Jagged Peak followed Fire Heart and Jackdaw's Cry through the forest, patrolling the territory. The sky was gray as usual in leafbare. The air was chilly, and the ground was covered with more snow.
He was vaguely reminded of the mountains when he was a very small kit. He smiled as his two friends chattered in front of him. They were a close trio after the whole WindClan mission.
Skystar had been more snappy nowadays, scaring Jagged Peak, but he guessed his brother was still trying to get over the fact that Thunder ran away to ThunderClan.
To Thistlestar.
Gray Wing was taking it more in stride, but probably because he had an apprentice to train and his own mate and kits to focus on.
He shivered with excitement, remembering how Fire Heart had told him that this could be his last patrol before he became a warrior.
But he felt a pang of anxiety when his aching leg dragged a bit across the snow. It always hurt when it was cold or if he walked way too much. Or if he went long without his exercises.
He shook his head of these negative thoughts and hurried to catch up.
Thunder was on a patrol with Darkstripe and Longtail.
They were coming to the end of their patrol. Longtail had a robin, they headed along the SkyClan border back to camp. Thunder could scent the supposed rogue cats everywhere. The scent was strong yet he hadn't caught sight of any strange cats.
The last rogue he had seen was that mysterious she-cat, who he had chased which ended up with him getting caught.
He'd only taken a few pawsteps when he heard a rustling behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw someone peering at him from the shadows of a tunnel he had never noticed. A moment later a wiry brown she-cat stepped out, crossing the border without hesitation.
Thunder recognized her as Wind.
She hadn't seen him yet, too busy searching for prey. Thunder knew he should chase her off, but he remembered how friendly and helpful she'd always been. He didn't want to have a bad relationship with her.
Thunder prayed that Wind would turn back, unable to find something to hunt. He knew Darkstripe and Longtail wouldn't hold back. They never did for any cat anyway.
And she wouldn't be as easy to scare off. She was stubborn.
Suddenly, Darkstripe barreled past him. "Get out of here!" he shouted.
Wind looked up, but didn't seem fazed.
"You're on our territory, rogue." Darkstripe growled. "Go away!"
Wind's eyes widened. She looked between them in confusion. "My name is Wind Runner," she meowed. "I have lived here for a while, long before the new Clan showed up. Besides, you can't tell me where to go. I'm not hurting you."
Darkstripe snarled at her. With a screech of rage, he flung himself at Wind Runner, and the two fell to the ground, rolling on the forest floor, coating themselves in snow.
Thunder took a few steps forward, then stopped, not sure what to do. Longtail stood beside him, watching the fight with blue eyes. Thunder guessed he was standing aside in case Wind Runner started to get the upper paw.
But there was no need for intervention. Darkstripe was bigger and more powerful than Wind Runner, and soon had her pinned beneath him on her stomach, face pressed against the snow.
Wind Runner looked up at Thunder, her eyes wide as he looked on helplessly.
She was asking him for help.
But Longtail was watching and wouldn't hesitate to report the incident to Thistlestar.
Wind Runner was able to save herself. She twisted around and swiped at Darkstripe's muzzle. He yelped in shock and pulled away, letting Wind Runner push herself up. Longtail started forward, but Wind Runner was gone down the tunnel.
Thunder sighed in relief.
Darkstripe and Longtail glared at him.
"Why didn't you attack her?" Darkstripe growled. "You saw her before any of us."
"Why are you even on patrol if you won't protect the borders?" Longtail demanded.
Thunder didn't respond, looking between them. He let his gaze fall to the ground.
Longtail scoffed. "We should cover this tunnel up and report back." He and Darkstripe started kicking snow over the opening in the ground.
Thunder walked after them, depressed and hopeless.
The sky was clear and bright when Graystripe woke up the next morning. Thunder sat outside the apprentices' den with Brightpaw and Brackenpaw.
"Hi, Thunder," He greeted. The young ginger tom had looked miserable since yesterday. Of course, who wouldn't after going on patrol with Darkstripe and Longtail.
"Hi," Thunder sighed.
"Thunder!"
Tigerclaw was at the entrance. Thistlestar had assigned him as Thunder's mentor. Usually, cats would be happy to have the deputy as their mentor.
But Thunder looked like he was going to a burial as he walked slowly across the camp towards his mentor.
