Chapter 10

“Good work,” Cinderlight praised. “Your hunting crouch is coming along fine!”

Spiralpaw blinked at her mentor warmly, unable to talk with the mouse she had just caught dangling from her jaws. It’s so good to be out hunting. Last night, Curlstar had lost another life to Bubble. Swirlstem had found her lying in her nest in the middle of the night.

Thank goodness Swirlstem found her, Spiralpaw thought with a pang of grief. We might have taken even longer to figure it out.

“Spiralpaw!” Cinderlight’s mew broke into her thoughts. “Have you got moss in your ears? I said, let’s get the prey back to camp.”

“Right, sorry,” Spiralpaw muttered, her pelt growing hot with embarrassment. Pretty soon I’ll have the whole Clan snapping at me! She picked up her mouse and padded alongside her mentor as they followed the path back home.

“I know you’re probably just still shocked by Curlstar’s death,” Cinderlight meowed conversationally as if nothing had happened between them. “But you have to pay attention next time.”

Are you using this as an advantage so I can’t snap back at you with the mouse in my mouth? Spiralpaw thought irritably. Sometimes her mentor could be so annoying!

Spiralpaw padded through the thorn barrier and dropped her mouse on the fresh-kill pile. She breathed in the scent of the camp, relieved to be home so she could just curl up and talk with Crystalpaw.

“Wow! Nice catch!” There was a flash of dark ginger as Berrypelt bounded up to her, a light in his eyes.

A warm feeling spread across Spiralpaw at the sight of the dark ginger tabby. “Thanks,” she replied, half embarrassed by the praise. “But it’s only a mouse.”

“A mouse that we can share?” Berrypelt asked hopefully.

Spiralpaw flicked her tail across his back. “Of course we can! The elders are fed, the medicine cats too, and everything—”

“My kits are missing!”

Spiralpaw turned at the sound of Sparkwing’s frantic voice, startled. The orange she-cat was bounding out of the nursery, calling for her kits.

“Quailkit! Flickerkit!” Sparkwing yowled, bristling with anxiety.

I guess curling up with Crystalpaw will have to wait. Spiralpaw and Berrypelt hurried up to her. “What—” Spiralpaw started.

“Wait!” Curlstar was leaping down from her den on the Highledge. “Everyone, stop and listen!”

The cats in the clearing fell silent, waiting for Curlstar to speak. Spiralpaw dug her claws into the ground to stop herself from growling at her leader to hurry up and give her orders. She’ll figure this out, she told herself. Quailkit and Flickerkit are probably just hiding somewhere, perfectly safe.

“Sparkwing, calm down,” Curlstar told the queen gently. “Where was the last place you saw them, and when?”

That’s what I was just going to say! Spiralpaw dug her claws in harder.

“T-they were just playing outside the nursery,” Sparkwing gasped. “I fell asleep and when I woke up to check on them, they were gone!”

“Goldenpelt and Lilyflame, track their scent trail around camp,” Curlstar ordered, but Spiralpaw was already dropping down and sniffing at the ground.

“A fresh trail leads into the forest!” she called, pausing beside the camp entrance.

Curlstar looked taken aback, but she still meowed calmly, “Thank you, Spiralpaw. Swirlstem, take Spiralpaw, Cinderlight, Crystalpaw, and Blacksky to look in the forest. Oh, and Berrypelt, too. The rest of us can keep watch at camp.”

“What about me?” Sparkwing protested. “I want to look for them, too! They’re my kits!”

“I just said that the rest of us can keep watch at camp,” Curlstar repeated firmly.

Moonshine padded up behind Sparkwing, touched her shoulder gently with her tail, and led the orange she-cat back into the nursery, murmuring something in her ear.

“Okay,” Spiralpaw heard her grumble as she disappeared into the den.

“Come on,” Spiralpaw urged as Swirlstem started calling the patrol together. “Let’s go!”

“Be patient, Spiralpaw,” the gray-and-white tabby purred. “We all need to be ready.”

She’s amused! Spiralpaw thought irritably. I’m trying to be a good apprentice and she just laughs at me!

When all the other five cats were finally “ready,” the patrol finally padded out into the forest. The sun was starting to sink below the horizon, casting long shadows across the forest floor.

Spiralpaw inhaled the scent of the oak trees and closed her eyes, feeling the warm sunlight on her fur. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes again, crouching down to sniff at the ground.

“Do you scent anything yet?”

Spiralpaw let out a yelp, jumping in surprise as Berrypelt crouched down beside her. She’d been so focused on finding the kits’ scent that she hadn’t heard the tabby tom pad up behind her. “No,” she growled, “not with you here! Will you please get out of the way so I can scent something besides you?”

“Oh…okay…” Berrypelt flattened his ears with a hurt expression and padded away to check somewhere else.

Spiralpaw instantly felt guilty. I shouldn’t have growled at him like that. I was just angry and annoyed. And a bit impatient. I shouldn’t let my emotions hurt other cats. She continued to sniff at the grass for any trace of Quailkit and Flickerkit’s scent.

“I found a trail!”

Spiralpaw leaped up at Berrypelt’s triumphant mew. The patrol gathered around him, sniffing around themselves.

“Yes,” Swirlstem confirmed.

“Definitely,” Blacksky added.

Spiralpaw fell in beside Berrypelt as the patrol began to follow the scent trail. She shot a quick glance at him, but he wasn’t looking at her. “I’m sorry I snapped,” she apologized guiltily. “I was just frustrated.”

