Dawn

Chapter 7

Squirrelpaw curled up beside Shrewpaw and tried not to think about the warm, moss-lined den where the apprentices had slept before. At least the small gully they were lying in gave some shelter from the chilly night breeze. It felt strange to be sleeping apart from Brambleclaw after their long journey together, but at least Shrewpaw seemed happy to have her back. Her paws ached with tiredness, and she closed her eyes, folding her tail over her muzzle for comfort. At first she couldn’t stop thinking about the disastrous meeting at Fourtrees, but gradually dreams wove into her waking thoughts and drew her into sleep.

She was alone among the trees, and she could smell prey-scent. A cold wind breathed through the forest. Squirrelpaw lifted her nose and tasted the air. A fat mouse was snuffling among the leaves. It was the plumpest piece of prey she had found since returning to the forest, and she swiped her tongue hungrily over her lips. Brambleclaw would be pleased to have a share of this fresh-kill.

Crouching, Squirrelpaw crept silently toward the unsuspecting creature. It had its head half-buried under an oak leaf and hadn’t noticed her. This was going to be an easy catch.

Suddenly, rapid pawsteps sounded behind her. Terrified, the mouse darted out from under the oak leaf and scuttled away beneath the roots of a tree. Squirrelpaw spun around, bristling with fury.

A tortoiseshell cat with gentle amber eyes was standing behind her. “Hello, Squirrelpaw,” she mewed. “I have something to show you.”

“You’ve just ruined the best catch I’m likely to get all day!”

Squirrelpaw snapped back. She had never seen this cat before, though she carried the scent of ThunderClan. She stopped and put her head to one side. “Who are you, anyway?”

“I’m Spottedleaf.”

Squirrelpaw blinked. She had heard all about the long-dead ThunderClan medicine cat. Why would Spottedleaf come to her?

She stepped forward to touch the she-cat’s nose in greeting, but as she went closer, the image faded.

Bewildered, Squirrelpaw stared into the trees. She pricked her ears, listening for movement, but heard nothing and turned to resume her hunt. The scent of prey that hung in the air was too tempting. Perhaps Spottedleaf had wanted only to greet her, nothing more.

Squirrelpaw prowled deeper into the woods, following a path that led toward Snakerocks. But as she crept through the undergrowth, the forest seemed to change, and she didn’t recognize the trees around her. Surely she should have reached Snakerocks by now. Had she taken the wrong path? She quickened her pace until she was racing through trees she had never seen before.

A tiny voice in her mind reminded her that it was just a dream, and she wasn’t really lost. She blinked, trying to wake up. But when she opened her eyes, she was still trapped in the strange woods, and her alarm grew until her heart pounded like a woodpecker’s beak on bark. She ran on, hoping to find a landmark she recognized, but the forest grew darker and more silent, as if the trees themselves were watching her.

There didn’t seem to be anything else alive in these woods—no sound of prey, no scent of her Clanmates or any other Clan.

“Spottedleaf!” she called. “Help me!”

There was no reply.

The trees grew more thickly here, and the shadows between the trunks swallowed her until she could hardly see where she was putting her paws.

“Don’t be frightened.”

The soft voice seemed to echo from every direction at once, and Squirrelpaw spun around, trying to find where it came from. There was a faint scent of ThunderClan, and then she saw Spottedleaf’s pale pelt glowing among the trees like the distant moon in a mottled sky.

“I’m lost, Spottedleaf!” she called.

“No, you’re not,” Spottedleaf reassured her gently. “Follow me.”

Panting with relief, Squirrelpaw wound her way through the tree trunks. As she approached, the shadows seemed to draw away and the forest grew lighter, although there wasn’t any moon that she could see.

“Follow me,” Spottedleaf murmured. She turned and headed into the trees, running as confidently as if she were following an invisible path. Squirrelpaw pelted after her.

Spottedleaf ran like the wind, but Squirrelpaw raced over the ground until she felt as though she were swooping through the trees like a bird. Exhilaration flooded her so that she hardly noticed the forest become familiar once more.

Then she recognized the Great Sycamore, reaching high into the sky. And here were the Snakerocks, a tumbled heap of round, sandy boulders where snakes basked in greenleaf, but which offered good prey in colder weather. Spottedleaf leaped up to the top of the rocks, then down the other side and on through the forest. Squirrelpaw scrambled after her quickly.

