“Thanks,” Thunder sneered.
Lightning Tail padded through the grass, tail twitching above the long stems. “We should keep on looking.” He gazed across the meadow.
Thunder was still staring at Clear Sky. “Have you seen them?” he repeated.
“No!” Why should I help you and your dumb friends? If Turtle Tail had lost her kits, it served her right. He thought of Alder and Birch waiting in the hollow and how they’d run to him, eyes shining when he arrived back at camp. They’d never wander off with a strange cat. They wanted to be with him. Thunder had only ever wanted to be with Gray Wing. That was clear now.
“Stay off my land!” Lashing his tail, he turned his back and stalked into the forest.
CHAPTER 12
Had Clear Sky really not seen the kits? Thunder thought he had recognized something shifty in his father’s gaze. But perhaps it was unease at meeting Lightning Tail; after all, he was holding Jackdaw’s Cry hostage. Either way, Thunder knew that Clear Sky would not help and he wasn’t going to waste his breath asking.
A maple sprouted, tall and solitary, in the middle of the meadow. “Let’s try over there for scents.” Lightning Tail headed toward it. “The kits might have rested in the shade.”
Thunder followed as Lightning Tail wove through the grass. The stems grew thicker, the soil beneath his paws turning to marsh so that he was splashing through shallow water by the time they reached the maple. He was relieved that the ground rose above its roots so that it formed an island in the wide, wet meadow. He shook the water from his paws. “Any sign?”
Lightning Tail was sniffing the base of the tree. “Cat scent!” He whisked his tail excitedly.
Thunder darted forward to sniff the bark. Disappointment dropped like a stone in his belly. “It’s a rogue she-cat.” Not kittypet, or moor cat.
“Maybe the rogue saw them,” Lightning Tail suggested hopefully. “If we can find her, we can ask her.”
Thunder stretched up onto his hind legs and scanned the meadow. There was no sign of another cat, even though the scents around the tree were fresh. He sighed heavily and dropped onto all fours. “Too late. She’s not around here anymore.”
“Are you sure?” A mew sounded above their heads.
Thunder jerked back his muzzle and stared up into the fluttering leaves.
An orange face peered back. A tabby she-cat was crouched on a branch. “I’ve been watching you sniffing your way around the meadow for ages,” she mocked gently. “You didn’t even know I was here. I’m surprised you can find your own tails in the morning.”
“Have you seen three kits?” Thunder was too worried to respond to her teasing. “They were probably with a kittypet. A tom.”
The she-cat scrambled down the trunk and landed lightly beside him. “I’m Swift.” She introduced herself, tail high, circling Thunder and Lightning Tail.
Thunder’s pelt itched with frustration. “Have you seen them?”
Swift shrugged. “Yes, but why are you looking for them?”
“They’ve been stolen,” Lightning Tail explained.
Swift blinked. “They didn’t look stolen. They were following the tom quite happily. I thought he must be their father.”
“He is,” Thunder snapped.
“So what’s the problem?” Swift blinked at him.
Thunder clawed the earth. “He’s a cruel kittypet who hurt their mother and has taken them without her permission.”
“Where is their mother?” Swift stopped circling. “Shouldn’t she be looking for them?”
Thunder was losing patience with this nosy rogue. “She went on ahead. We’re trying to catch up to her before she finds the kittypet.”
“Why?” The rogue tipped her head to one side.
“Because he’s vicious and he might hurt her!” Thunder thrust his muzzle close to Swift’s. “Did you see where they went?”
Swift flicked her tail. “They crossed the meadow. They were heading toward the river.”
“Is that the way to Twolegplace?” Lightning Tail paced, scanning the sea of grass.
“Yes.” Swift sniffed. “Once he gets them there, you’ll never find them. It’s too noisy and smelly for any cat to pick up their trail.”
Thunder’s heart pounded. “We’ll find them before they reach it.”
“Good luck.” Swift padded down the slope and headed into the long grass.
Thunder watched her disappear. How long since the kits had passed this way? At least they weren’t scared. Swift had said they were following him happily. Why? A pang jabbed his belly. We raised them to be too trusting! Perhaps Clear Sky was right. Kindness was a weakness cats couldn’t allow. It made them vulnerable.
