She picked up the little she-cat, her teeth meeting gently in her scruff, and headed for the camp without a backward glance at Clear Sky. Thunder hesitated, not knowing how his father would react.
But Clear Sky merely shrugged. “Go on,” he meowed to Thunder. “Do as she says.”
Thunder picked up the tiny ginger tom and followed Petal. As he brushed through the undergrowth, keeping the soft waving paws just clear of the grass, he couldn’t rid his mind of the picture of Misty, lying dead with her blood pooling around her.
She didn’t have to die, he thought sorrowfully. Clear Sky doesn’t need all this territory. If we hadn’t come here, none of this would have happened. And would he really have killed these kits, if Petal hadn’t offered to take them?
Horror filled Thunder, a cold, creeping fungus, as he realized he didn’t know the answer to that question.
CHAPTER 25
Gray Wing stretched luxuriously in his nest of moss and bracken, and finished the last mouthfuls of the portion of young hare Hawk Swoop had brought him. The sun was rising over the moor and he let the warm rays soak into his pelt. The sky was a pale, clear blue, with scarcely a wisp of cloud.
The cats are doing a fantastic job of pulling together while I’m ill, he thought. And they’re being so good to me . . . if only it didn’t make me feel so useless.
He spotted Lightning Tail dragging a rabbit across the camp toward him, and reflected on what a fine hunter the young cat was becoming. But he can hardly manage the weight of his prey!
Rising to his paws, Gray Wing padded over to Lightning Tail and helped him carry the rabbit into the center of the camp, where most of the cats were gathering around prey brought in by Rainswept Flower and Shattered Ice. All of them drew back to let him eat first.
“No, go ahead,” Gray Wing meowed, gesturing toward the rabbit with his tail. “I’ve already eaten.”
The portion of hare was all he could manage; his appetite still hadn’t returned, although it had been several days since the badger attack.
As Acorn Fur wriggled into the group beside her brother and the rest of the cats tucked in, Gray Wing noticed that Turtle Tail was watching him from the other side of the camp. He had never seen her so angry or upset as when he came back to the camp with Owl Eyes. She said I wasn’t fit to lead, and she was right. She was only now beginning to soften toward him again.
Fresh misery pulsed through Gray Wing. I never meant to make Turtle Tail unhappy! Then he gave his pelt a shake, forcing himself to be more hopeful. His breathing had been much better since he had been forced to rest. Soon I’ll be chasing mice again! And I know Turtle Tail was only angry because she cares about me.
As he let his gaze rest on Turtle Tail, Gray Wing felt a small paw prodding him in the side. He looked down to see Pebble Heart standing beside him, his eyes wide and troubled.
“What’s the matter?” Gray Wing asked him.
The kit pressed against his side; Gray Wing could feel him shivering. “I had another dream,” he whispered.
“What kind of dream?” Gray Wing let his tail rest gently over Pebble Heart’s shoulders. “Was it the fight again, or the long, dark tunnel?”
Pebble Heart shook his head. “No, worse than that. There’s something bad at the edge of the forest . . . something very bad. I think some cat ought to go and look.”
Puzzled, Gray Wing studied his son. The kit obviously believed every word he was saying, but Gray Wing wasn’t sure he could ask cats to go and investigate, so close to Clear Sky’s territory, on the basis of a kit’s dream.
“Did you see anything—?” he began, only to break off as Wind Runner raced over the top of the hollow, with Gorse Fur at her shoulder. She bounded down into the hollow and scrambled up to the tall rock. The other cats slowly gathered around her. Jagged Peak was gazing at her with hero-worship in his eyes. Ever since Owl Eyes had run off, Jagged Peak had kept his distance from the kits. As Gray Wing watched, Tall Shadow padded over and sat beside him, neatly curling her tail over her forepaws. Pebble Heart drew back a pace, to let the two senior cats talk in private.
Wind Runner’s voice suddenly rang out over the camp. “Can all cats gather around the tall rock for a meeting!”
Gray Wing felt a twinge of anxiety in his pads. Since when has Wind Runner called meetings, instead of me or Tall Shadow? And since when did all the cats obey her like this?
Lightning Tail and Acorn Fur bounded eagerly across the camp; Hawk Swoop and Jackdaw’s Cry were close behind them and sat next to the kits. Shattered Ice hesitated as if he was wondering whether to answer the summons, then stalked forward to join Cloud Spots and Dappled Pelt.
