Chapter 31
Jaysong padded behind Hollyleaf, the endless rain continuing to fall from the dark sky. Jaysong gave a cold purr and Hollyleaf turned to stare at the younger warrior, her green eyes blinking with sympathy. Jaysong was surprised at Hollyleaf's kindness to her. It was after all, Jaysong who had stopped Hollyleaf from killing Leafpool and the golden brown warrior wasn't sure how her friend was going to act. Hollyleaf seemed fine, but Jaysong couldn't help, but wonder if the black warrior had overcome her agressive feelings. Hollyleaf also had murdered Ashfur- a warrior of ThunderClan- but only Jaysong and StarClan knew about that. Jaysong hoped that no other members of ThunderClan would know what Hollyleaf was capable of.
There was a yowl coming from up ahead. Birchfall- the leader of the sunhigh patrol- was a couple tail-lengths away, his dark brown fur clinging to his muscles. Turning back to the younger warriors, Birchfall called, "Great StarClan, can't you move any faster? You may not be colded, but I'm chilled from my ears to my tail! I promised Firestar that I would take the patrol towards the ShadowClan border and I want to be there before I freeze to death!" Jaysong exchanged a glance with Hollyleaf. Birchfall was good fun on the best days, but lately he had been more annoying. Jaysong had a feeling it had to due with Whitewing expecting his second litter. Birchfall didn't have the cool composure his father and brother had when dealing with kits. Instead Birchfall ran around like a pigeon with it's head cut off.
Suddenly a warm scent drifted into Jaysong's mouth and she licked her lips hungrily. It was a thrush. Jaysong tried to remember the last time something had smelled so appetizing, but she couldn't. Jaysong silenced her grumbling stomach with the thought that the Clan had to be fed first. Hollyleaf had paused too with her jaws gaping wide, scenting the thrush. Turning to Jaysong, Hollyleaf suggested, "Why don't you kill that thrush? The poor thing is practically begging to be caught. I'll go up ahead and tell Birchfall where you are. Even he can't argue with the Clan being fed." Jaysong nodded and Hollyleaf darted away, flicking her tail once in goodbye. Jaysong watched Hollyleaf disappear in the falling rain and began stalking the thrush.
Jaysong was only a mouselength away from the thrush when suddenly a loud alarming call sounded. The thrush cocked it's head to the side and stretched it's wings wide for takeoff. Snarling, Jaysong lunged at the thrush, but instead of the bird's warm feathers, the golden brown warrior only got a mouthful of mud. Spitting now, Jaysong noticed that her whole golden pelt was streaked with mud. Jaysong could barely recognize her own fur. Even Jaysong's ThunderClan scent seemed to fade in the rain. Jaysong began licking her fur, wincing as the mud scraped against her tongue. Suddenly a large weight dropped onto Jaysong's back and the golden brown warrior froze in alarm. She was being attacked! Snarling, Jaysong rolled onto her back and kicked her attacker off with all her strength. The cat went flying.
Getting to her paws, Jaysong watched as the cat too her scrambled to her feet. Jaysong stared at the cat for another moment before recognizing the gray-and-white she-cat. "Hazeltail!" Jaysong gasped in surprise, padding over to the gray-and-white warrior. Hazeltail stared at Jaysong for a moment before recognition filled her green eyes. "Great StarClan, Jaysong you gave me a fright! I thought you were some loner trying to steal ThunderClan's prey!" Jaysong nodded, realizing that she had thought the same thing as Hazeltail. Suddenly rustling sounded from behind Hazeltail and Brambleclaw appeared, flanked by Lionblaze, Birchfall, and Hollyleaf. Jaysong could barely recognize her Clan deputy. The rain and mud made the large tabby look like a shadow in the dark.
