Slate nodded gravely. Look what it did to Cricket! she thought, but she did not speak the words aloud in front of the kit.
Before she could ask Moth Flight any more questions, Wind Runner appeared from behind the boulders that surrounded the camp, with Gorse Fur hard on her paws. Both cats had serious expressions; Slate could guess what was bothering them.
As they approached Slate, Wind Runner flicked her tail at Moth Flight. “Go and find Dust Muzzle and play,” she ordered. “We have to talk to Slate.”
For a heartbeat Moth Flight seemed as if she was about to protest; then she met her mother’s fierce amber gaze and bounded off.
“Slate, we haven’t asked you any favors until now,” Gorse Fur began. Slate got the impression that his speech had been carefully rehearsed. “But we have taken very good care of you. We’ve kept you well fed, in spite of how hard it’s been to hunt since the sickness came, and—”
“That’s true,” Slate interrupted. “Are you saying that you want me to go?”
“No!” Gorse Fur responded immediately, looking horrified at the thought.
“Not yet,” Wind Runner put in sharply. “But we need a favor. We’ve seen the fox that attacked you, several times, close to the camp,” she continued. “This morning we found a stoat killed just a few tail-lengths away. I’m afraid it won’t be long before the fox decides to try its luck with cats again. And with the kits so young and vulnerable . . .” Her voice trailed off.
“What are you planning to do?” Slate asked, mystified.
“We mean to kill it before it comes after us.” Wind Runner’s eyes and voice were full of resolve, and cold as a frozen stream. “We need you to watch the kits tomorrow. We’re going to track it to its den and attack it while it sleeps.”
Anxiety like clouds of dark mist rose around Slate as she listened to Wind Runner’s plan. “You don’t know what you’re in for,” she meowed. “This fox is dangerous. It killed my littermate!”
“But we have more experience in fighting than Cricket did,” Wind Runner retorted, unmoved by Slate’s warning.
Slate let out a snort. “Oh, yes, you group cats! Always play fighting. This is not like that.” She didn’t know how to describe to them how fast and vicious the fox had been.
Wind Runner’s tail-tip twitched irritably. “We’re grateful for your concern,” she mewed, clearly struggling to bite back an angry response. “But all we need is for you to watch the kits.”
Slate was not reassured. Gorse Fur looked anxious, as though her words had reached him. “If you and Wind Runner both go to attack the fox,” she began, turning to him, “and if the worst happens, then you’ll be leaving your kits all alone to fend for themselves.” She faced Wind Runner again. “Do you want that to happen?”
Wind Runner sighed, her tail drooping. Slate realized that appealing to her love for her kits was what it took to make her listen.
“No,” the brown she-cat meowed wearily. “But what else can you suggest?”
“Let me kill the fox.” As Slate spoke, she realized that more than anything in the world she wanted to sink her claws into the vicious creature and see its life gush out. “That fox killed the cat I loved best.” She spoke her final words through gritted teeth, with all the force of her hatred. “I want to be the one to kill it!”
Gorse Fur and Wind Runner exchanged a startled glance, as if they hadn’t expected such a fierce reply. Then their gazes became more thoughtful.
“We can’t let the fox keep coming around, getting closer and closer,” Gorse Fur mewed. To Slate, he added, “Do you really think you can kill it?”
A strong sense of purpose flooded through Slate. Now she realized why she hadn’t let herself die on the moor after Gorse Fur found her. It was because I need to kill that fox! “I will avenge my littermate,” she assured Gorse Fur.
“I’ll go with her,” Wind Runner told Gorse Fur, authority in her voice. “I’m the stronger fighter. You stay with the kits.”
Gorse Fur hesitated, then gave a reluctant nod. “Okay. But please be careful.”
“We will,” Wind Runner replied briskly. “Slate, we’ll leave before dawn tomorrow. Better get a good rest before then.”
“Wind Runner!” Dust Muzzle’s voice rose from behind a rock. “Moth Flight bit my tail!”
Wind Runner heaved a sigh. “Kits!” With a whisk of her tail, she was gone.
