Taking a deep breath, Tall Shadow turned to the other cats. “Good news! Turtle Tail has returned to the place where she belongs, and soon she’ll give birth to kits. More cats to strengthen our group!”
“Or more mouths to feed,” Shattered Ice protested. “I can’t believe you’re letting her walk back in here after the way she betrayed us!”
Tall Shadow whipped around, her neck fur bristling. “If you’re so worried about food,” she rasped, “you can go hunting.”
Shattered Ice opened his jaws to protest, then caught Tall Shadow’s warning glance. Muttering something inaudible, he turned and padded away, up the slope and out of the hollow.
Gray Wing watched him go. He could tell that Shattered Ice hated being humiliated in public like that. He had been one of the key cats who had led them down from the mountains. But Tall Shadow has been leading us since Shaded Moss left her in charge, and she gets the final word here.
Turning back to the others, Gray Wing saw that Thunder was intently watching Shattered Ice as he left the camp.
“I want to hunt too,” the kit mewed.
“Not right now,” Gray Wing told him. “Better leave Shattered Ice alone until he gets over his bad mood.” He always was a bit touchy. And it must be difficult for him; he’s worked so hard on this new camp, and now Turtle Tail, who was gone all through the cold season, returns to enjoy it.
“Come over here.” Tall Shadow beckoned Turtle Tail toward a patch of moss. Gray Wing joined her, and the three cats sat together, watching Acorn Fur and Lightning Tail chasing butterflies. Jagged Peak limped up and settled down a couple of tail-lengths away, his eyes uncertain, as if he wasn’t sure of his welcome.
“Jagged Peak, what happened to you?” Turtle Tail exclaimed, her eyes widening with shock as she saw the young cat’s injury. “I thought you were living in the forest with Clear Sky.”
“I was,” Jagged Peak replied, scuffling his paws unhappily. “But I fell out of a tree and hurt my leg, and Clear Sky . . .” His voice trailed off.
“Clear Sky decided he only wants healthy cats,” Tall Shadow finished for him. “So Jagged Peak came back to us. It might take a while, but he’ll get better.”
She looked kindly at Jagged Peak, who nodded, but Gray Wing knew very well that his brother wasn’t at all certain that the injured leg would mend.
“I’m so sorry,” Turtle Tail meowed, her green eyes full of sympathy.
“So,” Tall Shadow continued. “What do you think of our new home, Turtle Tail?” Her eyes shone with interest. “Have we changed much? It’s good to see you back. I’d love to hear more about what made you decide to return.”
Turtle Tail was looking around the hollow, taking everything in with an intense green gaze. Gray Wing tried to see the cats through her eyes: plump and happy, their pelts shining with health. She was impressed by the camp, he knew: the cover of gorse and rocks that stuck up out of the earth, and the wide tunnel dens.
“Aren’t you glad we left the mountains?” Turtle Tail asked eventually, avoiding Tall Shadow’s questions. “Do you remember how Stoneteller sent us on our way? What was it she said? ‘There is another place for some of us, full of sunlight and warmth and prey for all seasons.’ It seems so long ago now.”
Gray Wing nodded in agreement. He thought of Turtle Tail’s bounce and energy back then, the hope and spirit that had been so important when their journey got rough. She seemed different now; he could sense that she had gained wisdom and experience. We’ve all changed, I guess, he thought.
As Gray Wing watched his friend, he saw the happiness fade from her face. He opened his jaws to question her, but Tall Shadow got there before him.
“What is it?” she asked. “What’s wrong, Turtle Tail?”
Turtle Tail dug her claws into the soft moss. “I’m not sure I can bring my strengths to help you anymore,” she confessed. “Stoneteller used to praise me for my speed and sharp eyes, and look at me now.” She gestured toward her heavy belly with one paw.
“You still have your sharp eyes,” Tall Shadow mewed. “Your skills are needed here more than ever.” She hesitated for a moment, then glanced thoughtfully around her. “I need some cat to be the eyes and ears of the hollow,” she continued. “To watch the horizon and report back. Will you?”
Turtle Tail looked confused. “Why do you need a cat to keep such careful watch?”
