Leafpool and Jayfeather emerged from the medicine cats’ den and stayed just outside the bramble screen, away from the rest of the Clan. Lionblaze tried to catch his brother’s attention, but Jayfeather refused to respond, resolutely facing Firestar instead.
“I know you’re all wondering what to do about Ashfur’s death,” the Clan leader began. “I promise you that the cat who killed him will be punished. But there’s no proof that WindClan was involved.”
“There’s enough proof for me,” Spiderleg grunted.
Firestar ignored the interruption. “I will lead a patrol to speak with Onestar. Not to accuse him or attack his Clan. Ashfur died on the WindClan border, and it’s possible that one of Onestar’s warriors saw something.”
There were murmurs of disagreement from some of the listening cats; Thornclaw was flexing his claws in and out, but he didn’t speak up.
“Brambleclaw, you’ll come with me,” Firestar went on. “And Brackenfur, Sorreltail, and Lionblaze. We’ll leave right away.”
Lionblaze felt a jolt in his belly when Firestar spoke his name. For a heartbeat, he wanted to protest; he hated the thought of being involved in the investigation of Ashfur’s death. But he knew that if he said anything, he would only draw attention to himself. He had no reason to refuse to go to WindClan; as far as the other cats knew, he was as shocked by Ashfur’s death, and as determined to get vengeance, as they were.
“Good,” Hollyleaf breathed into his ear. “And you’ve got to tell me what happens when you get back.”
“Okay,” Lionblaze muttered. “But I’d rather stay out of it.”
Firestar leaped down from the boulder and padded through the groups of cats with Brambleclaw just behind him. Brackenfur and Sorreltail joined them.
Cats who didn’t want to attack WindClan, Lionblaze realized.
Firestar isn’t taking any risks.
Firestar led them toward the thorn tunnel; before they left, he turned and summoned Graystripe with a flick of his tail. “Keep an eye on Thornclaw and the others,” he murmured to the gray warrior. “Make sure they don’t try to launch their own attack.”
Graystripe nodded grimly. “Don’t worry. I’ll stick closer than their pelts.”
Lionblaze and the others followed Firestar as he headed through the woods, making for the WindClan border. Fallen leaves rustled as the cats brushed through them; in the shade of the trees, where the leaf-bare sun didn’t penetrate, every leaf was still rimmed with frost. The bare branches traced delicate patterns against the sky.
The patrol padded behind Firestar in solemn silence; Lionblaze brought up the rear. He could tell that the rest of the cats were uneasy, halting every few paw steps to taste the air. Sorreltail spun around, her tail lashing, at the sound of an acorn dropping into the undergrowth.
“It doesn’t feel like our territory anymore,” she mewed disgustedly when she realized her mistake. “There could be anything lurking about. Suppose it was a rogue who killed Ashfur?”
“It might have been.” Brackenfur touched his mate’s shoulder with his tail-tip. “But you’re safe with us. One cat can’t take on a whole patrol.”
“That crow-food-eating menace Sol could still be hanging around,” Sorreltail went on. “No cat knows where he went after ShadowClan threw him out.”
Firestar, who had paused to wait for his Clanmates, pricked his ears with interest. “It’s an idea. We should all stay alert for any signs of him. I’ll announce it to the rest of the Clan when we get back.”
“Sol doesn’t strike me as the sort of cat who would kill,” Brambleclaw commented thoughtfully. “Getting other cats to do his dirty work is more his style.”
Firestar nodded. “True. But maybe Ashfur caught him trying to do something to harm ThunderClan.”
“Ashfur might have attacked Sol just for being on our territory,” Brackenfur meowed. “He would have taken on a badger to protect his Clan.”
“He was a loyal warrior,” Brambleclaw agreed.
Miserably Lionblaze wished he could feel what they did, and mourn his Clanmate sincerely. Ashfur’s famous loyalty wouldn’t have stopped him from ruining ThunderClan’s reputation by revealing Squirrelflight’s secret at the Gathering. He had confessed that he had plotted with Hawkfrost to make Brambleclaw kill Firestar. His obsession with Squirrelflight had destroyed his commitment to ThunderClan. But now that he was dead, his Clan was determined to make him into a hero. Lionblaze longed to yowl out the truth to every cat in the forest, but he knew the destruction that would follow. When the patrol set off again, he could only plod along at the rear, hating the need for silence and hating himself.
“Are you okay?” Brambleclaw had dropped back to pad beside him. “I know you must be missing Ashfur.”
Fury at Brambleclaw’s misunderstanding flooded through Lionblaze. “I’m fine!” he snapped, knowing he was being illogical. “Stay out of my fur, will you?”
Brambleclaw’s eyes widened, but he said nothing, just nodded and quickened his pace again to catch up with Firestar.
“You shouldn’t claw his whiskers off,” Sorreltail mewed, padding up to Lionblaze and touching his ear with her nose. “Brambleclaw is bound to be worried about you; that’s what fathers do.” Her amber eyes gleamed with affection. “My kits are warriors now, but they’ll always be my kits.”
Lionblaze gave her an awkward nod, but he couldn’t reply. His secret trapped him like rising floodwater, cutting him off from every cat in his Clan. He’s not my father! Lionblaze wanted to yowl. Everything you’ve been told is a lie!
CHAPTER 2
A chilly wind was blowing from the moor when Firestar and his patrol reached the stream that marked the border with WindClan. Lionblaze’s paws tingled as he padded up to the edge of the bank. This was close to where they had found Ashfur. He tried to shut out the memories of Ashfur’s slick gray body, wedged behind a rock and bobbing in the current. Yet he could not regret Ashfur’s death.
Each cat leaped across the stream and raced into WindClan territory without even checking for scent. Lionblaze guessed that they, too, were spooked by the memory of the dead warrior. Firestar led them on, still at a run, until the stream was hidden behind them by rocks and reeds.
Lionblaze tasted the air and shivered. There was a tang of snow that must have come from the mountains. A dark haze like storm clouds crouched on the horizon; Lionblaze knew he was looking at the distant home of the Tribe of Rushing Water. How are they managing? he wondered. Leaf-bare would be even harder where snow lay thick on bare rock and prey was scarce. But I wish I could go back, he added to himself, knowing he meant not just back to the mountains, but back in time as well. When I was with the Tribe, I knew who I was and where my destiny was leading.
“There are WindClan cats nearby,” Firestar meowed.
Lionblaze jumped guiltily; thinking about the Tribe, he had never noticed the WindClan scent, though it was strong and fresh. For the first time he started to wonder how their mission would turn out. There was still hostility between ThunderClan and WindClan; Onestar was bound to see an accusation behind Firestar’s questions.
The ThunderClan leader headed across the moor toward the WindClan camp with his warriors at his flanks. Wind buffeted their fur, and a strong gust nearly carried Sorreltail off her paws.
“I can’t imagine why cats would choose to live here!” she hissed as she struggled to regain her balance.
“We like it here!” A loud meow rang out across the moorland.