Where does he get that from?
Now Jayfeather spoke up. “Spying or not, why did Nightcloud and Breezepelt go into the tunnels in the first place?”
“I can answer that,” Onestar replied, to Crowfeather’s relief.
Glancing across the clearing, he could see Leafpool standing beside Jayfeather, and for a moment Crowfeather’s gaze locked with hers. It was clear from the look in her eyes that she too was concerned about the rising tension between their two Clans.
Even though it’s been moons and moons since we were together, I can still tell what Leafpool is thinking.
“It was because of the stoats,” Onestar continued. “And because Kestrelflight had a vision. Kestrelflight, tell them about it.”
The gaze of every cat turned toward the young WindClan medicine cat. Kestrelflight rose to his paws, looking slightly nervous at the prospect of addressing the whole Gathering. “I saw…,” he began. His voice croaked as if he had a piece of fresh-kill lodged in his throat, and he cleared it before he continued. “I saw a great wave of water,” he mewed. “It swept out of the tunnels and drowned WindClan’s territory. Clearly it was a warning.”
For a moment an uneasy silence fell on all the Clans, the cats exchanging dismayed glances. From the surprise apparent in their eyes, Crowfeather could tell that Kestrelflight hadn’t even shared his vision with the other medicine cats. Perhaps that’s good, he considered. Onestar is so suspicious of the other Clans and their motives right now.
Then Bramblestar rose to his paws and padded along his branch until he was visible to every cat in the clearing. His amber gaze was fixed on Onestar. “Does WindClan intend to share any information with ThunderClan?” he demanded. “This vision wasn’t just a warning for you. It affects ThunderClan, too, because some of the tunnels lead into our territory. Why wasn’t I told about this?”
Onestar drew his lips back in the beginning of a snarl. “It was a WindClan vision to warn WindClan,” he snapped. “Does ThunderClan need to stick its nose into everything?”
“I’m not trying to meddle,” Bramblestar responded, obviously struggling hard to hold on to his patience. “But we need to work together to take care of the threat before any more cats get hurt. It seems to me that the vision referred to the stoats that killed Nightcloud,” he added. “Is that what you believe?”
Onestar responded with no more than an annoyed lash of his tail, but Kestrelflight spoke up, with a respectful dip of his head to the ThunderClan leader. “Yes, that’s what we think.”
“And you needn’t worry, Bramblestar,” Onestar meowed, contempt in his voice. “WindClan is putting together a plan to drive the stoats out.”
“I am worried,” Bramblestar retorted. “We’d noticed that prey had been getting scarce around the tunnel entrances, but we knew nothing about the stoats until Berrynose’s patrol rescued your cats from them. Sharing information would have been friendly, don’t you think?” When Onestar didn’t reply to his provocation, he went on, “I believe ThunderClan and WindClan should work together. Two Clans are stronger than one.”
Crowfeather remembered his thoughts about the vision… how he, too, had wondered whether it implied that the Clans should be working together. It felt strange to agree with the ThunderClan leader over his own, but he couldn’t help it. He spotted Leafpool nodding in agreement, but a moment later Lionblaze rose to his paws. “How can we work with WindClan when I was nearly killed in the Dark Forest by a WindClan cat?” he demanded.
Onestar gazed down at the golden-furred warrior. “WindClan has received Breezepelt back as a loyal WindClan warrior,” he told Lionblaze. “I understand that you might have trouble accepting that.”
“He’s only loyal to WindClan,” Lionblaze snorted, turning to glare at Breezepelt. “That doesn’t mean he follows the rest of the warrior code. If we work together, what’s to stop him attacking me again — or any other Clan cat who gets under his fur? He’s a menace!”
Crowfeather had to admit to himself that not long ago he would have agreed with Lionblaze. But now he was beginning to see things from Breezepelt’s point of view. He felt as if claws inside him were trying to rip their way out through his belly fur. Sorrow weighed on his heart to see his sons facing each other with hostile glares, and he surprised himself by feeling a protectiveness toward Lionblaze, the son he never saw grow up.
He had always told himself that Lionblaze and Jayfeather — and their sister, Hollyleaf, who died in the Great Battle — were not his kits, because he never raised them. But now… he just knew that he didn’t want to see Breezepelt and Lionblaze in conflict like this.
Every hair on Crowfeather’s pelt was rising, telling him that this was wrong. Even though the two toms were not Clanmates, Crowfeather reflected, they were kin. Yet fate has made them enemies.
Breezepelt’s eyes narrowed with fury as he stared at Lionblaze. “You’re right, but I’m not the cat I was then,” he responded to his half brother’s accusation. Turning to address the rest of the Clans, he continued, “You can all believe whatever you want. I don’t need any cat’s help. As soon as I get the chance, I’m going back into the tunnels to kill all the stoats and avenge my mother — even if I have to do it alone.”
Spinning around, he stalked back to the edge of the clearing and slid through the bushes. Crowfeather called after him, but Breezepelt ignored him. He left an uncomfortable silence behind him.
Mistystar was the first cat to speak, giving RiverClan’s news in an attempt to continue the Gathering in the usual way, as if a skirmish hadn’t almost broken out.
“Twolegs came tramping over our territory with a dog,” she informed the assembled warriors. “Reedwhisker and Mintfur tracked them, and they went away without causing any trouble.”
But no cat was paying much attention, their heads together as they gossiped eagerly about Breezepelt’s declaration, and after quick reports from Blackstar and Bramblestar, the Gathering broke up. The air still vibrated with tension as each Clan in turn crossed the tree-bridge and headed off separately into the darkness.
Crowfeather padded along the edge of the lake with Onestar and the rest of his Clanmates. Every time he thought about Breezepelt and Nightcloud, his anxiety swelled. He knew that if Nightcloud had been here, she would have been able to calm Breezepelt down. But now it’s up to me, and I have no idea what to do. His chest felt so tight that he could hardly breathe.
Will this feeling ever go away?
Back in the WindClan camp, Crowfeather was heading for the warriors’ den when he spotted Heathertail talking to Breezepelt, clearly trying to comfort him. His son’s claws were tearing at the ground in a fit of anger, as though Heathertail’s efforts weren’t having much effect.
Crowfeather veered aside to talk to them, when he heard Onestar calling to Breezepelt from just outside his den.
“I need a word with you,” the Clan leader meowed, beckoning Breezepelt with his tail. “Come here for a moment.”
Breezepelt hesitated, obviously reluctant. Come on, Crowfeather urged him silently. Don’t make this any worse. To his relief, Breezepelt headed toward Onestar after a couple of heartbeats, and Heathertail padded after him. Crowfeather followed, too, not joining the others but halting a few tail-lengths away so that he could hear their conversation where they clustered together outside the leader’s den.