Chapter 11- The Tiger Within

(Squirrelflight's P.O.V)

"Let all cats old enough to catch their prey join me beneath the highrock for clan meeting!" Firestar yowled.

Cats from elders to warriors young and senior to apprentices rustled leaves on the floor, padding their way up to sit and ears perked for the clan meeting.

Squirrelflight was in glory with her new young two kits. One was a she-cat that looked just like her; a light brown tabby which she named Dreamkit. The other, a reddish- tan tom was named Blazekit. They were beautiful, pure beauty. They sucked on her huge supply of milk.

Squirrelflight couldn't get out of the nursery in which she moved just moved to, but she perked her ears to hear what her leader had to say.

"Cats of Thunderclan..... Brambleclaw must be banished from our territory."

To Squirrelflight's surprise, murmurs of protest spread through the camp like wildfire.

Firestar looked equally surprised as he watched his clan protest against leader words; after all clan leader's word is law.

Goldenflower, Brambleclaw's mother's protest was loudest.

"Yes, Firestar, he may have btoken the warrior code, but why exile him for helping us with another clan?" she meowed.

Firestar narrowed his eyes at her. "Well, if you have a better idea, say it, enlighten me." He meowed calmly.

"Well...." Goldenflower began nervously... "I know he broke the warrior code, but surely it would be good to have a strong fighter on Thunderclan's side than to banish him. Instead you could make him take care of the elders for a moon or so. clean out the bedding, out out ticks....."

Murmurs of agreement spread through the camp.

Firestar looked thoughtful like he never thought of that before.

Squirrelflight saw Brambleclaw sitting uneasily and tense on the top of highrock as the debate went on.

Eventually Firestar gave Goldenflower a bod of approval. "You're right. That shall be a better punishment than to get rid of a strong cat. I can see he's loyal, but to the warrior code, he still has a lot to learn. Until he proves his loyalty, I don't think I can trust him." Firestar finished coldly, then with the flick of his blazing red tail, the clan was dismissed.

Squirrelflight saw the look of anger in Brambleclaw's eyes, but it wasn't as bad as the look that he gave her when she was caught with Ashfur.

Right now his eyes looked a lot like a cat she used to know.....

The most evil cat in the forest...

All of a sudden Squirrelflight figured it out, and with a gasp, she realized everything.

The reason he killed cats in the battle, the reason he was acting so evil to her, and the reason his eyes were glowering like a cold- hearted tiger was because the cat leading Brambleclaw was his father- and that cat was the one and only..........

Tigerstar.