Shock crackled through Gray Wing, as fierce as the spreading fire.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
His leader’s eyes were full of pain and regret. “Can’t you see why I have to do this?” she asked. “The other cats don’t want me as leader any longer. Even Wind thought it was okay to take over when Bumble wanted to join us.” She let out a deep sigh. “Where was I when it came to true leadership during the fire?” she continued. “Cowering behind the flames. If it wasn’t for Thunder and Jackdaw’s Cry, I would be dead.”
“That was because you wouldn’t leave Moon Shadow,” Gray Wing protested. “How would you feel now, if you’d left him to burn?”
Tall Shadow only flicked her tail in a gesture of denial; Gray Wing could see that guilt was almost overwhelming her.
“You’ve been a good leader,” he argued. “You’ve always been brilliant at strategy, and you helped lead us down from the mountains. You were the obvious choice to take over when Shaded Moss was killed.”
“That was then.” Tall Shadow’s shoulders sagged. “Can’t you see how tired I am? The only thing I’ve had strength for is watching over the camp.” She shook her head helplessly. “No, this is the right time. Gray Wing, you should take over.” With a wry twist of her mouth she added, “Just don’t rub my nose in it, okay?”
“You should know me better than that,” Gray Wing responded gently. “I would never dream of hurting you.” He wanted to tell her that he had been injured in the fire too; his paws still hurt and his breathing didn’t feel right.
But Tall Shadow had already turned back to her brother, licking his ears in an attempt to comfort him. How can I refuse? Gray Wing thought sadly as he moved away, leaving the brother and sister to care for each other. Is this what Stoneteller was trying to say in my dream? That I should take the leadership despite my doubts?
Cloud Spots and Dappled Pelt were moving among the other cats, checking for injuries. Gray Wing noticed that Frost had a bad burn on one leg. A sense of responsibility crashed over him, but he realized there was nothing he could do that Dappled Pelt and Cloud Spots weren’t doing already.
I need to get some sleep. Even though the sun was high and bright, Gray Wing staggered toward his nest. He was almost thankful for the exhaustion pulling at his body; it dampened the pain in his paws. Maybe things will look better after a rest, and I’ll feel more like taking over the leadership from Tall Shadow.
But before Gray Wing reached his nest, he noticed that Clear Sky was standing at the top of the hollow, gazing out across the moor. Jagged Peak was hovering nearby, clearly trying to pluck up courage to talk to him, but he might as well have been on the other side of the moor for all the attention Clear Sky was paying him.
Gray Wing couldn’t see Clear Sky’s expression because his brother was facing away from him. But I know he must be unhappy to be forced from his home in the forest. I should go and talk to him. . . .
His paws felt heavier than rocks as he dragged himself up the slope, but when he reached the lip of the hollow he spotted Thunder padding up to Clear Sky. Gray Wing lowered himself to the ground and watched.
Thunder sat down beside Clear Sky with a respectful dip of his head.
Clear Sky turned to look down at him. “I heard about how you took the lead in the forest fire,” he meowed. “The way you showed the other cats how to leap over the flames. You should be proud.”
Thunder’s eyes glowed as he gazed up at his father. “Any cat would have done the same,” he responded.
“No. You were the cat who did it. And you hunted well, too—I enjoyed being with you.”
Gray Wing noticed that Jagged Peak was trying to join the other two cats, creeping up slowly and keeping low to the ground.
Clear Sky spotted his younger brother, too, and whipped around to face him. Jagged Peak jumped, startled.
“And you? What have you done to prove yourself?” Clear Sky demanded, scorn in his voice and eyes. “Well,” he added sneeringly, “you survived. That’s as much as you can do, now.”
Jagged Peak’s shoulder fur bristled. “Actually,” he began, “I was responsible for looking after the camp and the cats who—”
“So you stayed behind, where it was safe,” Clear Sky interrupted.
Gray Wing couldn’t ignore that. He sprang to his paws and padded up to the group. “Jagged Peak is being really useful,” he mewed sharply. “Injured leg or no injured leg. He protected the cats who stayed in the hollow, and in case you didn’t notice, he did an excellent job of welcoming your cats into our camp. We need him, Clear Sky.”
