A Forest Divided

Chapter 23

Thunder shuddered as a fat drop of water splashed onto his spine. The rainy day was giving way to night.

Beside him lay Quiet Rain’s body. Clear Sky and Gray Wing sat on either side, stiff in the dying light, while Jagged Peak shivered next to Sun Shadow.

They’d spent the day sitting vigil beside Quiet Rain. Around them Mud Paws, Fern, and Mouse

Ear had come and gone, bringing fresh-kill for the prey pile; Pebble Heart had sorted through the herbs he’d brought back from the hollow, while Star Flower stood by, helping where she could by wrapping the leaves he separated into neat bundles; Tall Shadow had crouched at the head of the clearing, solemnly watching over her camp. At sunhigh, the kits had crept quietly into the forest, Holly close at their heels. Through the afternoon, their excited squeaks sounded beyond the bramble wall of the camp, quickly hushed by their mother. They returned now, as dusk drew in.

“But why do we have to be quiet?” Dew Nose whispered as she led her littermates around the edge of the clearing.

“Out of respect for Quiet Rain,” Holly hissed.

Eagle Feather sniffed. “No one asked her to come here and die.”

“Hush!” Storm Pelt pawed his brother’s tail sharply. “She was kind to us, remember?”

Thunder glanced uneasily at Sun Shadow. What must he think? But the black tom didn’t blink, his eyes clouded with grief as he stared at the trees. Pity jabbed at Thunder’s heart. He came here to find his father, but now he is truly alone among strangers.

Tall Shadow straightened. The sun was an orange ball beyond the pines, silhouetting the dark trunks with fire. “We must bury her.”

Sun Shadow jerked his muzzle toward her. “Where? This is not her home.”

“Her kin are here.” Tall Shadow padded toward the young tom.

Sun Shadow returned her gaze silently.

Clear Sky lifted his chin. “She must be buried where we can all visit her grave.”

Gray Wing nodded. “On shared territory.”

“At the four trees?” Jagged Peak glanced at his brothers.

“She would be close to those she once knew,” Tall Shadow murmured solemnly.

Thunder pictured the battle grave. Now there would be another grave beside it. The grave of a cat who had died in peace, among those who had loved her. “I’ll help carry her there.”

“Me too.” Jagged Peak stood up.

Gray Wing got to his paws and stretched, wincing as his injured forepaw slipped on the slushy ground.

Tall Shadow nodded to Mud Paws, who was washing in his nest. “Will you guard the camp while we’re gone?”

Holly approached Jagged Peak. “Should we come with you?” She glanced at their kits, damp from playing in the snowmelt.

Jagged Peak shook his head. “Stay here.”

“I’ll come.” Pebble Heart padded from his den. “I should help bury her, since I failed to save her.”

Gray Wing brushed against the young tom. “She was old,” he breathed. “It was her time.”

Thunder straightened, realizing how stiff he was. He shook out his pelt, relieved to feel warmth flowing back into his paws and tail.

Star Flower crossed the clearing and touched muzzles with Clear Sky. “River Ripple should be at her burial.”

Clear Sky frowned. “Why?”

“He is a leader, like you, Thunder, and Tall Shadow,” she meowed. “You are all petals of the same flower, remember?”

“And Wind Runner,” Gray Wing added, thinking of the camp on the moor. “Although… we are still giving her space.”

Clear Sky looked thoughtful. “You are right. We should leave Wind Runner in peace. But the rest of us should be together,” he mewed.

“I will get River Ripple,” Star Flower told him.

Thunder felt a sudden flash of gratitude toward the she-cat, but he noticed that Clear Sky’s pelt pricked uneasily.

“It’s too far for you to travel,” he argued.

Star Flower met his gaze. “Carrying kits does not weaken a cat; it makes her stronger.”

“I’ll go with her.” Tall Shadow stepped forward.

Thunder blinked in surprise at the warmth in her mew. And yet, why not? Hadn’t Star Flower been trying to make up for her betrayal in everything she did? She had not left Clear Sky’s side, she’d treated his mother with respect, and now she was offering to get River Ripple for the burial. Was it possible that she’d earned their trust at last?

Clear Sky dipped his head. “Okay,” he agreed. “We’ll meet you at the four trees.”

Tall Shadow headed for the camp entrance, waiting at the bramble tunnel while Star Flower touched muzzles with Clear Sky.

“Be careful,” he whispered.

“I will.”

As Star Flower turned and followed Tall Shadow from the camp, Jagged Peak leaned to push his muzzle beneath Quiet Rain. Thunder ducked to help, nosing the old she-cat’s body onto Jagged Peak’s shoulders and sliding in beside him. The first stiffness of death had left her, and she hung limp and cold between them.

