“I need them to tell Onestar what they saw,” Firestar objected.
“They can tell you, and you can pass on the message,” Cinderpelt mewed stubbornly.
“Hang on.” Squirrelflight heaved herself to her paws. “What about asking us? I feel strong enough to go over to WindClan. What about you, Ashfur?”
“Sure.” The grey warrior rose and stood beside her.
Firestar’s gaze swept over them. “Yes, you look fine to me. You can rest when we get back.”
“And if you get into another fight over there?” Cinderpelt challenged him.
“That won’t happen,” Firestar said calmly. “WindClan are our friends.”
Cinderpelt let out an angry hiss and stalked into her den, her tail twitching irritably.
Firestar watched her with a warm look in his green eyes. “She gets more like Yellowfang every day,” he murmured.
By the time Firestar led his patrol across the WindClan border the sun was beginning to set. There was no sign of any other cats; even the scent of the most recent WindClan patrol was faint. Squirrelflight struggled to pick it out among the rich odours of rabbit that drifted down from the moorland, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since early morning. They had not gone far when she spotted three rabbits hopping slowly along as they nibbled the grass.
“It’s as if they know we’re not allowed to chase them,” she complained to Ashfur.
Ashfur’s whiskers twitched. “I know. But just think what Onestar would say if he caught us taking prey in his territory.”
Soon they came to a stream that fell steeply over a series of tiny waterfalls. A few stunted thorn trees grew beside it. There were no WindClan cats to be seen until the patrol was climbing the slope that led to the camp. Then Squirrelflight spotted the outline of a single warrior keeping watch on the skyline; the cat whisked round and disappeared as Firestar led the others up the final stretch of turf. A few heartbeats later, Onestar appeared from the thorn bushes that surrounded the hollow and stood waiting for them. Webfoot and Crowfeather flanked him, their faces expressionless.
“Firestar.” Onestar dipped his head in greeting. “What are you doing in WindClan territory?”
His tone was polite, but he spoke to Firestar as an equal, his head proudly raised and his gaze steady. This was not the cat who had pleaded to Firestar for help when Tallstar first made him Clan leader.
“We came to see how you are,” Firestar replied. “I’d have come before, but I wrenched my shoulder in the battle.”
“WindClan is fine,” Onestar meowed. “Is there any reason we shouldn’t be?”
Squirrelflight’s jaws gaped in astonishment. How could he ask that, when less than a moon had passed since Mudclaw’s rebellion?
Firestar’s gaze slid past the WindClan leader to where Webfoot was standing in front of the barrier of gorse bushes. Squirrelflight guessed her father was reluctant to point out that some of the traitorous cats were still members of the Clan—not when one of those cats was in earshot.
Onestar’s eyes narrowed. “Every cat in my Clan knows that I am the cat chosen by StarClan to be their leader. There will be no more trouble. You don’t need to watch over me as if I were a helpless kit.”
“That’s not what I was doing,” Firestar protested. “We also came to bring you some news,” he went on. “Brambleclaw, tell Onestar what happened today.”
Brambleclaw stepped forward beside his leader. “These two”—he flicked his tail at Squirrelflight and Ashfur—“surprised a fox.”
“A young dog fox,” Ashfur put in. “One of the biggest I’ve seen.”
“The three of us fought it off,” Brambleclaw explained, “and it crossed the border into your territory. We think it must have a den—”
“—among some rocks near the foot of the hill,” Onestar finished. He flicked his tail dismissively. “My warriors have already tracked it. We’re keeping an eye on it; don’t worry.”
“It’s more savage than most foxes,” Brambleclaw warned. “Look at the wounds on Squirrelflight and Ashfur.”
“You can say that again!” Squirrelflight murmured, wincing as she flexed her shoulders.
“WindClan can deal with it,” Onestar insisted. “Many seasons have passed since ShadowClan drove us out of our old home, but too many cats still see WindClan as the weakest clan. You act as if we can hardly feed ourselves. But WindClan is as strong as any other Clan and we shall prove it. We do not need help from any cat.”
Firestar bent his head. Squirrelflight saw pain in his eyes and she longed to be anywhere but here, listening to one of her father’s oldest allies rejecting his friendship.
“WindClan did just as much as any other Clan to bring us to our new home,” Onestar went on. “We owe nothing to any cat.”
Squirrelflight barely stopped herself from yelling, That’s not true! Without ThunderClan, WindClan would have died in their former home, every last cat caught by Twolegs or killed by their gigantic, churning monsters!
Firestar lifted his head. “I’m sorry if we offended you,” he said evenly. He gestured with his tail at his Clanmates, indicating that they should leave. “Goodbye, Onestar,” he mewed. “I’ll see you at the Gathering.”
“Do you want a patrol to follow them to the border?” Webfoot spoke for the first time.
Onestar shook his head. “That won’t be necessary.” Without saying anything else, he turned and disappeared into the bushes. Firestar watched the place where he had vanished until the leaves stopped trembling. Then without speaking he turned and headed down the slope. Squirrelflight was about to follow when she heard a low voice call her name. She glanced back; Crowfeather was still standing in the shadow of the bushes.
“Squirrelflight, I wanted to ask you—” he began.
Webfoot thrust his head out of the bushes. “Crowfeather!”
“I’ll be there in a moment!” Crowfeather called back. “Squirrelflight, listen,” he began again.
But Firestar had paused at the foot of the slope. “Come on, Squirrelflight!”
“Can’t this wait until the Gathering?” Squirrelflight mewed to the WindClan warrior. “I’ve got to go.”
Crowfeather took a step back, his tail drooping in disappointment. “OK, I guess it can wait.”
Webfoot called out again, and with a last frustrated look at Squirrelflight, Crowfeather turned away.
Squirrelflight bounded after her Clanmates. She still couldn’t believe the way Onestar had spoken to her father. Any new leader would want his Clan to be strong and independent, but surely he couldn’t have forgotten everything he owed to Firestar?
If that’s the way Onestar wants it, she thought as she caught up to her Clanmates, then fine. It didn’t do us any favours to be his allies. But he’ll be sorry in the end, when he needs ThunderClan’s help again.
A ruffled disc of white light trembled on the surface of the lake, and up above the stars of Silverpelt blazed in the night sky. StarClan must be pleased with how we’re settling in, Squirrelflight decided as she followed her sister along the lakeshore. Her paws tingled at the thought of taking part in the first Gathering on the island. She couldn’t wait to cross the fallen tree and explore.