Brambledusk led his patrol through the moorland, approaching the ThunderClan border in quick, brisk strides. Lightningtalon and Cinderfall matched his pace evenly, each of them enjoying the warm green-leaf weather. Brambledusk crossed the hills until he approached the stream that marked the ThunderClan scent lines. As he looked closer, he recognized a mound of fur.
"What is that?" Lightningtalon asked, noticing it at the same time that Brambledusk did.
"No idea." Brambledusk shook his head. "Let's get a closer look." He quickened his pace as he bolted down the moor and towards the lump of fur. As he ran closer and closer, the unmistakable stench of death wafted towards him and he was able to recognize it as a cat's body. A chill ran down his spine.
"Oh, gods," Lightningtalon muttered darkly as they reached the corpse. Brambledusk moved it with his nose, turning the cat's body around. He recoiled as he recognized the unseeing blue eyes of the cat and her dark fur. This is Ravenfeather from ThunderClan. Although the stench of death was thick, he could make out the scent of oak and birch.
Cinderfall shrank back in fear. "What in StarClan's name happened to her?"
Brambledusk examined her body further and could see long claw marks on her sides and stomach. "It looks like she was in a fight," he said, his yellow eyes narrowed as he studied the scratch marks on her body.
"She was killed," Cinderfall gasped. "We have to tell Scorchstar!"
"Wait." Lightningtalon stepped in front of Cinderfall before he could lurch away into the moorland. "We need more information."
Brambledusk opened his mouth to offer his input when the stench of ThunderClan became stronger and stronger. He narrowed his eyes as he spotted two figures pelting from the stream and crossing the stream. Lightningtalon pelted over to the two cats, forcing them to stop on the stepping stones.
"Do not cross!" Lightningtalon yowled. "Or else you'll be on WindClan territory!"
"That's Ravenfeather's body!" snarled a golden-brown tabby she-cat. Brambledusk recognized her as Honeyfeather. Next to her was her brother, Sunfire.
"What are you doing with her?" Sunfire howled, his yellow tabby figure staggering over the stepping stones. Lightningtalon shielded the border with his body.
Brambledusk gazed steadily at Sunfire. "We found her body on the border."
"Did you do this to her?" Honeyfeather demanded.
"Of course not!" Lightningtalon snarled, lashing his tail. "We are warriors, not murderers!"
"How come she reeks of WindClan, then?" Honeyfeather roared. "Who killed my Clanmate?"
As Cinderfall and Lightningtalon trembled with fear, Brambledusk sniffed Ravenfeather's body intently. There was a scent… something familiar, something laced with revenge and pain, something that Brambledusk couldn't quite grasp, but he was sure if it was stronger, he would recognize it. It's there… the tip of my tongue… but it won't come out… The only thing he was able to figure out that the scent was a cat from his past.
"We didn't kill her!" Lightningtalon's voice, pure with fury, knocked Brambledusk back to reality. "We found her."
"Prove it!" Honeyfeather snapped, her fur bristling. "How come she was killed on the border?"
"We don't know!" Cinderfall exclaimed, panic in his yellow eyes. "Really, we don't!"
"It wasn't us," Lightningtalon reported. "I give you my word."
"Your word means nothing more to me than a couple of mousetails. We must speak to Scorchstar now!" Honeyfeather stood her ground, lashing her tail.
"No." Lightningtalon let out a low growl, unsheathing his claws as he put himself in front of Honeyfeather. "You aren't putting so much as one paw on our territory."
"Scorchstar knows nothing of this incident," Cinderfall said. "We haven't even been back to camp."
"Why not?" Honeyfeather glared daggers at Cinderfall. "Is he afraid of the truth?"
Sunfire leaped over the stones and grabbed Ravenfeather's body from where Brambledusk was investigating it. He hauled her over his back and stared green flames at the WindClan warriors. "We'll be back," he growled. "You can be assured of that." With that, the yellow tabby raced back to the stepping stones and crossed the stream back to the forest with Honeyfeather.
Brambledusk watched them go in dismay, questions swirling in his mind. How did Ravenfeather's dead body get to the WindClan border? What was she doing here? Who killed her? And more importantly…
Who does the scent on her body belong to?