On they went until Squirrelpaw detected the tang of the Thunderpath. Suddenly, without warning, Spottedleaf stopped. Squirrelpaw skidded to a halt, nearly bumping into her, and followed the medicine cat’s gaze. Ahead of them, every single tree had been stripped away, and the forest floor was churned into mud right to the edge of the Thunderpath.

Wooden Twoleg nests ringed the clearing, and monsters sat hunched and silent nearby.

“This way,” Spottedleaf mewed. She led Squirrelpaw across the slippery, rutted earth toward the nests.

“It’s so quiet,” Squirrelpaw whispered. Oddly, she felt soothed by the eerie quiet, and she followed Spottedleaf over the open ground without fear.

Spottedleaf stopped beside one of the wooden nests, and Squirrelpaw looked up at it in surprise. “What is this place?” she mewed. “Why have you brought me here?”

Spottedleaf twitched her gold-and-brown-striped tail.

“Look through the hole,” she urged. “Look at the cages.”

Cages? The word sounded strange to Squirrelpaw’s ears.

She noticed a small gap in the wall, about a fox-length up. She stretched her forepaws up the side of the nest, her belly brushing the scratchy wood, and peered in.

Rows of dens made of cold-looking shiny web were stacked along the walls. Those must be the “cages.” Squirrelpaw could see a dark, soft-edged shape huddled in each cage. Cats!

Her heart raced as scents flooded her nose—RiverClan, WindClan, rogue. She stared breathlessly through the hole, and then she smelled the warm scent of ThunderClan. With a jolt of recognition she saw her sister curled up in one of the cages near the roof of the wooden nest.

“Leafpaw!” She gasped. She clawed herself upward, thrusting with her hind legs, trying to clamber through the hole.

“You can’t get in, Squirrelpaw.” Spottedleaf stood on her hind legs to reach up beside her. “This is only a dream,” she murmured. “But when you wake, Leafpaw will still be here.”

“Will I be able to rescue her?”

“I hope so,” Spottedleaf answered softly.

“But how?” Squirrelpaw yowled, jumping down to the ground.

“Stop fidgeting, for StarClan’s sake!” Shrewpaw muttered.

Squirrelpaw’s eyes shot open. She was lying in the narrow cleft in Sunningrocks. The hollow was dark, and she could only just make out the soft shapes of sleeping cats around her.

She sat up and stared over the lip of the gully. Outside, frost glittered on the smooth stone, and beyond that she saw the outlines of leafless trees, black and spiky against the sky.

“What’s the matter?” Shrewpaw asked sleepily.

“I know where Leafpaw is!” Squirrelpaw whispered. “I have to go and rescue her.”

Shrewpaw’s eyes blinked open. “How do you know?”

“Spottedleaf told me in a dream!”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure!” Squirrelpaw snapped.

Shrewpaw twitched his ears. “You can’t just disappear without telling any cat where you’re going,” he warned. He didn’t add, Again, but Squirrelpaw guessed that was what he was thinking.

“I could wake Firestar up,” she mewed. “Now I know where Leafpaw is, he could send out a rescue party.”

“Not in the middle of the night,” Shrewpaw pointed out.

“It’s too cold. Besides, it was just a dream.”

“It was more than a dream,” Squirrelpaw insisted.

“But you’re not a medicine cat,” Shrewpaw argued. “No cat’s going to go on a rescue mission in the middle of the night because you had a dream.” His amber eyes were gentle. “They might listen to you in the morning, though. Settle down and go back to sleep.”

Squirrelpaw sighed, but she knew he was right. She slumped back down again, still seeing the wooden nest filled with cages.

Shrewpaw lay down beside her and rested his tail comfortingly on her flank. “We’ll find her in the morning,” he promised, closing his eyes.

His breathing slowed as he drifted into sleep, but Squirrelpaw stayed awake, gazing up at the narrow strip of Silverpelt she could see through the mouth of the gully. A cat from StarClan had visited her to tell her where Leafpaw was!

She knew Spottedleaf had had a special bond with her father when he first came to the forest. Could it be that she wanted to help Firestar’s daughters because she still loved him?

