Tigerheart's Shadow

  “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.”

  CHAPTER 29

  The moon showed in the late afternoon, pale against a paler sky. It had grown fat in the days they’d been walking. A half-moon had passed, and each dawn brought colder weather. Tigerheart fluffed his fur out against it and looked at Pouncekit, Lightkit, and Shadowkit. They were quiet today, walking close to Dovewing.

  “Don’t forget,” she told them softy. “If you get a piece of grit in your paw, lick it out straight away or it’ll work its way into your pad and hurt.”

  Lightkit’s tail drooped. “My pads already hurt.”

  “They’re tougher, though,” Pouncekit encouraged. “You stuck one in my muzzle while you were sleeping last night, and it felt as hard as stone.”

  Shadowkit looked thoughtful. “If our pads are tougher, will it be harder for grit to get in?”

  “Yes.” Dovewing leaned down as she walked and licked him gently between the ears.

  “How far is there to go?” Lightkit asked.

  Dovewing turned her anxious gaze on Tigerheart.

  He glanced at the landscape stretching around the Silverpath. The Twoleg dens were fewer, dotted now. Yesterday they had passed the ledge where he’d been pushed into the belly of the Thundersnake. He tried to remember how many days he’d walked to get here. “We just need to keep going,” he meowed. “If we make good time
, we’ll be there for full moon.”

  “Full moon!” Pouncekit flicked her tail crossly. “Yesterday you said we’d be there before full moon.”

  Traveling with kits was slower than Tigerheart had imagined. “We might make it home earlier if we don’t dawdle,” he told her.

  Cinnamon hurried to catch up to the kits. “Why don’t we play a game to make the time pass?”

  Lightkit looked at her, brightening. “What game?”

  “Let’s make up names for the trees and plants and creatures we see, and Tigerheart and Dovewing can tell us if we’re right.” Cinnamon looked hopefully at Tigerheart.

  He blinked at her gratefully. He’d been surprised at how hard she and Ant worked to distract the kits. Yesterday, Ant had persuaded Pouncekit, Lightkit, and Shadowkit to race him as they traveled; he had pointed out trees along the way and challenged them to reach them before he did. The guardian cats had also turned out to be useful hunters. Tigerheart had wondered how they’d manage without scrapcans to scavenge from, but they’d adapted easily to chasing prey, and their pelts grew glossier, their eyes brighter, and their muscles tighter each day.

  Blaze was shaping up to be the best hunter. Two days ago he’d caught his first rabbit. He’d outwitted it by cutting across its path, and his killing bite was so accurate that it had hardly mattered that the rabbit was almost as big as him. Hunting was when the young tom seemed happiest. During the day, as they walked, he kept quiet and stayed close to Spire, shadowing the healer protectively. Spire hardly spoke, but watched the passing fields and hills as though looking for something. Tigerheart had the feeling that he was making this journey for a reason he had left unspoken. He was uneasy that the strange tom never shared the dreams and visions that seemed so often to cloud his gaze.

  “Thorn-thistle!”

  Shadowkit’s mew jerked Tigerheart back to the present. He blinked at the kit, wondering why he was staring at him so eagerly.

  Pouncekit bounced to Tigerheart’s side. “He’s guessing a plant name,” she explained. She pointed her muzzle to a large bush dotted with red hips.