Gray Wing slowly followed. He was painfully aware of the other cats waiting for him to arrive and settle down, but his legs still felt shaky and he couldn’t go any faster.
Jagged Peak was sitting at the base of the rock. Turtle Tail was close to him, and Gray Wing noticed that she was giving Wind Runner a long, hard stare.
Oh, no! Turtle Tail, please don’t cause a scene. I know Wind Runner is pushy, but she looks as if she has something important to say.
As Gray Wing reached the group of cats, Wind Runner gave her pelt a shake as if she was saying, At last! Now we can get on.
Gray Wing noticed that some of the cats were glancing uncertainly from him to Tall Shadow and then to Wind Runner, as if they weren’t sure which cat was in charge. Rainswept Flower and Cloud Spots looked particularly unhappy. Tall Shadow glanced away, refusing to meet their gaze.
Okay, Gray Wing thought. If she’s not going to assert herself, then I will. Thanks so much, Tall Shadow.
“Thank you for gathering us, Wind Runner,” he meowed. “What news?”
He hoped that he sounded more confident than he felt. I never asked to become leader, he thought. But now that Wind Runner is pushing herself to the top . . . Gray Wing realized with a jolt that he didn’t want to let go of all he’d achieved. No rogue cat is going to come in and usurp me! Gray Wing hadn’t joined the cats’ journey out of the mountains just to lie down and let another cat stomp heavy-pawed over everything he’d done.
Wind Runner dipped her head respectfully to him. “Hunting has become more and more difficult,” she replied. “As you know, Clear Sky is defending his territory fiercely and is using guards. I crossed over into Clear Sky’s territory, and I was challenged by his cats. When I told them I’d been here far longer than any of them, I was viciously attacked. Look at this!”
She held up one forepaw and Gray Wing saw that part of her fur had been ripped off. Gasps of shock rose from the other cats at the sight of it.
“Who did that to you?” Jagged Peak demanded, his pelt bristling. “Who?”
“Frost, one of Clear Sky’s guards,” Wind Runner answered. “I had to escape down a hole, as if I were a rabbit! But there’s more. . . .” She hesitated, looking at Gray Wing.
“Go on,” Gray Wing responded, feeling his pads prickle with apprehension. “Tell us everything.”
“Well . . .” Wind Runner still seemed reluctant, glancing nervously around the group while her claws scraped the surface of the rock. “Thunder was in the group of guards, along with Petal. He stood back and watched while Frost attacked me.”
“No, not Thunder!” Hawk Swoop gasped.
“This is bad,” Tall Shadow murmured.
Turtle Tail was staring right at Gray Wing. He felt himself stagger to one side and then sink to the ground, his vision blurring for a heartbeat. Thunder . . . the kit I brought up as my own son . . . he’s become one of them. . . .
Gray Wing remembered his fight with Fox, the fight that had finally torn Gray Wing and Clear Sky apart. He regretted killing Fox, but he still believed he had been given no choice when the huge tom attacked him. He felt as if all the blood in his veins had turned to ice when he thought of Thunder becoming such a cat. But what choice would he have, now that he’s joined Clear Sky?
Gray Wing glanced around and realized that all his denmates we
re looking at him, waiting to hear what he would say. Only Turtle Tail turned toward Wind Runner.
“Are you sure?” she asked. “It’s so hard to believe that Thunder—”
“If you don’t believe me,” Wind Runner interrupted, “perhaps you’d like to see where Gorse Fur and I buried Misty.”
“Who’s Misty?” Jackdaw’s Cry asked.
Gray Wing felt his apprehension growing at the mention of another dead cat, but he made himself keep quiet and let Wind Runner tell her story.
“Misty was a rogue, a gray-and-white she-cat,” Wind Runner began. “She lived mostly at the edge of the forest. Gorse Fur and I found her body. She had terrible wounds along her sides and across her belly, and there was blood everywhere. Clear Sky’s scent marks were there, too, and Thunder’s.”
“He’s expanded his territory yet again,” Gorse Fur added, raising his voice to make himself heard above the horrified exclamations from the other cats. “And this time he had to kill a cat to do it.”
