"I can't wait to see it!" Minty mewed with an excited little skip. "Ooh, look, a squirrel! Are you going to catch it?"

"No," Bramblestar told her. "We're allowed to cross ShadowClan territory, but not to take prey here. The ShadowClan cats would be furious."

Minty watched the squirrel dart across the gap between two pines and scramble up into the branches. "Will we meet any ShadowClan cats?" she asked. "I wish we could. It'd be fun!"

Dovewing rolled her eyes. "Trust me, it wouldn't. Why don't you save your breath for walking?"

Minty gave her an injured look, but said nothing more.

Bramblestar was thankful that so far they hadn't met any ShadowClan patrols. His pelt was p.r.i.c.kling with apprehension at the thought of bringing a kittypet into his Clan. ThunderClan doesn't need more cats. It needs to strengthen and protect the ones it has.

But Bramblestar couldn't have left Minty to starve. He padded over to the kittypet, who was nervously eyeing a fallen tree in her path.

"Just hop on top of it," he meowed, "and then jump down on the other side. It's not that high."

He leaped up to show her, and grabbed her to help her up the last couple of mouse-lengths as her hind paws scuffled against the trunk.

I just hope my Clanmates understand why I've brought a stranger home with me.

All four ThunderClan cats let out a sigh of relief as they crossed the border into ThunderClan territory. Their scent marks were faint against the smell of mud and water, but there were no fresh ShadowClan scents. Following the edge of the flood, Thornclaw led them up the slope until they were just below the ridge. It was hard going, pushing through the soaking undergrowth on paws that were tired and heavy as stone.

"We're on ThunderClan territory now," Graystripe told Minty, "and we're just going past the flooded camp." He veered down the slope and vanished into a clump of thorns.

Bramblestar followed, nodding to Minty. "Come on, you can see where our home used to be."

He waited for her to join him at the edge of the cliff. Bramblestar felt his heart beat faster as he stared into the hollow. The sheer gray cliffs now encircled nothing but a pool of black, swirling water. He pictured the dens, the fresh-kill pile, the half stump where the apprentices liked to play. Were they all still there, under the water?

Or had every trace of ThunderClan been washed away?

CHAPTER 12.

"It's even more flooded than my home!" Minty exclaimed. "Where do you live now?"

"You'll see," Bramblestar told her. "It's this way." He turned away from the cliff, feeling a stab of grief for the lost camp, and forced his way back through the thorns. It was a steep climb to the tunnel, and he heard Minty puffing behind him, though to her credit she didn't complain. Bramblestar wondered if she realized he and the others had traveled twice this distance in one day.

Several cats were outside the tunnel entrance. Daisy, Purdy, and Squirrelflight were spreading out bundles of wet moss and bracken to dry in the weak sun. A little farther off, the three younger apprentices and their mentors were watching closely while Ivypool and Spiderleg demonstrated a battle move.

As Bramblestar and his patrol trekked up the last few fox-lengths of the slope, every cat looked up.

Squirrelflight leaped to her paws. "Thank StarClan you're okay! Did you find out about the other Clans?"

More cats emerged from the tunnel and crowded around the patrol.

"Did RiverClan survive?"

"How far do the floods stretch?"

It was Spiderleg who first noticed Minty. "Who's this?" he demanded. "Bramblestar, why have you brought another cat here?"

"Another mouth to feed," Berrynose added with a disapproving twitch of his whiskers. "Haven't we got enough trouble, providing for our own cats?"

Minty stared around her with huge blue eyes, daunted by the number of cats and the hostility from the two toms.

"Her name is Minty," Bramblestar meowed, his tone cold as he raked his gaze over Spiderleg and Berrynose. "We rescued her from the flooded Twoleg dens near RiverClan territory."

"Twoleg dens?" Sandstorm's ears flicked up in surprise. "You mean this is a kittypet?" She stretched her neck forward and sniffed Minty's fur. "You don't smell like one," she commented.

"I-I've been swimming," Minty stammered.

"Her housefolk left her behind," Bramblestar explained. "She'd have drowned or starved if we hadn't helped her." Then he remembered that he was Clan leader. He didn't have to justify his decisions. "Take her inside, make a nest for her, and find her something to eat," he ordered.

"We'll do that," Amberpaw offered, pushing through the knot of warriors.

"Yeah, come on." Snowpaw curled his tail around Minty's shoulders. "We'll look after you."

Bramblestar watched the apprentices lead Minty away. The young cats were bubbling with curiosity.

