Meanwhile Finpaw had leaped up onto the nearer end of the log and was jumping up and down, waving his stump of a tail. “Here! Over here!” he yowled to the stranded RiverClan cats.

Mosspelt, the RiverClan elder, spotted him, and a heartbeat later all the stranded cats were streaming across the open ground to the log. One by one they staggered across it, struggling not to lose their balance on the muddy surface, and leaped down to the safety of the other side.

“Thank you!” Mosspelt gasped as she stumbled onto the bank. “I thought we’d burn for sure.”

Mistystar, crossing last of all, dipped her head to Bramblestar. “You have the thanks of all RiverClan,” she mewed.

Twigpaw looked at the shivering cluster of cats and wondered what they would do now. It was no use escaping from the fire, only to die later from cold and exposure. More RiverClan cats came to join them, dragging themselves out of the lake, but Twigpaw noticed that there were still cats missing.

Where are the others? she wondered. Oh, StarClan, don’t let them be dead!

Mistystar and Bramblestar were talking together, with Nightcloud from WindClan; Mistystar was clearly agitated, flexing her claws in and out. Twigpaw drew closer to hear what they were saying.

“I won’t leave any cats behind,” Mistystar was meowing. “Some of them are still missing.”

“But no more are coming,” Bramblestar pointed out patiently.

“I saw some cats escaping the other way,” Podlight put in.

“And the cats here need your care,” Bramblestar continued. “Some of them will die if they don’t find shelter. You can bring them back with us to our camp for now.”

“I’m sure Harestar would take in some cats, too,” Nightcloud added.

Mistystar hesitated, then let out a long sigh. “You’re right. We can’t stay here.”

“Then let’s get going,” Bramblestar meowed. “We can work out the details later.”

The RiverClan leader began to gather her cats together, but before they could move off, Twigpaw heard a desperate yowl coming from the other side of the stream. Whipping around, she spotted a RiverClan apprentice tottering toward the bank. Twigpaw gasped at the sight of her pelt; it seemed to be burned away down one side, exposing the flesh underneath.

She was trying to reach the log and cross the stream, but by now the fire had reached the far end of it, and flames were leaping up in her face.

“Help me!” the young cat yowled. “I can’t get on!”

“Softpaw!” The shriek of horror came from a RiverClan cat behind Twigpaw; she didn’t stop to see who it was. “Softpaw, no!”

Twigpaw was closest to the log. Before any other cat could respond, she darted across it and leaped over the licking flames at the far end. Her paws landed on hot ash, and she drew in a painful, hissing breath.