Veil of Shadows/Chapter 17

==Chapter description==
:Rootspring is at a meeting of the rebels in SkyClan's old camp. Squirrelflight and Spotfur walk up to greet him, and he notices Berrynose standing awkwardly behind them. Tigerstar challenges Berrynose on what he is doing there, and Squirrelflight explains his banishment and Bristlefrost's appointment as ThunderClan's deputy. Tigerstar, Berrynose, and Squirrelflight all agree that Bristlefrost is not qualified to be deputy, and Spotfur questions if she is a traitor, upsetting Rootspring.
:Squirrelflight explains the request she made of Bristlefrost to protect Bramblestar's body, and doubts that she is a traitor, but Spotfur isn't convinced. Tigerstar questions Berrynose on what he knows, but Berrynose protests that he could never betray Bramblestar and he is unsure what to believe. The rebels decide to keep him as a prisoner until he picks a side, and Spotfur snaps that Berrynose's fate is unimportant compared to the allies they lost in the attack on Bramblestar's impostor. They share a moment of grief for Stemleaf, Conefoot, and Dappletuft.
:Tigerstar reminds Spotfur that the dead cats acted against orders, and that they had agreed to wait before killing Bramblestar. Spotfur protests that Bramblestar needs to be stopped and needs to pay for Stemleaf's death. Rootspring sees Stemleaf's ghost standing beside her, gazing at his mate with love and sorrow. Tigerstar explains how Shadowsight saw a spirit emerge from Bramblestar's body, to the shock of the gathered cats. Lionblaze questions how this information will help them, and Tigerstar asks if Squirrelflight can identify the cat who has replaced her mate. Squirrelflight points out that he is lazy and wants to disrupt the Clans, and Lionblaze questions if it could be the first Tigerstar. Crowfeather objects that Tigerstar wasn't lazy, and that the Dark Forest cats were destroyed permanently. Mothwing suggests it could be Darktail, but Squirrelflight doesn't think his personality fits that of the imposter.
:Rootspring worries that everything is going wrong, and has to remind himself that the imposter is a larger threat than the idea of Bristlefrost being a traitor, though the latter upsets him more. Stemleaf appears once again, and Tree indicates to his son that he can also see the ghost. The meeting breaks down into an argument, and Squirrelflight calls out for everyone to be quiet. She reminds them that Bramblestar may have learned about them if Bristlefrost is indeed a traitor, and Lionblaze asserts that they need to stop arguing and work together to defeat the imposter. Tigerstar says that Bramblestar has been sending Bristlefrost to the other Clans to call for any cats involved in the attack to be exiled. Breezepelt mentions that Harestar has agreed with Bramblestar and wants the other Clans to obey in order to bring StarClan back.
:Spotfur suggests that Flipclaw could pass on information about Bramblestar while Bristlefrost is considered untrustworthy. Puddleshine suggests that Shadowsight's return, Alderheart's exile, and Flipclaw's appointment as medicine cat may be enough for Kestrelflight and Willowshine to share the information about the imposter with their leaders. Tigerstar argues that this might not be enough to convince Mistystar and Harestar to turn against the false Bramblestar, but Frecklewish insists that they try it anyway. As the meeting ends and Rootspring follows his Clanmates back to their camp, he worries once again about the possibility of Bristlefrost being a traitor, feeling utterly crushed.
==Characters==
===Major===
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Notes and references==
Category:Chapter subpages
Category:Veil of Shadows
Category:The Broken Code arc