Tigerheart's Shadow

  “They won’t.” Dash watched them as they disappeared around the corner. “Cats tend to look out for themselves around here.”

  “They look out for one another where I come from,” Tigerheart told him, trying to ignore the prickles of sadness in his chest as he thought about how much fun it was, hunting with his Clanmates.

  “Why?”

  Tigerheart stared at him. Couldn’t he guess? “Cats are stronger when they work together.”

  “But isn’t it easier when you only have to take care of yourself?” Dash seemed perplexed.

  The tom’s words sparked guilt in Tigerheart’s belly. Wasn’t that the thought he’d had when he left ShadowClan? No! I’m going to find Dovewing. She needs me. He blinked at Dash. “You didn’t seem to be doing so well at taking care of yourself.”

  “I made you help me.” Dash swished his tail. “That was pretty smart.”

  “You didn’t make me do anything,” Tigerheart told him. “I wanted to help you.”

  “Really?” Dash looked surprised.

  “Really.” Tigerheart glanced along the stone path that the rot pile cats had taken toward the Thunderpath. “Is the Twoleg gathering place that way?”

  Dash followed his gaze. “Yes.” He glanced hungrily at the rot pile. “Do you want some food first?”

  Tigerheart still had the scent of rancid trash on his paws. “No, thanks. I’ll hunt later.” He craned his neck, looking up at the dens towering around him. It was like being in a forest, with slivers of sky cutting between the soaring rooftops. The sun was sliding slowly behind them.

  Dash was still looking at the rot piles. “Come on, let’s rummage for food. You’ll like it. Some of it’s really good.”

  “No, thanks.” Tigerheart wished Dash would stop offering. He wanted to find out if the gathering place was the thorn den Dovewing had been looking for. “I don’t eat crow-food unless I have no choice.”

  “Crow-food?” Dash frowned.

  “Scraps,” Tigerheart explained.

  “Crow-food.” Dash repeated thoughtfully. He was quiet for a moment, as though thinking; then he shrugged. “I guess if it’s good enough for a crow, it’s good enough for me.”

  Tigerheart’s pelt pricked uneasily. Why did Dovewing believe it was better to raise their kits in a place where cats thought of themselves as no better than crows? “Come on.” He headed along the stone path, flattening his ears against the rumbling of the monsters at the end.

  Dash fell in beside him as they reached a monster sleeping beside a wall. It had lost one of its paws, and its pelt was dull. Tigerheart wondered if it was dead. Dash padded past it, unconcerned, and Tigerheart followed. At the end of the path, wind whisked around the corner. It stung his eyes so that the monsters and Twolegs, streaming past, blurred in front of him. Tigerheart hesitated, fear sparking beneath his pelt as Dash padded onto the stone walkway that edged the Thunderpath.

  “Come on.” The station cat beckoned Tigerheart with his tail.

  Tigerheart forced himself out into the flood of movement. A stinking breeze washed his pelt. The glittering walls and towering dens made him dizzy. Roofs cut a jagged line through the sky. He dodged a Twoleg and pressed against a wall. “Why do the Twolegs here need such big dens?” he asked, trying to distract himself from the panic welling in his chest.

  “There are a lot of Twolegs in the city.” Dash ducked beside him as Twolegs streamed past them. “I guess they’ve all got to sleep somewhere.”

  Tigerheart blinked at the station cat. How did he stay so calm? Beyond the Twolegs, monsters were crawling along the road in an endless stream, honking at one another like geese. He was glad Ajax and Fuzzball had shown him how to slip around Twolegs and monsters in their small Twolegplace. That had seemed busy. This was overwhelming. He stared at Dash with wide eyes. “How do you get around here? It’s so crowded!”

  Dash shrugged. “Everything keeps moving, but not very fast, and the Twolegs and monsters aren’t interested in cats. Just keep your head down and don’t get in anything’s way and you’ll be fine. Follow me.” He skirted the wall, following the stone walkway until a Thunderpath crossed it.

  “Where now?” Tigerheart stared at the gap between the dens where two Thunderpaths crossed. Lights flashed on sticks, red and green, above their heads.

  “Wait until that light shows green.” Dash nodded to a light shaped like a Twoleg. “Then we cross the Thunderpath with the Twolegs. Just don’t trip them. That makes them mad.”