Turning toward Jagged Peak, Clear Sky gave him a long look from intense blue eyes. “I’m sorry,” he told the young cat. “I take back what I said.”
But Jagged Peak’s gaze was still full of pain and anger. “It’s too late!” he spat. “You clearly think I’m a waste of space. Why else would you have thrown me out of the forest? And now that I’m beginning to prove myself, you need Gray Wing to tell you what I’ve done.” He shook his head. “Will I ever be good enough?”
“I told you I’m sorry . . . ,” Clear Sky began.
But Jagged Peak wasn’t listening. Turning his back on Clear Sky, he limped away to join Rainswept Flower.
Clear Sky let out a sigh as he watched him, then turned to meet Gray Wing’s gaze. “I didn’t mean . . .” His voice trailed off.
Gray Wing twitched his whiskers in exasperation. “You never do mean anything, do you, Clear Sky?”
“I’m just trying to do my best for every cat!” Clear Sky protested, instantly defensive.
“By humiliating your brother?”
Thunder was watching the two of them, drinking in every word. Gray Wing couldn’t help feeling glad that the young cat was seeing firsthand that Clear Sky wasn’t perfect. But even thinking that made Gray Wing squirm with discomfort. Why do I care so much? Why shouldn’t Thunder be happily reunited with his father?
“Well, I can’t help it!” Clear Sky snapped, his neck fur beginning to rise. “It’s not my fault Jagged Peak fell out of that tree. Every cat has to contribute, and weak cats just don’t count.” He gave a single lash of his tail. “It’s about survival!”
Gray Wing dug his claws into the ground. “We’re all doing a pretty good job of surviving,” he pointed out, forcing himself to sound calm. “There’s enough prey here for every cat. Stoneteller was right to tell us to leave the mountains; I can see that now. You need to let yourself relax a little bit. We’ve done what we set out to do. This is the time to enjoy it.”
“Okay, we’ve survived for now,” Clear Sky meowed. “But who knows what tomorrow brings? We have to be prepared—always.”
As he finished speaking, Clear Sky turned his attention to Thunder. His eyes were full of approval. Gray Wing tried desperately not to feel his heart sink as he saw how close the two cats were becoming. I allowed them to discover each other. I even encouraged it.
“You’re growing up into a brave and tactical fighter,” Clear Sky meowed approvingly, touching Thunder’s shoulder with the tip of his tail. “I like that in a cat. Storm was brave, too. It’s good to see that quality in her son.”
Thunder’s eyes sparkled, all his attention on Clear Sky. “Tell me more about my mother,” he begged.
“All in good time,” Clear Sky responded. He seemed to hesitate, before asking: “How would you feel about coming to live in the forest with me?”
“No!” Gray Wing protested, but neither cat was listening to him.
Thunder gazed wide-eyed at his father. “Do you mean it?”
“Of course,” Clear Sky told him. “Who wouldn’t want a fearless young cat in their group? You’ll be an asset.”
“Thunder,” Gray Wing began hesitantly, “you still have a lot of growing up to do. Maybe you can make this decision when you’re a bit older.” He couldn’t help the anger that was churning inside him. Thunder would have died on the moor as a kit, if it hadn’t been for him!
Thunder turne
d to look at him. “I’m not a kit anymore,” he mewed.
“Well, Thunder?” Clear Sky asked, before Gray Wing could speak. “Are you coming into the forest with me, or staying here in the hollow with the other kits?”
Gray Wing’s pelt prickled all over as he waited for Thunder’s reply.
The young cat hesitated for a moment, his eyes troubled. “Is that true, what you said?” he asked Clear Sky eventually. “That we don’t know what tomorrow brings?”
Clear Sky glanced across at Gray Wing, almost as if he was asking permission, but Gray Wing didn’t respond, not even to twitch a whisker.
“Yes, I truly meant that,” Clear Sky eventually replied. “There’s food and comfort now, but no cat knows how things might change. What about your skirmish with the dogs?”
Thunder gaped in astonishment. “How do you know about that?”
“I have friends all over the place,” Clear Sky meowed. “Rumors have a way of reaching me. You did have trouble with some dogs, didn’t you?”
