Bramblestar's Storm/Chapter 10

==Chapter description==
:Bramblestar comes back to the tunnel, noticing that his cats have become more irritated as the reality of their situation has sunk in. The cats are gathering bedding, and Millie complains about the lack of moss for Briarlight's nest. Daisy notices Snowpaw and Dewpaw playing on top of the pile of moss she is working with, and she snaps at them, losing her temper. Snowpaw mutters an apology, and Purdy appears with the rest of the apprentices, telling Snowpaw and Dewpaw to come teach him how to make a nest. Lilypaw begs him to tell the story of how he escaped from the hollow, and they disappear down the tunnel. Daisy remarks that Purdy is so good with the young cats, but Blossomfall tells them that Purdy is refusing to eat. 
:Bramblestar selects the biggest piece of rabbit from the fresh-kill pile and takes it to Purdy to try to persuade him to eat. Purdy refuses, saying that he's not worth the effort, but Bramblestar reminds him that caring for elders is part of the warrior code. Even though Purdy had not served the Clan when he was young, he still deserves respect and care because of the many times he has helped the Clan cats. Purdy begrudgingly agrees to eat the fresh-kill. Squirrelflight appears as Bramblestar leaves, noticing his low mood. He tells her about the conversation with Purdy, and Squirrelflight suggests to Sandstorm that she spend more time with Purdy. Sandstorm accepts but suggests that they should help Purdy become more involved in Clan life. Bramblestar proposes that Purdy help Daisy with the moss distribution. Daisy is glad of the help, and Bramblestar notices a proud gleam in Purdy's eyes. Satisfied, Bramblestar leaves the tunnel for a moment alone and sharpens his claws on a tree, wishing that every problem could be solved by battle skills and courage. He realizes that Clan leadership is more exhausting than battle. 
:When Bramblestar returns to the tunnel, the cats are settling down. He sets Cloudtail on watch at the entrance and Lionblaze farther down the tunnel. The new nests are not comfortable, and it is chilly, making it hard to sleep. Brambleclaw dozes and wakes up to see the gray light of morning, relieved that his cats are all alive. He stretches and notices Squirrelflight organizing hunting patrols. Bramblestar offers to lead the border patrol, and he chooses Dovewing, Graystripe, and Thornclaw due to their levelheadedness. 
:As the patrol ventures out, Bramblestar notes that the worst of the storm is over. He suggests that they avoid the WindClan border and head toward ShadowClan. The cats make their way toward the ShadowClan border, noticing that it is mostly covered by water and there is no fresh ShadowClan scent. They decide to cross the border to get more information. Dovewing is worried and remarks that everything looks different. Graystripe suggests that they keep to the edge of the water. As they continue on, Bramblestar wonders if the flood had reached the pair of hostile kittypets on ShadowClan territory. The patrol suddenly realizes that the ShadowClan camp is completely flooded, and Dovewing wonders what happened to the Clan.
:As if in answer, a ShadowClan patrol led by Scorchfur appears, and Scorchfur demands that the ThunderClan patrol leave. Bramblestar politely tells him that they wanted to make sure ShadowClan survived the flood, and Scorchfur retorts that ShadowClan doesn't need ThunderClan's help. Bramblestar notes that the ShadowClan cats look terrified in spite of their brave words; he apologizes and sympathizes with them over the loss of their home. Scorchfur is still hostile and rejects their sympathy, and Bramblestar wonders why the ShadowClan cats look so distraught. After the ShadowClan cats inform them that their Clan is okay, Bramblestar asks them for permission to cross their territory to check on RiverClan. Scorchfur begrudgingly gives his permission, and Bramblestar's patrol continues on.
: When they reach the Twoleg half bridge, Graystripe remarks that the ShadowClan cats had not mentioned Blackstar and suspects that they are mourning their leader. Bramblestar is shocked but decides that it wouldn't be worth it to try to find ShadowClan's new camp. The patrol moves farther inland and are confronted with a vast body of water. Bramblestar climbs a tree for a better view and sees that the RiverClan camp is completely covered with water. Graystripe follows him up the tree and is shocked at the scene, wondering aloud if all of RiverClan is dead. 
:Bramblestar decides that they have to find out what happened to RiverClan, and he concludes that the patrol will have to head farther away from the lake due to the fast-flowing deep water. Graystripe questions if they are prepared to go closer to the Twoleg dens, and Bramblestar responds that they have to be. They make their way along the line of the Thunderpath as far as they can without getting wet, and they try to find a way across the submerged Thunderpath. Bramblestar spots a fence just below the water’s surface. He tells the patrol that if they can reach it, they can walk across it to get to the Thunderpath and then swim across. He is afraid of putting his cats into danger, but he is determined to find out what has happened to RiverClan.
:Bramblestar swims to the fence and climbs on top of it, noting that the water reaches halfway up his legs. His patrol follows, and Bramblestar finds it hard to keep his balance at first. However, he puts his paws down in a straight line until he reaches the end of the fence, where he sees a red monster under the water. Bramblestar realizes if they jump onto it, it would help them reach RiverClan without having to swim as much. After confirming that the monster is dead, he jumps onto it, panicking as it lurches beneath his paws. The rocking motion steadies, and he encourages his patrol to jump down after him.
:When they get to the edge of the monster, Bramblestar sees another fence on the other side of the Thunderpath, and he tells his cats to aim for it while they are swimming. Bramblestar reaches the fence first and helps his cats climb onto it, then they make their way along the fence, past a number of Twoleg dens. When they pass the dens, they see that RiverClan’s territory is completely underwater. Thornclaw and Graystripe are shocked. However, Dovewing tells them that Ivypool had told her that Mistystar had said at the Gathering that RiverClan had already moved their dens away from the edge of the lake. The cats decide to find out if RiverClan escaped the flood, and they jump off the fence, landing on sodden grass. They wade through the water until they reach a ridge of grass that is clear of the flood. Bramblestar spots a clump of low bushes and detects a faint trace of RiverClan scent. 
:The ThunderClan cats creep forward until they are confronted by Reedwhisker and Shimmerpelt. The RiverClan cats relax once they recognize Bramblestar’s patrol, and Bramblestar realizes that the RiverClan scent is much stronger closer to the thicket. Reedwhisker goes to tell Mistystar of the ThunderClan cats’ arrival, and Mistystar and Mothwing soon emerge. Mistystar greets Bramblestar, and he tells her that they were worried about RiverClan. She tells him that her cats are fine, as they knew the water was rising and moved their dens to avoid it. She informs them that Petalfur’s kits are okay, and Bramblestar tells her about ThunderClan’s predicament. Mistystar relaxes, and she pads to Bramblestar’s side; the two leaders look out across the flooded landscape.
:Mistystar wonders if things will ever return to how they were, and she doubts the power of StarClan. Bramblestar reassures her that the Clans can protect themselves, and they can find new homes if the water doesn’t go away. Bramblestar sees warmth in Mistystar’s eyes, and she thanks him for coming, saying that it helps to know that they’re not suffering alone. Bramblestar wishes her good luck, and the ThunderClan cats head back the way they had come. They wade through the field and jump onto the fence. When they reach the flooded Thunderpath, they suddenly hear a cry for help split the air.
==Characters==
===Major===
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Errors==
*Shimmerpelt is mistakenly described as black.
*Mistystar is called Miststar.
==Notes and references==
fr:L'Épreuve d'Étoile de Ronce/Chapitre 10
Category:Chapter subpages
Category:Bramblestar's Storm
Category:Super Edition arc