Thunder glanced at his campmate. Does he really believe that? Of course, strength was important. But surely it was possible to be strong and look after the weak? “Everyone has their own strengths,” he pointed out. “No one hears as well as Pink Eyes. And Jagged Peak has grown tough and practical because he’s had to fight every paw step of the way.”
“He may be tough, but can he hunt?” Leaf meowed darkly. “You’ve forgotten how long leaf-bare is. There are lean moons ahead, and it’s not so easy to be softhearted when your belly’s empty.”
Thunder flexed his claws. Leaf was sounding like Clear Sky in the days before the battle. “All we have to do is persuade Clear Sky to change the hunting patrols. Then there’ll be enough prey for all of us. You’ll see.”
A tiny shape scuttled through the leaves and darted over a root.
Mouse! Excitement surged through Thunder’s muscles. Before Leaf could move, he raced for it. The mouse was heading for a gap where the root burrowed into the earth. Leaping, Thunder hooked it with a claw. He landed awkwardly, bending his other forepaw beneath him. Pain flashed through his flank as he hit the root, feeling the wind knocked from his body.
Squeaking, the mouse wriggled free of his grasp.
Leaf barged past and slammed his forepaws down hard on the ground. “Got it!”
As the black-and-white tom spoke, leaves exploded a tail-length away. Thunder jerked up his head and saw a rabbit racing away between the trees. They must have startled it when they caught the mouse. He struggled to his paws, his flank aching where the root had bruised it. His injured paw folded limply beneath him. Mouse dung!
“It’s okay! I’ve got it!” Owl Eyes’s triumphant yowl rang through the trees. He was on the rabbit’s tail. He lunged fast and caught it between his forepaws.
Thunder shook out his weak paw until the pain eased. The scent of fresh-kill touched his nose.
Leaf paced around him, tail high. The mouse dangled from his jaws. Owl Eyes trotted toward them, the rabbit swinging beneath his chin.
“I told you!” Thunder purred. “With enough hunting patrols, there’ll be prey enough for everyone.”
Thunder led the way into camp, his fur fluffed with pride. On the way back, he had spotted a squirrel rummaging beneath the sycamore. He’d caught it as it tried to scoot up the trunk. Now he crossed the clearing and dropped it on the prey pile. “No hungry bellies tonight,” he meowed loudly, scanning the camp for his father. Clear Sky had to see now that more hunting patrols would keep the group well fed.
Lightning Tail hurried to meet him, his gaze dark.
“Where’s Clear Sky?” Thunder asked.
Lightning Tail scowled. “He left the camp,” the black tom growled softly. “With Star Flower.”
Thunder bristled. Clear Sky had ignored his warning. He just sent me hunting to get me out of the way! Blood roared in his ears. “Did he say when he’d be back?”
Lightning Tail glanced toward the bramble entrance, keeping his mew low. “All he said was that he’d be back later.”
Then I’ll wait. Trembling with rage, Thunder swallowed back a growl. I have something to tell him. Something he will not want to hear.
CHAPTER 12
Clear Sky pounded down the slope, swerving between the trees. The ground had dried since the morning’s rain, but the leaves were still slippery underpaw, and he skidded as he dodged around a bramble spilling across his path.
Star Flower was ahead. He could see her golden pelt glowing as she ran like a patch of sunshine moving between the trees.
Digging his claws into the soft earth, he regained his balance and pushed harder. He reached the bottom of the slope a moment after Star Flower.
“Do you still think you know the forest better than I do?” Her words came in gasps as she caught her breath. “I bet you’ve never been here before.”
“Yes, I have,” Clear Sky puffed.
Wilted ferns clumped between slender rowans. Beyond them, he could see a grassy clearing. Have I been here before? He narrowed his eyes. Of course! He recognized the wall of rocks on the far side of the clearing. As he padded into the clearing, wet grass brushed his paws. It was getting late, and dew glittered in the late sunshine. If the skies remained clear, it would turn to frost.
Star Flower stopped beside him as he gazed at the sun dipping behind the rocks. Its orange rays melted on top of the stones for a moment before disappearing. Clear Sky felt chilly shadows swallow him. “Come on.” Chasing the setting sun, he leaped onto a jutting stone. He scrambled from boulder to boulder until he reached the top.