  Tigerheart stared at the green light as it suddenly brightened. The monsters stopped as though an invisible wall had dropped in front of them, and the Twolegs streamed over the Thunderpath.

  “Now!” Dash nudged Tigerheart forward with his shoulder.

  Tigerheart hurried beside him. His heart pounded with terror. He focused on the Thunderpath, smooth beneath his paws, and forced himself not to break into a run. Twolegs flowed around them, and he didn’t want to risk tripping them. Relief washed over him as he reached the walkway on the other side. Dash guided him forward along another stone walkway that lined an even wider Thunderpath.

  Tigerheart kept his eyes fixed ahead. The noise and bustle around him made his head swim. How had Dovewing found her way through these noisy crowded trails? “Is the gathering place far?”

  “Just a little farther.” Dash picked up his pace as the crowd of Twolegs began to thin. He turned a corner onto a quieter walkway, narrower and with fewer Twolegs and monsters teeming between the dens.

  They crossed more Thunderpaths, each a little quieter than the last, until finally Tigerheart saw a break in the dens and a stretch of green ahead. His heart soared at the sight of grass and trees. In the center sat a den, squat compared to the towering dens that surrounded it. Its stone walls were punctuated by stretches of colored stone that reflected the late afternoon light like shattered rainbows. A sloping roof stretched along the den like a bony spine. On either side, small spikes poked into the sky, and in the middle, one huge spike looked as though it were trying to spear the clouds. “The gorse thorns!” Tigerheart stopped and stared. Was this the den Dovewing had dreamed of? Surely it must be. He’d followed the Silverpath and here it was.

  Dash stopped. “You can find your own way from here.” He dipped his head to Tigerheart. “Thanks for chasing Floyd and the others away. I’ll be able to sleep easier for a while.”

  Tigerheart dragged his gaze from the thorn den. “If they come back, don’t forget the fighting move I taught you.”

  “I won’t.” Dash blinked at him happily. “Good luck. I hope you find your friend.”

  “So do I.”

  As Dash turned back along the pathway, Tigerheart stared at the gathering place. It seemed empty. The stretch of grass surrounding it was deserted. Thin slabs of stone stood upright in neat rows. Tigerheart hurried forward and, relieved to feel grass underpaw once again, wove between them. He tasted the air, hoping to catch Dovewing’s scent. His heart tightened as he scanned the great, glittering den. I’m here. . . . I just hope that Dovewing is here too.

  CHAPTER 14

  The thin stone slabs cast long shadows as the sun slid behind the huge dens. Tigerheart shook out his fur. The rumbling of monsters was quieter here. This patch of green seemed sheltered from the noise and movement of the heaving city by the trees growing among the slabs. Their branches crisscrossed the sky, rattling softly in a breeze that carried reminders of forest scents among the Twoleg stench. Tigerheart remembered with a pang the secluded glade where he and Dovewing had met in secret. Would she forgive him for not meeting her there before she left? He tasted the air anxiously, hoping to catch a scent that would lead him to her.

  “Who are you?” A growl sounded on the evening air.

  Tigerheart unsheathed his claws defensively and scanned the stones.

  Green eyes glared through the fading light. A tortoiseshell she-cat faced him, her black muzzle thrust forward. Two toms flanked her, one small but well-muscled with a brown-and-black splot
ched pelt, the other smoky gray and long-furred.

  The three cats padded slowly toward him, flattening their ears aggressively as they neared.

  “I’m looking for someone,” Tigerheart told them quickly. His heart lurched as he wondered if Dovewing had met these cats. They didn’t seem welcoming. What if they’d chased her off? Or hurt her?

  The toms halted as the tortoiseshell flicked her tail. She padded closer to Tigerheart, showing her teeth. “Who are you?” she repeated slowly.

  “My name’s Tigerheart.” He glanced at the gathering place behind the tortoiseshell. The sun had dropped behind the skyline and swept it into shadow. Without its glittering walls and glinting roof, it looked gloomy and forbidding. “My friend traveled a long way to find this place. And I’ve traveled a long way to find her.”

  Curiosity glittered in the tortoiseshell’s gaze. “You’re looking for a she-cat?”

  “She’s my mate.” Tigerheart felt his throat tighten. Saying the words opened grief in his chest that he’d ignored for so long. He’d forgotten how much he missed Dovewing. “She’s carrying my kits.”

