“We’re nearly there,” Clear Sky called over his shoulder. “I smell fresh earth. The forest must be close.” The gray tom quickened his pace. Thunder hurried after him, alarm pricking in his paws as his father’s tail disappeared. “Clear Sky!” They mustn’t be separated. Not in this weather. He blinked against the snow, relieved as he made out Clear Sky’s pelt once more.
An angry roar exploded ahead.
Fear flashed through Thunder. What is it? Pelt bushing, he surged forward. “Clear Sky?”
A large, dark shape lunged toward Clear Sky from the blinding whiteness.
Clear Sky shrieked.
Thunder raced forward, the tang of blood hitting his nose, followed by the fierce stench of badger. His heart seemed to explode in his chest. “Clear Sky!” He heard the thump of hard muscle on the frozen earth, and the vicious snarl of the badger. Black fur showed through the storm; wide hindquarters bucked and trembled. The massive creature was pinning Clear Sky to the ground. Panic scorching through him, Thunder heard jaws snap.
“Let him go!” Thunder hurled himself at the badger’s flank, digging his claws in deep. The badger shook him off and snapped again at Clear Sky.
Claws caught Thunder’s flank as he fell against Clear Sky’s desperately flailing hind legs. He jumped clear, his mind spinning. The badger was huge!
Thunder leaped again. Claws outstretched, he landed on the badger’s spine. Biting hard into its pelt, he churned with his hind legs, but the badger only snarled and snapped again at Clear Sky.
He’s killing him! Thunder was blind with terror and snow as his hind paw slid down the badger’s leg. He felt his claws graze soft, wet flesh. The badger flinched and yelped.
It’s wounded! Hope flashed through him. He slithered to the ground and sniffed out the badger’s blood. Thrusting his muzzle close to its injured back leg, he clawed at the wound; then he clamped his jaws around it.
With a roar of agonized fury, the badger reared.
Run, Clear Sky! Thunder’s gaze flicked toward his father, but Clear Sky was lying motionless on the ground. Thunder froze as the badger’s head swung toward him. Swallowing, he backed away. He could taste the badger’s blood in his mouth. He gagged. It was sour with infection.
A menacing growl rumbled in the badger’s throat, and it leaped. Thunder dived to one side, rolling as he landed. He looked back to make sure the badger still had its gaze fixed on him, then raced across the slope.
The earth trembled as the badger pounded after him. Triumph thrilled beneath Thunder’s pelt. The badger would never catch up to him. Especially with an injured leg. I just have to lead it far enough away from Clear Sky. He snatched a glance over his shoulder and glimpsed the badger’s hulking shape following him. Bounding across the snow, he led the badger away. The wind whipped his ears as he pushed into the blizzard; then he turned and fled uphill, leaving the badger lumbering far behind. Thank you, snow! It would cover his tracks. Paws skidding, he made a wide circle and doubled back toward Clear Sky.
Please be alive!
Panic seized him. Where is he?
The snow that had hidden Thunder from the badger now hid his father.
Opening his mouth, Thunder tasted for Clear Sky’s scent. Snowflakes landed on his tongue. His nose stung with the cold. “Clear Sky?” His call was barely a whisper. He dared not let the badger hear.
A moan sounded ahead.
“Clear Sky!” Heart soaring, Thunder spotted a shape on the ground. “You’re alive!” Reaching him, he dropped into a crouch. Clear Sky lay on his flank, his chest heaving. Thunder sniffed his pelt. He smelled the sour scent of the badger’s blood. “Did it hurt you?”
Clear Sky blinked and struggled to his paws.
Thunder smelled a fresh wound. The snow was red beneath him.
“Where did it bite you?” Fear sparked through Thunder as he saw the fur at Clear Sky’s neck clumped with blood.
“It’s not deep,” Clear Sky croaked.
“A badger’s bite carries infection,” Thunder warned him. “Let me get you back to the hollow.”
“We’re closer to the forest.” Clear Sky stumbled as he spoke. His flank hit Thunder’s.
Thunder dug his claws into the ground, supporting his father’s weight. “Pebble Heart can treat your wound. He knows which herbs will stop it from turning sour.” He felt Clear Sky heave a shaky breath. “Let’s get out of here before that badger comes back.”
