Chapter 17

Hot breath burned against Shadepaw's hind legs. She was at her limits, tearing the turf beneath her paws in an attempt to outrun the slavering beast at her heels. Any moment now she could imagine those jaws snapping down on her, and then the darkness that would follow. Her stomach twisted, her lungs burning.

The Twoleg backyard that Shadepaw had ended up in was only so big. She hadn't had enough time to figure out where she was before the dog had spotted her and nearly took the fur off her tail. Shadepaw knew she had to think fast, but she just couldn't seem to gather her thoughts.

How did Father do this? She thought, breathing raggedly. She'd heard stories from the elders about how Tinystar and Sandstorm had raced dogs seasons ago. He must have been mad as a hare!

A gray shape leaped down from the fence, landing between Shadepaw and the dog. Shadepaw skidded to a stop, turning to figure out what had happened.

"Stoneheart!" she called breathlessly.

The stocky gray tom dwarfed the dog, which was far smaller than it had seemed to Shadepaw. Stoneheart screeched at the creature and batted it with his paws, sending it whimpering for its nest. Stoneheart grunted with satisfaction, while Shadepaw's pelt burned with embarrassment.

If only I were a warrior! She thought. He made it look so easy.

"Are you alright?" Stoneheart asked.

Shadepaw nodded. "Winded," she breathed. As she looked at Stoneheart, she recalled that the last time she'd seen him, he'd had Crowpaw by the scruff and was diving into the hedge. Fear shot through Shadepaw. Where was everyone else? "Where's Crowpaw?"

Stoneheart narrowed his eyes. "That mouse-brain and I got separated in the hedge. I don't know where he ended up."

"And the others?" Shadepaw wondered, her heart trembling.

Stoneheart shook his head. "I don't know. I heard yowling…" He looked over the thick hedge that sheltered this yard from the Thunderpath. Shadepaw's stomach twisted. Nightpaw and Mistyfoot had been behind us. Did we both lose our littermates?

She reached out with her senses, and found only that she could feel Nightpaw. He was terrified, wherever he was, but he wasn't alone, and he wasn't terrified of whom he was with. Relief washed over Shadepaw, just a little. At least Nightpaw was okay.

But if Mistyfoot wasn't… what would that mean for the prophecy?

"We'll find them," Stoneheart said crisply. "Come on."

Shadepaw watched him leap easily onto the top of the Twoleg fence. Shadepaw's pads burned from skidding along the Thunderpath and the grass, but this wasn't the time for pain. She gave her pads a quick lick before scrabbling her way up the fence.

The wooden barrier was surprisingly easy to balance on, so long as Shadepaw kept her tail level, and Shadepaw marveled at how much she could see of the other yards from up here – the yards bent, like they were arranged in a circle, and the whole area seemed to be surrounded by that thick hedge. Peering between the Twoleg nests, Shadepaw could spot the curve of a Thunderpath – but there wasn't much activity on it, thank StarClan.

Stoneheart led them along the fence until they reached another yard. Shadepaw tried to scent the air, but her glands filled with the smells of Twolegs. She couldn't idenfity the other cats even if she tried. Even sensing Nightpaw was difficult now, with her head pounding from fatigue catching up to her.

A screech rose over the Twoleg fences.

"Crowpaw!" Shadepaw breathed.

Stoneheart's shoulder fur bristled. "Hurry," he insisted. "If any cat is going to make Crowpaw screech, it's going to be me."

Shadepaw couldn't tell if the ShadowClan tom really meant that – but Stoneheart put on speed, and Shadepaw had to follow, even if her paws were throbbing. They twisted and turned together, following Twoleg fences until they reached the source of the screeching, two yards away from where Shadepaw had been.

Crowpaw was backed up against a Twoleg nest, bristling from ears to tail – Shadepaw's heart dropped. He was surrounded by two burly kittypets, both of them sporting scars. She glanced at Stoneheart, who seemed to be assessing the situation.

What can we do? Shadepaw wondered, fear spiking in her pelt. We can't be stopped here!

