Tallstar’s Revenge

Chapter 22

“Let me lead.” Dawnstripe’s mew was barely a whisper as she padded past him through the darkness.

Tallpaw was happy to fall in behind her, staying close enough to feel her tail-tip brush his cheek. He could feel Shrewpaw’s breath warm on his rump, and Hareflight’s solid paw steps sounded reassuringly from the rear. Tallpaw’s heart fluttered like a caught sparrow. This tunnel was far bigger than the tunnel he’d walked with Sandgorse, but it was still a tunnel, still a long way from light and space and air. Tallpaw felt the immense darkness pressing around him. His throat tightened until the air seemed too thick to breathe.

You’re following in the paw steps of countless cats. StarClan will keep you safe.

Dawnstripe’s tail slid ahead; Tallpaw sped up, frightened of losing the feel of its soft tip on his nose. Cold air swirled around him, piercing his pelt. He sensed the huge weight of rock hanging above his head. Ahead, the distant echo of dripping water hinted at deepness he was frightened to imagine. How long till they reached the Moonstone? Steadying his breath, he focused on his paws, trying to relish the solidity of the stone beneath them, constantly stretching his muzzle to keep contact with Dawnstripe’s tail.

“I smell fear-scent. Aren’t you feeling at home, Wormpaw?” Shrewpaw snarked.

“Be quiet, Shrewpaw!” Hareflight’s angry hiss sounded from behind.

Tallpaw’s mind swirled. He fought back panic. Every paw step was taking him farther from the light. Could he find his way out if the others weren’t here? A stream of cold air suddenly buffeted his flank. Another billowed from the other side. There must be more tunnels branching off this one, snaking deep into the earth.

Please let me out! As a terrified groan welled in his throat, the air around him changed. It became still, the vicious chill easing. Tallpaw halted as Dawnstripe’s paw steps fell silent.

“We’re here,” she announced softly. “In the cavern of the Moonstone.”

Shrewpaw pushed past Tallpaw, rocking him on his paws. “Where is it? Where’s the stone?”

“There must be a cloud covering the moon.” Hareflight’s deep mew sounded close to Tallpaw’s ear. “Just wait.”

Tallpaw strained to see through the darkness. His nose twitched as he smelled the familiar scent of heather. Fresh air must be flowing into the cavern from somewhere above them. Suddenly a beam of silver light sliced down through the dark. Tallpaw blinked as it cast a glow over a huge stone in the middle of the cavern. The Moonstone!

The surface of the rock glittered like sunshine on water, sending light rippling across the dark walls. Tallpaw backed away, bristling.

“Don’t be afraid.” Dawnstripe stepped forward and crouched beside the stone, the silver light drenching her pale golden fur. “Come and touch your nose to it. You too, Shrewpaw.”

Shrewpaw was circling the stone, his tail spiking. “Do we have to touch it?”

Hareflight stooped beside Dawnstripe. “You won’t share with StarClan until you do.”

Shrewpaw padded warily toward the Moonstone and, hunkering down, stretched his muzzle forward. Tallpaw watched his denmate’s eyes close. Shrewpaw’s ruffled fur smoothed out, and his whole body softened as if he had drifted into the best sleep ever.

“Come on, Tallpaw.” Dawnstripe coaxed him forward. “StarClan will welcome you.”

Tallpaw padded closer. His heart seemed to swell in his chest. Will I see Sandgorse? Or Brackenwing? Hunching beside the rock, he narrowed his eyes against its glare. He took a deep breath and touched his nose to the sharp stone.

At once he was plunged into darkness, sucked down by currents too strong to resist. But somehow there was nothing to be frightened of, and Tallpaw let himself fall until his vision cleared. He felt his paws sink into muddy earth; rain lashed his pelt and battered his ears. Tallpaw peered through the storm. Was this StarClan? A churned field stretched away on one side, while a hedge pressed at his other, rattling as a cold wind shook it.

Tallpaw saw several solid-looking shapes ahead, ears and tails silhouetted in the rain. The rogues! He recognized their dripping pelts as they trudged beside the hedge, trying to find some shelter from the storm. One by one, they clambered over the snaking roots of a lightning-blasted tree. Tallpaw crept after them, ducking under the low branches as though he was stalking prey. He halted beside the charred tree and watched them disappear along the trail.