Gorse Fur was left with Slate, his green gaze fixed on her. “Thank you,” he meowed, his voice heavy with meaning. “You know,” he added, “even if you kill the fox, I can’t guarantee that Wind Runner will let you stay here.”
“I don’t want to stay here,” Slate retorted, surprised.
Gorse Fur nodded and walked off.
As she watched him go, Slate realized for the first time that she wasn’t sure she meant what she had said.
Slate felt a paw prodding her shoulder and opened her eyes to see Wind Runner standing over her.
“It’s time,” the brown she-cat meowed.
Stretching her jaws in a vast yawn, Slate stumbled to her paws. Overhead the stars were growing pale at the approach of dawn. She shivered in the chilly breeze that whispered over the moor.
“The fox was skulking around here again last night,” Wind Runner continued as she led Slate between two boulders and out onto the moor. “I’ve picked up its scent.”
“A rabbit without a nose couldn’t miss that stink,” Slate muttered as the rank smell caught her in the throat. “It should be easy to track.”
Side by side the two she-cats followed the fox’s trail across the moor. White mist wreathed over the ground, and the tough moorland grass was heavy with dew. The moisture damped down the fox scent, and sometimes they lost the trail altogether where the fox had crossed a stream, but they quickly picked it up again. The fox was heading directly toward the forest.
“That’s where its den must be,” Slate murmured, pausing and raising her head to survey the dark barrier of trees that lay ahead.
Wind Runner paused at Slate’s side, shifting her paws uncomfortably. Slate turned toward her, aware that the brown she-cat wanted to say something but was finding it hard.
“We’re both grateful to you,” Wind Runner mewed at last. “But I’m not sure why you’re doing this. You know we can’t give you anything in return.”
“I don’t want anything,” Slate responded. “Only to kill that fox.”
Though she said nothing to Wind Runner, Slate admitted to herself that she didn’t expect to survive the fight. She wasn’t even sure that she cared. Killing the fox and protecting the kits—and yes, Wind Runner and Gorse Fur—would be enough. It will be a noble death. And I won’t have to go on trying to cope in a world without Cricket.
But as they continued toward the trees, a tiny thorn of doubt still stuck in her heart.
The sky was milky pale with dawn by the time Slate and Wind Runner reached the forest, and a golden glow on the horizon showed them where the sun would rise. But shadows still lay deep under the trees. The fox scent led the two cats around a bramble thicket and then as far as a gaping black hole among the roots of an oak tree.
“It’s in there,” Slate murmured, gagging on the hot reek that flowed out of the den.
“Now what do we do?” Wind Runner twitched her tail angrily. “I don’t mind chasing rabbits down their burrows, but I’m not going in there.”
“We have to get the fox to come out,” Slate meowed, thinking hard. “I know what to do. You go and hide in that clump of bracken.”
Wind Runner hesitated as if she was going to ask a question, then gave a single lash of her tail and slid out of sight among the ferns.
Once she had gone, Slate collapsed on one side just outside the den. “Help me! Help me!” she whimpered. “I’ve hurt my paw. . . .”
She knew that the fox wouldn’t be able to understand her, but she hoped that the pain and fear in her voice would be clear enough to entice it into the open. Her heart was pounding so hard t
hat she thought the fox must be able to hear that too. I’ve never been so scared.
At first there was no movement in the black mouth of the den. But after a few moments Slate heard a scuffling sound, and a sharp snout poked into the open, sniffing. Then the fox’s whole head appeared, its malignant eyes fixed on her.
Slate let out another piteous cry. But as the fox launched itself toward her, she rolled away and sprang to her paws, hissing defiance. In the same heartbeat Wind Runner exploded out of the bracken and hurled herself at the fox. Slate leaped in to attack it from the other side.
For a few moments the fox seemed bewildered, too surprised to fight back. But it quickly recovered, snapping at Wind Runner with all the viciousness Slate remembered.
