Twilight

Chapter 1

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting."

Squirrelflight woke with a start as the ThunderClan leader's yowl rang out across the stone hollow. Cloudtail was already pushing his way out through the thorny branches that screened the warriors' den. His mate, Brightheart, uncurled herself from their mossy nest and followed him.

"What does Skystar want now?" Dustpelt muttered, pulling himself stiffly to his paws and shaking scraps of moss from his fur. With an irritated flick of his ears, he thrust his way into the open after his Clanmates.

Stretching her jaws in a yawn, Squirrelflight sat up and gave herself a quick grooming. Dustpelt's temper was even shorter than usual this morning; Squirrelflight could see from his awkward movements that the wound he'd received in the battle against RiverClan and ShadowClan was still painful. Most of the ThunderClan cats still bore the enemies' clawmarks; Squirrelflight's side stung from a wound of her own, and she drew her tongue over it in rapid, soothing strokes.

Mudclaw had been leader of WindClan after the Clans arrived in their new territory around the lake. The previous leader, Tallstar, had requested that Mudclaw uphold his friendship with ThunderClan but both Mudclaw and Skystar had refused. Onewhisker was furious with this decision and attacked Mudclaw instead of his enemies when RiverClan and ShadowClan attacked. Hawkfrost had led RiverClan into the battle. Squirrelflight felt a surge of anger as she remembered how Brambletuft still insisted on trusting his half brother, even after Hawkfrost had admitted to planning this attack the moment Crowfeather had been found, even before Mudclaw had decided to attack.

Thank StarClan, Squirrelflight thought, that Mudclaw had requested assistance in time before Hawkfrost had a chance to do major damage. StarClan had revealed their anger with the battle when lightning struck a tree that fell on Mudclaw and killed him. Not even the medicine cats were sure why StarClan had chosen to kill Mudclaw, but what the Clans did know was that no RiverClan cat had attempted to kill Crowfeather. Her heart ached as she remembered how she didn't even have a chance to see him before she had to return home.

Giving a last lick to her dark ginger fur, Squirrelflight slid through the branches and padded into the clearing, shivering in the cold air. The pale sun of leaf-bare was just showing above the trees around the stone hollow where ThunderClan had settled at the end of their long journey. Wind rattled in the bare branches, but down here all was still. The air smelled crisp, and frost still edged the grass and bushes with white. Yet Squirrelflight could pick up a faint hint of growing things that told her newleaf could not be far away.

Digging her claws into the earth, she stretched luxuriously. Her mother, Skystar, was seated on the Highledge outside her den, about halfway up the cliff. Her flame-colored pelt gleamed in the slanting rays of sun, and her green eyes shone proudly as her gaze swept across her Clan. Squirrelflight guessed she wouldn't look so confident if she needed to warn them about more trouble.

The cats gathered in the clearing below him. Willowpelt and Goldenflower emerged one after the other from the elders' den; Goldenflower was looking older than she ever had.

"Hi." Squirrelflight's sister Leafpool padded up and touched noses with her. "How are those scratches? Do you want some more marigold?"

"No, I'll be fine, thanks." Leafpool and her mentor, Cinderpelt, the ThunderClan medicine cat, had been busy ever since the battle, finding the right herbs and treating the cats' wounds. "There are plenty of cats who need it more than I do," Squirrelflight added.

Leafpool sniffed Squirrelflight's scratches and gave a nod of satisfaction. "You're right. They're healing well."

An excited squeal came from the nursery as Birchkit and Larchkit pelted out. Birchkit tumbled over his own paws, and picked himself up in a scramble of light brown fur to join his sister beside their father, Runningwind. Their mother, Ferncloud, padded after them and sat next to Birchkit, turning her head to smooth his ruffled fur.