EOTW: Sasha's Calling: Chapter Seven

Warriors Series 5.5: Echoes of the War
Novella 5: Sasha's Calling
Chapter Seven

     “Ew, get away from me!”

     Sasha looked up, surprised to hear unhappy squealing from the nursery. The loner kit Storm scrambled out of the den, followed more slowly by a surprised Smokekit.

     The loner padded over. “What happened?” she demanded. “Is Storm hurt?”

     Smokekit shook his head, looking baffled. “All I did was ask if she wanted to play,” he mewed.

     Storm curled her lip. “Mama says that I shouldn't play with kits I don't know,” she sneered. “And I don't know you, or your scruffy littermates.”

     Sasha narrowed her eyes. “There's no need to be making fun of how any cat looks,” she scolded the kit. She glanced at Smokekit, adding, “And if someone doesn't want to play, you need to respect that.”

     “I do,” Smokekit insisted. “All I did was ask.”

     Sasha looked between the two kits, her eyes narrowed. “Where are your mothers?” she asked.

     “Out on patrol,” Smokekit answered.

     “That black she-cat was supposed to be looking after us, but she got distracted mooning over that gray kittypet,” Storm sniffed.

     Smokekit glared at Storm. “Birdshade is a tom, not a she-cat,” he corrected. “Though he was mooning over Cosettecloud, to be fair.”

     “But he smells like a she-cat,” Storm argued.

     “Whatever he smells like, he knows he's a tom, and he lives as one,” Sasha explained to the kit. Storm opened her jaws, looking ready to argue just for the sake of it, before rolling her eyes and turning away with a snort.

     As Sasha spoke, Smokekit's littermates padded out of the nursery, eyes narrowed. “Trying to play with this mousebrain?” Sparkkit guessed, her lip curled in a sneer. “Don't even bother, Smokekit. We've been trying to play with grumpy-whiskers here for days, but she just makes fun of us.” Emberkit said nothing, but glared at Storm alongside her sister.

     The black-and-white kit scoffed, lashing her tail. “I don't play with Clan kits,” she sneered. “Clan cats have to be looked after all the time, and have all kinds of boring rules. Loners can look after themselves.” She glanced at Sasha, adding, “You get that – you're a loner, aren't you?”

     Sasha blinked in surprise. Part of her had almost forgotten her previous, lonely existence, and what it really meant to live as a loner. That was what she had to return to? But she quickly shook off those confused thoughts and focused on the kit in front of her. “No way of living is any better than any other, providing you're not hurting anyone,” she said in a stern mew. “And it's certainly not okay to make fun of other cats for the way they live. Apologize at once.”

     Anger flared in the she-kit's eyes. For a moment, Sasha thought she would refuse to obey. Then she blinked. Turning her gaze back to Ebonyclaw's kits, she muttered a quick, “Sorry,” that didn't remotely sound sincere. Before Sasha could scold her for it again, the loner bounded away back towards the nursery.

     “Stuck up furball,” Sparkkit snorted once the loner kit was gone. “She thinks she's better than us just 'cause she's already being trained by her mother to hunt.”

     Sasha stared after the loner kit, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. She hadn't seen much of the loner kits since they had come to stay with the Clan a few days ago, though their mother left the nursery sometimes to hunt. Sasha couldn't help but notice that the she-cat didn't bring back much prey during her hunts, and she always had to be asked to help with hunting, rather than volunteering herself. Though she had never said anything against the Clan that Sasha had heard, she couldn't help but remain suspicious of the loner queen. She was up to something, Sasha could feel it, and whatever it was would hurt SkyClan. She couldn't let that happen.

     “Has your mother heard Storm talking to you like that?” she asked the kits quietly.

     Emberkit shook her head, annoyance flashing in her eyes. “Storm and Patch are pretty quiet whenever the older cats are around,” she revealed. “Leaf's okay, but once the queens are gone, Storm starts talking about how useless Clans are, and Patch just goes along with whatever she says.”

     “Shelia gives us these weird looks whenever we try to play with her kits,” Smokekit added. “I don't think she likes us very much.”

