Veil Of Shadows

Bristlefrost and her Clanmates had arrived for a meeting of the rebel cats, but so far the only cats she could see in the clearing were the exiles who had moved in there. Not far away from her she could see Crowfeather and Lionblaze facing each other with glaring eyes and fur bristling.

“You and Twigbranch need to get on with repairing the apprentices’ den,” Crowfeather snapped.

Lionblaze rolled his eyes. “It may have escaped your notice, but we don’t have any apprentices,” he pointed out. “Or kits, either. It’s far more important to plug the gaps in the warriors’ den, and fetch moss for nests.”

“We might have apprentices soon,” Crowfeather argued. “If Bramblestar keeps going, we can expect more exiles—I don’t think even the apprentices are safe.”

“Bramblestar can’t keep going—”

Crowfeather interrupted Lionblaze’s protest. “Don’t be naive. We might be here so long that we need a permanent camp, with kits being born here and becoming apprentices.”

Bristlefrost stifled a gasp of horror at the thought that the crisis in the forest might go on for so long. But the squabbling toms seemed unaware of her.

“You might be right,” Lionblaze meowed. “But that’s not happening right now. The first thing we need to do is make sure the warriors who are here now have a place to sleep. Besides,” he went on when Crowfeather looked as if he would go on arguing, “you might be a Clan deputy, but you’re not my Clan deputy, so don’t give me orders.”

“Fine!” Crowfeather whipped around and stalked away, his tail held high. Lionblaze picked up a heap of moss he had let fall by his side, and headed off in the opposite direction.

“Is it true that Crowfeather is Lionblaze’s father?” Bristlefrost murmured.

Spotfur nodded, letting out a small mrrow of laughter. “They don’t get along very well, do they?”

Bristlefrost could see that some of the exiled cats who had heard the quarrel were looking troubled. “Will we really be here long enough for kits to become apprentices?” Twigbranch asked.

“I’m sure we won’t,” Squirrelflight reassured her, resting her tail on the younger cat’s shoulder. “You can always trust Crowfeather to see the worst in any situation.”

“You certainly won’t be here that long.” Tigerstar had entered the camp, followed by Dovewing and Tawnypelt, in time to hear Twigbranch’s words. “Don’t forget this is ShadowClan territory, and using this camp is only a temporary solution.”

Twigbranch dipped her head in acknowledgment, but Bristlefrost wasn’t sure she looked convinced.

By this time, more warriors were arriving for the rebels’ meeting. As the crowd gathered, Bristlefrost realized that some of their original supporters hadn’t appeared, and wondered if they were too afraid to come, especially now that the WindClan and RiverClan leaders seemed to be in agreement with Bramblestar. However, she was cheered to see some younger cats there for the first time, including Dappletuft from RiverClan, Kitescratch from SkyClan, and Conefoot from ShadowClan.

More SkyClan cats appeared with Kitescratch: Violetshine and Tree, with Needleclaw and Rootpaw. Bristlefrost carefully avoided catching Rootpaw’s gaze.

“Oh, no—Twigbranch!” Violetshine exclaimed as she spotted her sister. “Are you exiled too?”

Twigbranch ran across and touched noses with Violetshine, letting out a welcoming purr. “For now,” she explained. “But Bramblestar will let me back into the Clan when I’ve atoned.”

Other cats, including Frecklewish and Puddleshine, trickled into the camp, but at last it was clear that no more were coming. They gathered with the exiles beside the old cedar tree.

Squirrelflight beckoned to Bristlefrost with a wave of her tail. “I think it’s up to you to speak first,” she meowed.

Bristlefrost looked at the assembled cats, her heart pounding. She was nervous about addressing so many cats, most of whom were far more experienced warriors. But she was also worried about telling this many cats the truth about Bramblestar. In a way, it would be a relief, but she also feared what might happen if not all the cats believed her, or if they couldn’t agree about what to do. Still, with Squirrelflight nodding at her encouragingly, she braced herself and padded up to the front of the group. “I know this sounds crazy,” she began, “and I have no idea how it can be happening, but we’re sure now that the cat leading ThunderClan isn’t really Bramblestar at all. He’s some other cat—or something—living in Bramblestar’s body. Rootpaw,” she continued, turning toward the SkyClan apprentice, “can you tell every cat what you have seen?”

Rootpaw ducked his head, seeming nervous, and came forward to stand beside Bristlefrost. “I’ve seen Bramblestar’s spirit in the forest,” he told the assembled cats. “Many times now. Tree has seen him, too, and the other night he appeared to me and the other medicine cats.”