The leaf-bare wind brushed against Bramblepaw's spine as the stream that marked the border with ThunderClan bubbled lazily in the distance. As Bramblepaw took in a deep breath, he could taste the faint trace of cold air and the brisk, slightly sharp scent of the leaves and trees starting to die, and his pelt pricked with worry as he thought about the potential dangers that leaf-bare would bring. Already there had been two attacks from RiverClan. What was to stop them from attacking again? He wondered if ThunderClan would prepare for a potential invasion.
But as Bramblepaw sniffed the territory again, he couldn't make out any thick ThunderClan scent. That's odd… I'm right on their border, so why can't I smell them? A frown crossed Bramblepaw's face. He knew that he probably should be hunting now, but this was too suspicious for him to ignore. Why was the ThunderClan border scent faint? What were they doing? The questions wouldn't erase themselves from Bramblepaw's mind as the pale tabby tom reached the riverbank and peered his head over the stream.
This is so stupid, Bramblepaw thought to himself. So stupid. But there's something wrong here. I feel it in my gut. The WindClan apprentice looked down at the gurgling stream in front of him, and he focused on the stepping stones that would prevent his paws from getting wet. Gingerly, Bramblepaw reached out a paw on the first stepping stone. Shutting his eyes, he leaped onto the stone, and when he landed on it without getting wet, he breathed out a sigh of relief. He knew he could not continue to falter – he would just have to cross the entire stream without pausing. Steering his resolve, Bramblepaw leaped from stone to stone without thinking until he finally landed on the other bank.
Even though Bramblepaw was officially in ThunderClan territory now, as he scanned the rows of oak and birch trees that stretched for miles and miles, the scent was still faint. What am I even doing here? Bramblepaw swiveled his head. This was wrong. He was trespassing on enemy territory, and he had to get back over the stream, back to his own land. Just as Bramblepaw readied his paws to cross the stream again, voices made him twitch his ear and stop in his tracks.
"Yes, it's why we need to help the rebellion in WindClan." The words were far away, but Bramblepaw could still make them out. But as the words went on, they were becoming harder to hear, which could only mean that the speaker was walking away from him. Rebellion? Bramblepaw's stomach fell, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to go back to camp without investigating more. Bramblepaw turned away from the stream and began to follow the voice.
As Bramblepaw crossed into the trees, the canopy of the trees sheltered the sun from view. Stray leaves fell from the branches of oaks and landed on top of his shoulders. Bramblepaw made sure he was careful not to step on any twigs or trip on any pebbles. Any sound was sure to give him away. Finally, Bramblepaw caught the scent of a fresh ThunderClan cat, and he could only think that it was the cat who was speaking about a rebellion in WindClan. But who is it? And why?
Bramblepaw leaped over a boulder in his path and continued to track the scent until he approached a bare expanse in the forest, a stretch of open grass surrounded by trees. Two cats sat in the middle of the clearing, and Bramblepaw immediately recognized the cat with the ThunderClan stench. He had seen this cat before at Gatherings. It was the young ThunderClan warrior, Hailstep. And across him was no other than…
"So, you agree with me, that enough is enough." Adderpaw's voice was chilly, his tone sharp enough to cut through the thickest of pelts. "You'll help me get rid of Swiftstar."
Hailstep's tail lashed from side to side. "When you're deputy. Not now. But if you promise that, when you're WindClan leader, you won't touch our borders, then I'll help you get rid of him."
"Is there any other cat who will help you?" Adderpaw asked, leaning in closer to Hailstep.
"Oh, why don't you ask them?" Hailstep retorted, his eyes darting around the clearing.
"What do you mean?" Adderpaw's amber eyes widened, and at Hailstep's words, several more cats began to surround the clearing. Bramblepaw swallowed the lump in his throat. More cats from ThunderClan! He recognized the silver-and-white tabby pelt of Flintstar's son, Winterfall, and the pale orange tabby pelt of Finchwing.
"I hope you're not planning on attacking me," Adderpaw growled, his voice a low rumble in his throat.
"No, but I will shred you to pieces if you ever think of breaking this promise," Hailstep snarled, unsheathing his pure white claws. Adderpaw examined them flippantly. "I'm only letting you in for our best interest. Flintstar would flay me alive if he knew I was talking to you."
"Don't you think Swiftstar wouldn't hang me upside down by the throat if he knew my real purposes, either?" Adderpaw countered. "We both have our own lives on the line, taking these risks. But it's for the greater good. When I'm leader, Hailstep, my only wish is peace between our Clans. I don't want to subjugate you. I don't even want to control you. I just don't want to fight anymore."
