Fluffy white clouds were building up above the gorge when Leafstar emerged from her den on the morning after the Gathering. The sun had not yet risen, and a stiff breeze buffeted her fur. She yawned and gave herself a quick grooming as she watched her Clanmates trot down the pathways to the Rockpile. Bounding down to join them, she found Sharpclaw setting the patrols.
“I’ll lead the border patrol,” he announced. “Stick, Billystorm, and Tinycloud, you come with me. Sparrowpelt, I’d like you to lead a hunting patrol, with Shrewtooth, Cora, and Rockshade. Shorty, you lead the other hunting patrol, with—”
“Hey, Shorty’s not a warrior,” Patchfoot interrupted. “Should he be leading a patrol?”
Sharpclaw gave his tail an irritable twitch. “Sorry, you’re right. You lead the patrol, then, Patchfoot. Shorty can go with you, with Bouncefire and Harveymoon.”
Leafstar looked on with approval as the patrols started to move off. She liked to see her Clan like this, busy and well organized. This is a new day; StarClan grant that all last night’s tensions have vanished.
“Are you coming, Snookpaw?” Billystorm called, glancing back at his apprentice as Sharpclaw led his patrol toward the bottom of the trail.
“Sorry, I can’t,” Snookpaw replied. “I promised to fetch fresh moss for Tangle and Lichenfur.”
“Fine.” Billystorm nodded. “We’ll do some battle practice when you get back.”
“Great!” Snookpaw’s tail shot straight up into the air as he clambered over the Rockpile and bounded across to the other side of the river.
Leafstar was impressed with the young cat’s loyalty to the promise he made last night to the elders. He’ll make a fine warrior. I hope he decides to stay with us full time. She watched Snookpaw creep along the narrow ledge beside the stream until he disappeared into the tunnel from where the water flowed out beneath the Rockpile. Leafstar pictured him shuffling along the tiny stone path that led to the Whispering Cave where the moss grew.
With the patrols gone, the other cats settled down to rest, eat, or share tongues. Ebonyclaw took Frecklepaw up to the training area for some practice; Leafstar spotted the apprentice casting a longing look back at Echosong’s den as she padded away.
Leafstar sat beside the river, intending to give herself a more thorough grooming, but she had barely licked one shoulder clean when Lichenfur shuffled up to her.
“I might have known that pesky apprentice didn’t mean what he said,” the elder grumbled. “There’s no sign of him, and we’re still stuck with our old moss.”
Leafstar blinked in surprise. “I saw Snookpaw go into the cave myself,” she mewed. “Hasn’t he come back yet?” Lichenfur shook her head. “I’ll go and see what’s keeping him.”
The ledge to the Whispering Cave was wet and slippery, and Leafstar had to set her paws down carefully. Black water rushed along beside her a couple of mouse-lengths below the ledge. Cold, damp air crept into her pelt, and she shivered. At last Leafstar saw a pale light up ahead, reflecting on the surface of the river. The ledge widened out into a flat path, and she quickened her pace as she padded into the Whispering Cave.
Leafstar paused at the cave entrance to admire the secret world underneath the gorge. The walls of the cave were broken into cracks and ledges; shaggy clumps of moss hung from every surface, giving off a pale, eerie light. Reflections of the water rippled across the cave roof; the sound of the river and unseen dripping water echoed in Leafstar’s ears.
This was the place where Echosong came to share tongues with her warrior ancestors. Though she was no medicine cat, Leafstar felt very close to StarClan here, as if she might hear their voices if she listened hard enough.
At the far side of the cave, Snookpaw was stretching up on his hind paws to claw down a bundle of moss. A large heap of it already lay on the cave floor beside him.
“Well done,” Leafstar meowed. “That should make a fine bed for Lichenfur and Tangle.”
Snookpaw jumped with surprise and dropped to all four paws. “Leafstar!” he exclaimed. “You nearly scared me out of my fur!”
“Sorry,” Leafstar mewed. She decided not to tell him that Lichenfur had been complaining. “Do you want help carrying that lot out?”
“Please,” Snookpaw puffed, beginning to roll the moss into two balls. “It is a lot, isn’t it?” he added smugly.
