Tallstar’s Revenge

Chapter 35

The roar of the monsters hung in the air, still thick with their stench.

“Tallpaw!” Reena thrust her muzzle closer. “What are you doing here? Is WindClan okay?”

He blinked at her. The rogues? He’d found them! He could hardly believe it. As he searched for words, Reena sniffed him, her ginger-and-white pelt pricking. “Why are you here?” she asked.

Jake lifted his muzzle shakily. “We’ve been looking for you.”

Talltail flashed him a warning look. Don’t say any more!

“Do you need help?” Reena’s eyes sparked with worry. “Did Heatherstar send you?”

The buzzing of the monsters was growing louder again. Algernon glanced over his shoulder. “We’d better get out of here.” He began to nudge Jake and Talltail into the forest. “Our camp’s at the bottom of the slope.”

Talltail turned and limped toward the cover of the trees.

“You’re hurt!” Reena pressed beside him.

“Just bruised,” Talltail told her. The shower of mud had battered him hard and his hind leg ached from the run-in with the fox. At least the scratch on his foreleg was numb from the dock leaf. “I’m fine.”

“Good.” Reena guided him through a swathe of bracken, which was limp and wilting in the cold, damp air.

Algernon hurried Jake after them. “Didn’t you realize you were walking into a herd of monsters?”

“I thought it was a grass-cutter,” Jake told him.

“Out here?” Algernon stared at him as though he was crazy.

Reena paused and sniffed. “You’re a kittypet!” Her gaze jerked toward Talltail. “What are you doing with a kittypet?”

Talltail swallowed. “He helped me find my way through Twolegplace.”

Reena frowned. “We’d better keep moving. You can explain everything when we’re safe.”

“I’ll lead.” Algernon pushed past her, nosing through the bracken and heading downslope.

Brambles clustered between the trees, fighting hawthorn bushes for the light at the edge of the forest. Talltail kept his eyes on Algernon, trying to follow his paw steps through the tangle of branches.

“Oomph!” Jake gasped as he stumbled behind.

“Are you okay?” Talltail called.

“He’s fine.” Reena was helping Jake to his paws. “Follow me.” She nosed her way between Talltail and Jake and they walked single file, following Algernon.

A stream cut through the trees like a tiny gorge, its banks steep. Algernon sprang across it easily. Talltail teetered on the brink, gazing down at the thin trickle of water below.

“Just jump!’ Algernon urged.

Talltail launched himself off the edge, his paws slithering on the mud. He reached out and dug his claws into the far bank and hauled himself up.

“A WindClan cat shouldn’t be out here.” Algernon shook his head. “You belong on the moor.”

Reena landed lightly beside him. “Why did you come?”

A thump sounded behind, followed by a small splash. Talltail glanced back. Jake had disappeared. He rushed to the edge of the stream and peered down the steep bank. Jake was writhing at the bottom, trying to find a paw hold in the mud. Talltail curled his hind claws deep into the earth and leaned down, snatching at Jake’s scruff and holding him while the kittypet regained his footing.

“Thanks,” Jake grunted. Talltail leaned back as Jake scrambled up beside him.

Reena was looking confused. “Why are you helping a kittypet?” She wrinkled her nose as she looked at Jake.

“He helped me,” Talltail told her simply.

“Come on.” Algernon nodded them onward. The monsters were still roaring at the edge of the trees. “We can talk about it when we reach camp.”

“Is this where you live now?” Talltail asked.

“It’s just temporary,” Algernon told him, padding away.

Bracken scraped Talltail’s nose as Algernon led them through another clump. He narrowed his eyes against the fronds, blinking as he emerged into a small, leaf-strewn clearing. Mole lay between the roots of an elm, a gray bundle of fur in a heap of dark green moss. He lifted his head as Talltail followed Algernon from the bracken. “What’s he doing here?”

“Who?” Bess stuck her head out from beneath a holly bush. Her eyes widened and she slid out, her black-and-white pelt sleek. Talltail figured they must have lived well since they left the Clan.

“Tallpaw?” Bess blinked. “Is that you?”

“I’m Talltail now.”

“You have your warrior name!” Reena mewed in surprise. “Congratulations!”

Bess’s gaze flicked to Reena. “Where did you find them?”

“I think they found us, by the sound of it,” Reena told her.

Jake stopped beside Talltail and breathed softly in his ear. “What do we do now?”

“Act normal,” Talltail murmured. Lifting his muzzle, he stared at Bess. “I’m glad I managed to find you.” His explanation would sound more convincing if he offered it before they asked. His thoughts raced. What reason could he give for tracking them here?

“Is there trouble in WindClan?” Bess asked.

“No.” Talltail shifted his paws. “Everything’s fine. But… but when I watched you leave at the end of greenleaf, I realized there was more to see than just WindClan territory.” He felt his fur smooth as he eased into his story. “I was hoping you’d let me travel with you.”

Algernon looked at Jake, eyes narrow. “What about the kittypet?”

“His name is Jake,” Talltail meowed.

The bushes swished on the far side of the small clearing and Sparrow slid out. “Tallpaw?”

Talltail swung around, meeting the brown tom’s impassive gaze. “Hi, Sparrow. It’s Talltail now.” He swallowed his rage as it tightened his throat. A vision flooded his mind: He was pinning Sparrow to the ground, claws deep in the murderer’s throat, blood bubbling at the tom’s mouth.