“Come on.” Lightning Tail was already heading toward the river. He slid into the grass. Thunder hurried after him.
How would they cross the river? How did the kits cross the river? A flash of hope flared in his chest. Perhaps they couldn’t! Perhaps they’d find them on the shore with Turtle Tail.
But what about Tom? He wouldn’t give them up without a fight. Not after having made it this far.
Thunder shouldered his way through the thick grass, following Lightning Tail. The young tom’s tail-tip snaked a muzzle-length ahead. As it slid out of sight, Thunder burst from the grass onto the pebbly shore of the river. Lightning Tail was already pacing at the water’s edge, his gaze fixed on the other side. The river was wide, but the long hot days had made it sluggish and it slid sleepily between the banks.
“Can you swim?” Lightning Tail looked over his shoulder.
Thunder shook his head. He crossed the pebbles and stood at the river’s edge, shuddering as water washed his paw tips. He scanned the bank, straining to see any sign of the kits. The shore was deserted, the far side empty. A frog croaked noisily a little way downstream.
“I smell Turtle Tail!” Lightning Tail ducked his head and began sniffing the stones. He padded downstream. “She definitely came this way.”
Thunder joined him, his heart lifting as he detected Turtle Tail’s familiar scent. He tracked it, muzzle skimming the stones.
Lightning Tail followed. “Do you think she crossed the river?”
“If the kits crossed, then she would have found a way to follow.”
“But how could the kits have got across?” Lightning Tail frowned.
“Perhaps kittypets swim.” Thunder pictured Tom dragging Sparrow Fur, terrified, through the water before swimming back for Pebble Heart and Owl Eyes. He padded faster over the stones.
“Look!” Lightning Tail’s cry rang through the shimmering air.
Thunder jerked up his head. “What?”
“Crossing stones!”
A line of flat stones showed above the water a little way downstream. They dotted the river, stretching from one shore to the other while the river flowed smoothly around them. The gaps between them were narrow enough for a full-grown cat to leap across easily—even one with a kit dangling from his jaws.
Thunder’s heart sank. “Tom would have taken them that way.”
“And Turtle Tail would have followed!” Lightning Tail streaked past Thunder, racing for the stones. He leaped from the bank onto the first and jumped from stone to stone, his eyes fixed on the far shore.
“Careful!” Thunder hurried after him, pebbles cracking beneath his paws. The crossing stones were smooth, worn by countless seasons of wind and water. “They might be slippery.”
As he spoke, one of Lightning Tail’s paws slid from beneath him, Thunder gasped as he heard the thud of his chin hitting the rock. “No!” Lightning Tail’s eyes rolled back and, dazed, he tumbled into the water.
Silently, smoothly, the river pulled him under.
“Lightning Tail!” Thunder leaped the crossing stones, claws stretched.
Black fur swirled beneath the surface, already tail-lengths away. Lightning Tail didn’t even struggle. The fall must have knocked him out. Thunder slithered to a halt in the middle. The river was stronger and f
aster than it looked. I’ll never reach him from here. He teetered at the edge of a stone, preparing to dive. I have to try and save him! Could he swim that far? And then what? Did he have the strength to drag his dazed friend to the shore?
A splash sounded from the far bank. Thunder gasped as he saw a shape slide through the water. A tom’s head surfaced, flicking water from his ear tips as he swam smoothly toward Lightning Tail.
River Ripple! As he recognized the tom’s silver fur, Thunder’s chest swelled with hope. He leaped the last few stones to the far bank and raced to the shore where River Ripple had dived in. The rogue was catching up with Lightning Tail as the river swirled him around. Lunging forward, River Ripple grabbed the helpless tom by the scruff. He turned and began to haul Lightning Tail back to shore.
Relief flooded Thunder’s pelt. He waded into the shallows to meet River Ripple as he neared the bank. Grabbing a mouthful of Lightning Tail’s pelt, he helped the rogue pull his friend from the water.
They laid him on the pebbles. Lightning Tail was as still as stone. “Is he dead?” Thunder blinked at River Ripple. Had they been too late?
