Moonrise/Chapter 21

==Chapter description==
:Sorreltail struggles against Hawkfrost's paw, but her hunger has made her weak. Hawkfrost snarls that she's coming with him to Leopardstar. Leafpaw begs Hawkfrost to let her go, and Hawkfrost gives her an unfriendly stare when he notices her. Leafpaw reminds him about how she saved Reedpaw, and that RiverClan owes them a favor. Hawkfrost sneers and says that the warrior code is all that matters, and Sorreltail has broken it. Leafpaw thinks briefly of fighting Hawkfrost, but forces herself to stay on her side of the border. Leafpaw pleads with Hawkfrost, saying that she wasn't doing any harm, but Hawkfrost mews coldly that she was stealing prey. Leafpaw argues, saying that it was a ThunderClan squirrel.
:Sorreltail, who had been laying still, suddenly heaves herself upward in an attempt to escape. Hawkfrost is taken by surprise, but easily forces her down again. Sorreltail spits that they can take her to Leopardstar, but she'll fight every step of the way. Hawkfrost looks bored. Leafpaw looks desperately around for Cinderpelt or Firestar, but sees no one on her side of the border. Spotting a flash of gold, she sees Mothwing running across the Twoleg bridge. She bounds up the slope and halts behind her brother, asking what's going on. Hawkfrost says that he's caught a trespasser and is going to take her to Leopardstar. Leafpaw again tries to convince Hawkfrost to let her go, feeling more hopeful now that Mothwing is here. Mothwing tells Hawkfrost to let her go unless he wants to start a war. Hawkfrost asks if that would be a bad thing when they could move in and take ThunderClan's territory. Leafpaw gasps.
:Mothwing tells Hawkfrost not to be mouse-brained, and reminds him that Leopardstar owes Firestar for what he did during Tigerstar's rule, so she would never go to war against him. Hawkfrost's voice starts to rise as he argues that it's all about the warrior code, and Clan boundaries must be respected. He growls that Mothwing should watch her tongue, as she's speaking to the next RiverClan deputy. Leafpaw blurts what about Mistyfoot, and Hawkfrost snarls that Mistyfoot is a coward who ran away. Mothwing explains to Leafpaw that Mistyfoot has gone missing. Hawkfrost growls that if she comes back, she can't be deputy anymore.
:Leafpaw's head spins as she realizes that ThunderClan isn't the only Clan in trouble, and wonders if any other Clans have had cats go missing. She knows that StarClan wouldn't send more cats away, and thinks that it must have something to do with the Twolegs and their monsters. Leafpaw doesn't tell any of this to the RiverClan cats, and to her relief Sorreltail doesn't say anything about Cloudtail and Brightheart. Mothwing tells Hawkfrost that he's going about taking over ThunderClan the wrong way, and says that they should be nice to them so that they keep quiet while the Twolegs make them weaker and weaker. Hawkfrost thoughtfully grunts that she has a point, and releases Sorreltail.
:Sorreltail glares at Hawkfrost before going back to her side of the border. Leafpaw checks her over and doesn't see any serious scratches. Leafpaw tells Mothwing that she's going to tell Firestar what she said, and that he'll take it up with Leopardstar at the next Gathering. Hawkfrost invites her to, saying that Firestar can't do anything about it. Leafpaw feels like Mothwing has betrayed her, and turns away to follow Sorreltail back to camp. She hasn't gone far when she hears Mothwing calling her name. Leafpaw looks back to see Mothwing standing on the border, with Hawkfrost nowhere in sight. Sorreltail mutters to ignore her, but Mothwing pleads with Leafpaw to let her explain.
:Leafpaw hesitates, then takes a few reluctant steps back toward the border. Sorreltail follows her, and Leafpaw can feel Sorreltail's tension. She winces at the look of disgust she shoots Mothwing. Mothwing urgently explains that she had to say that to get Hawkfrost to let Sorreltail go. Leafpaw is flooded with relief, and can see her own feelings reflected in Mothwing's eyes. Mothwing asks if they're still friends, and Leafpaw says that of course they are as they touch noses, ignoring a skeptical snort from Sorreltail. Behind Mothwing, Leafpaw spots Hawkfrost loping across the Twoleg bridge, and again thinks of Tigerstar. Leafpaw asks Mothwing if their father is Tigerstar. Mothwing looks shocked, and hesitantly replies yes.
==Characters==
===Major===
===Mentioned===
==Notes and references==
fr:Clair de lune/Chapitre 21de:Mondschein/Kapitel 21es:Claro de luna/Capítulo 21
Category:Moonrise
Category:Chapter subpages
Category:The New Prophecy arc