At last Firestar raised his tail for silence. "Very well, Hollyleaf," he mewed when the noise had died down. "Say what you have to. And StarClan grant you don't regret it."
Now the clearing was so quiet that Hollyleaf could hear a mouse scuttering among the dead leaves under the Great Oak. "You think you know me,- "
"No!" she heard Jayfeather running towards her, tripped over Littlecloud's tail before he reached her and fell with a thump. But before she could continue a hard mass landed over her, smashing her head into the earth. She heard Jayfeather get back on his paws and trotted towards her.
"What is wrong with you?" he gasped.
"I have to" she managed to say realizing that Lionblaze was on her and making it hard for her to breath.
"I thought you didn't want anyone to know?" he spoke quietly. "Isn't that why you killed Ashfur?" she heard a shocked gasp over her, and the weight vanished to see Lionblaze staring at her shocked "you… did…. What?"
Jayfeather was staring at her with such a cold anger she never thought his blind eyes could make. It was like staring into two cold fires. She shied away scared bye that look, to see every other cats at the gathering staring at them with curiosity. She wondered how her brother found out about Ashfur, shocked she only managed to ask "How? Did you…"
Firestar was staring at them with anger "what on earth is going on there?" he said trying to calm himself "Lionblaze! Jayfeather! What is this all about why aren't you letting your sister speak?"
Lionblaze opened his mouth but before he could speak Jayfeather's tail slammed her brother's mouth stopping him from speaking. Jayfeather lifted his head and calmly answered. "We know that she will regret saying this…" Hollyleaf realized with a jolt of relief that they haven't heard the part where she had killed Ashfur.
"What I wanted to say was -–" Hollyleaf stopped when she heard her brothers growling at her with fury in their amber and ice-blue eyes.
She turned around and stopped when she spotted Leafpool. She was expecting to see her pleading but there was nothing but grief in her amber eyes.
"So what I was about to say was- " she stopped again as she saw Lionblaze preparing to leap on her. To her surprise Jayfeather spoke with such coldness in his voice to Lionblaze "we can't stop her, but I know that she will regret this for a long long time." He turned around and walked away, Lionblaze stared at his brother in dismay "but… but… this isn't right" before turning around and followed his brother. Hollyleaf lifted her chin and stared at the leaders. I have to do this she thought I have to, I just do.
Blackstar and Leopardstar were looking at her their whiskers twitching. They're finding this amusing! She realized oh! This won't last. Onestar was looking at her through curious eyes and Firestar looked like he was going to regret what was going to happen but told her to go on "I hope your know what your doing but if you have to do this you might as well start."
She took a deep breath, she could feel her brothers staring at her, they were burning her pelt "You think you know me," she began again. "And my brothers, Lionblaze and Jayfeather of ThunderClan." She continued, thought Lionblaze was snarling at her with cold rage, "You thing you know us, but everything you have been told about us is a lie! We are not the kits of Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight."
"What?" Brambleclaw shot to his paws from where he sat with the other deputies among the roots of the Great Oak. His amber eyes flamed. "Squirrelflight, why is she talking such nonsense?"
"I'm sorry, Brambleclaw, but it's true. I'm not their mother, and you are not their father."
The Clan deputy starred at her. "Then who is?"
Squirrelflight turned her sad green gaze on the cat she had always claimed as her daughter. "Tell them, Hollyleaf. I kept the secret for seasons; I'm not going to reveal it not."
"Coward!" Hollyleaf flashed at her. Her gaze swept around the clearing, seeing the eyes of every single cat trained on her. "I'm not afraid of the truth! Leafpool is our mother, and Crowfeather - yes, Crowfeather of WindClan - is our father."
Yowls of shock greeted her words, but Hollyleaf shouted over them. "These cats were so ashamed of us that they gave us away and lied to every single one of you to his the fact that they had broken the warrior code. It's all her fault." She whipped her tail around to point at Leafpool. "How can the Clans survive when there are cowards and liars at the very heart of them?"
The screeches and gasps of horror grew so loud that Hollyleaf couldn't make herself heard anymore. But there was no need. She had said what she had come to say. Her legs trembled as if she had run all the way across the territory, and she had to sit down. Inside she felt a curious peace, as if she had lanced a festering sore and was watching the poison drain away. But she couldn't help feeling her brothers' eyes as they pierced her soul.
