Chapter 4

Spiralpaw followed Swirlpaw’s gaze. The clouds that wrapped around the Twoleg dens made the place seem even more ominous. I just want to be in a nice warm den, she thought. Or a tree. That would work, too.

As they set off toward the collection of dens, Spiralpaw felt as if something bad had happened. There was a hollow feeling in her belly that she couldn’t explain. “I feel like this is wrong,” she whispered to Swirlpaw.

Swirlpaw glanced at her. “Really? Maybe you’re still scared after that jump.”

Spiralpaw shook her head, but she couldn’t help agreeing with her friend. It was nothing. She was probably just scared.

But it didn’t feel like nothing.

They padded up the slope to the Twoleg dens. Spiralpaw shivered, though it wasn’t cold. She fished for a reason, but there was nothing. Just endless blankness.

As the shapes of the dens grew bigger, Spiralpaw suddenly remembered that night with Pinepaw. “Her name was Nimblepaw,” he’d said. “She was golden…all golden…like afternoon sunshine, and her eyes were two large blue sparkling pools.” Spiralpaw tried to imagine a cat like that again, just like she’d done that night.

She wanted to try something to see if it would work. Excitement fizzed beneath her pelt. Maybe if I think about the cat I want to have a vision about…

Swirlpaw’s mew cut into her thoughts. “Spiralpaw!”

Spiralpaw blinked and saw something like wood in front of her. She hadn’t realized she’d gone so far. Spiralpaw backed away from the wood until she was in line with her companions and inspected the tall Twoleg thing in front of them.

The brownish object looked stable enough for them to stand on. Spiralpaw glanced around and realized it curved protectively around the Twoleg den in the middle. The same kind of thing wound all around the Twoleg dens, and Spiralpaw felt relief bloom inside her. Maybe they didn’t have to go through after all.

Spiralpaw turned to Swirlpaw. “We can go around it,” she announced.

Swirlpaw nodded. “You’re right. It will be easier than going through it. But we might have to take a couple stops,” she added. “This Twolegplace is big. The Twolegs put a lot of fences up around it.”

“Okay,” Spiralpaw agreed. She just wanted to get out of this place. Maybe that was why she was feeling…weird.

Swirlpaw led them along the line of Twoleg things–fences, she had called them–always keeping them in sight or traveling right next to them. They hadn’t gone far when a loud yelp in the distance made them all jump.

Pinepaw gasped. “What was that?” he meowed.

“I think that was a dog,” Swirlpaw whispered. “Let’s keep going. Be careful, though.” She flicked her tail and padded on.

Spiralpaw and the others followed her silently, but Spiralpaw could tell they were more alert than before. Skypaw’s ears were standing straight up, listening for danger, while Pinepaw’s eyes flickered from left to right warily. Spiralpaw couldn’t help feeling nervous herself. What if the dog scented them and started to hunt them down?

As they padded on, Spiralpaw felt the first drops of rain fall on her head. She glanced up nervously at the sky. Dark clouds were starting to cover it up. Rain was on the way; she was sure of it.

Swirlpaw glanced back at them. “You’ve been quiet,” she noted.

Pinepaw shrugged. “We’re just being careful, like you told us to.” He paused, then added, “You want us to start a conversation? Then get back here and let’s talk!”

Swirlpaw rolled her eyes but slowed down and kept pace with them. “We’ll need to find shelter soon,” she muttered. “It’s going to rain harder sooner or later.”

Skypaw stopped and shook out her already-half-soaked pelt. “This place is full of mist,” she grumbled. “Rain won’t help us see any clearer.” She shivered, and Pinepaw pressed against her for warmth.

Spiralpaw glanced at him in surprise. She hadn’t realized Pinepaw was so kind. He would do any small thing, even for a SkyClan cat. The thought of SkyClan reminded her of Pinepaw’s grief again. Is that why? she wondered. Is he doing something for a SkyClan cat because he couldn’t do it for Nimblepaw? Would he do that for me if I were shivering?

