Chapter 34
Branchtail was stalking the plump mouse. It was oblivious to his presence, continuing to nibble on a seed. He stalked closer...closer...
His eyes sprang open. He looked up to see that it had been Flowerdapple that had roughly shaken him awake.
"What's going on?" Tangleburr muttered groggily, having too been just woken up.
"Branchtail, have you seen Raggedstar?" Flowerdapple asked, her amber eyes anxious.
"No," Branchtail grunted, "But I remember saying that he was going hunting over by the Windclan border this morning."
"Ooh," Flowerdapple fretted, "It'll be too late by then!"
Branchtail hauled himself up. "What is it?" he asked.
"A Thunderclan apprentice is at the border, and says Harley wishes to speak with Raggedstar," Flowerdapple replied.
Branchtail narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Well," he said, "Trap or not, I'd better go and take a look."
"I'm coming with you," Tangleburr said, her drowsiness immediately disappearing.
Branchtail glanced at her, knowing that there was no point in him protesting and that she would just come anyway.
"Come on," he said.
Coming out into the clearing, Branchtail called the names of the first warriors he saw. "Cinderfur, Newtspeck, and Scorchfang, to me! Flowerdapple, go to Raggedstar and tell him what's going on."
The three warriors looked confused for a moment, but raced after Branchtail, and Tangleburr. Flowerdapple took off in the opposite direction to find Raggedstar and his patrol. As they were running, they passed Snowleap, who was collecting herbs. "What in Starclan is going on?!" she exclaimed, dropping her herbs in surprise.
"Harley's at the border," Branchtail said quickly, coming to a halt.
Determination shone in her blue eyes. "I'm coming with you," Snowleap declared.
"No you're not," Branchtail retorted.
"And how are you or any cat going to stop me?" she snorted, rolling her eyes.
Branchtail's amber eyes flashed. "I'm deputy, so I can order you back to camp," he growled.
"Don't you dare! This is my fight too!" Snowleap hissed.
Branchtail rolled his eyes. "Come on then," he muttered.
The group took off in haste, hurrying towards the border. Soon after, they reached the Thunderpath. A young gray tom was on their side of the Thunderpath. He looked nervous for a moment, but his cocky expression returned in moments. "It's about time you showed," the apprentice sneered.
"You want to say that again, furball?" Newtspeck snarled, looming over the young tom, "You have a lot of nerve, trespassing like this!"
He shrank back for a moment, but then drew himself back up to his full height. "You don't scare me!" he declared, "I'm an apprentice warrior of Thunderclan!"
"Yeah and I'm a hedgehog," Cinderfur rolled his eyes, "You're one of the rogues."
"Yeah, so what if I am?" the tom retorted defiantly.
"Then that means you won't be a true warrior," Cinderfur taunted.
The gray tom's blue eyes were blazing with anger and his fur bristled. But before he could make a retort, a voice silkily drifted from the other side of the Thunderpath. "Thank you, Foxpaw, for keeping them distracted.
Branchtail and his clanmates tended as they recognized the voice. Thistlestar slipped out of the bracken on the other side of the Thunderpath followed by Tigerclaw, Harley and... Aspenleap!
Tigerclaw and Harley pushed the terrified golden she-cat forward until she was trembling before Thistlestar.
"Aspenleap!" Snowleap choked out.
Harley swung his head around from sister to sister, realization beginning to dawn in his yellow eyes. "Oh mouse-dung!" Branchtail inwardly groaned.
"You really thought you could get away with this forever, did you?" Thistlestar sneered.
"I'm surprise it took you this long to notice," Cinderfur snorted.
"Shh!" his companions hissed in unison.
Thistlestar narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Now, as a demonstration of what happens when you cross me, she dies," he growled. He looked over Aspenleap, whose eyes were wide with fear.
"No!" Snowleap wailed, ready to surge forward. Branchtail and his patrol tensed.
Then Harley stepped before Aspenleap. "Thistlestar, if I may," he said calmly.
Thistlestar's eyes were widening with surprise, but he grunted, "Alright, get on with it. What do you have to say?"
Branchtail inhaled sharply. Was Harley interfering to save Aspenleap's life.
"Snowflake," Harley sneered, "I thought I killed you moons ago."
Snowleap widened at the mention of her kittypet name. "So it is true," Harley said, baring his teeth in a grin, "I had had my suspicions from the very beginning, but now I know.."
