A Dangerous Path

Chapter 11

The sun was rising over the trees as Skyfall emerged from the warriors' den. Shaking a scrap of dead leaf from her fur, she took a deep breath of the crisp air and extended her forelegs in a long stretch.

After the previous night's Gathering, she was almost surprised to see like in the camp going on as usual: Ashpaw and Thunderpaw were busily patching the outer wall with twigs; Goldenflower and Willowpelt were watching their kits just outside the nursery, where Brightpaw had stopped to play with them; and Whitestorm was padding into the clearing with his jaws full of fresh-kill. Skyfall could sense the tension in the air, but so far none of her fears of attack seemed to have come to anything.

She looked around for Longtail, who had led the dawn patrol, but he didn't seem to be back yet. He was not among the cats who had gone to the Gathering, and Skyfall desperately wanted to talk to him about what had happened.

"Skyfall!"

The voice was Bluestar's. Skyfall swung around to see her leader trotting across the clearing from her den.

"Yes, Bluestar, what is it?"

Bluestar jerked her head. "Come to my den. We need to talk."

As Skyfall followed her she noticed her jerky steps and twitching tail. She looked like a cat about to launch herself into battle, yet there was no enemy in sight.

Reaching her den, the blue-gray she-cat padded across to her bedding and sat there facing Skyfall. "You heard that hypocrite Tallstar last night," she hissed. "He refused to admit that his cats have been stealing our prey. So there's only one thing for ThunderClan to do. We must attack!"

Skyfall stared at her, jaws gaping. "But, Bluestar," she stammered, "we can't do that! Our Clan isn't strong enough." She couldn't help remembering that they would have four extra warriors by now if Bluestar had agreed to promote the apprentices, but she didn't dare mention that to her. "We can't afford to have warriors injured or maybe killed."

Bluestar fixed her eyes on her in a look of fierce hostility. "Are you saying that ThunderClan is too weak to defend itself?"

"Defending ourselves is very different from launching an attack," Skyfall meowed desperately. "Besides, there's no real proof that WindClan stole—"

Bluestar bared her teeth. Her fur bristled as she rose to her paws and took a threatening step toward Skyfall. "Are you questioning me?" she snarled.

With great effort, Skyfall stood her ground. "I don't want needless bloodshed," she told her quietly. "All the signs tell us that there's a dog loose in the forest, and that's what had been taking the rabbits."

"And I tell you that dogs don't wander alone! They come and go with their Twolegs."

"Then where did the dog scent come from?"

"Silence!" Bluestar lashed out with one paw, barely missing Skyfall's nose. She forced herself to stand still. "We will travel tonight and attack WindClan at dawn."

Skyfall's heart lurched. It was an honor for a warrior to fight for her Clan, but never before had she been faced with such an unjust battle. She did not want to shed ThunderClan or WindClan blood for no good reason.

"Did you hear me, Skyfall?" Bluestar demanded. "You will choose the warriors and give them their orders. They must be ready by moonset." Her eyes were blue flames; Skyfall almost felt they could sear her to ash, just as the fire had destroyed the forest.

"Yes, Bluestar, but—" she began.

"Are you afraid of WindClan?" the old leader spat. "Or are you so used to cringing before StarClan that you won't defy them and fight for the rights of your Clan?" She paced to one side of her den, spun around, and paced back again, thrusting out her muzzle toward her deputy. "You disappoint me, you, out of all my warriors. How can I believe you will fight with all your strength when you question my order like this?" she hissed. "You leave me no choice, Skyfall. I will lead this attack myself."