But if he has gone hunting or spying, why didn’t he tell me? It seemed strange that Finleap would go off alone without asking Twigbranch to join him. They did everything together. He’ll be back soon, she told herself. StarClan will be watching over him.
She pressed her nose between her paws and closed her eyes. Slowly, weariness quieted the anxiety in her belly and she slid into sleep.
Birdsong woke her at dawn.
“Finleap?” She breathed his name before she opened her eyes. Her dreams had been filled with him—some had brought him home safely; others had shown him alone in the forest, danger lurking behind every bush. Pale light glowed at the den entrance as she lifted her head. She turned to his nest, alarm spiking beneath her fur as she saw it was still empty. She sniffed it quickly. Cold! He hadn’t come home. Panic gripped her heart. He’d never stayed out all night before.
Where is he?
CHAPTER 9
Violetshine stopped at the edge of the meadow and breathed the cold, fresh air. As the sun slid behind the dark moor, it sent long shadows across the grass. She could see the lake from up here, where the land lifted toward the mountains and the forests parted and left a space for Twolegs to build their pelt dens during greenleaf. There were no dens here yet, but the scent of Twolegs was fresh, and she guessed they still came even without dens, although she couldn’t imagine why. Did they patrol their borders like the Clans, or was there prey here they hoped to find? She could feel the chill of the coming night. Her paws were damp with dew. Why had Tree arranged the meeting so far from camp?
The yellow tom paced the meadow while Leafstar kept to the shelter of the trees. The SkyClan leader’s eyes sparked, half-anxious, half-defiant. Was she nervous about meeting Tigerstar, or about what this meeting might lead to?
“Couldn’t we have met closer to camp?” Leafstar asked testily.
Tree stopped and looked at her. “This is neutral territory. Neither ShadowClan nor SkyClan has claims here.”
“We could have met on the lakeshore,” Leafstar grumbled as she fluffed out her fur against the cold.
Violetshine shook dew from her pelt. “I guess it’s private here.” She knew how hard Tree had worked, racing from one camp to another, to get the leaders of SkyClan and ShadowClan to meet. “There’s no chance of cats from other Clans butting in.”
Leafstar snorted. “Why would they? The other Clans have made it clear they want nothing to do with this dispute. They’ve left us to deal with ShadowClan alone.”
“At least they’re avoiding taking sides.” Tree gazed into the forest, clearly searching for signs of Tigerstar’s patrol. Violetshine wondered how many warriors the ShadowClan leader would bring. She was proud that Leafstar had chosen her to join this patrol with Bellaleaf, Sandynose, Harrybrook, and Sagenose. The older warriors clustered together a little farther up the hill, as though unsure what to do with themselves. They’d been trained to fight for their Clan, not to negotiate for it. Leafstar looked at them impatiently. “Can you spread out a little? You look like a bunch of apprentices at their first Gathering.”
Bellaleaf and Sandynose swapped glances before fanning out self-consciously beside Harrybrook and Sagenose.
“Can you see him?” Leafstar asked Tree.
“No sign yet.” Tree twitched his tail.
“He’s late.” Leafstar sat down and stared stiffly across the meadow. “I don’t know what we can discuss anyway. I’m not giving up SkyClan’s land. It’s our right to hunt on it.”
“Perhaps, if we can work out what each Clan needs, we can come to a compromise,” Tree meowed gently.
“I’m not letting ShadowClan warriors cross our border whenever they feel like it.” Leafstar glared at him.
“If I can make ShadowClan understand that this could be the first step toward another Great Battle, Tigerstar might back down,” Tree reasoned. “After all, SkyClan was led back here by StarClan. Surely even Tigerstar wouldn’t go against their will.”
A sharp wind gusting from the hill above reminded Violetshine that newleaf had only claimed the lowest parts of the valley. She pressed back a shiver, not wanting to appear nervous.
Harrybrook pricked his ears. Bellaleaf’s gaze flicked toward the shadowy forest.
A bramble shivered between the trees, and Leafstar turned expectantly.
Tigerstar? Violetshine strained to see as a dark tom slid out from the forest.
“Juniperclaw!” Leafstar looked puzzled. Her gaze slid from the ShadowClan deputy to the empty space behind him. “Where’s Tigerstar?”
Juniperclaw didn’t answer. Instead he eyed Harrybrook, Bellaleaf, Sagenose, and Sandynose. “Is this an ambush?” he growled.
Tree hurried forward. “Of course not.”
Juniperclaw curled his lip. “But it is a show of strength.” He glanced accusingly at Leafstar. “Were you hoping to intimidate ShadowClan into agreeing to your demands?”
“We’re not the ones making demands,” Leafstar shot back.
Tree padded between them. “Where is Tigerstar?” he asked politely.
“Tigerstar had other duties to attend to.”
Leafstar bristled. “More important than this?”
“I’m his deputy.” Juniperclaw lifted his muzzle. “I speak for Tigerstar in Clan matters.”
“I didn’t come here to speak to a deputy!” Leafstar glared at him scornfully.
“Aren’t I important enough for you?” Juniperclaw growled.
Violetshine shifted her paws anxiously. Would the meeting end before it had even begun? She looked hopefully at Tree.
The yellow tom was already circling Leafstar and Juniperclaw, his tail high and his pelt smooth. “Every cat is important,” he meowed evenly. “While we are all here, it would be a waste not to discuss the matter that is troubling you both.”
Juniperclaw narrowed his eyes and looked at Leafstar. Leafstar flexed her claws.
“There’s no harm in talking,” Tree pressed.
“What is there to say?” Leafstar snapped. “Except to remind ShadowClan that trespassing on another Clan’s land is against the warrior code.” She glared at Juniperclaw. “You can report that to Tigerstar, although he should know it already. But perhaps he forgot the rules while he was away from his Clan.”