Sun Shadow fell in beside Thunder. “How long ago did he die?”
“Many moons.” Thunder kept his gaze fixed ahead. He wished he could ease the tom’s grief, but he didn’t know how.
“Did you know him well?”
“I was young.”
“But you know Tall Shadow and Gray Wing?”
Thunder’s pelt prickled uncomfortably. “Yes.”
Quiet Rain glanced at him. “What about Jagged Peak and Clear Sky? How well do you know them?”
“Well enough.” Thunder’s mew thickened. “I’m Clear Sky’s son.”
Quiet Rain stopped and stared at him. “Clear Sky’s son!” Delight flooded her gaze. “Where is he? Where’s Bright Stream?”
Thunder faced her, puzzled. “Bright Stream?”
“Your mother!” Quiet Rain meowed. “Clear Sky and Bright Stream were destined to be mates.”
“Bright Stream died on the journey from the mountains.” The words blurted from Thunder’s mouth before he could stop them.
Quiet Rain’s eyes clouded. “She died too?”
“An eagle carried her off,” Thunder mumbled, guilt clawing at his heart.
“She left the mountains, only to suffer a mountain cat’s fate!” Anger tinged Quiet Rain’s mew. “Who’s your mother then?” Her gaze scorched Thunder’s.
“Storm,” he answered quietly.
“She is Clear Sky’s mate?” Quiet Rain held his gaze.
“She was.”
“Was?” Quiet Rain stared in disbelief. “More death?”
Thunder could only nod.
“Why did we ever come here?” Quiet Rain pulled away from River Ripple and limped to Sun Shadow’s side. “This is a place where cats come to die!”
“Not all cats.” River Ripple’s gentle mew carried on the wind that was gusting over the moortop and tugging at the cats’ fur. “It is a place where prey is rich and the greenleaf is long and warm.”
Thunder purred his agreement. “Gray Wing and Jagged Peak love it here. And Jagged Peak has kits now.”
Quiet Rain lifted her head. “Kits?”
“Storm Pelt, Dew Nose, and Eagle Feather,” Thunder told her, relieved to have some good news for the older she-cat.
Quiet Rain mewed approvingly. “Good, strong names.”
“Hawk Swoop had kits too.” River Ripple nudged her gently onward. “Let me tell you about them.”
Thunder felt a wave of gratitude toward the river cat as he steered the old she-cat across the moor, chattering easily.
They passed the rim of the four trees hollow and followed the moor as it sloped toward the Thunderpath. Beyond, the pines stood like a great dark wall, their tips scratching the pale sky.
Thunder stopped on the grass area at the side of the Thunderpath and gazed along the straight, black track. There were no monsters to be heard, but the foul stench in the air told him one had passed by recently. “We must be careful crossing here,” he told Sun Shadow.
Quiet Rain snorted beside River Ripple. “Do you think we haven’t seen plenty of these stinking tracks on our journey already?”
Thunder stepped back and let the she-cat approach the Thunderpath’s edge with Sun Shadow. She glanced both ways, then scuttled across it like a mouse. The black tom bounded after her.
Thunder padded to River Ripple’s side. “Do you think all mountain cats are as prickly as these two?”
River Ripple purred. “I’m sure they’re just tired from their journey.” He glanced along the Thunderpath, then darted across. Thunder chased his tail, pleased that there were no monsters.
Sun Shadow and Quiet Rain were waiting beside the pines, staring at the shadows beyond.
“Which way?” Sun Shadow asked.
“I’m not sure.” Thunder glanced hopefully at River Ripple. “Have you been here before?”
River Ripple shook his head. “Slate’s visited. She told me Tall Shadow made her camp deep in the pine forest.”
Thunder looked at the brambles crowding between the straight, dark trunks. “That might be hard to find.”
River Ripple padded into the shadows. “We won’t fail,” he promised.
“You must know their scents,” Quiet Rain sniffed. “Smell them out! In the mountains, a kit can track a mouse in the snow!”
“Tracking scents in a pine forest might be harder than tracking scents in snow,” Thunder warned. The tang of pinesap swirled around them. He opened his mouth, searching for the familiar taste of his old campmates. Please let us find the camp soon. Quiet Rain’s eyes were dull with exhaustion, and her limping stride was getting worse. She needed to rest.
