“But Tigerstar won’t be pleased if he finds out.”
“Why should we behave without honor just to suit Tigerstar?” Squirrelflight returned Sparkpelt’s gaze.
“Is that what Bramblestar would say?”
“Sunrise could die from this injury. If Bramblestar is more interested in pleasing ShadowClan than saving another cat’s life, then he’s not the cat I thought he was.” Squirrelflight could see the camp in the distance. She glanced back at the others. “We’re nearly there.”
As she spoke, the bracken rustled ahead. Rosepetal and Bristlepaw burst out. They pulled up a tail-length from Squirrelflight, their eyes widening.
“What’s going on?” Rosepetal looked past her to the Sisters.
“We found a wounded cat in the forest,” Squirrelflight told her. “She needs our help.”
Bristlepaw’s pelt bushed. “Rogues!”
Snow dipped her head to the young she-cat. “We’re the Sisters.”
“The Sisters!” Bristlepaw stared at her. “What are you doing on our land?”
Squirrelflight pushed on. “I’ll explain later.” She padded down the slope toward the hollow and ducked through the tunnel into camp. “Jayfeather! Leafpool! Alderheart!” She called to the medicine cats as Larksong, Tempest, Hawk, and Mousewhisker carried Sunrise into the clearing and laid her down on the sunbaked earth.
Alderheart hurried from the medicine den, Leafpool at his tail. Jayfeather followed, his nose twitching. “Who’s bleeding?” The blind medicine cat paused, his hackles lifting. “What are rogues doing here?”
“They’re not rogues.” Squirrelflight swept her gaze around the camp. Thornclaw was staring in amazement from beside the fresh-kill pile. Below the Highledge, Berrynose and Birchfall were sharing a rabbit. They blinked at the Sisters, hostility glittering in their gaze. Outside the warriors’ den, Twigbranch and Finleap climbed warily to their paws. Hollytuft waved Flippaw back with her tail as the apprentice arched his back and hissed at Snow. Graystripe pushed away the mouse he was eating and narrowed his eyes. Squirrelflight ignored the tension sparking in the camp. “One of the Sisters needs our help.”
Stones clattered on the rock tumble. “What’s going on?” Bramblestar leaped down from Highledge. He stopped beside Squirrelflight and glared at her accusingly.
“Sunrise is injured,” Squirrelflight told him. “She needs a medicine cat.”
Sparkpelt moved closer to her mother. “Squirrelflight was scared Sunrise might die.”
Bramblestar narrowed his gaze.
“I’ll fetch cobwebs.” Leafpool turned back toward the medicine den.
“Stop!” Bramblestar yowled with a flick of his tail.
Leafpool froze.
Squirrelflight stared at him. “Aren’t you going to help her?”
He thrust his muzzle closer. “Why are you putting me in this position?” he hissed, so low only she and Sparkpelt could hear. “I thought I told you to run decisions past me first.”
“Squirrelflight just wanted to help,” Sparkpelt told her father earnestly.
“It’s okay, Sparkpelt.” Squirrelflight was grateful to her daughter, but this wasn’t Sparkpelt’s fight. She jerked her nose toward Sunrise, who lay unmoving in the clearing, her blood staining the ground. “I didn’t think there was time for a meeting,” she growled icily.
Bumblestripe padded forward. “You’re going to help her, right?”
Thornclaw lashed his tail. “Why should we? We’ve only just rescued our Clanmates from these cats. We owe them nothing.”
“But she’s hurt.” Finleap stared at the dark warrior in surprise.
Leafpool blinked at Bramblestar. “I can’t stand by and watch her suffer.”
Alderheart padded to her side. “That’s not the medicine-cat way.”
“We can’t let her die.” Mousewhisker gazed around his Clanmates. His pelt was stained with Sunrise’s blood.
Blossomfall glared at him. “Didn’t you hear Hawk say they attacked a ShadowClan patrol?”
Mousewhisker narrowed his eyes. “ShadowClan invaded their territory.”
“Two warriors doesn’t make an invasion!” Blossomfall hissed back. “The ShadowClan cats were outnumbered. These Sisters shouldn’t have attacked them.”
Thornclaw lashed his tail. “We can’t treat rogues who attack warriors.”
Hollytuft puffed out her chest. “The Sisters took our deputy captive and invaded ShadowClan land. They’re no better than Darktail’s Kin were. If we treat this cat, we’ll make our enemies stronger.”
Tempest blinked at her in surprise. “We’re not your enemy.”
“You held Squirrelflight hostage,” Hollytuft shot back.
“You attacked ShadowClan,” Birchfall snarled.
“Send them back to where they came from,” Thornclaw yowled.
“Get them out of our camp!” Blossomfall chimed.
Squirrelflight’s throat tightened. How could her Clanmates turn away such a gravely injured cat? She felt Sparkpelt move nervously beside her. Did her daughter want to send Sunrise away too?
Twigbranch padded forward. “It doesn’t matter what they’ve done. Sunrise might die if we send her away.”
“ThunderClan mustn’t have another cat’s blood on their paws,” Finleap meowed in agreement. His Clanmates glanced uneasily at each other, as though they were unconvinced.
“What will Tigerstar say if he finds out we’ve taken her in?” Birchfall nodded toward the Sisters.
“Since when do we let Tigerstar dictate how we act?” Mousewhisker flicked his tail angrily. He looked at Bramblestar. “We can’t let this cat die.”
Bramblestar looked around his Clan. Anger flared in Thornclaw’s eyes. Birchfall’s ears twitched menacingly. Twigbranch and Finleap stared at him. “StarClan must decide,” Bramblestar announced with a jerk of his muzzle toward Jayfeather. “Take Alderheart to the Moonpool and share with our ancestors. They will tell us what to do.”
Squirrelflight blinked at him in surprise. “What does StarClan have to do with this? Do we need them to tell us how to be honorable?”
Bramblestar gazed back at her coldly. “These cats have threatened you and attacked ShadowClan. They clearly don’t care who they harm or how. If we treat this cat, we show them we can be pushed around. And we might make an enemy of Tigerstar forever. StarClan has already told us that the Clans must stand together. For all we know, helping the Sisters might be no better than helping Darktail. We need StarClan’s guidance. Jayfeather and Alderheart will travel to the Moonpool.”
Hawk blinked at him. “Is the Moonpool far?”
Tempest padded closer. “There’s no time to consult with ancestors.” Panic edged her mew.
“We have no choice.” Bramblestar turned to Jayfeather. “Be as quick as you can.”
Squirrelflight could hardly believe her ears. Was Bramblestar going to risk this cat’s life? He should act, not question. “We have to help,” she breathed.
Bramblestar didn’t look at her. Instead he blinked at Leafpool. “Can you keep Sunrise alive until Alderheart and Jayfeather return?”
Leafpool stared anxiously at the bleeding cat. “I’ll do my best.”
As Jayfeather and Alderheart hurried toward the camp entrance, she ducked into the medicine den and returned with a thick wad of cobweb between her jaws.
Squirrelflight followed her to where Sunrise lay unconscious and hardly breathing. “Don’t let her die,” she whispered.
Leafpool began to draw the edges of the wound together. “If I can stop the bleeding—”
Squirrelflight hardly heard her. “How could Bramblestar let this happen?”
“He has to listen to his warriors.” Leafpool wadded cobweb along the gash.
“Even when they’re wrong?” Squirrelflight remembered how tenderly the Sisters had treated Leafstar’s wound. Her heart seemed to twist inside her chest. Suddenly there seemed more honor among the Sisters than among her Clanmates. If Sunrise died because of ThunderClan’s fox-heartedness, she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to forgive them.