The Blazing Star

  Clear Sky’s feelings of amusement faded as he realized that none of the waking cats were coming to speak to him, or even acknowledging his presence. Not even the cats he had known all his life, had traveled down from the mountains with. I feel like an outsider . . . because it’s what I am.

  Finally Gray Wing padded over to him. “How are you feeling?” he asked. “Are you ready to challenge One Eye to a fight on the moor?”

  Clear Sky didn’t need to be reminded. Do I have to tell my brother that I feel sick to the bottom of my stomach? The knowledge that he was putting his life at risk meant that he hadn’t eaten since the previous sunrise.

  Thunder and Lightning Tail had told him that River Ripple would support them, but they weren’t sure about Wind Runner. And they hadn’t even tried to talk to the forest cats. Clear Sky’s heart ached at the thought that he couldn’t rely on the help of the very cats he was trying so hard to protect.

  They can’t want One Eye as their leader. Are they all such cowards? Then he remembered One Eye’s rogues, and admitted to himself that perhaps his own cats didn’t have much choice. They could very well be prisoners in the forest. A moment later, a less comforting thought crept into his mind. But surely they could escape if they tried hard enough.

  “Has it all been worth it?” he asked Gray Wing despondently.

  His brother’s eyes widened with shock. “I can’t believe you’re asking that!” he meowed. “Hasn’t it always been worth it?”

  Clear Sky had no answer to that question, and he silently rose to his paws and padded beside his brother to the edge of the hollow. Tall Shadow leaped down from her rock to join them, and the other cats gathered around. Clear Sky realized that the only cats missing were Holly, still lying sick in her den, Cloud Spots, and Jagged Peak, who, despite warnings about the sickness, hardly ever left Holly’s side.

  “Good-bye,” Tall Shadow mewed, dipping her head to Clear Sky. “And good luck.”

  The other cats joined in, repeating her words and calling out their good wishes.

  “You can do it, Clear Sky!”

  “Rip that crazy cat’s pelt off!”

  “Good luck!”

  “We’ll be with you!”

  Their enthusiasm warmed Clear Sky and put strength into his muscles. But as he took the first paw step out of the camp, he realized there was one more thing he had to do. He wanted to see Holly, to remind himself why he was doing this.

  Turning back, he pushed his way gently through the crowd of cats and bounded across the hollow to her den. Holly lay on her side in her mossy nest, her belly bulging with her growing kits. Jagged Peak crouched beside her; his tail lashed with concern and his eyes were dark with trouble.

  Cloud Spots was there, too, encouraging Holly to eat some tansy. “Holly, you have to hold on,” he meowed. “This should help until we can get the Blazing Star. The sooner we can get rid of One Eye, the sooner we can get safely across the Thunderpath to fetch some.”

  “It won’t be long now,” Jagged Peak promised. “You’ll be fine, Holly, and so will our kits.”

  Clear Sky couldn’t tell whether his younger brother actually believed what he was saying.

  Holly had a faraway look in her eyes, and didn’t seem to hear what Cloud Spots or Jagged Peak said. As Clear Sky gazed at her—knowing he couldn’t come closer than the entrance to the den—he noticed the sores on her body and the way her chest heaved with short, panting breaths.

  This can’t go on, he thought.

  Turning away with his resolve renewed, he halted as a cracked, broken voice called out, “Good luck, Clear Sky.”

  Glancing back over his shoulder, Clear Sky saw Holly’s gaze trained on him. Then slowly her eyes closed as she winced in a fresh onset of pain.

  Clear Sky felt his motivation surge. He could save Holly. He could save all the sick cats. Let’s do this!

  Clear Sky left the den to rejoin Gray Wing, Thunder, and Tall Shadow. The rest of the cats drew back respectfully.

  “I’ll go to the edge of the forest and call out to One Eye,” Clear Sky began. “I’ll lure him to the spot on the moor that you drew in the earth, Gray Wing.” With a glance at the sky, he went on, “Let’s say that I’ll be there at sunhigh. Can you be waiting, hidden?”

  Gray Wing nodded. “We’ll be there.”

  “And we’ll send the same message to Wind Runner and River Ripple,” Tall Shadow added. “We can only hope that Wind Runner has had a change of heart.”

