Chapter two: The New Prophecy
Brambleclaw sighed as he stared around Thunderclan's new camp.
"Bored?" Squirrelflight asked. The tabby nodded.
"We should play truth or dare!" She said brightly.
"But I heard that Bluestar banned it," Brambleclaw frowned. Squirrelflight shrugged.
"Sandstar hasn't. I mean, why should she? Truth or dare helped her reveal a traitor, which gave her enough reputation to become leader!"
"Find, who else should we get to play?" Brambleclaw asked.
"We should ask Crowfeather and Tawnypelt! I'm sure they're bored after the excitement of our journey," Squirrelflight said. Brambleclaw nodded and headed out of camp. They gathered their two friends and sat together on the new gathering island.
"Tawnypelt," Squirrelflight said. "Truth or dare?"
"Truth," the tortoiseshell said.
"Who in your clan do you like?" Squirrelflight grinned.
"There's no one," Tawnypelt scoffed. "I don't want a mate."
Brambleclaw noticed his sister's tail twitch.
"You're lying!" He accused. He knew his sister too well. Tawnypelt have a frustrated growl.
"Fine," she spat. "Cederheart."
"But he fought for Mudclaw!" Crowfeather snarled.
"So did a lot of your clanmates," Tawnypelt countered. "Anyways, Brambleclaw, truth or dare?"
"Dare," her brother said.
"I dare you to catch a fish, put it on Thunderclan's fresh kill pile, and say "quack," if anyone's questions you. Then silently walk out and come back here," Tawnypelt snickered. The three cats watched as the tabby tried to catch a fish from the island shore. By the time the sun was high in the sky, there was finally one dangling from his jaws.
"Feathertail taught us to fish, it's not that hard," Squirrelflight snorted as they walked to the camp.
"If you like getting your paws wet so much, just wait for what I have planned for you," Brambleclaw muttered around the fish. The three young cats crouched at the top of the stone hollow and watched as Brambleclaw entered the camp.
"Brambleclaw? What's this?" Sandstar asked as Brambleclaw dropped his catch. "I know we don't have a deputy to tell you where to hunt, but I thought it was clear Riverclan should do the fishing. Who will eat that?"
Brambleclaw stayed silent for a moment, but when it was clear an answer was expected, he gave a weak "quack."
"What?" Sandstar asked.
"Quack," Brambleclaw said louder.
"Is this some sort of joke to you?" Sandstar growled. Heads turned to watch.
"Quack," Brambleclaw said with a shrug.
"Are you directing me?"
"Quack."
"Shut up."
"Quack."
"If you say 'quack' one more time-" Sandstar thundered.
"Quack!"
"Out with you! Go! Don't come back until you have some prey Thunderclan cats will actually eat!" Sandstar spat. Brambleclaw turned and walked out of camp. Once out of sight of the cats in the clearing, he bounded to where his friends hid, who were trying to contain their laughter.
"Squirrelflight, truth or dare?" He sighed.
"Don't you mean 'quack?'" Squirrelflight purred. Brambleclaw glared at her, and she said "dare."
"I dare you to pretend to drown in one of Riverclan's streams, and then if you're saved by a tom, kiss him. If you're saved by a she-cat, push her in the river and run."
"Game on," Squirrelflight said cheerfully, leading the way to Riverclan territory. She found a stream shallow enough to stand in.
"Help me, oh no, I'm drowning," she said. She splashed the water with one paw.
"If no one comes to save you, you stay here until someone does," Brambleclaw hissed from the shadows of a willow.
Squirrelflight sighed and began to thrash around in the water, shrieking.
"Help!" She yowled. "I'm drowning!" The sound of splashes filled the air. Before long, Hawkfrost, Mistyfoot, and Heavystep burst through a reed bed.
"Go get Mothwing," Mistyfoot ordered Heavystep before leaping into the stream, Hawkfrost on her tail. The two cats dragged a soaked Squirrelflight from the stream.
"What are you doing on Riverclan land?" Mistyfoot asked the ginger she-cat.
"And how did you manage to drown in a shallow stream?" Hawkfrost asked. Squirrelflight, looking positively furiously, kissed Hawkfrost before spinning around and pushing Mistyfoot into the stream. Squirrelflight raced away, Brambleclaw, Tawnypelt, and Crowfeather on her tail.
"Okay," Tawnypelt panted. "We lost them."
"Brambleclaw," Squirrelflight glared at her clanmate. "Truth or dare?"
"Truth."
"Who do you like?"
Brambleclaw hesitated. How humiliating it would be to admit it to her, knowing she most likely didn't like him back. So he decided to lie, and since Tawnypelt was there, he chose some form of the truth.
"Sorreltail," he said, referring to his childhood crush. Tawnypelt searched his gaze thoroughly, but found no evidence of dishonesty. Squirrelflight looked the slightest bit disappointed.
"Crowfeather, truth or dare?" Brambleclaw asked.
"Dare," the young warrior said, his eyes gleaming.
