The Raging Storm

“Don’t walk away!” Frustration flared beneath her fur. She scrambled after him.

At the top, the forest opened and moorland fell away. Heather crowded the dark hillside. Twigbranch followed him across the windswept grass, narrowing her eyes as rain battered her face.

He stopped as he reached a swath of heather and turned on her. “I bet you don’t even want to find SkyClan! You’re probably happy to see Violetshine gone now that you’ve made Tree notice you.”

Shock froze Twigbranch. “Do you have you bees in your brain?” She stared at him. “How could you say something like that? I would never betray my sister. And I’d never make Tree try to notice me. I told you! He’s just a friend. And he wouldn’t do that to Violetshine, either!”

“You haven’t left his side since we left camp,” Finleap snarled.

“I’m leading the patrol, and he knows the way!” Twigbranch snapped.

“Every time I look at you, your muzzle’s in his ear.”

“We were just talking! I’ve got to talk to some cat. Ever since SkyClan left the forest, I feel like I can’t talk to you.” Grief pressed in her belly. “I don’t know why you stayed with me. You’ve made it pretty clear that you wish you’d left with SkyClan.”

“I stayed because I love you!” Finleap spat.

“You’ve hardly looked at me. If that’s love, I don’t want it!” She lashed her tail.

“You don’t know what love is!” He glared at her accusingly.

“Of course I do!” Why was he being so mean? “I love you!”

“Not enough to have my kits.”

She stared at him, wind tugging at her fur. “Is that it? If I won’t have your kits, you don’t want me?”

“I want you to love me enough to have kits.” Hurt sharpened his gaze.

“And I want you to love me enough to wait.” She felt suddenly weary. She was tired of having this argument. “Forget it, Finleap.” Rain streamed from her whiskers. “We’ll find SkyClan soon. And then you can go back to them.” As she turned away, a shadow moved at the edge of her vision. She narrowed her eyes.

A black tom was pushing through the heather. The rain had slicked his pelt, and he’d flattened his ears against the wind. “Hi!” he called out as he neared them.

Finleap arched his back warily. “Who are you?”

“I’m Spider.” The tom stopped in front of them. He seemed unfazed by Finleap’s hostility. “I live around here.”

“Alone?” Finleap asked.

“Of course.” Spider blinked at him.

Finleap let his hackles smooth. “Why aren’t you hiding from the storm?”

“I was,” Spider told him. “Then I smelled cat scents. Are there others with you?”

Twigbranch nodded. “We left them at the cave.”

“I thought so.” Spider sat down and hunched his shoulders against the weather. “I don’t usually have much company up here. It’s weird you should show up so soon after the other group.”

Twigbranch stiffened. “The other group?”

“Did you meet SkyClan?” Finleap leaned forward eagerly.

“SkyClan . . . ,” Spider mewed thoughtfully, as though remembering. “Yes, that’s what they called themselves.”

“How long is it since you saw them?” Twigbranch’s heart seemed to skip a beat.

“They passed here yesterday.” The tom was vague. “Then they headed that way.” He jerked his muzzle toward the stretch of moorland. “I hope they’re okay. I heard there’s been flooding over there. It’d be a shame if they got caught in it.”

Finleap’s eyes widened. “We’re getting close!” He headed toward the cave. “We have to tell the others.”

Twigbranch raced after him. “Thanks, Spider!” she called over her shoulder.

“Happy to help!” The black tom was already disappearing into the heather.

She followed Finleap down the steep slope beside the cave, half scrambling, half falling on the slippery grass.

“We know where SkyClan has gone.” Finleap was already inside the cave, sharing the news with Lionblaze. “And we’re closing in on them. They passed through here yesterday.”

Tree was sitting beside the remains of his rabbit while Flypaw shared her shrew with Nightcloud and Gorsetail. The yellow tom was staring into the forest. As Twigbranch hurried to tell him about Spider, she noticed that his eyes were glazed. He was murmuring, as though talking to someone.

She stopped beside Flypaw. “What’s wrong with Tree?”

Flypaw shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s been like that since you left.” She took another bite of shrew and chewed it thoughtfully. “I thought he was talking to me at first, but he must be talking to himself. Maybe the weather’s getting to him.”

Twigbranch padded closer to Tree and sniffed him warily. “Tree?” she ventured softly. “Is everything okay?”

He turned to her, blinking. His gaze cleared and he stiffened. “Not exactly. I was talking to a dead warrior.”

Twigbranch stiffened. Was the warrior still here? Her pelt prickled uneasily. Was it the same cat who’d told him to stay beside the lake? “Who was it?”

“The same cat who told me SkyClan should stay beside the lake.”

She noticed alarm in his eyes. “What did they say?”

“SkyClan is in trouble.” For the first time, Tree looked worried. “We can’t stay here tonight. We have to go and help them.”