     “Hmm.” Sasha watched the nursery thoughtfully for a few moments, then turned to look back down at the kits. “Well, try to keep out of Storm and Patch's way if they're just going to bother you,” she suggested. “And if they pick on you again, tell your mother.”

     The kits still looked annoyed, but they nodded their agreement before turning and padding back towards the nursery. Sasha turned away from the den and started towards the Rockpile, where Shrewtooth was handing out patrols for the day. She would have to keep an eye on the loner queen – but hunting for the Clan came first.

     Shrewtooth's gaze flicked to her as she sat with the crowd gathered before him. Something like joy flickered in his eyes at the sight of her, but the look was gone before Sasha could wonder at it very long. “Rabbitleap, I'd like you to lead the border patrol with Harrytooth, Thymeleaf, Plumwillow, and Rufuspaw,” he announced. The brown tom nodded his consent. “I will take a hunting patrol out myself, with Luckyleaf, Dawnblossom, Cosettecloud, Firelily, and Sasha.” The loner drew her head up, ears perked towards Shrewtooth at the sound of her name.

     Once Shrewtooth finished handed out the rest of the day's patrols, he rounded up his patrol and led them out into the forest. Sasha fell in beside Shrewtooth, with the rest of the patrol trailing along behind.

     “I almost didn't get out of my den this morning,” Cosettecloud mewed as the patrol trudged through the snow. There was a softness to the she-cat's appearance that contrasted with the rest of the battle-scarred warriors, but Sasha had seen her in action enough to know that she was a fine hunter and warrior. “My house folk didn't leave the window open as wide as they usually do, but I managed to squeeze out once I pushed it open a bit.”

     Luckyleaf flicked his tail. “I just meow at my house folk until they wake up if they haven't left me a way to get out,” he joked, whiskers twitching. “They grumble about it, but they always feed me and let me outside, so it must not bother them too much.” Mischief gleamed in his eyes as he added, “And if they don't get up fast enough, I just sit on one of their faces. That seems to wake them up pretty quickly.”

     Cosettecloud purred her amusement, but Sasha couldn't bring herself to join in on the fun. The daylight warriors' stories about their house folk was bringing back memories of her time with Ken and Jean. It had been so many seasons since she'd lived with her house folk, but her heart still ached with grief for them. She knew she wouldn't give up her freedom as a wild cat for anything, but she could never forget the kindness her house folk had showed her, or how much she had loved them.

     Shrewtooth glanced at her, seeming to notice her downcast mood. “Well we're glad you made it here today, Cosettecloud,” he mewed, quickly shifting the topic away from twolegs. Sasha gave him a grateful look. “It's only fair for you to have to trudge around in the freezing cold if the rest of us do,” he joked. Cosettecloud purred her amusement.

     “We'll be lucky if we get anything done today at all,” Firelily grumbled. The she-cat's thick pelt was fluffed out against the wind, which was swirling more cold air around than it had been the last few days. “If our prey has any sense, they'll be buried as deep into their dens as they can get to keep away from this cold.”

     “Then we better hope they don't have any sense,” Luckyleaf purred, his tail curling behind him. Firelily just rolled her eyes, but Dawnblossom and Cosettecloud purred in laughter.

     Suddenly, Dawnblossom paused. The tortoiseshell fell deep into a crouch, ears flicking around as though trying to locate a certain sound. She took a few steps forward, then gave a mighty leap into a thick tangle of bushes. There was a squealing sound, then silence. Dawnblossom emerged from the bushes a few moments later with a chaffinch hanging from her jaws.

     “Well caught!” Sasha praised the fluffy she-cat. Dawnblossom shook her pelt, snow and leaves from the bushes flying off in different directions as she did. Pride was glowing in her pale green eyes.

     “Thanks,” she purred. She set the chaffinch down by her paws, lifting her chin with a confident air. “Looks like we can get something done after all, Firelily,” she mewed, glancing pointedly at the ginger tabby. Firelily just rolled her eyes, though she did seem less annoyed now that prey had been caught.

     Unfortunately, further prey was not forthcoming, no matter how hard the patrol scoured the woods. Sasha kept her ears pricked for the slightest sound of prey, and the rest of the patrol were equally focused, but nothing seemed to be stirring in the snowy woods.

