The Silent Thaw/Chapter 5

==Chapter description==
:Bristlefrost follows Rosepetal, Dewnose, and Lionblaze are on a hunting patrol. Bristlefrost calls to Thriftear to hurry up, as her sister is trailing behind, and Thriftear asks how she is not tired from staying up past moonhigh. She recalls the previous night at the Gathering. She responds that the fresh air had woken her up, and that she liked getting up early before dawn to organize patrols. Thriftear gets jealous and grumbles that she is a show-off, and Bristlefrost is hurt, and guesses she is crabby because she is sleepy. She argues that she likes helping Bramblestar, and being the best warrior that she can be. 
:Thriftear says she wishes she had assigned her to a later patrol, but Bristlefrost ignores her. Rosepetal says she had done a great job setting up patrols, and Lionblaze adds that the borders will be marked and the fresh-kill pile full by sunhigh. Bristlefrost wonders if that is true, but Rosepetal reassures her and notes that Thornclaw will not enjoy patrolling with the younger cats. Lionblaze also says that Flipclaw and Stemleaf are as swift as hares. Feeling proud, she strides past the older warriors, and thinks about how certain Bramblestar was at the previous Gathering. She thinks she will do her best to support his decision, and feels she is lucky to serve under a leader like him. 
:She picks up the scent of mouse leading towards an old beech. Signaling to others with a flick of her tail, Lionblaze starts creeping toward it. Dewnose halts beside Bristlefrost and whispers that mice must be nesting there, and Thriftear catches up. She breathes that a whole family must be living there. Bristlefrost suggests that they surround the tree, and as the mice are scared out, Thriftear, Dewnose, and Lionblaze each catch some. Bristlefrost is happy that her plan worked, although she did not manage to catch a mouse herself. Then she realizes that StarClan must have helped her, and reminds the others that they need to thank their ancestors. Dewnose and Thriftear insist that they did, just not aloud, and Bristlefrost is skeptical. She says they should all start saying thanks out loud after each catch in order to please StarClan. The others are hesitant, but she convinces them, and Rosepetal says she will tell Bramblestar to remind the other warriors of the importance of saying thanks as they all thank StarClan for the mice. THriftear seems more reluctant than the others, but Bristlefrost feels proud.
:The patrol returns to camp with lots of prey, and Squirrelflight and Bramblestar purr as they lay together beneath the Highledge. Bristlefrost watches them happily, thinking that she wishes she had a mate who loved her that much. Squirrelflight rises to look at the fresh-kill pile, but Bramblestar insists that she continue to rest, and Squirrelflight agrees after a brief protestation. Rosepetal leads Bristlefrost to the deputy and Clan leader, encouraging her to share her idea about giving thanks to StarClan. Bramblestar praises her idea, and says he will make an announcement to the Clan that evening.
:Rosepetal leaves, and Bramblestar tells Bristlefrost to stay behind for a moment. He praises her obedience and dedication, and tells her he needs her to fulfill another special duty by reporting any codebreaking back to him. Bristlefrost is eager to help her Clanmates when they might not realize they are breaking the code, and to help encourage StarClan's return. Squirrelflight protests against making Bristlefrost into a spy, but Bramblestar argues that it is not spying, and says they will discuss it later. Squirrelflight disagrees, and Bramblestar tells her she is overreacting, because only a codebreaker would need to worry. He then compliments Squirrelflight, saying her fiery behavior reminds him of their past, and Bristlefrost wonders what Squirrelflight is thinking about. She realizes the deputy has been arguing with her mate a lot recently. Bramblestar dismisses Bristlefrost, and the warrior feels confident that StarClan will soon return and things will return to normal.
==Characters==
===Major===
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Notes and references==
Category:The Silent Thaw
Category:Chapter subpages
Category:The Broken Code arc