Cinnamon helped Tigerheart retrace the path he’d followed from the station, on his way here, a few moons ago. She’d lived in this part of the city before she joined the guardian cats, so she knew it very well. Tigerheart hadn’t walked this way since he’d first found the thorn den. But as soon as he followed her around the final corner, he recognized the tall, wide Thundersnake camp.
He glanced over his shoulder at Dovewing and the kits. The walk here had been slow. Crossing the Thunderpaths had been easier than he’d expected. They’d used the green Twoleg lights to find gaps in the traffic, and carried the kits over by their scruffs. But the bustling walkways had been harder to negotiate. Dovewing and Ant had flanked Pouncekit, Lightkit, and Shadowkit; Blaze had walked behind with Spire as Tigerheart and Cinnamon led the way. Twolegs hardly ever seemed to look where they were walking, so steering the kits between their legs had proved tricky. In the end, Dovewing, Spire, and Ant had scooped them up, ducking into alleys whenever Twolegs seemed to take an interest in the strange patrol.
Crowds of Twolegs flocked at the entrance to the station. Monsters crawled outside, stopping to let out or pick up Twolegs. Tigerheart took the lead. He knew where he was going now. He skirted the thickest part of the crowd, heading toward the alley that led to the rot piles Dash had shown him.
Relief washed his pelt as he ducked clear of the thronging Twolegs and into the quiet of the deserted alley. He waited while Dovewing, Cinnamon, Ant, Blaze, and Spire caught up. “You can put the kits down now,” he told them. “There aren’t any Twolegs here.”
Dovewing placed Pouncekit on the stone path as Ant and Spire put Lightkit and Shadowkit down. Her gaze darted around warily as she gathered Shadowkit and Lightkit closer to Pouncekit with a swish of her tail. “Where now?” she asked Tigerheart.
“We need to get inside.” Tigerheart nodded down the alley. “There’s an entrance along here.”
He knew Dovewing hadn’t been here before. She’d found her own way into the city, avoiding the long tunnel that had swallowed the Thundersnake at its outskirts. Instead she’d padded along countless streets, wandering for days before she’d found the thorn den. What would she think when she saw inside the Thundersnake nest? Tigerheart shuddered, remembering the terrifying Thundersnakes, each with its own Silverpath. They needed to find the right one. If they chose the wrong track, only StarClan knew where it might lead.
Tigerheart pushed back the fear pressing in his chest and headed down the alley. The three-pawed monster was still sleeping at the side. He tasted the air as he approached the rot piles, pleased to find only Dash’s scent lingering there. Mae, Floyd, and Scrap had clearly found new territory to scavenge. Past the rot piles, he found the loose mesh where he and Dash had squeezed out. Lifting it with a paw, he let the others inside. “Keep going until you reach the next mesh,” he called, his mew echoing along the narrow tunnel. He followed them in, his belly tightening as the rush of scents washed over him. For a moment, terror gripped him as he remembered arriving. The shock of the sounds and scents had overwhelmed him. They threatened to overwhelm him now. But he had to be brave. Dovewing and the kits were depending on him. “Have you found the mesh?” he called as he saw her shape silhouetted against the harsh light streaming in at the far end.
“I think so.” Dovewing’s ear flicked nervously.
He hurried toward her, squeezing past Ant, Spire, Cinnamon, Blaze, and the kits. Their fear-scent filled the space. He pushed against the mesh at the far end and let them into the big bright tunnel beyond.
A pair of Twolegs clip-clopped past them, heading toward the wider space. Tigerheart faced the group. “We have to stay bunched tight,” he warned them. “There are a lot of Twolegs here. And the lights and scents and movement will be disorienting. Don’t lose sight of one another. I’m going to lead us to Dash. He helped me when I first arrived. He can help us find the right Silverpath out of here.”
“I’m not scared.” Pouncekit puffed her chest out. But her pelt was bushed. So was Lightkit’s. Shadowkit cowered against Dovewing’s legs, his eyes wide with alarm.