River Ripple pressed his ear to Lightning Tail’s chest, then began pumping him with his forepaws. “He’s alive. If I can push out the water . . .” His mew trailed away as Lightning Tail twitched beneath him.
The black tom gurgled, half-opening his eyes. With a splutter, he coughed up a mouthful of water, then scrambled to his paws. He crouched, so much water falling from his mouth, Thunder began to wonder if he’d swallowed half the river.
“He’ll be okay now.” River Ripple’s calm mew sounded in his ear.
Thunder spun. “Thank you!” He purred loudly at the rogue. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t saved him.”
River Ripple shrugged. “You’d have either learned to swim or drowned trying.”
“Thanks, River Ripple,” Lightning Tail croaked.
River Ripple shook out his pelt.
Water sprayed Thunder. “Watch out!” he spluttered.
River Ripple purred. “You moor cats really don’t like getting wet.” He glanced at Lightning Tail, whose dripping pelt was clinging to his wiry frame. “What do you do when it rains?”
“You can’t drown in rain,” Thunder muttered.
“What are you doing here anyway?” River Ripple scanned the shore behind them.
Thunder nodded. “We’re looking for some kits.”
“Turtle Tail’s?” River Ripple narrowed his eyes.
“Have you seen them?” Thunder leaned closer.
River Ripple shook his head. “No. But I smelled Turtle Tail’s scent.”
“She’s looking for them, too. Their kittypet father snatched them from the camp,” Thunder explained. “We think he’s taking them back to his housefolk.”
“In Twolegplace?” River Ripple glanced across the lush meadow behind them. Huge, dark shapes showed, jagged against the horizon.
Thunder followed his gaze, anxiety pricking in his paws. “Is that it?” He nodded toward the dark shapes.
“Yes.”
Lightning Tail stopped coughing and straightened. “Have you ever been there?”
River Ripple nodded. “There’s a narrow river there, but it’s putrid.” He shivered. “It’s mostly full of Thunderpaths and monsters.”
Thunder flattened his ears. “I’ve never seen a Thunderpath up close.” He’d heard the older cats talk of them and seen the one that ran below the far edge of the moor. The distant monsters that raced along it shone like beetles in the sunlight, their whining roar piercing his ear fur. “We must get there as soon as we can.” Turtle Tail and the kits were in even more danger than he’d thought. He gazed intently at River Ripple. “Will you help us?” If the rogue had been to Twolegplace, he could help them find their way around.
“You say a kittypet’s taken Turtle Tail’s kits?”
Thunder nodded. “We have to get them back.”
“Okay.” River Ripple glanced at Lightning Tail, who was still dripping. “Shake out your pelt and we can leave.”
Thunder backed away quickly, but not quickly enough to avoid another soaking as Lightning Tail obeyed River Ripple. The rogue snorted with amusement as Thunder screwed up his face and shook water from his whiskers, then headed into the grass.
The lush grass of the meadow thinned as the dark shapes of Twolegplace loomed ahead. Thunder’s fur lifted along his spine as he heard the distant drone of monsters and felt a sour tang bathing his tongue. Before long they were crossing a stretch of short grass. Spindly trees lay ahead and Thunder felt relieved to be out of the hot sunshine as they padded beneath the branches.
River Ripple halted. “Are you ready?” He nodded toward a line of bushes ahead. “There are Twoleg nests beyond there.”
Thunder exchanged glances with Lightning Tail. “I promised Gray Wing I’d bring Turtle Tail and the kits back safely.” The muscles along his spine were tight with fear. “You can wait here if you prefer.”
“Never!” Lightning Tail flicked his tail. “We’re sticking together.”
Thunder nodded to River Ripple. “I’ll understand if you want to turn back.”
“I’m coming,” River Ripple told him firmly. “If you’ve never seen a Thunderpath up close before, you’ll need my help.” Thunder and Lightning Tail followed River Ripple through the gap in the hedge, surprised to see a wide stretch of grass on the other side. Flowery bushes edged both sides. Where were the monsters and Thunderpaths? He glanced questioningly at River Ripple.
