Chapter Thirteen

Propositions

"Shatter?"

"Hmm?" I replied. I glanced up from the mouse I had been eating.

"Who's that?"

I followed Fox's gaze. We were sitting on the top of one of the tinier twoleg nests. We often brought our food up here to eat. It gave us an excellent view of what was going on around us. Even better, Scourge didn't like it. Fox was staring at the greypath that ran beside the thunderpath in front of our perch. On it, two cats were walking. A grey one, and a larger tabby.

"I don't know."

"You don't recognize them?" Fox asked.

"No. Should I? I don't know half of the BloodClan cats."

"Come on, Shatter. Let's follow them." He got to his feet and started to pad across the twoleg nest toward our way down.

I sighed, grabbed another bite from my mouse, and followed him. It began to rain.

(***)

We followed the two strangers all the way to Scourge's alley, where they were met by Bone. The large cat stepped from the shadows. "Who goes there? Identify yourselves. We don't like strangers here."

I rolled my eyes. The way Bone tried to sound superior drove me crazy. We had caught up by then, so we stood a tail-length or two away from the three toms.

It was the grey cat who spoke. "Greetings, Bone. Remember me?"

I seriously doubted that Bone had the ability to remember any cat besides his precious Scourge, and I almost said so – but Fox seemed to know my intention and cuffed me with his paw.

"So you've come back, have you, Boulder? You told us you were going to find a better life in the forest. What are you doing here?" Bone glanced over at me, as if he blamed me for the appearance of the toms. Right. Clever Bone, he figured out my secret plan. I rolled my eyes.

"We want to see Scourge." Boulder meowed.

"I can't imagine that Scourge will want to see you. And who's this with you? I don't recognize him." Bone almost hissed.

For the first time the large tabby spoke. "My name is Tigerstar. I've come from the forest to speak with your leader."

"What do you want with him?" Bone asked.

"I'll discuss that with your leader, not his border patrol." The tabby meowed. Finally someone else stood up to Bone, I knew I couldn't be the only one.

"Scourge needs to hear this," Boulder added timidly. "It could be to every cat's advantage."

Bone paused for a moment, then stepped back to allow the cats past. Fox and I started after them, but Bone stopped us by stepping into our way.

"Where did they come from?" he meowed quietly.

I shrugged. Beside me, Fox meowed, "We just saw them walking and followed them, we don't know where they came from."

Bone glanced toward the two toms suspiciously. "Well, we'll soon find out what they want. Shatter, pay attention. Scourge's been looking for some cat to take on... a special position in the BloodClan ranks. If this meeting goes badly and Scourge gives the order to kill, make sure you take out the large one."

I stared into Bone's eyes. "Easily done. But why would I want this position?"

"Scourge puts up with you because he wants you in the position. If you refuse to take it, he'll have you killed."

"By who?" I purred. "Ice and Snake? I think we both know who'll be the dead cats if they try to kill me."

"You're very confident in your abilities, aren't you?" Bone asked. "That's why Scourge wants you for this position."

"We'll see," I meowed. I brushed past Bone. Fox followed me. We pushed our way through the cats in the alley until we had found a good place to sit in the front.

The two toms were sitting in the middle of the clearing, with Scourge standing in front of him. "You haven't come to extol the virtues of forest life," Scourge was meowing in that annoying voice of his. What kind of cat used words like extol, anyway? "Squirrels live in trees, not cats. So what do you want?"

The tabby got to his feet, probably to point out how much bigger he was than Scourge. I'd tried the same trick a couple of times. "I am Tigerstar, the leader of ShadowClan. And I have a proposition for you."

"A proposition? Carry on."

And the tabby did carry on. Just when I was beginning to hope that I'd found another cat who'd stand up to the authority. The tabby explained something about a forest and other clans. I had a hard time understanding, mostly because I wasn't paying attention. To make matters worse, it was still raining on us. I really wasn't fond of rain.

(***)

Unfortunately, Scourge didn't give the order to kill. The two toms were led from the alley. Fox and I were about to follow them when two of Scourge's favourite pets, a grey tom named Brick and a longhaired calico named Tear, approached us.

"Shatter, Scourge would like to speak with you."

"Of course he would," I muttered. "Flare, I'll meet you at the den," I meowed, unconsciously slipping into Wren's nickname for him, like I had started doing recently.

"Don't get yourself in too much trouble," Fox teased. He nodded respectfully at the two toms, and then went off on his own.

I turned and reluctantly followed Brick and Tear. They led me up to Scourge, who was still sitting where he had been when he had talked to TigerStar. They left me with him. I sat down without being invited to, and waited for Scourge to speak. No way was I going to give him a happy "You called, Sir?" like the rest of the BloodClan cats seemed to do.

"Shatter..." Scourge raised his head and our eyes met. "I have a proposition for you."

Again with that word!

"So I've been told."