“Let’s carry the kits.” He scooped up Shadowkit, worried at how cold his pelt felt. Tucking in his chin to hold the kit close, Tigerheart headed along the tunnel.
He retraced the steps he’d followed with Dash, eventually leading the cats into the great arching space where he’d first scented the station cat. Glancing past the Twolegs hurrying in every direction, he recognized the brightly lit Twoleg den at the side of Dash’s nest and hurried toward it, hoping that Dash would be there.
The station cat’s scent touched his nose. Hope flashed beneath Tigerheart’s pelt. Picking up his pace, he headed for the gap in the wall where he’d first met Dash. He dropped Shadowkit inside as soon as he reached it. “Dash,” he called into the darkness.
Yellow eyes blinked ahead of him, and Dash’s scent filled Tigerheart’s nose as the black-and-white tom scrambled to his paws.
“Tigerheart?” Dash looked alarmed as his gaze slid past Tigerheart and rested on Dovewing and the others crowding behind him. “What are you doing here?”
“I found my friend,” Tigerheart told him quickly. He didn’t want to scare the station cat. “We need your help.”
Dash slunk from the shadow and squeezed out past Tigerheart. He stared in surprise at Shadowkit, Pouncekit, and Shadowkit. His ears twitched. “Are these yours?”
“Yes.” He nodded to Dovewing. “This is Dovewing, my mate. We’re taking them home.”
“To the forest?” Dash narrowed his eyes as he looked at Spire, Blaze, Ant, and Cinnamon. “Are they going with you?”
“Yes.”
Dash tipped his head. “City cats in the forest?” He sounded unconvinced.
Cinnamon flattened her ears. “We just need your help, okay? We don’t need your opinion.”
Ant glanced at the Twolegs swarming her. “Let’s be polite,” he warned Cinnamon.
Dash was looking at the kits. “Do you want me to show you which train to get on?”
Dovewing bristled. “We’re not taking our kits into the belly of a Thundersnake.”
“Then how will you get home?” Dash looked confused.
“We’ll walk,” Dovewing told him firmly.
“There’s nowhere to walk,” Dash argued.
Tigerheart shifted his paws. He didn’t like lingering here. A strange Twoleg yowl was echoing around the den. “We’ll walk on the paths the Thundersnakes use.”
Dash’s eyes widened. “You want to go into the tunnels?”
“They lead out of the city, don’t they?” Tigerheart blinked at him.
“It’s dangerous!”
“I’ve been in tunnels before,” Tigerheart meowed breezily. “When Thundersnakes came, I just crouched at the edge. Thundersnakes never leave their path. It’s easy to keep out of their way.” Please, StarClan. Protect us. His heart seemed to beat in his throat. He hoped no one guessed how scared he was.
Dash narrowed his eyes doubtfully.
“I just need you to help me find the Silverpath that brought me here,” Tigerheart told him firmly.
Dash looked thoughtful. “I didn’t see which train you came out of, but if you lead me to the ledge where you got out, I can take you into its tunnel.”
Tigerheart frowned. “Have you been in the tunnels before?”
“I hunt for rats there,” Dash told him.
Dovewing’s ears twitched suspiciously. “You told us the tunnels were dangerous.”
“I’m used to them,” Dash told her. “I’d never take kits or strays in there!”
Cinnamon flattened her ears. “Who are you calling a stray?”
Ant shifted his paws. “He’s just worried about us,” he reassured Cinnamon.
Cinnamon huffed. “Well he doesn’t have to be rude about it.”
Dash dipped his head to the orange she-cat. “I’m sorry. But there’s a difference between a loner hunting the tunnels when the trains are sleeping and a group of cats and kits trying to find their way out of the city. It’s a long way.” He looked at Tigerheart. “Are you sure you want to walk? Hiding in the belly of a train would be quicker.”
Tigerheart looked at the kits, remembering the flurry of Twoleg paws as they crowded in and out of the Thundersnake. It would be too easy to lose them. He shuddered. “We want to walk.”