“Come on.” River Ripple beckoned the mountain cats forward and led them past a rotting log. Pelt pricking with unease, Thunder headed into the forest. What would Tall Shadow say when she saw her old friends from the mountains? And how would she break the news of the rift between Quiet Rain’s sons—and the deaths of so many of her Tribemates?
CHAPTER 15
Thunder brought them to a stop at the edge of a clearing so Quiet Rain could catch her breath. He peered through the brambles and felt his heart surge with relief: he could see Tall Shadow inside, meowing something to Holly. We’ve found their camp!
The black she-cat pointed with her tail at a prey pile. The two mice and scrawny blackbird would surely not feed all her cats. Thunder felt his pelt prickle with sympathy. It seemed that every group was having trouble keeping their cats well fed.
Then Thunder noticed the shelter Holly stood beside: a large den woven from the brambles at the far end, with a high, arched roof. What an ingenious shelter, Thunder thought. He wondered if he could re-create something similar for his own cats.
Thunder felt a warmth spread through his pelt. Tall Shadow’s cats were making their new camp into a home. The shelter of the pines was surely safer and cozier than the hollow on the moor.
If they can do it, so can I.
He turned to Quiet Rain. “Can you continue?” he murmured.
“Of course I can,” the old she-cat hissed.
Thunder led the others through the brambles, which rattled as they stepped into the camp.
Tall Shadow hurried forward to greet him, her nose twitching, likely at the unfamiliar scents of Quiet Rain and Sun Shadow. As she stared, puzzled, at the strangers, Mud Paws and Mouse Ear appeared behind her, their pelts bristling uneasily.
Holly drew up alongside her leader. “Who is this?” she asked.
Before Thunder could answer, Quiet Rain stepped forward and met Tall Shadow’s gaze. Her speckled pelt might have clung to her bones, but she stood tall and proud. Tall Shadow seemed to sense her authority, her eyes narrowing nervously as Quiet Rain gave her a gaze that was almost . . . familiar.
Then Tall Shadow’s eyes widened.
“Don’t you know me?” Quiet Rain’s mew was thick with emotion.
Tall Shadow leaned forward and sniffed, her pelt seeming to bristle with excitement. “Quiet Rain? Is that you?”
Holly shifted beside her. “You know this cat?”
Quiet Rain purred, her chest crackling. “She knows me well.” She lifted her muzzle as Tall Shadow bounded forward and wove around her. Thunder felt relief tingling in his skin as her gaze flicked to the second cat.
“You must be Moon Shadow’s kit! You look so much like him. You . . .”
Tall Shadow’s words trailed off, her eyes shutting tight as if to stifle the ache in her heart. The loss of her littermate clearly still hurt her, but she shook her head clear of it, her face filling with delight to gaze upon his son.
Sun Shadow gave a solemn nod.
Thunder saw Tall Shadow freeze. He stepped forward, leaning close to her ear. “They know about Moon Shadow and Bright Stream,” he murmured, “but that’s all I’ve told them of their old Tribemates.”
Quiet Rain was glancing around the camp, her eyes glistening with hope. “Where is Gray Wing?”
Tall Shadow hesitated.
“What’s wrong?” Qui
et Rain jerked around to stare accusingly at River Ripple. “Is that why you kept prattling like a magpie all the way here? Are you hiding more sorrow from us?”
River Ripple gazed steadily back at her but said nothing.
Tall Shadow gripped the earth with her claws. “Gray Wing isn’t here at the moment.” She looked to Thunder. “Have you seen him?”
Thunder frowned at her. “Why would I have seen him? He lives here now.”
Holly’s ears twitched. “He left the camp a few days ago.”
“He’s missing?” Quiet Rain blinked at Thunder. “You said he’d be here!” She scanned the clearing again. “Are Clear Sky and Jagged Peak missing too?”
Sun Shadow’s spine fur stood on end. “What else are you hiding from us?”
Tall Shadow looked desperately at Thunder. Sun Shadow’s bony flanks were quivering, while Quiet Rain swayed on her old, weak legs.
Thunder’s tail drooped. I’ve only succeeded in bringing them more grief.
Paws pattered toward them. “I smell infection.” Pebble Heart was hurrying across the clearing. He stopped beside Quiet Rain and began sniffing at her pelt.
She flinched away. “Who’s this?”
