Dawn

“I’ll be okay,” Squirrelpaw insisted. “Come on; we don’t have much time.”

Without waiting, she struggled out from the branches. She could see the Twoleg’s hind legs in front of her. Giving a loud screech of fury she shot between them, raking the Twoleg’s pelt with her claws as she rushed past. She heard it howl and glanced back to see it lumbering after her, away from her Clanmates.

Squirrelpaw pelted over the splinter-strewn forest floor.

Ahead a monster lifted its claws into the air to bring down another tree. Squirrelpaw dodged into a swath of brambles and looked back for her Clanmates. StarClan, help them! Then she glimpsed her father’s orange pelt weaving through the branches of the fallen tree, heading for the far side of the clearing. Brambleclaw ran beside him, and Leafpaw’s brown tabby fur flashed behind. As they reached the open ground, where they could be seen more easily, Squirrelpaw tipped back her head and yowled. She heard the Twoleg run over and start kicking at the brambles, trying to flush her out.

Squirrelpaw crawled backward, ducking her head, and yowled again. She had to keep the Twoleg focused on her while the others escaped.

Peering out through the thorns, she saw Brambleclaw glance in her direction, but he kept going until they reached the safety of the standing trees. Squirrelpaw straightened up with relief. Wriggling around, she forced her way through the brambles and skirted the edge of the clearing until she reached the path that led to the tunnel. Firestar, Brambleclaw, and Leafpaw were hurrying toward her.

“You made it!” Leafpaw gasped.

“Keep going!” Brambleclaw hissed.

Squirrelpaw fell in beside them. Firestar staggered, his paws stumbling on the packed earth.

“Don’t stop now!” she urged, pressing against him.

Brambleclaw flanked his other side, and between them they kept their leader on his paws as they hurried to the safety of the tunnel that led to ThunderClan territory. They had escaped the Twolegs this time—but how much longer would it be before the whole forest was lost to them forever?

Chapter 15

Leafpaw burst out of the tunnel that led under the Thunderpath.

Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw followed, with Firestar stumbling between them. For a moment, the light was blinding, and Leafpaw screwed up her eyes. Then they adjusted to the cold daylight after the shadows in the tunnel, and she looked around at the ShadowClan cats lying exhausted on the narrow strip of grass beside the deserted Thunderpath.

Tallpoppy’s kits mewled as they huddled close to their mother. Littlecloud hurried from one cat to another, helpless without any of his supplies, and Blackstar stood staring at his Clan as if he couldn’t believe what was happening to them.

His white pelt was stained with blood, and his black paws were pricked with bark and splinters.

Firestar’s voice croaked behind her. “Is everyone okay?”

“You should lie down,” Leafpaw urged him. “There are no monsters here.”

“We can’t stay in the open!” Brambleclaw objected.

“We have to rest before we go on,” Leafpaw insisted.

Tallstar limped toward her. “Is Firestar all right?” he asked hoarsely.

“Yes, but he lost a life when the tree fell,” Leafpaw explained.

Tallstar closed his eyes and shuddered all the way to the tip of his long tail.

“I’m taking my warriors home,” Mistyfoot called from where the RiverClan cats had gathered at the edge of the grassy space.

“Will you help us get ShadowClan to Sunningrocks first?”

Firestar asked.

“Sunningrocks?” Blackstar narrowed his eyes. “Why do you want to take us there?”

“It’s where ThunderClan lives now, and you’ll be safe from Twolegs there,” Firestar meowed. “Cinderpelt has herbs for your injured cats, and there’s room for you all to rest.”

And where else can ShadowClan go? Leafpaw thought grimly.

There was hardly a place left in the forest that hadn’t been taken over by Twolegs.

“Okay,” Mistyfoot nodded. “We’ll go with you as far as Sunningrocks. But just because you’ve welcomed ShadowClan onto ThunderClan territory doesn’t mean they’re welcome in ours.”

“We’ll be patrolling the border!” Hawkfrost warned, his eyes cold as ice.

Squirrelpaw glared at him. “How can you worry about borders at a time like this? When will you realize what our journey meant, for all the Clans?”

Brambleclaw silenced her with a glance. “ShadowClan will not cross the border,” he promised.

“Of course we won’t,” snapped Blackstar.

Brambleclaw turned to Leafpaw. “How long before we can leave?”

When Leafpaw hesitated, Firestar lifted his head. “I’m growing stronger,” he insisted. “We can go soon.”

“Littlecloud?” she called to the ShadowClan medicine cat.

“Can everyone make it to Sunningrocks?”

“I think so, if we travel slowly,” the small tabby tom replied.

Leafpaw looked up at the sky. The sun was a fiery ball, sinking toward the treetops. “We should try to get back before it’s dark,” she told Brambleclaw. “Before it’s too cold.”