Squirrelflight’s green gaze met Bramblestar’s for a moment; then she dipped her head and beckoned to Stormpaw with her tail. “Touch noses with me,” she murmured as he approached her.
“Stormpaw! Stormpaw!” the cats in the hollow yowled.
As the clamor died away, Minty stepped forward. “Er… I don’t want to stay here! No offense—you’ve all been really kind—but please can I go home now? I want to see if my housefolk have come back.”
“Of course,” Bramblestar meowed with a purr. “We’ll take you home. Thank you for everything you’ve done.” He glanced at Jessy, but she said nothing, and did not meet his gaze. Bramblestar’s pelt prickled. There’s a question waiting to be asked and answered, but neither of us is ready to say it out loud.
Pushing that to the back of his mind, Bramblestar turned to Minty. “We’ll take you home now, if you want.”
Minty hesitated. “Please, may I stay one more night? I want to finish the nursery, and Purdy said he would tell me a story about a blind chicken, and I promised to help Leafpool sort some herbs, and… oh!” Her voice rose into a wail. “I will miss you all so much!” she blurted out.
Millie, who was standing nearby, rested her tail-tip on Minty’s shoulder. “We’ll always be here, if you ever want to visit,” she meowed.
“Yes, you’ll always be welcome.” The rest of the Clan gathered around Minty, letting out friendly purrs.
“You have to come see my kits!” Cinderheart purred.
Brightheart nuzzled Minty’s ears. “I’ll be glad of help gathering herbs, if you feel like a walk in the forest some time.”
Bramblestar watched, blinking in surprise. I never thought Minty would end up being so popular. These kittypets have done more than adjust to our life in the Clan; they have become true Clanmates.
The trees were outlined against a pale dawn sky as Bramblestar emerged from the tunnel and gathered a patrol to take Minty home. He chose Millie, who had always been especially kind to the little kittypet, and Dovewing, who had been part of the patrol that had rescued her from her flooded Twoleg nest.
“Stormpaw, do you want to come?” he asked.
Stormpaw shook his head. “No, thanks, Bramblestar. I don’t want my old housefolk to see me. It’s better if they think that Benny and I found a new home together,” he finished sadly.
Cherryfall padded up to him and rested her ginger tail on his shoulder. “It’s okay to be sad. If you ever want to talk about your brother, I’m always here.”
Stormpaw bent his head toward hers, and Bramblestar caught Squirrelflight’s eye across the backs of the two young cats. His deputy looked amused and pleased. Perhaps there was more behind Stormpaw’s decision to stay than respect for the life of a warrior?
Bramblestar took the lead as his patrol headed down the slope. The water level was still much higher than the original shoreline, but they could make out the familiar shape of the lake. The border stream had shrunk back between its banks, so that they easily found a place where it was narrow enough for even Minty to leap across.
“I hope we don’t get into trouble with ShadowClan,” Minty mewed nervously as her paws struck the ground on the ShadowClan side.
“So do I,” Millie agreed, landing next to her. “Rowanstar could still be angry that we joined in the battle with the badgers.”
“There won’t be any trouble,” Bramblestar stated firmly. “We’re within three fox-lengths of the water, so we’re not trespassing.”
Sure enough, before they were halfway across the territory, a ShadowClan patrol came into view, picking their way through pine trees farther up the slope. Tigerheart was in the lead, with Stoatfur and Pinenose just behind him. When Tigerheart spotted Bramblestar and the others he veered toward them, loping briskly down until he met the ThunderClan patrol at the water’s edge. “What are you doing here?” he demanded.
The other two ShadowClan warriors gave the ThunderClan cats a cold stare, without even a dip of the head as greeting. Bramblestar could still see their scars from the battle against the badgers.
“We’re taking Minty home,” Bramblestar explained.
“Minty? Oh, yes, the kittypet.” Tigerheart’s glance raked across the patrol, coming to rest for a heartbeat on Dovewing. The gray she-cat was staring out across the lake as if it was more interesting than anything she had ever seen before.
There’s something going on there, Bramblestar thought. I wish I knew what it was. I know they went on the journey together to find the beavers, but that was seasons and seasons ago.
“Well, I suppose you can pass,” Tigerheart meowed, giving Bramblestar a condescending nod. “But don’t even think about putting a paw inside our territory.”
“We won’t,” Bramblestar responded, doing his best to hide his irritation.
“See you stick to that.” Tigerheart stood aside with a wave of his tail, leaving the path clear around the water’s edge. “Because ShadowClan will be watching.”
Bramblestar set off again. As he padded along the shoreline at the head of his patrol he could still feel the gaze of the ShadowClan cats boring into his back. By now the sun was rising above the trees, its pale rays turning the lake water to glittering silver. Around the Thunderpath and the half bridge, the flood was only belly-deep. Bramblestar was reminded of the hidden tree trunk that had saved him and Jessy from the old badger. I hope I never have to do that again!
He and his cats splashed through the water and headed up alongside the Twoleg dens. As they drew closer to her home, Minty picked up her pace and took the lead.
“The Twoleg dens are still empty and damaged with mud, just like the hollow,” Millie remarked to Bramblestar. “But I expect the Twolegs will repair them, just like we’re doing.”
The doors of some of the dens stood open, with a few Twolegs hauling their stuff outside to dry in the sun. Bramblestar, Millie, and Dovewing instinctively ducked behind a hedge as a pair of them emerged close by, but Minty let out a joyful little trill and raced forward.
“I’m back! It’s me!” she yowled. “I survived!”
The Twolegs stared at her, their jaws gaping, and let out sharp cries of surprise at the sight of the little black-and-white cat charging toward them. Minty took a flying leap into the forepaws of the nearest Twoleg, who held her close and pressed its face into her fur. For a moment it looked almost like a mother cat curling around the body of her kit.
They’re really glad to see her, Bramblestar thought. Just listen to them purring! I never thought Twolegs could feel that way.
Minty looked up into her Twoleg’s face. “I lived with wild cats!” she squealed. “I caught mice! And Purdy told me lots of stories, and I helped fix the nursery, and thrush tastes really good when you get past the feathers, and…”
Bramblestar exchanged an amused glance with Dovewing. “I don’t suppose they have any idea what she’s meowing about,” he murmured. “Still, she’s happy, and that’s all that matters.”
Beside him, Millie looked thoughtful as she watched the reunion.
“Are you thinking about your own Twolegs?” Dovewing asked her. “You must miss them very much.”
Millie nodded. “I did, but not so much now,” she mewed. “Sometimes I dream of them. I wonder if they dream of me.” Then she turned away, giving her pelt a shake. “Come on, Minty is home now. Let’s go back to ours.”