Veil Of Shadows

Fixing his gaze on the branches above his head, Rootpaw reached out with all his concentration toward Bramblestar. Come on, he pleaded silently. You have to come!

For several heartbeats nothing happened, and Rootpaw began to wonder if he was doing this right. Then, from behind him, he heard a familiar meow.

“Greetings.”

Rootpaw lowered his gaze to see the eyes of the medicine cats stretch wide in wonder as Bramblestar’s spirit padded into the center of the circle.

Yes! It’s working! They can all see him too.

Even Jayfeather gave a shudder; though he couldn’t see Bramblestar, he clearly recognized his voice.

But Rootpaw’s excitement didn’t last long. When he took a good look at Bramblestar, he saw how hazy and indistinct his spirit form had become, much less solid than the last time Rootpaw had seen him. Rootpaw’s pelt began to prickle with anxiety, and the sensation grew even stronger as Bramblestar began to speak.

“I’m thankful you have come,” the ThunderClan leader began, gazing around at the medicine cats. His voice sounded distorted, so it was hard to make out what he was saying. “The longer I’m kept out of my own body, the weaker I’m getting. It’s costing me a lot to appear like this, but I have to . . .”

On the last few words, Bramblestar’s voice began to fade. His spirit form grew even more indistinct, no more than a smudge of tabby fur against the undergrowth.

“No!” Rootpaw choked out as the last vestiges of voice and body disappeared. “Wait . . .”

“Where did he go?” Alderheart demanded, gazing around in confusion. “Rootpaw, can you see him?”

Desperately worried and afraid, Rootpaw shook his head. “He’s gone.”

A shocked silence followed his words, broken after a few heartbeats by Fidgetflake. “What was that? Was it even Bramblestar?”

Kestrelflight let out a snort. “I could barely see or hear it. Rootpaw, are you playing some kind of trick?”

Rootpaw’s indignant denial was swamped by Willowshine’s sharp tones. “It looked pretty strange to me, too. Why are we worried about this weird Sisters talent, when we should be focused on getting back in touch with StarClan?”

“It’s a waste of time,” Kestrelflight growled, his shoulder fur bristling up.

“Now wait a moment,” Alderheart meowed, raising one paw as he faced the RiverClan and WindClan cats. His eyes were deeply disturbed, but to Rootpaw’s relief he didn’t sound hostile. “Why shouldn’t we listen to Rootpaw? Perhaps his talents will help us understand what’s happened to Bramblestar.”

“Alderheart is right,” Mothwing added, with a severe look at her former apprentice, Willowshine. “I admit I didn’t believe him at first, but now I have the evidence of my own eyes. That was Bramblestar who stood among us.”

Jayfeather nodded. “I would know his voice anywhere.” He gave his pelt a shake; Rootpaw guessed he was trying to hide how uneasy he felt. “But if that was Bramblestar, who is the cat who’s leading ThunderClan right now?”

“And what does it all mean?” Puddleshine asked.

No cat could answer him.

Rootpaw stood on the edge of the group, flexing his claws in frustration as the medicine cats continued to murmur among themselves, their heads shaking and their tails twitching as they tried to make sense of the vision they had seen. Tree came and stood beside him; for once, Rootpaw was glad of his solid presence and the warmth of his father’s pelt touching his own.

Finally, Alderheart’s voice rose above the other medicine cats’. “It’s clear what Jayfeather and I have to do,” he meowed. “And that’s keep an eye on the Bramblestar who’s still in ThunderClan.”

“And StarClan help him if he’s not really our leader,” Jayfeather growled.

“That doesn’t help the rest of us,” Frecklewish pointed out. “What do we do? Do we tell our leaders?”

Mothwing shook her head. “I don’t know. . . . It’s a grave accusation to say that Bramblestar is not really himself—and we have so little evidence to prove it. Perhaps it would be better to keep this to ourselves until we’re sure.”

Kestrelflight hunched his shoulders, glaring around at his fellow medicine cats. “I don’t know why you’re all getting your tails in a twist,” he rasped. “Bramblestar went on to his next life; it’s that simple. And now he’s going to lead the Clans to reconnect with StarClan. Do you, as medicine cats, want that, or do you want to sow suspicion and discontent by listening to this . . . this apprentice?”

Rootpaw took a step forward, jaws opening to defend himself, but Tree coiled his tail around his shoulders, drawing him back. “Let them go back to their Clans and think about what they’ve seen,” he murmured into Rootpaw’s ear. “Either they’ll act or they won’t, and arguing won’t change their minds.”

Rootpaw heaved a heavy sigh. He hated to admit it, but his father was right. He waited beside Tree while the medicine cats said their final farewells and turned toward their Clans.

“What about Shadowsight?” Rootpaw asked as they were about to leave.