Warriors: The Power of Three: Book # 6: Sunrise: Chapter 27
Hollyleaf stood on the Tree-Bridge, contemplating what was about to happen. All three with the power of the stars in their paws were at the gathering tonight. She was going to expose her mother and surrogate mother for the lies they had told. For all she cared, either of them could go burn in the depths of DarkClan. She just wanted to push the lies of her back. She was deep in thought when she heard a hiss behind her. "Hurry up, Hollyleaf! If you continue like this, the whole gathering will have to wait a moon!" It was Foxpaw. "Sorry," she murmured. She jumped nimbly of the Tree-Bridge and sprinted into the clearing. Firestar, Onestar Leopardstar, and Blackstar were already in the tree. The deputies sat at the base of the trunk.
Onestar yowled, signaling the cats in the clearing to be quiet. "WindClan will go first," he looked at the other leaders, as if daring one of them to challenge his right to go first. They all politely stared, so he went on. "All is well in WindClan. Russetfur, Crowfeather and Breezepelt chased a fox in WindClan territory across the border into ThunderClan territory," he nodded towards Firestar. "so you should keep a look out." Russetfur & Crowfeather beamed as they were praised, and Breezepelt self-consciously licked his chest. "Gee, thanks..." someone growled, and all heads turned toward Hollyleaf. She licked her chest in embarrassment as Firestar hissed at her, his gaze un-approving. "WindClan is done." Said Onestar gruffly, as he stepped back, nodding towards Leopardstar, who stepped forward.
"Prey is running good in RiverClan. We have had no problems, although we smelled faint badger in an old fox den we found. It should be fine. RiverClan is done." She stepped back, whisking her tail over Blackstar's pelt, a sign for him to go now. He stepped forward "ShadowClan are thriving. We have nothing to say." He stepped back, nodding at Firestar, who stepped forward. He began to speak when Hollyleaf yowled "Stop!" Firestar turned his gaze towards her. "Hollyleaf, the gathering is only for leaders to speak at. I do not know what has gotten into you." He shook his head as he began to speak again. Again, Hollyleaf cut him off. "But I must tell all four clans something very important!" she yowled. "No!" he hissed. He looked quite embarrassed by his warriors' behavior, yet he looked just about ready to pounce on her, too. "Wait," Said Leopardstar. "Let her speak. I am interested to see what is so important that she must interrupt a gathering to say." Gruffly Firestar nodded, and Hollyleaf stood up.
"Cats of the Clans!" she began, "We have liars and traitors among us!" she yowled. Everycat gasped. "Her! She is the biggest one of them all!" She pointed with her tail to Leafpool. "She and Crowfeather, yes, Crowfeather of WindClan, are Lionblaze's, Jayfeather's, and my parents! Leafpool, and Squirrelflight of ThunderClan have deceived us all! Even their own kits' and mates'!" She Hissed "Brambleclaw and Crowfeather never even knew! Ashfur knew, though. Squirrelflight told him, and us, to save us when he tried to kill us in the fire! That's why I killed him! He would have told before he should have, I wanted to do it!" She was frantic now. "I'm sorry." She added, whispering, rather than yelling. With that, she ran off. Leafpool and Squirrelflight stepped up. "We are sorry that we have deceived you. I understand that I can no longer be ThunderClan's medicine cat, for I have broken the warrior code."
She glanced about once more, that turned tail and padded slowly towards the tree bridge. When she got there, she gazed at Lionblaze and Jayfeather. "I am sorry I failed you, my kits. Tell your sister I am sorry, too." When she gazed at Crowfeather, it was more of a glare. "I tried to tell you, my love, but you wouldn't listen. Goodbye, Cats of the Clans." She stepped up on the Tree-Bridge. "Wait," meowed Squirrelflight. "I shall go with you. I have failed my clan. I am sorry, Brambleclaw. I was wrong." Brambleclaw glared at her. "I don't care. I trusted you, and I loved you. Loved, but you lied to me. We are over. I hate you." She looked hurt, but nodded. "I understand. I would do the same, in your position." With that she padded after her sister, to somewhere unknown. "Lionblaze... we must go after Hollyleaf." Hissed Jayfeather. Lionblaze looked around at the cats around him, staring back at him and his brother solemnly, then up at the leaders. Firestar nodded at him and he and Jayfeather headed toward the Tree-Bridge.
'She is nowhere!' thought Lionblaze. "I know…" responded Jayfeather. Lionblaze looked up. "Could you stop reading my thoughts, Jayfeather?" He growled. "You could've just thought that, you know." Jayfeather let out a Mrrow of laughter. But Lionblaze just glared. He wasn't laughing. Their sister was missing. "If I was a Hollyleaf, where would I go?" Lionblaze asked himself. "I a tree?" joked Jayfeather. "Aha! It's worth a try!" meowed Lionblaze triumphantly. Jayfeather stared blankly at his brother. He may be blind, but he could tell that his brother wasn't joking. "Search every tree here!" yowled
Lionblaze. "But wait, If she was in a tree," yowled a dumbfounded Jayfeather, "We would be able to smell her!" but it was too late. Lionblaze was gone. Jayfeather shrugged. 'Might as well try...'
Firestar announced the gathering was over to the dazed cats below him, and raced to the Tree-Bridge, not even waiting for his cats. He had just lost his two daughters. He ran like dogs were on his tail to camp. Neither Hollyleaf, Squirrelflight, nor Leafpool had been there since they left for the gathering. He set Graystripe and Brambleclaw on guard and told them to alternate guard and wait for any incoming cats. He glanced up to see the warriors of StarClan fading. The moon was lowering in the sky. He stayed awake to await the arrival of whoever was coming back.
"That's it!!! The caves! She went to the caves!" yowled Lionblaze. 'Finally, you have some sense...' thought Jayfeather. They ran to the caves and found that Lionblaze was right. Hollyleaf's scent was fresh at the entrance of the cave. They stepped in and saw Hollyleaf sitting in the middle of the cave. "The cave will collapse. Get out." She said when she saw them, seemingly calm and okay that she would die if she didn't move. "No!" they both yowled. Then the cave began to shudder. "What did you do?!?" asked Jayfeather "I loosened the stones that were holding the place up." She said nonchalantly. "Do you want to die?" He asked. She nodded. "There is no reason for me to live. I am not one of the three. I have no power! Now get out!" They shook their heads and ran out of the cave. The cave fell. They howled. Their sister was dead. And the worst part was, she wanted to die. She killed herself...
Back at camp, two kits were born. Cloudtail and Brightheart had two kits, Dovekit and Ivykit. When Lionblaze and Jayfeather got back, they told the whole story to the clan. Hollyleaf was mourned and Leafpool and Squirrelflight missed. But then Lionblaze thought of something. "Jayfeather! The prophecy! What will happen to the prophecy?! There are two now!" Lionblaze whispered fiercely. Jayfeather thought. That was it! "There will be three, kin of your kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws. It didn't say the three were littermates!" whispered Jayfeather. Lionblaze still looked dumbfounded. "The three aren't all littermates! Hollyleaf was never one of the three! The third has come! 'Kin of your kin' Cloudtail is Firestar's kin! Dovekit and Ivykit are Cloudtail's kin! It doesn't matter which is the third, just that it is one of them!" Lionblaze nodded. The Three Had Come...