Graystripe followed until he found Mousefur and Whitestorm waiting for him. They were on the next patrol once the dawn patrol returned.
Soon Willowpelt, Runningwind, Goldenflower and Dustpelt appeared. "No sign of trespassing," Runningwind reported. "Thistlestar is leading a patrol this evening to check again."
"Good." Whitestorm nodded. "We'll take the ShadowClan border. Ready?" He asked his patrol and after getting confirming nods he led them on. They raced up the ravine, scrambling on the icy rocks.
They hadn't even reached Snakerocks when Graystripe caught another scent.
"ShadowClan!" Mousefur meowed, picking up the scent just a moment before him.
The patrol stopped.
"It's fresh." Whitestorm's eyes glittered with fury. "And whoever it is, they're still here."
Graystripe turned to step through the thick bracken. The scent was definitely from ShadowClan, but he didn't know any of the warriors well enough to tell them apart.
He pushed onward, hoping to follow the trail. He came across a pile of rabbit bones. clancats normally buried the bones of their prey as a sign of respect for the life they had taken. Graystripe picked them up and brought them back to the patrol.
"Rabbit bones," Whitestorm growled. "Left purposefully. It's like they want us to find them."
"We should be ready for an attack," Mousefur said.
"Then we need to get back to camp." Whitestorm raced back to camp with the other two behind them.
Graystripe raced after his clanmates, following them down the ravine and back into camp. The Clan was going about its usual business. Willowpelt and Darkstripe had sat down to eat after their patrol. Tigerclaw was sitting under the Highrock, speaking softly with Longtail and Swiftpaw. The elders had emerged from their hut to bask in the warm sunlight while the kits played in the clearing.
"Where's Thistlestar?" Whitestorm called angrily, dropping the rabbit bones on the ground.
"He left with his patrol," Tigerclaw said, standing.
Frostfur emerged from the warrior's den. "What's going on?"
"We found rabbit bones," Whitestorm growled. "ShadowClan left them."
Graystripe hung back at the edge of the clearing, watching. It hadn't been so long since SkyClan had helped ShadowClan drive out Brokenstar, but it didn't mean they wouldn't attack ThunderClan, right? After all, everyone seemed to want to have a go at Thistlestar.
"Darkstripe! Runningwind! Whitestorm!" Tigerclaw called. "Willowpelt! Mousefur! You'll come with me. We'll go to ShadowClan and see what this is all about."
Whitestorm nodded in agreement.
"Can I come?" Thunder asked, standing up.
"No," Tigerclaw growled. "We need plenty of warriors staying behind to guard the camp, in case this is a trap." He turned and charged out of camp. Darkstripe, Willowpelt, Runningwind and Mousefur followed.
Graystripe looked around. Even with a few warriors, the camp felt empty. "Who went with Thistlestar?"
Frostfur raised her head. "Just Bluefur and Thornpaw."
Graystripe felt uneasy still. "Can you check the apprentice's den to see who is there?" He asked Thunder.
He nodded and poked his head inside. "Brightpaw and Brackenpaw," he called back.
Including Swiftpaw, Graystripe looked at the black-and-white tom. He, Goldenflower, Frostfur, Longtail and Dustpelt were the only warriors. Everyone else was out of camp.
But that's not bad. But still...
He remembered how fiecre the ShadowClan raid was when Rosetail and Lionheart had died. Even with everyone in camp, they had nearly lost.
Spottedleaf appeared. She sniffed at the rabbit bones, confusion lighting her eyes up. Graystripe wondered why she was studying them so intently as he watched the dark tortoiseshell close her eyes for a moment.
Suddenly, they flew open. "Brokenstar!" She gasped.
Graystripe felt as though the ground had shifted beneath him. "What? How do you know?" he asked urgently. "Tigerclaw just took a patrol to ShadowClan."
"ShadowClan has nothing to do with this!" Spottedleaf cried. "I recognize his scent from Clawface! He attacked me! I remember it!"
Graystripe felt dizzy. "I can't leave the camp! There's already too few warriors. What if Brokenstar attacks while I'm gone? What if those bones were a trap so we'd blame ShadowClan and leave the camp unguarded?"
"You must tell Tigerclaw!" Spottedleaf pleaded.