"I dare you grab a piece of crowfood and eat all of it," Brambleclaw said. Crowfeather glared at him, but said nothing as he led the search through the forest for a piece of rotten prey.
"I can't believe you're making me do this," Crowfeather growled, looking at the dead rabbit on the other side of the black stone.
"We don't have much daylight left, and it's the only crowfood we've found," Squirrelflight shrugged. "Besides, I thought Windclan cats were fast? Or are you saying you've never caught a rabbit?"
At the ginger she-cat's goading, the dark gray tom raced across the Thunderpath, grabbed the rotten rabbit, and ran back.
"Easy," he huffed.
"You've forgotten the second part," Squirrelflight looked pointedly at the rabbit. Crowfeather uttered a growl in his throat as he sank his teeth into the sour flesh. His face was full of disgust as he swallowed. Looking sick already, he took another bite. And another. And even more until there were nothing but bones.
"I feel sick," Crowfeather flopped down onto his side.
"Well you have to ask one of us truth or dare, then we go to the gathering," Squirrelflight said.
"The gathering," Crowfeather's dull eyes brightened. "Tawnypelt, truth or dare?"
"Dare, I suppose," the tortoiseshell shrugged.
"I dare you to go to the gathering, jump into the Great Oak, and yowl this:
'Blackstar you look stupid, Sandstar you are bossy, Leopardstar you look splattered with mud, Onestar your whiskers are funny. Mistyfoot you got wet, Russetfur loves Blackstar, Ashfoot you are amazing. Cinderpelt you walk funny, Leafpool you are careless, Barkface you are ancient, Littlecloud you have a runny nose, Mothwing you can't fly. Squirrelflight loves Hawkfrost, Brambleclaw likes Sorreltail, and I love Cedarheart.'"
"Noooooooooooooooooooooo," Tawnypelt whined.
"Don't make her!" Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight said at the same time.
"She does it, or she has to run onto the island screaming her head off before jumping in the lake and swimming to Shadowclan territory," Crowfeather snickered.
"I think I'd rather do that," Tawnypelt objected.
"And you'll have to roll in foxdung," Crowfeather added. "And no one will think you're sane anymore if you do that."
"And they'll respect me after I insult the leaders, medicine cats, and deputies?" Tawnypelt countered.
"I think it is going a little far," Squirrelflight agreed.
"Very extreme," Brambleclaw said.
"Fine," Crowfeather huffed. "You have to wear a collar and walk into the gathering and sit down like everything is normal, is that too extreme?"
"It's perfect," Brambleclaw grinned. Tawnypelt scowled.
"I can't believe we managed to find this in time," Tawnypelt grumbled, scratching at the itchy fiber around her neck. The bell on it jingled loudly.
"Remember what happens if you don't do this," Crowfeather smiled. Tawnypelt glared at him and leaped onto the tree bridge, causing the bell to jingle again. The Shadowclan she-cat entered the clearing, and heads turned to look at her.
"Tawnypelt, where have you been all day?" Russetfur asked.
"Where did you go?" Oakfur asked.
"Are you okay?" Littlecloud croaked.
"She's got a collar," Talonpaw said. No one heard him.
"TAWNYPELT IS WEARING A COLLAR!" Rownclaw yowled.
"Kittypet!" Snarled Hawkfrost.
"Traitor!" Spat Tallpoppy.
"Quiet!" Blackstar shouted. The growls quieted and the black pawed leader spoke.
"Tawnypelt, why do you wear the mark of a kittypet?" He asked, his voice deadly quiet and full of menace.
"Because Fireant was a kittypet, and I wanted to look as stupid as him to honor his memory," Tawnypelt said cheerfully.
"Honor his memory? My mate is not dead!" Sandstar snarled.
"My father isn't stupid!" Leafpool growled.
"He got himself caught by twolegs," Tawnypelt pointed out.
"If he's so stupid how come he was a deputy?" Cloudtail spat.
"Because he stood on a fire ant hill," Tawngpelt said.
"Wait a minute…" Sandstar growled. "How do you know about that? That was from truth or dare as an apprentice." The ginger leader leapt down from the tree and sniffed Tawnypelt's fur. "You smell like Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight and Crowfeather, and all of them were missing today. You haven't been playing truth or dare, have you?"
"Well I saw a flying hedgehog," Tawnypelt shrugged.
"I thought that game was banned by Bluestar," Sandstar growled, her green eyes narrowing.
"Bluestar is dead," Tawnypelt said. "And I wasn't playing it. We were," she flicked her tail and Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight, and Crowfeather came out. "And we're going back to our camps."
"No you're not!" Leopardstar snarled. Riverclan warriors blocked their exit. "Squirrelflight has some questionable choices to answer for."
"And Brambleclaw needs to explain himself." Sandstar added.
"And Crowfeather needs herbs," Barkface rasped, looking at the sickly dark gray tom. The four friends exchanged glances.
It was fun while it lasted, they all thought.