"Come on," Brambledusk said to his Clanmates. "We need to tell Scorchstar." With a sense of urgency instilled in their pawsteps, no cat spoke as they ran through the moor and headed towards camp. Brambledusk had no idea what to say to Scorchstar other than the fact that he was sure he knew the cat whose scent was on Ravenfeather, but it had been so long ago, and so many things had happened since then that he couldn't figure out the cat.
They reached the hollow in the moor and slid down its walls. Brambledusk landed with his paws on the soft grass and came across Hawkfire and Redmoon, who were still guarding the camp after their vigil last night – they had fallen asleep. Brambledusk nudged them to wake them up, and once they glanced at him with sleepiness in their eyes, they gasped and raced away with embarrassment flooding their ears. Brambledusk headed over to Scorchstar's den, calling to him from outside. The ginger-and-white tabby tom emerged, shaking his head.
"You sure do know how to wake a cat up," Scorchstar remarked dryly.
Brambledusk's ears twitched. "I'll take that as a compliment. We found a dead ThunderClan warrior right next to the stream."
Scorchstar gasped. "Great StarClan… which warrior?"
"Ravenfeather of ThunderClan," Brambledusk replied. Cinderfall and Lightningtalon padded behind him, nodding in agreement with Brambledusk.
Scorchstar's face was drained of all its color. "This is bad," he muttered. "Really, really bad. Was she killed?"
"I examined her body," Brambledusk replied as Scorchstar started to pace the den in circles. "There were signs of a fight. And…"
"And…?" Scorchstar's amber eyes burned into Brambledusk's pelt as he stopped pacing.
"I think I know who it was," Brambledusk replied shakily.
"What? Who?" Scorchstar shoved his face into Brambledusk's.
"No." Brambledusk shook his head, not faltering in the midst of Scorchstar's rage. "I think I knew. It was a cat's scent – familiar. I knew them, once, in my life. But I can't put a name to it."
"Is there any cat unique to your life that we didn't know?" Scorchstar asked, frowning.
"Every cat I knew has been in WindClan or another Clan," Brambledusk replied. "I think the only thing this means is that it isn't a rogue. It's a Clan cat."
"By the gods, that just makes it worse," Scorchstar snarled in fury. He swung to look at Cinderfall and Lightningtalon. "Where is the body, now?"
"ThunderClan took it home," Cinderfall replied, his body trembling. "Sunfire and Honeyfeather."
"You saw them?" Scorchstar turned on Cinderfall. "Did they accuse you?"
"Of course they did." Lightningtalon snorted. "We denied it."
"So you should." Scorchstar flattened his ears. "None of you did this. You were in camp all this time. This is very serious – ThunderClan could attack because of this." The ginger-and-white tom raced over to the Tall Rock and yowled, "Let every cat old enough to catch their own prey gather underneath the Tall Rock for a Clan meeting!"
Brambledusk gathered underneath the Tall Rock with Lightningtalon and Cinderfall. His brothers wore concerned, dismayed expressions, and Brambledusk shared their feelings. If only he could recognize whose scent was on Ravenfeather's body. Why couldn't he? It was at the tip of his tongue, and if the scent had been the slightest bit strongest, he would've known.
Scorchstar's fiery amber gaze swept over his Clan when they gathered. "Cats of WindClan! A great tragedy has happened this evening at the border with ThunderClan. A young ThunderClan warrior has been found dead."
Shocked gasps echoed through the hollow. Cinderfall flattened his ears and Lightningtalon hitched in a sharp breath.
"Who did it?" Lilystream called out.
"Was it by natural cause?" Blackdove asked.
"Who would do such a thing?" Waspberry gasped.
"Calm down!" Scorchstar's voice was harsh. "I know none of you would do such a thing. It was perhaps a passing rogue. But ThunderClan blames us. We must prepare for battle!"
Yowls of fear and consternation spread through the clearing like forest fire. Russetstripe's green eyes blazed with fury and Hawkfire dug her claws into the ground. Skyheart gasped in fear, and Cinderfall gave the she-cat a comforting glance.
"Harewhisker." Scorchstar addressed his deputy from where he sat at the foot of the Tall Rock. "I need you to set up multiple guards overnight. I will take watch at the break of dawn. Any ThunderClan scent must be reported to me, immediately."