Leafstar picked up one of the balls of moss and turned to head out of the cave, pausing to let Snookpaw go in front of her. The pale light from the cave slowly died away behind them; edging along the trail was even more difficult when their front paws were hidden by the clump of moss. Rounding the curve in the river, they drew closer to the ragged gap of daylight where the water swirled out.
Then Snookpaw’s claws skidded on the slippery ledge. With a squeal of alarm he dropped his moss and toppled into the river, his paws flailing vainly for a grip on the stone. Dark water closed over his head.
“Snookpaw!” Dropping her own moss, Leafstar bounded to the spot where the apprentice had disappeared. She was in time to see him resurface a couple of tail-lengths farther downstream. His paws churned the water and his jaws opened in a terrified wail.
“Help! Help me!”
He was already sinking again as Leafstar flung herself into the water and gripped him by the scruff before he could disappear. The water was dark and shockingly icy. For a couple of heartbeats Leafstar was stunned into stillness and didn’t know which way to swim. Then she caught sight of the light at the cave entrance. Striking out strongly with her hind legs, she reached the side of the cave, but the wall was smooth and slick with water; she couldn’t pull herself up to the ledge again, especially with Snookpaw weighing her down.
StarClan help us!
All Leafstar could do was keep Snookpaw’s head above water while the current bore them along. She felt a moment’s panic as they were swept out into daylight and the sun dazzled her eyes, blinding her while the water swept them in a circle. Rolled over by a wave, Leafstar lost all sense of direction. Then her head bobbed to the surface. Still with her teeth fixed in Snookpaw’s scruff, she let the current swirl them toward the side of the pool. At last she was able to crawl out and collapse on the stones, with Snookpaw a sodden mound of fur beside her.
“Leafstar! Leafstar!”
Still muzzy with exhaustion, Leafstar recognized Cherrytail’s voice. She opened her eyes to see the young tortoiseshell gazing down at her anxiously.
“Check… Snookpaw,” she rasped.
As Cherrytail bent over Snookpaw, he began struggling to sit up. Shivering with shock, he coughed up a stream of water and flopped back onto the stones again.
At least he’s alive, Leafstar thought. Thank StarClan!
By now more cats were racing across the Rockpile, or leaping across the stepping-stones a little farther downstream. Echosong was among them, pushing her way through as they crowded around.
“Keep back and let me see him,” she ordered, crouching down beside the young black-and-white tom. “Leafstar, what happened?”
“He was fetching moss, and he slipped into the river,” Leafstar croaked, managing to get to her paws and give her pelt a good shake.
Echosong nodded and gently pressed Snookpaw’s belly with one paw. Another stream of water gushed out of the apprentice’s mouth.
“You’ll be fine,” Echosong told him reassuringly. “Come with me to my den. I’ll give you some thyme leaves for the shock, and you can have a good sleep.”
Still coughing, Snookpaw tottered to his paws. “No,” he rasped. “I want to go home. Don’t make me stay here.”
Startled, Leafstar took a pace back. She wanted to tell him that the medicine cat would look after him just as well as his Twolegs, but she couldn’t bring herself to make him stay in the gorge when he looked so miserable.
“All right,” she meowed. “If you’re sure you can make it that far.”
“I’ll go with him,” Cherrytail offered, letting Snookpaw lean against her shoulder. “I’ll make sure he’s okay.”
“Thank you, Cherrytail.” The young tortoiseshell warrior had been a kittypet once, and she would be familiar with the Twolegplace. “Make sure you get some rest, Snookpaw, and we’ll see you again as soon as you’re ready.”
Snookpaw headed off with Cherrytail, then halted and glanced back. “Thank you, Leafstar. You saved my life.”
“You’re welcome,” Leafstar mewed gently.
She watched Cherrytail helping Snookpaw across the Rockpile. Though she was thankful the accident had been no worse, she was still shaken. Gazing at the cats gathered around her, she announced, “From now on, no cat must go to the Whispering Cave alone—except for you, Echosong. And moss-gathering must always be supervised by a warrior.”
“Good idea,” Waspwhisker meowed.
