When Bramblestar had finished his share of the vole, and was waiting for the rest of his patrol to finish scraping the last shreds of flesh off the rabbit, Jayfeather came up from where he had been eating with Dustpelt and Leafpool. Bramblestar’s paws tingled when he saw the troubled expression on the face of his medicine cat.
“Is Briarlight’s whitecough worse?” he asked anxiously.
“No, thank StarClan,” Jayfeather replied. “Though it’s worrying me that Amberpaw and Sandstorm have both started coughing. But that’s not the real problem,” he went on rapidly. “Look at this.” He held up a forepaw and Bramblestar saw that blood was trickling from one of his pads.
“I’ll get Leafpool,” Bramblestar mewed immediately.
“No, it’s nothing. Only a scratch.” Jayfeather swiped his tongue over the injured pad. “The point is, I trod on a branch that hadn’t been there a moment before.”
“Is that so unusual?” Bramblestar asked.
“You know me.” Jayfeather twitched his tail. “I don’t trip over things just because I can’t see them. When did I last hurt myself?”
Bramblestar couldn’t remember. Jayfeather never needed his own healing herbs, unlike the other cats, who were always getting thorns in their paws or scratching themselves on bramble tendrils. An unpleasant suspicion occurred to Bramblestar, making the prey he had just eaten feel like a rock in his belly.
“Do you think this is a sign from StarClan?” he asked. “Some other danger we have to face?”
“I’m not sure,” Jayfeather admitted, ruffling up his pelt. “The storm has changed everything in the forest. Maybe I just made a mistake.”
Bramblestar’s ears flicked up in surprise. When does Jayfeather ever admit to being mistaken?
“In any case,” the medicine cat went on, “I think we should take careful note of everything. Tell the patrol to be extra cautious beyond the territory. They won’t know where they’re putting their paws, and this could be a warning of injury.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t hunt over there after all,” Bramblestar mused.
“Oh, come on, Bramblestar,” Thornclaw interrupted, pausing as he cleaned his whiskers. Bramblestar jumped, not realizing that the other warriors had overheard. “Jayfeather’s right to warn us, but we’ll be fine,” Thornclaw continued. “We know we’ll be on unfamiliar ground, so we’ll tread carefully.”
Reluctantly Bramblestar agreed, if only because he didn’t want to worry his Clanmates with thoughts of omens. He took the lead as the patrol climbed up to the ridge. The morning’s scent markers were still fresh and strong; a shiver crept right through his pelt from nose to tail as he stepped across them and stood in unfamiliar territory.
Though the border was less than a tail-length behind him, the forest ahead of him looked dark and threatening, full of sinister smells. Tasting the air, Bramblestar picked up traces of fox and badger. Fear swelled inside him, and for a moment he wanted to wail like a lost kit. He was tempted to change his mind and lead the patrol back to the safety of their own territory.
Then he looked at his Clanmates and saw that their fur was bristling with excitement, not fear.
“I can smell rabbits!” Thornclaw exclaimed in a hoarse whisper.
“And squirrels,” Blossomfall added. “There should be plenty of them. This is where the prey would have fled when the water started to rise.”
Bramblestar realized that he needed to have faith in his warriors’ skills. They were strong and experienced, fully capable of dealing with any danger they were likely to meet. Squirrelflight was right, he thought. I can’t do everything.
“What about those hazel bushes over there?” Brackenfur meowed, pointing with his tail. “I’ll bet a moon of dawn patrols there’s something lurking in there.”
“And in that bramble thicket,” Cherryfall mewed. “Mice and shrews love hiding in that kind of dense brush.”
“Okay.” Thornclaw took charge. “Spread out in a line, but let’s not lose sight of one another. If you scent prey, signal with your tail. The wind’s blowing toward us, so that should help.”
Bramblestar watched his Clanmates bound into the trees. Almost at once Cherryfall waved her tail wildly. “Squirrel!” she called. “Over here!”
The rest of the patrol headed toward her, falling into the familiar hunting pattern of surrounding the tree where she had scented prey. Bramblestar’s paws felt heavy as he turned away and began padding down to the tunnel. He would much rather have stayed and joined the hunt.
When he returned to the temporary camp, he found Millie outside with Briarlight, helping the injured cat with her exercises. Briarlight couldn’t clear her chest; she seemed to be coughing every heartbeat, and nothing Millie did was helping. Minty was standing close by, her fur bristling while her horrified gaze was fixed on Briarlight.
The last thing Briarlight needs is to have a stranger staring at her, Bramblestar thought, his whiskers twitching with annoyance. Glancing around, he spotted Daisy a couple of tail-lengths away, spreading out some of the bedding yet again in a futile attempt to dry it out. He beckoned her over with his tail.
“Is there something I can do?” Daisy asked as she padded up.
Bramblestar angled his ears toward Minty. “I’d like you to show her the forest,” he meowed. “Don’t scare her, but give her an idea of where the territory lies, where she should avoid, that kind of thing.”
“Sure, Bramblestar,” Daisy responded cheerfully. “We can look for extra bedding on the way. Minty might be happier if she has a job to do.”
“Amberpaw and I will come, too,” Spiderleg meowed, strolling up from where he had been helping his apprentice to practice her hunter’s crouch.
Amberpaw coughed as she followed him, and Daisy turned to her with a look of concern. “Are you sure you’re fit enough?”
“I’ll be fine. It’s only a tickle. I—” Amberpaw broke off as another fit of coughing seized her. “I don’t want to be stuck in that horrible tunnel. Besides, I think Minty trusts me.” She bounded over to the kittypet and gave her a friendly nudge. “Come on, we’re going to show you the forest,” she urged. “It’ll be fun.”
Minty blinked at her. “What if there are foxes or badgers?”
“There aren’t,” Amberpaw replied robustly. “We cleared them all out of our territory. They know better than to come back.”
“Well… okay.” Minty got up and followed Amberpaw back to the two warriors.
Bramblestar noticed that she managed to trip over a half-buried stone and a stray twig before she even reached them. Good luck with taking her anywhere, he thought. Maybe that’s what Jayfeather’s omen meant.
“Keep a close eye on her,” he murmured to Daisy. “She may be mouse-brained, but I don’t want her hurt.”
“Don’t worry,” Daisy reassured him. “I’ll treat her like a kit, the first day out of the nursery.”
“I’ll help, too.” Sandstorm padded up from where she had been grooming her fur in the shelter of a bush. With an amused glance at Bramblestar, she added quietly, “Spiderleg was very quick to offer to go too. I wonder if he wants to get back together with Daisy.” A cough ended her words.
Bramblestar doubted that the two cats would ever be mates again, and he was more worried about Sandstorm. “I don’t think you should be trekking through the forest with that cough,” he meowed. “It’s important to stay dry and warm.”
Sandstorm’s look of amusement deepened. “And how do you suggest I do that?” she asked teasingly. “I’ve only got a choice of wet bedding or hard stone to sleep on.”
Daisy’s patrol turned to leave, but before they had gone a couple of paw steps, the sound of scuffling broke out in the undergrowth above the tunnel entrance.