“Things aren’t quite as happy as they appear,” Tall Shadow explained. “True, the cats are well fed and cared for, but things have changed. It’s many moons since we laid eyes on Clear Sky, but when we’ve met his cats, they’ve made it quite clear that the forest is theirs now. They talk about cats trespassing, and if any of us sets paw under the trees, they chase us off.”
Gray Wing nodded; regret pierced him like a thorn as he realized afresh how distant they had become from Clear Sky and his cats. As kits, he and Clear Sky had spent every waking moment together. I never would have guessed we’d end up like this.
“It feels as if they’re hostile,” he mewed.
“Have you seen any of them near the Twolegplace?” Tall Shadow asked Turtle Tail. “We need to know everything we can about them. Any detail, however slight, could be useful.”
Turtle Tail shook her head, while Gray Wing felt his fur prickle. Are we spying on Clear Sky now?
But as Tall Shadow went on, Gray Wing realized that wasn’t the most important thing on her mind. “If Clear Sky’s cats don’t want to share hunting rights in the forest, it’s up to me to protect our hunting rights out here. As it is, we always seem to be arguing with rogue cats over prey.”
“That was a problem before,” Turtle Tail commented with a glance at Gray Wing.
“True,” Tall Shadow meowed. “But it’s definitely gotten worse. We’d achieved some kind of understanding with the rogue cats. We left them alone, and they did the same. Now . . . it’s difficult to put into words, but there are tensions that we didn’t have before. That’s why we need your help. Can you let me know when strange faces appear or hunt near our home?”
“I’ll do whatever I can,” Turtle Tail promised. Gray Wing could see that her eyes were full of bitterness. “I should never have left,” she admitted. “If I’d been here, I could have done more to help. And I can’t believe that Clear Sky is behaving like that!”
Gray Wing felt that he had to defend his brother. “He’s just doing what he thinks is best.”
Turtle Tail flicked her tail, showing clearly that she wasn’t convinced. “Since when does he have to be so protective about hunting rights?” she asked. “There’s enough prey here for every cat.”
A rustling sounded behind Gray Wing. He glanced over his shoulder to see that Jagged Peak had crept closer to listen to their conversation. He might have been permanently injured, but clearly the young cat had cunning enough to move silently. His eyes were gleaming with excitement.
“I can help, too!” he announced. “I can keep watch with Turtle Tail. I might not be able to run or scramble into trees, but I can guard the hollow.” Glancing at Turtle Tail’s swollen belly, he added, “Turtle Tail won’t be as capable as she normally is, and I can’t run like I used to, but between the two of us . . .”
Tall Shadow hesitated, her eyes compassionate as she surveyed the injured cat. “Thank you, Jagged Peak,” she responded. “But all I want now is to see you rest and get well.”
Gray Wing’s muscles tensed as he saw the look of hurt and rejection on Jagged Peak’s face. He knew Tall Shadow meant to be kind, but he also knew how desperately Jagged Peak needed to prove to himself that he could still be useful.
“Go on with the exercises Cloud Spots gave you,” he mewed sympathetically to his brother. “You’ll soon be out hunting again.”
Jagged Peak turned away without replying, his head drooping. Gray Wing knew that his brother didn’t believe his encouraging words. Turtle Tail rested her tail on Jagged Peak’s shoulder, but he shrugged her off.
Watching him slink away, ho
bbling on his damaged leg, Gray Wing asked himself whether Tall Shadow had made the right decision.
“Maybe you should have let him help,” he murmured.
“It would make him feel better,” Turtle Tail agreed. “And another pair of eyes can’t be bad, surely?”
Tall Shadow’s sharp gaze flicked from one to the other. “I’m supposed to be in charge,” she mewed abruptly. “It’s not easy.” She sniffed and stalked off toward her den.
Gray Wing exchanged a glance with Turtle Tail, whose mouth hung open in shock. Who put ants in her fur? Gray Wing wondered.
CHAPTER 3
“How about I give you a tour of the hollow and the moors?” Gray Wing suggested to Turtle Tail. He wanted to dispel the tension left by Tall Shadow’s departure. “You should get to know them again. Besides,” he added, teasingly, “you might have gotten soft after living with Twolegs.”
“Rude furball!” Turtle Tail exclaimed, batting at him with one paw, though there was a glimmer of affection in her eyes.