Graystripe shook his head. "I can't leave you."
"Then I'll go!" Dustpelt growled.
"No! I'll go!" Thunder spoke up.
Graystripe looked from one to the other. He couldn't afford to send either of them. They needed to be here to protect their Clan. But Spottedleaf was right; if ShadowClan got defensive and a battle broke out, ThunderClan would be even more hated.
"Swiftpaw!" Graystripe called.
Longtail's apprentice raised his head from where he sat under the Highrock. "Yeah?" he asked.
"I have a mission for you," Graystripe told him.
Swiftpaw was on his paws in an instant.
"What do you think you're doing?" Longtail growled, striding over. "You can't order around my apprentice."
Graystripe met the older warrior's eyes. "Tigerclaw is about to start a fight with an innocent Clan. He needs to be stopped and brought back in case Brokenstar attacks!"
Swiftpaw's eyes widened in alarm. He looked at Longtail, waiting for permission.
"What if he has to cross into ShadowClan territory?" Longtail argued. "He's never been across the Thunderpath before! One of our apprentices already got crippled by it."
Graystripe flinched, remembering Cinderpaw's broken leg. He pushed the images away. "We can't risk a battle for no reason. Please, Longtail. We need all the trained warriors to stay in camp."
"Are you saying I haven't trained my apprentice to fight?"
"For StarClan's sake!" Spottedleaf snapped, losing patience which was rare for the sweet medicine cat. "Swiftpaw, go find Tigerclaw. Longtail, shut up and stay alert." She sent a stern look at Swiftpaw, who glanced at his mentor one last time before racing out of camp.
Graystripe sent a grateful glance toward Spottedleaf.
"What's going on?" Brackenpaw had emerged from the apprentice's den with Brightpaw. Graystripe's mind whirled before he yowled, "The camp is in danger! Everyone, come here!"
Everyone crowded around, looking at Graystripe in bewilderment.
"What's going on, young'un, I was sleeping," Halftail grumbled.
"I think Brokenstar is coming for us!" Graystripe began. "And Tigerclaw just left with most of our warriors. If Brokenstar atta~"
"Well now, what's this?"
The voice sent chills down Graystripe's spine. He watched as the camp entrance shuddered, then a familiar, dark tabby lumbered in. Five bedraggled warriors followed him.
"An unguarded camp?" Brokenstar began. "Seems like an easy win already. This'll be easier than I thought!"
Spottedleaf backed into her den, wide-eyed, Dustpelt and the other warriors moved forward to form a defensive row. The apprentices lined up behind them. Cinderpaw hurried to join them when Dustpelt snapped at her and she scurried away. The elders shoved the kits into the nursery and bundled themselves in as well.
Graystripe raced over to join them. "You shouldn't have come here!" Whitestorm growled.
"I won't lose a fight again," Brokenstar snapped. "SkyClan might have chased me from my Clan, but nobody can't kill me~I have nine lives."
"Then we'll kill you as many times as it takes," the white warrior growled. "Attack!"
Graystripe grabbed the nearest rogue, Boulder and rolled around with him. To his horror and shock, Thunder had leapt straight for Brokenstar, holding onto his back.
As he was distracted, Boulder twisted out of his grasp and slashed Graystripe's cheek. He winced as blood dripped down, but shook it off. He slashed out at Boulder in a flurry and the gray tabby scrambled away.
Graystripe leaped to aid Thunder against Brokenstar again, but the young tom was almost as big as the tabby and was easily warding him off.
Suddenly, jaws clamped around his ankle and he turned to see Stumpytail. Before he could scramble away, the brown tabby tom yanked him roughly to the ground, pinning him.
Suddenly, Stumpytail's weight was gone. Graystripe sprang up.
Dustpelt now fought against the other brown tabby, but Stumpytail was a formidable fighter and had Dustpelt pinned. The young warrior struggled as Stumpytail lunged down, sinking his teeth into the back of his neck.
Dustpelt yowled with fear and pain. Suddenly, there was a flash of white and Frostfur yanked Stumpytail off her brother, eyes bright with rage. Brindleface raced to her sister's side and the two of them ripped at the brown tom until he lay still.
A screech sounded from nearby, taking Graystripe's attention away from the littermates. Thunder rolled by, wrestling with a she-cat named Tangleburr. He briefly wondered where Brokenstar had gone.
