A Cry for Help

Nightfrost padded at the head of the border patrol, leading Cloudtail, Sandstorm and Thornclaw. Cloudtail stopped and hissed towards the Riverclan border. "Fish-face!"

Mistyfoot was on the stepping stones, with Shadowclan cats on their side of the border. Cloudtail bounded away to Sunningrocks, snarling. Nightfrost and the others followed. At the corner of his eye, he noticed three familiar pelt colors. On the stepping stones with the Riverclanner was Firestar, Graystripe and his kits, and Ravenwing, each helping one another across while hissing at the other side.

Cloudtail was about to attack Mistyfoot when Firestar barreled to his side. "Mouse-brain!" he snapped. "The enemy is back there."

Nightfrost leap over Stormpaw, then Featherpaw and quickly leap into battle. "I'll take care of him," he hissed to Graystripe and Ravenwing. The two warriors nodded and headed down the stones to help the apprentices as Nightfrost landed on the stone. Blackfoot backed away on his hind paws. Having yet to put his forepaws back on the rock, Thornclaw pushed him into the river.

Nightfrost let his claws out, slashing another Shadowclan warrior about to get on the rock.

"You'll come no farther if you want to stay alive," snarled Sandstorm, coming at his side. The three Thunderclan warriors stood crowded together on one stone, digging in their claws and growling fiercely at the remaining pursuers.

The Shadowclan warriors milled about uncertainly on the first two or three stones. Unused to the river, they were unsteady on their paws and clearly unwilling to join battle with the furious Thunderclan cats.

"Get back!" Blackfoot yowled. Nightfrost risked a glance, seeing he clambered onto the bank, his fur streaming. "Let them escape; they're only half-clan crowfood."

His warriors seemed happy to obey, and within moments all the Shadowclan cats had vanished into the reeds. It was a bit of a struggle to return, but Sandstorm turned back first. Thornclaw crossed right after her with Nightfrost behind, watching the other bank.

"Well done, all of you," Firestar meowed, turning to the other Thunderclan warriors after he checked his cats. "I was never so glad to see any cats as when you three came out of the forest. What brought you here?"

"You did," Cloudtail panted. "You ordered extra patrols to watch the border. Lucky for you that we came along when we did."

"Okay," he meowed, "we'd better get back to camp. These three cats need to rest. Nightfrost, lead the way."

The deputy dipped his head and turned to camp.

The moon was high and bathing the ravine in a silvery light by the time that Nightfrost and the others reached the camp. As he emerged from the gorse tunnel into the camp, Whitestorm came hurrying toward him.

"Thank Starclan you're back, Firestar!" he exclaimed. "It's Tawnypaw—she's disappeared!"

"Disappeared?" Firestar echoed in alarm. "What happened?"

"We're not sure," the warrior mewed calmed, but his eyes showed his concern. "It was Bramblepaw who first said he couldn't find her. I thought he was making a fuss about nothing, but we searched the camp. She isn't here, and no cat saw her leave."

"Fetch Bramblepaw," Firestar ordered.

While they waited, Firestar sent Ravenwing and the three Riverclan cats to see Yellowfang. Ravenwing had refused, but Firestar told him his ear needs to be fixed. His brother tells him to tell Yellowfang about the situation so Ravenwing can quickly return. Graystripe went with them.

"I don't know what to think," meowed Whitestorm when they had gone. "Maybe Tawnypaw got some idea into her head and went off by herself. She could be trapped or injured somewhere—"

"Or she could be in Shadowclan," Ravenwing interrupted, his fur bristling. Nightfrost glanced at his patched ear. "Tigerstar could have stolen her! He could have sent some other cat to do it!"

"Have you scented Shadowclan cats around the camp?" Firestar asked Whitestorm. "Or Riverclan?"

The white warrior shook his head. "No cats but our own, Firestar."

"Then it sounds as if she left willingly," Firestar meowed. "Perhaps she just felt like hunting by herself for a change."

The group remained silent until Bramblepaw padded to them.

"Tell me what Tawnypaw did before she disappeared," Firestar ordered.

"Just the usual apprentice chores." Bramblepaw sounded anxious; his amber eyes were wide and confused. "We changed the elders' bedding and brought them fresh-kill, and I went to get some mouse bile from Yellowfang to put on a tick in Smallear's fur. When I came back Tawnypaw had gone, and I haven't seen her since."