Star Flower looked up from the clearing below. “Watch out for the snakes.”
“Snakes?” Clear Sky peered over the edge, his pelt prickling.
“They hide in the crevices between the stones.” Star Flower leaped nimbly after him. He watched her, expecting any moment for a snake to dart from a gap and bite her.
She stopped beside him, her whiskers twitching as she met his anxious gaze. “Don’t worry. One Eye taught me how to kill snakes.”
Clear Sky blinked at her in surprise.
“Have you ever killed one?” A mischievous glint flashed in her eye.
“I’ve never had to.”
“You should try it.” She shrugged. “They don’t taste bad, especially in the middle of a long leaf-bare. One Eye would bring me hunting here when there was no other prey in the forest. Snakes are sluggish when it’s cold. Easy to catch, if you can find them.”
Clear Sky stared at the she-cat, his tail twitching. What other secrets of the forest did Star Flower know? With this wily she-cat at his side, who knew what he might achieve. She might be able to help him work out a way to unite all the cats. Sunshine warmed his back. They had escaped the shadows below and caught up to the setting sun, which glittered between the trees as it slid toward the far horizon.
Star Flower wove around him. “So?”
“So, what?” Had he missed something?
She stopped, her muzzle close to his. “Have you decided to trust me yet?”
Clear Sky shifted his paws. “Thunder thinks that I shouldn’t.”
Star Flower’s green eyes softened. “Poor Thunder,” she murmured. “I’m sorry that I hurt him. But he’s a young cat. He’ll get over it.”
“Do you think?” Clear Sky searched her gaze hopefully. He’d never met a cat like Star Flower before; she was clever, tough, and self-assured. A strange, strong urge to be with her pressed in his chest.
But what about Thunder?
He’s a young cat. He’ll get over it.
Star Flower’s warm breath washed his muzzle. He nudged her cheek with his nose. Should he ignore Star Flower just to please his son? Does he really want me to be alone?
“We should get back to camp,” Star Flower murmured. “It’ll be dark soon, and the others will be worried about you.”
Clear Sky nodded slowly. He didn’t want to leave the last warm rays of the sun and return to the chilly clearing. But he was leader. He had a duty.
He leaped down the rocks, warily eyeing the gaps between the stones for snakes. He landed in the grassy clearing with a grunt of relief. Star Flower’s pelt brushed his as she landed beside him.
She led the way home, her tail swishing through the shadows. Twilight seeped through the forest as the sun disappeared. As they neared the camp, he smelled the familiar scents of his campmates. He nosed his way through the bramble and padded into the dim clearing.
“Back off, Leaf!” Blossom stood face-to-face with the black-and-white tom, her ears flat. Behind her, Milkweed was shielding her kits while Leaf eyed them angrily.
“They ate my mouse!” Leaf snarled.
“It’s not your mouse,” Blossom challenged.
“I caught it!” Leaf’s eyes blazed.
“And Owl Eyes caught the rabbit!” Blossom nodded at the carcass lying between Acorn Fur and Thorn. “But he was happy to share it.”
“Only because Thunder let him have the squirrel!”
The fur lifted along Leaf’s spine. “All I’ve had is half the shrew Nettle caught this morning.”
Clear Sky hesitated. Why are they arguing over prey?
Star Flower nudged his shoulder with her nose. “Stop them,” she murmured.
Clear Sky shot her a warning glance. He didn’t need her telling him how to handle his cats. “What’s going on?” He glared at Leaf.
Leaf turned on him. “I’m starving while they eat my catch!” He flung a hostile look at Milkweed. “What has she brought to the group apart from two hungry kits and a cough that keeps everyone awake?”
Milkweed’s eyes narrowed to slits. Beside her, Thistle arched his back and hissed, while Clover ducked, wide-eyed, beneath her mother’s belly.
Blossom showed her teeth. “They need food more than you! Can’t you see that? They’re half-starved!”
“Then they should have gone hunting today, like I did!” Leaf spat back.
Clear Sky pricked his ears. Leaf wasn’t on today’s hunting patrols. “Who said you could hunt?”
“Thunder did.”
