Chapter 15
"Maplepaw – where have you been?" Berrynose demanded.
Maplepaw looked up at him. Her paws were muddy, her legs stiff and sore, and she was sure her pelt still smelled of water. She swallowed – there was no way she could explain why she had been out of camp the entire night to any cat.
Berrynose's neck fur was bristling. "Sandstorm said you were supposed to fetch her moss," he growled. "When you didn't, she came to me – and when I went to look for you Spottedpaw said that you had gone and not come back yet! Dovewing and Bumblestripe have been beside themselves!"
Maplepaw blinked, slowly. How do I reply? She wondered. What can I say that he'll believe?
"Berrynose, get Amberpaw and Snowpaw and deal with what you find outside of camp."
Bramblestar! Maplepaw had forgotten about him. Bramblestar had dragged Breezepelt all the way back to the ThunderClan camp, and now he had pushed his way through the thorn barrier. Berrynose's eyes went wide – Maplepaw thought she had looked bad, but Bramblestar looked worse. His pelt was clinging to his bones; his eyes were sunken and tired. He dragged his massive paws as he padded into the camp.
Berrynose flicked his ears. "O-Of course, Bramblestar… Anything else?"
"Get me Squirrelflight," Bramblestar ordered. "And Jayfeather." He turned his big head to Maplepaw. "Get some sleep, Maplepaw. You don't have to answer any questions if you don't want to."
Maplepaw opened her mouth, but she knew that she was too tired to say anything. She turned and headed towards the apprentice's den.
"Maplepaw?"
It was Spottedpaw. Maplepaw turned her head to tiredly look at her friend.
"Maplepaw, what happened?" Spottedpaw asked. The worry in her eyes was genuine. "Where were you?"
"I'll…" Maplepaw breathed, "I'll explain later."
"But…"
Maplepaw sighed and padded into the den. It was relatively empty, with only Dewpaw inside sleeping. She huddled up in her nest and sighed before closing her eyes. Exhaustion took over immediately, and blackness swept over her as she fell asleep…
… only to be woken moments later by a persistent, jabbing paw.
Maplepaw's eyes blinked open.
Spottedpaw was there.
"Buh…" Maplepaw mumbled.
"Bramblestar's called a Clan meeting. ShadowClan's here," Spottedpaw mewed, an apology in her voice. "You should probably wake up for this."
"Oh… uh…" Maplepaw slurred tiredly. "OK."
Maplepaw pushed herself up out of her nest, reluctantly of course, and padded out into camp. Harsh sunlight caused her to flinch – it was past sunhigh, and warmth filled the air. The glare of the light and the smell of ShadowClan caused Maplepaw to wake up. It cleared her slightly fuzzy head a little more.
She followed Spottedpaw into the gathered crowd of ThunderClan cats and settled beside her. She leaned slightly against Spottedpaw's shoulder, still feeling tired.
In the center of the crowd was a patrol of ShadowClan cats. Guarded ThunderClan warriors ringed them. Thornclaw was pacing back and forth, tail flicking from side to side. Molepelt's neck fur was bristling. Lilyflight and Rosepetal were sitting together, whispering amongst themselves and casting suspicious glances at the ShadowClan cats.
"Rowanstar's here," Spottedpaw murmured. "This must be serious."
Bramblestar padded out onto the Highledge, Squirrelflight at his side. Maplepaw looked up at him – he obviously got no sleep, and his paws were still dirty. He did not meet her gaze. Jayfeather ghosted out from behind them, padding down the stony steps until he was on the ground. Lionblaze met him there and the brothers padded into the crowd.
Maplepaw sighed. After the night she'd had all she wanted was a peaceful, normal day started with plenty of rest.
"Rowanstar," Bramblestar began. He was doing good about keeping his recent attack secret. Maplepaw knew she had to do the same. "What is it you want?"
"Bramblestar," Rowanstar meowed. "I will not bother dancing around this subject. Not long ago Firestar gifted us a piece of territory, and then took it back in a wrongful battle that took the life of our former deputy Russetfur. I am here to take it back."
The Clan erupted into a furious murmur.
"Take it back?" muttered Cloudtail to Brightheart. "Haven't we given them enough?"
"This isn't like ShadowClan at all!" exclaimed Sandstorm, her tail flicking. Graystripe and Dustpelt were nodding in agreement, and Dustpelt added, "Why would they ask? Why not just take it, like they always do?"
"Bramblestar better not give it up," grumbled Thornclaw. "If he does…"
Maplepaw glanced at her mother. She was sitting between Lionblaze and Bumblestripe, her green eyes focused on the ShadowClan patrol as if she, like Jayfeather, could hear their thoughts and feel their feelings. Maplepaw didn't really recognize the cats – two were obviously apprentices, and one of those was at least as young as she was. Dovewing was keeping any eye on them – the slightest bit of movement towards threatening the Clan, and she would alert them.
"I hear what you are asking, Rowanstar," Bramblestar meowed. The Clan's murmurings settled around him. "That battle was indeed unjust, but I cannot simply hand you a piece of territory that we have taken back."
"It belonged to us first!" one of the ShadowClan warriors insisted. The deputy Tawnypelt raised her tail for their silence.
"I am aware of that," Bramblestar mewed. "But my Clan is growing, and we need all our territory to feed ourselves."
Rowanstar flicked his ear. Maplepaw eyed the dark ginger tom. He was a new leader, and that was about all she knew of him. He eyed the ThunderClan cats around him – he was greatly outnumbered, and he was aware of that.
"Bramblestar, I will be blunt," Rowanstar growled. "I do not ask for the territory. ShadowClan needs it, and we will take it by force if we must – but we would rather not cause fighting so soon after the Great Battle."