Then he rounded on Aspenleap. "So, you betrayed your father for your sister! You're just like your mother, weak and pathetic, both of you!" he snarled.
Aspenleap flattened her ears, this time out of rage. "Don't say a word against my mother!" she shrieked.
Then she bowled him over, amide shocked yowls. Branchtail moved to pull the the brawling kin apart. The two rolled onto the Thunderpath, with Harley clearly gaining the upper paw. "Monster!" Tangleburr shrieked, "Get away!"
Branchtail looked up, amber eyes wide as he saw the blue monster bearing down on the clan cats. Branchtail scrambled to the Shadowclan side of the Thunderpath while the other Thunderclan cats scrambled away. That left just Harley and Aspenleap. Harley was the last one to scramble away, but Aspenleap was too slow.
She scrambled after Harley, but with a sickening Crunch! She was thrown through the air and landed with a Thump! on the other side of the Thunderpath. Aspenleap lay still on the verge of the Thunderpath, blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth.
Snowleap let out a shocked yowl and raced to her sister's side. Aspenleap's blue eyes were staring at nothing. She was dead.
"No!" Snowleap wailed, burying her face in Aspenleap's neck. The Shadowclan cats ran to her side. Branchtail looked back to see Harley looking cold and emotionless and Thistlestar looked triumphant and pleased. Tigerclaw and Foxpaw, however, looked horrified. This, Branchtail thought, was not something an apprentice should have seen.
"You!" Snowleap screamed, sprinting to her paws, her eyes full of blue fire, "You did this!"
This was directed towards Harley. "Me?" he snorted, "The stupid she-cat wasn't quick enough. She attacked me, not the other way around."
"You cold-hearted, son of a-," Snowleap snarled. Then she tried lunging at Harley, but both Branchtail and Cinderfur held her back.
"You don't even care that she was her daughter!" Snowleap shrieked, struggling against Cinderfur and Branchtail.
"I have no daughters," Harley said coldly, swishing his tail.
"Alright," Tigerclaw interrupted, stepping in front of Harley, "Enough blood has been shed here today. Every cat go home."
"You dare tell your clan leader what to do?" Thistlestar laughed.
Tigerclaw fixed him with a steely look. "Yes, I dare," he retorted, "A cat just died here, Thistlestar."
Thistlestar seemed to consider his deputy's words. "Alright," he conceded, "Back to camp."
"This isn't over," Harley growled at Snowleap.
"No it isn't," Snowleap agreed angrily.
Harley flashed the Shadowclan cats one more vicious look before slinking off after his clanmates into the undergrowth.
Branchtail turned to his clanmates. Snowleap was crouched beside the unmoving body of Aspenleap "Come on," he said gently, "We better move before another monster comes."
Snowleap looked blankly up at him. Branchtail sank his teeth into Aspenleap's scruff and carefully dragged the fallen warrior from the Thunderpath.
Branchtail laid the she-cat in the grass. Her legs were bent at awkward angles and her tail was snapped. Tangleburr gently groomed the blood from the she-cat's face as she would clean off dirt of one of her and Branchtail's kits.
"She'll be given a warriors' burial," Tangleburr said gently, laying her tail on the medicine cat's shoulder.
Snowleap looked at her beseechingly, like a kit would look to its mother. "But how will I see her again? She wasn't warrior born."
"Well, neither are you and yet you are still able to communicate with Starclan," Cinderfur pointed out.
Snowleap did looked slightly less upset at this. "She'll watch over us, always," Tangleburr whispered.
Snowleap sat up and took a deep breath. "Yes, she will," she agreed.
Carefully, Tangleburr and Cinderfur laid Aspenleap's body across Branchtail and Snowleap's shoulders.
They silently returned to camp. Raggedstar immediately came to meet them, his eyes widening with shock. "What happened?!" he demanded.
"A monster killed her," Branchtail replied, gently lying Aspenleap on the ground, "She and Harley were fighting near the Thunderpath and..."
"Then we will sit vigil for her," Raggedstar said grimly, "Starclan will honor her, though rogue born she was."
And that was exactly what happened. Not many cats in the clan had exactly met her before, but they knew what Aspenleap had done for the clan. And each cat came forward to pay their respects. As was custom, Aspenleap laid in the center of the clearing, her golden fur arranged with sweet-smelling herbs to mask the scent of death.
Branchtail carefully approached his father. "I failed you," he said, bowing his head.
