The Forgotten Warrior

He took his patrol to the border stream where it flowed into the lake, then turned to follow it away from the shore, renewing the scent markers on the way. Everything was quiet; although the WindClan scent markers on the opposite bank were fresh, there was no sign of any WindClan patrols. They had covered about half the length of the border when the WindClan scent suddenly grew stronger, carried on the breeze that blew down from the moorland. Lionblaze raised his tail for the patrol to halt.

“Now what?” Spiderleg muttered.

As the black warrior spoke, a WindClan patrol appeared from behind a rocky outcrop and bounded up to the edge of the stream. Onestar was at the front; Crowfeather and Sedgewhisker were with him.

Lionblaze dipped his head. “Greetings, Onestar.”

The WindClan leader didn’t return the greeting. Instead, he stared across the stream at the ThunderClan cats with hostility in his eyes. “I was hoping to meet some of your Clan,” he rasped.

“Oh?” Lionblaze could feel anger stirring inside him at the challenge in Onestar’s voice, but he forced his fur to stay flat. “What can we do for you?”

“One of my warriors overheard a patrol of yours talking,” Onestar replied. “It seems you have that StarClan-cursed excuse for a cat, Sol, staying with you. Is that right?”

Lionblaze nodded. “Yes.”

“Then you have to drive him out at once!”

Lionblaze heard an annoyed hiss from Spiderleg, standing at his shoulder, but he still refused to let his anger show. “Why?” he meowed. “Has Sol done you any harm?”

“That’s not the point!” Onestar spat. “Every cat knows Sol is bad news. Firestar has to get rid of him now!”

The tip of Lionblaze’s tail began to twitch. “Firestar won’t be ordered around by the leader of another Clan,” he warned.

“Then maybe WindClan will have to force him.” Onestar drew his lips back in the beginning of a snarl. “Every cat knows that Sol is an enemy to all the Clans.”

Lionblaze’s indignation spilled over and he bounded to the very edge of the stream, his tail lashing and his fur fluffed up. “If you want a fight, you can have one now!”

“Right!” Spiderleg leaped up to stand beside his Clanmate and slid out his claws.

Instantly Onestar and Crowfeather stepped up to the bank on the WindClan side of the stream. A growl began deep in Onestar’s throat, but before any cat could make another move, Graystripe shouldered Lionblaze back. Lionblaze glared at him. Surely he was as furious as Lionblaze at the way Onestar was trying to give orders to ThunderClan?

“That’s enough, Lionblaze.” Graystripe’s voice was firm and calm, and Lionblaze recalled that once he had been Clan deputy. “There’s no need to fight over this. Onestar, you need to remember that it’s not up to you to decide who receives ThunderClan’s hospitality. You’re insulting Firestar if you think he would offer shelter to a cat who didn’t deserve it.”

Though Lionblaze didn’t try to interrupt, he could tell that Graystripe’s words were sticking in his throat. He knew that Graystripe didn’t like Sol any more than Lionblaze did. We’d both like to see him gone. But that’s not the point. It’s not up to another Clan to tell us what to do.

Onestar was unimpressed by what Graystripe had said. “Send Sol away,” he growled. “Or I’ll make you.”

Graystripe shook his head, and there was sadness in his eyes now. “Onestar,” he began, “do you remember when you were Firestar’s friend, back in the old forest? How can we have come so far from that time? We don’t need to be enemies.”

Onestar lashed his tail. “Your Clan makes it impossible to be anything else.”

Lionblaze watched the younger warriors welcome Sol when he strolled back into the camp as the sun went down.

“The hunting patrols are just back,” Blossomfall meowed. “Come and choose some fresh-kill.”

“Will you tell us more stories?” Cherrypaw added, bouncing along at Sol’s side as he strolled across to the fresh-kill pile.

“Yes, did you ever see that dog again?” Molepaw asked eagerly.

Toadstep and Rosepetal gathered to listen, and Briarlight dragged herself over from the medicine cat’s den. Foxleap and Icecloud, who were sharing a blackbird, looked up as Sol approached; Whitewing, Birchfall, and Hazeltail appeared from the warriors’ den and sat nearby.

Lionblaze noticed that Dovewing remained within earshot, but a few tail-lengths off, with Ivypool and Bumblestripe. None of them looked enthusiastic about Sol’s return, and they made no move to join him and the others.

Good. Not all the young warriors want to be friends with him.

While Sol gulped down a plump vole, Blossomfall told him about the clash with WindClan earlier that day. “Lionblaze and Graystripe told Onestar that he can’t tell ThunderClan what to do,” she meowed. “But Onestar said that if we don’t send you away, then he’ll make us!”