I jump so hard that my kits that had been sleeping on my paws woke up and began to wail pitifully. Thornflight, surprisingly, was calm. "Hello, Crowfeather. Nice night, huh?"
Crowfeather glares at him. "What in the world are you doing with Swifttalon? And why are there kits here?"
I stiffen, but finally being able to find my voice I rasp,"One of them got loose during the night, and I had to follow him. I found him, but he would have been seriously injured if Thornflight hadn't been here."
"Excuses, excuses, excuses!"
It's Tornears hiss that answers me. "We know what you've been doing, and when we report this to Onestar-"
"NO!"
A voice hisses from behind the WindClan patrol. Heatherpaw slips out of the gorse behind us, and glares at the patrol. "How dare you!"
"How dare us what?" Breezepaw's cold mew answers.
"Try to send them home when clearly the kits aren't strong enough to travel! You ought to be ashamed of yourselves! She told you the truth, I was watching the whole time!"
As she said this, her ear twitches as a signal to me that she was lying for my own good. Another cat slips out behind her and nods. Ashfoot.
Crowfeather immediately straightens up and says,"Ashfoot, you have no business here and-"
"What happens in my territory is my business, Crowfeather," she answers him calmly. "Now then, Heatherpaw is telling the truth," she says, making the same signal to me as Heatherpaw did,"so you need to head on back. I've already alerted Onestar of your return. Heatherpaw, you go, too. "
The patrol trudges through the gorse and disappears into the heather. Heatherpaw turns around and winks, then follows them.
"Thanks-" I start to say, but she's already following the patrol.
"Head on back," Thornflight mews.
"Bye."