"Are you really a kittypet?" Dewpaw asked, giving the black-and-white she-cat a fascinated stare. "What's it like, living with Twolegs?"

"Is it true you don't have to catch your own food?" Amberpaw mewed.

Purdy was standing beside the tunnel entrance. "You come wi' me," he meowed kindly to Minty. "You can make a nest beside mine. I was a kittypet once, y'know. I'll tell you all about it. . . ."

Bramblestar followed them into the tunnel to make sure that Minty wasn't too overwhelmed. Dewpaw and Snowpaw fetched more bedding and spread it out on the floor between their own nests and Purdy's.

"There!" Snowpaw mewed. "It's a bit wet, but it's not too bad when you get used to it."

Minty gasped when she saw the scanty heap of moss and bracken. "I can't sleep on that!" she exclaimed. "At home I have a basket! And a blanket!"

The three apprentices looked at one another. "We don't know what those are," Amberpaw meowed. "But look, I've got some feathers in my nest. You can have them if you like."

"Th-thank you." Minty gave her nest a dubious look as Amberpaw generously added the feathers.

Bramblestar was distracted from Minty's troubles as Squirrelflight and Leafpool walked into the tunnel and came up to him.

"There's a real problem with the bedding," Squirrelflight began. "Everything's soaking wet, and cats are getting aches from sleeping on the cold stone floor in the tunnels."

"Well, we can't sleep outside," Bramblestar told her. "It might rain again."

Squirrelflight and Leafpool exchanged a glance.

"That's true," Leafpool meowed. "But we need to find some decent dry bedding or we're all going to catch whitecough."

As if to prove her words, a hacking cough sounded from where Briarlight was lying, deeper inside the tunnel. Bramblestar blinked, peering into the shadows. Jayfeather was crouched beside the dark-pawed she-cat, concern visible in every line of his body, while nearby Millie anxiously scuffled her claws on the rock floor.

Bramblestar felt heavy with worry as he headed outside. Where do they expect me to get dry bedding? Out of my ears?

Cloudtail was trudging up the slope, dangling a couple of mice from his jaws. Brightheart, Rosepetal, and Blossomfall followed him; Brightheart was carrying a squirrel, while Rosepetal and Blossomfall both had starlings.

"I think the prey is starting to come back," Cloudtail reported when he had dropped his catch on the fresh-kill pile. "Better than yesterday, anyway."

"Good," Bramblestar mewed, grateful for any sc.r.a.p of good news. There was already prey on the pile; hunting patrols must have been out earlier, too. "Squirrelflight, can you take charge of doling it out? There should be enough for every cat to have something."

Squirrelflight nodded and set about efficiently dividing up the catch, while Brightheart helped carry each share to their Clanmates.

Minty stared in horror as Brightheart dropped a starling in front of her.

"I'm not eating that!" she declared, s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g her nose.

"It's tasty," Amberpaw rea.s.sured her. "And when you've eaten it, you can add the feathers to your nest."

Minty just turned away with her nose in the air.

"Okay, I'll have it if you don't want it," mewed Dewpaw, who had already gulped down his portion of squirrel.

"You will not," Brightheart told him, gently shoving the apprentice away. "Queens and elders eat first, remember. Purdy, would you like it?"

The old tabby shook his head. "No, thanks, that mouse was plenty for me."

"Then I'll take it back to the fresh-kill pile for later," Brightheart meowed. "Minty, if you change your mind, ask me and I'll fetch it for you."

Minty didn't reply, but Dewpaw watched with a disappointed look as Brightheart picked up the starling and carried it away.

By the time the fresh-kill was eaten, the daylight was dying, and gray shadows invaded the tunnel. Bramblestar made a point of settling down near Minty; it had been his decision to bring her back to the Clan, so he felt responsible for her, at least until she was more settled.

The kittypet was crouching on the moss and bracken, her paws tucked under her. Bramblestar could hear her belly rumbling, but she looked too stunned to complain. After a few moments she heaved a gusty sigh and curled up with her tail over her nose.

But she didn't go to sleep. Wakeful himself, Bramblestar heard her tossing and turning, and once she let out a miserable whimper. At the sound, Millie rose from her nest beside Briarlight and padded past Bramblestar to sit down next to Minty.

"I know just how you feel," she murmured. "I was a kittypet once. It took me a long time to learn how to live in the wild."

In the half light, Bramblestar saw Minty raise her head and stare at Millie. "You were a kittypet? Did your housefolk leave you behind, or did you choose to live out here like this?"

