“It was probably an accident.” Blossomheart left her mouse and padded closer.
Harrybrook got to his paws. “Perhaps it was a clumsy apprentice with a bad sense of direction.”
“That’s what I said.” Violetshine was eager to avoid conflict. StarClan wanted all of them to live peacefully around the lake, didn’t they? “Don’t forget they have new warriors who aren’t Clanborn.”
“Exactly,” Blossomheart agreed. “One of them could have strayed across the border without realizing.”
“Nonsense!” Mintfur snorted. “The border was clearly marked. Any cat would have smelled it. Even one who’s not Clanborn.”
“Silence.” Leafstar flicked her tail sharply. “We don’t know why ShadowClan crossed the border. But I’m not willing to accuse them of aggression when we don’t have the facts.”
“You should be protecting SkyClan, not defending ShadowClan,” Sandynose muttered.
Violetshine saw Leafstar’s hackles lift. The SkyClan leader was clearly irritated by Sandynose’s challenge. “I will protect SkyClan. We’ll re-mark the border.” She nodded to Hawkwing. “Organize three border patrols tomorrow instead of two.”
“Okay.” Hawkwing lifted a clump of dripping weed from the stream and dropped it onto the pile he’d collected. He met Leafstar’s gaze. “And I’ll make sure the border is marked again before sundown today.”
“Good.” Leafstar looked satisfied.
Sandynose’s pelt twitched. “If ShadowClan doesn’t respect our borders, re-marking them won’t make a difference.”
Leafstar frowned at him. “ShadowClan is rebuilding. Have you considered that Tigerstar might not be fully in control of his warriors yet? They may be crossing the border without his knowledge. I’m not going to risk undermining him by making an issue out of a single incident. We should leave ShadowClan alone until we know they are strong again.”
Macgyver’s gaze had darkened. “What if they’re already strong? This could be the first sign that they’re a threat. Are you going to ignore it?”
“He’s got a point.” Hawkwing shook the water from his paws and padded closer. He stopped in front of Leafstar. “We have no idea of Tigerstar’s intentions. Who knows how he’s changed since that time he left the Clans? Just because he once supported our claim to this territory doesn’t mean he still supports it. He’s leader now, and ShadowClan is stronger than it’s been since we arrived at the lake. It might be sensible to find out what he is thinking before we let this incident pass.”
Leafstar’s gaze flicked around the watching Clan. Violetshine could see from her frown that she was thinking. Bellaleaf and Macgyver exchanged glances. Harrybrook whispered something in Blossomheart’s ear. Hawkwing watched his leader, his expression unreadable.
“Tree.” Leafstar’s gaze reached the yellow tom. “You’re here to mediate between the Clans. What do you think?”
Violetshine leaned forward as Tree got to his paws. He’d know what to do. He always seemed to instinctively sense what cats were thinking.
Tree padded toward the SkyClan leader, his gaze thoughtful. As he reached her, he cleared his throat. “I think you’re right to be cautious,” he mewed. “I have no doubt that Tigerstar is already a strong leader. That doesn’t mean he’s dangerous, but if these scents are the first sign of ShadowClan aggression, he might be hoping you’ll react. It would give him an excuse to escalate this incident into a conflict.”
Violetshine stared at Tree. He’s so smart. Perhaps all the time he spent lying in the sun wasn’t wasted. Perhaps he was thinking instead of dozing.
Leafstar narrowed her eyes. “So you agree that we shouldn’t react.”
“I agree that you need more information before you do,” Tree told her.
“Will you go to ShadowClan and speak with Tigerstar?” Leafstar asked.
Tree shook his head. “That would be too direct. It’s best for the moment if Tigerstar doesn’t know you’re worried. After all, the scent marks may be unintended. There’s no point antagonizing Tigerstar with our suspicions if they are.”
Sandynose grunted impatiently. “Then what exactly do you suggest?”
“I could wander over to ShadowClan territory,” Tree proposed. “Hang around the border until I bump into a ShadowClan warrior and then we could just chat. It’s not hard to find out information through a bit of harmless small talk.”
Leafstar’s eyes brightened. “Good idea.” She glanced at Sandynose.
The tom was nodding. “It sounds like it might work.”
Mintfur’s ears twitched crossly. “I think we should send a patrol there. We should start with a show of strength, so Tigerstar knows what he’s up against.”
“We’ll show strength when we have to,” Leafstar told her. “For now, Tree will find out what he can.” Her gaze swung toward Violetshine. Violetshine’s heart lurched. “You can go with him,” Leafstar told her. “You were raised in ShadowClan. You’ll be able to tell what they’re thinking.”
Will I? Violetshine wasn’t sure, but she wasn’t going to argue. She was excited to be part of Tree’s mission to investigate ShadowClan. She dipped her head to Leafstar. “I’ll do my best.”
Leafstar stretched, signaling an end to the matter. Padding across the camp, she stopped at the stream and glanced along the bank. “Good work on the weed clearing, Hawkwing.”
Violetshine blinked at Tree. The yellow tom was already heading toward her. His eyes were bright as he neared. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” Violetshine purred.
“Good.” He brushed against her as they headed out of camp, and she wondered if it was intentional. His fur felt soft against her flank, and as she ducked through the entrance tunnel, her paws pricked with pleasure.
Outside, Tree paused and glanced around the forest. “Where were the ShadowClan scent marks?”
Violetshine nodded in the direction of the ditch. Tree turned and headed in the opposite direction. She hurried after him. “Why are we going this way?”
“If we want to avoid arousing suspicion, it’s best we don’t start a conversation with a ShadowClan cat while standing next to their scent trail.”
Violetshine looked at him. “Of course! We don’t want them to realize we’ve noticed their scent on our land.”
He nudged his shoulder teasingly against hers as they walked. “You’re smarter than you look.”
“Hey!” She nudged him back. “I look as smart as you.”
“Almost.” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, then broke into a run.
She charged after Tree, happy to be out in the forest alone with him. The warm breeze streamed through her fur as she followed him, zigzagging between trees and leaping branches that had fallen during the storm. He was heading toward the border that led to the lake. As they neared it, she waited for him to slow down. But he kept running, clearly enjoying the fresh air as much as she did.
“Watch out!” She could smell the scent markers ahead.
He glanced back without slowing. “What for?”
“The border!” Alarm sparked beneath her pelt. If they crossed into ShadowClan territory, they could make the situation worse. “Stop!”
Tree pulled up a tail-length from the scent line. He tasted the air, his pelt pricking in surprise. “I didn’t realize we were so close.”
“Couldn’t you smell it?”
“Not till now.” Tree whisked his tail. “I’m still learning the different Clan scents. All Clan cats smell the same to me.”
“But you knew the border was here, right?” She knew her Clan’s borders with her eyes closed.
“I do now.”
“I guess you haven’t been on many patrols like I have.” She glanced at him. “Maybe you should start going on them.” If he joined in with Clan patrols, her Clanmates might accept him more easily.