Sunrise

As they drew closer to the copse, she could see that the trees were shorter than the ones on ThunderClan territory, and twisted into strange shapes. They looked like the bushes on WindClan’s moorland territory, bent double like hunched Twolegs. But as she tasted the air, Hollyleaf realized that the smells were more familiar than anything she had scented since she left the forest. The reek of the Thunderpath was dying away, and in its place she could pick up the scents of leaf and bark; water flooded her jaws as she recognized mouse, rabbit, and squirrel.

“We’ll stay here to eat and rest,” Brambleclaw announced when the cats reached the edge of the trees. “We won’t find anywhere better to spend the night.”

Birchfall’s ears perked up, and Hollyleaf exchanged a hopeful glance with Lionblaze at the thought of not having to plod any farther through the snow.

“It can’t be sunset yet,” Brackenfur objected, eyeing the gray clouds that still shouldered their way across the sky.

“No, but we’re all tired and cold,” Brambleclaw replied. “And when we can’t see the sun, we can’t be sure that we’re heading the right way to the sun-drown-place.”

Brackenfur shrugged, agreeing, and all six cats headed deeper into the copse. There wasn’t as much snow under the shelter of the trees, and Hollyleaf felt her paws starting to warm up. The ground was uneven, sloping roughly down to where a small stream trickled among the roots of the trees.

“Catch your prey and then rest,” Brambleclaw ordered. Hollyleaf thought he sounded tense—perhaps he was unhappy about where their journey would take them next. Does he know there’s something dangerous up ahead?

Brackenfur vanished into the undergrowth, and Lionblaze and Birchfall headed off together.

“Would you like to hunt with me?” Hollyleaf asked Hazeltail; her Clanmate still looked shocked by her panic at the Thunderpath.

“That would be great!” Hazeltail’s ears flicked up. “Where should we start?”

“Right here’s as good as anywhere.”

Both she-cats tasted the air; Hollyleaf picked up a strong scent of squirrel, and a moment later she spotted one scuffling among the debris at the foot of a twisted thorn tree. Angling her ears, she pointed it out to Hazeltail. Her friend nodded, eyes gleaming.

Hollyleaf signaled to Hazeltail to stay where she was, then dropped into a hunter’s crouch and worked her way in a wide circle around to the other side of the tree. She had carried out this hunting move so often in ThunderClan territory that it almost felt as if she were home again. Approaching the squirrel from the other side, she crept closer and closer, sliding her paws through the rough grass. When she thought she was close enough, she let out a fearsome yowl and leaped. Panicked, the squirrel darted away, only to run straight into Hazeltail’s claws. Hazeltail dispatched it with a swift bite to the neck.

“Great catch!” Hollyleaf exclaimed.

“You set it up,” Hazeltail mewed; she looked a lot more cheerful now.

As Hollyleaf padded over to her friend, Lionblaze came bounding out from behind a bramble thicket. “Birchfall and I got a really fat rabbit.”

Birchfall appeared as he spoke, staggering as he dragged the rabbit between his forepaws. Dropping it with a gusty sigh, he stumbled into the low-growing branches of a hazel bush. A load of snow slid down and covered him; he emerged hissing with disgust, shaking snow from his pelt.

Hollyleaf couldn’t suppress a small mrrow of laughter. “Watch out, or we’ll have to call you Snowfall,” she purred.

The four young cats dragged their prey into a sheltered hollow beside the stream, where the ground was covered with a drift of dead leaves. Soon Brackenfur appeared with another squirrel, and Brambleclaw with a couple of mice. As they ate, the warmth of their bodies spread throughout the hollow; with the branches of the bushes straggling overhead, Hollyleaf thought it almost felt like a den.

Full and comfortable, she swept her tongue around her jaws. “I could sleep for a moon,” she announced drowsily.

“Fine,” meowed Brambleclaw, “but we’d better set a watch.”

“I’ll go first,” Lionblaze offered.

“Okay.” Brambleclaw stretched his jaws in an enormous yawn. “Wake me when you’re ready, and I’ll take the next one.”

As Hollyleaf settled down to sleep, the last thing she saw was her brother’s golden tabby shape, his ears pricked as he stared through the trees.

A paw prodding into her side woke Hollyleaf. Blinking in confusion, she thought at first she was in the warriors’ den. But where’s all the moss and bracken? And why can I hear running water?

Then she remembered she was on the journey to the sun-drown-place, with Brambleclaw and the others. The ThunderClan camp lay a day’s travel behind them, and everything here was new and strange.

Hazeltail was gazing down at her. “It’s your watch,” she mewed. “You’re the last.”