Clear Sky flashed a look at his son. “I told you to take Owl Eyes.”
Thunder’s eyes were dark. A chill ran along Clear Sky’s spine. How had the mood in the camp turned so sour? He turned back to Leaf. “I organize the hunting patrols.”
“Leaf-bare is here!” Leaf lashed his tail. “We’ve already had snow, and the days are still getting shorter. The sickness killed half the prey, and we’re feeding cats who can’t yet hunt for themselves.” His gaze flashed to Birch and Alder.
Birch puffed out his chest indignantly. “We’d hunt if we got the chance!”
“Exactly!” Leaf turned back to Clear Sky. “Every cat should be out hunting, or at least learning to hunt. We shouldn’t be sitting in camp hungry while prey roams the forest.”
Clear Sky curled his lip. “Our prey is gorging on leaf-fall fruit, growing fat and strong again. If we hunt it while it’s still recovering from the sickness, we risk destroying it forever.” He looked around at his campmates.
Blossom stared at him nervously. Pink Eyes dropped his gaze. Acorn Fur and Lightning Tail exchanged glances.
Clear Sky stood up tall, looming over Leaf. “You think with your belly, not your head,” he snarled. “Which is why I’m leader and you’re not. If you’re not happy here, then leave! Go back to living as a rogue. I only want cats here who want to be here!” He backed away, his tail lashing as silence gripped the camp like a hard frost.
Thunder broke it. “You’re right.” He stepped forward, his shoulders square. “Cats should only be here if they want to be. So I should leave.”
Shock scorched through Clear Sky. Leave? He stared at his son. Numbness spread up from his paws until he could hardly feel the chill of the night settling over the camp. “Why?” he rasped.
“I can’t stay another day trapped in a camp and watching cats I care about go hungry just because you order it.”
A murmur rippled around the camp. Owl Eyes shifted his paws, while Pink Eyes nodded slowly.
Anger burned in Clear Sky’s belly. “I don’t let my cats gorge themselves into a stupor for a reason. I want the prey in this forest to last until newleaf. I want enough to share when Gray Wing and the others decide to join our group. If we hunt too much now, there’ll be nothing left. Just wait. You’ll see I’m right.”
Thunder’s eyes flashed. “That’s all you care about, isn’t it?” he snarled. “Being right! You’d sacrifice every cat in this camp just to prove you’re the smartest cat in the forest.”
“That’s not true—”
“It is!” Leaf’s hiss surprised Clear Sky. “Thunder’s right. You don’t care about preserving the prey. You just want to look clever.”
Clear Sky dug his claws into the cold earth. How could any cat believe that, after everything he had done for them?
Thunder spoke. “I won’t disturb you, or hunt near your camp. I’ll live somewhere else in the forest—but I can’t be a part of your group anymore.”
“I’m going with him!” Leaf lashed his tail.
“Me too!” Lightning Tail stepped forward.
Clear Sky’s thoughts whirled. What was happening? He wanted to unite the cats, not drive them apart.
Owl Eyes nodded to Thunder. “Can I come too?”
“And me.” Cloud Spots glanced anxiously toward Milkweed. “I’ll leave my herbs for your cough.”
Thunder was staring at the cats gathering around him, his eyes wide with surprise. “Y-you can come if you want,” he stammered.
Owl Eyes gazed hopefully at Sparrow Fur. “Are you coming?”
Confusion sharpened the young she-cat’s amber gaze for a moment. Then she dipped her head. “No, Owl Eyes. I made my decision to join Clear Sky and I’m sticking with it.”
“I’ll come with you.” Pink Eyes padded toward Thunder.
“You?” Clear Sky wondered if he was dreaming. “But I took you in. I fed you. I thought . . .” His words trailed away. I thought you were my friend. Grief stabbed his chest like gorse thorns. He struggled to steady his breathing. What was going on? I’m losing control. His heart pounded in his ears so that he hardly heard his own raspy mew. “Thunder, can we speak in private?”
Thunder nodded and padded past his campmates. Smoothly, he leaped onto the steep bank. Clear Sky scrambled after him and followed him toward the bracken where they’d shared words just this morning. How had everything changed since then?
“What are you doing, Thunder?” He desperately searched the young tom’s gaze.