"What happened? We heard fighting." Brambleclaw meowed and the same time Birchfall demanded, "Were you attacked? Did you fight them off?" Birchfall flexed his claws eagerly. Hazeltail shook her head and explained, "Actually I attacked Jaysong. I was hunting a squirrel when I heard a cat snarling. Without thinking, I attacked. The mud on Jaysong's pelt made her unrecognizable and I couldn't tell if she was ThunderClan or not." Brambleclaw nodded. Jaysong could tell that Brambleclaw would have done the same thing had he been in Hazeltail's place. Jaysong was happy that Firestar had chosen such a brave and smart warrior to be deputy when Graystripe had been captured by twolegs so many moons ago.
Brambleclaw turned to Birchfall and asked, "With all this rain, the prey is going to be hiding up in their burrows. The Clan will have to be satisfied with Hazeltail's squirrel." Birchfall bristled and it wasn't hard to figure out why. Prey was always split between the elders and queens first. With Whitewing still in the nursery, expecting Birchfall's kits, the white queen would be relying on hunting patrols to feed her and her unborn kits. "Maybe Hazeltail, Lionblaze, and myself can join your patrol. It would be much better than returning to camp when there is work still to be done." Birchfall nodded, although Jaysong that she could see anger in the brown tabby's amber eyes. With Brambleclaw- the Clan deputy- apart of the patrol it would no longer be Birchfall's responsibility to lead it.
Brambleclaw padded towards the ShadowClan border, Hazeltail and Lionblaze flanking him. Birchfall followed them with his tail dragging against the ground. Hollyleaf bounded forward and gave Birchfall a gentle lick on the shoulders, meowing something that Jaysong couldn't hear. Jaysong thought she picked out 'deputy' and 'kits' from Hollyleaf's words. They reached the ShadowClan border and Brambleclaw sent Lionblaze and Hollyleaf to mark the border. Jaysong felt her paws itching to follow them. Jaysong hadn't seen Blackstar since she had gone on patrol with the apprentices a moon ago. Jaysong knew it was against the warrior code to see Blackstar, but she just couldn't help herself. Jaysong was in love. Suddenly, Lionblaze raced towards Brambleclaw, Hollyleaf hard on his paws.
"What is it?" Brambleclaw demanded and Jaysong realized these were the first words she thought she heard exchanged between the dark tabby and Lionblaze. Brambleclaw, Lionblaze, and Hollyleaf had been avoiding each other after discovering who the kits' parents really were. But now no awkwardness held Lionblaze's tongue as the golden cat meowed, "Badger! On ShadowClan's territory although it smelled like it was approaching ours!" Jaysong felt her gray eyes narrow in disbelief! Jaysong had never fought against a badger, but from Mousefur's stories of them, she hoped she never would. Badgers could kill cats with a single swipe of their paws and would reck havack on ThunderClan's territory. Jaysong remembered stories of the great badger attack that had happened many moons ago.
Suddenly a new voice yowled, "Brambleclaw!" A ShadowClan she-cat raced over to the group of cats, her green eyes wide with excitement. Jaysong looked at the new cat and recognized the tortoiseshell pelt of Tawnypelt, Brambleclaw's sister. Behind Tawnypelt, Blackstar, Oakfur, and Tigerfur all waited near the border. Jaysong watched as Oakfur's orange eyes narrowed as Tawnypelt gave Brambleclaw's cheek a quick lick. Brambleclaw returned the gesture, but meowed formally, "Tawnypelt, what are you doing here? And for StarClan's sake, why are you shouting? You're scare all the prey from here to the island." Jaysong thought she saw hurt in Tawnypelt's green eyes, but excitement still glimmered in them.
"Whatever Brambleclaw, but I have huge news! Guess who has returned?" Tawnypelt mewed and Blackstar padded forward, flanked by Oakfur and Tigerfur. Loud paws suddenly trambled the earth and a striped face pushed it's way out of the ferns. Jaysong felt her pelt bristle and beside her Lionblaze and Hollyleaf did the same. In a voice that was beyond shocked, Brambleclaw uttered a name that Jaysong had only heard in stories.
"Midnight?!"
