"Show me the spring," Jessy urged.

"Okay." Bramblestar took a pace forward that brought him to her side. "First, get into the hunter's crouch." As Jessy pressed herself to the ground, he added, "Now, remember that your hind legs-"

He broke off as he spotted movement in the corner of his eye, and looked around to see Squirrelflight emerge into the clearing. She bounded over to him with an anxious look in her green eyes.

"I heard about the fox," she told him. "Is everything okay?" Glancing down at Jessy, she went on, "Uh . . . what are you doing?"

"Discussing ways to fight off a badger," Bramblestar meowed.

"Oh . . . are you?" There was an odd note of strain in Squirrelflight's voice. "We met a badger once in the old forest; do you remember? Me and you and Thornclaw, when I was your apprentice."

She raised her head, and her eyes locked with Bramblestar's. His memories came flooding back. She looked at me like that back then, too, he recalled. Just for a heartbeat, as we ran from that badger.

Squirrelflight gave her pelt a shake. "I'll go check for any more traces of that fox," she mewed.

"Be careful," Bramblestar warned her.

"I can look after myself," Squirrelflight responded. "You trained me well." There was warmth in her voice, but the brilliance of her gaze faded as she looked down at Jessy. She swung around abruptly and loped out of the clearing.

Bramblestar glanced down at Jessy, patiently waiting. Great StarClan! he thought. Is Squirrelflight jealous because I'm training Jessy now? That's ridiculous!

Jessy wriggled out of the crouch and turned half away, giving her chest fur a few vigorous licks. Bramblestar thought she looked embarra.s.sed.

"We should head back to the tunnels," he decided. "Frankie, don't forget your mouse."

"I've decided that if I meet any foxes or badgers I'm going to run away very fast," Minty announced as they trekked back toward the camp. "Or climb a tree. They can't climb trees, can they?" she added anxiously to Bramblestar.

"No, they can't," he rea.s.sured her.

"Then that's what I'll do," Minty decided.

On the way back, a light rain began to fall, quickly becoming heavier. Bramblestar lashed his tail with frustration. After a few dry days, he had hoped that the bad weather was over.

When they arrived at the tunnel entrance, he found Lilypaw, Snowpaw, Dewpaw, and Amberpaw dashing up with bunches of leaves in their jaws to cover up the fresh-kill pile, which had only been moved into the open the day before. Poppyfrost, Lilypaw's mentor, was supervising them.

"Hurry up," she urged them. "Or we'll all be eating soggy mice!"

"Amberpaw!" Spiderleg called from the tunnel mouth. "Get in here right away! Your cough will get worse if you stay out in the rain."

"My cough's fine," Amberpaw grumbled, though she obeyed her mentor and trotted into the tunnel.

The remaining apprentices quickly covered the fresh-kill pile, pausing for a moment so that Frankie could deposit his mouse. Graystripe and Millie appeared, dragging a squirrel between them, then headed for shelter, pausing to shake rain off their pelts before they slipped past the mudfall. Poppyfrost and the apprentices raced after them.

Bramblestar thought how much easier it was to cope with rain in the stone hollow, where all the den roofs were reinforced with brambles and ivy to keep the nests dry. We could settle in to talk or take a nap, and wait for the sun to come out again. Here, it's uncomfortable whatever we do.

The kittypets headed for the tunnel, and Bramblestar was about to follow when he spotted Leafpool brushing through the sodden undergrowth with a bundle of herbs gripped in her mouth. Bramblestar nodded to her as she padded up, rain dripping from her whiskers. "That looks like a good haul," he commented.

"I went nearly to the top border to find them," Leafpool told him, setting her bundle down. "They're daisy leaves, to help ease the aches and pains in the older cats. Purdy, of course, and Graystripe, Sandstorm, and Dustpelt. Not that they'll admit they're old," she added with a half-amused, half-impatient snort.

"Don't look at me," Bramblestar protested. "It's not up to me to tell them when to become elders."

"I know." Leafpool sighed. "But living in this tunnel isn't helping, I can tell you."

She picked up her herbs again and slid past the mudfall. Bramblestar followed her to see that most of the Clan was already there. The tunnel was unpleasantly crowded, the air thick with the scent of wet fur.

From farther down the pa.s.sage, Bramblestar could hear Daisy's voice raised in annoyance. "What were you apprentices thinking of?" she scolded. "How many times have you been told not to go farther down the tunnel than the last nests? Does every cat have to watch you every moment of the day? And as for you, Cherryfall and Molewhisker, you should be ashamed of yourselves for encouraging them."

