Then her eyes fell upon the bridge, and she pictured the fierce dog stepping out from the shadows, its teeth bared.
I died, she remembered with a shudder. Gray Wing’s worried face came back to her.
When I’m gone, not even StarClan knows what will happen to the Clans. There had to be five Clans. That was one thing they’d learned as they had fought against one another and then come together at last. If ShadowClan fell apart at Shadowstar’s death, then all the Clans might be destroyed.
Of course, that was why she, and every leader, had named a deputy. But … Her stomach gave a sickening twist, and she looked around.
Sun Shadow lay in the grass a little way off. He looked as though he could have been sleeping, his eyes closed, his face peaceful. But a long gash ran along his belly, and his fur was matted with blood.
“Oh, Sun Shadow,” she whispered, pressing her muzzle against his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.” He was cold, and the stench of blood and dog overlaid his own familiar scent. Her deputy, her friend, her kin, killed by dogs. Rage and sorrow flooded through her, and she dug her claws into the grass.
“Shadowstar!”
Raising her head at the call, she saw a black tom hurrying toward her from the pine trees. For a moment, it looked like Sun Shadow.
“Where have you been?” the tom yowled, and Shadowstar felt her shoulders sag. It wasn’t her deputy—of course it wasn’t. It was Raven Pelt, a loyal ShadowClan warrior, and his yellow eyes were bright with concern.
“You and Sun Shadow never came home last night,” he said. “Half the Clan’s out looking for you. I—” He halted, catching sight of the dead body at her paws. “What happened?”
In as few words as possible, Shadowstar told him how they had been attacked. Her chest ached with sorrow as she spoke. “I will wait with Sun Shadow,” she said at last. “Go find some warriors to help carry him back to camp. We need to say good-bye.”
The sun was setting, and Sun Shadow’s body lay in the center of camp. Pebble Heart had cleaned his wounds as well as he could, but the impression Shadowstar had gotten at dawn, that Sun Shadow could be sleeping, was gone now. He didn’t look anything but dead.
She dipped her head to touch her nose gently to her deputy’s forehead and then spoke. “Sun Shadow first came to the forest as a young cat, searching for his father. Even though Moon Shadow was gone, he found his kin here. More than that, he found his Clan. He proved his loyalty many times: in battle, in the hunt, in the way he always put the good of his Clanmates first.” She paused, misery rising inside her, and took a deep breath. “Sun Shadow was the best deputy I could have asked for. He was a brave, compassionate cat who cared about every cat in this Clan, and he deserved a better death. He died trying to save me.”
From where he sat by Sun Shadow’s side, Dangling Leaf raised his head. “Sun Shadow taught me how to catch frogs,” he began.
As her Clanmates shared their memories of Sun Shadow, Shadowstar looked around at them all. Juniper Branch and Raven Pelt were huddled together for comfort, Juniper Branch’s head resting on her mate’s flank. Bubbling Stream’s blue eyes were full of sorrow—the young cat had looked up to Sun Shadow. Mud Paws stared mournfully at the ground as Dusk Nose told a story about Sun Shadow and a rabbit. Pebble Heart’s amber gaze—
Amber eyes …
Shadowstar gasped as she remembered the eyes she’d seen watching her from the dark woods as she fought the dogs. She knew she had not imagined that cold, unblinking gaze. But would one of her Clanmates have looked on as she and Sun Shadow died? Without trying to help? A cold feeling spread through her belly. Some cat had watched them die.
Mouse Ear had amber eyes, too. So did Shade Pelt.
Shadowstar barely heard the rest of the stories her Clanmates told as they spent the night watching over Sun Shadow’s body. Once the vigil was over and dawn was breaking, she headed for her den, her shoulders tight. I’m not thinking straight, she told herself. Once I’ve slept, maybe I’ll realize that what I’m afraid of can’t be true.
She had almost reached the oak tree that sheltered her den when Mouse Ear fell into step beside her.
“Shadowstar?” the big tabby tom said eagerly. “You must be really tired. I can organize today’s hunting patrols if you want.”
Shadowstar blinked in surprise. That was Sun Shadow’s job. “I guess that’s okay,” she said slowly. “Thanks.” Meeting Mouse Ear’s amber gaze made the hairs rise on her shoulders, but she pushed the feeling away. Lots of cats have amber eyes.
“We should be careful in case those dogs are still sniffing around,” another voice said from behind her. Shadowstar turned to see Juniper Branch, her tail held high. “I’ll make sure there are extra cats on every border patrol, in case they need to drive them off.”
“Okay,” Shadowstar said slowly. The two Clanmates were glaring at each other, the tips of their tails twitching. What’s going on? “Thank you both.”
“I’ll do anything I can to help my Clanmates,” Juniper Branch said, her green eyes bright.
“Me too,” Mouse Ear added.
Shadowstar’s jaws clenched as a thought struck her. Are they competing to take Sun Shadow’s place? She could understand wanting to be ShadowClan’s deputy and second-in-command, but Sun Shadow hadn’t even been buried yet. She opened her mouth to snarl at them—you need to have more respect for Sun Shadow’s memory—but then changed her mind. Better to let her Clanmates show their true colors. “I’m going to my den,” she told them coolly.
“Okay, Shadowstar, get some sleep,” Mouse Ear meowed.
“I’ll make sure no one bothers you,” Juniper Branch added.
Turning her back on them, Shadowstar slipped beneath the oak tree’s roots and curled up in her nest. She was very tired.
I won’t be rushed into choosing a new deputy, she thought. I only have one life left, so this choice might be the most important one that I ever make.
Shadowstar sat outside her den, a breeze ruffling her fur. Nearby, Raven Pelt was sharing a mouse with Dusk Nose. Mud Paws was grooming Dangling Leaf, while Shade Pelt and Bubbling Stream were sorting through herbs, no doubt at Pebble Heart’s request. Every once in a while, one of her Clanmates glanced at her, their expressions troubled. Each time she caught them looking, she felt a claw of dread in her belly, wondering if any of them had worked out that she was on her last life.
No cat knows, she told herself. And she couldn’t tell them now. Surely, if her Clanmates knew that her next death would be her last, they would form a protective ring around her at all times.
Well, some of them would… .
It had been three days since they’d sat vigil for Sun Shadow, and Shadowstar knew her warriors worried about how much time she’d been spending in her den, separated from the rest of the Clan. Maybe they thought she was mourning Sun Shadow.
And I am … but that’s not why I don’t want to be with my Clanmates.
She couldn’t stop remembering the amber eyes shining out of the dark woods as she fought for her life. And she kept looking at her amber-eyed Clanmates, wondering if one of them …
That’s ridiculous. If she didn’t trust her Clanmates, what use was a Clan?
Juniper Branch scrambled in through the thorn tunnel at the camp’s entrance, closely followed by Mouse Ear. There was a long scratch across Mouse Ear’s nose, and Juniper Branch’s ear was torn and bleeding.