Clear Sky led the way out of camp, Gray Wing following with Pebble Heart and Sun Shadow.

At the far edge of the forest, they paused.

Monsters roared along the slush-covered Thunderpath, spraying filthy, half-melted snow in great waves over the side.

“Wait here.” Clear Sky nodded to Thunder and crept out onto the grass. Through slitted eyes, he scanned the Thunderpath, ducking as another monster howled past. “There’s a gap coming.” He beckoned Thunder and Jagged Peak from the trees.

Thunder stumbled on the uneven grass, and Gray Wing slid between him and Jagged Peak, putting his shoulders beneath his mother’s body.

“Stay close together,” Clear Sky hissed.

Eyes flashed toward them, streaking them with light as the monster thundered past.

“Now!”

Thunder felt Clear Sky nudge him forward and hurried onto the slippery stone. He felt Gray Wing at one flank, Jagged Peak at the other. Together they carried Quiet Rain, stumbling to a halt as they reached the far side.

Thunder frowned at Gray Wing’s wounded leg. Fresh blood was darkening the fur. “Can you manage?”

“She’s not heavy,” Gray Wing grunted.

Thunder caught his eye and saw grief glitter there. Quiet Rain had been half-starved when she died and weighed hardly more than a kit.

“Come on,” Clear Sky urged from behind. “Let’s get into the forest and away from this place.” As he spoke, another monster thundered by, sending slush and grit spraying over them.

Thunder padded forward, trying to keep in step with Gray Wing and Jagged Peak as the ground grew uneven beneath his paws. Roots crisscrossed the path and brambles snagged at his pelt. He tripped twice, feeling Quiet Rain jerk as he stumbled. He felt relieved when Clear Sky led them from the trees onto the smooth grass slope that led up to the rim of the four trees hollow.

By the time they reached the top, Gray Wing was panting.

“Let Sun Shadow take your place,” Thunder whispered.

The black tom had been eyeing Quiet Rain’s body, distress showing each time Thunder stumbled or she began to slide from Jagged Peak’s shoulders.

Gray Wing met Thunder’s gaze with weary eyes and slipped from beneath Quiet Rain. “Will you help?” he asked Sun Shadow softly.

Sun Shadow dipped his head and slid in between Jagged Peak and Thunder.

Thunder lifted his nose toward Clear Sky. He should have a chance to carry his mother to her final resting place. “Do you want to take over for me?”

Clear Sky blinked at him gratefully, hurrying to take his place as Thunder slid from beneath her.

He left them and bounded into the hollow, his paws sliding on the muddy slope. At the bottom, he stopped beside the battle grave. Snow covered the ground, sheltered from the warm winds and sunshine. He scratched at the earth, surprised to find it still frozen beneath his claws.

How can we dig a grave here?

As he glanced around the clearing, searching for a spot clear of snow where the sun might have pooled, warm enough to soften the earth, bracken rustled on the far slope. He recognized Tall Shadow’s black pelt moving through it. Star Flower’s fur was camouflaged among the golden fronds, but he could smell her scent—and River Ripple’s. A purr rumbled in his throat as the silver tom padded from the undergrowth.

River Ripple met his gaze solemnly. “I’m sorry to hear Quiet Rain died.”

“It was her time,” Thunder returned.

Tall Shadow padded from the bracken, Star Flower at her tail. “Have you chosen a burial spot?”

She glanced across the clearing to where Jagged Peak, Sun Shadow, and Clear Sky were sliding Quiet Rain’s body softly onto the ground.

“The earth is frozen,” Thunder told Tall Shadow. “There’s no way we can dig.”

Pebble Heart was crossing the clearing, his gaze fixed on a large stone embedded in the earth. “If we can move this, we can lay her body in its place.”

Thunder stared at the rock. If it was sunk deep enough into the ground to make a grave, how could they possibly dislodge it? “We’re not strong enough.”

Pebble Heart glanced at Clear Sky and Jagged Peak. “We will be if we work together.”

Clear Sky jerked up his muzzle, his eyes shining. “I told you!” he exclaimed. “We need to unite.”

Gray Wing eyed his brother darkly. “I thought you’d forgotten all that nonsense.”

“Of course not. I—”

Tall Shadow interrupted him. “This is not the time to argue.”

River Ripple padded past her and sniffed at the rock. “We need to loosen it first,” he murmured thoughtfully.

Pebble Heart hurried to the edge of the hollow and grabbed a stick in his jaws. He carried it back and dug one end into the earth beside the stone. Holding it between his forepaws, he rocked it back and forth until it began to work its way down underneath.

