The full moon outlines everything in a clear, silver glow. Most of ShadowClan's warriors are ranged at the top of a slope, taking in the sounds and smells of dozens of cats below. Tigerstar (according to him and Runningnose, StarClan approved his leadership and gave him nine lives last night) wants us to be the last to arrive at the Gathering, when all four clans meet in a truce to exchange news. He wants ThunderClan, WindClan, and RiverClan to get a good look at us, to know that ShadowClan is back and better than ever. Pride in my clanmates surges through me as our leader signals with his tail, and we burst into the clearing.
"I see why we call it Fourtrees," I meow to Fernshade, starin' up at the massive oaks. Jaggedtooth and Nightwhisper are on this patrol too, but we still ain't talkin'. They're up at the front, on either side of Blackfoot, our new deputy. As I watch, overwhelmed by the number of bodies jostling around us, he goes to the base of a huge rock in the center of the clearing and starts talking to a spotted she-cat.
"That's Leopardfur, the RiverClan deputy. She'll probably be leader soon. No cat thinks Crookedstar will last much longer," Boulder says. "What I want to know is why Fireheart is leading ThunderClan. Maybe Bluestar died in the fire."
"That's the last thing we need," I mutter. "If Fireheart's leader now, he and Tigerstar will fight like starvin' dogs."
"Always the cynic," Boulder teases. "Maybe if they both get what they want, they can lay off one another."
I know the whole point of these Gatherings is to talk to cats from other clans, but that ain't happening tonight for ShadowClan. As soon as Tigerstar jumps onto the Great Rock, the other clans fall silent. Seeing their expressions, ranging from shock to fear to hostility, I can't help but draw closer to Boulder and my other clanmates.
"Is that Tigerclaw?" a cat from WindClan asks.
"What in the Dark Forest is he doing with ShadowClan?" asks somebody from RiverClan.
"Always wondered why he left ThunderClan in the first place. Something fishy about all that." This from another WindClan warrior.
"Hey, watch what you're calling fishy," says some cat from RiverClan.
"I'm pleased to be here with you at the Gathering this night," Tigerstar says, and every cat shuts up real quick. "I stand here before you as the new leader of ShadowClan. Nightstar died of the sickness that took so many of our clan, and StarClan named me as his successor."
Fireheart dips his head to Tigerstar, then says, "Our leader breathed smoke in the fire. She isn't well enough to come tonight, but she'll recover."
The RiverClan and WindClan leaders exchanges glances but greet Tigerstar formally. Then, the ShadowClan leader's eyes take in the crowd, resting a bit longer on us.
"Thanks to StarClan, I had other cats to bring with me, who have proven themselves willing to hunt and fight for their new clan. Blackfoot, Stumpytail, and Tangleburr have rejoined ShadowClan as respected warriors, and we also welcome Jaggedtooth, Nightwhisper, and Nettlethorn into our ranks."
My friends told me the clans usually cheer new warriors, but that don't happen. I curl my tail around my paws and raise my head defiantly as dozens of eyes pick us apart. The RiverClan cats look mostly neutral, but there's definitely hostility coming from ThunderClan and WindClan.
The black-and-white WindClan leader steps forward and says, "Brokentail's allies were cruel and bloodthirsty, just as he was. Is it really wise to let them back into the clan?"
My claws itch to sink into this old tom's fur. If he's got an issue with my friends comin' back to the forest, I'll gladly fight him over it.
"Brokentail's warriors obeyed him," Tigerstar says evenly, staring the other leader down. "Which of you wouldn't do the same for your own leader? The warrior code says your leader's word is law. These cats were loyal to Brokentail. They will be loyal to me now. Blackfoot, who was Brokentail's deputy, is my deputy now."
ShadowClan yowls in support. "You tell him, Tigerstar!" calls Flintfang.
"They're our clanmates!" Ratscar snarls.
"It's not your business who we let in our clan," Russetfur yells.
Tigerstar looks pleased but silences us with a wave of his tail. "Tallstar, you are right to hate Brokentail. He did great harm to your clan. But let me remind you that it was not my decision to take Brokentail into ThunderClan and care for him. I spoke against that from the first, but when Bluestar insisted on giving him sanctuary, loyalty to my leader meant that I had to support her."
No one asks the obvious question: if he's so loyal to his leader, why is he with another clan? Thankfully, Tallstar lets the topic of the former exiles drop. "That's true," he meows, inclining his head.
"All I ask is that you trust me, and give my warriors a chance to show that they can honor the warrior code and be loyal to ShadowClan once more."