"Yes, Scorchstar." Harewhisker nodded.
"Wait!" The voice came from Buzzardwing, who was standing on all four paws with his tail bristling. "What if it's a ThunderClan plot? To justify an attack on us, so they can get more land or subjugate us?"
Scorchstar gazed down at Buzzardwing. "We must be cautious," he said to the ginger tabby. "We don't know what ThunderClan is up to. But we also need to be ready to accept the challenge."
Frostpetal's green eyes were blazing. "If they have set up the death of their own warrior in order to go to war with us, then they are no better than murderous thieving rogues."
It doesn't seem like something they would do, Brambledusk agreed quietly with Frostpetal. Some other cat is behind this. I've got to go check out the scents on the border. If I can smell it, maybe find a stronger scent, I'm bound to figure out who it is.
"Tonight is the Gathering," Sandfall pointed out. "Will we still be attending?"
"Of course," Scorchstar replied. "But we will have to be very strict with ThunderClan. None of us are to so much as look in their direction. We don't know what ThunderClan thinks." He leaped down from the Tall Rock, a curt dismissal of his Clan before joining Harewhisker. Brambledusk looked around – he could definitely travel back to the border and investigate the scents before he would have to come back for the Gathering.
"I'm going back to investigate," Brambledusk told Lightningtalon and Cinderfall. "Tell Scorchstar that if he asks where I am."
"On your own?" Cinderfall gasped.
"I'll be fine," Brambledusk assured him. "If ThunderClan does see me, one cat is less of a threat than an entire patrol is."
Cinderfall and Lightningtalon exchanged uneasy glances. Brambledusk gave his younger brothers a solemn look, reminding them pointedly that he didn't need their permission to leave camp. He padded away from them, exiting camp and breaking into a run in the moorland. The scent of rabbit was fresh and thick on the moorland, basically begging Brambledusk to hunt it, but Brambledusk had something much more important to focus on. He climbed through the hills and ran down the moor towards the stream, where Ravenfeather's body had been. There was a dried patch of blood on the grass, and Brambledusk could catch the scent of ThunderClan – Sunfire and Honeyfeather, and probably Ravenfeather herself – and that other scent. The other scent he couldn't quite put his paw on.
Think. Brambledusk shut his eyes as he tried to search through the memories of his life. There was his apprenticeship, his friendship with Adderstripe, his betrayal of Adderstripe and Scorchstar, his life as the older brother of his family, being the deputy of WindClan… his life as a warrior… It's there… let me just think a little closer… The cats he surrounded himself with. Scorchstar and Russetstripe had been a couple of them – even though their relationship was complicated. But there was a cat around them that they often hung with. Mottled gray fur, white splotches, the last time Brambledusk had seen him, swearing for revenge as he limped away in pain…
Gorseflight!
It was Gorseflight's scent on Ravenfeather's body!
"I will have my revenge. I swear." Gorseflight's last words ran through Brambledusk's mind. But what does Ravenfeather have to do with Gorseflight's revenge?
Buzzardwing's suggestion came back to Brambledusk.
"What if it's a ThunderClan plot? To justify an attack on us, so they can get more land or subjugate us?"
Maybe it wasn't a ThunderClan plot, but it could be a Gorseflight plot. Brambledusk clenched his jaw. All he remembered about Gorseflight was that he was kind and caring and has associated himself with the Nirvana cats who felt the same way. After Swiftstar destroyed the Nirvana group, blaming them for prey-stealing, he had exiled Gorseflight who had protected them during the attack. Gorseflight still holds a grudge with WindClan for that, huh…
Before Brambledusk could tell Scorchstar, he'd have to try and see if there was anything more. Brambledusk sniffed out the patch of territory near the stream, trying to search for more of Gorseflight's scent, but to no avail. If his scent was on Ravenfeather's, then that means that he must've had something to do with Ravenfeather's death. Dizzy with this new knowledge, Brambledusk bounded away from the stream, running with his paws scouring the moorland and his eyes focused on the setting sun.
When Brambledusk entered camp, it seemed that Harewhisker had already sprung his plan into place. Iceheart and Frostpetal were standing guard, and the Gathering patrol Scorchstar had brought together was unusually small. It consisted of Scorchstar, Russetstripe, Lilystream, Redmoon, and Waspberry.
