Rising Storm

“Then you know him?” Ravenpaw meowed. “Was I right? Is he a ThunderClan cat?”

Fireheart hardly heard Ravenpaw’s words. Cloudpaw was safe! He began to circle his old friend, his paws tingling with joy and relief. “Was he okay? What did he say?”

“W-well,” stammered Ravenpaw, turning his head to follow Fireheart as he padded around him. “Like I said, the first time I met him he seemed utterly lost.”

“That’s not surprising. He’s never been outside ThunderClan territory before.” Fireheart weaved impatiently around Sandstorm and Brightpaw. “He hasn’t made his journey to Highstones yet. There’s no way he’d know he was so close to home.”

Sandstorm nodded, and Ravenpaw remarked, “That would explain why he was so upset. He must have thought—”

“Upset?” Fireheart stopped pacing. “Why? Was he hurt?”

“No, no,” Ravenpaw mewed quickly. “He just seemed really miserable. I thought he’d cheer up when I showed him the way back to his Twoleg nest, but he still seemed unhappy. That’s why I came to find you.”

Fireheart looked down at his paws, hardly knowing what to think. He realized that he had been hoping that Cloudpaw would be happy in his new life, even if Fireheart never saw him again.

Ravenpaw blinked uncertainly. “Did I do the right thing in coming here?” he meowed. “Has this…er…Cloudpaw been banished from the Clan?”

Fireheart gravely met Ravenpaw’s gaze. The black cat had risked his life coming here; he deserved an explanation. “Cloudpaw was stolen from the forest by Twolegs,” Fireheart began. “He was my apprentice, and my sister’s son. He’s been missing for a quarter moon. I…I was beginning to think I’d never see him again.”

Sandstorm glanced quizzically at Fireheart. “What makes you think you are going to see him again? He’s living in Ravenpaw’s territory with Twolegs.”

“I’m going to go and get him!” Fireheart declared.

“Go and get him? Why?”

“You heard Ravenpaw. He’s not happy!”

“Are you sure he wants rescuing?”

“Wouldn’t you?” Fireheart countered.

“I wouldn’t need rescuing. I wouldn’t have been taking food from Twolegs in the first place,” Sandstorm pointed out sharply.

There was a startled grunt from Ravenpaw, but the black cat said nothing.

“It would be good to have him back in the den,” Brightpaw put in, but Fireheart hardly heard her. He stared back at Sandstorm, the fur on his neck bristling with anger.

“You think Cloudpaw deserves to be left there, unhappy and alone?” he spat. “Just because he made a stupid mistake?”

Sandstorm snorted impatiently. “That’s not what I’m saying. You don’t even know for sure if he wants to come back.”

“Ravenpaw said he looked miserable,” Fireheart insisted. But even as he spoke, doubt flickered through his mind. What if Cloudpaw had gotten used to kittypet life by now?

“Ravenpaw only spoke to him once.” Sandstorm turned to Ravenpaw. “Did he look upset when you saw him through the Twoleg window?”

Ravenpaw’s whiskers twitched uncomfortably. “It’s hard to say. He was eating.”

Sandstorm whipped her head back to Fireheart. “He’s got a home, he’s got food, and you still think he needs rescuing. What about the Clan? They need you. Cloudpaw sounds like he’s safe. I say leave him there.”

Fireheart stared at Sandstorm. The fur across her shoulders was bristling, and her eyes glittered with determination. With a sinking feeling, Fireheart realized that she was right. How could he leave the Clan now, even for a short while, with Bluestar so weak and Tigerclaw and his band of rogues threatening them? All for the sake of a cat who had already proved to be a lazy, greedy apprentice.

But still, his heart told him he had to try. He couldn’t give up on his belief that Cloudpaw would make a great warrior one day, and the Clan needed all the warriors it could get right now.

“I have to go,” he meowed simply.

“And what if you do manage to bring him back?” Sandstorm argued. “Will he be safe in the forest?”

Fireheart felt a cold shiver run along his spine. Could he bear to bring Cloudpaw home, only to see him slaughtered by Tigerclaw? But even as uncertainty prickled in his paws, he knew what he was going to do. “I’ll be back by sunhigh tomorrow,” he meowed. “Tell Whitestorm where I’ve gone.”

Alarm stretched Sandstorm’s eyes wide. “You’re going right now?”

“I’ll need Ravenpaw to show me where he is, and I can’t expect him to hang around in the forest,” he explained. “Not with Tigerclaw on the loose.”

Ravenpaw’s tail fluffed up with sudden fear. “What do you mean? On the loose?”

Sandstorm shot Fireheart a wry look.

“Come on,” Fireheart meowed to the black cat. “I’ll explain as we go. The sooner we get moving, the better.”

“You’re not going without me,” Sandstorm told him. “It’s a mouse-brained journey, but you’ll need all the help you can get if you bump into Tigerclaw or a WindClan patrol!”

Fireheart felt a surge of joy at Sandstorm’s words. He glanced gratefully at her and turned to face Brightpaw. “Will you go back to the camp and tell Whitestorm where we’ve gone?” he asked the apprentice. “He knows Ravenpaw.”