“I don’t know why you want to stay on the moor when it’s riddled with badgers,” Clear Sky grumbled as Thunder steered him up the slope toward the heather.
“There’s a set in the forest too,” Thunder pointed out.
“Far enough from the camp not to have them lumbering around, attacking cats.”
Thunder was relieved to hear Clear Sky arguing. That meant his wound couldn’t be too bad, though his father’s paw steps were halting. He nudged Clear Sky on, anxious the badger might have picked up their trail. Snowflakes caught in his throat as he struggled to support his father. They stumbled uphill, the wind pushing them sideways.
Thunder was breathless by the time they reached the heather. Puffing, he guided his father into a rabbit run among the bushes. As the branches enclosed them, he relaxed. The badger couldn’t follow them through here.
They reached the far side of the heather and emerged onto open grass. The snow had eased. Thunder could see the gorse wall of the camp and pushed his shoulder harder against Clear Sky’s. “We’re nearly there.”
“It’s my neck that’s injured, not my mind,” Clear Sky grunted.
“Or your tongue,” Thunder growled back.
“Thunder?” Cloud Spots’s mew sounded from the camp entrance. “Are you okay?” The long-furred black tom hurried across the grass toward them. His white ear tips and paws were invisible against the snowy moor. “I smell blood.”
“Clear Sky was attacked by a badger,” Thunder explained. Cloud Spots had been tending to injured cats since Thunder could remember. And he’d passed on his skills to Pebble Heart.
Cloud Spots fell in beside Clear Sky, pushing against his other shoulder.
“It’s just a scratch,” Clear Sky insisted.
“Even a scratch can turn nasty. Especially from a badger,” Cloud Spots fretted. “But I have a good store of herbs.” He lifted his chin and called to the camp. “Pebble Heart!”
The young tom appeared at the camp entrance, his tabby pelt standing out against the snow-blasted gorse. “Cloud Spots?” There was worry in his mew.
“Go and start chewing a poultice of marigold and oak leaf.”
Thunder stiffened at the worry in Cloud Spots’s voice. “He’ll be okay, won’t he?” He glanced at Clear Sky.
“Of course I’ll be okay.” Clear Sky straightened sharply, pushing the moor cats away, and marched into the hollow.
Thunder hurried after him into the snow-covered camp.
Tall Shadow darted from the long grass, shaking flakes from her spine. “I said go after him.” Her ear twitched angrily. “I didn’t say bring him back.”
“We ran into a badger,” Thunder explained quickly. “Clear Sky was hurt.”
“Badly?” Tall Shadow glanced over her shoulder.
Gray Wing was crossing the clearing toward her, his paws kicking through the snow. “Is he okay?”
Cloud Spots was already guiding Clear Sky into his den. “He’ll be fine.”
Gray Wing met Thunder’s gaze. “Should you have brought him back?” he asked anxiously. “He’s already ruffled enough fur here for one day.”
“He was attacked by a badger!” Thunder turned his tail on Gray Wing and followed Clear Sky into Cloud Spots’s den.
Cloud Spots was easing Clear Sky onto his side. “Lie still so Pebble Heart can reach your wound.”
Clear Sky huffed. “What a lot of fuss over a scratch.”
Thunder wrinkled his nose as he padded across the sandy floor of the den. The tang of herbs filled the air. He noticed two nests at th
e back of the den, woven from heather branches and lined with moss. How can Pebble Heart and Cloud Spots sleep in here with this smell? Squinting though the half-light, he could make out wads of leaves stuffed between the gorse stems. “Is that your herb store?” he asked Cloud Spots. He was surprised the tom had collected so many.
“It should last us through leaf-bare.” Cloud Spots’s gaze was fixed on Clear Sky’s neck as Pebble Heart carefully washed the bloodstained fur clean. “Is it deep?” he asked the young tom.
“No.” Pebble Heart looked up. “A bit jagged, but that should help it close up easily.” He twisted and grabbed a mouthful of dark sludge from beside him, then began to work it into Clear Sky’s wound with steady laps of his tongue.
Clear Sky flinched. “Are you sure that will help?” he rasped.
Cloud Spots ran his tail along Clear Sky’s flank. “The sting shows that the herbs are working.”