Evening light turned the Twolegplace orange as Mistyfoot and Feathertail padded along the fenced-in yards. Mistyfoot kept her tail near Feathertail – feeling the she-cat's breath on her fur was comforting, and Mistyfoot guessed that Feathertail needed the touch of a friend right now.

"What if we don't find Stormfur?" Feathertail fretted. "What will I tell RiverClan? What will I tell Ma and Pa?"

Mistyfoot swallowed. "We'll find him," she assured her, "and the others."

She looked back at the silver she-cat and found her face to be full of cluelessness and misery. "Is this the first time you two have been apart?" Mistyfoot wondered.

Feathertail nodded reluctantly. "I'll never forgive myself if Stormfur dies on this journey, Mistyfoot," she confessed, her eyes sparkling with sorrow.

Mistyfoot flicked her tail against Feathertail's muzzle. "Stormfur is a strong warrior; he'll be fine," she insisted, "and it's not like you made him come."

Feathertail faltered, her eyes widening. Mistyfoot dug her claws into the wood below her as Feathertail almost pushed her aside to get in front.

"Let's hurry," the silver tabby insisted, not looking back at Mistyfoot. "Come on!"

Mistyfoot blinked. What was that reaction? Now's not the time, she thought. It's not like I'd forgive myself if anyone died on this journey, either.

"Stay here," Stoneheart insisted.

"But-"

"Just stay."

Before Shadepaw could protest further, Stoneheart leaped down from the fence. Shadepaw watched him streak across the yard and slam into one of the kittypets that was harassing Crowpaw. The distraction was all Crowpaw needed – he bundled into the other kittypet, and Shadepaw saw all four disappear into a tangle of fur and claws.

A feeling of uselessness crept over Shadepaw. She could only watch – a medicine cat was not trained for combat, at least not in ThunderClan. She flinched as Stoneheart delivered a heavy blow to his kittypet opponent, imagining the pain they'd feel later, and she whimpered as Crowpaw sliced open his opponent's nose, splattering blood on the grass.

It was enough to get the kittypets to back off, at least. They hissed and spat as Stoneheart and Crowpaw made for the fence. Shadepaw rushed to join them, eyes wide as she looked for wounds on either. She caught sight of some blood welling on Crowpaw's flank.

"We need to stop that bleeding," she decided. "Come on."

Now it was her turn to lead the way, tail up. The yard next to them was less kept up, and Shadepaw spotted a tangle of cobwebs. She scented the air – no kittypets or dogs – before she hopped off of the fence and gestured for Stoneheart and Crowpaw to do the same.

In a flash she had the cobwebs wrapped around a paw, and she hobbled over to Crowpaw. His blue eyes flashed.

"Get away from me!" he snapped.

Shadepaw blinked at him. Stoneheart bristled behind Crowpaw, and opened his jaws to speak – but Shadepaw spoke for him: "Shut up, will you?" she snapped back. "You're the only cat who came from WindClan – what do you think will happen to your Clan if you die from an infected wound? You've caused enough trouble for all of us to fill a moon, so sit still and let me treat you!"

Crowpaw's eyes widened, and he quieted, looking down at his paws. He didn't say a thing as Shadepaw spread the cobwebs over his scratch. Perhaps her words had been unwarranted, but Crowpaw had been nothing but a frustrating thorn in their side and it felt good to unleash the annoyance.

Beside her, Stoneheart chuckled. "You really did get your father's temper, Shadepaw," he said. "Noted."

Embarassment warmed Shadepaw's pelt. "That's what everyone says," she breathed. She patted down the last of the cobwebs. "There you go."

Crowpaw moved away, still not meeting her eyes. Shadepaw worried – had she hurt his feelings? Having Tinystar's temper was not always a boon, Shadepaw had learned. She'd have to apologize to him later.

"On to the others," Stoneheart sighed. "They can't have gone too far."