Fireheart speaks next, sharing news of two elders and a medicine cat killed in the fire and thanking RiverClan for sheltering his clanmates. "How come Rowanberry's so upset?" I whisper to Boulder. Dawncloud's buried her muzzle in the brown-and-cream she-cat's fur.
"Yellowfang was her sister," Boulder explains in a low hiss. "Brokenstar accused her of killing two kits and banished her from ShadowClan. ThunderClan took her in and made her their medicine cat."
"After she murdered babies?" I hiss. Maybe they really are as snake-hearted as Tigerstar says.
A pained look crosses the gray warrior's face. "Yellowfang was innocent. Brokenstar killed those poor kits. But the damage was done."
We direct our attention back to the Great Rock, where Fireheart's talkin' to Tigerstar. "ThunderClan accepts that StarClan has approved your leadership. As rogues, your followers stole from all four clans while they roamed the forest, so it's good that they have their own clan again. We trust that they will be bound to the warrior code and stick to their own territory, but we will not tolerate any invasion of ThunderClan. Despite the fire, we're strong enough to drive out any cat who sets paw over our borders. We have no fear of ShadowClan."
My mind flashes back uneasily to Tigerstar's raid into ThunderClan territory, when Whitethroat and that tabby ThunderClan warrior whose name I never learned got killed. Just a mistake, I tell myself. Nothin' like that gonna happen now.
The rest of the Gathering passes with no more fussin'. We all cheer new apprentices and warriors from RiverClan and WindClan. As the leaders (and Fireheart) jump down from the Great Rock, cats break up into smaller groups. I notice Tigerstar talking animatedly to a black-and-silver-striped ThunderClan tom. Maybe they were friends before Tigerstar's exile.
As we head back to camp, I entertain Boulder and Tangleburr with the story of how I fought off a twoleg that tried to grab me. My friends mrrow with amusement as I do my best impression of the yowl the twoleg made when I scratched its massive, flat paw. Not even Jaggedtooth scowlin' at me can dampen my mood.
"Nettlethorn, you're leading the dawn patrol tomorrow. Take Frogtail,, Tallpoppy, and Darkpaw with you," Blackfoot orders.
My chest swells with excitement. I've led hunting patrols and battle practices, but never the dawn patrol. "Yes, Blackfoot," I say, givin' my chest fur a few quick licks.
Lightningkit pounces on my tail, rememberin' to keep her claws sheathed this time. "How was the Gathering? Is there gonna be a fight? Can we play hide-and-seek?"
I purr with amusement. "The other clans accepted Tigerstar as leader, so we don't gotta fight anyone yet. We can do a couple rounds of hide-and-seek before bed. I'm leadin' the dawn patrol tomorrow, so I can't stay up all night."
"Yay!" Lightningkit squeals, running around me in circles until she trips over her tail. She waves her tiny paws happily as she wriggles in the dust.
"You are the silliest creature in the whole forest," I say, licking her ginger fur straight.
When Lightningkit's back in the nursery, tucked up with Newtspeck and her foster brothers, I make a beeline for the warriors' den. But I stop and slide into a patch of shadows when I hear voices hissin' just outside the bramble thicket.
"Back off, gutter-creeper," Jaggedtooth says in a low, harsh growl. "Nettlethorn is mine. We've known each other since we were kits, planned to be mates for seasons. You don't know her like I do, and you got no right to move in like this."
Boulder's meow is even but firm. "She's her own cat, not a piece of fresh-kill that belongs to any tom. I may not have known her as long as you, but I reckon speakin' her mind's not something she has a problem with. If she tells me she doesn't wanna hang out, I'll respect that."
Without givin' Jaggedtooth a chance to argue, the silver-gray tom slips into the den. With a frustrated snarl, Jaggedtooth rakes his claws through the dirt, then pads over to the camp entrance where he's sposed to be on guard. I almost go to my best friend. But for one of the few times in my life, I don't know what to say. I'd be lyin' if I told him I wasn't fallin' for Boulder. He's smart and funny and sweet and mature. We can have long conversations without gettin' bored of each other, and he is handsome. But I can't stand the thought of betraying my best friend. Even after I curl up in my chest, ain't much sleep for me that night. I lie awake, my heart tossin' and turnin'.
Wakin' up before the sun is a pain in the tail, but the dawn patrol goes smoothly. I like being out in the forest when it's still dark and quiet, listening to the prey wake up around us. The hardblack and stink of town seem a world away. How did we live there for so long?
As soon as we're back in camp, Tigerstar looks up from where he's eating some fresh-kill beside Blackfoot and Russetfur. "Nettlethorn, I'd like a word with you in my den," he says.