Bramblepaw swallowed the lump in his throat. He couldn't forget the deadly fight in which Reedstar had come to WindClan's camp, assuming that he was there to agree to a peace treaty, when instead he was ambushed and murdered by Swiftstar. Was Adderpaw telling the truth? But what would Hailstep even do? Hailstep was just a young warrior from ThunderClan. He had no say in any Clan affairs. There was nothing he could do.
"When you're deputy." Were they planning an attack in the future? Adderpaw, what the hell are you doing? He was so confused, so conflicted. Adderpaw was his best friend, and he had no doubt that Adderpaw had his Clan's best interests in mind, but wasn't there any other way? Bramblepaw unsheathed and sheathed his claws. He had to see what the rest of the meeting would be like.
"When I manage to get more victories to my name, and my Clanmates respect me a bit more, I'll try to talk to Flintstar," Hailstep told Adderpaw, his words quick. "If Winterfall and Finchwing agree with me, I'm sure he'll be able to agree to some sort of plan. We can't be the only ones in ThunderClan who want to agree to a treaty. And if getting rid of Swiftstar is the plan that keeps both our Clans safe, I don't see why any other cat would disagree."
"When do you think you'll be able to talk to him?" Adderpaw asked, his claws digging up grass.
"Soon," Hailstep replied, the sunlight dappling his gray fur. "I need to prove myself in a few more battles before Flintstar will listen to me. When will you become a warrior?"
"Hopefully before leaf-bare ends." Adderpaw nodded. "I'm glad to have your cooperation, Hailstep. I promise you will be greatly rewarded when I lead WindClan."
"I don't want any fancy award," Hailstep growled. "I just want us to live our lives in peace. I don't want to have to worry about an attack from WindClan every single day."
"When the day comes," Adderpaw began, seeming to choose his words carefully, "I'll get into contact with you. I'll let you know of the plan, and we'll decide what to do from ThunderClan's angle."
"Done." Hailstep nodded. "Oh, and Adderpaw?"
Adderpaw tilted his head. "What?"
"Your Clan… will you protect the cats who stay on the wrong side?" Worry glimmered in Hailstep's blue eyes.
"What do you mean?" Adderpaw frowned.
Hailstep shook his head. "Never mind." But the worry never left his gaze, even as he lifted his head and squared his shoulders, meeting Adderpaw's gaze steadily with resolve. "We've agreed."
I can't keep watching this! Adderpaw was planning treason with a ThunderClan cat, right in front of his eyes. He couldn't bear witness to this. Bramblepaw turned on his heel, and just as he was about to make a run for it, his paws slipped on a twig and snapped it in half. The sound made his blood chill, and just as he looked up, he saw a ball of silver tabby fur leaping on top of him. The breath was knocked from Bramblepaw as he was pushed to the ground, with two paws on top of him, stopping him from moving. Bramblepaw blinked the dust out of his eyes as he saw his captor. Winterfall's claws dug into Bramblepaw's fur.
Hailstep's blue eyes burned. "Alone, you say?" he snarled at Adderpaw. "Explain that WindClan apprentice right there!"
"I didn't know he was here!" Adderpaw protested. "Tell Winterfall to get off him! He's trustworthy, I swear!"
"Trustworthy?" Hailstep's fur bristled. "How can I believe that any of the apprentices in your Clan are agreeing with you to get rid of Swiftstar?"
"Because they've seen his treatment!" Adderpaw argued. "Hells, we watched Reedstar get slain before our very eyes! Do you think that every single cat in WindClan was okay with that? None of them have the bravery to speak up!"
Hailstep's jaw clenched as Bramblepaw stared into Winterfall's eyes. The silver tabby's blue gaze was burning, but when Hailstep flicked his tail, Winterfall stepped off Bramblepaw, but it didn't stop his fur from bushing up and a hiss from escaping his lips. Bramblepaw ignored his hostility and got to his paws, shaking out his dusty brown fur.
Adderpaw stalked over to Bramblepaw. "What are you doing here?" he asked. His voice was void of any anger or bitterness, but his face was completely unreadable. Bramblepaw had no idea of his real feelings.
"I…" Bramblepaw's voice trailed off. "I heard someone talking. They mentioned WindClan… so I followed the voice. It led me here." He flicked his striped tail towards Hailstep, whose fur began to bristle.
"If we can't trust him, then we should kill him," Finchwing growled.
"Nobody is killing anybody!" Hailstep hissed at Finchwing. "That's not what we're here for. Do we want to be as bad as Swiftstar?"
Finchwing looked at the ground. "I guess not," he sniffed.