“Pebble Heart,” Tall Shadow told her. “He has the power to heal.”
“I know herbs that might help you,” Pebble Heart mumbled modestly. He sniffed Quiet Rain’s pelt once more, stopping as he reached the blackened wound on her hind leg. “Is this your only injury?” he asked.
Quiet Rain snorted. “The only one worth mentioning.”
“It needs a poultice,” Pebble Heart told her. “I’ll make you one. Please rest while I do. And eat. You will need strength to fight this infection. It’s gone deep.” He nodded toward the prey pile, then hurried toward his den.
Quiet Rain watched him go. “At least there’s one cat who’s honest.”
“We are all honest!” Tall Shadow bristled, meeting Quiet Rain’s gaze with a fierce one of her own. “Pebble Heart is right. You need to rest. There is much you need to know, but I’m not telling you anything while you look like you might fall over at any moment.”
Thunder looked at the old she-cat, wondering how she’d react to Tall Shadow’s bluntness. Then a purr sputtered in Quiet Rain’s throat. “You have your father’s temper.”
“And I see where Clear Sky got his spirit.” Tall Shadow headed for Pebble Heart’s den. “Follow me.”
Thunder stayed close to Quiet Rain as she approached the den—just in case her tired legs gave way.
Quiet Rain sniffed. “It smells of sap!”
Tall Shadow halted beside the den entrance. “Pebble Heart is mixing herbs to treat your wound.”
As she spoke, Pebble Heart slid out, a leaf folded in his jaws. He dropped it beside Quiet Rain. “Lie down, please.”
She glanced at him warily, but followed his order and careful lowered herself onto the ground.
Thunder could see relief soften the old cat’s face as she rested.
Pebble Heart unfolded the leaf with his paw, then lapped up some of the green pulp inside and began to wash it into Quiet Rain’s wound.
She winced, but made no sound.
“Will it heal?” Sun Shadow leaned forward.
“In time,” Pebble Heart murmured between licks.
Tall Shadow signaled to Mud Paws and Mouse Ear with a flick of her tail. “We’ll need more prey.”
Mouse Ear nodded. “We’ll hunt.”
“I found a stash of beechnuts while we were out this morning,” Mud Paws meowed. “Where there are nuts, there are squirrels.”
The two toms crossed the clearing, brushing past River Ripple as they headed out of camp.
Tall Shadow stepped away from Quiet Rain and Pebble Heart, coming to stop at Thunder’s side. “Thank you for bringing them here.”
Thunder shrugged. “She wanted to see you and Gray Wing.”
Tall Shadow’s whiskers twitched with worry. “If you see any sign of Gray Wing, please tell him to come home.”
“I will.” Thunder dipped his head.
At the edge of his vision, he saw River Ripple shifting his paws impatiently. “I must get back to the island. The others will wonder where I am.”
Tall Shadow’s green eyes brightened with hope. “Did you accept Dappled Pelt and Shattered Ice into your group?”
“Of course.” The silver tom purred. “They were welcome and have settled in well. Night and Dew have been teaching Dappled Pelt to swim.” Thunder shuddered at the thought. “She caught her first fish yesterday. She might have been born in the mountains, but she moves like an otter in the water.”
“Did you say Dappled Pelt?” Quiet Rain’s raspy voice called across the clearing.
“She and Shattered Ice live with River Ripple now,” Tall Shadow called back.
“Mountain cats living beside water?” Quiet Rain blinked as Pebble Heart worked on her wound.
“Don’t forget, we were raised behind a waterfall.” Thunder saw Tall Shadow’s eyes glaze over at the distant memory. “Perhaps Dappled Pelt missed the sound of it lulling her to sleep.”
Thunder’s heart suddenly felt heavy. So many cats had made so many choices—from long before the time he was born. Each time they did, it brought changes to the cats, to the groups, to the camps . . . huge changes—new lines of territory, and occasional death. Not all the choices had been good ones. Would Quiet Rain be able to understand all the quarrels the cats had had? How would she feel, seeing the grave beside the four trees—the grave where so many of her Tribemates now lay?
River Ripple turned. “I must go.”
“So must I.” Thunder glanced at Tall Shadow. “Can you take care of them? Do you have enough prey?”
