Blackstar shook his great white head. “I don’t know if I can agree with this.” He avoided looking at Tigerheart and Ratscar, who were staring at him in dismay. Dovewing felt a pang of alarm. What would happen to Tigerheart? She knew he was loyal to ShadowClan.
“It seems we all feel differently about these cats,” Blackstar went on. He sounded confused, as if he couldn’t understand why the alliance between the four Clans had melted away.
“With good reason,” Bramblestar meowed. He looked at Breezepelt. “There is at least one warrior here who attacked ThunderClan cats alongside the Dark Forest warriors. I cannot see that as anything but a betrayal of the warrior code.”
“Breezepelt never turned against his own Clanmates,” Onestar mewed. “That is the essence of the warrior code, surely? And he is my warrior, so it is up to me what happens to him.”
Mistystar nodded. “I agree that we should each be responsible for our own Clanmates. We know our warriors best, after all.”
Blackstar flattened his ears. “But we must follow a single course of action! Otherwise how will it be fair?”
“ShadowClan does not get to decide anything on behalf of WindClan!” Onestar spat.
“The Clans got along better when we were united against the Dark Forest,” murmured Thornclaw. “Peace has brought out the old quarrels.”
Mothwing walked out from behind Mistystar and stood in the center of the cats with starlight gleaming on her pelt. “I suggest that each of these cats swears a new oath of loyalty to the warrior code,” she meowed. “They walked a different path for a while, but now they must return to the way things were. They do not need to be punished—none of our Clans should suffer more pain—but we deserve to have some clear sign that we can trust them again.”
Dovewing breathed out in relief. It seemed the obvious solution, and from the nods of the Clan leaders, it looked as if they agreed. Ratscar flicked his patchy brown tail. “This oath… do we have to swear it now? In front of cats who have nothing to do with us?”
“No,” Bramblestar meowed. “I think this is a matter for each Clan to deal with on its own. What do you think, Blackstar?” he added.
The old cat waited for a moment before replying. “I will see that it is done as soon as we return to our camp,” he mewed.
Onestar dipped his head. “As will I.”
Dovewing felt another flash of anger toward Breezepelt. She had seen his furious attacks on her Clanmates. There was nothing noble about him! He didn’t deserve forgiveness from anyone. At least my father and Ivypool will be accepted back into ThunderClan now, she thought. We have too much to do repairing the camp and building up our strength before leaf-bare to worry about what went on before the Great Battle.
The cats began to file out of the clearing. Tigerheart drew level with Dovewing and caught her eye, a swarm of questions in his gaze. Dovewing turned her head away. He was part of the past, just like the battle with the Dark Forest.
Chapter 5
“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather together!”
Bramblestar’s words were still echoing around the cliffs when cats started appearing from half-built dens and thickets of bramble. It was too early even for the dawn patrols to have gone out; the moon was still visible against the pale gray sun. Dovewing looked up at the dark tabby cat standing on Highledge and wondered how it felt to summon the Clan as their leader. If Bramblestar was daunted by his new position, he showed no sign.
When all the cats were standing in the clearing, yawning and ruffled with sleep, Bramblestar walked halfway down the tumble of rocks. “It has been decided by the leaders of all four Clans that any cat who fought on the side of the Dark Forest in the Great Battle must swear a new oath of loyalty to the warrior code.” A murmur rippled through the Clan. Bramblestar raised his tail for silence. “After this, the past will be forgotten in favor of looking toward our future. This Clan must be united if we are to survive our losses, and the leaf-bare that lies ahead. Is that understood?” He gazed down at the cats, and Dovewing noticed a few of them flattening their ears, including Dustpelt and Berrynose.
“You are asking us to forgive a great deal,” Dustpelt meowed, and there were nods around him.
“No ThunderClan cat finished the battle fighting for the Dark Forest,” Bramblestar pointed out. “When they learned the truth about their new allies, they showed nothing but loyalty to the Clans. There is little to forgive, in my opinion.”
Dustpelt didn’t look satisfied, and Berrynose hissed something into Poppyfrost’s ear. Dovewing looked at her father. Birchfall, Thornclaw, Mousewhisker, Blossomfall, and Ivypool were standing at one side of the cats, tails clamped down with tension.
“I hope this works,” Bumblestripe muttered. Dovewing rested her tail-tip on his shoulder. I hope so too.
Bramblestar nodded to the five cats. “Come,” he invited, walking down the rocks until he stood in the clearing. The warriors lined up in front of them. Bramblestar looked nervous for the first time, and Dovewing realized that nothing had been decided about the form this ceremony should take. How would Bramblestar know what to say?
“Warriors of ThunderClan,” he began, “only you know the true reason you let yourself be persuaded to join the Dark Forest cats. That reason, whatever it was, no longer matters. The only thing of importance is that you are loyal to ThunderClan and to the warrior code, to the exclusion of everything else. Whatever might be promised to you,” he added with a note of stone in his voice.
The five cats nodded. Bramblestar thought for a moment, then continued. “Repeat after me: I am a true warrior of ThunderClan, loyal to my Clanmates and to the code from this moment forward until it is my time to join StarClan.”
Birchfall started speaking first, then the others joined, a little clumsily and bristling with discomfort. Dovewing felt a stab of indignation that Ivypool had to swear along with the others. She had risked her life spying on the Dark Forest! What greater proof of her loyalty did Bramblestar need?
When the cats had stumbled to the end of the oath, Bramblestar swished his tail. “Let that be an end to the divisions within this Clan,” he declared. “You all know what you have to do to make ThunderClan strong again. Carry on, and may StarClan light your path.” He twitched his ears as a signal for the meeting to break up. Most cats headed back to their dens to wash and sort out patrols, but a few stayed clustered in a group, Berrynose and Dustpelt among them.
“Are we really supposed to forgive and forget?” Berrynose protested. “If they hadn’t given away all our secrets, the Dark Forest might never have attacked!”
Dovewing couldn’t believe that any of her Clanmates would think this was true, but Poppyfrost was nodding. “Those cats need to prove they can be trusted,” she growled. She glanced around fearfully as if she thought Birchfall might be inviting Dark Forest cats into the camp at that very moment.
Dustpelt leaned forward and said something Dovewing couldn’t hear. She curled her lip in anger. My ears! She felt a physical pain inside her head. What is wrong with me? She had to speak with Lionblaze and Jayfeather, find out if they were losing their powers too. She spotted Lionblaze walking toward her and opened her mouth to ask if she could speak with him alone. Then Cinderheart bounded across the clearing.
“Lionblaze! I told you to rest today! You can’t go out on patrol until your claw heals.”
Dovewing realized that Lionblaze was limping, favoring the paw that had been injured while digging. “It’s fine,” he growled. “Stop bugging me about it.”