Bramblestar’s Storm

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.”

There was no sign of ShadowClan cats as they padded back across the territory on their way home. By the time they reached the camp, the sun was beginning to dip down behind the tops of the trees. All the cats in the patrol were tired and wet through as far as their belly fur, their legs and paws caked with mud.

Squirrelflight and Stormpaw were sitting together outside the tunnel. “The warrior code says that the Clan must be fed first,” Squirrelflight was explaining. “The elders and the nursing queens eat before any other cat. We take care of those who can’t hunt for themselves.”

Stormpaw nodded. “That makes sense.”

Watching Squirrelflight teaching her apprentice, Bramblestar felt something warm well up inside him. She’s the best deputy a leader could hope for—and more than that…

He was distracted as the other cats in the clearing noticed their return and pressed around them.

“Is everything okay?”

“Did Minty find her Twolegs?”

“Was there any trouble with ShadowClan?”

Mousewhisker pushed his way to the front of the crowd, a bundle of dry bracken in his jaws. “Here,” he meowed. “Clean yourselves up with this. Honestly, I think if I see any more mud, I’ll turn into a heap of earth!”

While Bramblestar was scraping the worst of the mud onto the bracken fronds, he realized that Jessy had slipped through the other cats to his side.

“Would you like to go for a walk while it’s still light?” she offered.

Bramblestar nodded, though his belly began to churn with apprehension as they left the camp side by side. He knew that he couldn’t put off questions about their future any longer.

They headed for the ridge, trotting silently over the soft, new grass. Shadows were gathering under the trees, and a light breeze swept down from the heights, stirring the cats’ fur. When they reached the summit, they found a flat-topped rock where they could sit side by side, their pelts barely touching, and watch the sun go down in a blazing scarlet sky.

“I remember going this way to fight Victor and his friends,” Jessy meowed. “We certainly taught them a lesson! And the battle against the badgers—that was so scary! But worth every moment of danger, because we helped ShadowClan and protected our own hunting grounds.” She paused and looked at him, her amber eyes reflecting the orange sky. “Bramblestar, I’ll never regret a moment of the time I spent with your Clan.”

Bramblestar swallowed. “That sounds as if you’re leaving.”

Jessy rose to her paws. Her gaze was full of sadness. “I think you know I have to. If I stay, you—you might not follow where your heart truly lies.”

For a moment Bramblestar was silent. Did she really know him so well, this brave, bold, sparkling kittypet? He had never meant to hurt her, not for a single heartbeat. “I’m sorry. I really am.” He stood beside her, twining his tail with hers. Jessy leaned into him and they rested their heads together.

“I could have loved you,” Bramblestar meowed.

“I know,” Jessy murmured. “But you already love Squirrelflight. As you should. She is the mother of your kits.”

Bramblestar opened his jaws to interrupt, but Jessy silenced him with a flick of her tail. “I know they weren’t born to you,” she went on. “But you are their father, just as Squirrelflight is their mother. That is not a bond that’s easily broken. Not even washed away in a storm!”

“Will you go home to your housefolk?”