"Where have you looked so far?"

"I went back to where we got the moss for the bedding, but she wasn't there," Firestar's apprentice replied. "And I checked the training hollow."

Firestar nodded. "Did you ask the elders if she said anything to them?"

"I did," replied Whitestorm, "but they couldn't remember anything out of the ordinary."

"And what about Goldenflower?" Firestar went on. "Did Tawnypaw say anything to her?"

Whitestorm shook his head. "She was frantic. I sent her with Mousefur to search toward Tallpines. They aren't back yet."

"Did you try to track Tawnypaw?" Firestar asked.

"Yes, of course," Whitestorm replied. "We tracked her to the top of the ravine, but after that we lost the scent."

Firestar hesitated. "I'll try again," he decided. "It's probably too late, but—"

"I'll come with you," Cloudtail offered.

Firestar gave him a nod of gratitude; Cloudtail was one of the best trackers in the clan. "Okay," he meowed. "Sandstorm, Ravenwing, you come too."

Nightfrost decided to stay with Bramblepaw.

"I think your sister knows what she is doing and I'm sure she's safe," Nightfrost mewed, trying to comfort the tom.

Bramblepaw nodded, not taking his eyes off the gorse tunnel. "I know what you're trying to say, Nightfrost. But I know what can happen. You don't have to take pity on me."

The two stayed there in awkward silence. Soon, Goldenflower and Mousefur returned.

"Tawnypaw?" Bramblepaw asked hopefully. His mother shook her head.

"Firestar and the others are looking her. They headed back out as soon as they heard," Nightfrost mewed. Goldenflower nodded, still staring at the ground. The group of cats waited a little while longer.

"You should go to sleep, Nightfrost."

He turn to the she-cat. "But-"

"You're the deputy. With Firestar out there, you have to look after the clan, Nightfrost. Thank you for staying with my son. You should rest, so you can prepare for the clan tomorrow."

Nightfrost sighed but nodded. The she-cat was right. He need to care for the clan. The warrior padded away to his nest.

Nightfrost yawned at the loud yowl, clearly a call for a meeting. He shook his fur and padded groggily out of the warrior's den. He saw his brother on the Highrock. He waited until all the Clan cats had settled themselves around the Highrock, and then Firestar began to speak.

"You've all heard by now that Graystripe, Ravenpaw, and I went over to Riverclan territory last night. We didn't have to go far into Riverclan territory when there was a terrible stink from a clearing, worse than a fox would. In that clearing, there was rotting prey everywhere, wasted prey. And in the middle of it was a massive hill of bones, many tail-lengths high. The bones were from the prey cats would catch. Tigerstar call it the Bonehill.

He's even willing to kill cats who were completely loyal to their own clan just because their parents are from different clans. He had them called them filth and traitor when he and Darkstripe are truly the traitors and filth instead. Tigerstar turned their own clan against them. Stonefur challenged him. But Tigerstar had him against two apprentices, Featherpaw and Stormpaw. Tigerstar ordered him to kill them. But Stonefur, being the loyal Riverclan cat he is, refused."

Firestar's voice shook. "Tigerstar ordered Darkstripe to kill Stonefur. But Darkstripe was not as skilled as the other tom. Stonefur, despite being weakened by lack of food, manage to gain an upper paw on him. Blackfoot had to join in to finish him. Darkstripe held on his hindquarters while Blackfoot clawed at Stonefur's throat."

The cats below him shuddered and flattened themselves against the ground in sympathy and terror. Nightfrost bristled in rage. Stonefur was a loyal tom! How dare that traitor did what he did to him!

Dustpelt growled, "Why aren't we attacking Shadowclan right now, then, for revenge?"

"Because it's not as simple as that," Firestar replied. "ThunderClan alone can't take on Shadowclan and Riverclan combined, and expect to win."

"We can have a good try," retorted Cloudtail, springing to his paws.

"But where would we attack?" asked Firestar. "There'll be warriors from both clans in the Riverclan camp, and I don't expect Tigerstar has left the Shadowclan camp unguarded. I feel just the same as you," he went on. "I don't like what Tigerstar is doing, and I'm afraid of what he might do in the future. I'd like to know what Starclan want us to do, but so far I've had no word from them. Yellowfang, have they spoken to you?"

The medicine cat glanced up at him. "No, not yet."