Thunder’s wide, white paws glowed in the fast-fading light. “I thought, when I came here, that I could help you lead. But you’re not interested in my opinion. You always ignore my advice. It’s pointless, me being here.”
Clear Sky’s ear twitched. Thunder was whining like a spoiled kit. Help me lead? What makes him think he’s so important? “Did you think you’d get special treatment because you’re my son?”
Thunder’s eyes widened. “No! I was no cat’s son on the moor, but the cats there respected me.”
“So you’re abandoning us because you’re not getting the respect you deserve?” Clear Sky couldn’t keep scorn from his mew.
Thunder thrust his muzzle close. “I’m leaving because I don’t want to watch you make any more dumb decisions.”
“I’ve explained why I won’t let my cats hunt more prey.”
“That’s not the dumb decision I meant.” Thunder’s eyes flashed with rage.
Clear Sky drew in a sharp breath. “You mean Star Flower.”
“You should banish her from the forest,” Thunder snarled. “She’s nothing but trouble.”
“Stop acting like a kit who’s upset he can’t get first pick from the prey pile!”
“I’m not!”
Clear Sky snorted. “I’m your father. You can’t tell me who I can take as a mate any more than you can tell me how to lead my group.”
“That’s the problem, Clear Sky.” Thunder lashed his tail. “I can’t tell you anything. You think you know it all. But you don’t! You can’t tell good from bad. You never could. But you’re so determined to be ‘right,’ you’ll twist everything to prove it. If you mistook a fox for a rabbit, you’d keep calling it a rabbit while it tore out your throat, just because you’d rather die than admit that you were wrong.”
“That’s not true!” Clear Sky snapped. “If Star Flower had chosen you instead of me, you wouldn’t be leaving. You’re blinded by jealousy.”
Thunder lowered his voice to a hiss. “But Star Flower would never choose me. I’m not enough like One Eye.” He turned, his tail whipping past Clear Sky’s muzzle, and leaped back to the clearing.
Clear Sky’s chest tightened. He thinks I’m like One Eye? Stiff with shock, he watched Leaf, Pink Eyes, Cloud Spots, Owl Eyes, and Lightning Tail gather eagerly around his son. With a flick of his tail, Thunder led them out of camp.
Grief dragged at his bones, as heavy as water. I
just wanted my kin near me. Jagged Peak and Gray Wing were in the pine forest. Thunder was leaving. His eyes misted. I’m sorry, Fluttering Bird. I’ve failed you, and now I’m alone again. Somehow, I always end up alone.
A familiar scent touched his nose. “Star Flower?”
Paws scuffed the earth beside him, and he turned to see her green eyes shining through the darkness.
Her soft gaze met his. “It’s been a tough day.” She reached forward and brushed her cheek with her muzzle. “But don’t be sad. A few troublemakers have left, that’s all. This is your chance to build the loyal, strong group you always wanted. Let Thunder go if he wants. His only ambition is to fill his belly. He will never be the leader that you are.”
Clear Sky let her words lull him. She wove around him, her thick pelt warming his. Icy weather was coming. He could smell it on the wind. Let Thunder find a new camp as leaf-bare tightened its grip. He still had a loyal band of cats. He rubbed his muzzle into the soft fur of Star Flower’s neck.
At last, he had a mate worthy of him.
CHAPTER 13
Thunder padded stiffly from the camp. He was acutely aware of the cats following at his heels. He was responsible for them now—all of them. His heart pounded in his chest. Am I doing the right thing?
His father’s words rang in his ears. If Star Flower had chosen you instead of me, you wouldn’t be leaving. You’re blinded by jealousy.
Was that true?
No! It was far more than that. He couldn’t live where he wasn’t listened to—and he couldn’t watch Clear Sky let cats go hungry. Did his father truly believe that their prey would not last through leaf-bare, or was he just flexing his claws because he enjoyed ordering cats around?
Lightning Tail fell in beside Thunder as he headed for the gully. “Why didn’t you tell me you were planning to leave?”
Thunder avoided his gaze. “It was a quick decision.” Numbly, he slithered into the gully. Rain had washed through it and the earth was soft. Mud seeped around his paws.