Squirrelflight's Hope

“They’re thriving.” Hawkwing’s eyes sparkled fondly. “They’ll be ready to travel in a half-moon.”

“I expect Violetshine will miss them.”

“She will.” Hawkwing shifted his paws. “But she’ll be glad to lose the Sisters. A new mother gets enough advice from her Clanmates. She doesn’t need extra help from outsiders.”

Squirrelflight pressed back a purr. She could imagine that the Sisters had strong opinions about raising kits, and they wouldn’t be shy about offering them. “Have they helped you settle into their old territory?”

“They showed us where we can find the best hunting and the freshest streams,” Hawkwing told her.

“That was kind of them after what happened.”

“SkyClan didn’t attack their camp.” Hawkwing’s gaze flashed reproachfully toward the ShadowClan and WindClan warriors moving in the moonlight in front of him. “I think the Sisters respect us for it.”

Squirrelflight followed his gaze, searching for a glimmer of shame in the eyes of the warriors. They had killed a queen who’d been protecting the kits she’d just given birth to. Her pelt prickled with fresh anger. They’d behaved more like rogues than warriors. “Do you think the Clans will ever admit they were wrong to do what they did?”

“I think it’s best forgotten.” Hawkwing swished his tail. “It can’t be undone.”

Dust showered from the branch above as Leafstar stepped forward and addressed the Clans. “SkyClan has moved to our new territory. We’ve almost finished building our camp. There is plenty of prey. We haven’t seen any foxes or snakes inside the borders, but the Clan is on high alert while we adapt to the new landscape.”

“What about the Sisters?” Scorchfur called from among the ShadowClan cats. “Have they left yet?”

Leafstar glared at the ShadowClan warrior. “How can they leave when you killed the mother of their newborn kits? Some cat must nurse them! We owe them that much after murdering their mother.”

“It wasn’t murder!” Strikestone bristled. “It was a battle.”

“A battle for land we could have had in a moon if we’d simply waited.” Leafstar’s hackles lifted.

Tigerstar’s ears twitched. “The Sisters may stay on Clan territory until the kits are weaned,” he meowed, his gaze unreadable. “They no longer pose a threat to the Clans.”

Squirrelflight flexed her claws. “They never did!”

Tigerstar’s gaze flashed toward her. “They managed to turn you against your Clan.”

“That’s not true!” Shock sparked beneath her pelt.

“Then why did you warn them about our patrol?” he snapped. “We found you in their camp!”

“I was worried about Moonlight’s kits,” Squirrelflight shot back. “And with good reason!”

“Squirrelflight would never betray her Clan!” Bramblestar’s yowl took Squirrelflight by surprise. The ThunderClan leader stared at the gathered cats, his eyes glittering with indignation. Then he dipped his head. “But let’s not argue. Each Clan has enough territory to see them through leaf-bare. We’ve done what we set out to do. We may never agree on how we did it, but it’s in the past now. We can’t change what happened.”

The Clans shifted uneasily as a soft murmur rippled through the crowd. Bramblestar went on, his fur smoothing. “Moonlight’s death was regrettable, but SkyClan has done what it can, offering shelter to her kits until they are strong enough to travel. One of our Clanmates died saving them, too. We should honor her. She died trying to save others, which is how she lived.”

Squirrelflight’s throat tightened as the Clans fell silent. Puddleshine’s eyes glistened with grief. Among the WindClan cats, she saw warriors dip their heads.

“Leafpool will be remembered for as long as there are warriors to remember her.” Willowshine’s mew rang in the chilly night air. Murmurs of agreement rippled through the Clans.

Kestrelflight lifted his muzzle. “She will find peace in StarClan.”

“Leafpool.” Jayfeather called her name to the stars.

“Leafpool.” Kestrelflight echoed his mew.

“Leafpool! Leafpool!” Her name spread through the Clans as others began to chant, their voices lifting like a breeze into the night sky.

Squirrelflight shivered. She’d never realized how respected Leafpool was among the other Clans. Beside her, Crowfeather was staring ahead, grimly silent, as though fighting back emotion. She saw his pelt ripple and felt a twinge of pity. Had he loved Leafpool all this time?

What did it matter if he had? She’d lived and died without him. As she pushed the thought away, Bramblestar shifted on the branch above. He nodded toward Squirrelflight. “My deputy has news to share from StarClan.”

“Your deputy?” Tigerstar pricked his ears. “What news can she possibly have from StarClan? She’s not a medicine cat. The medicine cats say StarClan is still silent.”

“If you listen,” Bramblestar grunted, “she’ll tell you.”