Squirrelflight padded outside the warriors' den and opened her jaws to drink in the coo, crisp air of leaf-fall. The camp was noisier than usual; the day had arrived for Cherrykit and Molekit to become apprentices, and every cat in camp was talking about it.
"I think that Firestar will choose Squirrelflight to mentor one of them," she heard Blossomfall meow to Ivypool. "She tries hard to prove herself to ThunderClan, and after all, she is Firestar's daughter."
"Maybe," Ivypool agreed. "But there's always Brambleclaw or Sorreltail…"
Squirrelflight didn't bother listening to the rest of their conversation. She swiped her paw over her whiskers, and her gaze fell on Brambleclaw, the ThunderClan deputy.
Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight had raised three kits: Hollykit, Lionkit, and Jaykit. Jaykit became the medicine cat, Jayfeather, while Hollykit and Lionkit trained as warriors and took on the names Hollyleaf and Lionblaze. They all used to have a close bond until the night of the fire, when the truth came out: Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, and Jayfeather were not Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw's kits.
Squirrelflight sighed and looked down at her paws. Half of her wished that she hadn't kept her sister's secret. But then she remembered her days as an apprentice. She and her sister, Leafpool, had always shared an unusual connection and were extremely loyal to each other, no matter what the cost.
Hollyleaf had been the one to discover that their real parents were Leafpool and Crowfeather.
Leafpool had fallen in love with a WindClan warrior named Crowfeather. Though Squirrelflight knew it was wrong for a medicine cat to have a mate, let alone one in another Clan, she had kept the secret. But when Hollyleaf, who was immensely loyal to the warrior code, found out, she hated the thought of her and her brothers being a mistake, and announced the whole thing at a Gathering. Afterwards, she ran off and disappeared; no cat has seen her since. Brambleclaw turned his back on his former mate, ignoring her desperate apologies, and Leafpool's two remaining kits did their best to make sure their mother and Squirrelflight suffered as much as they did.
"Squirrelflight!" Firestar called from outside his den. She padded over to her father and waited patiently for him to continue.
"I'll go fetch us some fresh-kill," Graystripe meowed as he padded away.
"You're going on a border patrol with Brambleclaw, Lionblaze, and Cinderheart," Firestar decided.
At her leader's orders, the pretty ginger she-cat headed off to join her three Clanmates at the camp entrance. Brambleclaw narrowed his bright amber eyes and led the patrol out into the forest.
"What border are we checking?" Cinderheart asked, breaking the silence that had set in among the four cats.
"ShadowClan border," Lionblaze replied shortly.
The silence continued awkwardly as the patrol made their way toward the border.
"The dawn patrol renewed our markers," Brambleclaw announced. Lionblaze rolled his eyes at the deputy and Squirrelflight flashed him a warning look. Cinderheart nudged him and the two cats padded after Brambleclaw, their pelts brushing.
The young warriors cast one last glance toward the invisible border and hurried to catch up with the rest of the patrol.
The rain beat down as they rushed back to camp. Squirrelflight's bright ginger coat was soaked, causing her fur to look darker than usual. Brambleclaw growled as soon as he entered the camp, stalking off toward Firestar's den. Leafpool emerged from the warriors' den and headed over to greet her sister.
"That was a fast border check," the tabby observed. "I suppose you didn't run into any enemies?"
Squirrelflight shook her head. "But I think Firestar sent me with Brambleclaw and Lionblaze on purpose," she growled.
"Maybe so," the former medicine cat agreed. "You know how he is, though. He'll do anything to recover shattered peace."
"Yes, but right now I don't appreciate that," Squirrelflight hissed as she marched off to the fresh-kill pile. Why does Firestar have to poke his nose into everything?
The ginger she-cat picked out a mouse from the pile. It was scrawny, but enough to fill her belly. She prodded it with her paw and hung her head.
"Is something wrong?" Sandstorm asked as she sat down by her daughter.
Squirrelflight had never shared her worries with her mother. Sandstorm's life seemed so easy and care-free. She never fretted over sick Clanmates; she trusted Jayfeather to heal them. Battles didn't worry her, either, because she knew Firestar would lead the Clan and protect them.
Squirrelflight sighed. "I just miss Brambleclaw," she admitted. "And I fear for Lionblaze and Jayfeather."
"Lionblaze and Jayfeather are fine," Sandstorm soothed. "And I'm sure that Brambleclaw will come to his senses. Remember all the times you fought so many moons ago? You always forgave each other then."
"But that was different!" Squirrelflight cried, her voice cracking.
"No, it's just as it was then. You'll see. There's always hope, even when your life seems as if it's fallen apart."