“Okay.” Dash padded into the Twoleg bustle. Tigerheart caught Dovewing’s eye questioningly. “Ready?” Dovewing nodded.
Tigerheart picked up Shadowkit while Cinnamon and Dovewing grabbed Lightkit and Pouncekit. Then they hurried after Dash.
The skinny black-and-white tom led them to the large cavern where Thundersnakes dozed between ledges.
Tigerheart scanned them, trying to remember which direction he had run after leaving the Thundersnake that had brought him here. He recognized the gaudy Twoleg clutter—Twoleg shells and furs—lining the middle of one ledge. That was the one. He hurried ahead of Dash and led him toward the gap where the Thundersnake had stopped. It was empty now. Tigerheart peered over the edge and saw the Silverpath a few tail-lengths below. It led away between the ledges and disappeared into a tunnel at the end.
“Is this the one?” Dash asked, following his gaze.
Tigerheart nodded, Shadowkit swinging from his jaws.
“Follow me.” Dash looked around at the cats. “Follow me exactly. Only put your paws where mine have been. I’ve seen rats get burned on the tracks here if they touch the wrong one.”
Twolegs began to gather along the ledge. Were they waiting for a Thundersnake to arrive? Tigerheart’s breath quickened with fear. He had to trust Dash. Dash would keep them safe. He followed the black-and-white tom as he led them along the ledge to where the tunnel opened.
Dash jumped down, landing neatly between the tracks of the Silverpath. He waited, looking up. “Follow me,” he ordered. “One at a time.”
Cinnamon jumped down first, Lightkit swinging in her jaws. Lightkit squealed as they fell, whimpering as Cinnamon landed with a thump and staggered to find her footing. Ant followed. Dash waved them quickly toward the wall of the tunnel. “Remember, don’t touch the tracks,” he warned.
Blaze peered over the edge. “It’s a long way down.” His voice was small, frightened—the young tom was not much bigger than Tigerheart’s own kits, after all.
“Jump toward me,” Dash called. “I’ll help break your fall.”
Tigerheart saw Blaze swallow as he crouched at the edge, his tail trembling. Then he launched himself toward Dash.
The station cat reared and wrapped his paws around Blaze as he fell. Deftly he swung him down between the tracks, then nudged him toward Ant and Cinnamon. Spire followed while Dovewing teetered at the edge.
“Don’t drop me,” Pouncekit wailed as Dovewing leaped down. As she landed, Tigerheart tightened his grip on Shadowkit’s scruff and jumped down beside her.
He followed Dash and Dovewing into the darkness of the tunnel. Cold wind streamed through his fur. It filled his nose. Through the stench of Thundersnake, he could smell the perfume of meadows and woods. The city seemed to be drawing in fresh air, like a breathing animal.
Dash slid into the lead. “Follow me.”
Tigerheart put Shadowkit down. “You don’t have to come any farther, Dash,” he said. “We can follow the tunnel to the end.”
The station cat’s eyes flashed in the darkness. “Do you think I’d have a moment’s peace knowing you and your kits were wandering down here alone?” he asked. “I’m staying with you until you reach daylight.”
Tigerheart felt a wave of gratitude toward the black-and-white tom, and realized that he was surprised at how willing Dash had been to help. He’d expected a city cat to only care about himself. But then he remembered Fog. She might have behaved like a rogue, but she’d stayed loyal to her group, hadn’t she? And he could still remember her wail of grief as she’d watched the Twoleg carry her brother away. Perhaps all cats were warriors at heart. He glanced at Cinnamon and Ant. He hoped so, at least.
Stones littered the track, sharp on Tigerheart’s pads. His belly tightened as Dovewing placed Pouncekit gently on the ground. Her paws had known nothing but the shiny floor of the gathering-place den and the softness of grass outside.
“I want to walk too.” Lightkit wriggled beneath Cinnamon’s chin.
Cinnamon put her down, and Lightkit shook out her pelt.
“I bet no kits as young as us have ever walked along a Thundersnake tunnel before,” Lightkit meowed proudly.
