Jayfeather suppressed a mrrow of laughter to see the tiny cats behaving like kits again. For the first time he sensed optimism and humor among these cats.

“So the eagle let Jayfeather go, and flew off,” Stone Song finished. “We won!”

Yowls of approval rose up from the cats who surrounded him. Stone Song let them continue for a moment, then raised his tail for silence. “We need a hunting patrol,” he went on. “Jagged Lightning, you come with me, and Dove’s Wing and Fish Leap. You were best at fighting the eagle, so we’ll protect the hunters.”

“Rising Moon and Dawn River should do the hunting,” Jagged Lightning meowed with a nod of agreement. “They were the best at catching prey by the lake.”

“Right.” Stone Song gathered his patrol together with a wave of his tail. “We’ll take Whispering Breeze, too. That should be enough for now.”

The patrol headed toward the entrance to the cave, the rest of the cats clustering together to watch them go. “Good luck!” Half Moon called.

“Bring us back something tasty!” Running Horse added.

Jayfeather knew that he should feel hopeful. Although the cats were still thinking about returning to the lake, they were at least making an effort to adapt to life in the mountains. But he had no room for hope; all he could think about was how he had to teach Half Moon to become Stoneteller, and then return to the time of the Clans.

Stone Song nodded to Jayfeather as the patrol padded past him on their way to the path behind the waterfall. “We owe you a lot,” he meowed. “You should stay here and get some rest after your struggle.”

Jayfeather dipped his head, though inwardly he was wincing. They treat me like one of them.

But all the time he belonged somewhere else, far, far away.

Half Moon bounded up to him. “Are you fit to go out again? I was thinking about those herbs that you found yesterday, when we were buried in the snow. We ought to go see if there are any more.”

Jayfeather’s heart weighed heavier than the mountains as he gazed into her eager eyes. “Can we go to the cave with the pointed stones first?”

Half Moon looked puzzled, then nodded. “If you want to.”

As they crossed the cavern, Jayfeather spotted Shy Fawn lying near Owl Feather, with her swollen belly propped awkwardly. Her kits will be born soon, he thought.

Half Moon paused and touched Shy Fawn’s shoulder with her tail-tip. “You’ll be fine now,” she murmured. “The patrol will bring you some prey.”

Shy Fawn blinked gratefully.

Jayfeather led the way down the tunnel into the Cave of Pointed Stones. Dawn light spilled through the hole in the roof, turning the pools to sheets of glimmering silver. Jayfeather let his gaze travel over the spikes of stone. Everything looked just the same as it did in the time of the Tribe of Rushing Water. If the stones had grown by then, he couldn’t tell. The cave seemed alive with the sound of dripping water, the light rippling over the columns and pinnacles.