Back and Out

Nightfrost padded with the clan back to camp. Nobody noticed that Firepaw had gone ahead, except for him, Graypaw, and Ravenpaw. After his brother left, Bluestar hissed something to Brokenstar, shocking him. She later announced that the gathering is over and jumped from the rock. With a twitch of her tail, she lead her clan away from Fourtrees.

Soon after reaching camp, Tigerclaw and Darkstripe ran to Yellowfang and Frostfur ran to the nursery. Nightfrost looked around to see Firepaw back with his friends, whispering.

"What has happened?" his mentor asked.

The pale silver tabby answered him. "Brokenstar has demanded hunting rights for Shadowclan in our territory!""

"And he warned us about a rogue cat who will harm our kits!" added Willowpelt. "It must be Yellowfang!"

Meows of anger and distress rose from the crowd.

"Silence!" ordered Bluestar, leaping onto the Highrock. Instinctively, the cats settled in front of her.

A loud screech made every cat turn its head toward the fallen tree where the elders slept. Tigerclaw and Darkstripe were dragging Yellowfang roughly from her nest. She shrieked furiously as they hauled her into the clearing and dumped her in front of the Highrock.

"What is going on?" demanded Bluestar, jumping down from the Highrock and glaring at her warriors. "I gave no order to attack our prisoner."

Tigerclaw and Darkstripe instantly let go of Yellowfang, who crouched in the dust, hissing and spitting.

Frostfur appeared from the nursery and pushed her way through to the front of the Clan. "We got back in time," she meowed with a gasp. "The kits are safe!"

"Of course they are!" snapped Bluestar.

Frostfur seemed taken aback. "But…you are going to throw Yellowfang out, aren't you?" she meowed, her blue eyes wide.

Bluestar fixed her piercing blue eyes on Darkstripe's angry face. "And what has she done?" she asked with icy calm.

"You were at the Gathering! Brokenstar said she—" Darkstripe began.

"Brokenstar said only that there is a rogue somewhere in the woods," meowed Bluestar, her voice menacingly quiet. "He did not mention Yellowfang by name. The kits are safe. For as long as she is in my Clan, Yellowfang will not be harmed in any way."

Yellowfang looked up at Bluestar and narrowed her eyes respectfully. "I will leave now, if you wish it, Bluestar."

"There is no need," Bluestar replied. "You have done nothing wrong. You will be safe here." The Thunderclan leader lifted her gaze to the crowd of cats that surrounded Yellowfang and meowed, "It is time we discussed the real threat to our Clan: Brokenstar. We have already begun to prepare for an attack by Shadowclan," Bluestar began. "We'll carry on with those preparations, and patrol our borders more frequently. Windclan has gone. Riverclan has given hunting rights to Shadowclan warriors. Thunderclan stands alone against Brokenstar."

"Then we're not going to agree to Brokenstar's demands?" meowed Tigerclaw.

"Clans have never shared hunting rights before," Bluestar answered. "They have always managed to support themselves in their own territories. There is no reason why this should change." Tigerclaw nodded approvingly.

"But can we defend ourselves against a Shadowclan attack?" asked Smallear's tremulous voice. "Windclan didn't manage it! Riverclan won't even try!"

Bluestar met his old eyes with her steady gaze. "We must try. We will not give up our territory without a fight."

"I shall travel to the Moonstone tomorrow," Bluestar announced. "The warriors of Starclan will give me the strength I need to lead Thunderclan through this dark time. You must all get some rest. We have a lot to do when daylight comes. I wish to talk with Lionheart now." Without another word, she turned and strode toward her den.

Bluestar left with Lionheart. The clan disperses to their duties. Whitestorm padded up to him, yawning.

"What happened, Nightfrost?"

Nightfrost told him what happened at the gathering and what Bluestar was doing.

"Brokenstar actually did that?!" Asked Whitestorm, enraged.

Nightfrost nodded, angry. Just how could a leader do that?!

"Nightfrost!" yowled his brother, padding to them. "I'm going to the Moonstone with Bluestar tomorrow."

Nightfrost look at him, smiling. "So its time fro you to visit the Moonstone."

"I'm not the only one. Ravenpaw and Greypaw are coming as well as Tigerclaw. She said every apprentice must make the journey at least once. What was it like, Nightfrost? Did you go there before when Bluestar took you out?"

"The stone is in a cave call Mothermouth, beyond clan territory and in the Highstones. Bluestar took me with her when she wanted an answer from Starclan about half a moon ago when we started living here. It seemed like she wanted more answers about a certain someone."

"Oh." Firepaw yawned.

"You should sleep and eat the traveling herbs tomorrow."

"Yes." The tom padded to the apprentices' den.

"Hm. What is it Whitestorm?"

Whitestorm was staring at him and blinked. "No, just...I've notice that you always warm up around Firepaw. You get a little colder around friends, like me and Lionheart...Bluestar too but are icy cold around everybody else. Especially Tigerclaw. You even try not to greet him."

Nightfrost flicked his scarred ear. "I can't help it. After what he's done to me all those moons ago."

"What did he do? You only meet him in the clan a couple moons ago."

Nightfrost shook his head. He told his story when he first meet Tigerclaw as a kit.