Veil Of Shadows

What can you expect when he takes first pick of the fresh-kill pile and doesn’t hunt or patrol anymore? He’s lost a lot of his energy.

“Greetings, Bramblestar,” Rosepetal meowed, dipping her head respectfully, and Bristlefrost echoed her words. But Bramblestar looked at neither of them, replying only with a grunt. He headed across the camp, his dark pelt soon lost in the darkness that still lay over the stone hollow.

Bristlefrost and Rosepetal waited for a few more moments, hoping that the Clan leader had gone to his den. Then, as the dawn light strengthened, they followed him farther into the camp, their guard duty over with the approach of day.

Heading for the fresh-kill pile, Bristlefrost was just in time to see Bramblestar leave a half-eaten squirrel behind him and shamble off into the medicine cats’ den. She exchanged a worried look with Rosepetal.

There’s something off about Bramblestar, Bristlefrost thought. She knew that even the most loyal ThunderClan warriors could see it now, but still, she didn’t dare to share the thought with Rosepetal. In grim silence the two warriors chose their prey; Bristlefrost devoured her mouse in a few hasty gulps, then headed for the warriors’ den.

Bristlefrost could tell that it was raining again as she woke in her nest. The sloshing of busy cats tromping through the mud reached her through the branches of the den. Rosepetal had already left, and apart from Bristlefrost the den was empty.

Bristlefrost rose, shook scraps of moss and bracken from her pelt, and gave herself a quick grooming. Then she ventured out into the camp.

Instantly, drizzle matted her fur. Not far from the entrance of the den Bristlefrost spotted her brother, Flipclaw, in the middle of a group of younger warriors, and paused to listen to what they were saying.

“You’ll never guess what a weird dream I had last night,” Flipclaw was meowing. “I was hunting some birds, and suddenly they grew to three times their size. They were huge! They looked really fierce, and they turned around and started chasing me!”

“Wow, scary!” Plumstone commented.

“You better believe it. I was their prey, and they had this creepy sparkle in their eyes. I knew somehow they would get me! I was running and running, but they were flying faster . . .”

As Bristlefrost listened, amused at the outlandish story, she noticed that Bramblestar had appeared from somewhere and was also listening to Flipclaw, his eyes narrowed. Seeing that Bristlefrost had spotted him, he gave her a nod and shuffled off, back to the medicine cats’ den.

Why is he spending so much time there? Bristlefrost wondered. Is he sick?

Just at the entrance to the den, Berrynose intercepted him. “Bramblestar, Sorrelstripe reported—”

The Clan leader cut him off with a dismissive wave of his tail. “Whatever it is, deal with it,” he snapped. “Are you Clan deputy or aren’t you?”

Bristlefrost’s amusement at her brother’s weird dream had faded; watching their leader’s erratic behavior made her deeply uneasy. Her pads itched with curiosity, and when Bramblestar had disappeared into the den, she sneaked closer, crouching in the shelter of the brambles that screened the entrance.

At first, she could only hear murmuring, until Bramblestar raised his voice, his ill temper as obvious as if she had been able to see his face.

“I’m your Clan leader!” he snarled. “The warrior code makes it clear that you have to do what I tell you.”

“But I can’t find anything wrong with you,” Alderheart responded, his voice calm and reasonable.

“And I’m telling you that I’m in pain!”

From the tone of Bramblestar’s voice, Bristlefrost could believe him. She was surprised to feel an unexpected pang of pity for him.

“I’m sorry about that,” Alderheart continued. “But I can’t give you any more poppy seeds. It’s not safe.”

Bristlefrost blinked in sudden understanding. Poppy seeds were strong. If Bramblestar had been taking them regularly, it would explain why he had become so lethargic.

Bramblestar let out a growl of anger and pushed his way out of the den. Bristlefrost had just enough time to leap backward and pretend to be dislodging a piece of grit from between her claws. She watched as the impostor stormed into the middle of the clearing.

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey come here and listen to me!” he yowled.

Bristlefrost joined her Clanmates as they gathered around their leader. She could sense their uneasiness in their twitching tails and whiskers, and their shared glances of apprehension. Once again, they were gathering in the rain for a speech from their leader. It was as though all the cats were asking themselves, What now?

Alderheart had appeared from his den and remained standing at the entrance, his gaze fixed on Bramblestar with a deeply disturbed look that made Bristlefrost shiver.