“We’ll find enough,” Tall Shadow promised. “We are quickly learning the best places to hunt among the pines. And in the quiet of the forest, prey is easy to hear. It may be scarce, but we’re good hunters.”
River Ripple gave a respectful nod before he headed for the entrance.
Thunder turned to follow, but stopped when he heard his father’s mother call once more across the clearing. “Don’t go, Thunder! Tell me more about Clear Sky. Has he found a new mate?”
Thunder hesitated, his paws suddenly feeling mud-sodden. “Stay,” Tall Shadow whispered. “Just long enough to reassure her that he is well.”
Thunder held her gaze, uncertain of how to respond. Before he could, the bramble wall shuddered as Jagged Peak padded in.
Holly hurried to greet him. “You’re back!”
Quiet Rain pushed herself to her paws, nudging Pebble Heart away. “My son!”
Jagged Peak paused, eyes wide. “Quiet Rain?” Joy lit up his gaze and he hurried to greet her.
Quiet Rain’s gaze flicked instantly to his injured hind leg, which dragged behind him. “What happened?” she gasped.
“An old injury.” Jagged Peak halted. “I fell from a tree. It’s not important.”
Quiet Rain stared at him, disappointment clouding her gaze. “You’re lame!”
Jagged Peak stiffened, the fur ripping along his spine. Thunder’s paws tingled with dread—Jagged Peak never liked other cats treating him as weak, but would he admonish his mother the way he had Gray Wing?
Holly growled. “He has a slight limp,” she told Quiet Rain sharply. “That’s all. He can hunt and think as well as any cat and—”
Excited mewls cut her off. Dew Nose raced into camp, dragging a vole, while Storm Pelt and Eagle Feather crowded around her.
“It’s my turn to carry it!” Eagle Feather complained.
Jagged Peak turned on them sternly. “Behave yourselves! My mother is visiting from the mountains.”
Dew Nose dropped the vole and stared at the ragged she-cat. “That’s your mother?”
Storm Pelt raced to Holly’s side and sheltered under her belly. “That cat smells funny.”
Eagle Feather padded toward Quiet Rain, his nose twitching. “Why have you come here?”
Quiet
Rain glared at Jagged Peak, bristling. “Is this how you raise your young in this land of soft earth? I would never have allowed such rudeness.”
Holly’s eyes flashed with rage. “Perhaps that’s why your sons left.”
Quiet Rain glared back. “How dare you?”
Jagged Peak stepped between them. “My kits are lively,” he told her. “But they have good hearts and will make fine hunters one day.”
Quiet Rain ignored him and turned to Thunder. “I wish to see my other sons,” she meowed. “Where is Clear Sky?”
Thunder dropped his gaze. “He’s in the forest.”
Quiet Rain’s eyes widened. “We found you in the forest. Why did you bring us all the way here?”
“I will take you to him when you’re stronger,” he mumbled.
Quiet Rain jerked her gaze to Tall Shadow. “And what about Gray Wing?”
“I told you,” Tall Shadow meowed irritably. “We haven’t seen him for days.”
“If Gray Wing is missing,” Quiet Rain growled, “you must find him. I came here to see my kin.”
Thunder saw Tall Shadow staring at the she-cat. Please don’t fight, he willed them both. Quiet Rain is just a concerned mother, that’s all. The mountain cat was also tired and hungry, and carrying a wound that looked painful.
And there was still more grief for the old cat to face.
Tall Shadow seemed to come to the same conclusion as Thunder. She turned to face him.
“Find Gray Wing, please.”
CHAPTER 16
Wind tugged Gray Wing’s fur. Clouds, heavy with snow, were pushing over Highstones, yellowing the pale blue sky. They’d reach the moor by nightfall.
A shrew dangled by its thin tail from Gray Wing’s jaws. Ahead of him, Gorse Fur ducked into the heather, Minnow just behind him. Gorse Fur had only a vole. Minnow’s lapwing had been half-dead from hunger when she caught it. There wouldn’t be much flesh on its bones.
Gray Wing wondered whether to stay out longer. If snow was coming, the prey pile should be high. But what was the point? They’d hunted half the day for this meager catch.
Gray Wing followed the others along the sheltered trail that led to Wind Runner’s camp. He’d hoped to bring back a rabbit, but the rabbits were hidden deep in their burrows. They must have smelled the snow before he did.