Tigerheart’s chest swelled as she lifted her tail high and began to follow Dash along the Silverpath. Pouncekit and Shadowkit clustered beside her, pelts fluffed out against the icy draft. He fell in beside Dovewing, staying close at their heels. Spire, Blaze, Cinnamon, and Ant followed.
Before long, the dazzling lights of the station had disappeared behind them. Darkness stretched ahead. Dim, round lights flickered from the roof every now and then. Twolegs must have fixed them there to guide the Thundersnake to its den.
“We begin in darkness and end in darkness.” Spire’s mew took Tigerheart by surprise. He glanced back at the tom, wondering what had made him speak now. In the dull glow of a Twoleg light, he could see that Spire’s eyes had a faraway look.
Blaze caught Tigerheart’s eye. “Don’t disturb him,” he whispered. “He’s dreaming.”
Tigerheart’s pelt prickled uneasily. End in darkness. This journey was already daunting. Spire’s grim words didn’t help. He whisked his tail enthusiastically. “We’ll be out of the city soon. Pouncekit, have I told you about rabbits?”
Pouncekit glanced back at him. “Are they like weasels?”
Dovewing purred. “Weasels are like stoats. Rabbits are like hares.”
Lightkit’s ears twitched. “It’s so confusing. How will we ever learn it all?”
“Don’t worry. It’ll be easier than you think.” Tigerheart’s spirits lifted as he imagined showing the pine forest to his kits.
Shadowkit gasped, stopping in his tracks. His pelt bristled. “What are they?”
Tigerheart followed his gaze. Rats were darting across the Silverpath ahead. In the dim light, they looked slippery and fast. “That’s prey,” he meowed breezily. He didn’t want to betray the fear in his belly. Some of the rats looked as big as the kits. What if there were more? A swarm could overrun them, and a bite from their sour teeth could be deadly. “We can catch some if we get hungry. For now, stay close to us. We don’t want rat stench on our fur.”
Dovewing glanced at him. Fear tinged her gaze. He pressed closer against her, hoping his warmth would reassure her.
Pouncekit halted suddenly. “I can’t walk any farther. My paws are too sore.” She lifted one of her forepaws and lapped her pad gingerly.
“The stones are rather sharp,” Dovewing sympathized. “But we have to keep going. There’ll be grass once we get to the end. And your pads will toughen up as we travel.”
Ant mewed from behind. “I could give her a—what do you call it?—a badger ride?”
Pouncekit turned around eagerly. “Can I?” she looked hopefully at Dovewing.
Tigerheart answered. “A warrior walks.”
Dovewing blinked at Tigerheart. “She’s not a warrior yet. And the stones are sharp.”
“This will be a long journey.” Tigerheart pressed back guilt. This wasn’t a time for softness. He had to be strong. They all had to be strong. “The kits need to learn how to be tough if we’re going to reach the lake.”
Pouncekit sniffed. “Okay. I can be tough.”
Lightkit nudged her sister. “Try to imagine what the grass will feel like when we get to the end. It will take your mind off the soreness.”
Shadowkit flicked his tail. “Will the grass outside the city be like the grass near the gathering place?”
“Grass is the same everywhere—” Tigerheart stopped. The breeze had stiffened. He heard a familiar hum from the track. His heart lurched. A Thundersnake was coming.
Dash must have heard it too. He stopped and turned to face the group. “We have to crouch down at the edge of the tunnel,” he warned.
Tigerheart could see the bright eye of a Thundersnake in the distance.
Shadowkit blinked at it. “Is that the end of the tunnel?” he mewed hopefully.
“No.” Tigerheart guided him toward the wall. “A Thundersnake is coming. We have to duck.”
“Will it squash us?” Pouncekit’s mew was shrill with fear.
“No.” Dash sounded calm. “There’s plenty of space. But it will be loud and windy.”
