We race back to the ShadowClan camp and almost run right into Tigerclaw, who's heading out on a patrol. "What's wrong with you two?" the dark tabby demands.
"Fire," I pant. "In ThunderClan. We saw it across the ro… the thunderpath."
"Show me," Tigerclaw orders.
My paws ache from all the running, but I force every last bit of speed out of them as we sprint across our territory. By the time we get back to the border, the fire is so much worse. Falling trees make the earth shake and sends sparks and bits of burning wood into the smoky air. Tigerclaw takes a step toward the flames.
"Are you goin' over there? Let us come with you! There might be cats who need our help," Nightwhisper says, makin' me proud all over again.
"I'm not going on a rescue mission," Tigerclaw growls, shakin' his head. "I just need to see what's going on. You and Nettlethorn stay here and guard the border, make sure no ThunderClan cats try to flee onto our land."
Nightwhisper shifts his paws as Tigerclaw crosses the road. He swings his massive head around and glares at my brother. "I said, stay here," he snaps. With a lash of his tail, he disappears.
"Right," I say, "I'm goin' after him."
"Are you crazy?" Nightwhisper hisses. "He specifically ordered us not to."
"I ain't lettin' that fool cat get burned up. Where would ShadowClan be without him?" I say. This only be half the truth. My curiosity about Tigerclaw's falling-out with his birth clan still itches at me, like a flea in a hard-to-reach spot.
"If he sees you or smells smoke on your pelt, you're dead," Nightwhisper meows, though he don't try to stop me from dartin' across the road.
Following Tigerclaw's scent is hard with all the smoke, especially since he's way more familiar with the territory than I am. I almost blunder over the lip of an abandoned burrow of some kind, the prey no doubt fled or burned to ash. Soot rains down around me, and at one point I have to shake a piece of flaming bark out of my pelt.
Finally, I spot Tigerclaw crouching behind a clump of bracken that ain't yet burning. I find some ferns to hide behind that give me a good view into the ThunderClan camp we attacked a moon ago. Flames are already lickin' at the brambles along one wall of the ravine. Horror coils in my belly as I watch cats flee for their lives. Even Tigerclaw's amber eyes are glazed with shock.
Over the crackle of flames, I can hear some cat bellowing orders. "Head for the river! Keep an eye on your denmates! Don't lose sight of one another!" Fireheart pauses at the top of the slope, his pelt ruffled. "Is any cat missing?" he asks.
"Where's Bramblekit?" wails a tabby queen.
My heart stops. Images of dead kits flash through my head: Coal, Lightningkit. I edge out of the ferns, feeling the heat washing over me as I peer through the flames.
"Help!" The tiny voice is barely audible over the roar of fire. And then I see the kit, clinging desperately to a branch. The tree beneath him is already startin' to burn.
"Bramblekit!" Tigerclaw roars, and I'm taken aback by the real anguish in the exiled warrior's voice.
I'm already leaping before the echo of his cry fades. I'm closer to that side of the ravine than Tigerclaw is, and I worry the burnin' tree ain't gonna hold his weight. I almost miss the tree, but my claws hook into its bark, and with a screech of effort, I cling on and pull myself fully onto a lower branch.
I risk a single glance down at the roaring inferno below. Two cats be starin' up at me, their eyes round the pure shock. One is obviously Tigerclaw, and the other is Fireheart. Both look ready to jump up after me.
"Don't even think about it!" I yowl down at 'em. "I'm smaller and lighter than either of you."
Without waitin' for a response, I call on my inner squirrel and race up that tree as fast as I possibly can. Please don't let me be too late, I pray to anything that might be out there listenin'. Please don't let another kit die. But the fire be comin' closer. Its heat washes over me, and I swear some of my fur singes away. The smoke slices at my lungs like claws.
With another pitiful cry for help, the little brown tabby kit lets go of the branch. I lunge and manage to catch him by the scruff. The kit wriggles in my jaws, and for a horrifyin' moment that seems to last forever, I'm afraid I'll drop him. But he goes still, from fear or survival instinct, I don't know. I carefully walk along the branch, my heart in my throat.
