Ooh, now there's a lovely little love triangle! Shadetail Snowflower Twistedclaw

Now what is Rushstar's secret? Did StarClan tell her something? Is she planning to kill herself? Is she coming down with greencough? Is she planning to burn down the forest?

Remember, read and review or the gremlins will get you!

Chapter Five

Twistedclaw decided he wanted to go hunting. He turned to ask Snowflower if she wanted to go hunting with him, but before he could ask her, a black tom beat him to it.

"Hey, Snowflower, Hollytail told me to lead a hunting patrol. Wanna come with?"

Snowflower batted her eyelids at him. "I'd be delighted to, Shadetail." She turned to Twistedclaw. "All right with you, Twistedclaw?"

The calico tom nodded, not trusting his mouth. He watched unhappily as Snowflower and Shadetail walked side by side to the camp entrance, where a small dark grey tom, Shadetail's apprentice, waited for them impatiently. The instant the two warriors reached him, he bounded out of sight, followed more slowly by Shadetail and Snowflower.

"She's a pretty little she-cat."

Twistedclaw turned and saw an old tortoiseshell tom with a kinked tail watching him from the entrance of the elders' den. He trotted over to the old tom, greeting him with a mew. "Hello, father."

Jaggedtail motioned for his son to come further into the elders' den. Twistedclaw followed him into the hollow underneath the boulder in which the ShadowClan elders slept and took their fresh-kill and told kits and apprentices stories of heroic figures like Thunderstar, Mothflight, Yellowfang, and Firestar.

Jaggedtail plopped down into his nest of soft rabbit down and moss. "That little white she-cat you're padding after, she's Wetnose's kit, ain't she?"

Twistedclaw nodded, thinking of Snowflower's mother, Wetnose. Wetnose had been very popular, especially among the toms. Even Jaggedtail, who already had a mate, had admitted to trying to win the affections of the pretty little silver tabby. Everyone was surprised when Wetnose fixated her affections on Sprucebush, who was then deputy of ShadowClan. She gave birth to his kits, two pretty little she-cats. The two kits became apprentices, and their father became leader of ShadowClan and Wetnose his deputy. And then, barely a moon after Wetnose became deputy, there was a border skirmish with RiverClan. Several warriors on both sides died. One of them was Wetnose. Every cat grieved her loss.

Jaggedtail's voice brought Twistedclaw back to the present. "Aye, I can tell, though she looks more like 'er old dad. She's 'as 'er mother's eyes. StarClan, those were beautiful eyes. An' she acts like 'er dear ol' mum, too. Sweet, but deadly sharp with 'er tongue."

"I suppose Shadetail's lucky to have her," Twistedclaw sighed mournfully.

"Eh? Shadetail? Warn't you an' 'im 'prentices together??" Jaggedtail rasped. Before his son could respond, he answered his own question. "Aw, that's right. I amember 'im. 'e used to 'ang out with Oddeye, didn't 'e? Those two made a wunnerful couple. An' I amember tellin' Wetnose that you an' Snowflower made a great couple, an' that Dewseed an' Sootnose made a good couple, an' look at where those two ended up: happy and with two lurvvly kits."

"Point taken, father. You want me to take Snowflower as my mate."

Jaggedtail smiled. "'at's it, 'zakkly! Now, run along, m'boy!"

Twistedclaw turned and left the elders' den, practically walking right into Sprucestar.

"Oh, there you are. I've been looking everywhere for you, Twistedclaw. Dewseed told me her kits were ready to be apprentices. Would you like to mentor one?"

Twistedclaw couldn't believe he was asking that question. Of course he would like to mentor one of Dewseed's kits!

"Whitefoot, who's going to the Gathering tonight?"

The big black tom turned and saw his sister Poppytail. "I don't know. Rushstar hasn't told me yet."

"Oh, okay," she mewed and stalked off to Redcloud's den where her mate Moleclaw was languishing, deathly ill with greencough.

Whitefoot clambered up to Highledge, where Rushstar was sunning herself. "Hello, Whitefoot. What's up?" she greeted her deputy.

"Who's going to the Gathering tonight?" Whitefoot asked her.

Rushstar cocked her head thoughtfully. "Hmm...How about Poppytail, Redcloud, Treeflower, Owlpaw, Midgetpaw, Tinypaw, Crankyclaw, and Thicktail?"

"Redcloud's busy caring for the sick cats and Onepaw isn't experienced enough to care for all of them on his own. Treeflower refuses to leave Roankit's side, Poppytail doesn't want to be away from Moleclaw that long, and Midgetpaw is coming down with whitecough."

Rushstar sighed wearily. "But we don't want to let the other Clans think we're weak." She paused, thinking quickly. "Ooh, how about Onepaw, Tinypaw, Owlpaw, Thicktail, Crankyclaw, and Webclaw?"

Whitefoot nodded. "Hmm. That's a lot better."

Rushstar shook her head. "We need to bring more than two warriors, but we can't leave the camp undefended!"

Whitefoot nodded in agreement. "I know. I can't wait for leaf-bare to end."

Rushstar gazed unseeingly past him. "But I can. I can," she murmured sadly, almost guiltily.

Whitefoot peered curiously at her. "Why?" he asked.

But she wouldn't tell him. She couldn't. It wasn't time yet.