  The tortoiseshell tipped her head. Her ears pricked. Her gaze lost its menace. “What’s her name?”

  “Dovewing.” Tigerheart’s mew was thick with emotion. He felt suddenly weary.

  She glanced over her shoulder at the brown-and-black tom. “Ant. Go and see if there’s a cat with that name here.”

  As he hurried away, she snapped her gaze back to Tigerheart.

  Tigerheart blinked at the tortoiseshell hopefully as Ant disappeared into the shadows around the gathering place.

  “My name’s Fierce,” she told him. She nodded toward the gray tom. “That’s Cobweb.”

  “Do you live here?”

  Fierce eyed him distrustfully. “How long have you been traveling?”

  “Days.”

  “You must be tired.”

  Tigerheart lifted his chin, ignoring the weariness dragging at his bones. “Not too tired to keep traveling if I have to. I need to find Dovewing.” Perhaps if he kept pressing, she’d tell him if Dovewing had been here.

  Fierce didn’t reply, but stared at him in silence.

  Tigerheart stared back, desperately trying to read her green gaze. Was she hiding something? He saw nothing but the reflection of harsh Twoleg lights, which were beginning to glimmer behind him.

  Cobweb shifted restlessly as the twilight deepened. At last, Tigerheart saw movement in the shadows. Ant was hurrying between the stone slabs. He stopped beside Fierce and whispered in her ear.

  Tigerheart held his breath. Was Dovewing here?

  “She says she’ll see you,” Fierce meowed curtly. “Follow me.”

  Joy burst in Tigerheart’s chest. “She’s here?” He could hardly believe it.

  Fierce turned away and padded toward the gathering place. Tigerheart’s paws trembled with excitement as he followed. He’d found her! Dovewing was here! Ant and Cobweb fell in behind him as he wove between the slabs. Fierce led him to an opening in the ground where stone steps led down to a stretch of clear wall. The stones beside the clear wall had been dislodged so that a gap opened beside it. Fierce slid through it and Tigerheart followed. He emerged onto a ledge that looked down into a large square cave. He scanned it nervously. “Do Twolegs come here?”

  “Not anymore.” Fierce paused on the ledge.

  Smooth walls lined the cavern. Twolegs must have carved it out. It was lit by stretches of transparent stone set high in the walls, which let evening light filter through. Twoleg clutter sat in piles against the walls here and there. He couldn’t believe that Dovewing, a warrior, would ever have chosen to make a home here. How convinced was she that her dreams were a bad omen for our kits? he wondered.

  He saw a cat move among the shadows. Another crossed the wide, shiny floor.

  “Where’s Dovewing?” He pushed past Fierce.

  “Wait.” She nudged him out of the way and hopped down onto a wooden ledge below and then onto the floor.

  He stared at her as Cobweb and Ant brushed past him and followed her down.

  I can’t wait any longer! “Dovewing!” His mew echoed through the shadowy space.

  “Hush!” Fierce shot him a warning look. “There are sick cats here. They don’t need you making a racket.” She beckoned him with a sharp flick of her tail, and he jumped down onto the wooden ledge she’d used. It wobbled beneath his paws, and he dropped quickly to the floor, which felt cool and smooth, tainted by a sharp Twoleg tang. As he followed Fierce, the floor felt tacky, and it peeled stickily away from his pads with each step.

  Cobweb and Ant flanked him, moving noiselessly over the floor.

  Tigerheart smelled sickness as they passed a nest made of furless pelts. A one-eyed tabby leaned into it and lapped the dull fur of a stinking she-cat who lay there limply. Another cat carried a wad of something soft toward a hollow stick that jutted from the wall and dripped water onto the floor. She placed the wad beneath the drip and stood back while it soaked up the moisture. Fierce followed his gaze. “She’s collecting water for cats too sick to walk to the drip-pipe.”

  “Is that where you drink?” Tigerheart stared at the stinking patch of damp spreading around it.

  “Cats who aren’t sick drink outside. The drip-pipe provides water for the rest,” Fierce explained matter-of-factly.

  Another nest caught Tigerheart’s gaze, where a cat lapped the paw of another. It was hard to see in the shadows, but he smelled blood and herbs. “Is that a medicine cat?”

  “A what?” Fierce looked at him.

