Jaypaw couldn’t answer. He didn’t know why any of this was happening, and StarClan wasn’t giving any answers.

“Is Honeyfern all right?” he asked.

“Just a few scratches,” Sorreltail replied. “Once she’s seen those two off, she’ll rejoin the patrol.” She turned to go. “I should get back to them too.”

Jaypaw darted in front of her, ready to block her path, but it wasn’t necessary. She gasped in pain when she tried to put weight on her sprained paw.

“Let’s get that seen to,” he mewed. He pressed against her shoulder and began to guide her up the slope back toward camp. With a pang, he remembered helping Cinderpaw this way after her accident in her warrior assessment. That seemed moons ago now.

Panting, they neared camp, Jaypaw stumbling under her weight. He was relieved when he heard Graystripe pounding toward him.

“Here, let me take over.” The gray warrior nosed him out of the way and supported Sorreltail for the last few paw steps into camp.

Leafpool hurried across the clearing to meet them, comfrey leaves bundled between her jaws. “Lay her here,” she ordered, dropping the comfrey.

She’s in safe paws now. Jaypaw turned, preparing to go out again.

“Wait!” Graystripe blocked his path. “What’s it like out there?”

“RiverClan are fighting with WindClan,” Jaypaw told him. “I’ll try to find out how far they’ve gotten into our territory.” He padded past Graystripe, feeling the warrior’s tail touch his back.

“Try to reach Firestar,” Graystripe meowed. “Warn him about RiverClan, but don’t take any risks.”

Jaypaw pushed his way out through the thorn barrier once more and headed inland, toward the border, where he could hear Firestar’s patrol battling the WindClan ambush. Ashfur’s yowl rang through the trees, desperate but determined. They hadn’t been beaten yet.

Jaypaw weaved through the trees, feeling his way with his whiskers, keeping low. His pelt bristled as he remained alert for any sound other than the distant cries of battle.

“Stupid brambles!”

A sudden unfamiliar mew sent Jaypaw scooting backward into a clump of ferns. They swallowed him and he froze, relieved to be hidden.

“Did you hear that?” The mew was only a few tail-lengths away.

Jaypaw tasted the air. RiverClan again!

“Hear what?”

“That rustling.”

“Everything rustles in this dumb place.”

Four RiverClan cats were making clumsy progress through the woods. One of them tripped, setting a whole bramble bush rattling.

“Could you make any more noise, Reedwhisker?”

“Shut up, Mosspelt! You’re the one that yelped like a kit when you fell down that rabbit hole!”

Jaypaw’s whiskers twitched. Like fish out of water. He waited for them to pass. They’re heading for the WindClan border.

Firestar’s patrol!