"Can I come in, Scorchstar?" Brambledusk asked the ginger-and-white tabby.
"Yes." Scorchstar nodded. "But no cat else."
"I actually have something to tell you," Brambledusk said, knowing that this news was completely vital.
"Can it wait?" Exhaustion crossed Scorchstar's face. "After the Gathering?"
Brambledusk clenched his jaw. Could it? Then he nodded. "It can," he lied through his teeth. Scorchstar studied Brambledusk for a few more moments and gave him a nod. Then, he turned to the Gathering patrol and gestured them with his tail. In seconds, he was moving quicker than the wind, and his patrol was right behind him. Brambledusk stayed at the rear, thinking about what he had just observed.
Gorseflight is back. There had been a drastic change the moment he looked at Swiftstar when the tabby had killed the Nirvana leader. There had been a deep resentment in his pale blue eyes, an eerie, dangerous, alarming aura had emitted from him. He's not the same cat. We're dealing with something different. Brambledusk wished he had told Scorchstar before they had left for the Gathering. Even though Gorseflight's scent on the body didn't rule out ThunderClan involvement entirely – all it told him was that Gorseflight had been with Ravenfeather at some point – it was news that he was there, all the same.
The lakeshore came into view as Scorchstar skidded to a halt. The WindClan leader's ginger-and-white tail flicked back and forth as he hesitated, and Brambledusk wondered if he was rethinking attending the Gathering. But his muscles tensed and he crossed the branch that led to the island. Russetstripe and the rest of the patrol were behind him in seconds. Brambledusk leaped onto the branch and raced across it towards the lush foliage that protected the island and hopped over the plants.
The scent of RiverClan and ShadowClan was thick in the air, and when Brambledusk walked in, he could see the two Clans giving each other icy glares. But oddly enough, Shellfall gave a kind nod to Tigerflame and Lizardfang. Dapplestar was sitting on the Great Oak, lifting her head proudly while Talonstar lashed his tail and focused his amber glare on her tortoiseshell pelt. Shimmerwing sat at the foot of the Great Oak, looking as mighty and fearful as ever. When Scorchstar leaped on the Great Oak, Dapplestar shot him a glare so cold that Brambledusk was surprised the WindClan leader hadn't turned to ice right there.
Brambledusk could catch faint murmurs from both the RiverClan patrol and the ShadowClan cats. Minnowflight from RiverClan said a little too loudly to her Clanmate, Darkshadow, "The WindClan patrol is small today. I wonder what happened?"
Oh, you have no idea, Brambledusk thought as he met Minnowflight's gaze from across the clearing. Minnowflight turned her head away as Brambledusk stared at her. Where is ThunderClan?
As if Brambledusk's thoughts had summoned the Clan that lived in the forest, he could catch the faint trace of night-blooming flowers. But just flowers. He looked at the entrance of the island to see Rootstar padding in with Brookfeather at his side. No other cats followed them. Brambledusk felt his heart plummet into his stomach. Not a good sign.
Rootstar gave his fellow Clan leaders a nod as he leaped onto the Great Oak. Brookfeather sat at the root of it, glaring at Harewhisker and Shrewfur with dark green eyes. Brambledusk stared at the island, expecting more ThunderClan cats to follow, but no one came. Uneasiness settled in the clearing as the Clan cats turned to let their leaders speak.
The ThunderClan leader cleared his throat. When he spoke, his voice was soft and gentle, as it always was, but there was no mistaking the thorns in his words and the danger that radiated off him in waves. "Greetings, everyone. I am here alone with my deputy because one of my Clanmates was killed the other day."
Scorchstar lashed his tail.
Rootstar turned to face Scorchstar. "Scorchstar, little one." A smile was on his face, although the bloodlust on it was clear. "Could you offer me an explanation on why Ravenfeather was found dead on your border?"
Scorchstar was still as a stone. He seemed to be thinking of a response when Redmoon shouted, "We didn't kill Ravenfeather!"
The WindClan leader glared at his son with burning amber eyes, ordering him to stand down silently. Then he turned to Rootstar and let out a low growl. "We are not the murderers, Rootstar!" he snapped. "No WindClan cat would violate the code in such a terrible way. Maybe you should look at your own ranks!"