This isn’t StarClan! This is just a dumb dream! Frustration flared inside him. Where’s Sandgorse? Curling his claws into the wet earth, he screwed his eyes shut and tried to sleep once more.

Darkness engulfed him and he was swirling through emptiness again. More shapes flashed on the edge of his vision: a Twolegplace, a dense forest, a chattering river sparkling in sunlight. Tallpaw blinked open his eyes, desperate to find himself in StarClan’s territory.

The Moonstone gleamed at the end of his nose. He was back in the cavern. Where was StarClan? Fear wormed in Tallpaw’s belly. They hadn’t shared anything with him! He backed away from the Moonstone, noticing that Shrewpaw was still resting peacefully by the stone.

Were the ancestors ignoring him because of Brackenwing? Or was StarClan angry because he hadn’t been able to follow in his father’s paw steps? Tallpaw’s heart twisted. I tried!

Dawnstripe blinked open her eyes and stretched. She met Tallpaw’s gaze. “Did you dream?”

Before he could answer, Shrewpaw jumped up. “Wow! I saw the star and some old cat called Dais—”

“Hush.” Hareflight stirred beside him, his mew thick with sleep. “You don’t share your StarClan dreams with any cat.”

Dawnstripe nodded. “You keep the secrets they share with you in your heart.”

“Unless you’re a medicine cat and StarClan speaks to your Clan through you.” Hareflight stretched, arching his spine and quivering.

Dawnstripe padded toward the cavern entrance. “Let’s get back to the Clan.” Shrewpaw bounded past her. “I’ll lead!” Dawnstripe called. “I don’t want you getting lost.”

Hareflight and Shrewpaw fell in behind her and Tallpaw followed last, glancing over his shoulder at the Moonstone as he headed out of the cavern. The huge rock glittered frostily in the moonlight. A pang tugged at Tallpaw’s belly. StarClan, why didn’t you share with me? Cold air washed his pelt as he stepped into the darkness, trailing a little behind his Clanmates. Numbness set into his paws, and Tallpaw had to force himself to keep plodding upward, following the scent and sound of his Clanmates as they led him out of the hill.

Hareflight and Shrewpaw were already scrambling down the rocky slope when Tallpaw emerged into moonlight.

“I thought we’d lost you,” Dawnstripe murmured. She waited for Tallpaw to jump down from the ledge, and fell in beside him. Tallpaw walked in silence. As they reached the meadows, he hardly felt the wet grass drag along his flanks. All he felt was tiredness, growing heavier with each paw step.

The sky was turning pale beyond the moor-top as they neared the WindClan border. The Thunderpath was quiet and they crossed it easily, just as Dawnstripe had promised.

Dawnstripe peered closely at Tallpaw as the ground began to slope up toward the moor. “Are you okay?” she prompted.

“I’m fine.” Tallpaw padded past her without meeting her gaze. “Just tired.” He glanced up the slope to the top of the moor, then back toward Highstones. They seemed to catch fire as the rising sun turned them red, then yellow, paler and paler against the lightening sky. The jagged peaks loomed over the valley, piercing the clouds. To Tallpaw, the moor hardly seemed big enough to contain WindClan, hemmed by forest, crushed by the sky, cut off short by the river in the gorge.

But this is home! Breaking into a run, he bounded past his Clanmates and raced down the hillside toward camp. The Clan was already stirring. Lilywhisker and Whiteberry yawned at the entrance to their den. The Meeting Hollow looked as crowded as a burrow full of rabbits as the Clan gathered around Reedfeather, waiting for his orders for the day’s patrols.

“Tallpaw!” Hopkit scrambled across the tussocks, stumbling each time his twisted paw buckled underneath him. “Did you see the Moonstone?”

“Yes.” Tallpaw nuzzled his head. The kit’s wide, friendly gaze seemed to banish the darkness of Mothermouth.

Sorrelkit raced after her brother, her gray-and-brown fur spiked with excitement. She stopped beside Tallpaw and began sniffing his pelt, her mouth open as she tasted the strange scents he’d brought back. She glanced over her shoulder at Pigeonkit. “He smells funny.”

Pigeonkit pushed past her and inspected Tallpaw closely. “Your fur’s all wet.”