“Okay, not soft,” Gray Wing agreed. “But come on, let me show you around anyway.” The idea of being alone with Turtle Tail was comforting. I missed her so much, he realized. Now that she had returned, he could see the enormous hole she had left in his life when she went away.
But as they headed up the slope out of the hollow, Rainswept Flower called over to them. “Can I come too? I’d love the chance to catch up with Turtle Tail.”
“Of course,” Gray Wing replied, though not without a pang of regret. I wanted Turtle Tail all to myself! But then he cast a sidelong glance at her and felt a thrill pass over him. It didn’t matter—she wasn’t going anywhere. There would be plenty of time to talk. And Rainswept Flower is such a great cat; we’re lucky to have her in the hollow.
As Rainswept Flower raced to join them, Gray Wing spotted a flicker of movement and saw Jagged Peak emerging from his nest. “Can I come too?” the young cat asked.
Gray Wing shook his head. “No,” he responded gently. “Stay in the hollow and build up your strength.”
Jagged Peak looked stricken at his refusal, his tail trailing on the ground as he turned away.
“Jagged Peak, wait!” Rainswept Flower turned back and went to touch noses with the little gray tom. “When we come back, I promise I’ll help you with your exercises.”
“I’m sick of exercising,” Jagged Peak meowed, his voice shaking. “It’s so boring!”
Rainswept Flower glanced at Gray Wing, who was waiting with Turtle Tail near the top of the hollow. “I’ll be back soon,” she assured Jagged Peak. “We all will. Really, you’re not missing out on anything special.” Touching the young cat’s nose again, she headed back toward Gray Wing.
As they turned to leave, Gray Wing could feel Jagged Peak’s gaze boring into his back. “That was kind,” he commented to Rainswept Flower.
Rainswept Flower blinked at him. “I think we all should do more to help Jagged Peak,” she suggested. “It’s no good constantly telling him that he can’t do things.”
“You may be right,” Gray Wing admitted, with a twinge of guilt. “Thanks for being so sensitive.”
The tabby she-cat twitched her whiskers. “It was nothing.”
The three cats left the hollow side by side, and headed across the moor in the direction of the river. Gray Wing reveled in the warm breeze that ruffled his fur, and the scent of fresh growing things that wafted along with it. They passed a moorland pool where reeds waved gently and sunlight glittered on the surface of the water.
As they were picking their way up a slope covered with gorse bushes, a rabbit suddenly darted across their path, its eyes wide with terror, then vanished into the gorse before any cat could try to intercept it.
“Hmm . . . ,” Gray Wing commented. “Where there’s a fleeing rabbit, there’s bound to be—there she is!”
As he spoke, the rogue she-cat Wind emerged from one of the bushes, her brown pelt untidy and a disgusted expression on her face. “Stupid creature!” she spat. “I nearly had it!”
Gray Wing let out a mrrow of laughter. “You must be getting slow in your old age!”
Wind slid her claws out threateningly, which amused Gray Wing even more. He knew very well that Wind wouldn’t attack him; they had come a long way since their first hostile meeting when Gray Wing had killed the rabbit Wind and her friend Gorse were chasing.
As if Gray Wing’s thought had called him up, Gorse appeared now, a skinny tabby shape slipping out from the shelter of the bushes. Turtle Tail glanced at Gray Wing, looking cautious and worried, as the cat stepped forward. Of course! She never knew the two rogues well when she lived on the moor.
“It’s okay,” Rainswept Flower reassured her, brushing Turtle Tail’s shoulder with her tail-tip. “Gorse and Wind are our friends.”
Gray Wing remembered talking to Tall Shadow a few moons ago, discussing whether it would be a good idea to invite the rogues to join them in the hollow. In the end, Tall Shadow had decided against admitting them. But who knows what the future holds? Gray Wing asked himself. I won’t say anything to Gorse and Wind now, but maybe in a while . . .
“How has the hunting been?” Gray Wing asked Wind. He admired the way she would dive down into the tunnels to hunt the rabbits in their own burrows. She knew the whole network of tunnels that lay beneath the moor.
And that might be useful one day.
