Sunrise

“How did you know where to find her?” Hollyleaf asked curiously.

“We didn’t,” the Clan deputy admitted. “We didn’t even know we were looking for a badger.” He twitched his tail-tip. “I found Midnight’s den by falling into it.”

Hazeltail’s eyes stretched wide. “Were you hurt?”

“Weren’t you scared of Midnight?” Birchfall added.

Brambleclaw flicked one ear as if he were trying to get rid of a fly. “This isn’t the time for stories. We have to keep going.”

He led his patrol through the gully, every so often climbing the slope to pop his head out and see how far along the cliff they were. Lionblaze and the others stayed crouching in the dip, listening to the blast of wind overhead.

At last Brambleclaw beckoned them with his tail to join him at the top. “We’re almost there,” he told them. “Follow me closely.”

Lionblaze and the rest of the patrol flattened their bellies to the short, bristly grass as they padded after Brambleclaw toward the edge of the cliff.

Is he going to jump over? Lionblaze wondered, as each paw step took them closer to the sheer drop.

But just before the land vanished from under their paws, Brambleclaw jumped down into a much deeper, narrower gully, sloping steeply through a dip in the cliffs. Brackenfur and the other cats followed him, with Lionblaze bringing up the rear. The sharp stones that covered the bottom of the gully dug into his pads or skidded from under him, nearly carrying him off his paws. Birchfall slipped, crashing into Hazeltail, and Brackenfur had to block the two younger cats before they hurtled down any farther.

“Thanks!” Birchfall gasped.

“Just watch where you’re putting your paws,” Brackenfur mewed.

The gully led down to a rocky shore, the sand almost completely covered with pebbles. Lionblaze had seen waves on the lake when the wind blew hard, but these waves were much bigger, crashing onto the rocks with spurts of foam. Hazeltail stared at them, wide-eyed, so scared that she could scarcely put one paw in front of another.

“I hate this,” Hollyleaf muttered, backing away toward the cliff face. “My fur’s getting all wet and sticky.” She turned her head to give her shoulder a lick. “Yuck!”

Lionblaze felt the same stickiness in his pelt; his nose wrinkled at the unfamiliar tang in the air. This is no place for cats, he told himself.

With a wave of his tail, Brambleclaw jumped onto a rocky outcrop and instantly disappeared under the edge of the cliff.

“Where did he go?” Birchfall asked, bewildered.

Lionblaze spotted the deputy’s amber eyes glowing from the shadows at the bottom of the cliff.

“Come on!” Brambleclaw called.

Reluctantly the rest of the patrol followed him beneath the jagged, teethlike rocks and into a low-roofed cave. Lionblaze gazed around at the pale sandy walls and the floor strewn with large, smooth stones. High above them, gray light slanted down from a small hole in the roof.

“Is that where you fell?” Lionblaze guessed, remembering how Brambleclaw had said he first found Midnight.

Brambleclaw nodded. “The cave was full of water, and I nearly drowned. Your mother saved my life.”

A cold pang swept through Lionblaze, harsh as the booming water outside. She’s not my mother. The words almost forced themselves out of his jaws, but he bit them back. If Brambleclaw didn’t know, this wasn’t the place to tell him.

Hollyleaf hadn’t heard the exchange between Lionblaze and Brambleclaw. She was sniffing curiously around the cave, padding over to where the floor sloped upward at the back, turning soft and sandy. Some branches were tucked in it at the top.

“What are those doing there?” Hollyleaf asked.

“This is Midnight’s den,” Brambleclaw explained.

For the first time Lionblaze noticed the scent of badger underlying the smell of the water. His neck fur bristled, but he made himself relax. The scent was stale, and besides, Brambleclaw had told them that Midnight was friendly to cats.

“Will she come and find us?” Hazeltail mewed nervously.

“I hope she does,” Hollyleaf replied. “Jayfeather told us all about her. She knows so much.”

Her green eyes flashed at Lionblaze from the shadows. Is that what she really wants? he wondered. Does she think Midnight can tell us who our parents are?

“Midnight isn’t here.” Brambleclaw sounded disappointed. “And her scent is stale, so there’s no point in waiting for her. She’s been gone for several days. We’d better get back.”

When they emerged from the cave, the water had risen even farther up the shore. A wave crashed onto the rocks and licked over the pebbles; Lionblaze jumped back as water swirled around his paws before retreating with a rattling hiss.

“Back to the gully, quickly,” Brambleclaw ordered.