     Eventually, Shrewtooth called the patrol together. “I think we might have better luck if we split up into smaller groups,” he told the patrol. “Firelily and Luckyleaf, Dawnblossom and Cosettecloud, and Sasha and I. We can meet up again by the birch stump – but for now, let's try and see if prey is more willing to come out if they don't scent as many cats.” The cats around him nodded, weariness in their eyes. It had been a disappointing hunt so far – but Shrewtooth's idea seemed to give them hope. The groups quickly set off on their own, and soon Sasha was left alone with Shrewtooth.

     The black tom flicked his tail wearily. “Come on,” he murmured. His gaze softened a bit as it shifted to Sasha. “Let's see what we can catch before we have to meet up with the others.”

     Sasha nodded. She followed behind as the black tom led her through the forest. As they walked, she commented, “You shouldn't blame yourself.” The tom glanced at her, seeming surprised that she had seen through him so easily. “It's not your fault the hunting's so bad this leafbare. You can't control the weather, or our prey.”

     Shrewtooth gave a weary purr. “Thank you,” he mewed. “I know that, it's just hard not being able to do more.”

     “You're doing the best you can by hunting for them, and keeping their spirits up,” she insisted. “And no cat is better at that than you.” She flicked her tail-tip against his flank, adding, “You just need to remember to take some time for yourself now and again. You won't be of any use to your Clan if you're too worn out to go on.”

     A sigh escaped the black tom. Though he still looked weary, there was a grateful gleam in his yellow-green eyes. “I appreciate that, Sasha,” he murmured. “I'll try to keep from overdoing it.” He held his gaze on her, some emotion flickering there that Sasha didn't fully understand. “I want to thank you for how you've been helping to look after my Clan, Sasha,” he mewed, his tone unusually serious. “You've been a great friend and comfort to so many of my Clanmates, especially the younger cats and the elders. You could have left once you were healed, but you stayed and helped us hunt during this hard season. It's meant a lot to my Clanmates, I can tell – and it means a lot to me.”

     Sasha stared at the black tom, too surprised to find a fitting response. Shrewtooth was a friendly and open tom, but she had never seen such vulnerable sincerity from him. There was a gleam of fear in his eyes, as though he were afraid of what her response might be, as though he were afraid of her. And Sasha could feel a similar fear in her own heart. Fear of what his words meant, fear of what the warmth and longing and anxiety all twisting together in her chest at the thought of him meant, fear of what she'd gotten herself into by staying with this Clan.

     Finally, she turned her muzzle away, no longer able to meet his eyes. “Thank you,” she murmured. Shrewtooth watched her a moment longer, but when she didn't respond further, he simply looked away and continued leading them through the woods. As they walked, Sasha tried to sort through her tangled thoughts.

     She had been trying to ignore it for days, but ever since she'd agreed to stay with SkyClan, her attachment to the Clan had grown strong – but her attachment to one particular tom had grown stronger than anything else. And that had her frightened, more than she had been in a long time.

     It wasn't the first time she'd felt something for a cat beyond friendship since her first disastrous choice of mate. Russetfur had been so kind to her and her kits, and she had been the one ShadowClan cat that Sasha had trusted and grown to care about above all others, to the point where her feelings for the deputy had been deeper than just friends. Her grief for Tadpole hadn't kept her from noticing the beautiful sheen of Leopardstar's pelt once she'd moved into RiverClan, or the confidence with which she'd led her Clan. Her feelings for the loner Pine had even taken a deeper turn when she'd moved in with him briefly after leaving RiverClan, though sickness had claimed him before she could begin to explore those feelings more deeply.

     But in all of those cases, Sasha had turned away before anything too serious could develop between her and the other cat. Whenever she had tried to find love in her life, any kind of love, a certain dark cloud had always loomed over her and reminded her of just how much she had to lose. Tigerstar. Even all of these seasons later, her heart ached with love for him, and with the pain of his betrayal. His cruel actions had not only led to her losing him, but losing their kits as well, and any chance of having a home among the Clans.