Squirrelpaw opened her eyes and sat up with a start.

Bright light streamed into the gully, though the air was cold, colder still because all the other apprentices had left. Quickly, she stretched and scrambled out of the crevice. Her dream was still clear in her mind. She had to tell her father so he could organize a rescue party.

Shrewpaw was washing on the stone slope in front of the den.

“Where’s Firestar?” Squirrelpaw demanded.

“He’s out patrolling with Graystripe,” Shrewpaw replied, rubbing at his cheek with his paw.

She twitched her tail in frustration. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

“You didn’t sleep well, remember?” meowed Shrewpaw. “I thought you could get some extra rest and join me on a later patrol. Firestar agreed.”

“Didn’t you tell him about my dream?” Squirrelpaw pricked her ears. “What did he say? When is he sending out a patrol?”

“I-I didn’t mention the dream,” Shrewpaw stammered. “I thought you would have forgotten it. It was only a dream, after all.”

Squirrelpaw glared at Shrewpaw. “It was a message from StarClan!”

“I’m really sorry.” He shuffled his paws and stared at the ground.

Squirrelpaw let her fur lie flat again. “No, I’m sorry.” she sighed. “It’s not your fault I overslept.”

“It’s okay.” Shrewpaw shrugged. “Did you really see Leafpaw in your dream?”

Squirrelpaw nodded. “And the other cats that are missing from the forest. Or at least, I definitely smelled WindClan and RiverClan scents.”

“That’s amazing!” He glanced past her and twitched his whiskers. “Looks like there’s been some successful hunting already today. That should put Firestar in a good mood, at least.”

Squirrelpaw turned to see Brambleclaw padding up the slope with a vole in his jaws. He carried it over to where Ferncloud lay in the sunshine watching her kits play. She accepted Brambleclaw’s offering with only a blink of her leaf-colored eyes, as if she didn’t have the strength to thank him. Squirrelpaw noticed with a prick of unease how small Ferncloud’s kits were. They looked hardly old enough to leave the nursery, let alone journey all the way to the sun-drown-place. By leaf-bare, kits were usually strong and healthy, ready to face the cruelest season. If Squirrelpaw and Brambleclaw succeeded in persuading the Clan to leave the forest, how many cats would never see their new home?

She shook her head. Right now, she didn’t want to go anywhere without rescuing Leafpaw.

“Brambleclaw!” She bounded down the slope toward him.

“I know where Leafpaw is! StarClan came to me in a dream!

The Twolegs have trapped her in a little nest, past Snakerocks.

We have to go and rescue her.”

Brambleclaw pricked his ears. “Really?” He scanned Sunningrocks. “Have you told Firestar? Is he organizing a rescue party?”

Squirrelpaw shook her head. “He’s on patrol. But if you came with me, we could rescue her together.”

Brambleclaw blinked. “Are you mad? Rescue her from a Twoleg nest? We wouldn’t stand a chance on our own.”

Squirrelpaw’s paws pricked with frustration. “But StarClan must want us to rescue her now!” she argued. “Why else hasn’t Spottedleaf come before? Leafpaw must be in more danger than ever.”

“Let’s wait till Firestar gets back. He’ll know what to do.”

Squirrelpaw couldn’t believe her ears. “Does that mean you won’t help me?”

“It means I won’t let you go on such a dangerous mission!”

Brambleclaw snapped.

Squirrelpaw wanted to rake his ears in frustration. “You’re afraid!”

Brambleclaw bristled. “What if we tried to rescue Leafpaw and got caught ourselves?” he pointed out. “Who else knows the way through the mountains? Who would lead ThunderClan to their new home?”

“You weren’t like this when we were traveling! You agreed to go back and rescue Stormfur!”

Frustration flashed in his eyes. “Yes, and look what happened to Feathertail when we did!”

“But this is my sister!” Squirrelpaw thrashed her tail. “Why won’t you understand?”

Brambleclaw blinked. “I’m only asking you to wait till Firestar gets back—”

“But you won’t help me now!” Squirrelpaw couldn’t keep the desperation out of her voice.

Brambleclaw’s gaze softened. “Let’s wait till Firestar returns. He’ll send out a patrol. We’d need more warriors…”

Squirrelpaw couldn’t bear to listen anymore. “I didn’t think that you of all cats would let me down,” she spat, stalking away into the trees.

