“Oh, I kind of knew where you were,” Fuzzball replied. “And I knew if anyone could help us, it would be warrior cats! I’ve heard how you fight, and stalk prey, and talk to the stars, and how you’re the bravest cats ever! I know how—”

“You’ll have to excuse Fuzzball,” Velvet mewed, dropping the piece of fur she was carrying. “There’s nothing between his ears except for dreams of Clan cats, so he’s very excited to be here.”

“That’s all very flattering,” Bramblestar meowed, giving the little tom a harassed glance. “But the Clans don’t take in kittypets. It’s for your own good,” he added, as Fuzzball’s whiskers drooped dejectedly. “It’s a different life here in the forest, and kittypets aren’t prepared for the dangers. You’ll have to leave.”

Alderheart couldn’t bear to see the disappointment in the kittypets’ eyes, particularly Velvet’s. “Look at them,” he told Bramblestar. “The she-cat is wounded. They’re covered with soot, and obviously exhausted. They must have traveled a long way to ask for our help. At least let me treat Velvet’s wound before we send them back to their Twolegs!”

When Bramblestar still seemed undecided, Stormcloud stepped forward. “You took in kittypets during the Great Storm,” he reminded his Clan leader. “I know, because I was one of them. And that didn’t turn out too badly, did it?”

Bramblestar sighed. “I thought you might say that. . . .”

“Please,” Velvet begged him. “My burn is hurting a lot. A huge bolt of fire came from the sky, right outside my housefolk’s den. It hit a tree, and the tree fell onto the den, so that caught fire too. And so did all the dens around it. Fuzzball and I only just managed to get out, and I grabbed what was left of my favorite toy.” She reached out one paw and gave the scrap of fur an affectionate pat. “I suppose you wild cats think that’s silly, but it gives me comfort.”

Alderheart was aware that Leafshade and some of the other cats who had clustered around were suppressing amusement, but he didn’t think it at all funny that the beautiful she-cat had needed something from her old home to help her face the dangers of the forest. “It’s not silly at all,” he defended her.

“We’d go home if we could,” Velvet went on with a grateful glance at Alderheart, “but there were horrible wailing noises, and a huge monster showed up with its lights flashing. Our housefolk fled; we don’t even know where they are.”

“It would be cruel to turn them away,” Alderheart pointed out to Bramblestar. “They’ve got nowhere else to go, and they’re tired and wet from their journey.”