Chapter 3
“Ouch! Mind my eyes!”
“Sorry!” Dovewing dropped her end of the bramble and backed off to let Bumblestripe scramble clear. They were working on the collapsed wall of the warriors’ den. Dustpelt was supposed to be supervising but he had vanished; Dovewing guessed he was visiting Ferncloud’s burial place. It had only been two sunrises since they buried the cats who fell in the battle, and neither Dustpelt nor Brackenfur seemed willing to leave their mates alone in their cold earthen nests. None of their Clanmates had challenged them on it; there was nothing but compassion for their unspeakable grief.
The cats who had fought briefly on the side of the Dark Forest, however, were still being treated as if they had greencough. They had taken to sleeping separately in a space behind the elders’ den. Last night Ivypool had joined them, and Dovewing wondered if her sister felt guilty because she seemed to be treated more favorably by the cats who had seen her take on Hawkfrost. Dovewing’s pelt pricked at the injustice of the situation, and she waited for Bramblestar to say something but he was busy with Squirrelflight, organizing patrols to hunt for food and repair the dens.
Bumblestripe nudged Dovewing. “It’s all right, I think I escaped with my sight,” he joked. “Come on, help me untangle this ivy.” They started to unravel the knot of dark green leaves. All the cats were trying to salvage as much of the dens as they could to save having to find fresh leafy branches so late in the season.
Suddenly Cinderheart, who was working on the other side of the wall, let out a soft mew. “Blackstar’s here!”
Dovewing peered around the den and saw the ShadowClan leader hobble into the clearing with his deputy Rowanclaw close beside him—so close, in fact, that their shoulders were touching, as if Rowanclaw was holding his leader upright.
Bumblestripe put down the ivy and came to stand beside Dovewing. “I wonder what he wants?”
There was no suspicion in his tone; in fact, none of the ThunderClan cats who had stopped working to watch the new arrivals were bristling with hostility. The Dark Forest has changed everything, Dovewing mused, recalling a time not so long ago when these visitors would have been treated with distrust. Now they hadn’t even been challenged as they slowly entered the hollow.
“Blackstar! Come and sit down.” Bramblestar bounded down the rocks from Highledge and showed the ShadowClan leader a space on the grass where he could rest his trembling legs.
“Great StarClan, Blackstar looks so old he’s barely alive!” Cinderheart commented under her breath beside Dovewing.
Squirrelflight joined them from the nursery, where she had been helping Daisy amuse all the kits while Brightheart was out on a hunting patrol. “Is everything well in ShadowClan?” Squirrelflight asked, exchanging nods with Rowanclaw.
“We are fine,” Blackstar rasped, so faintly that Dovewing barely heard. It’s been two days since the battle; why can’t I hear anything yet? she thought in frustration.
Blackstar seemed to be having trouble speaking due to the wheezing in his chest, so Rowanclaw took over. “We have to come to talk to you about the Dark Forest cats who still walk among us,” he announced.
Dovewing flinched. What Dark Forest cats? She looked around and saw her Clanmates bristling.
“As you know,” Rowanclaw went on, “the Dark Forest attack was helped in part by warriors from the living Clans.” He paused and glanced around the clearing as if he wanted to name those cats right now. “Some of them survived the battle. We need to decide what should be done to them.”
Bramblestar shifted his paws. “I agree this is something to think about, but I assumed each Clan leader would decide alone. It involves our own Clanmates, after all.”
Blackstar struggled to his paws and lashed his tail. “We are still bound by our alliance during the Great Battle!” he hissed. “This is a problem faced by all the Clans, and therefore we should deal with it together. There cannot be any inequity between us.”
“Whoa!” Bumblestripe breathed in Dovewing’s ear. “He does know the battle is over, right? We’re not allied with ShadowClan now!”
Bramblestar let his gaze travel around the hollow, ending up on the four cats who were apart from the rest, clearing trampled brambles from one side of the entrance. “Very well, Blackstar,” he meowed. “Perhaps it’s right that we should agree on a course of action together. Shall we meet on the island tomorrow night?”
Blackstar nodded. “I’ll send word to RiverClan and WindClan, if you’ll permit my warriors to travel along your lakeshore.”
“Of course,” mewed Bramblestar. He stood up and padded beside the ancient white cat as he started to leave. “Thank you for coming, Blackstar. Get some rest before we meet on the island.”
Blackstar just grunted. Rowanclaw dipped his head to Bramblestar and guided his leader through the remains of the barrier, then ushered him into the trees.
Dovewing’s fur had risen along her spine, and Bumblestripe smoothed it down with his muzzle. “Calm down,” he mewed. “You’re not in trouble!”
“But Ivypool could be!” Dovewing snapped. “And my father! These cats can’t be punished for believing the lies that the Dark Forest warriors told them!”
Bumblestripe started to unravel the ivy knot once more. “We can’t forget what happened, Dovewing. Perhaps they need some sort of punishment just to make sure they understand that what they did was wrong.”
“Blossomfall is your sister,” Dovewing mewed softly. “Do you really think she’d do anything to betray her Clan?”
The gray tom didn’t look up from the strand of ivy. “Training in the Dark Forest was never part of the warrior code,” he muttered.
“Nor was dead cats coming back to life to attack us!” Dovewing reached out with one front paw and rested it on Bumblestripe’s shoulder. “Our Clanmates made a terrible decision, but when it mattered, they were loyal to us, and us alone.”
Bumblestripe finally looked at her, his eyes troubled. “You really believe that.”
Dovewing nodded. “Ivypool is my littermate, just as Blossomfall is yours. I would trust my sister with my life. Don’t you feel the same way?
There was a pause, then Bumblestripe nodded. “Thanks, Dovewing,” he whispered.
Before Dovewing could say anything else, Bramblestar spoke just behind her.
“Dovewing, may I speak with you?”
Dovewing nearly jumped into the air. How had she missed him walking up to her?
“I’d like you to come with me to meet the other leaders,” Bramblestar meowed. “Jayfeather will be with me, of course, and the cats who were trained by the Dark Forest, but I think you and Lionblaze should be present as well. You both know more about what the Dark Forest planned than many of us.” He blinked. “Because of the prophecy, right?”
Dovewing nodded mutely.
“Good.” Bramblestar turned away. “We’ll leave at dusk tomorrow. Make sure you get some rest during the day.”
Dovewing didn’t go back to helping Bumblestripe at once. Instead she stood very still, listening to the whispers around her. The rest of ThunderClan seemed excited at the prospect of choosing a punishment for the traitors among them. Dovewing felt a wave of impatience at their stupidity. Can’t you see that these are loyal warriors who made one mistake? Are you all so perfect yourselves?
Then she tilted her head and tried to pick up what was being said in ShadowClan. Were those cats equally thrilled? But all she heard was the rustle of branches as Bumblestripe and Cinderheart worked beside her, and a burst of squealing from the elders’ den as one of the kits stepped on a thorn. When she tried to picture the neighboring camp, her mind was clouded and fuzzy, as if it were filled with mist. Dovewing felt a cold trickle of fear seep into her fur. Why can’t I hear and see like I used to? Has something happened to me?