Squirrelflight's Hope

Leafstar glared at her. “Why doesn’t ThunderClan move here, then? We can go back to the Clans and suggest it—”

“No cat is going anywhere.” Moonlight was watching them, her tail twitching.

Squirrelflight stiffened. The queen’s mew was determined. “What do you mean?”

Moonlight shifted her weight. “I can’t let you go back to your friends. Not yet. We don’t want swarms of strange cats trekking through here.”

Leafstar’s ears twitched. “We won’t come back until you’ve left.”

“We want to go home and tell our Clans that this land will be free soon,” Squirrelflight added.

Moonlight narrowed her eyes. “You’ve only just arrived, and already you’re arguing about which Clan should take our home. Do you expect me to believe that you won’t want to get your paws on it as soon as you can?”

“We will respect your right to this territory until you’re ready to move on,” Squirrelflight promised.

“You might,” Moonlight mewed. “But your campmates might not.”

The white she-cat nodded. “We’ve heard enough about the Clans to know that when they see something they like, they believe they have a right to it. Now that you’ve discovered this land, your Clanmates will want to take it by force.”

“ThunderClan would never do that!” Squirrelflight bristled.

“And the others?” Moonlight gazed at her evenly. “Would they respect our right to be here too?”

Squirrelflight hesitated. Would Tigerstar leave these cats alone? Was Harestar patient enough to wait? Would Mistystar deny her Clan if she thought there was something better for it? “We want this land for SkyClan,” she meowed firmly. “And you already have the word of SkyClan’s leader not to take it until you’ve left.”

“We’ve learned not to invite trouble if we don’t have to.” Moonlight flicked her nose toward a den at the edge of the clearing. “You will sleep there until the time comes for us to move on.”

“But our Clans will come looking for us,” Squirrelflight insisted.

“Will they find you?” Moonlight glanced toward the end of the valley, where one hill rose into another. Squirrelflight realized how deep they’d ventured into this territory. And the forest was wet with rain heavy enough to have washed away their scent. She gazed toward the hilltops, feeling suddenly how small she was and far from home.

Leafstar was frowning at the gray queen. “You can’t hold us here against our will.”

Moonlight didn’t reply, but the other cats shifted around them, as though reminding Leafstar of their presence.

Leafstar bared her teeth.

“Stay calm,” Squirrelflight whispered. “They won’t be able to watch us all the time. We’ll be able to slip away.”

The white she-cat padded around them, sniffing curiously. Leafstar gave a warning growl.

“Quiet!” Moonlight’s mew was suddenly fierce. “Snow is our sister. Show her respect.”

Leafstar’s growl turned into a hiss.

“Hush!” Squirrelflight nudged the SkyClan leader sharply.

Snow stopped and stared at Leafstar, a threat in her eyes. She was big, with muscles visible even beneath her pelt. Leafstar held her gaze, refusing to be cowed. Snow stalked back to Moonlight’s side, her fur bristling.

“Forgive Leafstar.” Squirrelflight ignored Leafstar’s sharp hiss. “She’s a warrior. We’re not used to surrendering. But if you fear our Clanmates so much, we will stay as willing captives until you are ready to move on.”

Moonlight dipped her head. “Thank you. You will be treated as our campmates.” She nodded to a tabby she-cat. “Tempest, bring food from the prey-hole for our visitors.”

As the tabby padded to a large juniper bush and began digging between the roots, Squirrelflight surveyed the camp. The sun was sinking toward the hilltop, and shadow reached into the valley. She saw now how well the surrounding bushes hid the camp, so that anyone climbing down the side of the valley would see only undergrowth until they reached the bottom and pushed through to the grassy clearing. The dense bushes that lined the sides of the valley would make it easier to hide if she and Leafstar managed to slip away. And she knew Bramblestar would find them eventually, no matter how hidden the camp seemed. Her heart quickened. What would he think when he discovered that she’d gone behind his back and brought Leafstar here without his approval? Things were already tense between them. This would make it worse. She wondered, her paws pricking nervously, how long Sparkpelt would keep her secret before she told her father where they’d been heading.

Moonlight’s campmates glanced at one another, as though unsure of what to do. Two of them sat down; the young toms padded to the edge of the grassy clearing and watched their captives while the others moved closer and murmured to one another, their inquisitive gazes flicking over Leafstar and Squirrelflight.

Leafstar leaned toward Squirrelflight. “These cats are strange,” she hissed under her breath.

“I don’t think they want to hurt us.”

Leafstar snorted. “They’re holding us captive.”

Squirrelflight tried to keep her tone bright. “At least it looks like they’re going to feed us.”