Slate jerked back, too scared of getting her paws, or worse, her neck, caught between the fox’s jaws to battle with it up close. She could see that Wind Runner shared her fear, darting in to rake her claws across the creature’s pelt, then leaping back out of range. Slate concentrated, waiting until Wind Runner had drawn the fox in one direction, then attacking from the other. She swiped at the fox’s hindquarters, but it whipped around and snapped at her, forcing her back.
Slate waited until the fox turned away again. Then she lurched forward, stretching out her foreclaws to dig them deep into the fox’s side, trying to open up a gash like the one it had made in her belly. The fox snarled and turned, stretching its jaws wide to snap at her. Slate ducked aside, wincing as she felt the fox tear out a chunk of her neck fur. She staggered backward, warm blood running down her neck, as Wind Runner threw herself at the fox again.
To her horror Slate saw the fox raise a forepaw and slam it across Wind Runner’s head. Wind Runner let out a yowl of pain and tumbled to the ground, rolling over and over, her legs and tail waving helplessly.
As the fox loomed over Wind Runner, Slate recovered her balance and charged forward, expecting to draw her enemy away. But the fox did not react. Its eye on the side facing her was cloudy and half-closed. It’s the eye Cricket hurt, Slate realized, remembering her brother’s claws ripping at the fox’s face. The fox couldn’t see her attacking from the side because of its wounded eye.
That’s the key to defeating it!
Slate took a deep breath, then flung herself at the fox from that side, keeping low to stay out of the way of its vicious jaws. As her claws sank into its fur, the half-blind fox turned to meet her, but Slate stayed out of its line of vision by attacking from under its jaws. She had a clear path to its neck, and plunged her foreclaws into the softer fur, tearing at the fox’s throat with every scrap of strength she could muster.
Panicking, the fox thrashed and snarled, desperate to escape Slate’s grip. Wind Runner scrambled back onto her paws and lunged at the fox from the other side. Together the two she-cats forced the fox to the ground, its struggles growing weaker.
Slate held on tight, ripping and tearing at the fox’s throat until blood sprayed upward, splashing her muzzle. The feeling of triumph was all she had hoped for.
“That’s for Cricket!” she snarled through clenched teeth.
As she watched the light die out from the fox’s eyes, Slate became dimly aware of Wind Runner yowling urgently.
Another fox? she thought. Does this one have a mate that’s charging to its rescue?
Slate released the fox and stepped away from it, trying to brace herself for another attack. She swayed on her paws, looking around for the new enemy. But all she saw was Wind Runner, staring at her with a look of horror in her yellow eyes.
“Your wound!” Wind Runner cried, gesturing toward Slate’s belly.
Slate looked down and saw blood—a lot of blood—seeping from the gash in her belly. Cold fear washed over her as she sank to the ground, turning her head toward Wind Runner.
“Help me,” she begged.
Blackness beckoned to her, coaxing her to sink down into its comforting depths. Slate fought against it, realizing that she had been wrong when she thought she would be content to give up her life in the fight.
I don’t want to die. . . .
But the blackness was too strong for her. The echoing dark was all around her, and Slate was falling, falling into a pit that had no bottom, where the light of day would never come.
Slate felt the touch of a tiny paw on her forehead. She opened her eyes to see a small white face with bright eyes, so close to her that the kit’s whiskers tickled Slate’s ears.
“She’s alive!” Moth Flight called. “I told you she wouldn’t die!”
Moth Flight pulled back, and Slate looked around to see Gorse Fur, Wind Runner, Dust Muzzle, and Cloud Spots all gazing down at her. She realized that she was back in her nest in Wind Runner’s camp.
Wind Runner took a pace forward and rubbed her cheek against Slate’s. “I was so afraid,” she confessed. “You didn’t wake up, even when we dragged you home.”
Cloud Spots appeared behind Wind Runner, his eyes warm with relief. “I’m not surprised,” he meowed. “I could tell when I first met you, Slate, that you’re a fighter.”
Slate looked down at her belly and saw that Cloud Spots had sealed her wound again with a wad of cobwebs. “Thank you,” she murmured. “Thank you all so much.”
“It’s the least we could do,” Gorse Fur responded. “You saved us from the fox.”
