Bramblestar hurried to catch up with him, and found him standing next to one of the sticks they had positioned to check the change in water level. Now it stood high and dry several fox-lengths away from the edge of the flood.
“See how far the water has gone down!” Lionblaze exclaimed. “It won’t be long before we can go home. Our kits will be born in the nursery!”
Bramblestar nodded. “Let’s reposition the sticks, and then we’ll go look at the hollow.”
When they had retrieved the sticks and driven them into the ground at the water’s edge, the two cats climbed the slope again until they reached the cliff top. This time they padded right up to the edge and peered over. The water had dropped down far enough to reveal dark shapes rising up, thorny and misshapen by the weight of the flood.
“Look, those branches must be the top of the warriors’ den.” Lionblaze pointed with his tail. “And over there’s the nursery—I can just see the roof with the interwoven brambles.”
Bramblestar crouched beside him, scanning the cliffs where the marks of the flood still remained, and the debris thrown among the tumbled rocks that led up to the Highledge. “It’s going to take a lot of work to rebuild,” he murmured, thinking of how the surging water must have torn all of the nests away, and how much mud and litter would have been swept in on the flood. “But we’ll do it, however long it takes,” he added.
Returning to camp, Bramblestar looked for Cinderheart and found her in the tunnel with Leafpool and Sandstorm. She lay on one side; Bramblestar guessed that Leafpool had been examining her.
“Lionblaze told me about the kits,” Bramblestar announced. “Congratulations, Cinderheart.”
“Thank you,” Cinderheart purred. “I’ve hoped for this for so long.”
“So with the kits in mind,” Bramblestar went on, “I thought you might not want to fight the badgers.”
Cinderheart raised her head, a glint of annoyance in her blue eyes. “I’m expecting kits,” she snapped. “I’m not sick! I can fight just as well as any cat.”
Bramblestar knew she was right, and wasn’t quite sure how to argue with her. He could order her to stay in camp, but he didn’t want to offend her.
While he was still searching for the right words, Sandstorm stretched out a paw and laid it gently on Cinderheart’s flank. “Remember you’re not making decisions for yourself alone now,” she mewed, her voice still hoarse from her attack of whitecough. “You have to think of the kits inside you. Is it fair to put them at risk before they’ve even been born?’
Cinderheart opened her jaws to reply, then hesitated.
“There’ll still be a lot to do in the camp, preparing for the wounded and keeping the fresh-kill pile stocked,” Sandstorm went on.
“I could certainly use the help,” Leafpool added.
The annoyance faded from Cinderheart’s gaze. Finally she nodded. “Okay, I’ll stay,” she meowed. “Sandstorm, what was it like when you were carrying Leafpool and Squirrelflight? What should I do to make sure my kits are born healthy?”
Aware that he couldn’t add anything to this conversation, Bramblestar crept quietly away. None of the she-cats saw him go. Outside the tunnel he spotted Squirrelflight giving herself a quick groom in a patch of sunlight. “Hi,” he meowed, bounding over to her. “Lionblaze just told me some good news: He and Cinderheart are having kits.”
Squirrelflight froze in the middle of drawing her paw over her ear. “Wow!” she exclaimed, her eyes widening. “Our kit having kits! That’s awesome.” A deep purr rumbled up from her chest.
Bramblestar gulped. I hadn’t looked at it quite like that before. “Great StarClan, that makes me feel old!” he mewed.
Squirrelflight flicked her tail at him. “Don’t be mouse-brained.”
Bramblestar gazed at her, stifling a small mrrow of amusement. Then he remembered the badgers, and his amusement faded.
“At sunrise tomorrow, don’t organize any more battle-training patrols,” he told Squirrelflight. “Just the usual hunting and border patrols. They’ll need to save their strength for the end of the day.”
Looking suddenly somber, Squirrelflight nodded. “Your warriors are ready, Bramblestar. And may StarClan be with us all.”
Chapter 30
Dusk was gathering under the trees as the last glance of sunlight faded from the sky. The air was warm and filled with the fresh scents of newleaf. The whole forest seemed full of hope and recovery, and yet Bramblestar knew, as he leaped onto the top of the mudpile, that he was about to lead his Clanmates into another deadly battle. Looking down on them, seeing the gleaming eyes of every cat turned toward him, Bramblestar’s courage wavered and for a moment he didn’t know what to say. Then he met Squirrelflight’s calm, trusting gaze, and he felt stronger again.
“Cats of ThunderClan,” he announced. “I know what I’m asking of you, and I want you to know that I trust every one of you to fight with courage tonight. Remember that we’ve taken on badgers before and won. We defeated the Dark Forest cats, and they were far more dangerous than a few badgers! StarClan fought alongside us then, and they may be not with us in the same way now, but they’ll be watching over us, just as they always have. ThunderClan warriors, to victory!”
“Bramblestar! Bramblestar!” his Clanmates yowled.
Bramblestar realized with a stab of relief that after their earlier hostility they were all with him now, ready to risk their lives to save ShadowClan and to rid the forest of the threat from badgers.
Jessy and Frankie looked as enthusiastic as the Clan cats, joining in to call his name. Jessy’s eyes were sparkling with excitement. Bramblestar nodded to her, inviting her to walk beside him as he sprang down from the mudpile and prepared to lead his cats out of the camp.
Leafpool, Jayfeather, Purdy, and Sandstorm were clustered together just outside the tunnel. Minty and Daisy were with them, while Graystripe, Thornclaw, and Cherryfall, who had agreed to stay behind and defend the camp, took up positions around the edge of the clearing and stood there watchfully.
As the rest of the Clan began to move off, Cinderheart bounded up to Lionblaze and touched noses with him. Lionblaze gave her a tender lick around the ears, and briefly twined his tail with hers.
“Please be careful,” Cinderheart begged. “Think of our kits and stay away from danger.”
“I can’t promise that, but I promise I’ll come back to you,” Lionblaze murmured.
Bramblestar led his warriors out of the clearing, hearing the voices of the cats who remained echoing through the trees behind him.
“Good-bye! Good luck!”
“Give the badgers a few good scratches from me!”
“We’ll keep the camp safe!”
At last the voices died away, and the ThunderClan cats padded in silence through the darkening forest. The moon appeared above the tops of the trees, shedding a silver light over the open spaces, while the shadows of the undergrowth seemed even darker. The warriors crossed the top border into the wild woods, and along the line of the ridge to the invisible border with ShadowClan’s extended territory.
Here Bramblestar paused. He could feel that his cats were tense and anxious as the moment of the battle drew closer. Turning to face them, he spoke to them again, his voice lower so that they had to gather around tightly to listen.
“Remember that this is ShadowClan’s battle first,” he meowed. “Our help is unexpected.”
“More like unwanted,” Dustpelt muttered, glaring into the darkness.
Bramblestar ignored the interruption. “Whatever happens,” he went on, “however ShadowClan reacts, we do not get into fights with them. We’re here to drive out badgers. Nothing else.”