Her eyes shone as she straightened and rested her paw on the rabbit’s fat flank.
“What are you doing?” Juniperclaw’s angry yowl made her stiffen. She turned, eyes wide, toward the ShadowClan warrior as he strode from his hiding place among the bracken.
Grassheart marched between the beeches, fur bristling with indignation. “That’s our rabbit!”
Plumwillow blinked at them in surprise. “But I caught it.”
“On our territory!” Juniperclaw glared at her.
“I started chasing it on SkyClan land,” Plumwillow argued. “That makes it SkyClan prey.”
As Snakepaw followed Strikestone to join their Clanmates, Tigerheart padded from the bracken. Rain pounded the forest floor around the cats as they eyed one another angrily. “Perhaps SkyClan doesn’t understand our ways yet,” he meowed sympathetically. He dipped his head to Plumwillow. “Prey belongs to the Clan where it’s caught.”
Plumwillow tipped her head. “Really?” She sounded unconvinced. “What about the rabbit Sandynose and Rabbitleap caught for you? That was caught on SkyClan land, wasn’t it? And yet you took it because it ran from ShadowClan territory.” She blinked rain from her eyes.
Juniperclaw snorted. “If Sandynose and Rabbitleap want to give away prey, that’s up to them. We have a hungry Clan to feed.”
“So do I.” Plumwillow pulled the rabbit closer. “Is ShadowClan’s hunger more important than SkyClan’s hunger?”
“No Clan’s hunger is more important.” Tigerheart saw Strikestone flexing his claws. Juniperclaw’s hackles were twitching. His Clanmates were ready to fight for this prey. “That’s why we have the warrior code. To help settle disputes like this.”
Plumwillow eyed the ShadowClan cats warily, then lifted her chin. “If you want my prey, you’ll have to take it from me. I chased it and I caught it. It belongs to SkyClan.”
Juniperclaw’s whiskers twitched menacingly. “Is this how SkyClan shows respect for us? When we gave you some of our territory, we were doing you a favor. Now you steal our prey.”
“I’m not stealing.” Plumwillow’s eyes flared with anger. “And when we moved into our new home, we did you a favor. You admitted that you weren’t strong enough to patrol a large territory. With us patrolling, you know your border is safe from rogues.” She emphasized the last word with satisfaction.
Grassheart stared in disbelief. “Does SkyClan think it’s protecting us?”
Plumwillow flicked her tail. “There are barely enough of you to make a Clan. Of course we’re protecting you. So is ThunderClan. We are keeping your borders safe while you recover.”
Tigerheart quickly padded between his Clanmates and Plumwillow. The SkyClan warrior wasn’t making this easy. But she did have a point: Having friendly allies on their borders was useful. Would ShadowClan be wise to antagonize SkyClan by stealing Plumwillow’s catch? Was she really prepared to fight for it? The ShadowClan cats might be weak, but four warriors and an apprentice could easily hurt a lone warrior. He checked the slope to see if Plumwillow was part of a patrol, but it was deserted. She’s brave. He admired her courage. It reminded him, with a twinge, of Dovewing.
“Tigerheart?” Juniperclaw was glaring at him. “Let’s take this rabbit and go.”
“No.” Tigerheart faced his Clanmate. Plumwillow was right. She had chased this prey down and killed it. “ShadowClan owes SkyClan for the rabbit Sandynose and Rabbitleap caught for us.”
“What about the warrior code?” Grassheart looked outraged.
“Prey belongs to the Clan where it’s caught,” Snakepaw reminded him.
“I know what it says.” Tigerheart shifted his paws. First his mother, now an apprentice. Did everyone think they knew the warrior code better than he did? Irritation pricked beneath his pelt. He could be with Dovewing now, not settling stupid squabbles over prey. He lashed his tail. “The rabbit came from SkyClan land, and Plumwillow was barely over the border when she caught it.”
Juniperclaw stared at Tigerheart, wide-eyed. “Are you serious?” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “You know how much we need this prey.”
“But we are warriors,” Tigerheart hissed back. He raised his muzzle. “The warrior code says that warriors are honorable and fair. Taking Plumwillow’s prey now wouldn’t be fair. But in the future, let’s all remember that prey belongs to the Clan who owns the land on which it’s caught.” He eyed Plumwillow sternly. “Right?” She nodded curtly.
Snakepaw glanced at Strikestone, doubt shimmering in her eyes.
Strikestone shrugged at her. “He’s the deputy.”
“That’s right,” Tigerheart growled. “You will do as I say. Which is to let Plumwillow take her prey and go back to her territory.” He urged Plumwillow to hurry with a warning look.
The SkyClan cat picked up the rabbit, nodded quickly at him, and headed for the border.
Juniperclaw lashed his tail as she disappeared over the rise. “Are you crazy?”
Tigerheart ignored him. “Let’s get back to hunting.” He returned to his position among the bracken and crouched down to watch the beech patch once more.
Juniperclaw exchanged an angry look with Grassheart while Strikestone nudged Snakepaw toward the undergrowth. Gradually they returned to their positions and dropped into hunting crouches.
Tigerheart’s pelt prickled uneasily. Had he made the right decision? Of course I did. Rules were rules, but warriors needed to have common sense too. Surely, at the moment, a good relationship with SkyClan was more important than a single rabbit? But ShadowClan is hungry. He felt rainwater reaching through his pelt. He couldn’t push away a thought nagging at the back of his mind. He shivered as he pictured Dovewing far away, her green eyes hollow with hunger as a bigger, stronger cat stole the prey she’d just caught. Had his worry about Dovewing made him kinder to Plumwillow than he should have been?
“Is that it?” Rowanstar stared at the vole and the bedraggled squirrel Tigerheart’s patrol dropped onto the meager fresh-kill pile.
“We were lucky to find that,” Tigerheart told him. “We’d have nothing if Snakepaw hadn’t thought of stalking the beech patch.” He glanced appreciatively at the honey-brown apprentice. Her gaze warmed with pride.
“Nothing?” Juniperclaw pushed past him and glared at Rowanstar. “Why don’t you tell our leader about the rabbit you gave away?”
Rowanstar’s gaze flashed toward Tigerheart. “What happened?”
Tigerheart saw anger in his father’s gaze. “It was the right thing to do,” he meowed. “Plumwillow had chased it and caught it.”
“On our territory,” Grassheart put in.
“She had only just crossed the border,” Tigerheart reminded her, irritably. He’d abandoned Dovewing for his Clanmates, and now they betrayed him. He shot her a reproachful look.
Rowanstar growled. “If it had crossed the border, it was our prey. That’s what the warrior code says.”
“But what about the rabbit Sandynose gave us a quarter moon ago?” Tigerheart argued. Wasn’t anyone going to support him? “If you believed so strongly in upholding that rule, you’d have insisted on returning it.”
“If SkyClan wants to behave like soft-bellies, then let them. We don’t have to starve just so we can be like them. We’re ShadowClan.” Rowanstar lifted his muzzle. “And that means something.”