Chapter 9

Desicions, Desicions

Bramblepaw hurried into camp, a bit shaken by the news he was carrying. On one paw he was glad that Squirrelkit was alive, but on the other paw he wondered if this was all a big trap.

"Nah, Tawnypaw wouldn't do that to me," he told himself. He knew he had to be right.

"Hey Bramblepaw," Cloudtail padded up to him, looking curious. "Did you go off on detective work? Did you find anything out?"

Bramblepaw wondered if he should tell the white warrior what had happened. But then he remembered how he had promised to tell him what he found out.

"Er, yes, I did," he said, and explained all that had happened. Cloudtail's eyes widened.

"Do you think it's a trap?" he mewed softly. Bramblepaw simply shook his head.

"I don't know," he admitted, hoping, wishing, that his sister was right.

"We should tell Firestar right away," Cloudtail whispered urgently. "Oh wait…Firestar is still out grieving with Sandstorm."

"This is important. Let's go find them." Bramblepaw tried to imagine Sandstorm's happy face when they told her that Squirrelkit is alive, but he kept thinking about how this might be a trap.

"Tawnypaw would never lie to me," he muttered to himself.

"What?" Cloudtail meowed, concerned.

"Nothing."

The brown tabby apprentice and white warrior trekked through the forest until they came to the river, where they spotted Sandstorm speaking to Firestar softly.

"Firestar, Sandstorm, Squirrelkit is alive!"

Sandstorm stood up, her mouth gaping in surprise. Firestar looked equally shocked.

"What? How?" Firestar meowed, because it seemed Sandstorm was too surprised and happy to speak.

Bramblepaw, with some help of Cloudtail, explained all that had happened.

It was Sandstorm who spoke this time.

"My little Squirrelkit…she's alive!"

"But she's with ShadowClan," Firestar meowed, his brow furrowed with anxiety. "Just me and Graystripe…what if it's a…"

"Trap?" Cloudtail answered for him. "That's what we thought."

"But Tawnypaw would've told me if it was a trap!" Bramblepaw insisted, hoping that he was right. Firestar merely shook his head.

"We can never be sure with ShadowClan," his leader meowed, "But I know that they won't give us Squirrelkit unless just Graystripe and I go. So…I'm willing to risk it."

Sandstorm purred and licked Firestar's ear. "But if you die…I'll feel the same as if Squirrelkit died." she mewed quietly.

"Then I'll try not to die," Firestar meowed, a hint of amusement in his emerald eyes. Sandstorm let out a mrrow of laughter.

"Did you tell Graystripe yet?" Firestar asked.

"No," Bramblepaw meowed, still unsure about all this. "But I will. Let's go, Cloudtail."

They raced back to camp and found Graystripe eating a shrew and sharing tongues with Rainwhisker by the warriors den. Bramblepaw quickly explained all that had happened.

"Thank StarClan that feisty little Squirrelkit is alive," Graystripe meowed. "Firestar and Sandstorm would've died of depression!"

"And think of poor little Leafkit!" added Rainwhisker. "But this all sounds like a trap."

"But…Tawnypaw wouldn't do that to me!" insisted Bramblepaw.

"And Firestar agrees that it sounds dangerous. But he is willing to risk himself for his daughter." Cloudtail meowed, admiring his kin.

Graystripe thought a moment, then stood and meowed solemnly, "Firestar is truly a great leader. I will not deny him, his daughter, and our Clan."

0..0..0..0..0..0

Bramblepaw went to the apprentice's den that night troubled. Firestar and Graystripe had talked, and they had their minds made up about going. They had organized some patrols to stand on their side of the Thunderpath for backup if they needed it. But that wasn't what was on Bramblepaw's mind.

"Tawnypaw wouldn't lie to me…would she?" he muttered to himself. He wished now more than ever that his sister was still with ThunderClan.

Bramblepaw slowly fell asleep, pictures of Firestar and Graystripe laying dead at Blackstar's paws haunting his dreams. He was afraid that they'd haunt the waking world soon, too.