Adderpaw lifted his head and swung it across the ThunderClan cats. "This cat is a friend of mine," he growled. "Anyone who dares to fight him has to fight me too."
"Don't forget, Adderpaw," Hailstep growled, a threat still prominent in his voice, "first and foremost, you're a WindClan cat on ThunderClan territory."
"Maybe." Adderpaw shrugged, staring at Hailstep. "But I have the power necessary to stop the rivalries between our Clan. I just need you to help cement it. I don't want to have to fight you."
Hailstep brushed past Adderpaw and stalked over to Bramblepaw. "Well?" he snapped, his tail lashing from side to side. "Are you going to run home with your tail between your legs and tell Swiftstar everything you just heard?" Anger blazed in Hailstep's eyes, but it was mixed with another feeling. Was that fear? What for? Was he afraid that Swiftstar would find out and kill him? Or was it something else he feared?
"I…" Bramblepaw's voice was dry, and he couldn't find the words to speak.
Hailstep snorted. "Figures." He glared at Adderpaw.
"Bramblepaw." This time, Adderpaw's voice was hard. "Are you going to tell Swiftstar what you heard?"
Bramblepaw finally found the strength to shake his head. "No," he replied. "No, I'm not going to tell him anything. Adderpaw is right when he said that I've seen some things that I wish I hadn't. Things that I think are wrong, and that question the way of the warrior." As Bramblepaw addressed the ThunderClan cats, he chose his words carefully. He knew he was outnumbered, even with Adderpaw on his side, and that the ThunderClan cats could attack at any time.
"Doesn't mean you'll side with us." Hailstep's blue eyes were narrowed slits of ice.
"I only heard a sliver of your conversation," Bramblepaw told Hailstep. "I can't tell you exactly what I'll do, because I don't know what your plan is."
Winterfall bared his teeth at Bramblepaw and curled his lip. Finchwing unsheathed his claws, and Hailstep flattened his ears. Only Adderpaw stayed, still as stone. Bramblepaw had nothing more to say, and so he shut his mouth. A thick silence, tense and sharp, fell upon the glade. The ThunderClan cats exchanged nervous glances until Adderpaw finally meowed, "That's enough. We'll talk later."
"Very well." Hailstep dipped his head curtly at Adderpaw. "I don't know the next time we'll meet, but hopefully it's in peace. Let's go, ThunderClan." The gray tom turned on his heels and disappeared into the foliage, and the rest of the WindClan cats followed him. Winterfall stopped and cast a glance over his shoulder, meeting Bramblepaw's eyes. Bramblepaw caught his gaze steadily, refusing to flinch. He wasn't afraid of Winterfall. Winterfall narrowed his eyes and followed Hailstep into the forest. When they were gone, it was just Adderpaw and Bramblepaw, alone in the glade.
Adderpaw cleared his throat. "Were you following me?" he asked, his amber eyes dark with suspicion.
"No," Bramblepaw replied. "I swear, I was telling you the truth. I found it weird that ThunderClan's scent on the border was faint, so I decided to check it out. That's when I heard Hailstep saying something about a WindClan rebellion, and I started to follow his scent. Then I came across him talking to you."
"I'm not a bad cat, Bramblepaw." Adderpaw flattened his ears.
"I know you aren't," Bramblepaw agreed. "And I know this is what you've been wanting to do. But… why are you recruiting ThunderClan cats?"
"ThunderClan is equally as hurt by Swiftstar's actions as I am," Adderpaw replied matter-of-factly. "Alongside several other WindClan cats."
"Like Rabbitfur and Thrushwing," Bramblepaw meowed.
"Yes." Adderpaw nodded. "There are more cats that despise him than there are that support him." The apprentice's gaze fell down to a small spider that was crawling on the grass, and then, in seconds, his paw squashed the spider on the ground. Bramblepaw watched with narrowed pale eyes. He couldn't fight the confusion in his heart. What was right? Should he follow Adderpaw in his quest to topple the brutal, ruthless, savage WindClan leader? Or should he stick true to the warrior code and follow Swiftstar, who still cared for his Clan, even through his ruthless methods?
"Tell me, Bramblepaw," Adderpaw meowed, his voice sharper than the leaf-bare winds. "When the time comes, whose side will you be on? Mine… or Swiftstar's?"
Bramblepaw stared at Adderpaw, lost for words. A good question, indeed. Did he want the burden of attacking his Clan leader? Was it a burden? What was the right choice? Bramblepaw could not give Adderpaw an answer. Instead, he just met his gaze, hoping that his eyes would give him the answer that his mouth could not form.