Graypaw blinked gratefully at the black-and-silver warrior. “Yes, please.”
Rippleclaw led Graypaw to a shaded spot at the edge of the clearing and started showing her a battle crouch. The sedge rustled as Brambleberry nosed her way from her den. With a bundle of herbs clasped in her jaws, she led Mudfur across the clearing and into the nursery.
Crookedjaw closed his eyes. Please, StarClan, make Brightsky healthy again. A bundle of dark gray fur darted between his paws and pressed against his belly.
“Hide me!” Blackkit squeaked. “Don’t tell them where I am.”
Crookedjaw stifled a purr and drew his forepaws closer together. Skykit was leading the search party. Ottersplash’s kits, less than half a moon old, were following her as though she were Clan leader.
“Can you see him?” Loudkit mewed, his dark brown pelt pricking.
“What if he fell in the river?” Reedkit fretted.
“Don’t be silly!” Sedgekit rolled her eyes at her brother. “The warriors would be rushing around flapping like herons if he’d fallen in the river!”
“He’s not here.” Skykit sniffed her way around the sedge wall.
“Wait!” Loudkit tasted the air. “I can smell him.”
“Where?” Reedkit fluffed out his long, stiff tail. He darted past Skykit, nose to the ground, and sniffed his way between the lounging warriors, heading for Crookedjaw.
“Watch out,” Crookedjaw whispered to the wriggling bundle beneath his belly. “I think they’ve found you.” He jumped out of the way as the kit patrol launched itself at him. They dived onto Blackkit, squeaking with triumph.
“Found you! Found you!” Loudkit crowed.
“Now it’s my turn to hide,” Sedgekit squeaked.
Skykit flicked her brown tabby tail. “I want to play something different.” She glanced at Piketooth. He tossed the moss ball high over Sunkit’s and Frogkit’s heads. They leaped to reach it, but Voleclaw raised a paw and plucked it from the air. “I want to play that.” Skykit scampered away, her patrol following.
Whitefang grumbled as they clambered over him, and Troutclaw opened an eye and flicked his tail out of the way.
“StarClan bless them.” Birdsong dragged her gaze from the kits and called to Crookedjaw. “Is Shellheart back yet?”
Shellheart was leading Beetlenose, Petaldust, Cedarpelt, and Timberfur on border patrol. They’d been out since sunhigh.
“Not yet.” Crookedjaw shrugged. “They’ll be back soon unless they’ve found somewhere shady to rest.”
“I don’t know why they bother.” Troutclaw sat up. “There’s hardly any border left for them to patrol.”
Whitefang heaved himself to his paws and shook out his white pelt. “Has Hailstar decided when we will re-mark Sunningrocks?” He glanced toward the leader’s den, hidden in shade under the roots of the willow.
Lakeshine lifted her gray-and-white head. She was lying beside the nursery with Shimmerpelt and Ottersplash. “It’s too hot to talk about battles.”
Willow leaves fluttered as Oakheart jumped down from the lowest branch. “It’s never too hot to talk about battles.” He padded across the clearing. “Hailstar said claw-moon, which is any day now.” He glanced up to the wide blue sky. “The moon was no more than a sliver of trout skin last night.”
Rainflower stretched. “He isn’t planning a battle,” she reminded them. “He just wants to restore the proper boundary.”
Crookedjaw scratched an itch behind his ear. “I’m ready whenever Hailstar decides.”
Piketooth looked up from his game with the kits. “I hope I’m in the patrol,” he meowed. Every warrior wanted a chance to leave his or her scent.
“Me too!” Rippleclaw was adjusting Graypaw’s crouch with a paw. “Just reach a little farther,” he advised. “And you’ll have it perfect.”
Piketooth glanced at his apprentice. “Sorry, kits. Game’s over. I have to train Graypaw now.”
Sunkit’s tail drooped.
Frogkit leaped on to Piketooth’s tail. “Don’t go!”
Sedgekit raced around him. “Can we come?”
Loudkit leaped on his sister, tumbling her to the ground. “You can’t even swim!”
“Neither can you!” Sedgekit pushed him off.
“Stay away from the water!” Piketooth leaped over the squabbling kits, beckoning Graypaw with his tail. “Do you want to practice fishing?” he asked her as she followed him out of the camp.
Crookedjaw leaned down to wash his damp belly. Tiny paws scurried toward him.
“Attack!” A flurry of tails, paws, and noses battered his flank. Crookedjaw staggered dramatically and fell on to his side. “You’ve killed me!” he groaned as the kits swarmed over him.
Paw steps padded into camp.
“The patrol’s back!” Skykit squeaked.
Crookedjaw looked up to see Shellheart, Cedarpelt, Beetlenose, and Petaldust staring at him, whiskers twitching with amusement.
“Has Lakeshine made you leader of the nursery?” Shellheart teased.
Crookedjaw jumped to his paws, wincing as Skykit and Frogkit stuck in their claws and hung on like burrs.
“Sorry, Crookedjaw,” Cedarpelt purred. “I forgot to teach you how to fight off kits!”
“Let me help.” Beetlenose rolled a clump of moss between his paws and tossed it across the clearing. The kits squeaked with delight and darted after it like a shoal of minnows.
“Thanks.” As Crookedjaw followed Shellheart into the shade of the willow, the branches at the entrance to Hailstar’s den shivered.
“You’re back.” Hailstar padded into the clearing, his pelt shining in the sun. “Let all cats old enough to swim gather to hear my words.”
“Loudkit! Sedgekit! Reedkit!” Ottersplash called to her kits. “Come out of the way.” Dragging their paws, the kits headed toward their mother.
“And you two!” Shimmerpelt called to Skykit and Blackkit.
Frogkit and Sunkit ducked behind Beetlenose, but the black warrior nosed them toward the nursery. “But we can swim!” Frogkit complained.
“Really?” Beetlenose picked Frogkit up by his scruff and dangled him over the edge of the river.
Lakeshine jumped to her paws. “No!” she shrilled. “Put him down! He’ll drown!”
Beetlenose purred. “Don’t panic.” He dropped the wriggling kit at his mother’s paws. “I’ll teach you to swim as soon as your mother says you’re ready,” he promised.
“I’d rather be taught to swim by a snake,” Crookedjaw muttered as Oakheart joined him at the edge of the clearing.
Oakheart didn’t answer. His attention was fixed on Hailstar. “I bet he’s going to announce the retaking of Sunningrocks.”
Crookedjaw flexed his claws. “Good.”
Timberfur paced the edge of the clearing. “At least you already know you’ll be part of the patrol.”
Hailstar waited for the Clan to settle, then lifted his muzzle. “We re-mark the Sunningrocks boundary tonight.”
Tension pricked the air. Oakheart leaned forward. Timberfur stopped pacing.
“Who are you taking?” Rippleclaw demanded.
“Shellheart, Owlfur, Echomist, Timberfur, Softwing, and Rippleclaw…” the RiverClan leader began.
And? Crookedjaw’s heart quickened. Surely Hailstar would keep his promise? Oakheart tensed beside him.
“Whitefang and Crookedjaw…”
Crookedjaw swallowed a purr of relief.
“Oakheart,” Hailstar went on. “And Voleclaw.” He sat down and curled his tail over his paws.
“Is that it?” Beetlenose lashed his tail.