Bramblestar’s Storm

With all three cats heaving, the gap opened up and the tabby tom, Frankie, was able to squeeze out. His pelt was bristling and his eyes glared with a mixture of fury and terror. His pelt was soaked up to his belly fur, and when Bramblestar peered down into the den he could see floodwater sloshing about just below the opening.

“Thanks!” Frankie gasped. “I thought I was going to drown!”

The brown she-cat’s gaze raked over Bramblestar, her hostility fading, though she still remained wary. “Yeah, thanks.” Her tone was grudging. “My name’s Jessy, and this is Frankie.”

“I’m Bramblestar.” He eyed Jessy, intrigued by her independence and spirit. “You’re pretty brave, for a kittypet.”

“Really?” Jessy’s tail lashed. “Well, you keep a pretty civil tongue in your head, for a wild cat.”

Bramblestar was looking for a retort when he heard paw steps approaching from behind and turned to see the rest of his patrol running down the slope.

Lionblaze halted a couple of tail-lengths away, his eyes wide with shock. “Great StarClan!” he exclaimed. “More kittypets!”

Chapter 15

Bramblestar surveyed the kittypets more closely. Jessy looked in fairly good shape, but Frankie’s fur was wet and clumped, his ribs were showing, and he was shivering.

“Jessy, have you seen Benny?” the tabby asked urgently. “I saw him get washed away when the water came. I couldn’t reach him!”

Jessy shook her head. “No, I haven’t. I’m sorry.”

Frankie spun around to face Bramblestar and the rest of the patrol, his eyes wide and distraught. “Have you seen him?” he demanded. “He’s my brother—he’s tabby like me, but darker.”

“No, sorry,” Bramblestar replied. “Look,” he added, reluctant to offer more help to kittypets, but aware that he couldn’t just leave them, “why don’t you come back to our camp? There’s food there, and—”

“No!” Frankie exclaimed, backing away with his ears flattened. “I have to stay here, in case Benny comes back.”

Bramblestar exchanged glances with his patrol. They were all looking uncomfortable and impatient. “We can’t hang around here,” he meowed to Jessy. “But we’d like to help. Can you persuade Frankie to come with us? He looks ill, and there are cats in our camp who can help him.”

Jessy gave him a thoughtful nod and padded up to Frankie. “Are you flea-brained?” she snapped. “These cats just saved your life. The least you can do is come with them, so you can get better.”

Bramblestar repressed a purr of amusement. It hasn’t taken Jessy long to start trusting us!

Frankie’s shoulders sagged. “Okay,” he mewed in a small voice.

Jessy stayed close beside him as Bramblestar led the way back to where he had left the tub and the pelt. “What are you doing?” she exclaimed, giving the Twoleg stuff a sniff. “You stole this tub and blanket from the Twolegs? I have to say, wild cat, I like your style!”

“Whatever,” Bramblestar muttered, feeling embarrassed.

Lionblaze and Cinderheart pushed the tub along in the shallow water while the rest of the patrol padded beside them, dry-pawed. Jessy stayed close to Frankie, quietly encouraging him when his paw steps faltered.

Eventually the cats reached the end of the bank and the stretch of water that extended from the lake. Bramblestar gazed at it in dismay. A strong current flowed into the lake, but water was surging from the other direction too, and where the two currents met the floodwater tossed about in choppy waves.

“It’s too dangerous to swim across here,” Cinderheart warned.

“Why don’t we see if we can get closer to the lake?” Poppyfrost suggested. “The water’s quieter there, where we crossed before.”

Bramblestar nodded. “Good idea.”

But as they began hauling the tub along the edge of the turbulent water, Cinderheart stopped with her ears pricked. “Wait—listen! What’s that?”

Every cat halted. Bramblestar heard a faint buzzing noise. “It sounds like a monster,” he murmured. “But there haven’t been any monsters around here since the water rose.”

“Only the drowned ones,” Lionblaze agreed.

A few more moments passed, and Bramblestar was about to give the order to move on, when Cinderheart exclaimed, “There it is!”

Following where her tail was pointing, Bramblestar spotted a water monster with two Twolegs standing on its back as it swam back and forth across the flooded Thunderpath. They seemed to be looking into each of the Twoleg dens.

“That settles it,” he hissed. “We can’t go that way. We can’t let them see us.”

Wearily they retraced their steps to where the two currents met. “We’ll have to cross here,” Bramblestar announced.

His Clanmates exchanged glances; Bramblestar could see them bracing themselves for the ordeal ahead. Jessy’s tail-tip was twitching apprehensively, but she didn’t protest.

Frankie, however, had flattened himself close to the ground, trembling, his eyes glazed with terror. “I can’t…” he moaned. “I saw Benny get swept away. I know I’ll drown!”