     Shrewtooth was nothing like Tigerstar, or any of the hardened warriors she'd cast her eye towards before. He was on the smaller side, with a scruffy, lanky appearance, and there was a gentleness to his bearing that contrasted with what Sasha usually pursued. But in all of the time she had known him, he had shown a compassion for others and a dedication to his Clan that Tigerstar could never have hoped to achieve. He truly, deeply cared for those around him, and his work as deputy wasn't to further his own ambitions, but to serve the family he loved in the best way that he could. It was that caring and that sensitivity to the needs of his Clan that had brought Sasha to care for him so much.

     And there was something more – ever since that first nightmare, she had seen little glimpses of the trauma he'd spoke of, little cracks in the facade. This was a cat who had known hurt and loss, just as she had. But he didn't turn his anger on the world. He used his hurt to try and keep others from going through what he had, choosing kindness over anger or bitterness. She admired that more than she cared to admit, and she had come to look forward to their hunts together, the times they got to play and joke and forget their hurt for a while, more than anything.

     But even as her attraction to him deepened, her fear increased. This wasn't what was supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to get attached to any SkyClan cats, let alone start falling in love with one. She had known love before, and it had betrayed her and left her broken. Every cat she had let herself care about had left her in some way or other. How could she let herself love Shrewtooth the way she had let herself love before? How could she even consider it? Hadn't she been hurt enough for one life? Nothing was worth feeling that pain again. Not even him.

     Sasha was distracted from her dark thoughts by a nearby rustling. She fell immediately into a hunting crouch, Shrewtooth staying back as she crept along the snow and past a cluster of ferns. The she-cat readied herself to pounce on her prey – only to freeze in surprise when she realized it hadn't been prey that had made the noise that alerted her. It was Shelia.

     Suspicion immediately flared in the loner's mind. Shelia was a few fox-lengths away from her, and didn't seem to notice Sasha. A squirrel hung from her jaws. Her expression was one of determination, and her pace was brisk as she trotted through the snow. She was clearly going somewhere specific. Her hard expression sent fear sparking through Sasha's pelt. Whatever Shelia was going to do, it was going to be bad for SkyClan, she could feel it in her heart.

     The she-cat stayed low and silent, stalking the other loner like prey as she made her way through the forest. Shelia quickly made her way past the thicker part of the forest, the trees beginning to thin out around her and Sasha as the loner crept along after her. Confusion sparked through Sasha as the loner queen passed out of SkyClan territory entirely and headed straight towards Twolegplace. Shelia padded into the tangle of thunderpaths and dens, keeping to the twoleg paths as she traveled through twolegplace. Sasha kept to the shadows of the fences, keeping well back so as not to be spotted.

     Her confusion only grew as Shelia headed straight to a fence behind one of the dens. Sasha stiffened in fear as loud, throaty barking sounded from behind the fence. From the sound of the creature, it had to be massive. Rather than showing fear at the sound, Shelia headed straight to the fence. Horror spiked in Sasha's heart as the queen padded along the fence line until she reached a section of fence that was rotted away. She watched, frozen in horror, as the queen began to dig at the earth under the fence. There was a snuffling sound, then two massive paws appeared at the hole in the fence, digging fervently at the spot where the hole was. Shelia struck out at the paws with her claws, then leaped back as the dog howled in pain. “Mangy brute!” Shelia spat.

     Sasha watched as Shelia left the dog to its digging, then lowered her squirrel to the ground, rubbing it against the snow as she walked away from the fence. The queen clawed at the squirrel a bit, causing a few drops of scarlet blood to fall onto the snow behind her as she went.

     Horrible understanding finally crashed over Sasha. She's leaving a trail for the dog, she realized, horror coursing through every hair on her pelt. And it's leading back to SkyClan!

     The second that Shelia was out of sight, Sasha broke into a run, snow spraying up behind her as she hurtled towards the forest as fast as her paws could carry her. She took a different route than Shelia had on the way there, racing as quickly as she could towards the birch stump. Someone had to stop Shelia, but she couldn't do this alone. She was going to need SkyClan's help.

