Crowfeather's Trial

Crowfeather blinked at Harespring, realizing he had nothing to say to that. “I suppose going to ThunderClan wasn’t my smartest move,” he meowed. He hesitated before he went on, knowing there was something he had to say to Harespring, however much he might not like admitting it. “Onestar was right to make you his deputy, Harespring. I know now that I still have more to learn.”

Harespring’s whiskers arched in surprise. “I’ve always felt it should have been you, Crowfeather. I’m glad you feel you can accept me.”

Crowfeather dipped his head in acknowledgment. “Anyway,” he added, trying to lighten the mood, “you must have bees in your brain if you think that ThunderClan would turn down the chance to get tangled up in another Clan’s affairs.”

Harespring’s tail curled up in amusement. “You could be right,” he agreed.

“Leafpool will help, if I can only meet with her,” Crowfeather mewed, hoping that he would be able to speak to Leafpool this time. Jayfeather will be even more hostile now, if we have to plead with him.

Harespring hesitated before replying, and Crowfeather thought he was looking slightly awkward. His paws shifted uncomfortably, and when he spoke, his voice was a low murmur. “Is it strange,” he asked eventually, “talking to Leafpool after all this time? I know that you two used to be close.”

“Close”? That’s putting it mildly! Crowfeather thought. Do I still have feelings for Leafpool? But then he thought of all that had happened in the seasons they’d been apart. They led separate lives now, and the idea of being together seemed even more impossible than it had seasons ago, when they’d tried to run away. He no longer felt an ache when he imagined Leafpool without him. Now he felt only admiration, and hope that she was happy.

He shrugged. “All that is in the past,” he replied. “But I still respect Leafpool, and I think she’ll want to help a Clan in need.”

Deep in conversation with Harespring, Crowfeather was startled a moment later when a ThunderClan patrol emerged from the other side of a nettle patch. Poppyfrost was in the lead, with her apprentice, Lilypaw, while Birchfall brought up the rear. Crowfeather realized that while he and the deputy had been talking, he had forgotten to keep watch on the far bank of the stream. Mouse-brain! he scolded himself.

Harespring rose to his paws; both he and Crowfeather dipped their heads respectfully to the ThunderClan cats.

“Greetings,” Harespring meowed. “May we come across? We need to speak to Bramblestar.”

Poppyfrost regarded them with narrowed eyes. “You again, Crowfeather? You’re spending more time in ThunderClan territory than in your own.”

“I was very grateful for permission to cross,” Crowfeather responded, biting back a sarcastic retort. “We found Nightcloud. She’s fine, and she’s home now.”

The ThunderClan cats looked surprised, and a little pleased, relaxing from their first suspicious demeanor. Crowfeather realized that no Clan cat would like to think of another lost and injured, even though she belonged to a different Clan. Ivypool had been concerned, too, and all the Clans had joined together to help one another against the Dark Forest.

We’re Clan cats. It’s what we do.

“Good,” Poppyfrost mewed. “So why are you here now?”

“We have a request to make of Bramblestar,” Harespring replied.

Poppyfrost stared at him until she seemingly realized that Harespring wasn’t going to reveal the request.

“Let them come,” Birchfall prompted her. “It might be important.”

Poppyfrost hesitated a moment longer, then nodded. “I suppose two cats aren’t an invasion,” she decided. “Okay, come over.”

The stream here was too wide to leap, but shallow enough to wade through. Crowfeather padded forward cautiously, flinching at the cold feeling of water on his belly fur, though he was grateful for the refreshing touch on his tired paws. It feels like moons since I’ve been able to rest.

On the other side both cats shook their pelts, being careful not to splatter the ThunderClan patrol, and at Poppyfrost’s command followed them through the trees in the direction of the ThunderClan camp.

When they arrived in the stone hollow, the whole Clan seemed to be out in the open. Purdy was stretched out in front of the elders’ den, telling a story to Seedpaw while the apprentice searched him for ticks. Several warriors, including the deputy, Squirrelflight, were gossiping by the fresh-kill pile. Brightheart and Daisy were enjoying the pale leaf-bare sun beside the entrance to the nursery, while Brightheart’s three kits wrestled and rolled about nearby.