Firestar stayed quiet, a little too long. "We're still here, Firestar!" Dustpelt mewed loudly, causing Nightfrost to twitch.

Firestar started. "Sorry," he meowed. "I've called you here to welcome the three Riverclan cats we rescued. You all know Mistyfoot, and Featherpaw and Stormpaw, Graystripe's kits. I think we should offer them a place in Thunderclan until it's safe for them to go home."

Murmuring broke out around the clearing as he made the suggestion.

Longtail was the first to voice his doubts. "That's all very well, Firestar, and I'm sorry for what they've been through, but if they stay here, what are they going to eat? It's the middle of leaf-bare. We've got our work cut out feeding ourselves."

"I'll hunt for them!" Graystripe sprang up to face the clan. "I can feed all three of them, and more of the Clan as well."

"We're not helpless, you know," added Mistyfoot. "Give us a day or two to get stronger, and we'll hunt for ourselves and you as well."

Mousefur got up and spoke directly to Firestar. "It's not a question of who's going to hunt. This is a harder leaf-bare than usual, after the fire. We're all hungry, and we'll need all the strength we can get if we're going to have to fight this Tigerclan. I say they should go home."

Sandstorm leaped to her paws before Firestar could speak. "They can't go home," she pointed out. "Weren't you listening? They'll be murdered if they do, like Stonefur."

"Do you want it to be known that Thunderclan sent cats to their death?" Brackenfur added.

Mousefur looked down at her paws, anger making her fur bristle.

"It's worth mentioning," Whitestorm meowed calmly, "that all these cats are half Thunderclan. They have a right to ask us for shelter."

Firestar waited as he watched the crowd carefully. He looked down at the Riverclan cats where they sat at the base of the rock with Graystripe and Yellowfang.

"Welcome to Thunderclan," he meowed.

Mistyfoot bowed her head in gratitude. "Thank you, Firestar. We won't forget this."

"It was the right thing to do," Firestar meowed. "I just hope you'll feel completely better soon."

"They'll be fine, Firestar," meowed Cinderpelt. "All they need is good food and a warm place to sleep."

"Yes, there was no bedding in that horrible hole," Featherpaw fretted, her eyes wide and troubled.

"You don't need to think about that anymore," Mistyfoot promised with a comforting lick. "Just concentrate on getting strong again. As soon as you're fit, we'll have to get on with your training."

Graystripe twitched his ears at the sight. "Stonefur was Stormpaw's mentor, so he'll need another one now. Is it okay if I mentor him myself?"

"Good idea," Firestar meowed. "We'll hold the ceremony right away."

Leaping down from the Highrock, his brother beckoned to Stormpaw with his tail. Stormpaw came to stand in front of him, still shaky on his paws but holding his head high.

"Stormpaw, you have already begun your apprenticeship," Firestar began. "Stonefur was a noble mentor, and Thunderclan grieves for him. Now you must continue to learn the skills of a warrior under a new mentor." Turning to Graystripe, he went on: "Graystripe, you will continue Stormpaw's training. You have borne suffering with a warrior's spirit, and I expect you to pass on what you have learned to this apprentice."

Graystripe nodded solemnly, then padded over to his son and touched noses with him. Nightfrost turned to Brackenfur. The tom had once been hostile to his mentor. Lionheart's kit did not have any animosity shown in his amber eyes, but pleased with his mentor and...a bit of longing. Perhaps of a father and son bond? Or the bond an apprentice has with his mentor, Nightfrost couldn't tell. Brackenfur padded away, not once looking back to the two.

Nightfrost was about to pad after him when a loud wailing fill the clearing. There was a tang of blood on the air, and unfamiliar cat scent. Limping out of the gorse tunnel was a cat that was almost wounded beyond recognition. Blood dripped from a long gash in his flank. His fur was matted with sand and dust, and one eye was closed.

"Mudclaw!" Firestar exclaimed. "What happened?"

Mudclaw staggered toward him. "You've got to help us, Firestar!" he rasped. "Tigerclan is attacking our camp!"

Firestar narrowed his green eyes. "Graystripe, Brackenfur, Sandstorm, Cloudtail, Dustpelt, Ashpaw. To me! Nightfrost! You're in charge of the camp! Make sure no Tigerclan cat comes within one pawstep in our territory!"

Nightfrost dipped his head as his brother ran off to help.