“Flatten your ears as much as you can.” Tigerheart’s throat tightened as he remembered the Thundersnake that had screamed past him in the tunnel on his way to the city. What if the wind of this snake’s passing whisked the kits away? “Hold on to the kits!” he called as the roar of the Thundersnake rose around them. The Silverpath was singing now as it vibrated harder. Wind tugged at Tigerheart’s pelt. He grabbed Shadowkit’s scruff and tucked him under his chest as he flattened himself into the corner where the wall met the ground. He looked back and saw the others pressing themselves hard against the stone. Dovewing had Pouncekit’s scruff in her jaws and had wrapped her paws around the kit. Lightkit’s tail showed from beneath Cinnamon’s belly as the she-cat sheltered her against the wind. Blaze huddled between Spire and the wall. Tigerheart flattened his ears. The air throbbed around him as the Thundersnake pounded closer. He screwed his eyes shut. Shadowkit trembled beneath him. The ground shuddered and the walls rang with the howling of the Thundersnake. Its foul stench scorched his lungs. As it screeched past, the tunnel seemed to explode around him. Every hair on his pelt shrilled with the clattering roar as the earth shook. Stiff with terror, Tigerheart waited for it to pass.
In a few moments, the Thundersnake was charging away. The wind swirled, then eased into a soft breeze once more. The tracks trembled and then grew still. Tigerheart pushed himself to his paws and forced his fur to flatten. Shadowkit shifted beneath him. Tigerheart saw him trembling, his eyes wide with terror. He grabbed the kit’s scuff and lifted him gently to his paws. “It’s gone now. You’re safe.”
Shadowkit blinked at him. “I thought the tunnel had fallen in.”
Dash shook out his pelt. “Tunnels are used to trains. They never fall in,” he promised.
Lightkit wriggled from beneath Cinnamon. “That was exciting!” Her eyes shone.
Pouncekit whisked her tail. “Can we wait for another one? I want to do it again!”
Dovewing blinked at Tigerheart. “Are you okay?” Her fur was bristling with fear.
“I’m fine. How are you?”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to hear properly for days.” Dovewing twitched her ears.
Cinnamon stared after the Thundersnake, her flanks heaving. “That was horrible.”
“I’m putting my paws in my ears next time.” Ant mewed.
“That was bigger than all the monsters I’ve ever seen,” Blaze breathed. He looked at Spire. The skinny tom was still lying on his belly. “Are you hurt?”
Spire lifted his nose from between his paws. “Was it real?”
Blaze stared at him. “Of course it was real. Can’t you smell it?”
The air was thick with acrid Thundersnake stench.
“Come on.” Tigerheart began walking. He wanted to reach fresh air as soon as he could. Air that made his lungs burn couldn’t be good for the kits. He heard the stones crunch as the others hurried after him. Fixing his gaze on the shadows ahead, Tigerheart strained to see daylight.
He lost track of time as he pushed on. The kits stopped talking. Occasionally Ant and Cinnamon murmured something to each other. Dash hurried ahead from time to time, scouting for rats or some sign of the end. Two more Thundersnakes howled past. Shadowkit trembled harder each time, as though each passing reached deeper into his fur. Lightkit and Pouncekit seemed energized by them, their weariness evaporating for a few moments after the roar had subsided.
Spire trailed behind, and Blaze fell back to urge him on. “Come on. We’ll be in the open soon.” The young tom’s mew echoed off the stone walls.
“It feels like we’ve been walking for moons,” Ant mewed grimly. “Are you sure there is an end to this tunnel?”
“It can’t be far now,” Tigerheart told him, trying to sound convincing. Then his eyes blinked as he saw pale light far ahead. Another Thundersnake? He pricked his ears. There was no distant growl. The earth felt still beneath his paws. He tasted the air. Fresher scents than he’d smelled in moons touched his tongue. “We’re nearly there!” His heart soared. He quickened his pace.
Pouncekit hurried ahead, Lightkit at her heels. “I want to see outside.”
“Will we be able to see the lake?” Lightkit asked.
“Not yet.” Tigerheart wondered if he should warn them that the lake was days away.
Shadowkit trotted after his sisters.
Blaze left Spire’s side for the first time and caught up with them. His ginger-and-white pelt was ruffled with excitement. “I’ve never seen outside the city.”
