The Silent Thaw

Rosepetal led her across the clearing and stopped in front of Bramblestar and Squirrelflight. Bramblestar didn’t seem to notice them, only turning his muzzle when Squirrelflight sat up and greeted them with a dip of her head.

“It looks like the hunt went well.” She nodded appreciatively toward the fresh-kill pile.

“Prey is returning,” Rosepetal told her.

“We must be careful not to catch all of it,” Squirrelflight warned. “We want some left for greenleaf.”

“There’s plenty left,” Rosepetal promised. “The forest is so full of prey-scent, it’s hard to know which trail to follow first.”

Bramblestar’s tail flicked impatiently. He looked past the dark cream she-cat, his gaze fixing on Bristlefrost. She straightened as he looked at her, conscious that her paws were still dusty from the hunt. “Are you enjoying organizing the patrols?” he asked.

“Yes,” she told him eagerly. “It’s a great honor.”

“Good.” He nodded curtly. “It saves Squirrelflight from getting up before dawn.”

Rosepetal shifted her paws. “Bristlefrost had a good idea while we were out hunting.”

Bramblestar’s eyes widened. “What was it?”

“She suggested every cat say their thanks to StarClan after every catch, like the warrior code says, but out loud.” Bristlefrost looked shyly at her paws as Rosepetal went on. “That way, no cat can forget.”

Bristlefrost’s heart seemed to stop in the pause that followed her mentor’s words. She looked nervously up at Bramblestar. Did he think it was a dumb idea?

His eyes were shining. Relief washed her pelt.

“That’s a great idea.” Bramblestar blinked at her. “I’m glad to see you taking the warrior code so seriously.”

“I remembered what you said last night,” Bristlefrost told him eagerly. “About upholding the code so StarClan will come back.”

Bramblestar tipped his head approvingly. “I’ll make an announcement to the Clan this evening. If every cat follows your lead, Bristlefrost, StarClan will be back before we know it.” He nodded to Rosepetal. “Thank you for sharing this with me.” He flicked his tail toward the fresh-kill pile. “No doubt you’ll want to taste some of the prey you helped catch.”

“Yes.” Rosepetal dipped her head politely and turned away. As Bristlefrost began to follow her, Bramblestar pricked his ears. “Wait, Bristlefrost,” he mewed. “I want to talk to you about something.”

Her heart quickened. She blinked at him excitedly. What did he want to say? Was he pleased with her? Was there something else she could help with?

Squirrelflight glanced at Bramblestar curiously. “Why not let her go with Rosepetal? She’s been up since before dawn. She probably hasn’t eaten. Let her go and get some prey.”

“She can go in a moment,” Bramblestar told her without taking his eyes from Bristlefrost. “But it’s important our warriors know how we appreciate them.”

Bristlefrost lifted her chin. Was he going to praise her again?

“You’re doing exactly what I wanted you to do,” he told her, his gaze warm with approval. “You’re obviously a very dedicated warrior, and observant too.”

Bristlefrost tried to stop her chest from puffing out more. “I’m just trying to do my best,” she mumbled modestly. “I don’t want StarClan to abandon us. I want . . .” Her mew trailed away, and her ears grew hot as Bramblestar stared at her thoughtfully.

“You’ve done so well assigning patrols,” he meowed evenly. “And by noticing that your Clanmates haven’t been thanking StarClan—”

“I’m sure they have.” She interrupted, anxious they he’d think her Clanmates had been doing something wrong. “But in case they ever forget, I thought it would be a good idea—”

“Yes, of course.” Bramblestar’s mew was smooth as he pressed on. “Could you take on another special task?”

“Sure!” Bristlefrost answered immediately. She didn’t care what it was. She was eager to help her Clan any way she could.

“I can’t help feeling the whole Clan has been a bit sloppy when it comes to following the code,” Bramblestar began.

Squirrelflight glanced at him sharply. “Our Clanmates are loyal and honorable warriors.”

“Indeed they are,” Bramblestar agreed. “But it’s easy to become forgetful and to fall into bad habits. Even the most loyal and honorable warrior might overlook a small part of the code here and there. It’s hard to remember all of it.”

“I guess.” Bristlefrost felt his gaze burn into her. Hurriedly she tried to remember any time she might have forgotten the code without realizing it.

“I can’t fix what I don’t see.” Bramblestar blinked at her innocently. “But if I know exactly how and when my Clanmates might be breaking the code, I can help them.”

“So can I!” Bristlefrost stretched her muzzle forward eagerly. If they both helped ThunderClan follow the code, StarClan would be back in no time!

Bramblestar’s tail swept the earth. “I want you to be my eyes and ears in the Clan, Bristlefrost. You can see things I can’t. I want you to report back to me if you see or hear any codebreaking.”

Squirrelflight shifted her paws uneasily. “Is that fair?”