Chapter 20

A loud bark made Tinyclaw's tail puff. The grass swished violently behind them, a strong odor filling the air. A heartbeat later, a huge nose pushed its way through the grass.

"Run!" Tinyclaw howled.

A second bark followed the first – two dogs – but Tinyclaw had already spun and bolted.

Sandstorm caught up with him quickly, and together they pelted through the grass, fur brushing. The ground trembled at the drumming of the dog's paws, and Tinyclaw glanced back to see both big black-brown brutes crashing through the grass behind them, their long jowls flapping. With a jolt Tinyclaw realized that Ravenpaw was nowhere to be seen.

"Keep running!" Tinyclaw hissed. Ravenpaw had to know this land better – Tinyclaw prayed he was someplace safe. "They can't keep this pace up forever." Sandstorm managed a nod, her paws flashing somehow faster.

Tinyclaw looked back again, and found that he was right – the dogs were backing off a few paces, drool flying from their flapping lips as they barked. Tinyclaw put his head forward to keep himself from losing Sandstorm. We're not out of this yet – what we need is someplace to hide!

His eyes scanned what lay ahead – there was little but trees. The closest was an ash, situated behind another hedgerow not too far away. If they could make it up the ash, it would put enough distance between them and the dogs.

"That ash!" he told Sandstorm.

She nodded in understanding. The she-cat was much faster than Tinyclaw, thanks to those longer legs – she pelted through the hedge and up the tree before Tinyclaw had even breached the leaves. The dogs howled and snapped behind him as Tinyclaw pushed through the hedge and launched himself up the tree…

… only to feel jaws slavering against one of his hind legs. Tinyclaw screeched as a dog's jaw closed on his leg, scraping down the flesh as Tinyclaw slammed into the trunk of the ash. Tinyclaw dug his claws in and launched himself up the tree as fast as he could manage, his leg flaming. Only when Tinyclaw was trembling beside Sandstorm did he look down – the dogs were leaping at the tree, paws scraping for a hold, barking furiously. The tree shook beneath their assault.

Sandstorm hissed, lashing out with her claws. She dug at one of the dog's noses, sending it whimpering away. The other dog followed soon after. Sandstorm gave a satisfied grunt before turning to Tinyclaw. "I thought for sure they had you!" she breathed concernedly. "Are you all right?"

Tinyclaw nodded despite his trembling. He stretched out his leg to give it a look – no bleeding, but he was missing some fur and the dog's teeth had scratched hard enough to make the exposed skin puffy and red. Tinyclaw sighed. "What I wouldn't give for legs as long as yours…"

Sandstorm pressed up against him, purring reassuringly. "You'll be fine," she insisted gently.

On the branch, it was difficult to give his stinging leg a gentle cleaning. Sandstorm had herself pressed against him, but her head was raised to keep an eye out for the dogs.

Suddenly, she asked, "Where's Ravenpaw?"

Tinyclaw shook his head. "I-I don't know," he said worriedly.

Sandstorm's tail lashed, the branch swaying slightly. "Do you think he might have… led us here? On purpose?"

Tinyclaw scoffed, "That's mouse-brained! Ravenpaw would never!"

Sandstorm met his eyes, her green eyes flashing. "You never know…" she muttered.

"He'll turn up," Tinyclaw assured her. He has to. He knows this area way better than we do. He wouldn't just leave us someplace we don't know. The thought of Ravenpaw betraying them didn't even flash across his mind. Sandstorm just didn't know the black tom very well, and with all that had happened Tinyclaw didn't blame her for being a little worried.

It really wasn't long before Ravenpaw showed up. The sleek tom's fur was only slightly ruffled as he slipped out of the hedge and into sight. Ravenpaw looked up the ash and called, "There you are!"

Sandstorm followed Tinyclaw as he made his way carefully down the ash's trunk. His leg stung, but the pain was nothing like it had been before. Still, Tinyclaw treated the injury lightly, even as he hit the ground. Sandstorm landed on all fours just beside him.

"Tinyclaw, are you all right?" Ravenpaw wondered worriedly, his ears pinned.

"Just not as fast as the rest of you," Tinyclaw answered, lifting his stinging leg. "I'll be fine."

"Where were you?" Sandstorm demanded, her tail fluffing up. "We could have used your help!"

"I called for you to follow me," Ravenpaw admitted with a shrug, "but the dogs were barking so loud you didn't hear. When I realized that I doubled back – but the dogs were already fleeing. I can see you two are just as formidable as ever – I saw that scrape on one of their noses!"

Sandstorm flexed her claws in the grass, as if she intended to give Ravenpaw a similar marking. Tinyclaw thrust his way in before that could happen. "We're glad you're all right, Ravenpaw."

Ravenpaw sighed. "I'm glad you're OK, too."

"Don't we have an apprentice to rescue?" Sandstorm wondered, her voice edged with thorns.

She didn't wait for an answer – she turned away and padded past the tree. Ravenpaw stared after her with a frown. "She's as prickly as ever," he decided.

It was a sign of Ravenpaw's burgeoning self-confidence that he didn't take Sandstorm's attitude as an affront; but Tinyclaw wasn't about to mention that Sandstorm had suspected him of leading them into a trap. There was really only one thing on Tinyclaw's mind right now – rescuing Cloudpaw.

