Bramblestar held his ground. “You’re trying to force SkyClan to move again! Look what happened last time you drove them out. A storm nearly killed us all.”
“This time SkyClan wants to move!” The ShadowClan leader swung his muzzle toward Leafstar. “You want SkyClan to have the new territory, right?”
Leafstar hesitated.
“Right?” Tigerstar glared at her.
“I don’t want the land if it means hurting the Sisters,” Leafstar told him, her gaze clouding with uncertainty.
A snarl rang from the back of the clearing as Emberfoot jeered at the SkyClan leader. “You’d rather see war in the Clans than chase a few rogues from land they don’t even want?”
Yowls of agreement exploded around him and rippled through the crowd.
Squirrelflight froze. She pictured the Sisters going about their duties, unaware of the storm building here, ready to sweep them away. Her paws pricked with fear.
Leafstar stared desperately at Tigerstar. “Why can’t we wait until the Sisters leave?”
Harestar flattened his ears. “Why should we?”
“The Sisters don’t need that land!” Mistystar snapped.
Tigerstar held Leafstar’s gaze. “Is SkyClan willing to move?”
“Not yet,” Leafstar answered shakily.
“But would you move once the Sisters are gone?” Tigerstar pressed.
Leafstar stared at him, then nodded. “Yes.”
Tigerstar rounded on Bramblestar. “SkyClan has made its decision. They want to move. Now ThunderClan must support us. The Sisters have to leave.”
Squirrelflight’s heart pressed in her throat as Bramblestar hesitated. Why don’t you object? She lifted her muzzle. “None of us want—”
“Silence!” Bramblestar cut her off with a look. It glittered with rage. “My deputy does not speak for me.” As he dragged his gaze back to Tigerstar, Squirrelflight felt numb. She stared at him. Was Bramblestar going to declare war on the Sisters? Five Clans against a small band of she-cats, and possibly a squealing litter of newborn kits. Shame washed Squirrelflight’s pelt. Was there no honor left in the Clans?
Bramblestar squared his shoulders. “ThunderClan won’t join a war,” he growled.
Tigerstar’s gaze flashed. “But you won’t stop us?”
Bramblestar looked away. “No.” Squirrelflight stared at him, unable to believe her ears as he went on. “I don’t care what happens to the Sisters. They’ve made it clear that they’re no better than rogues. But Leafstar must be heard. Her opinion must be respected.”
“She’s been heard.” Harestar flattened his ears. “She wants their land.”
“Only after they’ve left.” Bramblestar lashed his tail. “And she doesn’t want them hurt.”
Leafstar stepped to the edge of the branch. “Perhaps the Sisters can be reasoned with,” she mewed hesitatingly.
“Why?” Mistystar looked unconvinced. “Reason hasn’t worked so far.”
Leafstar aimed a meaningful glance at Tree. “Perhaps it’s time for them to hear from their own kin.”
Tree groaned, looking suddenly put on the spot. “I’ve told you, it won’t—”
“I know you think it won’t help,” Leafstar interrupted. “But if it could prevent a war—if it were the difference between life and death for Moonlight and her kits—surely you would consider it?”
“I—” Tree began to speak, then stopped himself. He looked around the Gathering, then began again. “I do want peace.”
“Of course you do, Tree,” Bramblestar said smoothly. “So do what you can. Talk to your mother on our behalf.”
Tree looked down at his paws. He shuffled them uncomfortably, then closed his eyes. “All right. I still don’t have high hopes, but I’ll try, if you want me to.” Tigerstar shrugged. “I guess it’s worth an attempt.”
Harestar nodded. “Why fight if we don’t have to?”
Murmurs of approval rippled through the crowd as Tigerstar whisked his tail.
“It’s decided,” the ShadowClan leader growled. “Tree will talk to the Sisters.”
Below him, Breezepelt rolled his eyes. “Why send a loner to do a warrior’s job?”
Hawkwing bristled beside Squirrelflight. “Tree is no loner!” he snarled, eyeing Breezepelt. “He’s a loyal Clan cat now.”
Across the clearing, Violetshine’s gaze glowed with affection at her father, and her Clanmates shifted around her, scowling at the WindClan tom.
“Hawkwing’s right.” Leafstar lifted her chin. “Tree is as much a warrior as any SkyClan cat. And if he goes to the Sisters, I’ll go with him.”
Tigerstar looked at her surprised. “Why?”
“I know them.” Leafstar glanced at Squirrelflight. “So does Squirrelflight. We can both go with him. We might be able to help.”
Tigerstar’s ears twitched. “If that’s what you want.” He eyed Tree menacingly. “You’d better find a solution,” he growled. “Or the next patrol we send to the Sisters won’t be so friendly.”
Squirrelflight caught Bramblestar’s eye. He looked at her, his gaze unreadable. Was she supposed to say she wouldn’t go? He’d silenced her just now. He clearly didn’t want her to be involved. As Tigerstar and the other leaders jumped down from the branch, signaling the end to the meeting, Bramblestar didn’t move.
“Are you coming?” Hawkwing hopped off the root and looked back at her as the crowd began to disperse.
“I’ll wait for Bramblestar.” Squirrelflight watched the Clans head for the long grass. She shifted her paws nervously as the clearing emptied, then looked up at Bramblestar again. He stared past her, then leaped from the tree. Thorns pierced her heart as he shook out his pelt and stalked across the clearing without her. She watched him go, feeling desolate. Had they grown so far apart that they’d never agree on anything again?
CHAPTER 20
“You go ahead.” Tree swished his tail as they headed out of Clan territory onto the Sisters’ land. It was the morning after the Gathering, and the sun was glittering through the trees. “I want to practice my speech.” He hung back and let Squirrelflight and Leafstar take the lead.
“He has a speech?” Squirrelflight was surprised that any cat would have to practice to speak with his mother. She understood that the relationship between Tree and Moonlight was strained, but it surprised her that it was this strained. She blinked at Leafstar as they followed the steep path out of the forest. She glanced over her shoulder. Tree was murmuring softly to himself.
“He and Hawkwing went over what he was going to say to Moonlight before we left.” Leafstar slid under a drooping willow branch.
Squirrelflight ducked under another branch. “I don’t know why Tree needed to come, if he doesn’t want to see his mother again. We could have passed on the Clans’ message without him.”
“He does have a talent for slicing open a problem so it can be looked at easily. It’s why I made him our mediator. Besides, I don’t think the Clans would let us come without him.” Leafstar gazed ahead. “Tigerstar’s already frustrated that we’ve stopped him from taking this land before now. He wouldn’t want me and you in charge of the negotiation.”
“But it’s not a negotiation, is it?” Frustration clawed at Squirrelflight’s belly. “It’s a threat. If the Sisters don’t leave, the Clans will drive them away by force.”
“I know.” Leafstar flicked her tail as the land flattened beneath her paws. She headed between the thinning trees. “But we might be able to give the Sisters enough time to prepare for the journey and to leave with a little dignity. And besides, Tree is Moonlight’s son.”
Squirrelflight nodded. “If she won’t listen to us, she might listen to him.”
“That’s what I’m hoping.” Leafstar stopped as they broke from the forest and mountain territory opened ahead of them.