As she reached the undergrowth, the sound of rushing pawsteps made her stop and look around. She hoped it was Brambleclaw coming after her to tell her he had changed his mind, but it was Sorreltail.

“I heard what you were saying!” she panted. “If StarClan has told you where Leafpaw is, they must want us to rescue her as soon as possible!”

“That’s what I thought,” Squirrelpaw growled. “But Brambleclaw won’t help me.”

“I will,” Sorreltail offered. Grief shadowed her face. “I couldn’t stop the Twolegs from taking Leafpaw, but I’d do anything to help her now.”

“Do you mean it?” Squirrelpaw tried to ignore the twinge of jealousy that pricked her belly—why shouldn’t Leafpaw have made friends with another cat while she was away?

“Of course!”

“Come on, then!” she yowled. “Let’s go!”

She pelted into the forest, wanting to get away before any of the senior warriors spotted her and ordered her to join a hunting patrol, or even worse, overheard them and told Firestar what she was planning. She heard Sorreltail pounding after her. The two cats raced past the ravine without even looking down into the abandoned camp, and headed for the Great Sycamore. The monsters were still there, chewing up more and more of the forest. If they weren’t careful, they’d tumble right into the ravine and smash themselves to bits on Highstones, Squirrelpaw thought hopefully.

“Keep low,” she warned as the roaring grew louder, but Sorreltail was already ducking down to follow her through the dying bracken.

“Thank Silverpelt they’ve left us some trees to hide in!” she hissed.

They scrambled over Snakerocks. Squirrelpaw was determined to follow the exact trail Spottedleaf had shown her in her dream, but she hoped that the weak sun hadn’t tempted any snakes out to bask. Safely over the rocks, they headed back into the trees toward the Thunderpath.

The hateful stench of the Twoleg monsters stung her nose a heartbeat before she heard them roaring up ahead. By the time she reached the edge of the muddy clearing she was breathing hard, her paws trembling. Fear gripped her from ear-tips to tail.

Sorreltail skidded to a halt beside her and peered out from under a thick bramble bush. “What are we going to do now?”

“I’m not sure,” Squirrelpaw admitted. The clearing was busy with Twolegs shouting and monsters churning up the ground as they prowled back and forth. It looked nothing like her dream, even though she was sure they had come to the right place. There was no trace of the stillness and the silence she had padded confidently through with Spottedleaf. But the noise and activity made her paws prick with determination. StarClan had brought her here knowing full well how dangerous it would be. They must have faith in her.

“Leafpaw’s over there.” She gestured with her tail to the wooden nest Spottedleaf had led her to. There was a monster crouched outside the door, grumbling quietly to itself. It was much smaller than the tree-munching monsters, and its round black paws seemed half-sunk in the mud.

“Look,” Squirrelpaw hissed suddenly. “They’ve left the door open!”

She froze as a Twoleg emerged from the nest, carrying a cage. Inside crouched a mangy tabby, its eyes wide with terror. The Twoleg pushed it into the belly of the waiting monster, then went back inside the wooden nest and came out with another cage.

Squirrelpaw stared in horror at the bundle of fur hunched inside the cage. “Leafpaw!” Without stopping to think, she dashed out of the trees.

Leafpaw must have spotted her, because as the Twoleg pushed her cage into the monster’s belly, she yowled, “Squirrelpaw, get away from here!”

Her shriek startled the Twoleg, and it turned around sharply, spotting Squirrelpaw at once. With eyes sparkling in triumph, it put down Leafpaw’s cage and ran toward her. Squirrelpaw scrabbled to a halt, her paws slipping as she tried to bolt back to the safety of the trees. The Twoleg chased her with its forepaws outstretched, its long legs gaining on her as she fought to get a clawhold on the slimy mud. StarClan! Help me!

Just when her heart was about to burst with fear, Sorreltail exploded from the bushes with a vicious snarl. She rushed at the Twoleg, raking her claws across its grasping paw until it howled in pain. Then she grasped Squirrelpaw’s scruff in her teeth and hauled her toward the trees. Squirrelpaw found her footing with a gasp, and Sorreltail released her. Together the two cats sped into the woods. When they reached the safety of the brambles, Squirrelpaw skidded to a standstill.

