Midnight

Chapter 20

Purdy led the forest cats along the edge of the wood. It was the day after their narrow escape from the dog, and Squirrelpaw was growing more uncertain about the old cat the longer they followed him; everyone knew that Crowpaw and Tawnypelt were unhappy about it. But there seemed to be no other hope of them getting through this; more and more Twoleg nests filled the horizon, and clouds still covered the sky, so there was no sun to guide them to the sun-drown place.

"Is there any chance of more food?" Brambletuft called as they left the trees behind and began to cross a grassy space dotted with clumps of brightly colored flowers. "The fish yesterday weren't really enough, and Crowpaw didn't eat at all."

"Sure, I can take you to a place," Purdy replied with a hostile glance at Crowpaw, who had been the most outspoken in voicing his distrust of the old cat.

He led them to the other side of the grassy place, where there was yet another row of Twoleg nests. Squirrelpaw's uneasiness sat heavy in her belly and ruined her appetite as the old cat flattened his belly to the ground and heaved himself under a wooden gate, grunting with the effort and shaking himself vigorously on the other side.

"More Twolegs?" Crowpaw hissed. "I'm not going in there."

"Yeah, I'm with Crowpaw," Squirrelpaw meowed hesitantly. "I've had enough of Twolegs to last me a lifetime."

"Suit yourself," Purdy meowed, beginning to pad up the path to the door with his tail held straight up.

Brambletuft rolled his eyes, looking annoyed. "We need to stay together," he hissed. "Remember what happened last time."

Crowpaw snorted in response and Squirrelpaw growled in return, but none of the others disagreed. One by one they squeezed under the gate and followed Purdy up the path. Crowpaw followed Squirrelpaw in the rear, casting wary glanced behind him.

Purdy was waiting for them by the half-open door of the Twoleg nest. A harsh glow lit up the space inside it, which was full of strange shapes and scents that Squirrelpaw had never seen in her life.

"In there?" Brambletuft asked. "You're expecting us to go into an Upwalker nest?"

Purdy twitched his tail impatiently. "That's where the food is. I know this place. I often come here."

"This is wasting time," Tawnypelt meowed. Squirrelpaw thought she sounded a bit scared; her claws were flexing anxiously and her tail was twitching behind her. "We can't go in there. We're not kittypets. Eating kittypet food is against the warrior code."

"I'm trying to become a warrior," Squirrelpaw hissed. "Not a kittypet. I'm sure there's a good hunting spot somewhere nearby."

"Oh, come on." Stormfur flicked her gently with his tail. "There's no harm in it. We're on a long journey, and if we can get food easily it saves time we would have to spend hunting—time we might need for something else. StarClan will understand."

Tawnypelt shook her head, still unconvinced, but Feathertail looked reassured by her brother's reasoning, and both RiverClan cats ventured cautiously inside.

"That's right," Purdy encouraged them. "There's the food, see, in bowls over there, all ready for us."

Brambletuft followed the old tabby inside, but Crowpaw and Tawnypelt stayed behind with Squirrelpaw and Swiftpaw.

"We'll keep watch!" Tawnypelt called after him.

They moved to separate parts of the garden to keep a lookout, but still close enough to hear if anyone needed help. Squirrelpaw could hear Feathertail talking about some kind of milk and how good it was. Swiftpaw sat nearby, grooming a forepaw and running it over his face. Crowpaw paced back and forth, grumbling the entire time about the others not following the code and how WindClan would never eat kittypet slop.