  “A cat who takes care of sick cats.”

  Cobweb followed his gaze. “That’s Bracken. He’s treating Rascal’s rat bite.”

  “We all take care of sick cats here,” Ant explained.

  Tigerheart noticed that old wounds scarred Ant’s cheek. Cobweb had half an ear missing, and Fierce leaned as she stood—one of her legs was shorter than the others. Were all the cats here wounded or sick? His belly tightened. Was that why Dovewing was with them? Was she sick? “Where is she?” he repeated anxiously.

  “You mean Dovewing?” Fierce began walking again.

  “Yes!” Anxiety pricked beneath Tigerheart’s fur as they passed a nest where two cats slept, curled together, their breathing rough.

  “She’s here.” Fierce ducked beneath a wooden ledge that sat on wooden legs. A pile of furless pelts made a nest against the wall at the back.

  Tigerheart tasted a familiar scent, faint among the jumble of odors. His heart leaped into his throat. “Dovewing?”

  He saw her gray fur move among the strange pelts, and as his eyes adjusted to the shadow, he made out her face. She was staring at him, her eyes wide.

  “Dovewing!” His heart overflowing with joy, he darted to her and pressed his cheek against hers.

  She pulled away with a hiss. “You didn’t meet me!”

  Flinching as though she’d raked claws across his muzzle, he backed away. Pain sliced his heart. “I’m sorry. I tried. I was on my way, but Scorchfur and Juniperclaw were going to leave and I had to stop them and then a badger attacked us. By the time I reached the glade, you were gone! I tried to follow, but there were too many monsters and my head hurt.” The words poured from him, garbled and confused. He hadn’t really thought about what he was going to say, and now the words seemed to tumble around each other, like play-fighting kits. Please understand! “I hit my head when we fought the badger, and I couldn’t cross the Thunderpath. And then I had a dream that told me I couldn’t leave ShadowClan. I wanted to. But ShadowClan might have disappeared if I’d come.”

  Dovewing looked past him. Fierce, Cobweb, and Ant had withdrawn and were watching from beyond the ledge, their gazes protective but not prying. She nodded at them and they moved away. Then she turned to Tigerheart. “If your Clan needed you so much, what are you doing here?”

  “I was wrong. I thought I was the sun, but I was the shadow. . . .” He trailed away, realizing he must sound
crazy.

  Dovewing seemed unfazed. Her cold gaze didn’t waver. “So your Clan won’t disappear without you now?”

  “No.” Tigerheart gazed at her, desperately hoping to find enough warmth in her gaze to cling to. “I hope not. I don’t know. I just had to find you. ShadowClan must look after itself.”

  “So you only chose me when you thought your Clan didn’t need you anymore?”

  Dovewing’s question silenced him. He’d chosen her because of Puddleshine’s dream. But what if he had been the sun? Would he have stayed forever and become Clan leader? “I chose you as soon as I knew that you needed me more than my Clan did.”

  That was the truth.

  But what if ShadowClan had needed me more?

  He pushed the question away. Dovewing must believe that he would choose her over anything—even his Clan.

  “I love you.” He stared at her desperately. “I want to take care of our kits. I couldn’t stay away.”

  For the first time, grief shimmered in her eyes. “You tried to follow me?”

  Tigerheart nodded. “I followed you, but the badger and the dream and—”

  “You’re here now.” Dovewing heaved herself to her paws.

  For the first time, Tigerheart saw how swollen her flanks had grown. He hurried to her and rubbed his muzzle lovingly along her jaw. “I’ve missed you so much. How did you make the journey alone? Did you follow the Silverpath?”

  Dovewing sat down heavily. He could hear her panting, and suddenly he realized he could smell blood. He sniffed her. His whiskers brushed a wound on her shoulder, and the tang of blood and herbs filled his nose. “You’re hurt!” He blinked at her, his heart quickening. “Did it happen on the way? Did something attack you?”

  “I’m okay,” Dovewing reassured him gently. “It’s just a fox bite, and Spire has treated it. It’s healing fast.”

  “A fox bite?” In a flash, Tigerheart relived every nightmare that had haunted him since she’d left. She’d been so vulnerable on her own. How had he ever left her to make the journey without him?

  “It happened while I was out with the guardian cats,” she told him gently, easing down into her nest.