Shadepaw closed her eyes and felt for Nightpaw again. He still wasn't alone, but he was still quite afraid – she could feel him looking for the others. He seemed much closer than before, and Shadepaw's tail flicked Stoneheart's shoulder.

"Come on," she insisted. Darkness was beginning to descend upon the world. Would they be able to find the others in the dark, even with Shadepaw's connection to Nightpaw? "There's no time to lose."

"I see them!"

Mistyfoot blinked in the half-light. She was quite sick of walking along Twoleg fences, and she wondered if she'd picked up a splinter. They were on the edge of the Twolegplace, it seemed – the Thunderpaths that had caused all this drama were far behind. Now that night was coming, the roar of the monsters was dying down.

There was a shiny fence that stuck out from the others, made not of wood but some thin mesh that reminded Mistyfoot of cobweb. Two shapes were crouched at the edge of the fence, one outside and one still inside. Feathertail rushed for them, and Mistyfoot followed, hope alighting in her heart.

They're okay!

The she-cats leaped off the fence. With her paws in the grass Mistyfoot felt like she could run forever, and she picked up the pace until both she and Feathertail were running shoulder to shoulder.

Nightpaw was scrabbling at the bottom of the cobweb fence. There was a shallow scoop beneath the webbing, and Stormfur was trying to pull himself through it… which wasn't going well. Mistyfoot could tell by the bunching of his fur that he was quite stuck.

"Stormfur!" Feathertail cried. She crashed into her brother, covering his head with licks. "Oh StarClan, I was so worried!"

Mistyfoot's arrival was calmer. She touched her nose to Nightpaw's ear and sighed. "We were looking everywhere for you."

"So were we!" Nightpaw squeaked. He pushed his muzzle into Mistyfoot's fur. "A dog chased us into this yard before a Twoleg came to get it. I could get through the fence easy, but…"

"I am stuck," Stormfur grunted. He looked up at Mistyfoot, amber eyes sparkling. Mistyfoot admired his ability to find amusement in this situation. "Not very graceful, I know."

"The dog or that Twoleg could come back!" Nightpaw fretted. "We need to hurry!"

Feathertail's eyes went wide. Mistyfoot padded over to Stormfur, looking over the problem area. The fence was twisted and caught in the fur around his midsection, where the fluff – and Stormfur – were thickest. Feathertail touched the fluff with her paw and sighed.

"You do take after Pa," Feathertail sighed. "Stomach and all."

Stormfur's tail flicked on the other side of the fence. "Yeah, yeah, I know – can you hurry? My tail looks like easy fresh-kill right now."

Mistyfoot sat back on her haunches, trying to think. Her mind was blanking – faituge and stress had worn her to her limits already. Everyone else looked much the same, even Stormfur, who kept trying in vain to get himself untangled from the claw-like webbing of the fence.

"There you are!"

Mistyfoot's ears pricked. She blinked, spotting three shapes loping towards them. Hope fluttered in her heart. Stoneheart! And Shadepaw, and Crowpaw, too!

"Shadepaw!" Nightpaw breathed, rushing over to his littermate. Shadepaw met him with her muzzle, purring. Crowpaw flopped down by the cobweb fence, his blue gaze unreadable – there was a mat of cobwebs on his flank, and Mistyfoot wondered what trouble he'd gotten into.

Stoneheart brushed his muzzle against Mistyfoot's. She ignored Crowpaw for now, grateful that her brother was safe. Stoneheart pulled away, looking down at Stormfur. "It's all the fish you RiverClan cats eat," he grunted after assessing the situation.

"Like you wouldn't get stuck here, either, with those boulders you have for shoulders," Stormfur shot back good-naturedly.

Stoneheart's whiskers twitched. Mistyfoot glanced at the others – they were all here now, and all in one piece. Relief washed over her like a gentle wave of water. Once they got Stormfur out, their journey could continue.

But how to get Stormfur out?

Shadepaw was looking over the tangled fur and Twoleg web, her tail-tip flicking in thought. Mistyfoot thought she looked very much like her father, whose eyes would always narrow in a particular way when he was trying to solve a problem.

