“But why would they want your territory?” Riverstar asked reasonably. “Twolegs live in those big dens like mountains. The forest isn’t their kind of place at all.”
“No, Skystar’s right,” Thunderstar broke in. “I’ve seen them, and they’re acting like the forest is theirs. Maybe they want to build some of their dens on forest land.”
“Even if that’s true,” Windstar replied, “this sounds like SkyClan’s problem, not WindClan’s.”
There was an outbreak of angry yowling from the cats gathered in the clearing below.
“So WindClan would be happy enough for SkyClan to be destroyed?” Quick Water, one of Skystar’s cats, snarled, rearing back onto her hind legs.
“We can’t turn our backs on other Clans!” Pink Eyes, a white-furred ThunderClan warrior, looked shocked.
Even Moth Flight, Windstar’s own daughter and her Clan’s medicine cat, was staring at her mother, hissing: “There must be five Clans! We have to protect one another!”
Windstar flicked her tail again, her yellow eyes darkening resentfully.
“If SkyClan lost territory, it would be every Clan’s problem,” Thunderstar meowed firmly. “We should discuss where SkyClan could go if the worst happened. Maybe we should talk about redrawing our borders.”
There was an outcry from the clearing below—cats yowling over one another—and the ginger tom hissed at them for silence.
Riverstar’s eyes narrowed, but his voice remained calm. “Are you suggesting sharing some of ThunderClan’s territory with SkyClan? It is the closest.”
Thunderstar drew back. “We’re all in this together,” he protested. “ThunderClan will change its borders only if every Clan does.”
From the base of the Great Rock, WindClan’s deputy, Gorse Fur, hissed, “WindClan will fight for the moor. We need our territory.”
“Gorse Fur is right,” Windstar agreed. “Changing our borders would mean less prey for every Clan. And prey on the moors is hard to catch—do ThunderClan and SkyClan really think they can survive by hunting rabbits like we do?”
Shadowstar could see cats in the clearing exchanging dubious looks. The warriors who had joined WindClan were the fastest in the forest—long-legged hunters who ran like the wind their leader was named after. ThunderClan and SkyClan cats were better suited to climbing trees or pouncing on smaller prey. And ShadowClan cats are better at stalking through the shadows of the pine forest, she thought, looking at her stealthy warriors. As for RiverClan …
“RiverClan cats swim for their prey,” Riverstar added, echoing Shadowstar’s thoughts. “Does any other Clan really plan to share our hunting grounds?”
Skystar’s fur bristled. “We have always been able to adapt,” he said fiercely. “When I came from the mountains, I learned to hunt on the moor and in the forest. SkyClan cats will hunt wherever they need to.”
Windstar rounded on him, showing her teeth. “So many cats fought and died to establish our boundaries,” she hissed. “Do you think changing them wouldn’t lead to new conflict?”
“So would SkyClan being made homeless!” Skystar growled. He turned to Shadowstar. “You said you’d support me with the other Clans if the Twolegs kept patrolling my land,” he reminded her. “Will you speak for me now?”
Shadowstar felt as if she’d missed her footing in the dark. Every cat’s eye was on her. Did Skystar really expect her to agree to redraw ShadowClan’s borders? “I want SkyClan to be safe,” she mewed defensively, “but I never agreed to give up territory.”
Skystar growled at her, a thick, guttural sound, his eyes flashing. “I knew ShadowClan could not be trusted,” he snarled.
The rage in his voice startled Shadowstar. She had thought that time had mellowed the angry, reckless cat Skystar had been when they were young, but maybe he had just learned to hide that fury. She thought again of those eyes watching from the forest as she died… .
Skystar had pale blue eyes, but plenty of his warriors—Acorn Fur, Quick Water, and Birch, for instance—had amber ones. How far would Skystar go? she wondered.
“I agree with Windstar.” Riverstar spoke calmly, interrupting Shadowstar’s worried thoughts. “The borders are as they are for a reason. Any cat who wants to can seek shelter with RiverClan, but we will not give up our territory.”
Skystar snarled furiously at Riverstar, but the long-furred tom blinked at him, unperturbed.
“Well, RiverClan doesn’t have to worry, does it?” Thunderstar said bitterly. “You’re across the river from SkyClan. Whatever affects us in the forest won’t touch you.”
He and Skystar—father and son—had never looked more alike than they did now, their broad shoulders tense and their long tails slashing from side to side. Thunderstar has amber eyes, too, Shadowstar noticed, feeling slightly sick.
Was she making too much of this? No, she decided. My task is to protect my Clan and to make sure they will go on without me. If I have an enemy, ShadowClan has an enemy.
Thunderstar sighed. “So even if the Twoleg threat gets worse, WindClan and RiverClan are against redrawing our borders,” he meowed. “ThunderClan and SkyClan are for it.” He turned to Shadowstar. “You say you never agreed to give up territory, but will you agree now? Your vote can break the tie.”
“It’s not a vote,” Windstar muttered, but the others ignored her, their eyes fixed on Shadowstar.
Shadowstar tucked her tail around her legs and thought. The clearing was silent, each cat straining to hear her answer. Is redrawing the borders the right thing to do? It was true that changing territories would force the cats of each Clan to learn to hunt in a new way. And there would be less prey if there was less territory.
As well, she still wasn’t sure that there really was a Twoleg threat to SkyClan. Twolegs have wandered through Clan territory before, she thought. Maybe Skystar is seeing danger where there isn’t any.
And what if Skystar or one of his Clanmates had watched the dogs attack her and Sun Shadow? Could she trust them?
She spoke carefully. “I’m not ready to make this decision. There’s a lot I need to consider.”
Skystar’s tail slashed wildly. “Like what?” he yowled. “Do you have to weigh whether SkyClan is worth saving?”
Snarls came from the SkyClan warriors in the crowd below.
“I want to see for myself what the Twolegs are doing on your territory,” Shadowstar meowed steadily. “If I agree that there’s a threat—”
“There is,” Skystar insisted.
“If I agree, then we’ll talk about new territory. Maybe there’s somewhere else nearby where SkyClan can carve out a suitable home. We should look around before we discuss shrinking every Clan’s hunting grounds.”
Skystar glared at her silently for few moments. “Three days,” he meowed. There was a yowl of protest from some of his Clanmates.
“We don’t want a new territory,” Dew Petal growled, and some of the other young SkyClan warriors meowed in agreement.
Skystar hissed them into silence. “Three days,” he repeated. “You can send a patrol to see what the Twolegs are doing, and I’ll listen to any new suggestion you—or any other Clan leader—proposes. But understand I’m not agreeing to anything.”