The Blazing Star

  Already Thunder could pick out the acrid tang of monsters among the forest scents, and before long they emerged from the trees and stood on the narrow strip of grass that bordered the hard, black stone. A dead ash tree leaned over the grass, surrounded by a thicket of brambles.

  Tall Shadow glanced carefully in both directions. “Okay, Thunder,” she mewed. “You go across first.”

  “Wait!” Mouse Ear flicked out his tail to halt Thunder. “You haven’t felt the Thunderpath yet.”

  Tall Shadow gave him a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”

  “Like this.” Mouse Ear cautiously placed one paw on the black surface and twitched his ears. “No rumbles,” he reported. “It’s safe for us all to cross.”

  Thunder exchanged a surprised glance with Tall Shadow and Clear Sky. “I suppose there’s a lot we can learn from the rogues,” Clear Sky commented.

  “So let’s do it,” Mouse Ear urged, tapping his paw impatiently. “The monsters won’t wait for us forever.”

  Without hesitation he bounded across the Thunderpath, with Tall Shadow and Clear Sky hard on his paws. Thunder noticed that Pebble Heart was looking apprehensive, and touched him reassuringly on the shoulder with his tail-tip. “Come on,” he encouraged the kit. “We’ll cross together.”

  Pebble Heart looked up at him, eyes wide. “I never thought a Thunderpath could be so big! It’s nothing like the ones in the Twolegplace.”

  “So you’ll have a great story to tell Sparrow Fur and Owl Eyes,” Thunder responded.

  Taking a deep breath, the kit sprang forward. Thunder kept pace with him, and the two of them arrived safely beside Tall Shadow and the others. A moment later a monster swept past, its unnaturally bright red pelt glittering in the sun.

  “Monsters can go that fast?” Pebble Heart exclaimed, his chest swelling with pride now that he had made the crossing. “Amazing!”

  Mouse Ear took the lead again as the cats headed away from the Thunderpath. Thunder began to pick up a different scent, of mud and water and rich, growing things. His nose twitched. That must be the marsh. Give me the moor or the forest any day!

  Eventually Mouse Ear halted at the top of a shallow slope that led down to a wide stretch of stagnant water dotted with tussocks of grass. Clumps of reeds clattered together as they swayed in the breeze. A dragonfly hovered above the surface of the water, its body a bright, iridescent blue. As Thunder watched, a frog leaped from the bank nearby with a loud plop; ripples spread out from the spot where it disappeared.

  Tall Shadow was gazing across the marsh too, looking transfixed. A faint purr came from her throat. Mouse Ear had to prod her to get her attention.

  “This is what we’ve been looking for,” he told her, pointing with one paw to a spot a little way up the slope.

  Eagerly Thunder joined Tall Shadow and Clear Sky around the plant. “Oh . . . is that it?” he asked, slightly disappointed.

  The Blazing Star was smaller than he had expected, with spiky leaves and yellow flowers whose five petals spread out separately. It didn’t seem important enough to be the answer to the spirit-cats’ riddle.

  “Just a small, yellow flower, shaped like a star,” Tall Shadow murmured.

  “It looks like a paw with claws extended,” Clear Sky commented, holding up his own paw to demonstrate. “Perhaps the spirit-cats meant that we need to fight. To defend our territory from . . .”

  He left the thought unfinished.

  “From who?” Mouse Ear asked, his challenging tone attracting the gaze of every cat.

  Tall Shadow shook her head. “The spirit-cats did not tell us to fight. They said we should grow and spread like the Blazing Star.” She thought for a moment, then added, “All these flowers bend toward the sun. Perhaps they meant that we should follow the sun. Move again—follow the sun even farther than before?”

  “No,” Clear Sky meowed with a whisk of his tail. “We’ve made that journey already. I believe this is where we’re supposed to be.”

  Thunder stared thoughtfully at the flower, waiting for an explanation to occur to him. Why couldn’t the spirit-cats be a bit clearer?

  “What do you think, Thunder?” Clear Sky asked him.

  Thunder couldn’t deny a secret spring of satisfaction growing in his chest, like water bubbling up between rocks. My father wants my advice! How far we’ve come!

  “I’m not sure,” he replied, unable to stop staring at the flower. The petals spread from the center, each pointing in a different direction. . . .