"Good luck," Tallpoppy mutters, before hurryin' over to discuss the day's training with her apprentice.
Fear makes my stomach churn as I follow Tigerstar into his den beneath the roots of the old oak. We ain't been alone together since our trip into ThunderClan's burning territory. Does he know I argued with my brother and best friend over fakin' the omen for his leadership? If so, what's he gonna do to me? With a cat like him, it could be anything.
Tigerstar settles on a big pile of moss. I stay standing.
"What can you tell me about BloodClan?" he asks. "I understand you and Nightwhisper lived with them for a time with your mother."
I go stiff. "Why you wanna know 'bout them?" I ask warily.
Tigerstar's claws flash, and I hiss as my right cheek burns with pain. A thin line of blood drips down my face. I step back, shocked and horrified. Should I run? Try to fight? But I remember how easily he overpowered me in the ThunderClan camp.
"When your clan leader asks you a question, you answer it," he growls, his muzzle a whisker's length from mine. "I need to know about anything and everything that could be a threat to ShadowClan."
That makes sense. BloodClan cats don't come to the forest, but I reckon we should be prepared for anything. And even though I think he overreacted to me askin' a simple question, I bend my head and say meekly, "I'm sorry, Tigerstar. I just don't like rememberin' them days. But I'll tell you everything I can."
So I tell him about Scourge and Bone and Snipe. I tell him about kits forced to fight dogs, how Scourge and his inner circle keep the best prey and sleeping places for themselves, how old or sick cats are left to die on the streets, if they're not killed for sport. I tell him about Cora, Mama's only real friend from BloodClan, the cat who taught her to hunt and forage so she could survive without Bone. Cora was driven out because she gave birth to a blind kit. And of course I tell him about Coal, killed by Bone in a fit of stupid, mindless rage.
"BloodClan is bad news. If I never see a whisker of a BloodClan cat again, it'll be way too soon," I finish.
"That's all very interesting," Tigerstar comments. Ain't exactly the word I'd use, but okay. "Thank you, Nettlethorn. You can leave now."
I'm almost out of the den when his deep voice calls me back. "You speak of your mother often, but I've never heard you mention your father. Why is that?"
My fur prickles. I get why he asked about BloodClan, but this seems… more personal than Tigerstar usually likes to get with his warriors. Fortunately, the truth is easy this time.
"Don't know a thing about him," I meow with a shrug. "Some kittypet who lived with a twoleg family down the road from her was all Mama ever said. And that Nightwhisper looks a little like him, especially in the eyes."
"Not knowing doesn't bother you?" Tigerstar presses.
Meetin' his eyes feels like gettin' caught in a spider's web, but I make myself do it anyway. "Why should it?" I shoot back with a question of my own. "Ain't gonna waste time or energy botherin' over some cat who didn't bother with us. Mama, Nightwhisper, and Coal are the only kin I need, until I have kits of my own someday."
Tigerstar nods and gestures with his tail for me to go. I'm all too happy to obey. Why does Tigerstar care one way or the other if we know our dad? Exactly how is it his business anyway? Maybe he don't know who his dad was or has some other weird issue he ain't worked out. Even leaders can have introspective moods sometimes, I reckon.
Puttin' the bizarre conversation outa my mind, I head over to the two boulders that shelter the medicine den to get some cobwebs for the slash on my face. Runningnose ain't there, but his apprentice, Littlecloud, is. Now that's one mama who named her kit right; he's even smaller than I am, though that's not sayin' a lot. He frowns as he rubs some chewed-up leaves into the wound. I wince at the sting.
"What happened to you?" Littlecloud asks. "This looks like a cat scratched you."
I shake my head and meow, "I was frog-brained and scratched myself on a branch during the dawn patrol." Disgust leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Here I am, lyin' 'bout why I'm hurt to cover for a cat in power, just like Mama. Dog shit! Could be all clans are like this.
I find Nightwhisper comin' out of the warriors' den, yawning and shaking scraps of bracken from his dark pelt. "Morning," I say cautiously.
"What you want?" he asks, suspicious but not outright angry. We've never been on the outs for long.
"Tigerstar called me into his den this morning, wanted to talk about BloodClan. He said he wants to be ready in case they threaten ShadowClan, but…" But Tigerstar didn't express any outrage or horror at the stories I told. He just thought they were interesting. And the scratch on my cheek still stings.
"But what?" Nightwhisper demands. "You gonna accuse our leader of somethin' else now?"
Before I can show him the scratch, a wail from the nursery gets the whole clan's attention. Newtspeck is staring around, eyes wide and fur bristling. "Where's Lightningkit?" the spotted queen cries. "She's gone!"