“I couldn’t have done it without Wind Runner,” Slate mewed. Turning to the brown she-cat, she went on, “I’m sorry I’ve gotten myself injured again. I wasn’t aiming to stay in your camp forever. I’ll leave as soon as I’m feeling stronger.”
Gorse Fur and Wind Runner exchanged a glance. “Actually,” Gorse Fur began, “we’ve been talking—”
“You can’t leave!” Wind Runner blurted out suddenly, her eyes filled with emotion.
Gorse Fur nodded. “You’re family now,” he agreed.
“That is,” Wind Runner added, twitching her ear, “if you’d ever want to become a group cat.”
Slate looked from the excited kits to Cloud Spots, to Gorse Fur, and finally back to Wind Runner. Half a moon ago, I wouldn’t have believed this was possible. But now . . .
“I do,” she meowed, warmth flooding through her from ears to tail-tip. “I want to be part of this family.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ERIN HUNTER is inspired by a love of cats and a fascination with the ferocity of the natural world. As well as having great respect for nature in all its forms, Erin enjoys creating rich mythical explanations for animal behavior. She is also the author of the bestselling Seekers and Survivors series.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
BOOKS BY ERIN HUNTER
THE PROPHECIES BEGIN
Book One: Into the Wild
Book Two: Fire and Ice
Book Three: Forest of Secrets
Book Four: Rising Storm
Book Five: A Dangerous Path
Book Six: The Darkest Hour
THE NEW PROPHECY
Book One: Midnight
Book Two: Moonrise
Book Three: Dawn
Book Four: Starlight
Book Five: Twilight
Book Six: Sunset
POWER OF THREE
Book One: The Sight
Book Two: Dark River
Book Three: Outcast
Book Four: Eclipse
Book Five: Long Shadows
Book Six: Sunrise
OMEN OF THE STARS
Book One: The Fourth Apprentice
Book Two: Fading Echoes
Book Three: Night Whispers
Book Four: Sign of the Moon
Book Five: The Forgotten Warrior
Book Six: The Last Hope
DAWN OF THE CLANS
Book One: The Sun Trail
Book Two: Thunder Rising
Book Three: The First Battle
Book Four: The Blazing Star
Warriors Super Edition: Firestar’s Quest
War
riors Super Edition: Bluestar’s Prophecy
Warriors Super Edition: SkyClan’s Destiny
Warriors Super Edition: Crookedstar’s Promise
Warriors Super Edition: Yellowfang’s Secret
Warriors Super Edition: Tallstar’s Revenge
Warriors Super Edition: Bramblestar’s Storm
Warriors Field Guide: Secrets of the Clans
Warriors: Cats of the Clans
Warriors: Code of the Clans
Warriors: Battles of the Clans
Warriors: Enter the Clans
Warriors: The Untold Stories
Warriors: Tales from the Clans
Warriors: The Ultimate Guide
MANGA
The Lost Warrior
Warrior’s Refuge
Warrior’s Return
The Rise of Scourge
Tigerstar and Sasha #1: Into the Woods
Tigerstar and Sasha #2: Escape from the Forest
Tigerstar and Sasha #3: Return to the Clans
Ravenpaw’s Path #1: Shattered Peace
Ravenpaw’s Path #2: A Clan in Need
Ravenpaw’s Path #3: The Heart of a Warrior
SkyClan and the Stranger #1: The Rescue
SkyClan and the Stranger #2: Beyond the Code
SkyClan and the Stranger #3: After the Flood
NOVELLAS
Hollyleaf’s Story
Mistystar’s Omen
Cloudstar’s Journey
Tigerclaw’s Fury
Leafpool’s Wish
Dovewing’s Silence
Mapleshade’s Vengeance
Book One: The Quest Begins
Book Two: Great Bear Lake
Book Three: Smoke Mountain
Book Four: The Last Wilderness
Book Five: Fire in the Sky
Book Six: Spirits in the Stars
RETURN TO THE WILD
Book One: Island of Shadows
Book Two: The Melting Sea
Book Three: River of Lost Bears
Book Four: Forest of Wolves
Book Five: The Burning Horizon
MANGA