Squirrelflight hurried after her, catching up as Snow reached it. The water chattered over pebbles, and Snow waded in and hopped out the other side. Squirrelflight splashed after her, gasping as the chilly water tugged her belly fur. As she scrambled onto the bank, she saw Snow stop beside a swath of tall yellow flowers. They swirled in the breeze as the white she-cat reached up and tore down a pawful of blossoms. Squirrelflight stopped beside her and helped, ripping the pungent petals from their stems.
Snow heaped more on the ground. “How much do we need?”
Squirrelflight glanced at the pile uncertainly. “That must be plenty,” she guessed. “If we need more, I can fetch some.” She grasped a bunch between her jaws and raced back to camp. Moonlight’s wail split the air as Squirrelflight charged through the fern entrance and made for the birthing den. She pushed her way inside and dropped the ragweed beside Leafpool. “I can fetch more if you need it,” she panted.
Leafpool took a mouthful, chewed it, and spat the pulp onto her paw. She ran her tail over Moonlight’s trembling flank and, leaning close, held her paw to the queen’s muzzle. “Swallow this,” she told her.
Moonlight groaned, her gaze clouded with pain, and turned away as Snow burst into the den and dropped more ragweed beside Leafpool.
“She needs to swallow this.” Leafpool looked imploringly at Snow.
The white she-cat nodded curtly and crouched beside Moonlight’s head. “It will help,” she promised the queen. “Just swallow it.”
Moonlight looked at her, fear in her gaze, then quickly lapped the pulp from Leafpool’s paw.
Leafpool glanced at Squirrelflight. “Did you find raspberry leaves too?”
“Hawk’s fetching some.”
As she spoke, the den shivered and Hawk slid through the entrance. Squirrelflight glimpsed faint daylight outside. She stiffened. She could picture the patrols gathering at the edge of Clan territory. Her paws pricked nervously. What had Bramblestar thought when he’d woken to find her gone? Would he have guessed that she’d come here?
Hawk’s flanks heaved as she caught her breath. She dropped a mouthful of raspberry leaves beside Leafpool, who quickly chewed them and held out more pulp for Moonlight to lick. As Snow lapped the queen’s cheek encouragingly, Squirrelflight blinked at Hawk. “The Clans are coming,” she warned.
“Now?” Hawk narrowed her eyes.
“They’re probably on their way,” Squirrelflight told her. “They’re coming to tell you to leave.”
Hawk’s eyes widened. “How can we leave now?” She looked at Moonlight in alarm.
Squirrelflight shifted her paws nervously. “I don’t know.” Would the Clan patrols retreat once they saw Moonlight was kitting? What would happen if they didn’t? She pushed the thought away and leaned closer to Leafpool. “How’s she doing?”
“We can’t do anything until the herbs start to work.” Leafpool sat back on her haunches, her gaze dark as another spasm rippled through Moonlight. The queen groaned limply, helpless against the pain.
Squirrelflight looked toward the den entrance. Weak sunlight was beginning to show through it. Every hair on her pelt seemed to tremble. Please let Moonlight kit in peace. She hoped that StarClan could hear her prayer. No cat spoke as they waited for the herbs to take hold. The first and only kit to be born mewled again and settled at last against Tempest’s belly. Moonlight groaned softly as dawn brightened into day.
At last, when Moonlight had stopped moaning, Leafpool placed her paw on the queen’s belly. She lifted her head and looked at Leafpool. For the first time, her gaze was sharp. Leafpool met it. “Ready?”
“Ready.” Moonlight rolled onto her paws and crouched, her tail stiff.
“Wait for the pain,” Leafpool murmured.
Squirrelflight held her breath.
Moonlight pressed her paws harder against the earth as a spasm jerked along her flank. She lifted her head and let out a screech and pressed her hindquarters against the earth. With a shudder, the second kit slithered onto the ground behind her. Snow darted toward it and quickly lapped the membrane from its pelt.
Squirrelflight’s breath caught in her throat as silence gripped the den.
“It’s not breathing.” Snow looked desperately at the lifeless scrap of fur.
Leafpool pushed past her. “Take care of Moonlight.” As Snow crouched at Moonlight’s cheek, Leafpool stretched the kit out and hooked its mouth open with a claw. Squirrelflight flinched. What was she doing? Leafpool placed a paw on its chest and pumped with small, fierce jabs.
Hawk stared at her with wide eyes. “Be careful!”
Leafpool ignored her and nipped the kit’s scruff, then lifted the kit’s body and shook it.
The kit jerked, lifted its head, and wailed.
It’s alive! Relief surged in Squirrelflight’s belly.
Quickly, Leafpool carried it to Tempest and put it beside its littermate. “It’s another she-kit.”
“She’s a fighter, like her mother.” Tempest scooped the kit close to her belly and bent to wash her.
As Leafpool turned back to Moonlight, the queen jerked and shuddered, and a third kit slipped onto the ground. Squirrelflight held her breath as Leafpool licked the membrane clear of its muzzle.
The kit mewled, squirming at Leafpool’s paws.
“A tom.” Leafpool’s eyes shone. “He’s the last.” She lifted him between her jaws and passed him to Squirrelflight. “Put him with his littermates,” she mewed. Squirrelflight’s heart swelled as she breathed in the kit’s scent. She padded toward Tempest and placed the kit gently between his sisters. She blinked at Leafpool, who was smoothing Moonlight’s ruffled pelt with a paw while Snow touched her nose to the queen’s cheek.
Squirrelflight tensed. “Is she okay?”
“She’s tired, but she’s fine.” Leafpool sat back on her haunches.
Squirrelflight’s pelt rippled with pleasure. They had saved Moonlight and her kits. She blinked happily at Snow, a purr throbbing in her throat. Then she froze. Snow had stiffened. Ears pricked, the white she-cat stared toward the den entrance. Heart lurching, Squirrelflight followed her gaze. Outside the camp, bushes rustled. Something was pushing between them. Muted paw steps scuffed the earth.
Hawk’s eyes glittered with panic. “Are they here?”
Squirrelflight padded to the entrance and peered out. Creek, Furze, and Flurry had backed toward the center of the clearing, their hackles high. The air around them was thick with Clan scents. As the bushes around the edge of the camp shivered, alarm shrilled through Squirrelflight’s pelt. “Leafpool,” she mewed huskily. “The battle patrol is here.”
CHAPTER 23
Leafpool pushed past her and looked out. “We’ve got to stop them.”
“Don’t let them see you.” Squirrelflight nosed her away. “They mustn’t know you’re here.”
Outside, Sunrise had joined Furze, Creek, and Flurry, and they were backing toward the birthing den, backs arched, growling softly. Their gaze was fixed on the shivering dogwood at the far side of the clearing. It twitched as warriors slid out. Slowly, cats crept like shadows from the bushes, their eyes flashing in the early morning light.
Squirrelflight swallowed back panic. There was no way out. She was trapped here with the Sisters.
Tigerstar stalked into the clearing. His gaze flitted around the camp then settled on Furze. “Where’s Moonlight?”
Furze stared back wordlessly as Mistystar, Harestar, and Bramblestar fanned out around the ShadowClan leader. At the edge of the camp, their warriors bushed out their pelts menacingly. Furze flexed her claws. “You’re trespassing,” she growled.
Beside her, Flurry’s hackles lifted. “Get out of our camp.”
Harestar flicked his tail. “We’ve come to speak with your leader.” His eyes glittered with hostility.