Thunder sat back on his haunches, wondering how any cat had the patience to learn the name and use of every herb. “How long will it take to heal?” he asked.
“A few days.” Pebble Heart stepped back.
Clear Sky struggled to his paws. He twisted his head gently, as though feeling for pain. “Thank you.” He nodded to Pebble Heart. “That feels better already.”
“I chewed some dock into the poultice,” Pebble Heart told him. “It will soothe the wound. When you get back to the forest, put some dock leaves in your nest when you sleep. It will ease the pain.”
Clear Sky blinked gratefully at the young cat, then turned to Thunder. “See how well we manage when we work together?”
Thunder felt his heart grow heavy. Clear Sky was still trying to persuade him that the cats should join up.
He stared blankly at his father, searching for words.
Clear Sky spoke again before he could answer. “You saved me from that badger, and Pebble Heart has made sure my wound will heal. Imagine if we all lived in the forest?” His eyes grew brighter with each word. “We’d grow strong and spread, just like the spirit cats said.”
“I don’t think that’s what they meant,” Cloud Spots mewed gently.
Clear Sky turned on him. “How do you know? You weren’t there!”
Thunder flattened his ears as he heard his father’s temper flare. Perhaps Clear Sky hadn’t changed that much after all. “Leave Cloud Spots alone,” he murmured. “He just helped you.”
Clear Sky’s angry gaze flashed toward Thunder. “Why won’t any of you understand? Fluttering Bird wants us to be together!”
Thunder felt suddenly weary. Fighting with badgers was bad enough. He didn’t want to fight with Clear Sky too. He got to his paws. “Can Clear Sky take some fresh herbs home with him?”
Pebble Heart answered him. “I’ll wrap the leftover poultice in a leaf for him.”
“Thanks.” Thunder headed out of the den. “I’m going to check on the kits.” He wanted to make sure their nest was clear of snow.
Outside, a few flakes swirled around him as he crossed the clearing.
Jagged Peak was dragging a large piece of heather toward the far end.
“Are the kits okay?” Thunder called.
Jagged Peak dropped the branch and looked at Thunder. “We’re moving them to a more sheltered spot.”
Thunder caught up with him as he dragged the branch beneath the trailing broom. “Under here?”
Inside, a wide circle of clear earth sat sheltered by the dropping stems. Even stripped of their leaves they made a fine windbreak, and the snow hadn’t made it through. Holly was near the back of the den, weaving heather branches together with her teeth. Eagle Feather, Dew Nose, and Storm Pelt were darting around her, pouncing on one another, tails flicking with excitement.
Jagged Peak dropped the fresh branch beside his mate. “Shattered Ice and Lightning Tail have gone out to collect more now that the snow’s eased,” he told her.
“We’ll need moss to line it,” Holly told him.
Eagle Feather scrambled onto her back as she crouched to spear another twig into the half-built nest. “I want a badger ride!” he squeaked.
Holly huffed with annoyance and shrugged him off. “Not now! I only have two pairs of paws!”
Thunder padded forward. “I’ll play with the kits,” he offered.
Holly glanced at him, relief glowing in her eyes. “Thank you, Thunder.”
“I’ll play with them too,” Jagged Peak added quickly.
Thunder dipped his head. “We can both play.”
Eagle Feather jumped onto his father’s back. Dew Nose raced for Thunder and clawed her way onto his shoulders.
He winced at her tiny, thorn-sharp claws. “What about you, Storm Pelt?”
The gray kit was hanging back. “I want to help Holly.”
Holly’s ear twitched. “Go and play, dear.”
“I promise I won’t get in your way.” Storm Pelt gazed at her solemnly. “I can push in the sticky-out bits.” He reached up to the half-woven nest and tucked a heather sprig in with a nimble paw.
Holly purred. “Okay, then.”
“Hurry up, Thunder!” Dew Nose curled her claws into Thunder’s pelt.
“Careful!” Thunder gasped. “I’m not prey!”
Dew Nose purred as he pushed his way through the bushes.
“Hang on!” he warned as the trailing branches swept over them.
Dew Nose’s paws tightened around his shoulders, and he purred, grateful that she was keeping her claws sheathed.
Outside, the clouds were thinning. The snow had stopped, but the clearing was thickly coated. He waded through it, thumping his paws heavily against the earth like a lumbering badger, and trying not to think about the real badger he’d fought earlier. Dew Nose squeaked with delight and hung on harder.
