Erin Hunter - Sunset

“We’ve searched the whole camp,” Sorreltail added, lashing her tail. “We’ll have to send out patrols to look for them.”

“Well, you won’t be going,” Ferncloud told her, brushing her muzzle against Sorreltail’s shoulder. “You need to stay with your kits.”

“Brackenfur’s with them,” the young tortoiseshell queen mewed. “I want to help look for Daisy.”

“Yes, but—”

Ferncloud broke off as a flash of flame-colored fur announced the appearance of Firestar from his den on the Highledge. The Clan leader ran down the rocks and across the clearing toward them.

“What’s going on?”

Ferncloud explained; before she had finished speaking, Brambleclaw spotted Dustpelt emerging from the thorn tunnel, at the head of the returning dawn patrol. Squirrelflight, Sandstorm, and Brightheart were with him.

Brambleclaw beckoned them over with his tail. “Did any of you see Daisy while you were out?”

“Yes, she slipped out of camp just behind us,” Dustpelt replied, looking puzzled. “Why—is there a problem?”

“She’s gone!” Ferncloud pushed her way through the cats to his side. “Why didn’t you stop her?”

“For StarClan’s sake!” Dustpelt hissed. “I thought she was going to make her dirt. Why would I want to stop her?”

“Were the kits with her?” Cloudtail asked.

“I didn’t notice them,” Dustpelt replied.

“I did,” meowed Sandstorm. “They followed her out.”

“Berrykit was complaining about something,” Squirrelflight added, “but we didn’t stop to listen.”

“It’s obvious what’s happened.” Firestar spoke with deep concern, and every other cat turned to look at him. “Daisy has been talking about taking her kits back to the horseplace to live. Berrykit’s being caught in that trap must have made up her mind. As soon as he was fit to travel, she left.”

“No!” Cloudtail sounded outraged. “After the badger attack, I promised that the Clan would look after her.”

“And then her kit lost half his tail in a fox trap,” Firestar pointed out. “I’m sorry, Cloudtail. I know you did your best.”

His green eyes looked regretful. “For a while, I really thought it was going to work. Her kits were settling in well.” He twitched his ears. “I’d better tell the Clan.”

He bounded off toward the rocks beneath the Highledge.

Cloudtail and Brambleclaw exchanged a glance; Cloudtail’s blue eyes were sparking with anger.

“Is that it?” he meowed. “Isn’t Firestar going to do anything to find Daisy?”

Firestar’s yowl sounded before Brambleclaw could reply.

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting.”

Brambleclaw waited, his claws flexing in and out, while the rest of the Clan emerged from their dens. Leafpool came out from behind her screen of brambles. Brightheart darted across to her and began mewing quietly, obviously telling her what had happened. Mousefur and Goldenflower appeared from beneath the hazel bush, one on each side of Longtail.

Mousefur’s eyes were sharp with curiosity as the cats found a place to sit near the rockfall.

At the sound of Firestar’s yowl, Brackenfur poked his head out of the nursery, then bounded across to Sorreltail. “What are you doing ?” he demanded, covering her ears with anxious licks. “Look at you, you’re shaking with exhaustion! You shouldn’t be wearing yourself out like this.”

Sorreltail leaned against his shoulder. Brambleclaw could see that she was quivering, though whether it was from tiredness or distress at losing Daisy, he couldn’t tell.

“I thought I’d be able to find her,” she mewed softly. “But she must have gone back to the horseplace.”

“Then there’s nothing else you can do,” Brackenfur told her. “Come back to the nursery. The kits are all wailing their heads off. They’re hungry, and I can’t feed them!”

“Why didn’t you say so?” Sorreltail whisked around and headed for the nursery, her tail high as if her weariness was forgotten.

Squirrelflight slipped past Sandstorm and Dustpelt to join Brambleclaw. “If only I’d stopped to talk to Daisy this morning, I might have persuaded her to stay.”

“It’s not your fault,” Brambleclaw murmured, fighting down his own disappointment. He had always doubted that Daisy had the makings of a true Clan cat, but the loss of her kits was disastrous. What about my apprentice? He guessed from what Squirrelflight said that Berrykit hadn’t wanted to go.

That just proved the kit’s spirit; thanks to Daisy, a fine warrior had been lost to the Clan.

“Daisy must have decided that she and her kits belong in the horseplace,” Firestar was explaining. “We’ll all miss her and her kits, but we have to respect her wish to leave.”

“That’s mousebrained!” Cloudtail burst out.

Firestar gazed down at him, the tip of his tail twitching, but Cloudtail didn’t seem bothered about showing disrespect toward his Clan leader.

“Daisy is no safer in the horseplace than she is out here,” he protested. “She came here in the first place because she was worried the Twolegs would take her kits away. Besides, there hasn’t been a sniff of a badger in the territory since the attack. I think we should go and bring her back.”

Squirrelflight let out a soft hiss. “Look at Brightheart,” she murmured, flicking her tail in the direction of the scarred she-cat. “I bet she doesn’t want Daisy to come back.”

Brambleclaw took a swift glance. Squirrelflight was right.

Brightheart’s expression was a mixture of anger and distress.

“Cloudtail,” Firestar began, “we can’t force Daisy to do anything. She—”

“We should at least go and talk to her,” Cloudtail interrupted. “Then we could make sure she got back safely.”

“I agree,” Brambleclaw meowed, taking a pace forward to stand beside the white warrior. He knew he might regret it for the rest of his life if he didn’t make an effort to retrieve Berrykit. “If it’s okay with you, Firestar, I’ll go with Cloudtail.”

Squirrelflight twitched her whiskers in surprise. “I seem to remember some cat making rude remarks about kittypets joining the Clan.”

A wave of embarrassment flooded over Brambleclaw.

“Yeah, well, I’m sorry about that,” he replied. “But ThunderClan needs more kits, and Daisy’s would have made good warriors.”

“Very well,” Firestar meowed. “You can go, but if Daisy says she wants to stay where she is, come straight back and leave her in peace. Best wait until sunset,” he added. “There won’t be so many Twolegs around.”

“Great!” Cloudtail’s tail shot up in delight.

Brambleclaw glanced across at Brightheart again, in time to see her vanish behind the bramble screen into Leafpool’s den.

The sun was going down over the lake, turning the water scarlet, as Brambleclaw and Cloudtail padded down to the shore. The pine forest in ShadowClan’s territory was a black outline against a sky the color of blood. Brambleclaw hoped that wasn’t a bad omen for their journey to the horseplace.

They crossed WindClan territory swiftly, staying within two tail-lengths of the water’s edge. Brambleclaw scented a patrol, but as the sun slipped below the trees the moorland slopes were shadowed, and they saw no sign of any cats.

Darkness was gathering by the time they arrived outside the horseplace, and clouds had filled the sky, covering the moon. Cloudtail halted, tasting the air, while Brambleclaw peered through the Twoleg fence. At the far side of the field was the Twoleg nest, a dark mass with one yellow light gleaming. Brambleclaw hoped they wouldn’t have to go near it.