’t turn away from StarClan when we disagree with them.” Willowshine blinked at her former mentor. “They see everything. They have more knowledge than us.”
As Mothwing grunted crossly, Shadowsight met her gaze. “There have been a lot of injuries in ShadowClan recently. If it’s StarClan’s doing, we can’t let it go on. We have to make things right.”
“Injuries are a part of life,” Mothwing retorted. “If we believed StarClan was angry with us every time a warrior gets hurt, then we’d have to believe they were angry with us all the time!”
“This is different,” Alderheart mewed softly. “This is the first time StarClan has ever stopped speaking to us.” He nodded to the still, black water. “Can you remember a time when there were no stars glittering in the Moonpool? Something has changed, and if Shadowsight has had a vision that tells us what’s wrong, we must listen to it.” His dark ginger fur rippled nervously.
Shadowsight felt a wave of sympathy. Alderheart’s mother was on the list of codebreakers, too. He knew how hard it was to admit that the codebreakers might be the reason for StarClan’s silence. “I can’t let my Clanmates suffer.”
Kestrelflight glared suddenly at Shadowsight. “Are you sure you heard the vision right?”
“I told you everything I saw and heard,” Shadowsight told him.
“But how can we be sure you remembered right?” Kestrelflight looked around the other cats. “He’s the youngest of us. Why should we trust a cat with so little experience?”
Puddleshine padded to Shadowsight’s side. “He’s been having visions since he was a kit,” he mewed firmly. “And he’s trying to do the right thing.”
Frecklewish nodded. “The vision sounds pretty clear. I don’t see how Shadowsight could have gotten it wrong.”
Kestrelflight frowned. “But it doesn’t make sense,” he mewed. “Why is Dovewing named and not Tigerstar? They both fell in love with cats from different Clans. They both ran away. Why should only Dovewing be held responsible? It doesn’t seem fair.”
Jayfeather whisked his tail angrily. “Why am
“We’ve all probably broken the code at some point,” Kestrelflight pointed out. “Without even realizing.”
“Then why isn’t every cat named?” Jayfeather snapped. “Am I going to be punished because my mother broke the code? She was the one who had kits with a cat from another Clan, not me!”
Frecklewish blinked at Jayfeather. “StarClan has spoken,” she mewed. “We have to obey.”
Jayfeather snorted. “That’s easy for you to say. You’re not named! No SkyClan cat is!”
Alderheart was frowning. “I don’t understand why StarClan has decided these codebreakers should be punished
Shadowsight’s pelt prickled uneasily. Why were the other medicine cats questioning his vision? They should act, not talk. “We’re wasting time,” he mewed. “We should be deciding what to do next.”
“Should we tell our Clans about the vision?” Willowshine’s eyes glittered darkly in the moonlight.
“No!” Jayfeather’s bind blue gaze swung toward her. “Can you imagine what Bramblestar will do when he knows who to blame?”
“We can’t keep it to ourselves,” Alderheart argued. “It’s too important.”
Frecklewish nodded. “It affects every cat in the Clans.”
Shadowsight’s belly tightened. “We have to tell them.” His Clanmates had already suffered too much because of his silence.
Kestrelflight nodded. “If it’s true, our Clanmates must know.”
“They should have known sooner,” Puddleshine murmured.
Shadowsight felt the sting of his denmate’s words.
Alderheart swished his tail. “The sooner the codebreakers atone, the sooner the Clans will be safe.”
Frecklewish lifted her muzzle. “Let’s go home and tell our leaders what we’ve learned.”
Willowshine’s ears twitched. “Let’s hope they know what to do.”