  “If we can’t summon enough cats,” Thunder asked worriedly, “how will we get a message to you to abandon the plan?”

  “You don’t need to,” Clear Sky replied, summoning all his determination. “I’m not abandoning this plan. Whatever it takes, this is the last day that One Eye draws breath.” Or maybe it’s my last day. . . . He gave his pelt a vigorous shake, refusing to think about that. “We’re doing this!” he asserted. “The only failure is not to try, and I’ve never stopped trying.”

  Gray Wing gave him an approving purr and touched noses with him. “We won’t abandon you,” he promised.

  Clear Sky drew himself up and headed for the forest with a final flick of his tail. What if this is the end? he asked himself. What if this is the last time I see these cats? Would I be satisfied if my life ended today? He drew a deep breath. At least Gray Wing and I are reconciled.

  It took an effort not to glance back at the hollow, but he forced himself to keep looking ahead, facing his fate.

  Crouching behind a rock, Clear Sky peered cautiously at the edge of the forest, only a few fox-lengths in front of him. Although the lush growth of greenleaf had died back, leaving the trees gray and bare, there were very few traces of the burned patches from the fire.

  But Clear Sky’s satisfaction at seeing the end of the devastation was short-lived. It didn’t take him long to spot deep claw scratches on several trees, forming the round shape that he had already seen on Petal’s pads.

  Is One Eye leaving his mark everywhere now? he asked himself, ashamed to remember that although he’d never etched anything into the trees, he’d left his own mark all around the borders of his territory not long ago. Now he gagged at the wave of One Eye’s stench that rolled toward him out of the trees, and stiffened at the thought that One Eye could be hiding somewhere in the undergrowth, already aware of Clear Sky’s presence.

  Stop that! Clear Sky told himself, giving his pelt a shake. If you imagine One Eye squatting under every bush, you’ll never dare do anything. He let out a sigh, wondering when this vile invasion would end.

  Today, he reminded himself.

  Tucking his paws underneath him, Clear Sky waited. Sooner or later, he knew, one of his own cats would appear on a patrol. I just hope they’re alone, and not with One Eye’s rogues, he thought gloomily.

  “Clear Sky! Clear Sky, is that you?”

  A tremor of anticipation ran through Clear Sky at the sound of Acorn Fur’s voice. Taking a breath, he distinguished her scent, but it took a moment to spot her crouching underneath a thick clump of bracken at the very edge of the trees.

  “Clear Sky?” she called out again, her voice low and urgent.

  For a heartbeat Clear Sky hesitated. Is she luring me out so that One Eye and his rogues can finish me off? Then he took a calming breath. He would never believe that the brave chestnut brown she-cat could be such a traitor. I trust her completely, even though she had only just joined my group when One Eye took over.

  Pressing himself to the ground and using the long grass for cover, Clear Sky crawled forward until he could join Acorn Fur beneath the bracken.

  “Oh, Clear Sky, I was so relieved when I picked up your scent!” the young cat mewed, trembling as she pressed herself against his side. “It’s terrible here with One Eye. Every heartbeat I’m scared he’s going to claw me.”

  “Then why stay?” Clear Sky found it hard to feel sympathetic. “Escape; go back to the hollow on the moor. You could have come with us when One Eye attacked us by the Thunderpat
h.”

  Acorn Fur’s eyes widened and her trembling was replaced by the stiffness of fury. “You don’t imagine I want to be here?” she demanded. “I’m only staying to see if I can find some way to help you. I’ve been volunteering for border patrols so that I might see you or some cat to take a message to you.”

  “I’m sorry.” Clear Sky gave her ear a quick lick. “And have you found out anything?” he added hopefully.

  Pacified by his apology, Acorn Fur shook her head. “No, but I’ll keep trying.” Nervously she angled her ears back toward the forest. “I’m with a patrol now,” she murmured. “They must be somewhere around. We don’t have much time. Tell me what I can do.”

  “There is something.” Clear Sky couldn’t believe his luck, finding a faithful cat like Acorn Fur in the middle of his enemies. “I’m going to fight One Eye,” he explained in a rapid undertone. “I need you to take my challenge to him. Claws out—a fight to the death. Just him and me, one-on-one. Tell him I’ll be waiting for him on the moor at sunhigh.”