     Shrewtooth and the rest of the patrol were already gathered by the birch stump by the time Sasha finally reached it. They whirled around, looking stunned at the panicked state of the loner. Shrewtooth was at her side in an instant. “Are you okay? What's wrong?” he demanded. “I couldn't find you after you went through those ferns.”

     Sasha was gasping for air, her legs trembling with the effort of her run, but she knew there was no time to waste. “You... you have to come with me!” she gasped out. “Shelia's betrayed the Clan!”

     Shrewtooth's eyes widened in shock, and the rest of the patrol looked at each other with stunned expressions. “Shelia's betrayed us?” Cosettecloud repeated, her mew trembling. “Why would she do that? She's been a friend to our Clan for seasons.”

     Firelily narrowed her eyes. “We've known Shelia much longer than we've known you,” she pointed out in a low growl. She took a step towards Sasha, her hackles beginning to bristle. “Why should we trust you over her?”

     Desperation coursed through Sasha. “I can prove it!” she insisted. “Please, just trust me, I can show you. But we have to hurry!”

     A storm of emotions was battling in Shrewtooth's eyes. Sasha forced herself to met his gaze, her heart lurching inside of her. Please, believe me, she prayed silently as she locked eyes with the tom she'd come to care about. I couldn't bear it if you thought I was lying.

     After a moment, determination hardened in Shrewtooth's eyes. He took a step towards Sasha, dipping his head to her. “Lead the way,” he mewed simply.

     “We're behind you, Sasha,” Dawnblossom added, though her tone was subdued. The entire patrol seemed stunned and hurt at the idea of a friend possibly having betrayed them.

     Thank StarClan. “Come on!” she hissed. Sasha spun around, not waiting to see if the patrol would follow as she took off into the forest. Shrewtooth fell in beside Sasha, the rest of the cats following closely behind. There was no sound but the scuff of paws against snow, and the howl of the wind. Every cat was grimly silent as they headed for their destination.

     Sasha led the patrol straight to the border with twolegplace. A grim sense of satisfaction filled her when they broke past the trees and found Shelia just over the border, still spilling drops of squirrel blood along behind her. The loner queen froze up in shock as the patrol burst out of cover and surrounded her. “What in the world... what is the meaning of this?” Shelia hissed, arching her back as she faced the SkyClan cats.

     Shrewtooth's gaze flitted to the squirrel that Shelia had dropped at her paws, then back to the spots of blood in the snow behind her. “What are you doing with that prey?” he asked, his mew carefully neutral.

     “None of your business!” the queen snapped, scooping the squirrel closer to her with one paw. “I caught it myself, so I can do what I want with it!” The loner had always been neutral in her dealings with the Clan cats, even friendly on occasion, but now her facade had slipped. Sasha could see the true disdain and anger beneath it all.

     Surprise flashed in Luckyleaf's eyes. “No you didn't,” he mewed, sounding puzzled. “I saw Plumwillow bring that squirrel back into camp earlier this morning.” He peered closer at the squirrel, adding uneasily, “It even has the same scar on its flank.” Every cat's gaze sharpened, and even Firelily was glaring her suspicion at Shelia now.

     Fear flashed in Shelia's eyes, but a moment later it was replaced by anger once more. “Are you calling me a liar?” she demanded. “How dare you!”

     Shrewtooth took another step towards Shelia, his voice harder now with anger. “I'll ask you again – what were you doing with this squirrel?” he growled. Shelia's ears flattened against her head, and she glared hotly at Shrewtooth, but said nothing in reply.

     Sasha came to stand beside Shrewtooth, glaring at the treacherous loner. “There's a dog in twolegplace with a hole in its fence,” she explained. The queen turned a furious glare on Sasha. “I saw Shelia help dig under the hole to give the dog more room to get out, then she laid a trail of squirrel blood from the dog's nest to here.”

     Horror flared in the eyes of all of the Clan cats. Cosettecloud's pelt fluffed out with terror, and Luckyleaf stared at Shelia with hurt and anger in his eyes, but Firelily and Dawnblossom just glared hatred at her. “A dog!” Cosettecloud gasped. “Is it coming now?” She looked all around herself, as though expecting the dog to leap out of the undergrowth at any moment.