Spiralpaw thought she heard a bark and stiffened. Was the dog closer? She glanced at her companions to see if they had heard it, but they didn’t seem to notice. I probably just imagined it, she told herself.

“What do you think the Crystal Sun is, Swirlpaw?” Skypaw was asking. “I was thinking it was some kind of old powerful thing.”

Swirlpaw shrugged. “I’m not sure. It might not even be a thing,” she meowed after a moment of thought. “It could be a place.”

“That makes sense,” Pinepaw mewed.

Spiralpaw glanced up at the sky and tried to concentrate on the conversation. “The clouds are blocking the moon,” she meowed. “We can’t even tell how much time we have left.”

“Well, we still have time,” Skypaw told her. “We have at least half a moon left. Most likely more.”

“Well, that’s reassuring,” Swirlpaw mewed tonelessly. Spiralpaw wondered if she was being sarcastic, or if she really meant it.

Somewhere, the bark sounded again.

Spiralpaw jumped, but her companions weren’t paying attention. “Did you hear that?” she hissed.

Pinepaw stared at her. “Hear what?” he asked.

“The bark!”

He frowned. “From the dog? That was earlier. Way earlier.”

Spiralpaw shook her head. “No, it was just now.”

“I didn’t hear it,” Skypaw meowed.

“We’ll be alert,” Swirlpaw reassured her.

Spiralpaw padded on, only the tiniest bit reassured. I hope the dog isn’t coming for us, she prayed, but after a moment the dog barked again, closer this time.

This time, they all heard it.

“It’s closer!” Swirlpaw hissed.

“Keep going!” Pinepaw growled. “Quickly!” He suddenly fell onto the ground with a yelp. “Ow!”

Swirlpaw grabbed his scruff and pulled him up. “What is it? Are you okay?”

“Nothing,” he gasped. “My paw just slipped. I’m fine.” But as he padded on, his face twisted with pain.

“We should stop for the night,” Swirlpaw announced.

At that moment, something leaped over the fence they were standing just a few fox-lengths from. Its brown pelt bristled, its jaws open wide. Spiralpaw shrank away from its stench immediately.

“Dog! Run!” Swirlpaw yowled.

Pinepaw dashed off, and they followed. Spiralpaw opened her mouth to suggest they run toward a tree, but Pinepaw was already angling toward a large oak at the edge of the forest. Spiralpaw struggled to keep up, her lungs already aching. Fear drove her and she pushed harder.

Her heart leaped in terror as she realized Pinepaw was falling behind. She ran closer to him in case he fell. Their paws thumped on the grass, and suddenly the rain felt like it was beating harder onto their backs.

“Skypaw, take the lead!” Swirlpaw hissed urgently. “I’ll be after you to help Spiralpaw and Pinepaw up the tree.”

Skypaw pushed ahead of the others and scrambled up the trunk. Swirlpaw followed her. Spiralpaw halted at the bottom of the tree and nudged Pinepaw forward. The ShadowClan apprentice clawed his way up the trunk.

Spiralpaw’s heart pounded in terror as she felt the dog’s hot breath on the tail. Teeth sank into her scruff, and Swirlpaw pulled her up onto the lowest branch. Spiralpaw leaped onto the branch Skypaw and Pinepaw were waiting on, and Swirlpaw followed.

Spiralpaw stared down at the dog, gasping for breath. It was waiting at the bottom of the trunk, yelping furiously. After a few moments, it gave up and pelted away through the rain.

“Come on,” Swirlpaw mewed after a while. She climbed down the tree and pointed to a few bushes surrounding a tree in the forest. “We’ll take shelter in those bushes tonight.”

Spiralpaw slid down the trunk, still shaking. Skypaw and Pinepaw followed her and the four friends. Only when she had curled up in her temporary nest did she remember what she had been thinking.

She closed her eyes and thought for a moment. Then she pictured Ambercloud, trying to add in every detail to the picture. Ambercloud, she thought.

Spiralpaw jerked herself out of the vision just as it started. Her heart quickened. It had worked. She had just begun to see the same vision she had seen curled up against Ambercloud’s body all those moons ago.

And now I know how to see Nimblepaw!