“Tigerstar.” Shadowsight tried to catch his eye, but Tigerstar didn’t seem to be listening.
“I wish I knew why,” he murmured. “It’s been cold, but no colder than in WindClan or RiverClan territory.”
Shadowsight tried to get his attention again, leaning closer. “I have to talk to you.”
“I guess I could ask Cloverfoot to double up the hunting patrols.” Tigerstar frowned, his gaze flitting around the deserted clearing. “But we’re already sending out six patrols every day.”
Frustration welled in Shadowsight’s chest. His father needed to listen. “It’s important,” he pressed.
Tigerstar looked at him hazily. “What is?”
“I have to tell the Clans about the codebreakers.”
Tigerstar’s gaze suddenly focused. He stiffened. “No.”
“But what if keeping quiet is making things worse?” Fear jabbed Shadowsight’s belly.
Tigerstar squared his shoulders. “We’ve just survived the hardest leaf-bare any cat has ever known. Things are going to get better.”
“But what about my vision about the fire? There could be a threat to all the Clans—”
“I know you’re worried.” Tigerstar blinked at him reassuringly. “But this is the best way, I promise.”
“I’m not sure it is.” Shadowsight dug his claws into the earth, wondering how his father would react to what he said next. “I want to protect Dovewing, too, but isn’t that selfish? I can’t keep this a secret from the Clans because I’m worried about my own kin.”
Tigerstar narrowed his eyes. “You heard Bramblestar last night. He wants to make an example of any warrior who breaks the code. If you tell him that StarClan is worried about codebreakers, who knows what he’ll do. ThunderClan has always thought it was better than the rest of us. They’ll use this to make the lives of the other Clans miserable.”
“You can’t be sure of that,” Shadowsight argued. “What if this means that Bramblestar’s right? StarClan may not return until we deal with the codebreakers.”
“‘Deal with’?” Tigerstar’s gaze hardened. “What do you mean, ‘deal with’?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “What do you think will happen to Dovewing—to any of the codebreakers—if we tell the Clans about your vision?”
“I’m sure StarClan just wants the codebreakers to acknowledge what they’ve done,” Shadowsight mewed, hoping he was right. “I can’t believe that StarClan would want to hurt any cat.”
“It’s not StarClan I’m worried about,” Tigerstar mewed darkly. “You don’t know what Bramblestar is like. He thinks he can use this to make ThunderClan stronger and the other Clans weaker. He’ll hurt us if he gets the chance.” He leaned closer to Shadowsight, fear flashing in his eyes. “You said it yourself—I don’t want to risk Dovewing’s safety, and I know you don’t either. We both love her too much.”
A chill ran along Shadowsight’s spine. Was Tigerstar right? Even if he is, can I risk the safety of all the Clans just to save one cat I love? He blinked back at his father. “But—”
Tigerstar interrupted. “We have no choice,” he meowed darkly. “This has to remain between you and me.”
Shadowsight watched his father stalk away and disappear into his den. His belly felt suddenly hollow. He understood why Tigerstar wanted to protect Dovewing. He wanted to protect her too. Bramblestar had seemed far too eager to accuse cats he believed were codebreakers. There had been little sympathy in the ThunderClan leader’s call to expose them. What if he did want to exploit StarClan’s silence to impose ThunderClan’s authority over the rest of the Clans? But StarClan sent me the vision. Shadowsight couldn’t ignore the feeling that his ancestors wanted him to share it.
His ears pricked. A panicked yowl rang outside camp. “Shadowsight!” He recognized Lightleap’s mew. Pelt spiking with alarm, Shadowsight raced for the camp entrance.
Lightleap was pushing her way through with Flaxfoot. Snowbird limped between them.
The white she-cat’s cat face was twisted with pain. She held her forepaw off the ground, and Shadowsight could see at once that it was badly twisted.
“She slipped.” Lightleap pushed past him as she helped Snowbird toward the medicine den.
Puddleshine hurried out, his eyes round with concern. “What happened?”
“Snowbird hurt her paw.” Shadowsight padded beside his sister, peering past her to see Snowbird’s paw. It hung limply, pointing the wrong way. It must be broken.
“She slipped as we were jumping over a log,” Flaxfoot told him. “She landed badly.”
Snowbird closed her eyes and let out a long, agonized breath.
“I’ll get some comfrey and poppy seeds.” Puddleshine ducked back into the medicine den, and Shadowsight followed as Flaxfoot and Lightleap helped Snowbird inside behind him.
Shadowsight hurried past them and quickly piled the remaining moss into the nearly finished nest. He pressed it down quickly. It would have to do for now. “Lay her here,” he told Lightleap.
Lightleap and Flaxfoot helped Snowbird to the nest and let her slump gently onto the moss. She grunted as she slid down.
Puddleshine padded to the nest, a wad of comfrey leaves between his jaws. He dropped and unrolled them to reveal a scattering of poppy seeds in the middle. After dabbing the seeds with his pad, he offered them to Snowbird. She licked them from his paw and lay back, her eyes glittering with pain. Puddleshine nudged Lightleap toward the entrance. “Go and finish your hunting,” he told the brown tabby she-cat. “We’ll take care of Snowbird.”
“But I want to see that she’s okay.” Lightleap pricked her ears.
Puddleshine nosed Flaxfoot after her. “If you want to help”—he steered them toward the entrance—“go find four smooth, straight sticks we can use as a splint.”
“Can’t we wait here to see if her paw will be okay?” Lightleap looked pleadingly at Shadowsight.
“I’ll come and find you when we’ve finished treating her,” he promised. “I’ll let you know how she’s doing then.”
“We need those sticks,” Puddleshine told the two young warriors as he ran a gentle paw over Snowbird’s leg.
As Lightleap and Flaxfoot trailed reluctantly from the den, Shadowsight padded to Puddleshine’s side. “Is it broken?” he asked softly.
Puddleshine nodded, avoiding Snowbird’s gaze.
The white she-cat blinked at Shadowsight. “Can you fix it?”
It looked like a nasty break. Shadowsight glanced hopefully at Puddleshine.
Puddleshine began to wrap comfrey around Snowbird’s paw. “The splints will help straighten it, but I don’t want to set the bone until the poppy seeds have started working.” He looked evenly at Snowbird. “I’m afraid it will hurt.”
“I don’t care.” Snowbird lifted her muzzle defiantly. “Just fix it. I don’t want to have a limp.”
Shadowsight caught Puddleshine’s eye. He saw darkness in the medicine cat’s gaze. Would Snowbird’s paw fully heal? Worry settled around his heart. Snowbird was a brave and loyal warrior. How could StarClan have let this happen to her?
Shadowsight hurried through the forest in search of Lightleap and Flaxfoot. They hadn’t returned with the sticks yet. Snowbird was sleeping in the medicine den, her paw wrapped in thick layers of comfrey. He tasted the air, picking up Lightleap’s trail. Flaxfoot’s scent mingled with it. He followed the warriors’ trail through the woods, where melting snow was still piled between roots and heaped on branches, dripping as the thaw set in for good. In a few days, the snow would be gone. Perhaps he’d feel less worried when newleaf was here. There’d be as much prey for ShadowClan as for the other Clans, and, with a full belly again, he’d feel better. His conversation with Tigerstar still nagged at his thoughts. Perhaps his father was right and he should keep the secret of the codebreakers to himself. Everything might work itself out. StarClan would return soon. After all, StarClan had always helped in the past. Why would it stop now?