Tree’s eyes widened. “I’m sure he still knows the warrior—”
Juniperclaw cut him off, glowering back at Leafstar. “I knew you’d be unreasonable!”
“Is it unreasonable to expect to keep land that was given to us fairly?”
“Fairly?” Juniperclaw’s ears twitched. “ShadowClan had been weakened by invaders and by treachery. Some might say you took advantage of the situation to strengthen your Clan at the cost of ours.”
“SkyClan didn’t intend—” Tree tried to object.
Leafstar ignored him. “It was Tigerstar’s idea to offer us the land,” she spat at Juniperclaw. “He wasn’t even your leader then, but he fought to convince his Clanmates that it was the right thing to do. And now he decides he wants it back?”
“ShadowClan has more cats now.” Juniperclaw stood his ground. “We need more land.”
“SkyClan has more cats too!”
Tree opened his mouth but, this time, no words came out. He doesn’t know what to do! Violetshine held her breath, willing Tree to say anything that might defuse the growing anger. The yellow tom caught her eye. Alarm showed in his gaze. He was clearly taken aback by Leafstar’s and Juniperclaw’s vehemence. He held Violetshine’s gaze for a moment, then seemed to pull himself together. Puffing out his chest, he turned back to Leafstar and Juniperclaw. “It’s clear that both Clans are larger than they used to be, and both Clans need land. The pine forest might be big enough to provide for every cat. Why not mark new boundaries?”
Leafstar eyed Juniperclaw warily, as though waiting for his reaction before she gave hers.
“New boundaries?” Juniperclaw swished his tail. “ShadowClan has already conceded more than any Clan. It has given up land that belonged to it for moons before we even knew there was a SkyClan. Why should we alone make sacrifices to keep SkyClan beside the lake?”
“Why should we be driven from our new home?” As Leafstar hissed at the ShadowClan deputy, an excited yelp sounded at the top of the meadow.
A dog raced over the crest of the hill. Violetshine’s pelt bushed as she saw three Twoleg kits racing after it, their eyes as bright as the dog’s.
Sagenose flattened his ears. “We need to get out of here before it picks up our scent.” Bellaleaf and Sandynose had already turned to face the dog as it bounded down the hill. Their hackles lifted as they took up defensive stances.
Leafstar stared at Juniperclaw through narrowed eyes for a moment longer, then lashed her tail. “Let’s get back to camp.” She beckoned her Clanmates with a nod and stalked past Juniperclaw. “We’re wasting our time here.”
Violetshine hurried after her. She was relieved to slip into the shadows of the forest. Behind her the dog’s bark rang over the field. Sagenose, Bellaleaf, and Sandynose quickened their pace as Leafstar pushed her way past brambles and disappeared into the undergrowth. As she followed, Violetshine saw Juniperclaw from the corner of her eye. The black tom was moving like a shadow downhill, weaving between the pines as he followed his own route. As she lost sight of him, she felt Tree’s pelt brush her flank.
He padded at her side, his gaze heavy. “I can’t believe that went so badly.”
“It was always going to be hard.” Violetshine’s heart pricked with pity for him.
“But I hardly got a word in.” Tree frowned. “I wanted them to begin to understand each other’s point of view, but they’ve come away more divided than ever.”
“I think they both came to the meeting determined to be angrier than the other one,” Violetshine soothed. “There was nothing you could do.”
“I should have made them listen to me.”
“How could you when both sides are so stubborn?” Violetshine moved closer to the yellow tom, hoping that the warmth of her flank against his would give him comfort, but he seemed lost in his own thoughts.
Voices sounded over the rise ahead. Leafstar and the other warriors had stopped and were talking heatedly. Violetshine hurried up the slope to join them.
“The time for talking is over.” Leafstar paced in front of Bellaleaf and Sandynose, while Harrybrook and Sagenose watched. The warriors’ gazes were hard with indignation.
“Imagine sending his deputy to such an important meeting!” Sagenose growled.
Harrybrook’s hackles lifted. “He had no intention of trying to settle the dispute.”
Leafstar flexed her claws. “There’ll be no more talking. I want border patrols doubled, and if any ShadowClan cat crosses the border, we retaliate immediately.”
Tree stopped beside Violetshine and stared at the warriors. “Give me more time. I’m sure we can settle this without claws,” he meowed.
Leafstar met his gaze fiercely. “We don’t have time. Every ShadowClan patrol that crosses our border makes us look weaker.”
Tree’s ears flicked with frustration. “It was your idea to make me mediator for the Clans,” he reminded her sharply. “Why give me the role if you won’t let me mediate?”
“I overestimated the other Clans,” Leafstar growled. “They’re so used to fighting, they’ve forgotten how to talk. Tigerstar clearly wants a battle. When we first came to the lake, I thought that the other Clans just gossiped about ShadowClan out of spite. . . . But I see now that ShadowClan cats are fox-hearts. I can see why Rowanclaw gave up on them. And why some of their warriors chose to follow Darktail. They are natural troublemakers. Well, if they want war, they’ll get one.”
“Fighting isn’t the answer,” Tree insisted.
Leafstar shook her head. “Can’t you see that it is? Fighting is the way things are done around here, Tree. It’s not just ShadowClan—none of the lake Clans think like us. They train their warriors to fight, not to talk. If we want to keep our territory, we have to be like them. If we don’t fight for what we believe in, the other Clans won’t ever respect us, and it won’t just be ShadowClan pushing us around, don’t you see?”
Violetshine felt Tree slump with disappointment beside her. “What about the plan Tigerstar suggested at the Gathering?” she mewed quickly. “Where each Clan gives up a smaller part of their territory, instead of just ShadowClan.” She gazed hopefully at Leafstar.
Leafstar grunted. “Didn’t you notice how the other Clans responded to that idea? They couldn’t get off the island quickly enough.”
Sandynose blinked sympathetically at Violetshine. “We just have to accept that the other Clans don’t want to help us.”
Bellaleaf sat down heavily. “We’re on our own, just as we’ve always been.”
Tree flicked his tail angrily. “Then why am I wasting my time here?” Ears twitching, the yellow tom stalked away.
Violetshine could see how hurt he was. His pelt rippled spikily over his shoulders as he slumped down beside the roots of a pine with his back to the SkyClan cats. Is he wondering whether he made a mistake? Perhaps he’s wishing he’d never stayed with us. The thought sent alarm prickling through Violetshine’s pelt. Tree had given up his solitary life to offer help that wasn’t wanted. Tree wasn’t a proud cat, but the Clans’ rejection of his skills must sting even him. Would he decide to return to his life as a loner?
Leafstar beckoned to Violetshine with a flick of her tail. “Leave him.” The SkyClan leader must have noticed her watching the yellow tom. “He looks like he needs space. He’ll realize soon enough that we have no other choice.”
Violetshine blinked at the SkyClan leader, her heart aching for Tree. He wouldn’t give up on his beliefs so easily. And yet, even though she felt sorry for Tree, she understood Leafstar’s point of view. Tigerstar had offered nothing but insults to SkyClan, and the other Clans hadn’t defended them. It looked like SkyClan was as isolated here as it had been at the gorge, and that if they wanted to keep their territory beside the lake, they’d have to fight for it.