  While he was still pondering, Thunder remembered Pebble Heart’s presence. The kit was so quiet and serious that it was easy to forget he was there. “Do you have any ideas?” he asked, turning to Pebble Heart.

  The little tom stared for a heartbeat longer, then backed away. “I—I don’t know,” he stammered. But he wouldn’t meet Thunder’s gaze and Thunder guessed he wasn’t telling the full story. “I think things are about to change,” Pebble Heart added in a small voice.

  Tall Shadow’s whiskers drooped. “It’s time to go,” she meowed. “Sunset is almost here.” She bent her head and bit off a stem with two or three flowers on it. “I’ll take this back and see if it gives any of the others some ideas.”

  Clear Sky nodded approvingly. “I’ll take some too.” He bit off one stem, then after a heartbeat’s pause picked another. “And I’ll take this to River Ripple,” he added.

  I should have thought of that! Thunder was annoyed with himself. We’re not doing a very good job of being united if we forget to tell Clear Sky or River Ripple about important stuff.

  Clear Sky took the lead as the patrol headed back toward the Thunderpath. This time, they all stood back to let Mouse Ear rest his paw on the black surface.

  “Better wait,” he warned them. “There’s a monster coming.”

  Thunder looked up and down the Thunderpath, but he couldn’t see any trace of a monster. I wonder if this is some crazy rogue superstition?

  As he waited, he noticed that Tall Shadow was gazing back toward the marsh, a faraway look in her eyes. “Tall Shadow, are you okay?” he asked.

  The black she-cat looked startled, almost as if Thunder had caught her doing something wrong.

  “What are you looking at?” he asked.

  Tall Shadow glanced back at the marsh, and her tail curled up happily. “It’s just so beautiful here,” she purred.

  Beautiful? Has she got bees in her brain?

  Thunder couldn’t place the uncomfortable feeling that Tall Shadow’s words gave him. He glanced at Pebble Heart to see how he felt about it, but once again the kit wouldn’t meet his gaze.

  A distant roar, growing rapidly louder, distracted Thunder. Looking along the Thunderpath he saw a huge monster bearing down on them on massive, black paws. The rattle and rumble of its passing seemed to shake his bones; wind buffeted their fur and almost carried them off their paws.

  Thunder glanced at Mouse Ear, impressed. He’s not so crazy after all.

  Once the monster had passed, Mouse Ear tested the surface again, then gave a satisfied nod. “We can cross now,” he mewed. “It’s safe.”

  All five cats ran quickly across the Thunderpath. Once they reached the opposite side, Clear Sky dipped his head to the moorland cats.

  “Good-bye for now,” he murmured politely. “I’ll be sure to let you know if we come up with any ideas about the Blazing Star.”

  Thunder called out a farewell as his father disappeared among the trees, then followed Tall Shadow as she headed back to their camp. Pebble Heart, growing tired now, lagged behind.

  Mouse Ear’s words repeated themselves in Thunder’s mind as they crossed the moor.

  We’re safe. But for how long?

  CHAPTER 10

  The sun shone, but wind whistled through the branches of the trees, whirling dead leaves around Clear Sky. He sat on a hillock in a forest clearing, watching One Eye and Tom. They had gathered some of the other cats to train them in battle techniques.

  “Quick Wat
er, have you gone to sleep?” the former rogue snarled. “And you, Leaf? You’re as slow as a dying snail!”

  One Eye is harsh, Clear Sky thought, watching him give the unfortunate Leaf a cuff around the ear. But he certainly can fight!

  Clear Sky and One Eye had never spoken again of the argument they had had in front of Thunder and Tall Shadow. Clear Sky didn’t know for sure whether the rogue had followed him across the Thunderpath to find the Blazing Star.

  I saw no sign that he did, Clear Sky tried to reassure himself. But I wouldn’t put it past him. One Eye’s challenge to his authority still rankled, although he kept telling himself what he had told Mouse Ear: It would take time for a lifelong rogue like One Eye to learn the rules of group living. Some flare-ups and squabbles were only natural. But if it happens again . . .