Screeches of outrage and distress rose from the other cats. Jackdaw’s Cry and Shattered Ice leaped to their paws and began to pad around, quickly joined by Rainswept Flower and Dappled Pelt. Shocked and appalled, the cats huddled together in small groups. The meeting was beginning to break up in disorder.
“Wait—there’s more!” Wind Runner yowled, raising her tail for silence. “Misty had two kits. Gorse Fur and I searched all around Misty’s nest, but we couldn’t find them. They were gone. Either Clear Sky killed them, too, or they wandered off when their mother was killed. And they were far too young to survive alone. Don’t you see,” she went on, her voice tight with fury. “Clear Sky is extending his territory, and he doesn’t care what he does to make it happen. If we don’t act fast, we’ll lose everything we ever had! We can’t trust any cat—not even Thunder.”
Everything we ever had? Wind Runner’s words jolted Gray Wing. Since when did Wind Runner help us escape from the mountains or set up this camp? He sat in stunned silence as exclamations of pity and outrage erupted all around him.
“Killing kits—that’s the worst he’s ever done!” Turtle Tail exclaimed.
“And what are we going to do?” Shattered Ice asked.
Desperately trying to shut out the sounds of panic and rage, Gray Wing turned to Pebble Heart, who had followed him to the rock and was crouching close to his side again. “Is this the bad thing in your dream?” he asked.
Pebble Heart’s eyes were filled with horror at what he had heard, but he looked puzzled, too. “No . . . ,” he responded. “I’m not sure, but I don’t think the bad thing has happened yet.”
Gray Wing shook his head in confusion. He wanted to believe the kit, but he couldn’t imagine what Pebble Heart’s dream might have meant if it wasn’t about the death of the she-cat and her kits. Another bad thing in the forest . . . where will it all end?
While Gray Wing had been talking to Pebble Heart the caterwauling had died away. Jackdaw’s Cry’s voice rang out strongly. “We need a leader!”
Gray Wing looked up to realize that the cats were all focused on Wind Runner, who was still standing on top of the rock. Even Tall Shadow was glancing uncertainly from Gray Wing to the brown she-cat.
Gray Wing wasn’t sure what to do. He was acutely aware that he still hadn’t recovered completely from his illness. And Tall Shadow was staying on the outskirts of the group, clearly unwilling to take the leadership again.
But do we really want Wind Runner as our leader? A cat who was a rogue until a few sunrises ago?
He cleared his throat. “Tall Shadow, what do you—” he began.
Wind Runner interrupted him, speaking to all the cats who were gathered around her. She wasn’t even looking at Gray Wing. “I suggest taking a patrol to talk to Clear Sky,” she meowed. “We need to find out what happened to those kits.”
Yowls of agreement came from the surrounding cats.
“If he killed them I’ll rip his pelt off!” Shattered Ice threatened, digging his claws into the ground.
“I’ll help you,” Jackdaw’s Cry agreed.
Gray Wing knew that he had to take control. “Good idea, Wind Runner,” he mewed, rising to his paws. “Will you and Gorse Fur come with me? And I’ll take Turtle Tail and Cloud Spots too.” Turning to Shattered Ice and Jackdaw’s Cry, he added, “Not you two. There’ll be no pelt ripping until we find out exactly what’s going on.”
“We know what’s going on,” Shattered Ice growled, but to Gray Wing’s relief neither he nor Jackdaw’s Cry challenged his decision.
Good. You insisted on making me leader, so let me lead.
Gray Wing bent his head to speak quietly to Pebble Heart. “I’ll keep an eye out for the bad thing. Now find your brother and sister, and don’t worry.”
“I’ll look after them,” Rainswept Flower meowed, sweeping her tail around Pebble Heart and leading him away. “Good luck, Gray Wing.”
Turtle Tail followed for a few paces. “Good-bye, kits,” she mewed, touching each one on the head with her nose. “Behave yourselves for Rainswept Flower. I’ll be back soon.” Then she turned and hurried back to Gray Wing.
Gray Wing glanced around at the cats in his patrol; they were all pressing closely around him, their eyes eager. “Right,” he snapped. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 26
The sun was rising higher as Gray Wing led his cats across the moor. Ahead of them, the forest was a rustling green wall; the breeze carried scents of heavy green growth and prey.