“We’ve been trekking through long grass,” Tallpaw explained.

“What did you see?” Sorrelkit flicked her short tail.

“The Moonstone.”

Sorrelkit widened her eyes. “Was it big?”

“Bigger than Tallrock, and it shone like the stars.”

“Did you touch it?” Hopkit leaned back, his fluffy ears pricked.

“You’ll have to wait till it’s your turn to visit it.” Tallpaw was too tired to talk. “Isn’t it time you had your first taste of mouse?”

Pigeonkit puffed out his chest. “I’ve already tasted it!”

“So have I!” Sorrelkit announced.

Tallpaw spotted a bird on the prey heap. “What about lapwing?” he asked.

“Meadowslip’s worried we’ll swallow the feathers,” Hopkit mewed.

“What if I pluck it for you?” Tallpaw offered.

Sorrelkit raced around him. “Will you?” she squeaked.

“Come on.” He headed toward the prey heap.

Pigeonkit and Sorrelkit streaked ahead. “Wait for me!” Hopkit was struggling to keep up, his crooked paw twisting beneath him.

Tallpaw turned back and tucked his nose under the black tom’s belly. “Hang on!” he warned, flipping the kit onto his shoulders. Tallpaw purred as the young kit dug his tiny claws into his pelt, and carried him over to his littermates.

Bright sunshine turned the distant trees golden. Tallpaw took a step forward, bringing him right to the edge of Outlook Rock. Under the sweep of empty, blue sky, he could see sheep and Twolegs, dogs and monsters. He could even see a hare sitting in the middle of a distant meadow. The air around him was completely still, as though the world were holding its breath.

“A black-and-white dog is chasing sheep in the hill-meadow,” Tallpaw reported.

Dawnstripe shifted behind him. “And?”

“There are grouse beside the copse.” Tallpaw imagined padding beneath the distant trees, new scents bathing his tongue, the grouse within stalking distance. His mouth watered. “There’s a fire in a Twolegplace.” The scent of smoke touched his nose and he glimpsed a plume rising from the top of a Twoleg nest. Feathers flashed in the sunshine and Tallpaw’s gaze flicked toward a hawk as it dived out of the sky. He scanned the meadow where it swooped, trying to pick out its prey. His paws itched to be there. He could snatch the prey out of the bird’s path. “Hawk hunting rabbit.”

“I’m impressed.” Dawnstripe got to her paws. “You haven’t missed anything.” Her pads scuffed the rock. “Let’s move on to your battle-skills assessment.”

Tallpaw turned from the edge of the rock, dragging his gaze from the distant fields. He followed Dawnstripe to the training ground, the trail so familiar now that he didn’t even have to think about where to put his paws. His thoughts were still on the hawk. He’d traveled across the meadow it had hunted in. Now he was back inside WindClan’s borders while it was crouching in a treetop, feasting on its catch. Yearning pricked beneath his pelt. What was it like to hunt only for yourself, to have the freedom to go wherever you wanted, without boundaries or codes pinning you down?

“Tallpaw?” Dawnstripe’s mew jerked him back. “Are you ready?”

Shrewpaw was waiting in the middle of the clearing with Hareflight. “How did Tallpaw do at Outlook Rock?” the brown warrior asked.

“He passed the assessment easily,” Dawnstripe replied.

“Good.” Hareflight flicked his tail. “Shrewpaw hunted well.”

“I’m pleased to hear it.” Dawnstripe gestured with her tail to send Tallpaw over to his denmate. “Time to test their battle skills,” she meowed to Hareflight. “If they perform well enough here, they’ll have passed everything.”

Tallpaw trotted across the grass. Shrewpaw eyed him belligerently. Tallpaw sighed, wishing his denmate weren’t so competitive. They could pass this assessment easily if they each gave the other a chance to show off his skills. He crouched in the grass, relaxing the muscles along his spine. A warrior moves with ease, not stiffness. Dawnstripe’s advice rang in his ears. No claws, no teeth unless there’s a real battle. Fight with your wits as well as your paws. Tallpaw made sure his claws were well sheathed and kept his gaze fixed on Shrewpaw, bracing himself for his denmate’s first move. “Ready when you are,” he mewed.

Shrewpaw narrowed his eyes. “Why don’t you attack first?”