Petalnose nodded. “When I think what could happen to our apprentices…” She shuddered.
Leaving her Clanmates to return to camp, Leafstar ventured back along the ledge until she found the remains of the moss that she and Snookpaw had dropped. Most of it had been washed away by the river, but Leafstar rolled up what was left and carried it across the Rockpile to the elders’ den.
“What’s that?” Lichenfur sniffed. “There’s not enough moss there to make a bed for a tick!”
“Well, it’s all you’re getting for now,” Leafstar retorted. “Snookpaw fell in the river fetching this. He could have died.”
Lichenfur blinked. “Clumsy apprentice,” she muttered. “He should watch where he’s putting his paws.”
Biting back an angry retort, Leafstar left her and went to find a sunny spot where she could sit and clean the river water from her pelt. She was drowsing in the sunlight when she heard excited squeaks behind her. Fallowfern’s kits were scampering over to the bottom of the trail where Sharpclaw and the border patrol were climbing down.
“Billystorm! Billystorm!” Plumkit squealed. “Snookpaw fell in the river and he nearly drowned!”
“What?” Billystorm leaped down the last couple of tail-lengths, his fur beginning to fluff up and his eyes wide with horror. “Where is he?”
“It’s not as bad as that.” Leafstar rose to her paws and padded over to the ginger-and-white tom. “He did fall in the river, fetching moss from the cave. But he was fine. He went home.”
Billystorm let his neck fur lie flat again, though his eyes were still full of concern. “I’ll check on him later,” he promised. “My Twoleg nest isn’t far from his.”
“Thanks,” Leafstar replied. “I’m worried about him. I wish he’d stayed and let Echosong take a look at him.”
“You can come with me to see him if you like,” Billystorm suggested.
“Me—come with you to the Twolegplace?” Leafstar felt every hair on her pelt start to prickle. “No thanks, Billystorm. I don’t feel comfortable among Twoleg nests.”
“Unlike your Clanmates,” Billystorm murmured.
Leafstar didn’t respond. She hadn’t forgotten his report that he had seen—or thought he saw—Sharpclaw and Stick leading a patrol in the Twolegplace. But she didn’t want to hear any more of the rumors. In the end she hadn’t confronted Sharpclaw about it, because she knew her deputy would never do such a thing without telling her.
Billystorm must have mistaken some kittypets for our warriors.
“What’s this I hear about Snookpaw?” Sharpclaw called, padding over to her with Fallowfern’s kits tumbling around his paws. “Is he all right?”
“He will be,” Leafstar assured him.
“At least we have enough warriors for the rest of today’s patrols,” Sharpclaw meowed. He hurried off, calling to Waspwhisker and Petalnose as he went.
“I’d better go with him,” Billystorm meowed. “I’ve nothing to do, seeing that my apprentice isn’t here. I’d promised to show him some fighting moves.”
“Show us instead!” Fallowfern’s kits chorused, scrabbling at his fur until they nearly knocked him off his paws.
Billystorm cast an amused glance at Leafstar. “You’re not apprenticed yet,” he told the kits.
“But you could help me with them if you want,” Leafstar mewed. “Fallowfern is worn out from looking after them. Besides, she wants to help Clovertail move into the new birthing den. We could take them off her paws for a bit.”
“Yes, please!” Creekkit begged. “I can fight better than all the others.”
“Can’t!” Nettlekit squeaked, jumping on his littermate.
Leafstar let out a small mrrow of laughter as she watched the kits rolling around, battering at one another with tiny paws.
“Are they bothering you, Leafstar?” Fallowfern puffed, bounding up with a harassed look.
“Not a bit,” Leafstar replied. “Should we take them for a while? It would leave you free to help Clovertail.”
“Oh, would you?” Fallowfern’s voice was full of gratitude. “Now listen,” she went on sternly to her kits. “You do exactly what Leafstar and Billystorm tell you. I don’t want to hear that you’ve put one whisker out of place. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Fallowfern.” The kits sat up, their fur rumpled and their eyes wide and innocent. “We’ll be good.”
“And hedgehogs will fly,” Billystorm whispered into Leafstar’s ear.
