All too soon, they were back at the makeshift camp. Secretly, Sagestar wished that the JuniperClan cats had bedded down further away. What was she supposed to tell them? How were they going to react?
Willow must have noticed her anxiety, because she brushed up against her. "It will be okay," she whispered.
Sagestar climbed up into the juniper tree that stood at the far end of the temporary camp. She scanned the bustling cats below nervously. They were peppering Robinfrost, Cougarstrike, and Thistletail with questions. How had they found Thistletail? They left yesterday- why had it taken them so long to get back to camp? What was going on?
Robinfrost looked flustered, as if she still didn't understand what had happened. To be honest, Sagestar felt the same way. She avoided meeting Cougarstrike's gaze... which was almost a glare at this point.
Sagestar cleared her throat. "Um... cats of JuniperClan? G-gather for a clan meeting... please?" Her voice was soft and tentative, and nobody seemed to hear her except for Cougarstrike.
He rolled his eyes and called out, "Cats of JuniperClan! Gather for a clan meeting!"
Cats exchanged surprised glances, but followed Cougarstrike's instructions. Confused, they looked to Cougarstrike for answers, but he just glowered silently.
Slowly, the JuniperClan cats noticed Sagestar sitting above them in the tree. Whispers of "Isn't that the barn cat?" and "What does she think she's doing up there?" hissed through the small crowd.
Sagestar swallowed nervously before she began again. "Cats of JuniperClan, I..."
What was she even supposed to say? Dozens of pairs of eyes stared up at her. Most looked confused. A few looked irritated, even angry.
She took a deep breath. "First, I want to thank you," she began slowly. Calmly. "You have welcomed my sister and me into the Clan with open arms. We are deeply indebted to you. I hope we can prove to be an asset to JuniperClan."
An awkward silence followed. Clearly, everyone was confused why she was addressing them like this.
"Second, I just want to report that on our patrol, Cougarstrike, Robinfrost, and I were able to find Thistletail and bring him home safely with us."
Sagestar looked at the confused cats below her. She wasn't sure how she was going to explain something that she hardly understood herself, but they needed an explanation.
"When we found Thistletail, he insisted that we go to the StarFalls immediately. He refused to come back with us until we went. That's why it took us so long to return.
Last night at the StarFalls, StarClan came and spoke to us- Thistletail, Cougarstrike, and me."
The gathered cats below fell silent. Surprise and disbelief was etched on each of their faces. Cougarstrike stepped forward.
"It's true," he said. "I saw them. Juniperstar himself was there."
A collective gasp was followed by attentive silence. Cougarstrike gave Sagestar a brusque nod.
"Juniperstar had warned Eaglestar about the fire, but he dismissed Thistletail's counsel," Sagestar said. "The StarClan cats spoke of a prophecy and the need to restore the Clan. They said that JuniperClan needed a new kind of leader to lead them back on the path towards StarClan."
She paused now, not sure how to continue.
"Who is the new leader?" came a voice from the back of the crowd.
"Me," Sagestar replied simply.
A more profound, shocked silence fell over the camp. Sagestar waited anxiously for a reaction.
"I don't believe it," said Emberglow softly. "She's a kittypet!"
"We don't need some kittypet telling us what to do!" agreed a dust-colored tom.
"She's making it up!" hissed the she-cat sitting next to him.
Sagestar felt her fur prickle indignantly. She wasn't a kittypet! Before she could respond, however, Cougarstrike did.
"I don't understand it either," he sighed. "But StarClan has spoken. I saw nine StarClan cats give her the extra lives. I heard them give her the name of Sagestar. She is our leader, and the Code says that the word of our leader is Code."
Sagestar blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected this kind of support from the cranky warrior. The rest of the clan seemed surprised as well.
Robinfrost began the chant. "Sagestar. Sagestar. Sagestar."
After another long pause, a few others joined in.
"Sagestar. Sagestar. Sagestar."
Before long, nearly the whole Clan was chanting their new leader's name.
"Sagestar. Sagestar. Sagestar."