"Sorry," Cherryfall muttered.

"But it's boring down here," Molewhisker retorted. "I've been stuck in this tunnel for moons!"

"Boring?" Daisy was unimpressed. "I'll show you boring. If you need something to do, you can play hunt the tick on Purdy."

"What, all of them?" Purdy grunted. "I'll be prodded to death!"

The thick air and the voices of his Clanmates seemed to press in on Bramblestar. For a moment he felt that he couldn't breathe. I have to get out of here. "I'm going to check the water levels," he announced to no cat in particular.

"I'll come with you," Lionblaze offered, rising from his nest and pushing between Birchfall and Cloudtail to reach his leader.

Bramblestar noticed that the golden-furred warrior was still limping badly from the wounds he had suffered in the battle with the kittypets. "No, you need to rest," he ordered.

"I've rested until I'm sick of it!" Lionblaze snapped.

"Bramblestar's right," Cinderheart mewed, stroking Lionblaze's side with her tail. "You need to be more patient."

Lionblaze glared at his mate. "I've been patient!"

"I'll come with you, Bramblestar," Cloudtail offered, heaving himself to his paws.

"Thanks. Let's go," Bramblestar meowed, turning away from Lionblaze. He'll have to accept that things are different for him now.

Outside the rain was as heavy as ever, but after the crowded tunnel Bramblestar didn't mind the cold water seeping through his pelt. He took deep breaths of the damp air as he and Cloudtail headed through the dripping trees.

"The Great Battle seems so long ago," Cloudtail meowed after they had trotted in silence for a while. "And at the same time, it feels as if it was less than a moon away." He sighed deeply. "I miss Firestar."

Is he telling me I'm no good as leader? Bramblestar wondered for a moment, guilt clawing at him. Then he remembered that Cloudtail was Firestar's kin.

"I miss him too," he murmured.

"Oh, you're doing a great job!" Cloudtail a.s.sured him, suddenly cheerful. "Just trust your instincts, and trust Firestar to have made the right choice!"

The older warrior's praise warmed Bramblestar, and he felt more optimistic as they came into sight of the floodwater. But he was puzzled as he padded along the water's edge looking for the marker sticks.

"Have they all fallen over?" he muttered. "I'm sure I put one just here!"

"Hey, Bramblestar!" Cloudtail called.

Turning, Bramblestar saw that the white warrior was standing a couple of fox-lengths up the slope, a marker stick poking out of the ground beside him. Another stick stood a few tail-lengths away, and another: a whole line of them stretching along the slope well above the edge of the flood.

Relief surged through Bramblestar, making him dizzy. "The water's going down!"

"Brilliant!" Cloudtail's blue eyes gleamed. "We will get our home back; you can be sure of that."

CHAPTER 24.

"What?" Mousewhisker was the first cat to leap to his paws when Bramblestar and Cloudtail returned to the tunnel to announce that the water was going down. "I've got to see this!"

He charged out of the tunnel, almost knocking Bramblestar and Cloudtail off their paws. Rosepetal, Thornclaw, Birchfall, and several other cats streamed after him and disappeared into the trees.

Lionblaze rose and tried to limp after them, but Jayfeather blocked him before he could leave the tunnel. "Stay here, flea-brain!" he hissed.

Lionblaze raised a paw as if he was going to swipe his brother across his ears, but he stopped himself at the last moment and went back to his nest with an angry twitch of his tail. Cinderheart gave his ears a lick as he flopped down into the moss, but Lionblaze didn't respond to her. The gray she-cat's blue eyes were filled with worry and frustration.

"Speak to Cinderheart." Sandstorm appeared at Bramblestar's side and spoke quietly. "Tell her that all warriors get hurt, and it's tough learning how to heal."

Bramblestar sighed. I'm no good at talking to cats about their feelings. But he recognized the wisdom in Sandstorm's words, and he called Cinderheart over to him with a wave of his tail.

"I know you're having a tough time. . . ." he began awkwardly.

"I'm so afraid!" The words burst out of Cinderheart. "Lionblaze just won't accept that he's not invincible anymore. He'll end up getting himself killed!"

"No, he won't." Bramblestar tried his best to rea.s.sure her. "He's not stupid. He'll adjust in time." He tried to understand how Lionblaze must be feeling, after living so long without fearing injury. "He'll have to find a different kind of courage, that's all," he went on. "One that takes account of his limitations. He can't fight alone now; he must stay with his Clanmates. That might feel like failure to him, even though it's not."