As Fallowfern padded off to join Clovertail, Billystorm rounded up the kits. “Come on. We’ll go to the training area.”
“Yes!” Rabbitkit bounced up and down with his tail waving. “Last one there’s a kittypet!”
All four kits took off in a flurry of sand. When Leafstar and Billystorm caught up to them at the training area, Creekkit was crouched in the middle of the open space. His lips were drawn back to display tiny sharp teeth. “I’m a fox and I’m attacking the camp!” he announced.
“Stay away or I’ll rip your fur off!” Plumkit responded, sliding out her claws.
“That’s enough.” Billystorm strode out into the sandy space and raised his tail to block Plumkit as she hurled herself at her brother.
“Watch it, the fox will get you!” she squealed.
Billystorm sidestepped rapidly to stop Creekkit from sinking his teeth into his hind leg.
“This is not a training session,” Leafstar reminded the excited kits. “That won’t happen until you’re apprentices.”
“But that’s moons away,” Creekkit muttered, disappointed. “I want to show you my battle moves.”
“We’ll play some games instead,” Billystorm meowed. “Let’s see how good you are at climbing.”
The kits bounced around him as he led the way across to the thorn tree that Sharpclaw had used for his training exercises. Its lower branches were thick and strong, safe for the kits to improve their skills.
“When you climb,” Billystorm began, holding the kits back with his tail so that they didn’t hurl themselves into the tree, “you need to look for paw holds. Places you can dig your claws in. You must never move until you know where you’re going to put your paws next. And always think about how you’re going to get down. That way, climbing is safe.”
The kits nodded seriously as the ginger tom finished speaking.
“Okay,” Leafstar meowed. “Rabbitkit, let’s see if you can climb up to that first branch.”
The tiny brown tom scampered up to the tree and fixed his claws into a knot-hole, then scrabbled with his hind paws to boost himself up the trunk. Soon he sat panting on the branch. “I did it!” he exclaimed.
“Well done,” Billystorm praised him. “Plumkit, you next.”
The dark gray she-cat climbed quickly and neatly to sit beside her brother on the branch. Nettlekit followed. “I was faster than you,” he boasted as he crouched on the branch next to the others.
“We’re not trying to be fast; we’re trying to be safe,” Billystorm pointed out, waving his tail for Creekkit to climb.
The little gray tabby scrambled up the trunk, but when he reached the branch he slipped and dangled down with his hind paws waving. “Help!” he squealed.
“Go on, you can pull yourself up,” Leafstar encouraged him.
With a massive effort Creekkit hauled himself up and managed to fasten his hind claws into the branch. “Made it!” he gasped.
“Very good, all of you,” Billystorm meowed. “Now let’s see you come down. One at a time, and slowly, Nettlekit.”
Leafstar remembered her mother teaching her to climb, seasons ago in the woods. Coming down was always harder and more frightening than going up.
Billystorm guided Creekkit down, then Rabbitkit and Nettlekit. “Where’s Plumkit?” he asked, looking around. “Did she get down already?”
A screech of terror interrupted him. Tipping her head back, Leafstar saw Plumkit perched almost at the top of the tree, all four paws clinging to the stump of a broken branch. “I’m stuck!” she wailed. “I can’t get down!”
“You shouldn’t be up there in the first place,” Billystorm mewed exasperatedly.
“And we should have kept a better eye on her,” Leafstar added. “Okay, Plumkit, I’m coming to get you.”
Muscles pumping, Leafstar raced up the tree. Plumkit was trembling when she reached her. “I’m going to fall!” she whimpered.
“No, you’re not,” Leafstar reassured her, touching her on one shoulder with the tip of her tail. “Look, put your hind paw just here…”
Slowly Leafstar guided the tiny she-cat down the tree. Plumkit’s courage had returned by the time she reached the lowest branch, and she sprang off, landing on Billystorm, who had stretched out to rest underneath.
Billystorm jumped up, baring his teeth and growling with pretend fierceness. “I’ll teach you to pounce on me!”
Plumkit let out a mrrow of laughter.
“Teach me, too!” Rabbitkit squealed, scrambling up the tree again and hurling himself down on Billystorm. “I’m not scared of you!”