Wind gave a snort of disgust. “There’s plenty of prey,” she replied, “but hunting is becoming . . . complicated.”
“Why don’t you say it straight out?” Gorse demanded, with the beginnings of a snarl. “Clear Sky is refusing to let us hunt in the forest. Can you believe it? How dare Clear Sky tell us where we can and can’t hunt?”
Wind nodded in agreement. “The problem is, all the hunting around here is awkward now. One argument after another.” Flicking her tail angrily, she added, “The other day I met a couple of other rogues—Thorn and Dew—at the edge of the moor. They’d never been exactly friendly, but we mostly left each other alone, and we were happy with that. But that day we ended up chasing the same hare. It was big enough to feed all of us, and there was a time we would have shared it.”
“That’s right,” Gorse put in. “But this time Thorn and Dew dragged the prey away. They threatened to claw our pelts off if we came anywhere near it.” He shook his head in confusion. “It never used to be like this. Not until . . .” He glanced at them.
Gray Wing saw Rainswept Flower’s tail begin to twitch, and she took a pace forward. “Are you blaming the mountain cats?” she demanded.
Turtle Tail gave Gray Wing an anxious look, as if she expected a fight to break out. Gray Wing rested his tail-tip on her shoulder. “It’ll be fine,” he murmured, hoping he was right, and realizing that he would have to report this to Tall Shadow.
Gorse’s neck fur began to bristle, but Wind shouldered him away and faced Rainswept Flower. “We’re not blaming you,” she meowed. “At least, not all of you.” Letting out a sigh, she turned to Turtle Tail. “I know you, don’t I?” she meowed.
“Yes, this is Turtle Tail,” Gray Wing responded. “She left the moor for a bit”—no need to tell them she lived as a kittypet—“but she’s back now.”
Wind narrowed her eyes and gave Turtle Tail an assessing look. “I think she’s okay,” she mewed to Gorse. “Should I show you some of the best hunting areas around here?” she added to Turtle Tail. “You need to know, if times are going to get more difficult.”
“Yes . . . yes, thanks,” Turtle Tail stammered, looking taken aback. It must be hard for her, realizing that life out here isn’t as perfect as she’d imagined.
But once again Gray Wing was impressed by how kind and friendly Wind could be, even in the midst of her own troubles.
Rainswept Flower obviously realized it, too. “I shouldn’t have taken offense,” she mewed, blinking apologetically. “It’s just that . . . well, you’re right that times are more challenging now.”
Wind twitc
hed her whiskers. “It’s okay.”
Gorse and Wind led the way toward the river, following a tiny stream that trickled along a deep cleft in the moorland, a place where the mountain cats had never hunted before. The stream was edged with long grass and ferns that overhung the water.
“This place is no good for rabbits,” Wind explained as Gray Wing gazed around in amazement. “But you can generally find a mouse or two, or a vole, where the plants grow thickest.”
“Thanks for showing us,” Gray Wing responded, enjoying the dazzle of sunlight on the ripples and the gentle gurgling sound the water made. “Why haven’t we searched for prey here?”
Wind stifled a snort of laughter. “You just have to know where to look!”
“And now this way.” Gorse leaped across the stream and scrambled up the side of the cleft onto the open moor again. “There are always a few rabbits around here,” he panted as he waited for the others to join him. “You can see some of their holes over there,” he added, pointing with his tail toward a steep rocky bank with a few scrawny bushes clinging to the thin soil between the stones.
Gray Wing tasted the air. Gorse was right; there was a strong smell of rabbit, and he spotted several piles of their droppings among the grass.
“You’re carrying some extra weight,” Wind mewed to Turtle Tail as they set off again.
Turtle Tail gave her shoulder a couple of embarrassed licks. “My kits should be here soon,” she murmured.
“Then you need some easy hunting,” Gorse told her. “Maybe a nice, fat pigeon that can’t get too far. Let’s head for the river.”
The rest of the cats followed Gorse. Gray Wing pricked his ears, listening for the weird clacking call that would tell him there were pigeons around.
“Over there.” Rainswept Flower angled her ears forward and Gray Wing picked up the sounds of several pigeons, though he couldn’t see anything.
“Stupid birds,” Gorse muttered. “They don’t know when to stay quiet.”