TBC02 - The Silent Thaw

Sparkpelt followed her Clanmate’s gaze. “The ice
is breaking up at the shore,” she murmured.
Plumwillow swished her tail. “We could use a little
warmth.”
“And more prey,” Nettlesplash added.
There was a glint in Sparkpelt’s green eyes as she
told the SkyClan patrol, “Maybe the Moonpool’s finally
thawing too!”
Lionblaze purred. “That would be a relief to us
all.”
As the warriors gazed dreamily into the distance,
clearly imagining the return of StarClan and an end to
the bitter leaf-bare that had gripped the forest,
Rootpaw shook out his pelt. He wasn’t like Tree after
all. Whatever he’d seen in the forest, it hadn’t been a
ghost. Perhaps he’d dreamed it. Perhaps his
imagination had turned a shadow into what he’d
thought was a ghost. And yet, if it had only been a
shadow, whose voice had he heard?
“Come on.” Dewspring’s mew jolted him back into
the moment. The ThunderClan patrol was heading
away, and Plumwillow and Nettlesplash were marking
the border where they’d stood. “We’ll finish marking