“We’re not the ones making demands,” Leafstar shot back.
Tree padded between them. “Where is Tigerstar?” he asked politely.
“Tigerstar had other duties to attend to.”
Leafstar bristled. “More important than this?”
“I’m his deputy.” Juniperclaw lifted his muzzle. “I speak for Tigerstar in Clan matters.”
“I didn’t come here to speak to a deputy!” Leafstar glared at him scornfully.
“Aren’t I important enough for you?” Juniperclaw growled.
Violetshine shifted her paws anxiously. Would the meeting end before it had even begun? She looked hopefully at Tree.
The yellow tom was already circling Leafstar and Juniperclaw, his tail high and his pelt smooth. “Every cat is important,” he meowed evenly. “While we are all here, it would be a waste not to discuss the matter that is troubling you both.”
Juniperclaw narrowed his eyes and looked at Leafstar. Leafstar flexed her claws.
“There’s no harm in talking,” Tree pressed.
“What is there to say?” Leafstar snapped. “Except to remind ShadowClan that trespassing on another Clan’s land is against the warrior code.” She glared at Juniperclaw. “You can report that to Tigerstar, although he should know it already. But perhaps he forgot the rules while he was away from his Clan.”
Tree’s eyes widened. “I’m sure he still knows the warrior—”
Juniperclaw cut him off, glowering back at Leafstar. “I knew you’d be unreasonable!”
“Is it unreasonable to expect to keep land that was given to us fairly?”
“SkyClan didn’t intend—” Tree tried to object.
Leafstar ignored him. “It was Tigerstar’s idea to offer us the land,” she spat at Juniperclaw. “He wasn’t even your leader then, but he fought to convince his Clanmates that it was the right thing to do. And now he decides he wants it back?”
“ShadowClan has more cats now.” Juniperclaw stood his ground. “We need more land.”
“SkyClan has more cats too!”
Tree opened his mouth but, this time, no words came out.
Leafstar eyed Juniperclaw warily, as though waiting for his reaction before she gave hers.
“New boundaries?” Juniperclaw swished his tail. “ShadowClan has already conceded more than any Clan. It has given up land that belonged to it for moons before we even knew there was a SkyClan. Why should we alone make sacrifices to keep SkyClan beside the lake?”
“Why should we be driven from our new home?” As Leafstar hissed at the ShadowClan deputy, an excited yelp sounded at the top of the meadow.
A dog raced over the crest of the hill. Violetshine’s pelt bushed as she saw three Twoleg kits racing after it, their eyes as bright as the dog’s.
Sagenose flattened his ears. “We need to get out of here before it picks up our scent.” Bellaleaf and Sandynose had already turned to face the dog as it bounded down the hill. Their hackles lifted as they took up defensive stances.
Leafstar stared at Juniperclaw through narrowed eyes for a moment longer, then lashed her tail. “Let’s get back to camp.” She beckoned her Clanmates with a nod and stalked past Juniperclaw. “We’re wasting our time here.”
Violetshine hurried after her. She was relieved to slip into the shadows of the forest. Behind her the dog’s bark rang over the field. Sagenose, Bellaleaf, and Sandynose quickened their pace as Leafstar pushed her way past brambles and disappeared into the undergrowth. As she followed, Violetshine saw Juniperclaw from the corner of her eye. The black tom was moving like a shadow downhill, weaving between the pines as he followed his own route. As she lost sight of him, she felt Tree’s pelt brush her flank.
He padded at her side, his gaze heavy. “I can’t believe that went so badly.”
“It was always going to be hard.” Violetshine’s heart pricked with pity for him.
“But I hardly got a word in.” Tree frowned. “I wanted them to begin to understand each other’s point of view, but they’ve come away more divided than ever.”
“I think they both came to the meeting determined to be angrier than the other one,” Violetshine soothed. “There was nothing you could do.”
“I should have made them listen to me.”
“How could you when both sides are so stubborn?” Violetshine moved closer to the yellow tom, hoping that the warmth of her flank against his would give him comfort, but he seemed lost in his own thoughts.