Bramblestar’s Storm

When he and his Clanmates had retreated several paw steps from the water’s edge, Bramblestar stopped again, looking back. “We ought to make sure that the water isn’t rising,” he mewed.

Cautiously he crept back along the passage and scored his claws down the wall to mark the highest point of the water. Moments dragged by as he crouched there watching. After a while he realized that Lionblaze was peering over his shoulder.

“It’s not getting any worse,” the golden tabby warrior murmured.

Bramblestar nodded. “I think we can go back,” he decided. “This is the lowest part of the caves, so we should be safe where we are.”

He let Lionblaze take the lead back to where their Clanmates were waiting.

“It looks like we’ll be okay here,” Bramblestar announced. “But the big cave is flooded, so no cat is to go farther down.” He turned around to give the apprentices a hard look. “Understood?”

The young cats nodded seriously, and Bramblestar hoped that their adventures so far had taught them how dangerous water could be.

Glancing around his Clan, Bramblestar was pleased to see that they seemed more relaxed than when he had left them to explore the tunnels. They had dried off and groomed themselves. One or two were sleeping, but most of them were watching him with bright, expectant eyes.

“So this is our new camp,” he began. “We have to assume that we’ll be here for several days.”

“Then we’ll need clean, fresh bedding,” Daisy meowed. “I’ll take charge of that, if you want, Bramblestar.”

“That would be great, Daisy,” Bramblestar replied. “Pick a few cats to go with you, and see if you can salvage any dry moss and leaves.”

“We might find some inside hollow trees.” Daisy rose to her paws and glanced around. “Rosepetal, Mousewhisker, will you come with me?”

The three cats slipped out together into the rain-drenched forest. Bramblestar realized with relief that while he had been down in the tunnels the storm had blown itself out again; only a light drizzle was falling. He noticed that Leafpool was leaving the tunnel too, hard on the paws of the other cats, without telling him where she was going. He felt a stab of annoyance, then reminded himself that medicine cats didn’t have to answer to their Clan leader.

“What about prey?” Cloudtail called. “My belly thinks my throat’s clawed out! I’ll lead a hunting patrol if you like.”

“So will I,” Bumblestripe added.

“And me,” Graystripe meowed. “Though what we’ll find out there, I don’t know.”

Several cats joined in, offering to join the patrols. Cloudtail raised his voice above the clamor. “What about the fresh-kill pile, Bramblestar? Where do you want it?”

“It’ll have to be in here,” Bramblestar meowed.

“What?” Berrynose gave a snort of disgust. “Sleeping next to fresh-kill? Yuck!”

Bramblestar suppressed an irritated hiss. “If you have a better idea, share it with the rest of us,” he mewed. “If we leave prey outside, it will get wet, or foxes will steal it.”

As the warriors divided themselves into groups, Bramblestar began padding up the tunnel to join Cloudtail’s patrol. He was stopped by Sandstorm, who blocked his path with her ginger tail.

“I think you should stay here, where your Clan can see you,” she advised him in a quiet voice. “They need to know that you’re safe and in control.”

Bramblestar knew she was right, though his tail-tip twitched in frustration to see the hunting patrols going off without him. He was distracted by Leafpool, who reappeared just as the hunters were leaving.

“Where have you been?” Bramblestar asked her sharply. Medicine cat or not, she shouldn’t be wandering about on her own in the flooded forest.

“Only down to the top of the hollow,” Leafpool mewed. “When I looked down into the camp, I thought I could see some bundles of herbs floating in the water. Can I go fetch them?”

Bramblestar’s first instinct was to refuse. “It’s too risky,” he began.

“No, I’ll be fine, really,” Leafpool assured him.

“Some cat needs to go,” Jayfeather broke in from where he sat nearby. “We’ve lost so many herbs to this flood; we need to salvage as many as we can.”

Bramblestar could see that the medicine cats had a point. Any one of us could go down with greencough, or get injured on all the branches lying about the forest. “Okay,” he meowed to Leafpool. “But take a warrior with you. One who doesn’t mind getting wet!”

“Thanks, Bramblestar.” Leafpool went out, beckoning Cherryfall to follow her.

“I’ll go into the forest and see if I can find any herbs that haven’t been washed away,” Jayfeather mewed, hauling himself to his paws.

“Not alone,” Bramblestar ordered.

Jayfeather heaved a long sigh. “Okay, not alone. Brightheart, will you come with me?”