Billystorm rolled his eyes at Leafstar as all four kits raced up the tree and jumped down, springing around with their tails high as he growled at them and swiped at them with his claws sheathed. Leafstar joined in, too, pretending to be asleep until some kit landed on top of her and cuffed her over the ears with tiny paws.
I haven’t had so much fun in moons!
“We’ve got to fight these beasts!” Nettlekit announced. “Rabbitkit, Plumkit, you attack from that side.”
His littermates scampered off; Billystorm and Leafstar found themselves surrounded with the kits creeping up on them in a kind of hunter’s crouch.
“Are you scared?” Plumkit meowed.
“You should be!” Creekkit squeaked. “We’re fiercer than you!”
“It’s getting late,” Billystorm mewed at last. “Time to go back to camp.”
A chorus of protest came from the kits.
“We’re not tired,” Plumkit insisted. “We want to play some more.”
“I know, but Fallowfern will be wondering where you are.” Leafstar noticed that a blackbird had landed on one of the highest branches of the thorn tree. “You see that bird? Billystorm, do you think you could catch it?”
Billystorm looked up, his eyes narrowing. “I expect so.”
“Off you go, then. Kits, this is how a SkyClan warrior hunts.”
The kits watched, enthralled, as Billystorm leaped into the tree and crept up to the higher branches, trying not to shake the one where the bird was perching. Leafstar admired his perfect balance.
He’s so good at jumping and climbing. He must be a SkyClan descendant.
Billystorm shuffled along a branch until he had enough space for a clear leap at the blackbird. At the last moment it tried to take off, but he grabbed it in his strong jaws and bounded down the tree again to drop the limp body in front of the kits.
“That was great!” Rabbitkit squeaked.
“I want to learn to do that,” Nettlekit mewed. “Show us now!”
“Another time, little ones,” Leafstar promised.
“You can share,” Billystorm meowed, nudging his prey toward the kits. “Blackbird is very tasty.”
The kits gathered around the fresh-kill, scrambling over one another in their eagerness.
“It’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten!” Plumkit announced, looking up with a feather on her nose.
The sun was going down by the time the kits had finished eating.
“Come on,” Leafstar meowed. “Now we really do have to go back to camp.”
“Don’t wanna…” Nettlekit protested, his words punctuated by a massive yawn. “Wanna climb some more…”
“The only place you’re going to climb is into your nest,” Billystorm told him, rounding up the littermates with a sweep of his tail. “Let’s go.”
The kits were stumbling from tiredness as they followed Leafstar back to the Rockpile, where Fallowfern was waiting.
“Thank you so much!” the pale brown she-cat exclaimed. “Have they behaved themselves?”
“They’ve been fine,” Billystorm assured her.
“Good. We’ve made Clovertail really comfortable in the new birthing den. It won’t be long before her kits come.”
“Can we play with them?” Plumkit asked, her voice muzzy with sleep.
“Not at first,” her mother warned. “They’ll be too little. Now say ‘thank you’ to Leafstar and Billystorm for looking after you.”
“Thank you!” the kits chorused.
“Can we do it again tomorrow?” Nettlekit pleaded.
“We’ll see,” Leafstar purred. “Go with your mother now. I don’t know how Fallowfern manages all four of them,” she added to Billystorm as she watched the she-cat herding her litter up the trail toward the nursery. “I’m worn out!”
“Me too,” Billystorm agreed. “But they’re great kits. I enjoyed playing with them.”
“You’d better go home now and check on Snookpaw,” Leafstar mewed. “Tell him to get well soon. We’re all missing him.”
“I’ll do that.” Billystorm whisked his tail lightly over Leafstar’s flank, then headed up the trail that led to the top of the gorge.
Even though Leafstar had said she was worn out, the session with the kits had left her feeling playful. Her paws tingled with energy. Part of her wanted to race along the top of the cliff, feeling the wind in her fur, or roll in crackly leaves under the trees.
You’re not a kit anymore! she scolded herself. Better settle for a juicy piece of fresh-kill instead.
Her heart lighter than it had been for many days, she padded off to join her Clanmates as they ate.