Starlight

Chapter 5

Brambletuft shifted uneasily among the dead leaves. A branch was digging into his flank, but that wasn't what had woken him. He couldn't get used to sleeping alone, without the familiar warmth of Squirrelflight or Tawnypelt beside him. He thought she had gone to sleep next to Ashfur, but he wasn't sure. She certainly wasn't anywhere near him.

There was another prod in his side. Brambletuft looked up blearily to see that it wasn't a branch after all, but a paw. Barkface was standing over him.

"Where's Skystar?" the WindClan medicine cat demanded.

Brambletuft scrambled up, yawning. Above his head the sky was just beginning to grow light. "Most of ThunderClan are over there, under the trees."

"Find her for me, will you?" Barkface's voice sounded close to breaking. "Tallstar is asking for her."

Brambletuft knew the WindClan leader must be close to losing his last life. "I'll fetch her," he promised.

"Thanks. We're under that gorse bush over there." Barkface pointed with his nose. "I've got to find a few others." He dashed off.

Brambletuft bounded toward the nearest ThunderClan warriors. Tallstar was the eldest of the leaders, and his death would be a great loss to all four Clans, not just WindClan. For a few heartbeats he despaired of finding Skystar in the dim predawn light, but then he spotted her sharing tongues with Sandstorm near the tree stump.

"Skystar, Barkface says Tallstar wants to see you," Brambletuft meowed as he raced up to them.

Skystar stiffened and exchanged a glance with Sandstorm. "I'll come at once," she meowed.

"Does Barkface need any help?" Sandstorm asked. "Cinderpelt was here a moment ago. Tell Barkface to send a cat with a message if he wants her."

Brambletuft nodded, and followed Skystar across the open ground to the gorse bush where Tallstar lay dying. Its outer branches swept the ground, and there was no sign of any cats at first, but as Brambletuft approached he heard the sound of harsh, uneven breathing. Ducking down, he peered through a gap to see Tallstar stretched out on his side in a nest of dead leaves.

"Skystar's here," he meowed, stepping back to let his leader enter the makeshift den. "I'll wait outside," he added to Skystar.

"Is that Brambletuft?" Tallstar's voice came weakly from beneath the bush. "Don't go. You should hear what I have to say, too."

Brambletuft glanced hesitantly at Skystar, and when his leader nodded he flattened himself against the ground to creep under the low branches beside her.

Tallstar was alone; Barkface hadn't returned yet. The WindClan leader's chest heaved as he fought for breath, and Brambletuft winced at the effort it cost him to raise his head.

But in the faint moonlight that filtered through the branches, Tallstar's eyes shone with the light of StarClan. "Skystar, I must thank you," he rasped. "You have saved my Clan."

Skystar gave a murmur of protest.

"And Brambletuft. . ." Tallstar went on. "You journeyed a long way to find this place for us, facing dangers no cat has seen before. Even Graystripe, may he walk with StarClan, deserves the greatest honor for what he's done."

Brambletuft gasped. He didn't dare look at his leader, who stiffened beside him. He knew that Skystar had never stopped grieving for Graystripe, and clung to the belief that her friend was still alive. She had refused to name another deputy so far, even though it seemed extremely unlikely that Graystripe would escape from the Twolegs who had taken him away from the forest.