Thunder was battling ferociously, hate shining in his eyes for the cats that had been a part of the plot to kill his mother and had kidnapped him and his siblings. A moment later, Tangleburr struggled away and ran out of camp.
Russetfur ran past Graystripe next, heading for the camp wall. Brackenpaw chased after her. "You'd better run!" the apprentice shouted.
Blackfoot and Brokenstar were the only ones left.
Brightpaw and Goldenflower were battling the huge white tom, not stopping until Blackfoot was fully beaten, limping away and out of camp.
There was an eerie moment of stillness. The ThunderClan warriors stood in silence, staring at the blood that stained their camp. In the middle lay Stumpytail and Brokenstar's dead bodies.
Someone managed to kill him! Graystripe thought with relief, noting a horrible gash down his belly that definitely couldn't be healed. We've truly defeated him!
Thunder was heaving, covered in blood, but his eyes shined and Dustpelt managed to scramble to his paws, limping to the medicine den.
The sound of pawsteps outside the camp broke through his thoughts. Thistlestar raced into camp, followed by Bluefur and Thornpaw. Graystripe had never been more happy to see him. He looked around at the devastated camp, eyes filled with rage and shock. "What happened?"
"Brokenstar attacked," Whitestorm explained to his father. "We chased off his rogues."
"He and Stumpytail are dead," Graystripe added, flicking his tail to the dead bodies.
"Good. Brightpaw, Brackenpaw, take these bodies out of camp. We won't have the elders do it. No traitor rogues deserve a burial."
The two littermates exchanged looks. "Shouldn't we bury them?" Brightpaw asked timidly.
Thistlestar's eyes were cold. "No. Let them rot!"
The littermates, uneasy, took Stumpytail's body first and dragged it out of camp. Spottedleaf narrowed her eyes as she watched the apprentices go while everyone else looked uncomfortable.
"Is everyone else alright?" Thistlestar asked. When everyone nodded he meowed, "good."
At that moment, Tigerclaw pushed into camp with his attack party, the rest of his patrols following. Swiftpaw brought up the rear. The young apprentice's eyes shone and he looked unharmed. Graystripe sighed in relief.
"I take it Swiftpaw reached you in time?" Thistlestar asked.
"We hadn't even crossed the Thunderpath," Tigerclaw said. "Was that Stumpytail I saw the apprentices taking away?"
Thistlestar nodded with a growl.
"And…is that Brokenstar?" Stonefur asked, peering over the others.
"Yes."
"Then Swiftpaw was right," Tigerclaw said. "Brokenstar was planning to attack the camp."
Just then, Brackenpaw and Brightpaw reappeared to take Brokenstar's body out next.
As the sun set, the Clan settled down to share tongues. Spottedleaf had gone around, checking everyone for wounds and Brightpaw and Brackenpaw returned from their task.
"You wanna share?" Graystripe asked, padding over to Thunder. The ginger tom sat alone like he did most of the time.
"Sure, but…I wanna bring Cinderpaw something. Can you come with me?" He asked, looking warily at Frostfur, who shared prey with her littermates nearby.
"Of course," Graystripe purred. He followed Thunder, who had grabbed a squirrel for the gray apprentice.
They entered the den. Spottedleaf was still outside. Thunder quietly prodded Cinderpaw. "Hey, Cinderpaw," he greeted.
The gray she-cat stirred and sat up. "Thunder, Graystripe."
Graystripe sat down and curled his tail around his paws. "Thunder brought you some prey," he meowed. "You should eat."
"Here," Thunder meowed, dropping it at her paws.
"Thanks," Cinderpaw said, but she didn't even look at it.
"Are you thinking about the battle?" Graystripe asked gently.
Cinderpaw shrugged. "Am I a burden?" She looked up at them.
"Never!" Thunder growled.
"Of course not," Graystripe added. "Don't think like that. I'm sure you'll find a purpose soon."
Cinderpaw looked up, eyes miserable. "Soon? I don't have time." She closed her eyes.
Graystripe and Thunder exchanged uneasy looks as she opened her eyes again.
"I'll be gone soon, won't I?" Her voice trembled.
Graystripe gulped. He knew what she meant.