Squirrelflight jerked awake, her nose twitching. The air was thick with the scent of nighttime dew. She could smell another scent in the darkness, one that made her heart quicken, filled with the warmth of memory and home. She scrambled to her paws. Bramblestar! He was near. She could smell Thornclaw too, and Larksong and Sparkpelt. “Wake up, Leafstar!”
The SkyClan leader lifted her head blearily. “What’s going on?”
“Quick!” Squirrelflight darted to the entrance. “They’re here. A rescue party’s here!”
As she spoke, wails shrilled outside the den. Alarm bristled through her pelt. She couldn’t let them fight. No cat must be hurt. “Stop!” She exploded from the den, skidding to a halt as she saw Clan warriors facing the Sisters.
Pale in the moonlight, Snow and Tempest had puffed out their fur. Ears flat, lips drawn back, they hissed at the warrior patrol. Bramblestar, Thornclaw, and Larksong snarled back at them. Furze, Sunrise, and Hawk slid like hissing snakes around their sisters as SkyClan cats—Hawkwing, Plumwillow, and Tree—fanned out around the ThunderClan patrol. The cats glared at one another through slitted eyes.
“Wait!” Squirrelflight flung herself between the Sisters and the warriors. ThunderClan and SkyClan outnumbered the Sisters. Blossomheart, Macgyver, and Sagenose appeared, pushing between their Clanmates, as Berrynose and Ambermoon stepped out from behind the ThunderClan warriors and bared their teeth. “You mustn’t fight!”
Confusion clouded Bramblestar’s gaze.
Leafstar limped from the den and stopped at the edge of the clearing, her eyes round with alarm. “Listen to her.”
Hawkwing stared at her, as though trying to understand.
“They haven’t harmed us,” Squirrelflight told him. She knew that it was a lie. Snow had wounded Leafstar, but only because the SkyClan leader had tried to escape. There would be time for honesty later; right now it was more important to defuse the rage sparking around her.
Creek, Flurry, and Sparrow darted from the shadows and stood beside their mothers. Moonlight hurried from the back of the clearing and wove between her campmates. She stopped at the front of the group and stared at Bramblestar.
Squirrelflight was shocked to see how small the Clan cats looked in front of the Sisters. She’d grown used to these cats, forgetting their size. She realized once more how different they were—their fur was longer, their bodies larger than any warrior or rogue Squirrelflight knew. Even Bramblestar seemed overshadowed by their size. She wondered suddenly if, for all their training, the Clans could win a fight with these cats. She brushed the thought away. Of course they can. Skill would always beat strength. And yet, how could she be sure the Sisters didn’t have as much skill as strength?
Moonlight lashed her tail. “What are you doing in our camp?” She curled her lip as she glared at the warrior patrol.
Bramblestar answered, his ears twitching with rage. “We’ve come to fetch our Clanmates.” He didn’t look at Squirrelflight.
Worry wormed in her belly, as she guessed that some of his anger was directed at her. He’d be wondering why in StarClan she was defending her captors and why she’d come here without telling him, putting herself and Leafstar in danger. She’d gone against his wishes. What would he have felt if any other of his warriors had ignored his orders so blatantly? Her mouth felt dry. What would I feel if one of our warriors ignored my orders?
“They shouldn’t be here,” he growled.
“Your Clanmates are our guests,” Moonlight told him.
Hawkwing jerked his gaze toward Leafstar. “Is that true?”
Moonlight answered for her. “We have treated them like sisters.”
Bramblestar flicked his tail angrily. “They haven’t stayed here voluntarily. No warrior would! You’ve held them against their will.”
“It was necessary,” Moonlight growled.
Hawkwing glared at her. “Why?”
Squirrelflight looked from Moonlight to Bramblestar as she stood between them. “They were scared we’d bring our Clanmates here if they let us go.”
Bramblestar looked puzzled. “But they must have known we’d come looking for you.”
“They’re not Clan cats,” Squirrelflight explained. “They didn’t realize you’d try so hard to get us back.”
“They’ve only been here two days.” Moonlight scanned the warrior patrol curiously. “That’s not long to be away from home. Don’t any of you ever wander?”
Hawkwing growled. “We’re warriors, not loners. We stay with our Clan.”
The Sisters exchanged glances, but no cat spoke.
Bramblestar let his pelt smooth. Around him the Clan cats shifted self-consciously, as though suddenly wondering what they were doing here, if Squirrelflight and Leafstar didn’t seem to be in danger.
Squirrelflight padded to Bramblestar’s side, her heart quickening out of habit as his scent filled her nose. She reached her muzzle toward him. Did he feel the same way? Or was he too angry with her to feel relieved that she was safe? “I’m glad you came to get us.”
He pulled away, blinking at her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Leafstar limped toward her warriors.
“Not so fast.” Snow darted from the group and blocked her way. “We haven’t said you can leave.”
“Why keep us now?” Leafstar blinked at her. “Our Clanmates know where your camp is. There’s nothing left to hide.”
“No,” Snow agreed, her pelt rippling along her spine. “But as long as you’re our guests, your friends will have to respect our boundaries.”
Squirrelflight looked at her in surprise. “I thought the Sisters didn’t have boundaries.”
“Not permanently,” Snow conceded. “But when one of us is ready to kit, we must mark out some sort of territory to protect her and her newborn.”
Bramblestar’s gaze flitted around the Sisters, stopping as it reached Moonlight. He dipped his head. “I should have seen that you are expecting kits.”
Squirrelflight blinked at him. “Do you see why I couldn’t let you fight?”
He ignored her. “But you can’t keep Leafstar and Squirrelflight here. They’re coming home with us now.”
As he spoke, Tree pushed his way to the front. The SkyClan tom’s eyes were on Moonlight. Squirrelflight watched him, alarm sparking in her belly. Why was Tree glaring at the gray she-cat so resentfully?
“Hello, Mother.”
Squirrelflight blinked. Mother? Had he once been part of this group? She stiffened as another thought flashed in her mind. Were they actually mother and son? Tree—small, muscular, thickly pelted—looked nothing like the broad, long-furred, bushy-tailed she-cat. And yet there was a dark determination in his amber gaze that reminded her of Moonlight.
Moonlight stared back at Tree, blankness giving way to excitement as she recognized him. “Earth!” Sunrise, whose coat was the same shade of yellow as Tree’s, stepped forward, her tail rising in excitement, but paused at Tree’s next words.
“I’m not Earth anymore.” Anger hardened Tree’s mew. “I named myself Tree after you sent me away.”
“Tree.” Moonlight repeated his name, as though testing it. She tipped her head. “I like it. It suits you. You were always a strong-minded kit.”
“Is that why you abandoned me?”
“Abandoned you?” Moonlight looked surprised. “You were old enough to hunt.”
“Barely.”
“But the Claw Stars were pointing to the sunset. It was time for you to wander.”
“You let the stars dictate my fate.” Tree held his mother’s gaze scornfully for a moment longer, then looked away.
Squirrelflight glanced around at the Sisters. They shifted uncomfortably. Sunrise was staring guiltily at her paws. Perhaps their way of life wasn’t as uncomplicated as she’d thought. She saw Creek shoot a nervous glance at his mother. Was he anxious about leaving when his time came to wander?