“Follow me.” The rogue scurried over the grass, keeping close to the bushes. A huge stone shape loomed at the end of the grass. It seemed to be staring at Thunder through four square shiny eyes. “Is it safe here?” He shrank beneath his pelt.
“Don’t worry,” River Ripple called over his shoulder. “It’s just a Twoleg nest. Hurry up!”
Thunder raced after him, surprised by the softness of the grass beneath his paws. It didn’t feel anything like the coarse, spiky grass on the moor.
River Ripple was heading for a narrow gorge that ran between this nest and the next. As shadows swallowed him, Thunder quickened his pace. “Are you okay?” he whispered to Lightning Tail.
“I’m fine,” Lightning Tail answered. “I just hope we find Turtle Tail and the kits quickly.”
Doubt nagged in Thunder’s belly. “Do you really think they came this way?”
“I haven’t caught their scents yet,” Lightning Tail answered as he followed River Ripple into the gorge.
Thunder opened his mouth. Acrid fumes filled it. How could he smell the kits through such a stench?
River Ripple stopped at the end of the gorge and peered out into sunshine.
Thunder stopped beside him. “Where are we going?”
River Ripple shrugged. “This is the easiest way into Twolegplace for a cat. Most kittypets use it. The tom might have come this way.”
“And Turtle Tail has probably followed,” Lightning Tail murmured.
“Let’s hope so,” Thunder muttered darkly. He followed River Ripple’s gaze, screwing his eyes up against the fierce sunshine. His heart lurched as he spotted a huge shiny shape on the flat ground ahead of them. “Is that a monster?” He gulped. Bigger than any stone on the moor, it sat silently on four huge black paws.
“Don’t worry,” River Ripple breathed. “It’s asleep.” He darted forward and crouched beside one of its stinking round paws.
Thunder scurried after him, Lightning Tail at his heels. “Where now?”
River Ripple nodded past the monster. More monsters crouched in front of more Twoleg nests, stretching either side of a Thunderpath. “We need to check around all the nests along this Thunderpath,” he murmured.
Lightning Tail stared. “All of them?”
Thunder blinked. There were too many to count. “What if they’re not here?”
“There are plenty more places like this that we can search,” River Ripple told him.
Thunder’s heart sank. I promised Gray Wing I’d find them! But it looks like we could be searching all night. He straightened, tasting the air.
A loud slam sounded from the monster.
“What’s that?” He stared in terror at River Ripple.
The rogue’s gaze flicked up. Above them, a Twoleg was sitting inside the monster. “Run!” River Ripple hurtled forward. “Get out of here!”
The monster roared into life. It shuddered against Thunder’s flank. Blind with panic, he darted after River Ripple. Lightning Tail’s pelt flashed beside him as the monster leaped forward with a deafening growl. As it turned, squealing, its huge black paw yanked a piece of fur from Thunder’s tail. He swerved sideways, racing over the hard stone ground, then turned, skidding to a halt. “Lightning Tail!”
The young tom slammed into his flank and sent them rolling over the ground.
A few tail-lengths away, the monster leaped onto the Thunderpath and hared away, spouting hot, choking air.
Thunder watched it disappear, his breath coming in gasps. “It nearly killed us!” he panted.
Lightning Tail cowered against him, his body trembling.
River Ripple crept shakily from a bush that sprouted in front of the Twoleg nest. “Perhaps we should stay away from monsters.”
“Do you think so?” Thunder asked sarcastically. He glanced over his shoulder at the monster outside the next nest and the next. A roar sounded from the Thunderpath as another hurtled past. There were more monsters here than Twolegs! “But I don’t think it’s going to be very easy.”
“Thunder.” Lightning Tail’s trembling whisper sounded in his ear.
“What?” Frazzled, Thunder turned to face his friend.
Lightning Tail was staring past him, eyes wide with horror.
Thunder followed his gaze. A white shape, splotched with orange and black, lay like abandoned prey at the side of the Thunderpath. Dread hollowed Thunder’s belly as he recognized the battered tortoiseshell pelt. Horror spiked through his pelt and he froze, not wanting to look closer. But Lightning Tail was already creeping forward.
“Turtle Tail?” The young tom’s mew caught in his throat. “Turtle Tail? Is that you?”