Crowfeather's voice rose above the rest in a furious yowl. "It's not true!" He had sprung to his paws, his dark gray fur bristling. Beside him, Nightcloud and Breezepelt looked bewildered and angry. "She's the one who's lying!"
Then Leafpool stood up. The crowd of cats fell silent, their eyes turned toward her.
"It's true, Crowfeather," she meowed. I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you, but there was never a right time."
Her amber eyes were seared with grief. Pity stirred in Hollyleaf, but she choked it down. I hate her! She lied and betrayed us all! But she couldn't help but being bewildered as she saw grief in Crowfeather's eyes that soon disappeared leaving her wondering if she saw properly.
"You mean nothing to me Leafpool." Crowfeather's voice was cold. "That moon has passed. My loyalty is to WindClan, and I have no kits other than Breezepelt." He glanced to where Nightcloud and Breezepelt stood beside him; the black she-cat had her ears flattened to her head, while Breezepelt's teeth were bared in a snarl.
Leafpool dipped her head as if she wasn't going to argue; then she looked up at Firestar, who was crouched on his branch, as still as a cat made out of stone. "I know that I cannot be ThunderClan's medicine cat any longer," she meowed. "I'm so very sorry to you, father, and to all my Clanmates. Please know that I tried my beat, and regretted what I had done with every single breath." Her voice cracked on the last word, and she paused, swallowing, before she continued. " But I couldn't regret having my kits. They are fine cats, and I will always be proud of them."
She gave Crowfeather one last glance, then padded across the clearing with he head bowed. Cats scrambled out of her way as she made for the bushes and pushed her way through, out of sight. Every cat stared after her, still shocked into silence.
Brambleclaw was the first to move, padding forward until he stood face to face with Squirrelflight. "Why?" he meowed.
Squirrelflight's voice was desperate. "I had to! She's my sister!"
"And you couldn't trust me?" Brambleclaw's voice was shaking, and Hollyleaf saw a deep shudder pass through his body. For a heartbeat, she was sorry for what she had done. This was a noble cat, and he had not been responsible for any of the lies. I was so proud when I though he was my father.
Squirrelflight did not reply, just held his gaze without flinching.
"You couldn't trust me," he repeated. "Don't you think I would have helped you, if you'd told me the truth? But it's too late now."
He turned away, shouldering a path through the crowed.
"Brambleclaw-" Squirrelflight took a pace after him, then halted, her head hanging and her tail drooping in despair.
Hollyleaf turned her back. Let her suffer. She deserves it!
A cat nudged her from behind. It was Cinderheart. "What have you done?" she cried.
Hollyleaf blinked in surprise. "I did the right thing."
The gray she-cat shook her head. "There is no right thing. Everything to do with this leads to more pain." The wisdom in her voice seemed to come from a much older and more experienced cat. Hollyleaf waited for her to say something else, something to show how sorry she felt for Hollyleaf and her littermates. But Cinderheart just turned and padded away.
Hollyleaf stared after her. Why didn't she understand? Surely any cat could see that they couldn't have carried on living a lie? Besides, StarClan hadn't sent clouds to cover the moon. Her warrior ancestors must be pleased that the secrets were out and the deceit was at an end.
But none of the cats here seemed pleased. Not even her own Clanmates. Sandstorm was staring at her, bewilderment and sorrow in her green gaze. Graystripe's amber eyes were blank with disbelief. Poppyfrost and Berrynose had their heads close together, talking urgently and shooting hostile glances at her. Surly someone would understand. She looked for her brothers, they were sitting a little away and talking, Jayfeather had let her speak surly he would understand.
She walked towards them "Jayfeather… Lionblaze…" she saw their ears twitch, so for sure they heard her. But instead of turning to see her coming they got up and walked away, without glancing back at her. She stopped dead and watched them leave bewildered.
Suddenly Hollyleaf couldn't bear to be stared at for another heartbeat. Blundering through the crowd, she thrust through the bushes, ignoring the thorns that tore her pelt, and fled across the strip of pebbles and over the tree-bridge. Racing past the horseplace, she began to climb the ridge, skirting the WindClan border until she reached the very top and could look out over the lake.