Leaving the two warriors to carry Briarlight, Alderheart bounded across the camp. Briarlight must have caught the sickness from Jayfeather when he delivered Ivypool’s litter, he thought. We need to get her away from the kits.

When Alderheart brushed past the bramble screen, Velvet was drowsing in her nest, while Jayfeather was at the back of the den, sorting the herbs stored in the cleft in the rock. Fuzzball was helping him.

“This one’s dock leaf, isn’t it? Oh . . . no . . . tansy. And this is—don’t tell me—catmint!”

“Sorrel,” Jayfeather hissed.

He turned at the sound of Alderheart entering the den, looking relieved to be distracted from Fuzzball’s constant questioning. But his expression changed to concern when Alderheart told him that Briarlight had the belly sickness.

“It’s a good thing you spotted it before Cinderheart, Ivypool, or their kits got sick,” Jayfeather mewed. He sounded uneasy; he must have known very well that if Briarlight was ill, she had caught it from him when he delivered Ivypool’s kits.

“Yes,” Alderheart responded, “but I’ll keep a close eye on them for the next day or two, just to be sure.”

As Thornclaw and Poppyfrost maneuvered Briarlight past the brambles and into the den, Velvet sprang to her paws and quickly pulled together some dry ferns and moss to make a nest for her.

“Settle down here,” she mewed kindly. “Are you comfortable? Is the bedding thick enough?”

“It’s great, thanks,” Briarlight replied, sinking into the nest with a sigh. “I’m really sorry to be giving all of you so much trouble.”

“It’s no trouble,” Alderheart told her. “It’s what we’re here for. Now let me fetch you some watermint. You’ll soon feel better.”

“I’ll get it!” Fuzzball plunged into the herb store and emerged with a sprig of leaves in his jaws. To Alderheart’s surprise, it actually was watermint.

“Thanks, Fuzzball.” Velvet took the sprig from him and stripped off the leaves before laying them in front of Briarlight. “Chew them up small before you swallow them,” she instructed.

Velvet gave Briarlight a soothing stroke as she licked up the leaves.

What a great cat she is, Alderheart thought. She may be a kittypet, but she really cares about other cats.

As if she had caught his thoughts, Velvet looked up at him and gave him a shy, friendly glance. Warmed through and through, Alderheart found himself returning it, even though he knew he shouldn’t.

Dawn light was filtering through the bramble screen when Alderheart struggled out of his nest and went to check on Briarlight. Even before he reached her, he knew that something was badly wrong. He could hear her irregular, rasping breaths, interspersed with spasmodic retching sounds.

“Briarlight, why didn’t you call me?” he asked as he reached her side.