"The fire's almost to you! You have to jump now!" Tigerclaw yowls, his voice risin' above the snap of burning wood.
Takin' his word for it, I bunch my muscles and leap for all I'm worth. My claws scrabble at the lip of the ravine, sending small pebbles skidding past me. Teeth meet in my scruff, haulin' both me and Bramblekit up to safety. My whole body is shakin' violently as the shock of what I've just done hits me. I collapse right there in front of Fireheart, who just saved me, and Tigerclaw, who paces around us in tight circles. Both toms look like their heads be fixin' to explode.
"What are you doing here, Tigerclaw?" Fireheart demands. "And who in the Dark Forest is she?"
I ignore the green gaze burnin' into the back of my head. Bramblekit's all I'm focused on now. I lick him vigorously. "Sokay, baby. You'll be back with your mama and littermates soon. You're safe now," I whisper.
"You didn't think I would leave my kits' lives in a kittypet's paws during a disaster, did you?" Tigerclaw snarls. "Lucky my friend and I came, or Bramblekit would be dead."
I gasp as I look down at the kit buried in my fur. Dark brown tabby pelt, wide shoulders, amber eyes. Bramblekit's gotta be Tigerclaw's son. How hard must it be to have kin in another clan? Why did he start all this mess with Fireheart and Bluestar if he's got kits to take care of?
"I won't let you take him," Fireheart growls, unsheathing his claws. "He's a ThunderClan kit!"
"Y'all cut it out," I snap before the two toms can actually fight. "This kit here needs his mama and a medicine cat, fast. Ain't gonna be good for him if he breathes too much smoke." My own eyes and nose are burnin' plenty.
Tigerclaw and Fireheart look at me for a heartbeat, I guess 'cause neither of 'em's been spoken to like that in awhile. Fireheart moves first. "Thank you," the ginger tom murmurs too quietly for Tigerclaw to hear before scoopin' up Bramblekit.
Tigerclaw and I watch until they disappear in the direction of the river and the rest of ThunderClan. The massive dark tabby don't say a word as we high-tail it back to ShadowClan. I suck in huge gulps of the clear air across the road. We both have to stop and cough for a few minutes. I double over, wonderin' if I'll ever breathe right again. Tigerclaw watches me coldly, makin' zero moves to help.
"I told you to stay here and guard our border," he growls as soon as I have the strength to keep goin'.
"You're welcome for savin' your kit," is on the tip of my tongue. But it's best not to annoy Tigerclaw when his eyes are blazin' like this. "I was worried about you, Tigerclaw," I say, which has the benefit of being partially true.
"A warrior follows orders without question," Tigerclaw hisses. "If cats don't do as they're told, a clan can't function. Do you understand that?"
"Yes, but I-"
"And when I go off alone to take care of private business, I have a very good reason. If you ever follow me without my permission or disobey me again, I will drive you out of ShadowClan or kill you. Is that clear, Nettlethorn? Because I won't warn you again."
Stunned by his ferocity, I bend my head and say, "Yes, Tigerclaw, I understand. I'm sorry, but I'm glad your kits are safe."
Tigerclaw's lip is still curled, but I see relief in his eyes. "I'll return to camp ahead of you. Wash yourself in a stream so you don't smell like smoke. And bring back a couple of pieces of prey. You're to keep quiet about this," Tigerclaw orders.
"It's just between us," I agree.
Tigerclaw hurries off into the pines without a backward glance. I let out a low growl of irritation. Why is Tigerclaw treatin' me like this? Ain't sayin' I expect him to gush like a queen over a new litter, but I wouldn't mind some basic gratitude for riskin' my life, which I'm still kinda attached to, to save his son. And all I get is a lecture about being disobedient? I miss the freedom of life in town, suddenly and sharply.
But my anger with Tigerclaw fades as I consider his position. He's all about controllin' everything around him, so watchin' some other cat get his son outa that burnin' tree must have been hard. Plus, I reckon he don't want ShadowClan knowin' he still got kits in ThunderClan. They might think he's weak for still carin' about 'em or just not trust him. My outrage cools to sympathy. I'm fervently glad Nightwhisper's in ShadowClan with me.