  Focusing on the training, Clear Sky knew he couldn’t argue with one fact: One Eye fought very sneakily, with techniques and tricks that Clear Sky himself had never dreamed of. Tom, too, was losing his kittypet softness and learning to use his claws. And kittypet or not, he was full of ideas on how to trick his opponents and defeat them.

  “Now watch this,” One Eye meowed, facing Thorn. “Fighting is about winning, right? And to win, you need to distract your enemy. Thorn, I’m coming at you. Fight me off!”

  Thorn braced himself, letting out a fierce growl. One Eye crouched low to the ground, then leaped forward as if he was aiming for Thorn’s neck. Thorn instinctively brought up his paws to fend him off. Swift as a striking snake, One Eye ducked underneath his legs and pushed him over, raking his paws across Thorn’s soft belly. Then he stood back, waiting for the disconcerted tom to stand up again.

  “If I’d been using my claws,” One Eye rasped, “your belly would have been torn open.”

  Thorn clearly didn’t know how to respond to this. One Eye let out an amused snort. “Next time, you will know what to do.”

  Thorn nodded, while nervous mrrows of laughter came from the other cats who had watched the move.

  Clear Sky twitched his tail in satisfaction. One Eye and Tom were giving his cats an advantage in battle that no other group would have. That will matter someday, he realized. None of his cats had been able to decide what the Blazing Star meant, and the future was still as dark to them as ever. But whatever the coming seasons held, being a skilled fighter could save a cat’s life. Not in battle, he reminded himself, feeling slightly nauseous at the terrible memory. Not unless we have no other choice.

  “What about hidden weapons?” Tom asked, stepping up beside One Eye.

  The old rogue turned to him with an enthusiastic swish of his tail. “Yes, good thinking! In a forest like this, no cat needs to rely just on their claws and teeth. There are a lot of things that can inflict pain. Tom, why don’t you go and look for a rock with a sharp edge.”

  Tom immediately whipped around and raced into the trees, his tail streaming out behind him.

  Clear Sky was impressed. I never thought of using rocks in battle.

  “Okay.” One Eye turned back to the other cats. “Pair up, and I want to see you practicing that neck feint. Concentrate on speed. No claws . . . for now.”

  But before the training exercise could begin, a small cat emerged from the undergrowth at the edge of the clearing and ran toward the group. Startled, Clear Sky peered at the little tortoiseshell and recognized Sparrow Fur, one of Turtle Tail’s kits who Gray Wing was raising. She had grown since he first saw her in Gray Wing’s camp after the forest fire. And even since Tom took her, he added to himself, still feeling guilty for not recognizing her then.

  “Are you doing fight training?” she asked eagerly as she pattered up to One Eye. “I came looking for Tom—he’s my father, you know. He was just here. . . . Where did he go?” When no cat responded, she added, “Can I train with you? I think I’m a pretty good fighter, but there’s always more to learn, isn’t there?”

  Without warning, One Eye pounced in front of Sparrow Fur, pushing one paw into her forehead.

  “Ow!” Sparrow Fur yowled. “You don’t have to use claws!”

  One Eye didn’t move. “I don’t know you,” he told her in a low snarl. “And that makes you my enemy.”

  “I’m not!” Sparrow Fur protested. “Tom’s my father. And can you put your claws away, please? You’re hurting me.”

  “If you love your father so much,” One Eye replied calmly, “then you should come and join him in this group, shouldn’t you? Until you do, you can’t be one of us.”

  Clear Sky shifted his weight on the hillock, feeling a prickle of uncertainty in his pelt. The ghost cats had told them, Unite or die.

  We aren’t supposed to fight over territory anymore, he thought. But then he reflected that, in a way, One Eye was right. There were reasons that his group and the group in the moorland hollow had stayed separate. And why should we share battle techniques with an outsider? No cat knows who our next enemy will be.

  Narrowing his eyes, he settled down on the hillock again to see how this encounter would play out.

  Sparrow Fur’s pelt was bristling in anger, and she arched her back. “You can’t keep me from seeing my father,” she meowed. “I’m not leaving until he comes back!” She swiped at One Eye’s nose with her claws.

  The rogue easily dodged the blow. “Either you can leave or you can fight me,” he rasped. “Prove you’re serious by taking me down—if you can—and you can stay.”

  “I’m a very good fighter!” Sparrow Fur retorted. “I fight with my brothers all the time.”

