Warriors: Traitors (Book One)

Chapter Six

There was dead silence for several long moments as every single cat in the clearing stared at Eaglestar with terror on their faces. Lightning flashed in the sky for the second time, and many of the clan cats seemed to notice the dark sky for the first time. As soon as the first drops of rain fell, RiverClan and WindClan bolted from the island. Even the pregnant RiverClan queen and the elders swam in an effort to flee the island before they were struck by the lightning.

The ThunderClan cats bristled and hissed at the ShadowClan cats, but Moonpaw was the only one that noticed how half-hearted the enemy clan’s replies were. They were just as shocked as the ThunderClan cats that a leader had been slain at a Gathering as the ThunderClan cats were. Moonpaw, however, was hissing and spitting at them all as if they had been the ones to kill his leader.

                “You have two days to give me my kits,” Eaglestar snarled.

                The ShadowClan leader raced after them, chasing them as each ThunderClan cat raced over the tree bridge. Moonpaw slipped countless times, but he didn’t dare slow down. The ThunderClan cats would have likely been able to defeat the ShadowClan cats, but they were leaderless, and none of them dared attack on the night of the truce, even if Eaglestar had.

                Moonpaw leaped off the bridge and risked glancing back. He felt his body freeze in horror at what he saw. Cloudpaw scrambled down the end of the bridge and passed Moonpaw as she raced blindly away after her clan. But in the middle of the bridge, Mudpaw and Shadepaw were hesitating. Moonpaw watched them exchange a glance. The blood-thirsty ambition was plain in their green and blue eyes from where Moonpaw stood.

In unspoken agreement, the two apprentices turned around and went back onto the island. Moonpaw could just barely see their murderous father walking out from the cover of the trees surrounding the island, and his eyes lit up in satisfaction when the leader saw his kits. All three of their tails curled in excitement, before Mudpaw and Shadepaw vanished into the trees to join the other ShadowClan cats.

                Moonpaw immediately turned away and raced over the ground as fast as his legs would carry him. Obviously his clan was thinking the same thing that he was, however, since he made it all the way to the camp without seeing them. When he walked through the thorn barrier into the camp, he saw the deputy Wolfheart, addressing the clan.

                “What’s going to happen to us?” Daisyfur yowled from the nursery, curling her tail protectively around her kits.

                Wolfheart turned her gaze on Moonpaw and asked, “Moonpaw, where’s Mudpaw and Shadepaw? I would have thought you would have waited for them.”

                “Wait all you want, they aren’t coming,” Moonpaw replied, his fur standing on end after watching his littermates greet their father happily after what he’d done.

                “What do you mean?” Sunshine called from somewhere in the audience.

                “They joined Eaglestar,” Moonpaw answered as he sat right inside the entrance of the camp, facing the ground in his shock.

                Nearly every cat howled in fear after the apprentice spoke. Obviously Wolfheart had explained everything that had happened, including Eaglestar’s warning that they only had two days before they would attack, unless ThunderClan handed Moonpaw, Cloudpaw, and Piranhapaw over to the vicious cats. Moonpaw looked up to see his two remaining littermates staring at each other, and he saw his own fear reflected in their eyes.

                “What will we do?” Cowpelt asked as she padded out to ask her friend’s question again.

                “Wolfheart will be leaving for the Moonpool immediately to receive her nine lives from StarClan,” Moonpaw heard the medicine cat, Flamefur, say as he padded over to Highledge from his den. He looked up at ThunderClan’s new leader to see if she agreed.