Pinestar padded through the forest for the last time, keeping to well-trodden paths. It didn’t matter if a patrol saw him; he was no longer their leader. No cat would be interested in him now. He had no responsibilities, no need to worry about the fresh-kill pile or border marks or whether the elders’ den would leak in the next rainstorm…

As he neared the wooden fence, Pinestar broke into a run. The long grass closed around him as he crouched down and leaped over the border between his old life and his new one. He landed with a thud, his legs suddenly feeling old and tired. He realized he was trembling, and for a heartbeat a sense of dizzying emptiness opened up inside him. All his life he had known what he was: kit, apprentice, warrior, deputy, leader, each role marked out by his name, the way his Clanmates treated him, the boundaries of the territory, and the routine of each day. All that had vanished. What was left?

For a moment, Pinestar wanted to go back. He would no longer be ThunderClan’s leader, but he could be an elder, safe, sheltered, well fed, with no responsibilities, not even for his own ticks. But his Clanmates would still be around him. He would still have to watch cats go out to fight, and never return. And he would be just as powerless to change Tigerkit’s destiny.

Pinestar kept going. He trotted through several kittypet territories, passing Tyr, who was dozing on a patch of sunbaked stone. Over a wall, along a narrow path, and then he was standing on the edge of the Thunderpath, picturing the very last time he had seen Shanty in the orange glow cast by the strange light-making poles. His paws felt heavy as he crossed the Thunderpath, not letting himself look down at the faint brown stain where she had died. She wasn’t there anymore, he told himself. All her pain, all her fear in that terrible moment, was over. Wherever she was, she was safe now.

He paused at the entrance to Shanty’s home. He could hear her housefolk talking outside their den, their voices rumbling softly. Was it his imagination, or did they sound sadder than before? They must miss Shanty even more than I do, he thought. He took a deep breath. This was it. This was why he had made his choice to leave the Clan. I can help you. I can never replace Shanty, but I might fill part of the gap she has left. I know you feel it, because I feel it too.

He walked past the glossy green hedge and into Shanty’s territory. The Twolegs stopped talking and stared at him, their brown eyes wide. The male gestured at Pinestar and yowled. He clearly wanted Pinestar to go away.

“It’s me!” Pinestar mewed. “Shanty’s friend!”

The Twoleg took a step toward him, suddenly looming as tall as a tree and rumbling ominously. Pinestar shrank back in alarm. What do I do now, Shanty? This wasn’t an enemy he could fight. There was no rule about this in the warrior code. He was nothing more than an intruder here!

But the female Twoleg moved forward and put out her light brown paw on the male’s foreleg. Her voice was softer, as if she was asking him something. She pointed at Pinestar and bared her teeth. Pinestar held his breath and waited. After a few moments, the female crouched down and held out her paw toward him. She was making the same noise she had made to Shanty, gentle and encouraging, like an invitation to come closer.

Pinestar took one step forward. He knew Shanty’s Twoleg wasn’t going to hurt him. The first time she had tried to touch him, he had been nervous. But now he didn’t feel brave so much as trusting, relieved, and full of memories of his beloved kittypet friend. It was almost as if Shanty was beside him, wreathing around him in delight. I knew you two would be friends, she purred in his ear.

He kept very still as Shanty’s Twoleg stroked his ears. Her paw was softer than Jake’s Twoleg’s, and it tickled. She made another sound that seemed even more welcoming to Pinestar. Fascinated, he moved nearer to her. This time she ran her whole paw along his back, smoothing his fur and dislodging the leaf scraps he had collected on his run through the forest.

The male Twoleg joined her. Even when he was crouched down, he was still huge. Pinestar forced himself to stay still as the male reached out with his huge dark brown paw. But he was as gentle as the female, though his paw felt heavier and rougher. Pinestar rubbed his head against the hairless underside, letting his scent mingle with the strong, musky scent of the Twoleg.