"Got it!" Shadepaw declared, lifting her muzzle. "Quick, does anyone see any dock around here? Big wide leaves with wrinkly edges."

Nightpaw's tail shot up. "There's some over here!"

The night-black tom shot off. Mistyfoot watched him pad along the fence until he reached a place where one of the bushes from the inside of the fence grew through the holes in the cobweb fence. He ripped off a bundle of leaves and brought them back.

"That'll work," Shadepaw said happily. "Chew this all up, hurry!"

Mistyfoot bent down and began to chew, wincing at the sour taste of the dock leaves in her jaws. Feathertail followed suit. Shadepaw had her own lump of dock in her jaws, and she spat the juice out onto Stormfur's pelt.

"Like that," she instructed.

Mistyfoot nodded and she spat her own juices down Stormfur's pelt. Feathertail followed soon after. Shadepaw put her paws in the juice and began to smear it all over Stormfur's pelt. The RiverClan tom wiggled.

"Try now," Shadepaw said.

Stormfur nodded, and kicked out with his hind paws. He wiggled and grunted and twisted, and Mistyfoot watched as his fur untangled from the fence. A moment later he was free, though not without leaving a few hunks of dark gray fur behind.

"Whoa," he breathed. "All things considered, that was kind of fun!"

Stoneheart cuffed him over the ear. "What was that about my shoulders earlier?" he quipped.

Stormfur's ears pinned, and a purred swept through the group – all except Crowpaw, who still appeared sullen. Mistyfoot noted that he hadn't said a word since he arrived – not a sneer or a joke or anything. Was he just too tired?

"Really, thanks," Stormfur offered, sweeping his eyes over to the she-cats. Shadepaw and Feathertail dipped their heads, but Mistyfoot found herself frozen at the warmth in Stormfur's gaze as he looked at her. "I'd still be stuck there if not for you."

"Happy to help!" chirped Shadepaw.

Mistyfoot flicked her tail, trying to dismiss the feeling creeping under her fur. "We're in this together, Stormfur," she said.

Stoneheart got to his paws and stretched. "This is all well and good, but we need to get out of here. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm exhausted."

"Definitely," sighed Feathertail.

"If I never see another Twolegplace, it'll be too soon," agreed Nightpaw. "This sucked."

Shadepaw shook out her paws. "I need to get someplace where I can look over all of us," she said. "The last thing we need is a secret infection slowing us down."

"There was an abandoned nest we spotted on our way over here," Stormfur mentioned. He glanced at Nightpaw. "You think that would work?"

Nightpaw blinked, narrowing his eyes in thought. They both do it like their father does, Mistyfoot noted. "Yeah," Nightpaw meowed. "It should work."

Stormfur lifted his tail. "Alright, then. Onward!"

The abandoned nest was situated just outside of the Twolegplace – a small wooden structure that wasn't quite the size of the other nests. It had a roof, at least, and Shadepaw guessed that it might not fall down on them in the night. They had little choice otherwise.

She paused to pick some horsetail which sprouted just outside before heading into the nest. The sharp smell filled her nostrils, and she knew it would do wonders for their sore pads and scratches. Though her own paws were tired, she knew she couldn't – wouldn't – sleep until the others were seen to.

The group quickly found places to stretch out and rest on the wooden Twoleg floor. There was even the hint of mouse in the air, and Shadepaw had hope for a decent breakfast in the morning. No cat fought her as she spread horsetail on their pads or looked over their pelts for scratches. Thick pelts hide their wounds best, she reflected as she parted Stormfur's pelt with her paws.

There were no major wounds – even Stormfur's scratches were superficial, really - and for that Shadepaw was grateful; but every cat's paws would be sore by morning. Shadepaw laid the last of her horsetail down by Crowpaw and sat on her haunches beside him. He'd placed himself far away from the others, and didn't look at her as she took the cobweb off of his scratch.

"Thank you for cooperating," she said quietly as she spread the horsetail juices along his flank. "It really does make things easier."