"What are you saying?" Bramblestar wondered.
"I am saying that if the border markings are not changed by the next Gathering, ShadowClan will change them ourselves… and we will fight for them," Rowanstar replied frankly. "We would rather not spill blood – but if you desire a fight, ShadowClan will give it. Discuss it with your Clan – but by the next Gathering, the border will be moved. It will be your choice whether you want to cause a fight because of it."
Bramblestar sighed, flicking an ear. "Is that all?" he asked.
"Yes," Rowanstar meowed.
"I will give your proposition some consideration," Bramblestar promised. "For now, return to your camp. Brackenfur, provide them an escort."
"Of course, Bramblestar," the golden-brown warrior replied.
"We don't require an escort," Rowanstar growled.
"I insist," Bramblestar said.
Rowanstar grumbled. Brackenfur raised his tail and selected a few cats – Millie, Seedfur, Toadstep, and Dewpaw – and as quickly as they had come, the ShadowClan cats were gone.
Maplepaw pushed herself off of Spottedpaw and watched as the Clan reformed, looking up at Bramblestar expectantly.
"You're not seriously going to give in to their demands, are you?" Thornclaw asked.
"I'm going to give it some thought before I do anything," Bramblestar promised. "For now, though, there are other things to talk about."
"Yes," Brightheart agreed. "How did your meeting with StarClan go? Did they say anything?"
Bramblestar's eyes flashed at Maplepaw for a brief moment. It was so brief that Maplepaw wondered if it was just a trick of her sleep-addled mind. Bramblestar took a deep breath and announced: "StarClan's message was jumbled and hard to decipher. It had little to do with Breezepelt… and speaking of him, Breezepelt attacked me while I was at the Moonpool."
A gasp went up from the Clan cats.
"How dare he!" exclaimed Rosepetal.
"He's completely abandoned the warrior code, then," Graystripe decided grimly. "Now he really is nothing more than a rogue."
"Breezepelt is dead," Bramblestar meowed, "thanks to the curiosity of one apprentice – Maplepaw saw him attempting to kill me, and when she leaped on him Breezepelt dashed his head against a rock. Without Mapelpaw's assistance, I would have lost more than just one life this morning."
"Maplepaw! Maplepaw! Maplepaw!"
The Clan's cheering deafened her. Maplepaw suddenly found that all eyes were on her, the Clan chanting her name. She shrank from the attention.
Soak it in, Maplepaw, Mapleshine's voice promised with a honeyed purr. Get used to the attention – you'll be getting a lot of it by the time I'm through with you.
Maplepaw tried straightening her back, but the eyes of her Clanmates glimmered and their cheering voices weighed her down. One day she would feel comfortable under their gazes, but not today. Not when she was so tired.
"So that's what happened?" Spottedpaw murmured, her voice louder than the din of cheers. "You followed Bramblestar? You saved my father?"
"I… I was curious…" Maplepaw mumbled. It wasn't a total lie – all apprentices were curious about what happened at the Moonpool.
Spottedpaw's eyes sparkled with gratitude.
"Breezepelt's death was an accident," Bramblestar went on. The cheering faded as he spoke. "But I have suspicions that he was not working alone. I am going to take a patrol to WindClan to tell them the news of Breezepelt's death, and hopefully Onestar and I can work out who his allies might have been."
"Why attack you though?" Lionblaze asked. "You never did anything to personally harm him."
"I allowed Leafpool to retake her place as a Clan medicine cat," Bramblestar meowed. "I think that alone was enough to earn Breezepelt's hatred."
"I want to go on this patrol to WindClan!" Cloudtail announced. "We have to figure this out before his allies rally and attack us again! We have to be prepared."
"I will choose a patrol to go with me," Bramblestar meowed. "For now, this meeting is over. I want a patrol along both borders, and a hunting patrol. Squirrelflight?"
"On it," his deputy promised.
"Cloudtail, Brightheart, and Birchfall," Bramblestar announced. "Come with me to WindClan. Everyone else, go about your day. More announcements will come when required."
The Clan seemed to agree on this, though Maplepaw was sure she wasn't the only one who was wondering what Bramblestar saw in his vision from StarClan. She had a reason, though – she had not forgotten that Bramblestar had stated a part of the message had been about her.
"There's my heroic apprentice!"
Maplepaw turned to see Berrynose. The cream warrior had his ears flattened.
"Though I'm upset with you for going against an elder's orders," Berrynose mewed, "and I never liked doing elders' chores myself… I can honestly say that this time skipping them was a good thing. I was honestly very confused when I found myself burying Breezepelt this morning instead of going hunting with you."
Maplepaw blinked. "Am… I in trouble?" she ventured.
"No," Berrynose stated. "Not this time. Next time you don't change an elder's bedding, though, you'll be doing it all day – I don't care if you just saved the whole lake! Being a hero doesn't make you exempt from your apprentice duties."
"I understand," Maplepaw mewed.
"You look exhausted," Berrynose decided. "Go rest some more. I'll come get you in the evening for some battle training. You got lucky with Breezepelt being so distracted this time – it could have been much worse."
Maplepaw nodded. She was grateful for the chance to get more rest. But shouldn't I be getting yelled at for killing a warrior? Was it because he was a rogue that I'm not getting any flack? The warrior code says we shouldn't kill…
Even though every fiber of Maplepaw's being told her that Breezepelt's death had been an accident, some part of her stirred with the thought that it wasn't – there really was no reason for Breezepelt to be at the Moonpool… or for him to even know Bramblestar was going to be there.
So… who had told him?