Veil Of Shadows

“But I think Flipclaw is getting fed up with being stuck as a medicine cat,” Spotfur continued. “He might be prepared to pass on information.”

“Speaking of Flipclaw,” Puddleshine meowed, “we’ll all need to discuss Shadowsight’s return at the next half-moon meeting. I’m sure the others won’t be happy about Alderheart’s exile, or the way that Flipclaw was forced to take his place with scarcely any training. Of everything the false Bramblestar has done to break the warrior code, this might be the worst! The life of the whole Clan is in danger with an untrained medicine cat working alone.”

“That’s all well and good,” Lionblaze commented, “but the last I heard, Kestrelflight and Willowshine still hadn’t even shared the information about Bramblestar’s ghost with their leaders.”

Several voices spoke up from the WindClan and RiverClan cats. “That’s true.”

“If the leaders knew that,” Crowfeather added, “not to mention the new information about what Shadowsight saw, surely they would back any effort to get rid of this impostor.”

“That’s far from certain,” Tigerstar argued. “Mistystar and Harestar have hung their hopes for reconnecting with StarClan on Bramblestar and his so-called leadership. This news might not be enough to change their minds.”

“But we have to try,” Frecklewish insisted.

Tigerstar took control again, gathering the cats around them with a commanding glance. “Then we will wait and see what the medicine cats decide,” he announced. “If Mistystar and Harestar can be convinced that Bramblestar is not a true leader, that will make it much easier to get rid of him.”

Murmurs of agreement rose from the assembled cats, though Rootspring thought that some of them sounded reluctant. But after the death of the rebels who had attacked the false Bramblestar, he guessed that no cat wanted to risk another disaster.

Following Tree and Frecklewish back to the SkyClan camp, Rootspring wondered what the future held for all the Clans. But he couldn’t help his thoughts flying especially to ThunderClan. The idea that Bristlefrost might be a traitor to the rebels had struck him as hard as if a falling tree had slammed down on his body and crushed out his life.

I know I was stupid to like her the way I did. But was I completely wrong about her?

Chapter 18

Wind was buffeting the trees and whipping the surface of the lake into white-tipped waves as Bristlefrost followed Bramblestar and the other ThunderClan warriors chosen to attend the Gathering. The full moon floated in the sky like a drifting leaf as clouds raced and jostled across its shining circle.

Bristlefrost’s paws felt heavy as she padded along the water’s edge. Usually she looked forward to meeting the cats of other Clans, but on this particular night she would rather have been anywhere else than on the Gathering island.

Preoccupied with her forebodings, she didn’t notice her sister, Thriftear, until she collided with her as she swerved around a boulder. Thriftear jumped backward and dipped her head with exaggerated respect.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed. “I should know better than to get in the deputy’s way. Of course, you must go first,” she finished with a sweep of her tail.

Bristlefrost wanted to say that it had been her fault, and she didn’t want to go first, but before she could speak she looked up and noticed that Bramblestar had glanced back over his shoulder and was watching her. Instead of speaking to Thriftear, she gave her a dignified nod and padded on ahead.

I’d better get used to cats hating me, she thought, even my own littermate. No cat at the Gathering is going to be happy about the news that I’m the new deputy.

Even in ThunderClan, Bristlefrost knew that she didn’t command a scrap of the respect that her Clanmates had given to Squirrelflight, or even to Berrynose.

The moment Bristlefrost had dreaded came when she and her Clanmates pushed their way through the bushes that encircled the Gathering space and found places for themselves around the Great Oak. As ThunderClan deputy, she had to pad across the clearing and take her place on the tree roots with the other deputies, cringing inwardly at their contemptuous looks. Hawkwing’s greeting was a curt nod, while Cloverfoot of ShadowClan turned away and whispered something into the ear of RiverClan’s deputy, Reedwhisker.

Shocked and scornful comments arose from the warriors assembled in the clearing.

“That’s a deputy?”

“What’s she doing there? Where’s Berrynose?”

“ThunderClan must be really short of cats!”

Bristlefrost sat and stared at her paws as the five leaders leaped up into the branches of the Great Oak, and Bramblestar stepped forward to begin the meeting.