"How?" Raggedstar asked simply.
"A cat died on my watch," Branchtail replied miserably, "A very important one."
"You did not tell Aspenleap to attack Harley. She did that on her own. And, she was not your clanmate. No doubt she would not have listened, especially provoked," Raggedstar explained.
"But that doesn't change the fact that she died and now we lost our spy," Branchtail pointed out.
Raggedstar gazed at him compassionately. "Death is a part of life," he murmured, "I am not angry with you. It was an accident. A terrible, tragic accident. Do not blame yourself."
Branchtail glanced at Aspenleap. "Kinda hard not too," he retorted, lashing his tail.
"It will come easier with time," Raggedstar replied, "Now, come on, lets go and sit vigil."
Branchtail just nodded and followed his father.
A few moons had passed since Aspenleap's unfortunate demise. Life in Shadowclan went on. Ivyshine gave birth to a gray and white she-kit with blue eyes that she and Deerfoot named Featherkit. Her brother and sister, unfortunately, were stillborn. Ivyshine and Deerfoot named them Larkkit and Breezekit, not wanting to send the kits to Starclan nameless.
Branchtail was leading patrol one warm day towards the Windclan border. "Sure is a hot day!" Stormpaw yawned.
Branchtail looked at his daughter affectionately. "Yeah, but imagine how much worse Windclan has it. There's no trees to block the sun!""
"Speaking of Windclan, we're nearing the border and I don't smell any fresh scents," Mousewing remarked.
"Actually, I think I smell... Thunderclan!" Finchflight growled, sniffing deeply, "The whole border reeks of them!"
"Great Starclan! Have they invaded Windclan?!" Mousewing exclaimed
"Only one way to find out," Branchtail said. He glanced in concern at Stormpaw. His daughter hadn't ever been in battle before. And Thunderclan would be keen to see her dead since she was his daughter.
"Branchtail, I can see you looking at me. I'm fine!" Stormpaw rolled her eyes, reminding Branchtail of her mother.
"If there's a fight, I'm sending you back to camp for reinforcements," Branchtail warned.
Stormpaw narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything. A rustle in the long grass immediately drew Branchtail's attention. The grasses parted to reveal a young golden she-cat with dark ginger patches and a ginger and brown apprentice. Branchtail realized she smelled not of Thunderclan, but of Windclan. The she-cat was a Windclan warrior. When she saw them, she froze, the fur on her spine rose. "What do you want?" she asked carefully.
"What is your name?" Branchtail asked her.
"Daylight," she replied, "And this is my apprentice, Sandpaw. And again, what is it that you want?"
"Well, Daylight, Sandpaw, I'm Branchtail, deputy of Shadowclan, and these are Mousewing, Finchflight, and Stormpaw," Branchtail replied, "My clanmates and I were on patrol when we smelled Thunderclan. Is everything alright in your clan?"
Sandpaw eyed the Shadowclan cats suspiciously. Daylight hesitated, before sighing. "We have been taken over by Thunderclan. No Windclan cat has been allowed to leave camp."
"You're here," Stormpaw pointed out.
"That's only because one of those rogues, how can I say it 'has a thing for me' as creepy enough," Daylight shuddered.
Sandpaw growled deep in his throat. "He will never get near you!" the apprentice growled, "I will never let him!"
Daylight looked at her apprentice affectionately "I thank you for your loyalty, Sandpaw," she purred, "But I can take care of myself."
"This is awful!" Stormpaw exclaimed, "Thunderclan is basically absorbing Windclan!"
"Is there anything we can do?" Stormpaw asked before Branchtail could stop her.
Daylight shook her head regretfully. "No, I don't think so," she replied.
"There must be something," Branchtail insisted, "Let me and my clanmates come up with a plan. Meet us at the border at the same time tomorrow. Will that work?"
"I should be able to slip away. If I ask Dewscar, that is," Daylight shuddered again, "I will try to let Tallstar know of Shadowclan's efforts to help us. He is currently under an all day and all night guard, with no cats from Windclan being allowed to see him."
"Alright, may Starclan light your path," Branchtail replied.
"And yours," Daylight said. Sandpaw dipped his head respectfully. Branchtail couldn't help but notice how Stormpaw's gaze lingered on the Windclan apprentice. Branchtail shook his head. He had to be mistaken.
Branchtail led the way away from the border. Now he had to talk to Raggedstar. Thunderclan had to be stopped.