River Ripple’s eyes lit up. “I’ll help.” He got another stick.

Thunder could see that they were loosening the frozen earth around the rock to make enough space for it to move. He ran to the hollow’s edge and rooted among the bracken for another stick. He found one sturdy enough not to crumble, and hurried back to the rock. Jabbing it into the dirt, he began twisting it with his forepaws, joy sparking in his belly as he saw the earth breaking around it.

“Push!” he called to Clear Sky.

Clear Sky placed his shoulder on the other side of the rock and heaved, grunting with the effort.

Tall Shadow slid in beside him, pressing against the stone. Gray Wing and Sun Shadow joined them, their hind paws scrabbling against the ground as they strained at the stone.

Thunder hauled out his stick and hurried around to help them.

Pushing in between Gray Wing and Sun Shadow, he pressed his shoulder to the rock. He threw his whole weight against it, digging his claws into the earth and trembling at the effort.

With a sudden creak, the stone moved. Only a whisker, but in that tiny movement they freed it from the earth’s grip. Thunder sensed air flooding beneath it and pushed harder, feeling it shift.

Clear Sky grunted in triumph. Beside him, Sun Shadow trembled, and Gray Wing’s breath came in gasps as they all heaved against the stone.

Gradually they began to rock it back and forth until Thunder felt it roll beyond the edge of its hollow. “Push!” he yowled.

As it tumbled to one side, Thunder’s paws slid into the empty dip. He felt worms slithering around them and wood lice scuttling over his claws. Snail trails glistened on the brown earth. He hopped out and blinked at the others.

Sun Shadow lifted his gaze to meet Thunder’s, his eyes shining. “Even in the cold season, there is life here. Quiet Rain would be happy to see this and to know that living creatures move around her even while she is dead.”

“She’s not truly dead while she’s remembered.” Thunder dipped his head. “She will be remembered here.”

“And in the mountains, too.” Sun Shadow nodded solemnly.

Clear Sky and Jagged Peak were heading for her body. They nosed it onto their shoulders and brought it to the graveside. Thunder stepped away as they let her tumble into the hole.

Pebble Heart hopped in after her. Carefully, he eased her muzzle onto her forepaws and wrapped her tail across her nose so that she looked as though she were curled in sleep. Then he scrambled out and got a bracken frond to place over her.

Touched by the young tom’s kindness, Thunder padded to the bracken and bit through a brittle stem. He dragged it back and laid it with Pebble Heart’s. Sun Shadow got another, and then Gray Wing. Together they heaped a thick layer of golden leaves over her.

“We should replace the stone,” Thunder murmured. “To protect her from scavengers.”

Tall Shadow gave a small nod. “But first we must pay our respects.” She looked at Gray Wing.

The gray tom gazed down at the golden stalks. “Quiet Rain,” he whispered. “Thank you for loving us enough to let us go.”

“Thank you for holding Fluttering Bird next to your belly for as long as she lived.” Clear Sky’s mew was thick with grief.

“Thank you for traveling so far to spend your last moments with us.” Jagged Peak’s eyes clouded as he stared into the hole.

Thunder lifted his muzzle and tasted the air. As he did, a drop of water splashed his nose. Then another. A moment later, rain pattered like countless paw steps over the frozen forest floor.

River Ripple put his paws to the stone and began to push. Thunder hurried to help. Clear Sky, Tall Shadow, and Sun Shadow joined him, while Star Flower hung back and watched, and together they rolled it back into place.

“We should go home,” Tall Shadow called through the rain.

“Not yet.” Sun Shadow was trembling. He crouched beside the rock, pressing his nose to the crack between stone and earth as though breathing in the last scents of his friend. With eyes closed, he grew still.

“He’ll freeze!” Gray Wing looked in alarm at Pebble Heart.

“Let him grieve a while longer.” Pebble Heart’s mew sounded distracted. His gaze was drifting across the clearing, narrowing as though he saw something that intrigued him.

The rain fell harder. Thunder’s pelt clung to his body, and yet he did not feel cold. Familiar scents were filling the hollow. He squinted as he saw shapes in the rain, ghostly outlines moving around the clearing.

The spirit cats!

His heart soared as he recognized Hawk Swoop. Shaded Moss stood beside her, and together they dipped their heads to a new spirit.

Quiet Rain!

The old she-cat’s ghostly form moved with ease across the clearing. She reached out her muzzle to greet her old friends, her pelt sleek and her eyes as bright as though she’d never known pain.

Hawk Swoop wove around her. “Welcome, dear friend.”

“Do you see now?” A mew rang across the clearing.

