Starlight

Chapter 15

The sun had gone down but the horizon still blazed with scarlet when the ThunderClan cats set out. While he was waiting for Brackenfur to go through the tunnel in the barrier of thorns, Brambletuft realized that Squirrelflight had slipped up to his side.

"Hi, there," she meowed. She sounded friendly but uncertain, as if she weren't sure what his reaction would be. "Are you okay? You've been in a dream all day."

Brambletuft winced; the memory of Graystripe's dead body filled his mind so strongly that when he shut his eyes, he could almost feel the rough wind that had buffeted his fur. He longed to respond to the affection in Squirrelflight's green gaze, but she was the last cat he could tell about his dream, considering she would accuse him of acting like Tigerstar.

He scuffled his paws on the earth. "I didn't sleep well last night; that's all."

Squirrelflight narrowed her eyes, clearly guessing there was something he wasn't telling her. "Fine." she sighed. "Keep your feelings to yourself. See if I care."

Whisking around, she pushed through the tunnel behind Brackenfur.

"Squirrelflight, wait!" Brambletuft raced after her, furious with himself for seeming to reject her attempt to be friends again. When he burst out at the other end of the tunnel she was padding away with Leafpaw, their heads bent close together. Though he called her name again she didn't turn to look at him.

Sorreltail was the last of the warriors to emerge from the tunnel. Brackenfur had been waiting to check that they had all the cats who were meant to be coming to the Gathering. As she went past, Brackenfur stretched out his muzzle to touch her ear-tip. "Hey, Sorreltail," he murmured. "I'm glad you're coming."

The young tortoiseshell warrior blinked at him and let out a purr.

Skystar led her Clan uphill to the place where they could cross the stream by the stepping- stones, then followed the stream down to the lakeshore. "If we go on Gathering near the horseplace," she meowed, "we must make sure WindClan understands we'll have to cross their territory every full moon."

"That shouldn't be too difficult," Thunderstone muttered to Dustpelt.

The brown tabby warrior grunted. "True. We could probably charge straight through the WindClan camp with barely any of their warriors lifting a claw."

"That's not true!" Sorreltail protested. "Mudclaw and Ashfoot will be great leaders who will defend their camp as fiercely as any warrior."

Dustpelt and Thunderstone exchanged a glance; Brambletuft could tell they weren't convinced.

The cats padded along the edge of the lake; the water grew darker as the scarlet faded from the horizon and the first stars appeared. Brambletuft found his gaze dragged back more than once to where Squirrelflight and Leafpaw walked side by side at the back of the group. He was comforted by the fact that at least she wasn't with Ashfur, who was talking to Rainwhisker and Cinderpelt. Brambletuft thought that the young gray warrior paid far too much attention to Squirrelflight.

By the time they were nearing the Twoleg horseplace, the full moon had floated away from the trailing wisps of cloud and was flooding the lake and its shore with pale silver light. Just before they reached the fence, Mudclaw appeared on the brow of the hill above them, flanked by several of his Clanmates. Brambletuft was almost surprised to see Onewhisker with him, but there was no sign of the new deputy, Ashfoot.

Skystar stopped and waited for the WindClan cats to catch up, greeting Mudclaw with a polite dip of her head. Although the two leaders walked on side by side, Mudclaw grudgingly, the warriors behind them stayed with their own Clanmates. Brambletuft spotted Crowfeather and waved his tail to catch his attention, but instead of padding over to greet him, Crowfeather just acknowledged him with a brief nod.