“Ask us what?” Palepaw looked up from the robin she was eating, her ears twitching.
The other gorge cats paused and stared at Violetpaw. She froze, the mouse turning dry on her tongue, and wished she’d never spoken.
Hawkwing wrapped his tail around her. “We came to ask you to return to the lake with us. We’ve found the other Clans, and we have territory. The land is good. There is prey and shelter, and the other Clans say that Twolegs come in summer, but they don’t disturb our camps.”
The gorge cats looked at each other.
Gravelpaw blinked. “We can’t leave the gorge,” he mewed. “It’s our home.”
Mintfur looked thoughtful. “Our home is with SkyClan.”
“We are SkyClan,” Palepaw pointed out.
“We are,” Nettlesplash agreed. “But our leader and deputy are not with us.”
“Then they should come here,” Palepaw mewed.
Fidgetpaw peered out of the small hollow, his gaze following the stream as it flowed along the gorge. “I think StarClan would want us to be with the other Clans,” he meowed softly. “They led Leafstar and Hawkwing to the lake for a reason. I think we should go with them. The gorge will never be what it once was to us.” He looked from Mintfur to Nettlesplash.
“It might be good to leave the bad memories behind us,” Nettlesplash agreed.
Mintfur’s pelt ruffled. She looked at Fidgetpaw. “What about Frecklewish?”
Fidgetpaw dropped his gaze.
“We can’t abandon her!” Mintfur stared at him, her pelt twitching.
Hawkwing scrambled to his paws. “You know where she is?” He sounded amazed. “She’s been missing for so long, I thought she was dead.”
Fidgetpaw looked up, his eyes glittering in the half-light. “Twolegs took her,” he meowed darkly. “They’re holding her captive.”
“Where?”
Violetpaw heard excitement in her father’s mew.
Nettlesplash turned his vole over and took a bite. “Rest tonight, and in the morning we’ll show you.”
Violetpaw gazed out from the woods. Ahead, the forest opened onto stone where a huge Twoleg den rose into the sky. Violetpaw’s neck ached from craning to see the top. “It must touch the clouds,” she whispered breathlessly.
Blossomheart and Hawkwing flanked her. Rabbitleap, Nettlesplash, and Mintfur clustered beside them while Palepaw and Gravelpaw hung back in the shade of the trees with Fringepaw and Nectarpaw.
Fidgetpaw padded from the forest, his black-and-white fur glossy in the early morning light. Monsters slumbered on the stone at the far side of the nest. “It’s full of Twolegs.” His mew was tight with fear. “We’ve seen them come and go.”
Violetpaw’s pelt prickled anxiously. “It’s like a camp.”
“Full of nests,” Blossomheart breathed.
“It’s more like a beehive,” Mintfur growled.
“Why do they want to live so high in the air?” Bellaleaf asked. “They can’t fly.”
Fidgetpaw shrugged. “Perhaps it’s so they can see if danger’s coming.”
“Why do Twolegs need to look out for danger?” Blossomheart grunted. “They cause most of it.”
Hawkwing padded to Fidgetpaw’s side. “Is Frecklewish in there?”
Fidgetpaw looked up to a row of shiny squares near the top. “I’ve seen her through one of the clear walls up there.” He nodded to the trees that grew beside the great hive. Their tops reached just a little higher than Frecklewish’s prison. “From up there, I could see her moving around inside.”
“You’ve climbed to the top?” Violetpaw gasped, her paws prickling with fear.
Fidgetpaw nodded. “One of the clear walls slides open sometimes, and she comes out onto the ledge.” Outside Frecklewish’s nest, a wide slab of stone jutted out, edged by a low wall. “But it’s too far to jump from the ledge to the tree.”
Violetpaw felt dizzy at the thought. The trees tapered at the top, and the gap between the ledge and the treetop was wider than any cat could jump. “If only she were being held in a nest near the bottom.” There, the longer branches reached close to the camp walls. “She could make the jump easily.”
Gravelpaw edged forward. “Nettlesplash managed to sneak through the hive entrance once.”
“It’s like a rabbit warren in there. So many smells and so many Twolegs coming and going.” Nettlesplash shuddered. “I didn’t find Frecklewish’s nest. I was lucky to find my way out.”
Violetpaw scanned the Twoleg hive, her gaze sweeping the smooth walls from the great slab of stone sticking outside Frecklewish’s nest to the ground. The trees weren’t the answer. There had to be another way down. To one side she saw other ledges, smaller than Frecklewish’s. They clung to the side of the huge nest, one under another, from the roof nearly to the ground. They were woven from what looked like thin, black branches. Her pelt prickled with excitement as she realized that each ledge was joined to the one below by a small stretch of steps. At the bottom, there was a long drop to the ground, but the lowest branches of a tree nearly touched the final ledge. If Frecklewish could reach those ledges, she’d be able to use them as an escape. Heart quickening, Violetpaw looked back at Frecklewish’s nest. The stone slab was several tail-lengths from the closest woven ledge. Violetpaw’s breath caught in her throat. Could Frecklewish make the jump? The drop to the ground would be deadly. But it might be Frecklewish’s only chance for escape.
She nudged Hawkwing’s shoulder with her nose. “I’m not sure,” she whispered. “But I think I have an idea.”
CHAPTER 13
The blustery wind threatened rain. Twigpaw glanced anxiously at the swishing branches above the camp.
Finpaw nudged her. “Don’t worry,” he mewed. “You’re safe with me. There’s no way StarClan would let another branch drop on me.”
They had the clearing to themselves. Leafstar was in her den. Tinycloud had taken her kits to the shelter of the nursery. Plumwillow, Harrybrook, and Sandynose were all hunting. Dewpaw was training with Macgyver in the forest, while Leafpool had taken Fallowfern to collect herbs.
Twigpaw had asked to stay in camp. “Finpaw needs company.”
Sandynose had looked unconvinced, but Finpaw had begged and Leafstar had agreed. “Apprentices learn more together than alone,” she had said. Sandynose had frowned but hadn’t argued with the SkyClan leader.
Now Finpaw batted a moss ball toward her.
Twigpaw caught it distractedly. “I hope Violetpaw and Hawkwing are staying dry and warm.” They’d been gone a quarter moon.
“They’ll be fine.” Finpaw hooked the moss ball from her.
She blinked at him. “What if they’re not?”
“What if they’re having a great time?” He flipped the ball into the air and swiped at it, missing. “Are you worried you’ll have nothing to worry about?”
“No.” She nudged him, pretending to be indignant. “Aren’t I allowed to worry about my kin?”
“Not when there’s nothing you can do to help them.”
Twigpaw reached out and knocked the moss ball away from him. “Don’t be such a smart-ears.” A new scent touched her nose. She recognized it at once. “ShadowClan!”
“Where?” As Finpaw looked around, the fern entrance quivered and Juniperclaw strode into camp.
Fallowfern hurried after him. “You can’t just walk into our camp!”
“Really?” Juniperclaw turned on her, pelt bristling. “But you can invade our territory?”