Rootstar's yellow eyes stretched wide. "You're assuming that we killed our own warrior?" he asked.
"I'm implying that perhaps you should take the log out of your own eye before trying to take the speck of dust out of mine." Scorchstar's words were as cold as ice.
"I hope you know what you are saying." Rootstar's yellow eyes were hard. "When it comes time to cut down an enemy, I act without hesitation or resistance."
"I know that," Scorchstar hissed. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect the honor of my warriors – and their lives, if you dare threaten my Clan to a war."
"We will find out who the murderer is." Rootstar's tail twitched. "One way or the other." Rootstar leaped down from the Great Oak, beckoning for Brookfeather to follow him as the two cats left the island just as quickly as they had come. Brambledusk watched them go, anxiety thumping loudly in his heart. He wanted to scream to Rootstar and Brookfeather that none of their Clans had done it – that Gorseflight had something to do with it. But he couldn't yell that out in the middle of a Gathering. I know Rootstar would believe me if I told him! Or… would he…?
Silence was thick in the clearing until Tigerflame of ShadowClan broke it. "Who killed that warrior?" he asked, ignoring the burning stares that WindClan gave him.
"Sure you're being honest, WindClan?" Dustcloud taunted Scorchstar. Scorchstar swung his head to glare at the tom.
"Dustcloud." Talonstar hissed the tom's name as a warning.
"So… reports?" Shimmerwing asked uneasily. But Dapplestar didn't seem too keen to report as she stared at Scorchstar.
"Tell me why Rootstar is accusing you of murder," Dapplestar growled at Scorchstar. "What a waste of a perfectly good Gathering just so that adle-brained fool could come in here and whine about a dead cat." Her green eyes narrowed. "Did you kill that cat?"
Scorchstar bared his teeth at Dapplestar. "A young ThunderClan warrior was found slain at our border. But it's far too much of a coincidence in my opinion. Something doesn't seem right." His fury was palpable as his veins visibly pulsed. "Let's continue."
"Continue?" Dapplestar snorted. "Rootstar waltzed in here and accused your Clan of cold-blooded murder, and you think any of these cats are interested in usual Gathering reports?"
"Dapplestar…" Scorchstar growled lowly.
"Do not use my name." Dapplestar lashed her tail back-and-forth. "If it is true that your Clan engages in dishonorable slaughter, you will not take one step close to my border unless you want you and your entire Clan wiped out." She leaped from the Great Oak, her ears flattening as she marched towards the RiverClan cats. "Let's go home."
Scorchstar watched Dapplestar, visibly dazed by her reaction as the tortoiseshell she-cat gathered her Clanmates and left the island. Brambledusk narrowed her eyes as the RiverClan leader passed him. Dapplestar had been silent to WindClan over the past year, not giving them much trouble after she sheltered them from the fire, but from the whispers on the horizon, the Clan she had been fighting most had been ShadowClan. Was WindClan wise to irritate her?
"Hypocrite," Talonstar snarled when Dapplestar left.
"Who?" Scorchstar turned to look at Talonstar.
"Dapplestar." Talonstar flattened his ears. "She says that she wants nothing to do with you when you have been accused of murder, yet Dapplestar is fine with killing any cat who proves to be of some sort of any inconvenience to her and doesn't bat an eyelash."
"What…?" Scorchstar's amber eyes widened in horror.
"She's a monster. The Devil Queen." Talonstar curled his lip. "Don't fall for her tricks." With that thinly veiled warning, Talonstar jumped from the Great Oak and walked over to his Clan. He whispered a few things to them, and then led them out of the island. Scorchstar watched the proceedings, bewildered. Brambledusk shared his sentiment. No cat had reported. Rootstar and Brookfeather had attended but had accused Scorchstar of killing Ravenfeather and had left with the threat of battle looming in the air.
Scorchstar leaped from the Great Oak and approached his Clan. He caught Russetstripe's gaze, who was melting away from the lush plants towards the sandy island. Anger blazed in his yellow eyes as he stared at her, and then he turned to address his Clanmates.
"Rootstar just declared war on us," Scorchstar said. "We have to be ready for his attack at any second. I don't know when it's going to come, but it's going to be soon. Everybody, rest, prepare yourself. When we go home, we'll be at war."