A snort of laughter came from her other side, and Spiralpaw whipped her head around to see Crystalpaw padding beside them. “Padding after Berrypelt again?” the silver apprentice meowed, her tail curling up in amusement.

Spiralpaw was about to give a sharp retort before Berrypelt mewed to her, “It’s okay, Spiralpaw. I forgive you.” To Crystalpaw he growled playfully, “We are not padding after each other!”

Crystalpaw narrowed her eyes. “Then why do you have that glow in your eyes when you talk to each other?”

Spiralpaw felt a sharp twinge of surprise as Berrypelt stammered, “I-is it really that obvious?”

“Yeah,” Crystalpaw snorted smugly. “I’m great at noticing things like that.”

“Wait,” Spiralpaw cut in, half confused and half joyous at Berrypelt’s confession. “I thought…I thought it was Lilyflame…” She trailed off. She wasn’t sure what she was saying anymore.

Berrypelt gave an embarrassed shrug. “I don’t know. It is, I guess. I-I do love her. But, um—”

He was cut off by a flash of gray bursting out from the bushes behind them. The whole patrol whirled around in surprise. It was Lilyflame.

“Rubykit’s gone too!” she announced, panting. “We couldn’t find her anywhere at camp and her scent trail also led out into the forest!”

Spiralpaw could almost feel the heat coming off from Berrypelt’s ears in his embarrassment.

“What?” Swirlstem meowed in surprise.

Spiralpaw felt a wave of nervousness she couldn’t explain. Rubykit!

“You don’t suppose she went off with Quailkit and Flickerkit, do you?” Cinderlight asked anxiously.

“Three kits missing!” Blacksky exclaimed.

“I’ll join your patrol and help search,” Lilyflame gasped.

“We haven’t picked up any of Rubykit’s scent yet,” Berrypelt reported. “But we’ll—” He broke off as someone burst through the bushes again.

This time it was Curlstar, her yellow eyes wide and her gray-and-white fur bristling. “I’ve found Rubykit’s scent trail!” she yowled.

The cats exchanged glances. There was silence for a moment until Crystalpaw meowed, “So there’s two trails? They didn’t go together?”

“Afraid not,” Curlstar breathed. “Blacksky, Crystalpaw, Lilyflame, and Swirlstem, keep following Sparkwing’s kits. Spiralpaw, Berrypelt, and Cinderlight will come with me to follow Rubykit.”

The seven other cats nodded. “Go!” Curlstar ordered, and leaped back into the bushes the way she came.

Spiralpaw pelted through the forest after her leader with Berrypelt at her side. Cinderlight kept pace behind them, keeping a lookout behind. The four cats slowed down as they neared the Ancient Oak, halting beside its giant roots.

“Here,” Curlstar announced, sniffing at a clump of bracken. “Rubykit passed through here.”

Spiralpaw padded up beside her with Berrypelt and Cinderlight. She sniffed the bracken and caught a whiff of Rubykit’s warm kit scent, mingled with the forest. Spiralpaw sniffed around and soon found a trail. She began following it and beckoned to her Clanmates. “The trail leads this way!”

As they padded through the familiar territory, realization so sudden and strong slammed into Spiralpaw she nearly stumbled. She knew where the trail was heading.

The lake!

Suddenly Spiralpaw understood everything. A memory flashed in her head: darkness, her lungs screaming for air, water filling her nose and her eyes, a limp shape floating lifelessly beside her. It’s Rubykit. Of course it’s Rubykit. Nightstar must’ve shown the vision to me to warn me! She broke into a run. I won’t let something I could have stopped happen.

“Wait, Spiralpaw!” she heard Curlstar call from behind her. “Where are you—” The ThunderClan leader broke off.

She must have realized it too, Spiralpaw hoped, pushing her paws against the ground as hard as she could, heading for the lake. Please, StarClan! Please let Rubykit be alright! Don’t let her drown! I’m coming!

Pebbles flew wildly as she skidded to a halt at the edge of the water. Spiralpaw swept her gaze across the lake, searching frantically for a red pelt. A splash sounded somewhere to her left and she whirled around toward the sound.

Rubykit! The red she-kit was flailing desperately in the water, several fox-lengths away from shore. She was still above the water, but her movements were getting weaker with each breath.

“Rubykit!” Spiralpaw screeched. “I’m coming—” Before she could leap into the water, a blur of gray and white plunged into the lake. Curlstar!

Spiralpaw stared in shock as her leader kicked her paws, sending splashes through the water, and headed toward Rubykit. The small she-kit let out a soft wail and disappeared under the water. Curlstar took a deep breath and dived in after her.

Paw steps sounded behind Spiralpaw. She didn’t turn around to look, her eyes locked on the spot Curlstar and Rubykit had gone under, but she knew the other half of the patrol had come back with Quailkit and Flickerkit by scent.

“What happened?” Cinderlight gasped. “Are you okay…?”

“Curlstar,” Spiralpaw breathed out, feeling as if she was nearly frozen.

A single word was enough for Swirlstem to understand. The gray-and-white tabby brushed up against her and stared at the water with her.

It felt like moons until Curlstar’s head resurfaced. It bobbed there for a moment, and then, with what seemed like the last of her strength, she flung the red ball of fur in her jaws toward the patrol.

Spiralpaw was too busy trying to catch the kit to notice what had happened to Curlstar. But when she looked back at the water, with Rubykit safe at her paws, the ThunderClan leader was gone. The lake was perfectly still and quiet, and as the cats watched, nothing came up again. Not even a ripple.