  “Are you mouse-brained? You can’t fight One Eye alone!” Acorn Fur protested, horror in her eyes. “He’ll claw you to pieces. I’m not taking a message like that.”

  “I won’t be alone,” Clear Sky reassured her. “The other moorland cats are going to help, and River Ripple, and maybe Wind Runner and Gorse Fur. You’ll have to lie to One Eye,” he added. “Do you think you can convince him?”

  Acorn Fur took a deep breath, bracing herself. “I’ll do anything to get rid of that mange-ridden excuse for a cat,” she promised.

  “Acorn Fur!” A harsh voice, unknown to Clear Sky, rang out from deeper within the forest. “Where are you? Get your flea-bitten tail over here before I have to teach you a lesson.”

  Acorn Fur shuddered. “I’ve got to go. You can trust me, Clear Sky. I’ll do my best.”

  Before Clear Sky could respond, she had vanished into the undergrowth.

  “What have you been up to?” the same voice growled. “I can scent that flea-pelt Clear Sky. I hope you haven’t been talking to him.”

  “Yes, I have.” Acorn Fur’s voice reached Clear Sky’s ears, steady and undaunted. “And you can put your claws away. He gave me an important message to take to One Eye.”

  “What message?”

  “I’ll tell that to One Eye,” Acorn Fur retorted. “And if you’re not careful, I’ll tell him you were nosing around in his private business.”

  No response followed, only the sound of retreating paw steps and the rustle of cats brushing through long grass. Clear Sky breathed a sigh of relief.

  It’s done. Now there’s no going back.

  CHAPTER 24

  Sunhigh had almost come. In the cold, clear light of approaching leaf-bare, Thunder peered out at the expanse of the moor from behind an outcrop of rock. Lightning Tail crouched beside him on one side, but the space on the other side felt terribly empty.

  Where is Star Flower? he wondered.

  The golden tabby had promised to help him in the battle, but Thunder hadn’t seen her since she left the hollow, telling him she was going to find some rogue recruits. Thunder shifted uneasily, hoping she hadn’t run into trouble.

  “Missing your precious Star Flower?” Lightning Tail asked, an edge to his voice.

  “Don’t start.” Thunder let out a sigh. “Today is too important.”

  Lightning Tail was silent, a look of shame creeping over his face. “You’re right. It’s just . . . I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  Thunder turned to him, thankful that his best friend’s hostility was fading. “Star Flower would never do anything to hurt me,” he assured Lightning Tail, briefly resting his tail-tip on the younger cat’s shoulder. “We understand each other!”

  The twitch of Lightning Tail’s whiskers told Thunder that his friend wasn’t convinced, but to Thunder’s relief he said nothing.

  A soft paw step behind Thunder announced the arrival of Gray Wing. “Tall Shadow, Cloud Spots, and Shattered Ice are hiding in the hollow over there,” he muttered, angling his ears toward a dip in the moor partly screened by gorse bushes. “Mud Paws and Mouse Ear are with them. And see that thorn tree over there?” he added with a purr. “Owl Eyes and Sparrow Fur are hiding in the branches—”

  “What?” Thunder protested, stiffening. “They’re only kits! They shouldn’t be part of this!”

  Gray Wing gave him a long look. “Have you tried controlling kits who are just about to be grown cats? I remember another kit with big paws who was keen to get involved in everything.”

  Thunder nodded, admitting that Gray Wing was right. If I were their age, I’d want to help, too. At least Pebble Heart has stayed behind to care for Holly.

  “Jagged Peak and Dappled Pelt took the messages to River Ripple and Wind Runner,” Gray Wing went on. “River Ripple said he’d keep watch on the riverbank, and Wind Runner . . . well, she didn’t say no this time. We can only hope that she and Gorse Fur will come and do what they can to help.”

  Thunder glanced across the moor in the direction of the sandy dip and the rocks where Wind Runner lived, but he couldn’t see any sign at all of approaching cats.

  A gasp from Lightning Tail drew Thunder’s attention and he squinted into the bright sunlight. Clear Sky was padding into the center of the moor.

  He’s clever! Thunder thought admiringly as he watched his father’s stride, self-assured yet wary. No cat would ever know that he feels his friends all around him.

  Clear Sky reached the top of a small hillock, turned to face the forest, and sat down. Motionless, he waited.

