Chapter Twenty-One
The water was so cold Jayfeather felt paralyzed for a moment, before he came to his senses and began struggling toward the surface. His fur dragged in the water, slowing him so that by the time he reached the surface, he was ready to burst with lack of air. He shoved his head above the water and drew in a long, rattling gasp of ice-cold air, then shook his ears free of droplets before whirling around, ears pricked for a sign of Foxleap.

The sound of the waves hitting the side of the hollow was so loud that he could barely hear anything, and to add to that, it had also begun to rain. Jayfeather kicked out toward the hollow's wall and scrabbled onto a shallow ledge. "Foxleap?" he called.

There was no answer. Jayfeather slipped back into the water.

"Foxleap!"

A loud gasp came from Jayfeather's left. He whipped around.

"Jayfeather - why did you follow me - go back with the others," Foxleap coughed.

"Don't be a mouse-brain, you're going to die if I don't get you out of here!" Jayfeather paddled toward Foxleap, hoping to StarClan that he wouldn't swim away. But his hope was in vain; just a few moments later he heard the distinct splashes of Foxleap backing away. "Don't run!" he shouted over the crashing waves. "You're not going to help any cat by killing yourself! I don't know what you're trying to do, but you're crazy!"

"I'm no more crazy than you are!" Foxleap shrieked, sounding quite crazy indeed.

"What in StarClan are you talking about?" Jayfeather spat back.

"If - if I'm crazy - then you are just as much as I am!" Foxleap panted. "You and Briarlight - if I'm crazy, so is that!"

"So is what? Me and Briarlight?" Jayfeather repeated in confusion.

"Yes!" Foxleap snarled. "Yes!"

Jayfeather paused for a long time, paddling to keep floating in the raging water. He sputtered as a wave crashed into his head. Then he finally realized what Foxleap was trying to say.

"You're in love," Jayfeather said.

Foxleap gave a short, bitter laugh. "Took you long enough."

"What does that have to do with you killing yourself for nothing?" Jayfeather snapped.

"It has everything to do with it! She'll never love me - she barely notices me - and I can't stand that. I can't live with that."

"So you're going to commit suicide? That's going to make your angsty little problem go away? That's going to make her love you?"

"I know it's not going to make her love me!" Foxleap yelled. "But if I … if I sacrifice myself, maybe StarClan will make the flood go away and nobody else will die-"

"Foxleap, you idiot, StarClan doesn't work that way!" Jayfeather spat.

"How would you know?" Foxleap shot back.

"I'm the medicine cat!" Jayfeather shouted.

Foxleap was silent. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Jayfeather started swimming toward him again. This time, Foxleap didn't move.

"Who is it?" Jayfeather asked.

"Who's what?" Foxleap asked quietly.

"The she-cat," Jayfeather said. He found Foxleap and nudged him toward the wall of the stone hollow. Foxleap numbly began to swim.

"I … I can't tell you," Foxleap murmured.

"I'm not going to laugh," Jayfeather said. He dragged himself onto a ledge with frozen, trembling paws. "You can tell me." He turned and helped Foxleap up, yanking the younger cat up beside him by the scruff of his neck. He realized that the ledge they were standing on was the Highledge. A stone of dread settled in his stomach.

"Fine." Foxleap shuffled his paws. "It's … it's Ivypool."

Jayfeather hesitated. Ivypool?

Foxleap grew uneasy at Jayfeather's lack of response. "I know, it's weird, but-"

"No, not weird," Jayfeather said curtly. "Just surprising. Come on. Let's go." He turned and began to climb.

Foxleap scrambled after him. Jayfeather's paws were still freezing and his fur clung cold and wet to his body. He shivered as he pulled himself onto another ledge. He felt the way ahead with his whiskers and realized that the rest of the wall was sheer and slick. They could never climb up that.

Jayfeather reached out a paw and patted the ledge around him, looking for a way out. He felt his way forward and found that a path led up and around the sheer part and onto the forest floor. Flicking his tail, he beckoned Foxleap and trotted forward.

They were both shivering and wet by the time they reached the rest of the Clan. Briarlight did not notice Jayfeather - she was too busy trying to lick the cold out of Hollykit. Jayfeather briefly looked into her mind - Hollykit can't die not after the other three did no not Hollykit no no no Hollyleaf deserves a second chance I'm going to save her no matter what it takes -

Jayfeather barely had time to grieve for his three dead kits before Cinderheart and Ivypool let out cries of dismay and rushed forward. They passed Jayfeather and supported Foxleap as the ginger tom stumbled into the makeshift camp the Clan was setting up. Just a sniff and Jayfeather could tell that Foxleap was in much worse shape than he; Jayfeather could barely smell any warmth and his teeth were chattering so hard it sounded like the rain that was pounding from the skies.

"Jayfeather."

Jumping, Jayfeather turned to face Bramblestar.

"I'm sorry about your kits," he murmured. "They were sweet little things. They didn't deserve to die."

A lump rose in Jayfeather's throat. He didn't reply.

"You should probably tend to Foxleap," Bramblestar continued.

"Of course," Jayfeather said quietly.

He turned and headed toward where Foxleap was being laid down on a bed of rushes. As he passed Briarlight, he flicked his tail in greeting. She didn't look up.

Jayfeather hesitated and turned around. "Briarlight?"

The brown she-cat didn't say anything. She kept licking Hollykit.

There was silence.

Then Jayfeather blinked a few times before turning around and heading away.

Rain continued to pour.