Bramblestar’s Storm

Bramblestar rose and looked around him, his head reeling from the force of the battle. I never thought kittypets could fight like this! He saw O’Hara trip Lionblaze, then crouch on top of him, raking his claws across Lionblaze’s shoulders, until Cinderheart grabbed him and chased him off. Lionblaze rose to his paws, glaring after Cinderheart with fury in his eyes. Bramblestar could feel his rage that Cinderheart thought he had to be rescued, even though blood was dripping from her wounds too.

Gradually the ThunderClan cats began to drive the kittypets back toward the Twoleg fences, their warrior skills overcoming their adversaries’ uncontrolled attack. Bramblestar spotted Jessy copying his move of ducking under a blow from the black kittypet and shoving her to the ground. The black kittypet rolled away from Jessy’s claws and fled.

Jessy learns fast! Bramblestar thought admiringly. “Great move!” he called to her.

Victor lunged out of a nearby bush and hurled himself at Blossomfall, who staggered under the weight of his body. Bramblestar sprang after them and hauled Victor off, sinking his teeth into the kittypet’s tail. Victor let out a shriek of pain and whirled to face him, but he was off-balance, and Bramblestar easily crushed him to the ground.

Standing over Victor, pinning him down with both hind paws, Bramblestar raised his claws to slash through Victor’s throat. “Do you give in?” he growled.

Victor bared his teeth in a snarl. “Kill me if you want, flea-pelt!”

Bramblestar stepped back, letting the defeated kittypet scramble to his paws. “Do you give in?” he repeated.

Victor gave him a puzzled look, as if he wasn’t sure why he was still alive. The rest of the kittypets, apart from the black cat who had fled, gathered around, their expressions still threatening.

“Warriors do not kill if there is no need,” Bramblestar told them. “But you must let the wild cats hunt here in the forest.”

“Why should we?” Scarlet sneered.

“Because if you don’t, we’ll come back with more warriors, and show less mercy,” Blossomfall growled.

The kittypets still hesitated, until Lionblaze stepped forward. His golden pelt was soaked in blood, and his eyes glared menace. He didn’t need to speak; all the kittypets edged away from him.

“All right,” Victor agreed at last, dull anger in his voice. “We’ll leave the squirrel munchers alone.”

“Good.” Bramblestar was about to call his patrol together to leave, when a new voice spoke behind him.

“What in the name of StarClan do you think you’re doing?”

Chapter 22

Bramblestar whirled around. Rowanstar stood a fox-length away, flanked by Pinenose, Ferretclaw, and his apprentice, Spikepaw. The fur of all four cats was bristling with rage, so that they looked twice their normal size. Their furious gazes were fixed on the ThunderClan cats.

“How dare you come here?” Rowanstar hissed.

Bramblestar was aware of the kittypets slinking away. He took a pace forward, trying to find the right words to defend himself and his patrol. Fox dung! I’d hoped we could get away without ShadowClan knowing we were here.

“What makes you think you have to fight our battles for us?” Rowanstar snarled. “This is our hunting territory now. What gives you the right even to set paw here?” He dug his claws hard into the ground as if what he really wanted was to rake them across Bramblestar’s face. “You came to offer us help, and we refused. Why couldn’t you take no for an answer?”

“I thought—” Bramblestar began.

“Thought!” Rowanstar spat. “That was Firestar’s problem, too. He always thought he knew what was best for every Clan.”

Stung, Bramblestar forced himself to stay calm. He didn’t want other cats to think he viewed himself as superior to the other leaders, interfering when it wasn’t needed. “I found out Jessy had inside information,” he meowed, angling his ears toward the brown she-cat. “She knew where these troublesome kittypets lived.”

Rowanstar stared at Jessy. “Because she’s a kittypet herself, right? So ThunderClan is taking in kittypets now?” he sneered. “What a surprise!” He lashed his tail. “Stay out of our business, Bramblestar, and concentrate on your own Clan.”

At a word of command from Rowanstar, the ShadowClan cats encircled the ThunderClan patrol and began to drive them back toward their own territory, keeping them tightly bunched together. Bramblestar felt as though they were being escorted back to the border like trespassers. Whatever Rowanstar says, we saved their miserable pelts, he thought furiously, but he remained silent, recognizing that nothing he could say would help matters.

They crossed ShadowClan territory and reached the ThunderClan border near the grassy clearing.