“If you like.” Tallpaw wasn’t going to let Shrewpaw unsettle him. He focused on Shrewpaw’s left shoulder, then leaped for the right. His feint worked. Wrong-footed, Shrewpaw staggered sideways.

Shrewpaw’s eyes blazed. “Cheater.”

“It was a fair move.”

Shrewpaw lunged at Tallpaw. Grasping Tallpaw’s shoulders, he kicked a hind paw out from under him. Good move. Tallpaw was impressed and let Shrewpaw roll him onto his side. As soon as their backs were to their mentors, Shrewpaw sank his claws into Tallpaw’s pelt. “You won’t fool me twice, Wormpaw.”

Tallpaw flinched. “No claws, remember?”

“We’re training to be warriors, not kits!” Shrewpaw hissed in his ear.

Tallpaw dug his hind claws into the grass and thrust Shrewpaw backward. Pain ripped through him as Shrewpaw tugged a lump of fur from his flank. Don’t let him put you off! Tallpaw leaped to his paws. Shrewpaw faced him, eyes gleaming. Tallpaw backed away. Let him think he scared me. He felt a twinge of satisfaction as he saw triumph flash in Shrewpaw’s gaze. Come on, Weaselpaw.

Shrewpaw sprang. Tallpaw glanced at his denmate’s paws. His claws were sheathed. For now. He knew that Shrewpaw would be digging them in the moment they were out of sight of Hareflight and Dawnstripe. He leaped sideways. Shrewpaw twisted to counter his move and Tallpaw shoved his muzzle beneath Shrewpaw’s belly. Ducking under him, he felt Shrewpaw writhe on his shoulders before tumbling to the ground. Tallpaw dropped and rolled in the other direction, scrambling to his paws in time to face Shrewpaw as the young tom jumped up.

“That was a coward’s move,” Shrewpaw growled, just loud enough for Tallpaw to hear.

“Really?” Tallpaw spat. “It must be one you taught me.”

Shrewpaw curled his lip. “I’m going to take a piece of your ear back to camp for that.”

“I’d like to see you try!” Tallpaw lunged at Shrewpaw, turning on his forepaws and swinging his hind legs around. He kicked out and sent Shrewpaw staggering backward. But Shrewpaw recovered quickly and lunged at him. Tallpaw swallowed back a yelp as claws stabbed his flank. Teeth gripped his hind leg and jerked it from under him. As Tallpaw hit the ground with a thump, Shrewpaw leaped on him.

Pain flared white-hot along Tallpaw’s spine as Shrewpaw pushed his muzzle and churned his hind claws against his back. Couldn’t Dawnstripe see what was going on? Tallpaw pushed the thought away. He didn’t want Dawnstripe rushing to his rescue as if he were a kit. He twisted his head and clamped his jaws around Shrewpaw’s foreleg, just hard enough to get a grip, careful not to draw blood.

“Don’t you know any warrior moves?” Shrewpaw snarled. “I fought better when I was a kit. No wonder you couldn’t save your father!”

Fury roared through Tallpaw, stripping sense from his thoughts like wind tearing up heather. Without thinking, he unsheathed his claws and bit down on Shrewpaw’s foreleg so hard he tasted the young tom’s blood. Shrewpaw screeched and dragged himself free. Tallpaw plunged after him, grabbing him with outstretched claws, and hauled him back. Flinging him to the ground, he slammed his hind legs into Shrewpaw’s belly and began battering him with blows that sent fur flying across the grass. The heather swam at the edge of Tallpaw’s vision and the dark shape of Shrewpaw seemed to fade beneath him. In its place, Tallpaw saw the short, brown pelt of Sparrow.

“You!” He dragged the rogue onto his side, dripping blood from his scratched muzzle into the rogue’s dark, expressionless face. “You deserve to die.”

“Tallpaw!” Dawnstripe’s yowl seemed to come from far away. The tug of her teeth in Tallpaw’s scruff startled him. He felt himself being yanked back, clear off his paws.

Hareflight lunged in front of him, shielding Shrewpaw. “What in StarClan’s name are you doing?” The brown warrior stared at him, horror widening his eyes.

Tallpaw blinked. Shrewpaw was trembling, bloody and tattered, on the ground beside his mentor.

What have I done?