When the chanting died down, the cats again were staring at her with varying levels of animosity and disdain.
"I... um... I think we have a lot of work to do," Sagestar said. "The JuniperClan camp was destroyed, so we need a new place to live."
"We could go back," said a pretty she-cat with mottled brown spots. "It can't be that bad. We can rebuild it."
Robinfrost shook her head. "I saw it, Mothflight. There's nothing left to rebuild."
"Then what about here?" demanded the dust-colored tom who had spoken up earlier. "We've already settled down here, it seems safe... why should we move the whole Clan again?"
Cougarstrike turned to Sagestar. "Lizardclaw has a point. We can rebuild right here. There's no need to make everyone move again- we have injured cats who need to be taken care of."
Sagestar swished her tail thoughtfully. It would be difficult to move the whole Clan, and things did seem relatively safe here. She quickly scanned the makeshift camp. There were a few scattered makeshift dens, but it looked like many of the JuniperClan cats had been sleeping more or less out in the open, and there was no barrier around the camp to provide any protection from outside attacks.
"This may work," she conceded. "But I'm worried that it isn't the best place for us. I think we should send a patrol out to look for possible new camp locations... is there anyone who would like to go?"
Robinfrost leapt to her paws. "I'll go! Quietstorm, will you go with me?"
The big, amber-colored tom nodded and padded to his mate's side.
"Thank you," Sagestar said. "I think I'd like one more cat to go with you, though. Just in case."
"Why don't you go, Lizardclaw?" Cougarstrike suggested. "Since you've got such strong opinions on the matter."
The tom scowled, but agreed to go.
"Good, thank you." Sagestar's tail twitched nervously. Everyone was still watching her.
"Um, thanks for your attention, everyone. You can... go back to whatever you were doing before, I guess."
Awkwardly, Sagestar jumped down from the tree and approached Thistletail. The old cat nodded at her in greeting.
"Well done, Sagestar. They will have to learn to respect you as the leader of JuniperClan, it seems."
Sagestar shook her head. "No, they're right to question it. I have a lot to learn. Their respect is something I'll have to work hard to earn."
The old medicine cat gave her a searching look. "Well said, young one. Shall we be off?"
"Off?" Sagestar raised a brow. "Where?"
"To the old camp," Thistletail responded matter-of-factly. "We have a duty to perform the burial rites for the fallen of JuniperClan, so that they may join the ranks of our ancestors in StarClan."
Sagestar had completely forgotten about her promise to the StarClan cats.
"Oh... I don't think we should go right now, Thistletail."
"But as leader, it is your duty! You swore to StarClan-"
Sagestar sighed. "I know, Thistletail. And I do plan to do it, and soon. But you are needed here, right now. A lot of cats were injured in the escape, and they need you to tend to their wounds."
Thistletail gave her another long, piercing look.
"I have no herbs," he said finally. "But I will see what I can do. We must go before nightfall, though."
Sagestar sighed. "Okay, but only if things are all okay here."
The old cat sniffed in approval and trundled off to check on his clanmates.
Sagestar sighed. There was so much to take care of. She was responsible now for the well-being of all of these cats... and she didn't even know the names of most of them.
"Hey, Sage! Er... Sagestar!" Robinfrost trotted up to her, plumed tail waving happily above her. "This is Quietstorm, my mate. I don't think you've actually met yet."
The huge tom dipped his head in greeting.
"Hi, Quietstorm. Thanks for volunteering to go look for a new camp. When will you be ready to leave?"
"We'll leave right away," Robinfrost said. "Thank Cougarstrike for sticking us with Lizardclaw, will you? At least he'll be out of your way," she added with a purr of amusement.
"Thanks, Robinfrost." Sagestar smiled at her friend. "Be careful, and come back by moonhigh if you can."
The silky she-cat smiled back. "You got it." She turned to her mate. "Come on, let's get going."
Sagestar watched while Robinfrost fetched a grumbling Lizardclaw and trotted off, her feathery tail waving in the breeze.