Thunder nodded. “It was scary,” he admitted with a shiver. “But I survived! We all did.”
“Yes, you’re clearly a survivor.” Clear Sky’s voice was filled with approval. “And you need to help other cats to be the same. Thunder, I would like you to join my group. Troubled times lie ahead of us, and the more strong cats I have by my side, the safer we’ll all be.”
Gray Wing had to clamp his jaws shut to stop himself from interfering. Why is Clear Sky playing these games with Thunder, talking about survival and making him think back to the dog attack? Any cat would think we were still up in the mountains, starving to death, terrified for our lives. Clear Sky can say what he likes, but we are safe and well fed here, most of the time.
Though his tail lashed angrily, Gray Wing managed to keep silent. This has to be Thunder’s choice. He accused me of not knowing what’s best for him. Well, not this time.
He was relieved to see that Thunder still looked anxious as he peered up at Clear Sky. “There’s just one thing . . . ,” he mewed uncertainly. “When I was a kit, you didn’t want me. You sent me away. If it wasn’t for Gray Wing, I might not be alive now.”
At first Gray Wing thought his brother wouldn’t have an answer for that, but Clear Sky seemed unworried. “Congratulations on passing the test,” he purred.
Thunder looked bewildered. “What test?”
No, Gray Wing thought, as understanding dawned. Clear Sky has to be kidding. Was he really going to try and pretend that this had all been part of a bigger plan?
“You can’t . . . ,” he started to interrupt, but his brother quickly spoke over him.
“Don’t you see, young one?” Clear Sky’s voice was smooth, persuasive. “I wanted to see if you could survive without me. You did. So now is the time for us to grow together. I did all of that for you.”
I’ve heard some twisted arguments in my time . . . , Gray Wing thought. The father who rejected Thunder was convincing the young cat that he had been spurned out of love.
Thunder stretched out his neck as if to give Clear Sky an affectionate nuzzle, then stopped short, clearly uncertain whether Clear Sky would appreciate the gesture. Gray Wing himself wasn’t sure. But Thunder’s agreement was obvious. Gray Wing had no chance of standing between the young cat and his father. The decision had been made. Clear Sky looked over at Gray Wing, and he could see the challenge in his brother’s eyes—it was a challenge he wasn’t ready to meet.
Thunder will be leaving soon. All I can do is prepare him.
CHAPTER 15
“Let all cats gather around to listen!” Tall Shadow yowled.
She stood on her rock, outlined against a scarlet sky as the sun went down over the moor. The day after the fire was drawing to an end.
Following his confrontation with Thunder and Clear Sky, exhaustion had overwhelmed Gray Wing; he had stumbled into his nest and slept for most of the day.
When he awoke he discovered that Rainswept Flower and Shattered Ice had made an expedition with Petal and Quick Water to find out the full extent of the damage in the forest. They reported back that Twolegs with bright pelts and gleaming monsters had wrestled the fire into submission; it was safe there now, though devastation stretched in all directions, and the smell of burning still lingered.
Cloud Spots and Dappled Pelt had headed for the river, bringing back bundles of herbs from the waterside. Cats had been out to hunt; life was gradually returning to normal.
As the cats gathered around the rock now to hear what Tall Shadow had to say, Gray Wing noticed that they were still divided into two groups: the forest cats and the moorland cats. His heart sank to realize it, especially when he spotted Thunder close beside Clear Sky.
“Every cat knows what happened last night in the fire,” Tall Shadow continued. “I didn’t behave as a leader should. And now, with my brother so badly injured, I don’t have the time or the strength to carry on.”
Gray Wing winced as he realized what she was about to say. He had expected some kind of announcement, but he still shrank from being singled out.
Tall Shadow glanced around the assembled cats. “I thank all of you for the support you have given me,” she went on. Or not, Gray Wing thought, with a glance at Shattered Ice and Jackdaw’s Cry, whose eyes were fixed on Tall Shadow with intense interest.
“Now Gray Wing will be your leader,” the black she-cat finished, and immediately leaped down to sit beside Moon Shadow.
A chorus of surprise and approval rose up from the crowd of cats. Glancing around, Gray Wing realized that Clear Sky’s cats looked particularly astonished. Strange that she would announce this in front of them . . . but I suppose she has her reasons. And he sensed he wouldn’t have long to ponder those reasons.