Cinderheart nodded. "I know I shouldn't nag him about being reckless," she mewed. "I need to try to understand what it must feel like, to be in danger of getting hurt when it's never happened before. You're right: He must feel like he is letting us all down because he can't fight like he used to. Thanks, Bramblestar." Looking much happier, she went back to Lionblaze and curled up beside him in silent sympathy.

"There was good sense in what you told her," Sandstorm murmured, appearing at Bramblestar's side once more.

Bramblestar hadn't realized that the ginger she-cat was listening. "You gave me good advice," he responded.

Sandstorm dipped her head. "You're welcome."

Glancing around the camp, Bramblestar realized that Millie was looking anxious, and for once it didn't seem to be about Briarlight. Her gaze was flickering up and down the tunnel, and when the cats began to return from checking the water level, she got up and went to join them at the entrance.

"Has any cat seen Frankie?" she asked.

Birchfall shook his head. "He didn't come with us."

"Isn't he with the kittypets?" Poppyfrost meowed.

But Jessy and Minty were curled up in their own nests, drowsily sharing tongues, and there was no sign of Frankie. Millie wove her way through the other cats toward them, and Bramblestar, sensing a problem, padded over as well.

"Have you seen Frankie?" Millie called to them.

"No," Jessy replied. "Not since we got back from our patrol."

"Any cat seen Frankie?" Bramblestar yowled, raising his voice so all his Clanmates could hear him.

There was no response except for shaken heads and murmurs of confusion.

Minty sprang to her paws, all her fur fluffed up and her tail brushed out. "Oh, no!" she wailed. "He's been eaten by a fox!"

"No, I'm sure-" Bramblestar began, although he had a horrible suspicion that something equally bad might have happened to the kittypet, and he could sense that tension was rising among the rest of the Clan. Then he broke off as he spotted movement at the tunnel entrance and Frankie staggered in, soaked through and exhausted.

"Frankie!" Minty screeched. "You're not dead!"

"Where have you been?" Millie demanded, stumbling over other cats as she hurried toward him.

Frankie glanced around, bewildered to see all his Clanmates' gazes fixed on him. "What's all the fuss about?" he panted. "I just went hunting on my own. I'm sorry, I didn't catch anything."

"I thought you'd been eaten!" Minty mewed with a shudder.

"I'm fine."

Frankie headed toward the other kittypets, but Bramblestar intercepted him before he reached them. "Listen," he mewed, "don't go off on your own like that. It's not safe."

"I can look after myself!" Frankie snapped.

And hedgehogs fly, Bramblestar thought. But Frankie seemed tense and upset, so all he said was, "Go get some food and rest."

After he had watched Frankie head back out to the fresh-kill pile, Bramblestar realized that Squirrelflight had appeared at his side. "You know," she mewed gently, "you mustn't let the kittypets take up so much of your attention. They are just visitors, after all. And now that the floods are going down, they'll be able to return to their Twoleg dens soon."

Bramblestar glanced across at the kittypets. Frankie was gulping down a thrush, while Jessy was teaching Minty how to pounce directly from a crouch. He felt a pang of loss run through him from ears to tail-tip at the idea of saying good-bye. "I've kind of gotten used to having them around," he admitted.

"We have enough mouths to feed," Squirrelflight pointed out.

"They're learning to hunt!" Bramblestar protested.

Squirrelflight's gaze rested on him for a long moment. "You don't know that they want to stay here. Let them decide where they want to be," she meowed at last.

When Bramblestar woke the next morning, he could hardly believe what he was seeing. Faint rays of sunlight were angling in through the tunnel entrance, and the air felt soft, laden with green scents. His pads tingling with optimism, he headed outside, enjoying the hint of newleaf warmth on his fur.

Squirrelflight was already in the open, arranging the patrols, with several of their Clanmates around her. "Cloudtail has gone to check the ShadowClan border," she reported to Bramblestar.

"Then I'll take a patrol over to WindClan," Bramblestar decided. "I want to find out what they're up to now that the water has started to go down."

"I'll come." Berrynose thrust his way through the other cats. "Jayfeather says I'm fit for warrior duties again."

"Great," Bramblestar meowed. Glancing around, he spotted Whitewing with Dewpaw. "I'll take you two as well. And you, Thornclaw, and . . . yes, Brightheart." I'd better have a good number of cats, just in case WindClan causes any trouble.

But when Bramblestar and his patrol reached the WindClan border, there was no trace of WindClan scent on ThunderClan territory. Padding up to the edge of the stream, Bramblestar saw that the current was wider and deeper than before, but had retreated within its banks again. We really are getting back to normal.