  Thunder realized that he was holding his breath as he gazed into the distance for the approach of One Eye. The sun beat down on his pelt. Beside him, Lightning Tail flicked his tail impatiently. “Where is he?” he muttered.

  Movement flashed in the corner of Thunder’s eye. Whirling around, he spotted One Eye. But the rogue hadn’t come from the forest. Instead he exploded out of a nearby rabbit hole.

  “The tunnels!” Gray Wing hissed in frustration. “Why didn’t we think of those?”

  “We should have known One Eye would do something sneaky,” Thunder responded, all the hair on his pelt beginning to bristle.

  Clear Sky spun around, but a heartbeat too late. One Eye’s paw was already raking through the air, his claws tearing at Clear Sky’s ear. Blood poured down Clear Sky’s face, and he let out a screech of mingled pain and anger. Thunder saw him shake his head, trying to clear the blood from his eyes.

  This is the worst possible start! Thunder thought.

  He flexed his claws, digging them into the ground. All his instincts were shrieking at him to spring out from hiding and help his father, but Clear Sky had insisted that he wanted to fight One Eye alone for a few moments. “I want him to feel overconfident,” he had explained.

  Clear Sky lashed out at One Eye, striking a hard blow to the rogue’s shoulder. One Eye countered by aiming for Clear Sky’s throat, but Clear Sky leaped backward in time to avoid his slashing claws.

  Then to Thunder’s amazement One Eye drew back, padding around Clear Sky about a tail-length away from him. His words reached Thunder on the still air.

  “You said you’d fight me, Clear Sky. Are you ready to die?”

  Clear Sky’s answer rang out. “There’s only one cat who’ll die today, and that’s you.”

  One Eye let out a furious snarl and launched himself again at Clear Sky. For a few moments they tussled together on the grass. At first it was hard for Thunder to see which cat was winning, until a heartbeat later Clear Sky was lying on his back with his belly exposed. One Eye raised his paw to slice down through the soft flesh.

  Now!

  Thunder leaped out of his hiding place, raising his voice in a great yowl of defiance. That was the signal for the other cats to launch themselves at One Eye.

  As he bounded over the springy moorland grass, Thunder saw Clear Sky scramble back onto his paws. He faced One Eye, hissing to distract him, but One Ey
e had heard Thunder’s cry and spun around, gazing at the cats who were converging on him.

  Yes, One Eye, we’re coming! Thunder’s paws skimmed the ground and he could sense Lightning Tail racing along at his shoulder and Gray Wing close behind. Cloud Spots was leading the other cats who had hidden behind the gorse bushes.

  Beyond One Eye, Thunder spotted River Ripple, Dew, and Night charging across the moor from the river, and . . . Yes, there’s Wind Runner! Gorse Fur was by her side, and as they closed in on One Eye, Clear Sky leaped aside to join them.

  They must have left their kits with Slate. The thought flashed through Thunder’s mind as he remembered what Gray Wing had told him about his nighttime encounter. She sounds like a cat worth knowing.

  That fleeting thought distracted Thunder, and he caught his paw in a rabbit hole, hitting the ground hard and rolling over in a tangle of paws and tail.

  Lightning Tail’s voice rang out. “Thunder, look!”

  Struggling to his paws, Thunder saw a line of cats rushing across the moor from the direction of the forest. He half expected to see some of Clear Sky’s cats among them, but all of them were strangers to him. One Eye’s rogues! There are so many!

  The group of rogues divided as they drew closer. One section barreled between One Eye and River Ripple, while another darted into Wind Runner’s path. Three cats raced toward Thunder and Lightning Tail, who were leading the moorland cats, and snarled at them with claws extended. Thunder had to veer to one side, confusing the cats who were pelting up behind him. They all stumbled to a halt, panting, as the rogue cats hissed in their faces.

  “Get out of here!” Thunder responded to the hissing with a hostile growl. “This isn’t your fight!”

  The rogues didn’t move. Thunder’s glance darted over to One Eye, who had leaped up onto a rock and was watching with sardonic satisfaction in his single eye. Thunder and his cats were being held back by the rogues. Thunder couldn’t imagine how their plan had gone so wrong.

  Did One Eye know that we would be in hiding to help Clear Sky?