The female Twoleg straightened up and looked at Pinestar. She beckoned to him with her paw, a gesture that Pinestar had seen from many, many tails. She wanted him to follow her. Pinestar told himself there was nothing to be afraid of; he had seen how Shanty trusted these Twolegs, loved them as much as he loved his Clanmates. But Shanty was not here now, and Pinestar missed her so much he could hardly breathe.

The female stepped inside the den and beckoned to him again. Pinestar paused in the entrance, trembling. This felt more dangerous than any battle with a rival Clan, any confrontation with a snarling badger or snapping fox. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he made out a sharp-edged, white-walled space, much smaller than the outside walls suggested. The floor was hard and shiny, like ice. Pinestar placed one paw cautiously on it. Not as slippery as it looks, good. He walked in and looked around. The female Twoleg had crouched down in the corner and seemed to be pointing to something.

But Pinestar couldn’t concentrate. Shanty was everywhere. Her scent, the things she had played with, the food bowl he had seen her eating from once outside. Most of all, the feeling that she was there with him, only just out of sight, encouraging him on. Even if she was not in StarClan, Pinestar felt her presence as strongly as he had ever felt a StarClan cat alongside him. He was not alone here. I will never be alone.

He padded carefully across the gleaming floor and sniffed at the soft, lumpy pelt that the female had pointed to. This was Shanty’s nest, judging by the smell and the shape left behind by her body. Pinestar felt a pang in his belly. My nest, now. If he wanted it. And he did, very much. He climbed into the middle of the nest and curled up. The Twoleg made a happy purring noise and bared her teeth at him again. The male Twoleg appeared and rumbled in a pleased way. He bent down and patted Pinestar’s head, almost making his teeth rattle. Twolegs are strong!

The female Twoleg stood up and put something into the feed bowl. Pinestar peered at it. This wasn’t pellets, like Jake’s food, but chunks of some kind of meat. His belly rumbled, and he reminded himself that as an elder, he wouldn’t be catching his own prey anyway. Did it matter who caught it for him? He reached out and took a mouthful. It wasn’t bad—in fact, it was juicier and tastier than anything he’d eaten in leaf-bare. Better than Jake’s dry pellets, too. Pinestar cleaned out the bowl and the Twolegs purred at him.

Feeling restless now his belly was full, Pinestar stepped out of the nest and headed outside. He looked back to see the Twolegs watching him anxiously.

“I’ll come back,” he promised. He felt a warm glow spread through him at the thought that they might be waiting for him. Is this what it was like to be a kittypet? To know that Twolegs would keep you safe and warm and fed? Why do warriors despise this way of life so much? It is all we ever want for our kits and elders!

He trotted across the grass and hopped over a low wall. Jake was sunning himself on a flat expanse of gray stone next to the empty Thunderpath. He blinked in surprise when he saw Pinestar.

“Hey! I didn’t think you’d come back,” he meowed. “You know, after Shanty…” He trailed off.

Pinestar nodded. “For a while, I wasn’t sure I would,” he admitted. “But I think I can do some good here… for Shanty’s housefolk. More than I can do for my Clan.” Except it’s not my Clan any longer. It belongs to Sunfall now.

Jake flicked the tip of his tail. “What do you mean? Have you left ThunderClan?”

“Yes, I have.” Wow. That makes it feel very real.

The ginger tom looked impressed. “You’d really give all that up to be a kittypet for Shanty’s housefolk?”

“I really would,” Pinestar murmured.

Jake’s eyes softened. “Shanty would like that, Pinestar.” He stood up. “Do you want to go meet some of your new neighbors? You haven’t seen Quince yet, have you? She’s a sweetheart.”

“I should go home,” Pinestar meowed. “My… my housefolk are expecting me. Oh, and my name isn’t Pinestar anymore. It’s Pine. Just Pine.”

Jake twitched his ears. “It suits you.” He turned away, then paused and glanced back. “Welcome home, Pine.”