“Keep running!” Sorreltail hissed. “They won’t give up that easily.” She nudged Squirrelpaw hard, pushing her further into the clump of brambles.

Squirrelpaw stumbled as the thorns scraped her fur.

“What about Leafpaw?”

“Do you want to join her?” Sorreltail spat. “Keep running!”

Too terrified to think straight, Squirrelpaw obeyed and raced after the warrior into the trees.

Only when they had run all the way to Snakerocks did Sorreltail slow down, her flanks heaving. Squirrelpaw stood beside her, too shocked to speak.

“What in StarClan’s name is going on?” Graystripe’s deep meow echoed off the rocks as he emerged from the bracken with Thornclaw and Rainwhisker close behind him. The ThunderClan deputy stared at the two trembling cats. “What’s wrong with you? You look like you’ve just seen Tigerstar’s ghost!”

“It’s Leafpaw!” Squirrelpaw cried. “We found her, but the Twolegs are putting her inside a monster’s belly. They’re going to take her away; I know they are!”

Graystripe narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to speak, then stopped and glanced at the bushes behind him.

“Brambleclaw?” he called. “Is that you?”

“Yes.” The branches quivered and Brambleclaw stepped out. “I’m looking for Squirrelpaw.” He blinked when he spotted her standing beside Sorreltail. “Are you okay?”

“I found Leafpaw!” Squirrelpaw hissed. “The Twolegs are going to take her away! We have to rescue her now, or I’ll never find her again.”

Graystripe glanced at Brambleclaw, then at Rainwhisker and Thornclaw. The ThunderClan warriors stood with their chins raised high and flexed their powerful shoulders.

“We can’t let the Twolegs take our cats if there is anything we can do to stop them,” growled Rainwhisker.

“We should not give up without a fight,” Thornclaw agreed. Their meaning was clear. This was still their forest.

They may not have been able to protect it against all the Twolegs and their monsters, but this was one battle they could take on.

Graystripe narrowed his amber eyes at Squirrelpaw. “Very well,” he meowed. “Show us where she is.”

“This way,” she panted. She leaped back over Snakerocks, Sorreltail close behind. Graystripe, Thornclaw, Rainwhisker, and Brambleclaw followed. Hearing their pawsteps, Squirrelpaw felt a surge of confidence. With five ThunderClan warriors at her side, she must be able to rescue her sister!

When they reached the bramble thicket at the edge of the trees, Graystripe hissed for the cats to stop. “Stay low!” he commanded.

To Squirrelpaw’s relief, the small monster was still waiting outside the wooden nest, and the Twoleg was carrying out more cages to stow in its belly. “Leafpaw’s already inside,” she whispered.

“Right,” muttered Graystripe. “Thornclaw, you and I will attack the Twoleg. We’ve got to keep him distracted while Sorreltail, Brambleclaw, and Rainwhisker let the other cats out.”

“What about me?” Squirrelpaw asked.

“You stay here as lookout,” Graystripe ordered curtly. “Tell us if more Twolegs come.”

Squirrelpaw stared at him in shock. “But—” she began, but Graystripe ignored her.

“Most of them must be in the monster by now,” he went on. “Brambleclaw and Sorreltail, I want you to climb inside and start getting the cats out. Rainwhisker, you go into the nest and help any that are left.”

Squirrelpaw glared at Graystripe. “I’m getting my sister out of that monster!”

The gray deputy stared back at her for a long moment, and Squirrelpaw felt as if she’d forgotten how to breathe. “Very well,” Graystripe agreed at last. “But if anything goes wrong, get back to the trees as fast as you can.”

Squirrelpaw nodded. When she glanced at Brambleclaw, his eyes were shadowed with worry. I faced greater danger than this on the journey to the sun-drown-place! she wanted to tell him. Stop treating me like a kit!

“Right,” Graystripe meowed, turning back to watch the monster. “The Twoleg is going to fetch another. We’ll be ready to take it by surprise when it comes out.”

He dashed from the trees, keeping low as he raced over the mud. Thornclaw, Sorreltail, Rainwhisker, and Brambleclaw ducked out from under the brambles and ran across the churned earth behind him. Squirrelpaw scrambled after them, feeling the mud suck at her paws and cling to the fur on her belly.

