Hollyleaf slept fitfully, and woke to see the cold light of a leaf-bare dawn angling across the floor. Brambleclaw and Brackenfur were already on their paws; Hazeltail and Birchfall were stirring drowsily, while Purdy slept in a rumpled heap in the opposite corner.

Sol was curled up in a sheltered niche where a couple of stones had fallen from one of the inner walls of the den. Brambleclaw padded over and prodded him awake.

“It’s time to leave,” he meowed.

Sol lifted his head, his amber eyes blinking, then rose to his paws. “If you wish.”

“He creeps me out,” a voice whispered in Hollyleaf’s ear.

Hollyleaf started and turned to see Birchfall. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!” she snapped, annoyed with herself because Sol was spooking her, too. “He’s just a cat.”

As she finished speaking, Sol padded past her toward the entrance to the den. “I told you I would come back,” he murmured, quietly enough that she was the only cat to hear.

Struggling to shrug off her feelings of uneasiness, Hollyleaf roused Lionblaze, and the sound of voices woke Purdy, who stumbled sleepily over to the remains of the rabbit. “You got to eat something before you go,” he meowed.

“But you need it more than we do,” Brackenfur protested.

“I can catch another,” Purdy retorted, his neck fur beginning to bristle. “You need to keep your strength up if you’re goin’ on a long journey.”

The ThunderClan cats exchanged glances; clearly Purdy would be insulted if they refused, so they crowded around the last of the prey and forced down a few gristly scraps. Purdy watched them, while Sol just waited in the entrance, his gaze lifted to the sky.

“Don’t go near them monsters,” Purdy instructed. “They’ll flatten you as soon as look at you. And there’s dogs give trouble sometimes. They know not to mess wi’ me, but youngsters like you…”

“We met the dogs, Purdy,” Hazeltail told him. “You’re right, they are dangerous. We’ll be careful.”

The old tabby tom gave his chest fur a lick, as if he was pleased to have been helpful. Every mouthful of prey felt like dust to Hollyleaf. She wished there was something they could do, so that Purdy wouldn’t be left alone.

When all the cats had finished eating, Hollyleaf said good-bye to Purdy. The old cat was still trying to stay cheerful, but Hollyleaf could see the loneliness and fear in his eyes. She touched noses with him gently. “May StarClan be with you, Purdy,” she murmured. “I hope we’ll meet again.”

“Mebbe we will.” But Hollyleaf could tell Purdy didn’t believe they would. “You take care now, you hear?”

Brambleclaw led the way to the entrance of the den. Sol rose to his paws and fell in beside the Clan deputy as the cats emerged into the garden. By this time the sun was up; the sky was the clear, pale blue of leaf-bare, and a faint breeze rustled the leaves on the bushes.