  “I’m no kin of yours,” One Eye mewed darkly. “Whether you survive this fight is no concern of mine. So will you leave? Or fight?”

  Clear Sky could see the kit’s frustration and uncertainty in her fluffed-up fur and twitching tail. I know how she feels; she can’t understand why a grown cat would be this mean to her.

  “All right,” Sparrow Fur agreed, raising her head bravely. “If I have to prove how much I need to see my father, I will fight you!”

  This is going too far, Clear Sky decided. Rising to his paws, he cleared his throat.

  One Eye turned and gazed up at him, dark amusement smoldering in his eye. “The kits who live in these groups are so sheltered,” he began. “In the wild, kits learn from birth how the real world works. If you challenge a cat, you must fight him. And if you made a mistake in challenging him, you learn.”

  Clear Sky could understand the logic of what One Eye was saying. Sparrow Fur is a feisty little thing—maybe too feisty for her own good. But his pelt still prickled uncomfortably, and he was not sure why he felt that way. Has the forced peace of the last moon made me go soft? Or is it because she’s sort of my brother’s kit that I want to protect her?

  At last Clear Sky decided that One Eye was right. It was just for that kind of blunt, unattractive wisdom that he had allowed the rogue to join his group. Sparrow Fur won’t be forever harmed by a few scratches! Nodding his head, he allowed the fight to begin.

  Instantly Sparrow Fur hurled herself at One Eye, getting in a couple of stinging blows around his ears. Clear Sky stifled a mrrow of laughter. Maybe she was right to challenge the old rogue! Perhaps she’s a born fighter. . . .

  But within a heartbeat, the fight changed. One Eye swiped the little tortoiseshell across the shoulder. Clear Sky could see blood welling from the scratches as Sparrow Fur staggered and fell.

  One Eye glanced across at Clear Sky, and gave him a nod. Clear Sky understood. He’s just teaching her a lesson. He’ll back down now. Every hair on Clear Sky’s pelt was urging him to run down from the hillock and break up the fight. But he forced himself to stay where he was.

  One Eye took a step back from the kit, lashing his tail as if challenging her to get up. Sparrow Fur struggled to her paws. She was clearly in pain, but she glared steadily at the rogue with fire in her eyes.

  She’s just like her mother, Clear Sky thought, remembering Turtle Tail in the mountains. Determined to the last . . .

  With a howl
of anger the kit leaped at One Eye, sinking her claws into his neck and back. Her hind paws barely touched the ground as she bit hard into his pelt and scrabbled to claw at his remaining eye. “I want to see my father!” she yowled.

  Clear Sky could see the change come over the rogue cat in stiffening limbs and bristling pelt, but his own paws felt frozen to the hilltop, as if what he was seeing was some kind of dark dream.

  One Eye threw the kit off his back effortlessly, then pounced on top of her. He dug his teeth into her flank and twisted his head, tearing at her flesh. Sparrow Fur let out a wail, her soft, small paws batting helplessly at her attacker. Without mercy One Eye rolled her onto her back and tore into her white belly fur.

  The other cats stood around watching, their eyes wide with horror, but clearly not daring to intervene because their leader had allowed the fight. Acorn Fur and Quick Water looked particularly distressed, both she-cats turning a pleading gaze toward Clear Sky.

  Stunned at the vicious attack, Clear Sky realized that the rogue was about to kill the kit to teach her a lesson. And I am letting it happen!

  At last he forced his paws to move, hurling down from the hillock and racing across the clearing. “Stop!” he yowled.

  One Eye raised his head, baring teeth that were stained with Sparrow Fur’s blood, one paw still pinning down her feebly twitching body. With horror, Clear Sky realized that he was too late. He was not going to reach Sparrow Fur before One Eye dealt the killing blow.

  But at the same moment an orange blur came flying out of the trees and leaped on top of One Eye, knocking him several paces away and digging claws into the side of his head. One Eye screeched in protest.

  Tom! Relief washed over Clear Sky as he recognized the former kittypet.

  “Leave her alone!” Tom growled, attacking One Eye in a whirl of teeth and claws. “She’s my kit!”

  The two cats rolled over together on the ground, their paws locked around each other’s bodies, their jaws snapping.