     “I don't think so,” Sasha mewed. “There was a hole there for it to get out, but it didn't look big enough yet. I don't think it can get out.”

     Relief glowed in Shrewtooth's eyes for a moment, but it was quickly replaced by anger again. He bared his fangs at the queen, demanding, “Is this true?”

     For a moment, Shelia looked uncertain, before her face twisted back into a sneer. “I have nothing to say to you,” she hissed. “Clan filth.”

     Shrewtooth's expression became one of grim anger. “Firelily, Luckyleaf, make sure the prisoner doesn't escape on our way back to camp,” he hissed. The warriors nodded, coming to stand on either side of the loner queen. Shelia glared furiously at her captors, but when Firelily spat at her to get her moving, she seemed to realize that she had no choice. Cosettecloud picked up Shelia's squirrel as the rest of the patrol headed off towards camp together.

     Sasha glanced at Shrewtooth as she walked beside him. While the tom's expression was tight with anger, there was also a glow of hurt in his eyes. “I'm sorry that Shelia betrayed the Clan,” she murmured. Shrewtooth glanced at her in surprise. “I know she was your friend.”

     “It's not your fault,” Shrewtooth mewed back in a low tone. Even through his anger, he managed to gave a low, raspy purr. “Thank you for warning us. We never would have seen her plan coming without you.”

     Warmth fluttered in Sasha's chest. She had to keep from purring as she and Shrewtooth walked together, though a serious mood quickly took over again as they neared the camp.

     Murmurs of confusion rose from the cats in camp as Shrewtooth led the patrol in. They could clearly tell something was going on, with Luckyleaf and Firelily standing beside Shelia the way they were, and Shelia glaring hatred at everyone. Brindlestorm scrambled straight up to her father's den, emerging with him a few moments later.

     Sharpstar descended down into the gorge, swarming quickly onto the top of the Rockpile. The rest of the Clan gathered below it, making room for Shrewtooth and his patrol at the base of the pile. “Shrewtooth, what is this?” Sharpstar demanded.

     The black tom came to stand before the Rockpile, dipping his head to his leader. “Sharpstar, I present you with Shelia, who we took as our prisoner after we learned of her betrayal.” Gasps of horror rang out from the crowd. Coal quickly pushed his way past the other cats to stand beside his mate, horror and confusion blazing in his eyes, and his kits followed quickly after him. Shrewtooth turned to Sasha, gesturing her forward with his tail. “Sasha, explain everything you told us to Sharpstar.”

     Sasha met Sharpstar's gaze evenly, even as the leader glared down in anger at the cats gathered before him. In a clear tone, she told him and the rest of the Clan exactly what Shelia had done. Coal seemed frozen in horror, his eyes growing wider with every word out of Sasha's mouth. Leaf was staring at her mother in horror, but Storm and Patch just huddled closer to her, their hackles bristling. When Sasha finally finished explaining, Sharpstar shifted his gaze to the loner in question. “Is all of this true, Shelia?” he demanded. The leader's tone was icy and calm, but hard anger smoldered in his eyes. His calm tone didn't hide the fact that the leader was furious.

     “It can't be true,” Coal mewed before his mate could speak. The tom was beginning to tremble now. “Shelia would never do anything like that. She... it just can't be true!”

     “Shelia?” Sharpstar prompted, ignoring Coal entirely.

     The queen jerked her chin up, icy pride and anger glowing in her eyes. “You've all clearly already made up your minds about it,” she hissed. “If your precious deputy hates me, there's no point in trying to change the rest of your minds. You'll just blindly go along with whatever your leaders say. That's what makes Clans like you so pathetic and weak! None of you can think for yourselves!”

     Furious snarls broke out at the loner's words. The crowd was working itself into a frenzy, snarling and screeching their hatred at the cat they had thought was their friend. Sasha could see hurt and anger mixing together in all of their eyes, twisting together into a heated rage. Even Coal was gaping at his mate now, horror and realization blazing together in his eyes. “You... you really... how could you?” he gasped.