A few tail-lengths from the open door, Graystripe hissed, “Wait!” and the cats halted in the sticky mud.

The Twoleg stepped out of the wooden nest. It was carrying another cage and did not see the six cats waiting in ambush.

“Now!” Graystripe screeched, and he leaped at the Twoleg.

When he sank his claws into its hind leg, the Twoleg dropped the cage. The cage cracked open with a sound like a splintering branch. Squirrelpaw stared in astonishment as she recognized the gray pelt inside. It was Mistyfoot! The RiverClan warrior leaped out and hurled herself at the Twoleg’s other leg, hissing in rage. Thornclaw joined the attack, gripping the Twoleg as though he were clawing his way up a tree. The Twoleg bellowed in agony and hopped around with a cat clinging to each leg.

“Come on, Squirrelpaw!” Brambleclaw yowled. He jumped into the open belly of the monster, Sorreltail close behind him. Squirrelpaw heard the blood roaring in her ears as she watched Rainwhisker slip into the nest. She hoped there wasn’t another Twoleg waiting inside. Taking a deep breath, she hauled herself up into the monster with Brambleclaw and Sorreltail.

Rows of cages were lined up in the gloom. The fear-scent was overpowering, and for a moment Squirrelpaw froze. How in StarClan’s name were they going to rescue all these cats?

Then she saw Leafpaw, pressed against the mesh of her cage.

“Squirrelpaw! Over here!” she wailed.

“I’m coming!” Squirrelpaw streaked over to her and used her teeth to tug at the catch on the front of the cage. “It’s loosening!” she hissed as the catch began to tear away like the wing of a pigeon. She pulled as hard as she could until the cage sprang open and sent Squirrelpaw toppling onto the floor of the monster’s belly.

Leafpaw leaped down and quickly rubbed her muzzle against her sister’s. “It’s really you!” she breathed.

“Spottedleaf told me where you were!” Squirrelpaw gasped, scrambling to her paws.

Leafpaw blinked, then shook herself. “Tell me everything later. Come on; we’ve got to get all these cats out!” She raced to the nearest cage and began pulling at the catch.

Squirrelpaw turned to another and struggled until she thought she’d be spitting out broken teeth, but the catch eventually came free, and a matted rogue tom leaped out. Without a word he fled from the monster and sprinted toward the woods.

“You’re welcome,” Squirrelpaw muttered before starting on the next cage.

Unfamiliar cats leaped around her as Brambleclaw, Sorreltail, and Leafpaw worked on the cages one after another. The cages mostly contained rogues who were gone as soon as their doors were open. Then Squirrelpaw felt a cat push her aside, heading deeper into the monster’s belly, and saw Mistyfoot barging past. The RiverClan warrior made straight for the cage at the end.

“Sasha!” Mistyfoot yowled, and she began scraping at the catch with her claws.

“This way works better,” Squirrelpaw told her, nudging her out of the way to use her teeth. Instantly the catch opened and Sasha sprang out.

“Get out of here!” Mistyfoot urged.

Sasha hesitated, looking at the cages that were still closed.

“We’ll deal with these!” Mistyfoot promised.

Sasha’s fur was standing on end, and her blue eyes were huge with fear. She was shaking so much that she wouldn’t be able to open the cages even if she tried. At last she nodded and leaped from the monster.

Only a few cages still held cats. Leafpaw scanned the inside of the monster and called to Squirrelpaw, “Cloudtail and Brightheart are still in the hut! Go and help free them; I’ve got to let Cody out.”

“Who’s Cody?” Squirrelpaw asked.

“I’ll tell you later! Quick! Get Brightheart and Cloudtail!”

Squirrelpaw leaped out of the monster’s belly and raced toward the wooden nest. Her heart lurched when she saw that another Twoleg had arrived to help. Thornclaw finally lost his grip on the first Twoleg. The ThunderClan warrior landed heavily in the mud, but he scrambled to his paws and raced back to rejoin Graystripe in the attack.

As Squirrelpaw dashed into the nest, she was almost knocked flying by a brown tabby rogue running out. She swerved quickly out of the way as the scraggy tom hurtled past her; then she scanned the nest, searching for Cloudtail and Brightheart.