A tail swiped Gray Wing across the shoulder, and he turned to see Shattered Ice standing beside him. “About time, too,” the white tom meowed. “Congratulations.”
“Yeah, you’ll be a great leader,” Jackdaw’s Cry added from where he stood at Shattered Ice’s shoulder.
Glancing past him, Gray Wing spotted Turtle Tail gazing at him from the mouth of her den, where she was sitting with her kits. Her eyes were shining with admiration.
Gray Wing could feel himself calming, until he turned and found himself face-to-face with Clear Sky. He braced himself for another argument, but Clear Sky gave him a nod and mewed, “You’ll perform well, Gray Wing.”
“Thanks.” Gray Wing relaxed again; his brother’s tone couldn’t be called friendly, but it wasn’t hostile either. “That means a lot to me. Maybe our two groups can work together more closely now?”
He held his breath, waiting to hear how Clear Sky would respond. The other cat dipped his head.
“Maybe,” he said, his tone impossible to read. He shook himself. “It’s time we were leaving. Good luck with everything and thank you.”
The forest cats were beginning to gather around his brother, ready for the trek across the moor. This was a surprise. Gray Wing had thought it would take several moons for the forest cats to even think about going back to their ruined home.
“Do you have to go so soon?” he asked. “Wouldn’t it be better to stay with us, until the forest has healed itself?”
Clear Sky shook his head. “The forest is where we belong,” he said. “Nothing can keep us away.” Then he raised his voice so all the cats around could hear him. “We thank you for helping us last night,” he meowed, “and for the hospitality of your camp.” He glanced around until he spotted Jagged Peak. “I especially want to thank you, Jagged Peak. You did so much to make us feel welcome.”
Jagged Peak gazed at him in silence for a moment, then turned his head away.
“Now we have to go and see what’s left of our home,” Clear Sky went on. Quietly he added to Gray Wing, “I want a word with you in private.”
Gray Wing had a horrible feeling that he knew what this conversation would be about. “Okay,” he murmured.
Clear Sky led the way up the slo
pe and out onto the moor, halting a few tail-lengths away from the hollow. “I hope you won’t take this the wrong way,” he began, “but the fire has changed things.”
“I know,” Gray Wing responded. “Even though you’re leaving, I hope we can see more of each other now.” He was trying to sound enthusiastic. He couldn’t see why it would be so terrible for the two groups to work more closely together. It would be the end of so many tensions. And I’d get to see Thunder more often. . . .
“I have to be honest,” Clear Sky mewed gently. “I doubt we’ll be seeing more of each other. I need to prepare for whatever challenges the future holds, and you should do the same, Gray Wing. You’re the leader now. Or is that Tall Shadow? Or that rogue . . . what is she calling herself these days . . . Wind? I hear she’s a cat with leadership gifts. It’s so difficult to make sense of who is leading your cats these days.”
The shock of Clear Sky’s words hit Gray Wing in the face. He was being so cruel and mocking, when their camp had given him a place to rest last night! How could he behave this way? “What are you implying?” Gray Wing growled.
“Nothing,” Clear Sky meowed, his eyes widening with innocence. “Only maybe your group needs to be a bit more . . . organized.”
If this had been any other cat, Gray Wing would have given him a swift cuff around the ear. But Clear Sky is my brother, he thought, forcing himself to be calm, and digging his claws into the ground to stop himself raking them across the gray tom’s pelt. What will it look like if I start a fight in the hollow?
“I don’t think you have the right to tell us how to organize ourselves,” he said stiffly. “We were organized enough to save your lives!”
Clear Sky nodded. “True enough. Dangers are all around, and I have to concentrate on making sure my cats are safe now, and back in their rightful home.”
Gray Wing felt his neck fur begin to bristle at Clear Sky’s use of the word rightful. It was harder than ever not to lose his temper. We’re just mountain cats who left our birth home to find somewhere we could live more easily. Clear Sky and his cats had no more right to the forest than Gray Wing and his group had rights over the moor. These are simply the places we’ve chosen to settle. But he didn’t want to see Clear Sky leave on the back of a quarrel.