A Forest Divided by Erin Hunter

than a heap of pine twigs lined with moss. “You must be cold sleeping there,” he observed. “We should build you a den.”
    â€œI’m no colder than any other cat.” Pebble Heart pointed his muzzle toward the nests dotted around the edge of the clearing, twig piles like his own. Gray Wing’s lay beside Tall Shadow’s, a few tail-lengths from Mud Paws’s and Mouse Ear’s. Holly and Jagged Peak had made a large nest on the other side of the clearing where they could wrap themselves around their kits and keep them warm.
    Gray Wing narrowed his eyes. “If we unravel the longest bramble stems and pull them away from the bush, we could use them to weave shelters around our nests.”
    Holly pricked her ears and padded closer. “That’s a good idea,” she meowed. “I worry about the next snowfall. There’s no broom of gorse here to shelter under.”
    Pebble Heart met her anxious gaze. “I was planning on digging out earth beneath the brambles. I thought I could hollow out a den that way.”
    â€œYes!” Gray Wing felt excitement rushing beneath his peltas his breathing returned to normal. “We could dig sleeping hollows and weave bramble stems over them. The sooner we make this camp into a real home, the better.”
    â€œGreat!” Holly nodded eagerly. “Which side of the clearing do you think would be the most sheltered for the kits?”
    He didn’t need to taste the air to know where the coldest wind blew—he’d spent enough nights shivering in his nest. He nodded toward the far end of the camp. “The bramble wall over there will keep off the leaf-bare breezes.” He lifted his nose toward a hole high in the canopy. Weak sunlight filtered through. “And you’ll get sunshine, which will burn off early frosts.”
    â€œPebble Heart.” Mud Paws limped across the clearing toward the young tom. “I wrenched my shoulder chasing a squirrel yesterday. Do you have anything to ease the stiffness?”
    Pride swelled in Gray Wing’s chest to see how the cats were beginning to rely on the young tom for help. He hoped Turtle Tail, up among the spirit cats, could see how important her kit had become to his campmates.
    â€œA comfrey lining in your nest should help,” Pebble Heart told the brown tom. “But I’ll need to go out and search for some. I’ve only collected coltsfoot and nettle so far.”
    Go out? For the last half-moon, Pebble Heart and the rest of the cats had stayed close to camp. But now Gray Wing’s ear twitched with worry. Fern could be out there. Maybe Slash, too. Pebble Heart seemed to sense Gray Wing’s concern, and he glanced at Mud Paws, who instantly gave a nod.
    â€œI’ll come with you,” the brown tom offered. “Four eyes are better than two.”
    Relief washed Gray Wing’s pelt. “Stay together,” he warned.
    Pebble Heart flashed him a questioning look. “Is something worrying you?”
    â€œNo.” Gray Wing meowed quickly. “But we don’t know our new territory yet. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
    Pebble Heart narrowed his eyes, but Mud Paws was already heading for the entrance.
    â€œWe’ll be fine,” he called over his shoulder.
    â€œDon’t worry so much, Gray Wing,” said Pebble Heart with a flick of his tail. “It’s not good for your breathing. We know how to look after ourselves.”
    Gray Wing watched Pebble Heart trotting after Mud Paws and tried to ignore the anxiety worming in his belly. He nodded to Holly. “Let’s see if we can start weaving a shelter for your new nest.” He headed toward the far end of camp, Holly at his side.
    As he passed Tall Shadow and Jagged Peak, they looked up from their conversation.
    â€œWhat are you doing?” Jagged Peak eyed Holly.
    â€œGray Wing’s helping me build a den for the kits.”
    Jagged