Crowpaw shifted. "Don't yell at me," he said. "I hate that."

Shadepaw winced. So she had been too harsh earlier. "I'm sorry," she said. "I was just frustrated. I won't do it again."

Crowpaw said nothing.

Shadepaw dressed his wound for the night and then returned to her brother. She flopped down beside Nightpaw, letting his emotions wash over her. It was mostly relief and renewed excitement at their adventure – but when Nightpaw's icy gaze swept over Crowpaw, Shadepaw felt prickles like thorns run down her spine.

"We don't know him well," Shadepaw pointed out, pressing her pelt against Nightpaw's. "There's more to everyone here than we know."

Nightpaw sighed. Guilt replaced the prickling feeling. "I'm just glad we're all okay," Nightpaw muttered. Shadepaw knew that to be true. "You, especially."

Shadepaw murmured, "Same here," as she curled up. She was asleep before her tail touched her nose.

Mistyfoot watched Nightpaw and Shadepaw fall asleep. Feathertail was already down, her fluffy flanks rising and falling. Stoneheart was stretched out nearby, his tail flicking as he dreamed. Crowpaw shuffled himself closer to the group before he rested his head on his paws.

Though Mistyfoot wanted to sleep too, she felt something brush against her pelt. Stormfur. The RiverClan warrior had gone to make dirt before bedding down, and he sat beside her now. His presence prickled at her pelt like thorns.

"Thanks for helping me," he meowed quietly.

"It wasn't just me," Mistyfoot insisted.

Stormfur purred. "Well, either way – we all need to work together to make it through this. I'm glad we all kind of know each other."

Mistyfoot looked at Crowpaw, feeling sympathy prick her pelt. "We don't know him," she pointed out.

Stormfur shrugged beside her. "We'll figure him out," he said reassuringly. "I've hardly met a cat you can't befriend in the end. Some cats just make you work harder for it."

Mistyfoot glanced between Stormfur and Feathertail. Feathertail's actions earlier stirred in her mind, and she shifted her paws as anxiety rippled through her. Was it her place to ask? But the words were tumbling out of her mouth anyway: "Did Feathertail make you come with us?"

Stormfur stiffened beside her, and Mistyfoot knew she had crossed a line. "I did think of staying," Stormfur admitted, taking a sharp breath. "RiverClan feels like it's going in a strange direction nowadays. I felt like they might need me – but Feathertail's mission is more important, not just to the Clans but to her, too."

Mistyfoot swallowed as Stormfur went on: "Being half-Clan makes us closer than most littermates," he said. "I think you know how that feels."

"I do," Mistyfoot breathed. She looked over at Stoneheart. "I miss Stoneheart so much in ThunderClan. I don't think there's anything I wouldn't do for him."

"Look at us," Stormfur meowed, sweeping his tail towards the sleeping cats. "Even among the ones StarClan chose, I don't think they want boundaries to get in the way of this journey. Otherwise, why even bother choosing one cat from each Clan, let alone so many cats with ties in other Clans? I'm no genius, but I can see that we're not meant to be four Clans on this journey."

Mistyfoot's pelt prickled. There was emotion in Stormfur's eyes and an earnestness in his voice that shook to her core. As she looked over the bodies sleeping in the shelter of the old nest, she knew he was right. And yet…

"That feels dangerous to think about," Mistyfoot said. "The Clans are very much definied by the boundaries between us. What if this prophecy destroys them? What will we be then?"

Stormfur blinked. "Happier, hopefully."

Mistyfoot swallowed around a lump in her throat.

"Good night, Mistyfoot," Stormfur breathed, touching his nose to her ear. Mistyfoot watched him settle down beside Feathertail.

She forced herself to her paws and padded over to Stoneheart. He was sleeping deeply. She laid down beside him, resting her muzzle on her paws. She looked over the nest one last time – they were all in their own corners, yes; but she could see that they were already sleeping closer than they had at Barley's barn.

She closed her eyes. Stormfur's words followed her into sleep.