“Hurry!” Tinycloud didn’t take her eyes from Sunnypaw. The young cat was slipping deeper into the mud. As it reached around her throat, she lifted her muzzle, her paws flailing as she tried to keep her nose above the surface.
Bark brushed Violetshine’s hind paw, and she hopped out of the way as Hawkwing slid the stick past her. As Sparrowpelt guided it over the mud, Violetshine steadied it with her paws.
“Quick!” Tinycloud leaned farther out, straining to get closer to her kit as Sunnypaw’s ears slid beneath the surface. The apprentice whimpered as the mud covered her eyes and her muzzle began to disappear from sight.
“Grab the stick!” Sparrowpelt thrust it closer.
Can she hear? Violetshine’s breath caught in her throat as Sunnypaw’s flailing paw knocked against the stick. Desperately, the apprentice hooked her claws over the end and began to haul herself higher. Her muzzle pushed free of the mud and, with a jerk, she bit onto the stick and wrapped both paws around it.
“Pull!” Hawkwing gave the order. Violetshine dug her claws deep into the bark and tugged as Sparrowpelt and Hawkwing hauled the stick toward firm ground. The mud pulled at Sunnypaw like a hungry fox, but she clung on blindly, her eyes plastered shut. Nectarpaw and Quailpaw grabbed the stick and began pulling. Rain beat mud from Sunnypaw’s fur, her flanks, and then her hind legs, slowly sliding free. Sunnypaw gave a choking sob as, with a squelch, the mud lost its grip. As soon as she was in reach, Tinycloud grabbed her bedraggled scruff and dragged her onto the grass. Sunnypaw collapsed, trembling, as Tinycloud lapped the mud from her eyes.
The Clan murmured anxiously as they stared across the mud slick, their wet pelts bristling.
Leafstar hurried around the edge. “Is she okay?”
Frecklewish darted past her and pressed her ears to Sunnypaw’s chest. She sat back on her haunches, her eyes glistening with relief. “She’ll be fine.”
As Sunnypaw pushed herself to her paws and coughed up muddy water, Plumwillow hurried to her side. Alarm prickled through her dripping pelt. “Why did you go so far out?”
Tinycloud nosed the dark gray she-cat away. “This is strange territory. How was she to know that the mud was so deep?”
Plumwillow met Tinycloud’s gaze, fear brimming in her amber eyes. “What are we doing here? We’re far from the lake and nowhere near the gorge. And no cat should be traveling in weather like this. No wonder StarClan wanted us to stay.” She swung her head toward the Clan as they crept closer.
Hawkwing blinked at her evenly. “We’ll be at the gorge soon. We’ll be safe then.”
“Soon?” Harrybrook snorted. “I remember how long it took us to reach the lake, and how many warriors we lost! Who knows how many dangers we’ll meet on the way this time!”
“And who knows what we’ll find when we get there?” Plumwillow added. “We’ve been gone for moons. Foxes might have moved in.”
“Or badgers!” Macgyver pushed his way to the front.
Sunnypaw looked at him, trembling. “I want to go home.”
Leafstar, who had been listening thoughtfully, lashed her tail. “We are going home!”
“Not our home.” Quailpaw blinked at her.
“We don’t want to live anywhere but the lake,” Nectarpaw mewed.
Sunnypaw shook mud from her ears. “We were born there.”
Leafstar’s hackles lifted. Violetshine heart quickened as she saw rage burn in the SkyClan leader’s eyes. “That doesn’t mean you should die there!” she snapped. “There was nothing for us at the lake. No land! No prey! No respect! We would have had to fight for every morsel. Is that really how you want to live? Treated like rogues? Have you forgotten who you are? You’re SkyClan. The lake was never home. StarClan only wanted us there for some prophecy that was never to do with us. Why should we sacrifice ourselves for Clans who don’t even respect us?”
Plumwillow shifted uneasily as Harrybrook and Macgyver exchanged looks. Behind them, Bellaleaf and Nettlesplash glanced nervously around.
Violetshine’s chest tightened as she watched her Clanmates. Sunnypaw was filthy. Tiredness dulled Frecklewish’s eyes. Fidgetflake was shivering. “Everything’s going to be okay.” She lifted her voice, surprised to find herself speaking out. “Remember, we are SkyClan. It doesn’t matter where we are or what problems we face. We will face them together.” Leafstar blinked at her as Violetshine went on. “You are the first true Clan that I’ve known. I was raised in ShadowClan when it was falling apart. The cats there turned on one another. When they faced problems, they were no better than rogues. But SkyClan is different. You took me in and welcomed me. You taught me how cats can overcome even the worst times. You lost your home, you lost one another, but you found one another again and kept on going. I’m proud to be a SkyClan cat. I would never want to belong anywhere else.” She looked around at the faces of her Clanmates. Warmth rose beneath her pelt as she saw hope spark in their weary gazes.
“Let’s go.” Leafstar flicked her tail, less with anger now and more with determination. She padded up the grassy slope beyond the mud pool and headed toward the stretch of heather.
Hawkwing bounded after her as the rest of the Clan followed. Tinycloud rested her flank against Sunnypaw and guided her up the slope. Violetshine glanced back at the wide stretch of mud. The stick that had saved Sunnypaw’s life had been washed clean by the rain already.
As she padded after her Clanmates, Frecklewish fell in beside her. “Do you think the rain will stop tomorrow?” Violetshine murmured, glancing at the heavy gray sky.
“I’ve never seen the sky this dark.” Beyond the hilltop, the gray clouds stretched into black. “It looks as though the rain will get worse before it gets better.”
Violetshine stifled a shiver. Rivulets streamed over the grass as she climbed. The storm wasn’t going to lift anytime soon. But she’d meant what she’d said. She could get through anything as long as she had her Clan around her. Tree was far behind them now, and though his loss sat in her heart like a stone, she knew that she had to keep moving forward.
Even if it meant never seeing Tree again.
CHAPTER 19
Alderheart was glad to reach the ShadowClan border. There would be better shelter on the other side, where oak turned to pine and the canopy grew thicker. The rain was harder than ever, streaming along branches and down trunks so that the springy forest floor squelched beneath his paws.
He paused and glanced along the scent line. When he didn’t see a patrol, he crossed it. If any cat challenged him, he would tell them he was on his way to check on Puddleshine’s wounds. There was no need to admit that he wanted to ask the ShadowClan medicine cat a few questions about his Clanmates.
Bramblestar had dismissed his worries about how Sparrowpelt had come to be poisoned, but Alderheart couldn’t forget it so easily. Even though the victim had recovered and was gone, there was still a cat living among them who was willing to murder another cat. That was dangerous. Alderheart had brought deathberries into the ShadowClan camp, and the trail seemed to lead from there to SkyClan. Had Puddleshine seen anything suspicious while he was ill? Had he heard gossip since SkyClan had left? Some cat in ShadowClan must know more than they were saying.
The ditches that cut into the earth here like claw marks were brimming with water. Alderheart had never seen them full before. He shuddered. If parts of ShadowClan territory were underwater, what must RiverClan be like? Yesterday, the evening patrol had brought news of flooding around the river. After another night of heavy rain, the flooding must be worse now. StarClan, protect them, he prayed, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that StarClan would have little sympathy for the stricken Clan. They tried to warn us. Alderheart picked his way past the flooded ditches. Five saplings must stand together. Mistystar had chosen to ignore the warning. Did she expect to be unaffected by the storm now that SkyClan had gone?