Midnight

Chapter 5

Squirrelpaw stood stiff-legged as Brambletuft stalked across the clearing toward her until he stood face to face with her. "What are you doing here?" he asked carefully.

"I couldn't sleep so I decided to go for a walk," Squirrelpaw meowed calmly, trying to hide her rage that Brambletuft had followed her.

"So you decided to walk to Fourtrees of all places?" Brambletuft pressed. "There was no other reason?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Squirrelpaw sniffed, turning her nose up. "Cloudpaw told me that Fourtrees was peaceful alone so I decided to check it out, that's all."

"So you couldn't sleep, decided to go for a walk, but happened to head straight for Fourtrees where you sit for a long time looking like you expect every warrior from StarClan to jump out at you? Sounds a bit odd, doesn't it?" meowed Brambletuft.

"I don't have to tell you anything!" Squirrelpaw burst out. "You're not my mentor and you aren't a senior warrior so why don't you just go home! This had nothing to do with you."

Brambletuft's lips drew back in a snarl as Squirrelpaw stepped away to sit defiantly a few tail-lengths away. He opened his mouth, but a voice behind Squirrelpaw took them both by surprise. "Are you the ThunderClan chosen?"

It was Tawnypelt, slipping out from behind the Great Rock. She padded across the clearing and stared calmly down at Squirrelpaw. "Brambletuft told me he didn't know who the ThunderClan cat was, it's good to see he found out who it was."

Brambletuft's fur rippled uncomfortably. "I didn't find her," he admitted. "I just followed her from the camp. I found it odd that she slipped out of camp on the night of the meeting so I decided to follow her and see if she was the one who was chosen."

Tawnypelt nodded and turned back to Squirrelpaw. "How did you know about the meeting and who told you?"

Squirrelpaw examined the ShadowClan warrior, then glanced at Brambletuft. "If there are only four chosen, then he can go home. No one wants him here."

"I do. Now answer my question," Tawnypelt demanded.

Squirrelpaw bristled, backing away. "You're not my mentor! There are still two cats that need to come and if they don't then we were wrong, okay? Then we can go home and tell Skystar."

"No!" Brambletuft burst out. "You can't tell Skystar."

"Why not? She's my mother and the Clan leader, she can help," Squirrelpaw mewed.

"Because this prophecy wouldn't have been given to cats like us if the leaders were to be involved," Tawnypelt replied.

Squirrelpaw hesitated. In that time, the three cats noticed gray movement among the bushes, and a heartbeat later Graystripe's kits, Feathertail and Stormfur, stepped into the clearing. They glanced around warily, but as soon as Feathertail spotted the other cats she raced across the clearing toward them.

"I was right!" she exclaimed, skidding to a halt in front of them. She looked between them, looking puzzled. "Wait—is there no WindClan chosen? Did the three of you have the dream?"

"Tawnypelt and Squirrelpaw had it, I'm just here for support," Brambletuft replied. "Did both of you have the dream?"

Stormfur shook his head. "No, only Feathertail."

"It scared me so much," Feathertail confessed. "I couldn't eat or sleep while thinking about it. Stormfur knew something was wrong, and he pestered me so much that I told him what I'd dreamed. We decided that I should come to Fourtrees tonight, at the new moon, and Stormfur wouldn't let me come by myself." She gave her brother's ear a friendly lick. "He. . . he didn't want me to be in danger. But I'm not, am I? I mean, we all know each other."