Ravenpaw stopped at the top of the rise. Down below, tucked away behind the hill, was a small Twoleg nest, surrounded by a clipped hedge. Tinyclaw's belly churned with excitement, covering up the dull sting of his leg. Cloudpaw was in there, right now – what if she didn't want to come back?

"I can't smell her," Sandstorm commented, nose twitching.

"I think they're keeping her locked up," Ravenpaw guessed. "I haven't seen her since the first time, either."

Tinyclaw's paws trembled. What if she wants to stay a kittypet? Yet Tinyclaw could not imagine Cloudpaw wanting to stay locked up inside of a Twoleg nest.

"Well then, how are we supposed to get in there?" Sandstorm wondered, an edge to her tone.

Tinyclaw cut in before they could argue. "Come on," he said, heading down the slope. "Let's do this."

They followed him through the hedge and into the Twoleg garden. Tinyclaw's nose was stuffed with the cloying smells of the colorful flowers and plants kept by the Twolegs, and his ears could faintly pick up the sound of the Twoleg crashing about inside. The nest loomed tall and dark before them, ringed by vined bushes slightly dried from the drought. Tinyclaw flattened himself to the ground and crept across the lawn, Sandstorm and Ravenpaw putting their quarrel aside to follow.

The three cats pressed themselves against the walls of the Twoleg nest. Suddenly the hedge and the safety that lay beyond felt… very far away. Sandstorm's fear-scent touched Tinyclaw's nose – this was far closer to a Twoleg nest than the pale ginger she-cat had ever wanted to get.

Ravenpaw was a shadow cast by the nest as he led the way along the wall and around one of its many sharp corners. "This is the window where I saw her," he meowed.

Tinyclaw and Sandstorm followed. Tinyclaw did not miss Sandstorm's grumbled, tense retort: "And where the Twoleg saw you…"

Sandstorm jerked into a tight crouch as light poured out from the wall just around the corner. The window was too high to reach with one leap, but from here Tinyclaw could see the Twoleg shambling about inside, clanking and crashing things about. Tinyclaw's ears pinned.

"She could be deaf from all that noise!" Sandstorm hissed.

Some of the gnarled vines touched the nest here, crawling up the wall as if it were some flat tree. Tinyclaw tested it with one paw – sturdy. "I'm going to have a look," he decided.

Tinyclaw didn't wait for protest, nor acknowledge Sandstorm's worried mew, as he dug his claws into the gnarled tree-vine and pulled himself up to the nest. His leg stung only briefly in protest as he planted himself on the short sill jutting out from the window's frame.

A kitchen, Tinyclaw decided, old memories flooding his mind as he looked inside. The floor was shiny and made of squares that felt hard and cold underpaw, and the Twoleg was standing before some shiny round thing that spouted clouds of steam into their face. He spotted bowls on the floor, shiny, like everything else, and the taste of hard food and metallic water touched the back of Tinyclaw's tongue. He pushed the old memories away to look for Cloudpaw.

A small white shape was resting in what looked like a nest made from woven branches. The shape shifted, revealing a ginger splattering across its side. Cloudpaw! Tinyclaw's excitement shrank as a small, yappy dog bolted into the room to dance about the Twoleg's heels. What a loud thing!

Cloudpaw didn't seem perturbed – she stretched and pulled herself from the woven nest and onto the floor. She stretched once more and headed for the bowls. How is she ignoring that yapping thing? Maybe she has gone deaf…

"She's here," Tinyclaw hissed down at Sandstorm and Ravenpaw.

"Has she seen you?" Sandstorm wondered.

Tinyclaw looked back into the nest, his tail flicking in surprise. Cloudpaw was heading for the window! She leaped up easily, staring out of the glass as if there was nothing there at all, her blue eyes glossy and sad. Tinyclaw frowned. She's not happy here at all – and it looks like she's been eating less, too. StarClan… please let me be able to help her!

But Cloudpaw couldn't see Tinyclaw, and that was a problem, especially as the day wore on and the shadows disguised him. Tinyclaw pressed his paws against the glass separating them, making sure to keep his claws sheathed so the dog or the Twoleg would not be alerted as he scrabbled against the smooth, cold surface.

Cloudpaw's ears twitched – and then her eyes flickered. When she saw Tinyclaw, her mouth opened in a delighted, shocked yowl that Tinyclaw could not hear.

Inside, the Twoleg whipped around. Tinyclaw bristled and leaped off of the ledge as fast as he could.

"What happened?" Sandstorm wondered.

"Cloudpaw saw me, but I think the Twoleg did, too!" Tinyclaw panted.

"We should go," Ravenpaw insisted.

"No!" Tinyclaw snapped. "I'm not going to leave her now that she's seen me. You two go – I'll wait until Cloudpaw can get free."

Sandstorm glared at him. "What are you going to do?" she demanded. "Wait here for the Twoleg to sick that dog on you?"

"I'm not leaving Cloudpaw!" Tinyclaw threw back.

A creaking noise silenced Sandstorm's reply – behind them, a bright pool of light appeared as a door was opened. Then, a great shadow passed over the light. A Twoleg. They stepped out into growing evening, looming over the cats.

The Twoleg made questioning noises at them, crooning and gesturing with their hands. Tinyclaw, Ravenpaw, and Sandstorm were frozen, pressed against one another as the Twoleg loomed closer and closer, those steps rumbling the ground.

They were trapped.