"I chose to go with Graystripe when he came back to the Clan," Millie purred. "It's worth all the soft beds and all the food the Twolegs gave me, to be here with him."

"Don't you ever wish you could go back?"

"I wouldn't change a thing," Millie a.s.sured her. "Except that I wish my daughter Briarlight hadn't been injured. I'll never leave ThunderClan, but I'll never forget that there's another way to live, either."

I never knew Millie felt like that, Bramblestar thought, with a pang of guilt that Millie had never been one of his favorite cats, with her perpetual fussing over Briarlight. I'll show her more respect in the future.

At least the conversation with Millie seemed to have settled Minty; soon she curled up again and her steady breathing told Bramblestar she was asleep at last.

Bramblestar woke to see pale dawn light trickling into the tunnel. It looked as dull and gray as the day before, he thought. We need proper sunlight to dry out the forest.

While he was giving his pelt a quick grooming, he heard the sound of paw steps, and cats brushing through the undergrowth. Rosepetal, who was on guard at the entrance to the tunnel, stuck her head inside.

"Bramblestar, there are a couple of cats coming up from the direction of ShadowClan."

"Thanks, Rosepetal." Bramblestar looked around and saw that Lionblaze and Mousewhisker were stirring too. He beckoned them with a flick of his ears. "Let's go see what they want."

As Bramblestar stepped out of the tunnel he spotted two cats emerging from the sodden undergrowth: Rowanclaw, the ShadowClan deputy, and Littlecloud, their medicine cat. Bramblestar's paws tingled. Could he guess what this visit was about?

"Greetings," he meowed, padding forward.

"Greetings, Bramblestar," Littlecloud responded. With a glance at Rowanclaw he added, "We're on our way to the Moonpool. I don't know if it's escaped the flooding, but it's high up in the mountains, so we're going to take the risk that it's survived." He sighed. "If it hasn't, I fear for the Clans. . . ."

"I'm ShadowClan leader now," Rowanclaw explained, though no explanation was necessary. "Blackstar lost his ninth life in the storm."

"I'm sorry." Bramblestar regretted the death of any Clan leader, though he was pleased that Rowanclaw would succeed Blackstar. His sister Tawnypelt's mate would make a strong and vigorous leader. "May he walk in peace with StarClan. And may your leadership go well," he added.

Rowanclaw nodded. "Thanks. How are things in ThunderClan?" he asked. "Did all your cats survive?"

"Yes," Bramblestar replied. "It was a struggle, but we're all okay." He stopped himself from saying more, especially not that the whole Clan was living in the tunnel.

Rowanclaw didn't offer any more information about ShadowClan, either. I know how tough it is for them, Bramblestar thought, remembering the journey through their waterlogged territory the day before.

"This is a hard day for all the Clans," Rowanclaw mewed. He seemed subdued, clearly grieving for Blackstar and worried about his own leadership in this crisis. "StarClan grant that we all survive."

Bramblestar murmured agreement. He watched the two ShadowClan cats trek farther up the hill in the direction of the Moonpool until they were out of sight. Then Bramblestar turned back to the tunnel to meet Jayfeather, who was just emerging. The medicine cat raised his head and gave a good sniff.

"Rowanclaw and Littlecloud were here?" he meowed.

"Yes. On their way to the Moonpool."

Jayfeather bowed his head for a heartbeat. "I'm not surprised Blackstar lost his last life," he mewed at last. "He was old, and he'd seen so much."

Bramblestar felt how odd it was to hear Jayfeather talking like this. It's like he's an old cat himself. But then, Jayfeather has seen more than most of us, in spite of being blind.

By now the other cats were waking up and climbing stiffly into the open. The day was growing brighter, though the sun had not yet risen, and a cold breeze rattled the branches and spun raindrops into the air.

Squirrelflight appeared from the tunnel and spoke through a ma.s.sive yawn. "What patrols do you want today?"

"We need to concentrate on hunting," Bramblestar told her. "Get Sandstorm and Cloudtail to lead patrols. And will you lead one too, along the WindClan border? I'll take one to ShadowClan."

Squirrelflight nodded. "What do you want done about the WindClan stream?"

Bramblestar hesitated, remembering the WindClan patrol's frenzied a.s.sertion of their rights over the water. "Nothing, for now," he decided. "I hope the problem will resolve itself once the floodwater goes down. Take cats with you who'll keep their heads if WindClan cats challenge you."

As Squirrelflight turned away to divide the cats into patrols, Briarlight emerged from the tunnel with Millie beside her. Bramblestar noticed that the young she-cat winced as she dragged herself along the ground.