Cloudtail was already free. He was helping Rainwhisker scrape at Brightheart’s catch. “We can’t open it!” Cloudtail yowled, his voice rising in panic.

“Try your teeth,” called Squirrelpaw.

Cloudtail bit down hard, and Squirrelpaw saw him tremble with effort as he pulled, but still it would not open. More Twoleg voices sounded outside, and Graystripe raced into the nest.

“There are too many Twolegs!” he yowled. “We have to get out of here!” He pushed Squirrelpaw toward the doorway.

“Get back to the trees!”

“But Brightheart is still trapped!”

“I’ll take care of her!” Graystripe promised, pushing Squirrelpaw with his nose. “Just get out of here!”

He leaped over to where Rainwhisker and Cloudtail were still tugging at Brightheart’s catch and shoved them out of the way. “Get to the trees!” he spat. “Now!”

Cloudtail didn’t move, but stood stiff-legged, staring in horror at Brightheart’s cage. Her panic-stricken face was pressed against the mesh.

“Come on!” Rainwhisker hissed at him and bundled the white warrior toward the door. Squirrelpaw glanced over her shoulder at Graystripe as he grabbed the stiff catch in his powerful jaws, then followed the others out of the nest.

As she emerged a Twoleg lunged for her, but she spun around and bolted along the side of the nest. There were Twolegs everywhere, howling in rage. She spotted Cloudtail and Rainwhisker making for the trees and pelted after them, thrusting her way into the tangle of brambles. Rainwhisker kept running into the forest, but Cloudtail skidded to a halt and turned back to watch what was happening outside the nest. Squirrelpaw crouched beside him and peered across the clearing. Leafpaw and a tabby she didn’t recognize were running toward them.

“Hurry!” she screeched. A Twoleg was gaining on them, his huge paws taking giant strides across the mud. As Squirrelpaw watched, willing the cats to outrun the Twoleg, the white-and-ginger pelt of Brightheart caught her eye in the doorway of the nest. Graystripe had opened her cage!

The ThunderClan she-cat hurtled toward the trees, the scars on her face half-hidden by splatters of mud. She brushed past the Twoleg that was chasing Leafpaw, unbalancing him in the slippery mud so that he fell over with a roar.

Leafpaw and the tabby reached the safety of the bushes and scrambled in among the thorns.

“I can’t believe you saved us!” panted the tabby.

Squirrelpaw was already rubbing her nose along Leafpaw’s cheek, breathing in her familiar scent. “I’m sorry we were nearly too late,” she whispered.

“I thought I’d never see you again!” Leafpaw was panting hard. “Where’s Brambleclaw?”

Squirrelpaw felt a jolt of alarm and scented the air. She smelled the fresh fear scent of Thornclaw and Sorreltail.

Then she recognized a clump of dark tabby fur snagged on a bramble thorn, the blood still wet where it had been torn from his pelt. She trembled with relief. If Brambleclaw had gotten this far, he must have escaped.

“He’s okay,” she mewed. “Did Mistyfoot get out?”

“Once the last cat was free she started heading for the trees,” Leafpaw told her.

“Then everyone escaped!” Squirrelpaw breathed in relief.

As she spoke, Brightheart crashed into the brambles, her eyes huge with terror. “Graystripe!” she gasped.

“Where is he?” Squirrelpaw demanded.

Cloudtail nearly bowled Brightheart over as he leaped toward her. “I shouldn’t have left you!” he cried, licking her all over her ravaged face.

“Where’s Graystripe?” Squirrelpaw repeated.

“Twolegs!” panted Brightheart, pulling away from Cloudtail.

Squirrelpaw’s heart jumped into her throat. “What do you mean?”

“One of them grabbed him!”

Squirrelpaw peered out from the undergrowth. A Twoleg was closing the belly of the monster. Hissing and spitting at the other Twolegs, who were staring wildly around the clearing, it climbed into the front. The monster roared into life and, spraying mud from beneath each of its fat black paws, began to pull away. Then Squirrelpaw saw something that made her stomach flip over. A lone face peered from inside the monster, a face she had known since she was a kit. It gazed desperately at the trees as the monster picked up speed and raced away.

“Graystripe!” Squirrelpaw gasped.