“Nor have I.” Ant sounded excited.
Tigerheart purred, wondering what Ant expected to find.
Cinnamon and Spire padded after them, stumbling a little as the stones shifted beneath their paws.
Dovewing looked at Tigerheart, her eyes shining. There was enough real light now to see the green of her gaze. “We’ve made it out of the city.” She looked at the kits as they hurried ahead, Dash trotting protectively alongside them. She purred loudly. “We’re going to make it back to the lake, aren’t we?” She spoke as though this was the first time she’d believed it.
Tigerheart purred back. “Yes.”
Behind them, Spire was muttering, but Tigerheart couldn’t make out the words. He didn’t care about the strange tom. He just wanted to see the sky. Hurrying, he caught up with the kits, and before long they were padding out of the stinking tunnel into fresh air. A few moments later, Spire followed.
Stars glittered above. A sliver of moon hung between them. The dark sky reached to the horizon, so wide, Tigerheart’s chest seemed to burst with joy. He breathed in the scents of trees and grass. Dew-scented, the landscape stretched before them like a dream.
Shadowkit blinked at it. “Where are the big Twoleg dens?”
Small Twoleg nests crowded the Silverpath. But they nestled low against the ground like prey. The only shapes that tried to reach the stars here were the distant hills.
Lightkit moved closer to Tigerheart as Dovewing, Cinnamon, Spire, and Ant caught up to them. “It’s so big.” She sounded frightened.
“And quiet.” Pouncekit pricked her ears. Only the cry of a distant owl disturbed the peace. “I don’t like it.” She blinked at Tigerheart with wide, frightened eyes.
He leaned down and licked her head. “You’ll get used to it,” he promised.
Dovewing smoothed her tail along Lightkit’s spine. “When you’ve been out of the city for a few days, you’ll realize it’s not so big. And there are plenty of noises. The sound of the wind in the trees is like the rumbling of distant monsters, and the birds chatter like Twolegs.”
“Really?” Lightkit looked hopefully.
“What’s that funny smell?” Pouncekit twitched her nose.
Tigerheart breathed deep the familiar scents of wind and grass. “That’s what fresh air smells like.”
Shadowkit padded along the Silverpath for a few paces, then stopped. He looked up at the stars twinkling overhead. “There are more stars here!” His tail twitched excitedly.
“Wait until we’re far away from the Twoleg nests,” Tigerheart told him. “You’ll see more stars than you could ever dream of.”
Shadowkit blinked at him. “Are those our ancestors?”
Tigerheart nodded solemnly.
Lightkit looked up and frowned. “We have a lot of ancestors.”
Dash shifted beside them. “I’d better head back,” he meowed.
Dovewing met his gaze. “Will you be okay on your own?”
“Yeah.” Dash shook out his fur. “I’ve never been this far, but I’m glad I came.”
“You can come with us,” Dovewing offered suddenly.
Tigerheart looked at her in surprise. Was that a good idea? They would already be bringing four strange cats back to the Clans.
“Thanks,” Dash purred. “But I like city life.”
Tigerheart blinked at him gratefully. “Thank you, Dash. You have the heart of a warrior.”
“I don’t know about that,” Dash twitched his tail, clearly pleased. “But I’ve been glad to help.” He dipped his head. “Good luck to you all.” Pausing to glance at each cat for a moment, he turned and headed into the tunnel.
Tigerheart stretched. It was good to feel the moonlight on his pelt once more. It seemed to wash the stench of the city from his fur. “Let’s find somewhere to make camp for the night.” He looked toward the grassy bank beside the track. Twoleg nests clustered at the top. But a stretch of ground lay beside them, dotted with trees. The bushes around their roots would provide shelter until dawn. They could hunt then and fill their bellies with warm, clean prey before they set off for the lake. He blinked at Dovewing. “We’ll start early tomorrow.”
She stretched her muzzle forward and touched her nose to his cheek. “Yes,” she breathed happily. “Tomorrow we can head home.”