Dovewing’s Silence

Jayfeather looked over his shoulder at the warrior, who was a faint hunched shape inside the den. Briarlight was propped on her forelegs beside him, licking his ears. “Not good,” Jayfeather replied. “Now, what do you want?”

“It’s okay, it can wait,” Dovewing meowed. She started to back away. “I’ll come back tomorrow if I need to.”

Jayfeather vanished back into the den, leaving Dovewing staring at the quivering brambles. She was used to Jayfeather’s short temper and brisk manner, but this was different. He seemed… frightened. But what could be more terrifying than the attack from the Dark Forest? The battle had been won. Surely there was nothing left to be scared of?

Chapter 3

“Ouch! Mind my eyes!”

“Sorry!” Dovewing dropped her end of the bramble and backed off to let Bumblestripe scramble clear. They were working on the collapsed wall of the warriors’ den. Dustpelt was supposed to be supervising but he had vanished; Dovewing guessed he was visiting Ferncloud’s burial place. It had only been two sunrises since they buried the cats who fell in the battle, and neither Dustpelt nor Brackenfur seemed willing to leave their mates alone in their cold earthen nests. None of their Clanmates had challenged them on it; there was nothing but compassion for their unspeakable grief.

The cats who had fought briefly on the side of the Dark Forest, however, were still being treated as if they had greencough. They had taken to sleeping separately in a space behind the elders’ den. Last night Ivypool had joined them, and Dovewing wondered if her sister felt guilty because she seemed to be treated more favorably by the cats who had seen her take on Hawkfrost. Dovewing’s pelt pricked at the injustice of the situation, and she waited for Bramblestar to say something but he was busy with Squirrelflight, organizing patrols to hunt for food and repair the dens.

Bumblestripe nudged Dovewing. “It’s all right, I think I escaped with my sight,” he joked. “Come on, help me untangle this ivy.” They started to unravel the knot of dark green leaves. All the cats were trying to salvage as much of the dens as they could to save having to find fresh leafy branches so late in the season.

Suddenly Cinderheart, who was working on the other side of the wall, let out a soft mew. “Blackstar’s here!”

Dovewing peered around the den and saw the ShadowClan leader hobble into the clearing with his deputy Rowanclaw close beside him—so close, in fact, that their shoulders were touching, as if Rowanclaw was holding his leader upright.

Bumblestripe put down the ivy and came to stand beside Dovewing. “I wonder what he wants?”

There was no suspicion in his tone; in fact, none of the ThunderClan cats who had stopped working to watch the new arrivals were bristling with hostility. The Dark Forest has changed everything, Dovewing mused, recalling a time not so long ago when these visitors would have been treated with distrust. Now they hadn’t even been challenged as they slowly entered the hollow.

“Blackstar! Come and sit down.” Bramblestar bounded down the rocks from Highledge and showed the ShadowClan leader a space on the grass where he could rest his trembling legs.

“Great StarClan, Blackstar looks so old he’s barely alive!” Cinderheart commented under her breath beside Dovewing.

Squirrelflight joined them from the nursery, where she had been helping Daisy amuse all the kits while Brightheart was out on a hunting patrol. “Is everything well in ShadowClan?” Squirrelflight asked, exchanging nods with Rowanclaw.

“We are fine,” Blackstar rasped, so faintly that Dovewing barely heard. It’s been two days since the battle; why can’t I hear anything yet? she thought in frustration.

Blackstar seemed to be having trouble speaking due to the wheezing in his chest, so Rowanclaw took over. “We have to come to talk to you about the Dark Forest cats who still walk among us,” he announced.

Dovewing flinched. What Dark Forest cats? She looked around and saw her Clanmates bristling.

“As you know,” Rowanclaw went on, “the Dark Forest attack was helped in part by warriors from the living Clans.” He paused and glanced around the clearing as if he wanted to name those cats right now. “Some of them survived the battle. We need to decide what should be done to them.”

Bramblestar shifted his paws. “I agree this is something to think about, but I assumed each Clan leader would decide alone. It involves our own Clanmates, after all.”

Blackstar struggled to his paws and lashed his tail. “We are still bound by our alliance during the Great Battle!” he hissed. “This is a problem faced by all the Clans, and therefore we should deal with it together. There cannot be any inequity between us.”

“Whoa!” Bumblestripe breathed in Dovewing’s ear. “He does know the battle is over, right? We’re not allied with ShadowClan now!”