Moonrise

Chapter 9

Leafpaw gazed along the line of hostile WindClan cats, and locked eyes with a bracken-colored apprentice. The young cat drew its lips back in a snarl; Leafpaw's fur prickled. She was a medicine cat and supposed to be outside normal Clan rivalries. But she found her claws instinctively flexing into the soft moorland grass; if it came to a fight, that apprentice would soon discover that she was not lacking in warrior skills.

"Well?" When Skystar did not immediately answer his question, Tallstar repeated it. "Why have you come? Do you think we're so weak that you can drive us out as Brokenstar did?"

Defiant yowls and hisses broke out from the warrior behind him, and it was a moment before Skystar could make herself heard.

"Tallstar, you have known nothing but friendship from me since the time that Graystripe, Runningwind, and I found you and brought you home," she replied. "Have you forgotten that? I think you must have, or you wouldn't accuse me of being like Brokenstar."

Leafpaw thought she detected a flash of guilt in the older cat's eyes, but there was still a challenge in his voice as he meowed, "Then why have you come here with so many warriors?"

"Don't be absurd, Tallstar," Skystar growled. "I haven't enough warriors to take on your whole Clan. We want to talk to you, that's all. WindClan have been stealing prey from ThunderClan territory, and you know as well as I do that that's against the warrior code."

Tallstar looked taken aback, as if he genuinely hadn't known what his warriors were up to. Before he could reply, his deputy Mudclaw called out, "Prove it! Prove that WindClan has stolen so much as a sniff of prey!"

"What?" Leafpaw saw Dustpelt's whole body stiffen. "We saw your warriors ourselves just now! And we found prey bones reeking of WindClan scent."

"So you say," Mudclaw sneered. "If you ask me, it's just an excuse to attack us."

Furious, Dustpelt launched himself across the border, his claw reaching out as he bowled over the WindClan deputy. Mudclaw let out a screech and the two cats rolled on the short moorland grass.

Tallstar gazed down at the two battling cats with a look of contempt, as if he had found maggots in his fresh-kill. Warriors on both sides were poised to spring, their teeth bared and the light of battle in their eyes. Leafpaw's heart beat faster as she tried to remember the fighting moves her mentor had taught her.

Skystar stepped forward with a fierce hiss. "Stop!"

At once Dustpelt broke away from Mudclaw's raking claws and stood back, breathing heavily. Mudclaw scrambled to his paws and glared at him.

"Dustpelt, I told you we were not here to fight," Skystar meowed.

The warrior's amber eyes were smoldering. "But did you hear the lies he told?"

"Yes. But that doesn't change my orders. Get back onto our side of the border. Now."

His tail twitching angrily, Dustpelt obeyed. Leafpaw understood how he must feel, especially when he was so worried about the Clan and his kits, but she also understood how uncomfortable it must be for Skystar when her friend and warrior disobeyed a direct order, and in full view of WindClan. She stifled a sigh. Was this part of being a medicine cat, to understand every cat so clearly and want to sympathize with them all?

Cinderpelt limped forward to stand beside Skystar. "You know that medicine cats do not lie," she meowed to Tallstar. "You know, too, that it is not the will of StarClan for warriors to trespass on the territory of other Clans and steal their prey."

"And is it the will of StarClan for my Clan to starve?" Tallstar asked bitterly. "Yesterday one of our elders died, and she will be the first of many if we don't do something."