     Shelia whirled on her mate, spitting her fury at the black tom. “Oh, of course you don't understand!” she snarled in his face. “You may be a loner, but you're as spineless as these Clan cats, you always have been!” Coal flinched from her words, misery glowing in his eyes. Shelia turned her glare back to Sharpstar, calling up to him, “This forest is rich with prey, yet you Clan cats hog it all for yourselves, forcing cats to bow and scrape at your paws before they have the right to hunt here. It makes me sick how you cater to the weak and let them eat, while the strong go hungry. Any cat who's strong enough to hunt for themselves should have the right to this forest.” She brought her chin up, hissing, “I admit I left a trail for that mangy mutt. I'm proud of it! It's about time someone taught you Clan brats a lesson about how things work in the real world!”

     “Very well.” Every word came out with the frost of leafbare. Sharpstar glared icy hatred down at Shelia, making his words strong and clear enough for every cat to hear. “Shelia, I hereby exile you from SkyClan's territory forever. You are no loner welcome inside of our borders. Any cat who sees you on our territory after sunhigh today is to drive you off, or take you prisoner.” His eyes flashed with a dangerous light as he added, “And if you ever do come here again, I won't let you off so easily again. If you are determined to be a danger to my Clan, the penalty will be death.”

     For the briefest moment, fear flashed in Shelia's gone. Then it was gone. “Fine,” she hissed. “Have it your way. I hope all of you Clan cats wind up as dog food. It's what you fools deserve.” She reached her muzzle down, snapping her jaws over Leaf's scruff before the kit had time to react. “Let's go,” she snarled around a mouthful of fur.

     The loner queen began padding away, the crowd parting silently to let her through. Leaf wriggled in her mother's jaws, her eyes wide with horror, but she didn't make a sound of protest as her mother carried her away. Storm and Patch followed after their mother after only a moment of hesitation. Coal stayed where he was, frozen in horror, watching as his mate bounded across the rocks and out of camp.

     Sharpstar's gaze flicked over to Coal. “If you didn't know what your mate was planning, then you are welcome to stay here,” he said in a gruff mew.

     Coal hesitated, staring up at the leader with wide eyes. Sasha was shaken by the depths of the misery in his eyes. “I...” After a moment, he gave himself a quick shake. “No. Thank you, Sharpstar. But I can't leave my kits,” he rasped. Without another word, he turned and began trudging after his mate. In a matter of moments, he too was gone, and the stunned SkyClan was left to themselves.

     Shocked murmurs sprang up from the crowd the moment the loners were gone. Sasha could see the SkyClan cats looking at each other in stunned horror, trying to reason how this happened, how they'd been so fooled. Her heart ached for them – Shelia's betrayal had clearly cut them deep.

     “Silence!” The murmurs of the crowd fell away at Sharpstar's call. Every cat turned their attention to their leader. Sharpstar's hackles were still bristling with lingering anger, but there was a softer glow in his eyes as he continued, “What has happened today is a blow to our Clan. But it could have been far worse had one cat not seen the danger in time and warned us.”

     Sasha stiffened in surprise as the leader's gaze fell to her, the rest of SkyClan following suit. “Sasha, SkyClan owes you a great debt of thanks,” he rumbled. Gratitude was glowing in the tom's eyes. “You have acted again and again in SkyClan's defense. What you have done for us cannot be repaid.”

     A cheer rose up from the crowd, quickly growing in strength as more cats joined the call. “Sasha! Sasha! Sasha!” The she-cat was stunned to see so many of the SkyClan cats she'd come to call friends cheering her name with joy shining in their eyes. Frecklewish quickly came to Sasha's side, purring wildly as she touched her nose to her ear, and Shrewtooth was calling Sasha's name with the rest of them, joy shining in his eyes. She hadn't realized the Clan had come to care for her so much, but as she listened to them cheer for her, a warm feeling of joy burned in her chest. It almost felt like having a family again.

     Sharpstar allowed the cheer to continue for a while, then lashed his tail for silence. He waited until every cat was quiet again to continue. “In view of everything that you have done for our Clan, there is only one thing I can do,” he rumbled.

     He drew his head up proudly, calling out for every cat to hear, “Sasha, as leader of SkyClan, I ask you to join my Clan as a warrior.”