Thunder blinked as he saw a brown-and-white tabby she-cat calling to them. Who is she?

Clear Sky brushed him and hurried to meet the tabby she-cat. “Bright Stream!” Joy filled his mew.

His first mate. Thunder glanced toward Star Flower. Could she see the cat who had been carrying Clear Sky’s kits when an eagle had killed her?

But Star Flower was oblivious to the spirit cats moving in the clearing. She was watching Sun

Shadow, her eyes filled with pity.

Bright Stream spoke again. “The past is the past. The future is fresh. You must forget all you have known, no matter how much you loved it, and choose paths that will carry you to a new dawn.”

Clear Sky leaned forward to touch her muzzle, but the ghostly shapes were disappearing already.

Thunder jerked his nose toward River Ripple. “Did you see them?”

River Ripple purred. “Of course.”

“What did she mean?”

Clear Sky turned on Thunder, his eyes glittering. “She meant what the spirit cats have always meant. We should be together. We must unite!”

Pebble Heart shook his head. “That’s not what she said, Clear Sky,” he mewed softly.

Gray Wing padded to the young tom’s side. “He’s right, Clear Sky. We must choose a new beginning.”

“But…” Clear Sky’s eyes were shining with a mixture of hope and grief. “Surely that means every cat should join together…”

Thunder felt a twinge of pity. Will he ever let this go? “I have my own camp now, and my own cats,” he told his father. “My future lies with them, not with you.” His paws pricked guiltily at the flash of grief in Clear Sky’s blue eyes. The hope was gone. Thunder dropped his gaze. “You will always be my father,” he went on softly. “But you have to let us all be the cats we want to be. I can’t come and live with you. I must find my own path.” Hesitantly, he looked up at Clear Sky, surprised to find that his father’s gaze was calmer now. Star Flower had crossed the clearing to stand beside him.

“Your father knows this, Thunder.” She glanced at Clear Sky. “It is hard for him, but he understands.”

Clear Sky nodded, his eyes brimming with emotion.

Throat tightening, Thunder dipped his head. “Take care of each other.” As he turned to leave, he glanced at Quiet Rain’s grave. Sun Shadow still lay beside it, his eyes closed. Had he even been aware of the ghostly cats in the clearing?

Thunder nodded to Gray Wing and Tall Shadow, then headed for the slope. It was time he went home. “Thanks for coming,” he meowed to River Ripple as he passed.

He bounded up through the bracken, veering at the top to head into the forest. An owl called through the rain that pounded the trees. A wind was whipping their high branches, and they clattered as he passed. He raced on, certain of the path home, following the scents of the forest until he heard mews echoing up from the ravine. He halted at the top and gazed down into the camp. Shadows swallowed the bushes and dens. Rain glinted on the stones. He jumped down them, claws stretched to keep a grip on the slippery surface. At the bottom, he squeezed under the gorse, happiness surging through his fur as he smelled the familiar scents of his friends.

“Thunder!” Lightning Tail hurried to greet him, his black pelt slick with rain. “We were just deciding whether to send out a search party.”

“Not in this weather, I hope.” Thunder stopped in the clearing. Lightning Tail was the only cat he could see. “Where is everyone?”

“In their dens!” Lightning Tail purred. “Haven’t you noticed? It’s raining!” He beckoned Thunder with a nod of his head and led him toward a large bush a few paces from the rock that towered at the end of the clearing. He ducked underneath and Thunder followed.

Beneath the low-spreading branches, paws had hollowed out the earth to make two nests. The rain pattered above them, but it was dry under here.

“Look.” Lightning Tail nodded toward the gap they’d slid through. There was a clear view to the gorse entrance. “I thought this would make a good place to sleep. It’s dry and we can keep an eye on who comes and goes.”

Thunder purred. “Which nest is mine?” Only one of the hollowed dips was lined with moss.

Lightning Tail nodded toward it. “You can have mine tonight,” he offered. “You must be tired.

Tomorrow we can find fresh moss to line yours.”

Outside, the gorse rattled. Thunder stiffened, peering at the gap beneath the spiny branches.

Milkweed was squeezing her way through, a mouse hanging from her jaws. Leaf followed her into the camp, carrying a vole in his.

“Night hunting?” Thunder blinked at Lightning Tail.

Lightning Tail purred. “They left Pink Eyes in charge of the kits and slipped out at dusk.”

“Together?”

“They haven’t been apart since you left.”

Thunder’s heart swelled until he thought it would burst. Above him, rain battered the bare branches. But he was dry, and his campmates were content. Tomorrow he would roam the forest with Lightning Tail and bring back fresh-kill for his cats.