Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9 In Yellowfang's den, Fireheart explained what had happened while Cinderpaw inspected the gash on Brackenpaw's leg and brought him a poultice to put on it. "You'd better rest here tonight," the gray she- cat told the apprentice. "But I'm pretty sure your leg will be good as new in a day or two." She spoke cheerfully, without any bitterness that her own leg would never recover so well. Turning to Fireheart, she added, "I just had Cloudkit in here. He told me he had to go over the elders' coats for ticks, so I gave him some mouse bile." "What's that for?" asked Brackenpaw. "If you put some on the ticks, they soon drop off," Cinderpaw told him. Her blue eyes glimmered with amusement. "But don't lick your paws afterward. It's foul stuff." "I'm sure Cloudkit will enjoy doing that." Fireheart grimaced. "It's a pity that Tigerclaw had to punish him, though, because I don't think it was his fault that the badger attacked him." Cinderpaw shrugged. "There's no arguing with Tigerclaw."

"That's true," Fireheart agreed. "Anyway, I think I'll go and make sure that Cloudkit's okay." As soon as he set paw in the elders' den, his nose wrinkled against the reek of the mouse bile. Smallear was lying on one side while Cloudkit searched his gray fur for ticks. The elder twitched as Cloudkit dabbed some of the bile inside his hind leg. "Watch it, young kit! Keep your claws sheathed." "They are sheathed," muttered Cloudkit, his face screwed up with disgust. "There, that's got it. You're done, Smallear." Dappletail, who had been watching intently, glanced around at Fireheart. "Your kin is very efficient, Fireheart," she rasped. "No, Cloudkit," she added as the kit started toward her, carrying the bile-soaked moss. "I'm sure I've no ticks. And I wouldn't wake One-eye if I were you." She nodded to where the old cat was sleeping, curled up beside the trunk of the fallen tree. "She won't thank you for disturbing her." Cloudkit looked around hopefully. None of the other elders was there. "Can I go then?" he asked.

"You can see to One-eye later," Fireheart meowed. "Meanwhile, you'd better get the dirty bedding out of here. Come on; I'll help you." "And make sure the new lot's dry!" growled Smallear. Together Fireheart and Cloudkit raked out the old moss and heather and made several trips to carry it out of the camp. Fireheart showed Cloudkit how to clean the mouse bile from his paws by rubbing them in the snow. "Now we'll go and fetch some fresh moss," he meowed. "Come on. I know a good place." "I'm tired," Cloudkit complained as he trailed after Fireheart. "I don't want to do this." "Well, too bad, you have to," Fireheart retorted. "Cheer up; it could be worse. Did I tell you that when I was an apprentice I had to look after Yellowfang all on my own?" "Yellowfang!" Cloudkit's eyes widened. "Phew, I bet she was a grump! Did she claw you?" "Only with her tongue," Fireheart replied. "And that's sharp enough!" Cloudkit let out a short purr of laughter. To Fireheart's relief, he stopped complaining, and

when they came to the patch of deep moss he did his share of digging it out of the snow, and copied Fireheart as he showed him how to shake the worst of the moisture off. They were returning to the camp, their jaws laden with moss, when Fireheart saw a cat slip out of the gorse tunnel and bound up the side of the ravine. The massive body and striped pelt were unmistakable. It was Tigerclaw. Fireheart narrowed his eyes. The deputy had looked almost furtive, peering around before he left the tunnel and disappearing over the lip of the ravine as fast as possible. Fireheart felt uneasy. Something wasn't quite right. "Cloudkit," he meowed, dropping his wad of moss on the ground, "take your load of bedding in to the elders, and then come back for mine. There's something I've got to do." Cloudkit mewed in agreement through his mouthful of moss and carried on toward the tunnel. Fireheart turned and raced back up the slope to the place where Tigerclaw had disappeared. The Clan deputy was out of sight, but

between his scent trail and the massive pawprints in the snow, Fireheart had no difficulty following him. He took care not to catch up, in case Tigerclaw saw or smelled him. The trail led unwaveringly through Tallpines, past Treecutplace. Fireheart realized with a jolt that Tigerclaw had to be heading for Twolegplace. His heart lurched with fear. Was the deputy on his way to find Princess, Fireheart's sister? Maybe he was so angry with Cloudkit that he wanted to hurt the kit's mother. Fireheart had never told the Clan exactly where Princess lived, but it wouldn't be impossible for Tigerclaw to pick up her scent from his knowledge of Cloudkit's. He kept low, careful to move silently. As the trail wound through a clump of gorse, movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. It was a mouse, scuffling under one of the bushes. Fireheart did not want to stop and hunt, but this mouse was practically begging to be caught. Instinctively his body dropped into a hunting crouch as he crept up on the prey. His pounce landed him squarely on top of it, and he took a moment longer to bury it in the snow before he

began to follow Tigerclaw again. Fireheart moved more quickly now, afraid of what the deputy might have done in the time he had delayed. As he rounded the stump of a fallen tree, he practically collided with Tigerclaw himself, loping along in the opposite direction. The deputy reared back in surprise. "Mouse- brain!" he hissed. "What are you doing here?" Fireheart's first reaction was one of relief. Tigerclaw hadn't possibly had time to reach Twolegplace and harm Princess already. Then he realized that the deputy was glaring at him with a look of deep suspicion in his amber eyes. He mustn't know I was following him, Fireheart thought desperately. "I…I came out to show Cloudkit a good place to find bedding," he stammered. "And then I thought I might as well hunt for a bit." "I don't see any prey," growled Tigerclaw. "It's buried just back there." Fireheart jerked his head in the direction he had come. The warrior narrowed his eyes. "Show me." Furious that Tigerclaw didn't believe him, but also deeply relieved at the luck that had led him