Once he got going, setting the pace at a steady lope, Gray Wing found that his breathing was easy and he didn’t have any pain in his chest. “Maybe I’m really over this at last,” he mewed to Turtle Tail.
His mate twitched her ears. “Let’s hope so. But don’t you dare hide it from me again.”
Gray Wing was leading his patrol toward the edge of the forest nearest to Clear Sky’s camp. As they drew closer, his senses were alert for anything that might explain Pebble Heart’s dream. I trust him, he realized. Pebble Heart is going to be an extraordinary cat.
They passed the first of the outlying trees, and plunged into the undergrowth. As lush ferns brushed against his pelt, Gray Wing was watching for any sign of Clear Sky’s guards. But nothing halted their progress until an eerie shriek rose up in front of them, splitting the peaceful morning air.
“That was a cat!” Turtle Tail gasped.
“This way!” Wind Runner took the lead, racing toward the sound.
The shriek wasn’t repeated, but as he bounded after Wind Runner, Gray Wing could hear the faint noises of a cat in pain. He began to pick up the scent of fox. Is this Pebble Heart’s bad thing? he asked himself. Fear of what he was going to find throbbed within his heart.
Wind Runner led the way between two oak trees and vanished into a clump of ferns. As the patrol burst through after her, Gray Wing found himself in a small clearing. In the middle of a circle of trampled grass, a skinny tortoiseshell cat lay splayed out, blood trickling from wounds all over her body.
“Bumble!” Turtle Tail exclaimed. “Oh, no!”
Outstripping Wind Runner and Gray Wing, Turtle Tail raced across the clearing and flung herself down beside her friend. “Bumble, we’re here now,” she mewed, pressing her nose against Bumble’s shoulder. “We’ll help you.”
Gray Wing and the others padded across to stand beside the injured cat. The reek of fox was overwhelming now, drowning all other scents.
Bumble’s eyes were half closed and her breath came in shallow pants. Her glazed eyes were fixed on Turtle Tail.
Cloud Spots pushed forward and began to examine Bumble’s wounds. Gray Wing could see that there were slits down her belly and sides that were slowly leaking blood. Though he didn’t have Cloud Spots’s skills, Gray Wing guessed that none of the wounds alone would have killed her, but there were so many, and she was losing so much blood, that it was clear she was dying.
Cloud Spots looked up at him and gave a tiny shake of his head, confirmin
g what Gray Wing already knew. “There’s nothing I can do,” he murmured. “This is beyond the power of any healing herbs.”
Turtle Tail shot him a grief-stricken look, and began licking at her friend’s wounds with a soothing murmur as if she were tending to her kits.
Gray Wing bent his head close to Bumble’s. “Who did this to you?” he asked. “Was it a fox?”
Bumble opened her jaws to reply, but she was so weak that only a faint sigh came out.
“I’m picking up another scent here,” Cloud Spots muttered. “Another cat . . .”
Gray Wing tasted the air carefully, trying to distinguish other scents beyond the stink of fox. At once he realized that Cloud Spots was right. Horror and disbelief broke over him like an avalanche of snow as he recognized the cat scent that clung to Bumble’s fur.
“Clear Sky!” he gasped. Yes! This is Pebble Heart’s bad thing, no question.
Cloud Spots’s eyes widened and he took another sniff. “You’re right,” he mewed. “I know you’re right, and I still can’t believe it.”
“I can,” Wind Runner responded grimly. She began to sniff around the circle of trampled grass. “It looks as if there was a fight here.”
“So Clear Sky did this to Bumble.” There was a sick look in Gorse Fur’s eyes. “She’s just a poor, pathetic kittypet. What could she have done to deserve this?”
“Maybe he didn’t,” Gray Wing protested, desperate to believe that his brother could be innocent. “There’s all this fox scent—”
“Don’t try to defend him!” Turtle Tail interrupted, springing to her paws. “Which cat has been determined to expand his territory, never mind who gets hurt? Clear Sky! And now he’s attacked poor Bumble.” Her voice choked and she crouched beside her friend again.
Bumble opened her jaws again and this time managed to speak, her voice a faint tendril of sound. “This was my fault. I was so hungry . . . I couldn’t think straight. It was stupid. I should never have hunted here. . . .” Her voice grew shaky, blood pumping from her wounds. “The cat was only—”