Jagged Peak caught up to him. “Did I see Clear Sky coming back into camp with you?”
“Clear Sky?” Eagle Feather mewed on Jagged Peak’s shoulders. “Where?”
“He’s in Cloud Spots’s den,” Thunder explained. “We ran into a badger. He got a little scratch.” He didn’t want to frighten the kits.
“A badger?” Jagged Peak looked alarmed. “Close to the camp?”
Thunder shook his head. “Near the forest border. It was injured. I doubt it’ll hang around long on the moor. Especially in this weather.”
Jagged Peak was frowning. “If it was close to the forest border, why did you bring him back here?”
“He was injured—” Thunder began.
Jagged Peak didn’t let him finish. “He’s caused enough worry and gossip in the camp already! We don’t need him stirring up more trouble.” He stopped and shook Eagle Feather from his shoulders.
The tiny kit plumped into the snow with a squeak. “That wasn’t long enough!”
Jagged Peak nodded toward the boulder at the other end of the camp. “Go and see if you can find some moss around the bottom of Tall Shadow’s rock.”
“But it’s covered in snow,” Eagle Feather objected.
“Then you’ll have to dig for it,” Jagged Peak told him firmly.
Dew Nose slithered down Thunder’s flank and landed beside her brother. “Come on, Eagle Feather! Holly will be really pleased if we bring her moss.” She bounded over the snow, sinking deeper with each jump. Eagle Feather plunged after her. “Wait for me!” They looked like frogs bobbing through water.
Thunder purred and glanced at Jagged Peak, but the gray tabby tom wasn’t watching his kits. He was staring at Cloud Spots’s den beyond the rock, his eyes dark with worry.
“Was he hurt badly?” Jagged Peak asked.
“Just a scratch,” Thunder told him. Was someone other than Cloud Spots and Pebble Heart worried about Clear Sky after all? “Pebble Heart’s just making sure it won’t turn sour.”
“So he’ll be able to go straight home.”
Thunder stared at Jagged Peak. “Don’t you care that he was hurt?”
Jagged Peak dragged his gaze from the den. “It makes a change, I
suppose,” he snorted. “He usually causes wounds.”
Thunder flinched, but didn’t argue. Clear Sky had killed Rainswept Flower and banished Jagged Peak from the forest. He understood why the tom was bitter. But Jagged Peak’s words worried him. He glanced around the camp. Tall Shadow was on her rock, gazing across the moor while the kits burrowed eagerly below. Mud Paws was emerging from the long grass at the edge, shaking snow from his ears. Dappled Pelt sat a few tail-lengths away, her ears twitching, while Mouse Ear stood beside her staring into the sky. “You said Clear Sky had caused gossip?” Thunder asked.
“You know Tall Shadow has been thinking about making a new home in the pines,” Jagged Peak grunted. “And this weather has started everyone wondering whether living in such an exposed place is a good idea. Mud Paws and Mouse Ear said they were never this cold when they were strays. They could shelter in woods or by the river when the cold weather came.”
Dappled Pelt padded closer. “We weren’t even this exposed in the mountains!” she called. “We had the cave to protect us.”
“But there’s better hunting here,” Thunder reminded her.
“There was,” she agreed, “before the sickness killed half of it!”
Thunder’s pelt pricked uneasily. “Do you want to move to the forest and become part of Clear Sky’s group?” He could hardly believe it. They’d fought a battle to protect their life on the moor!
“Of course not,” Dappled Pelt snorted. “But the moor’s not the only place to live.”
Thunder nodded slowly. River Ripple had his island. And Clear Sky’s forest was not the only shelter nearby. The floor of the pine forest must be so sheltered by the thick canopy of needles that it never felt snow.
Mud Paws joined them. “I thought the spirit cats wanted us to move on.”
“Spirit cats!” Mouse Ear puffed. “You don’t believe that, do you? Dead cats talking to the living?”
Dappled Pelt blinked at the old tom slowly. “Thunder, Tall Shadow, and Gray Wing all saw them.”
“Nothing but dreams.” Mouse Ear tipped his head to one side. “They’d probably shared a rotten mouse before they went to their nests.”