“You’re trembling.” Sparrow’s cool mew snapped him from his thoughts. “Are you all right?”

Talltail shifted his paws, thinking fast. “We were nearly squashed by two-pawed monsters.”

Bess faced Sparrow. “He says he wants to travel with us.”

“What about WindClan?”

“I was tired of all the duties and rules,” Talltail mewed. “I wanted to see what it was like to live free, like you.”

“And the kittypet?” Sparrow’s gaze didn’t give away anything. He simply flicked it from Talltail to Jake.

“He’s been helping me track you down,” Talltail explained. “He’ll be going home now that I’ve found you.” Talltail felt Jake stiffen beside him.

“Not yet.” Bess sniffed Jake’s muddy pelt. “You look like you need a rest and a meal. You must both stay for the night.” She flicked her tail. “Reena, will you find them some moss to make nests?”

Talltail stepped forward. “Thanks, but we can find our own moss,” he told her. “I didn’t come here to be a burden.” Before any of the rogues could argue he padded across the clearing and pushed into the bracken, relieved to hear Jake trotting after him.

“What are we doing?” Jake mewed as soon as they were far enough away from the clearing to speak privately.

“You’re going home,” Talltail told him.

Jake’s eyes flashed with hurt. “And you’re going to live here with the rogue who killed your father?”

“Of course not,” Talltail snapped. “I just need to wait for my chance.”

“Then what?” Jake leaned closer, lowering his voice. “Sparrow looks tough. What are you planning to do to him?”

Kill him. Dread hollowed Talltail’s belly. He’d never killed a cat before. He forced himself to picture his father yowling in terror as mud showered around him, sealing him in darkness forever. He growled.

“Talltail?” Jake’s eyes were like twin moons, huge and pale. “What’s your plan?”

“I want him to admit that he killed my father.”

“And then?” Jake’s ear twitched.

“You said you wouldn’t poke your whiskers where they didn’t belong.” Talltail padded toward the roots of a tree and began scraping moss from the crevices in the bark.

Jake paced behind him. “That cat looks dangerous, Talltail.”

“He’s just a rogue.” Talltail stripped away a long piece of moss.

“Come back with me,” Jake pleaded. “You’re not safe here.”

“This is why I left my Clan.” Talltail hooked out another wad of moss and dropped it onto the pile beside him.

“But you can go back to them, can’t you?”

“I’m never going back,” Talltail growled.

“Never?” Jake leaned closer. Talltail felt the kittypet’s breath on his cheek. “But you’re a warrior.”

“You don’t have to belong to a Clan to be a warrior.” The words felt empty as Talltail spoke them. Was that true?

“But what are you going to do once Sparrow is dead?” Jake demanded.

“That doesn’t matter.” Talltail hadn’t thought beyond the moment of his revenge so far. He wasn’t going to start now. “Help me gather moss.” The sun was sliding behind the distant hills. Talltail shivered as shadows thickened among the trees.

Jake crouched beside him and started picking at the next root. “If you’re staying,” Jake muttered, “so am I. You’re going to need help.”

Talltail paused and stared at the kittypet. “This is my mission, remember?”

Jake pulled a fat wad of moss from the bark with his claws. “Now it’s our mission.”

Talltail didn’t argue. An odd sense of relief loosened his muscles. He’d grown used to having Jake around. “Come on.” He scraped the gathered moss into a bundle. “We’d better get back.” He didn’t want to give the rogues too long to discuss his sudden appearance. They might start asking questions. He felt sure that Sparrow already had. The cold gleam in the tom’s eyes hadn’t been welcoming.

Talltail clamped his jaws around the soggy mass and began to carry it back toward the camp. Jake grabbed the rest and followed. Talltail slowed as they reached the bracken and padded though it softly, careful not to stir the stems.

“I don’t like it.” Algernon’s mew made Talltail stop in his tracks.

Jake halted beside him. “What’s wrong?”

“They’re talking about me.” Unease wormed in Talltail’s belly.

“We can’t turn them away.” Bess sounded firm. “They’re worn out.”

Talltail pricked his ears.

“But these woods are prey-poor,” Mole growled.

“There’s enough for now,” Reena argued.

Algernon snorted. “I knew we should have kept moving before we made camp.”

“There are fish in the river, downslope,” Reena pointed out.

“Can you swim?” Algernon muttered.

“It’s not so prey-poor around here as you think.” Sparrow’s mew was confident. “That pigeon I caught today is the first of many.”

“Really?” Mole’s voice rose with interest.

“I’ve found a place where the Twolegs scatter grain,” Sparrow told him. “There’ll be pigeons coming for as long as it’s there.”

Bess purred. “If that’s true, two extra mouths will be easy to feed.”

Talltail padded out of the bracken and dropped his moss. “We can help you hunt,” he mewed.

Algernon gazed past him, his gaze resting doubtfully on Jake. “Really?”

“Jake’s a quick learner,” Talltail told them. “He caught a mouse the other day.”

Jake caught his gaze. “I helped,” he corrected.

“We can manage without kittypet help,” Mole grunted.

Reena padded toward the corner sheltered by the holly bush. “I’ve piled some leaves here for you to make nests on,” she meowed.

“Thanks.” Talltail held her gaze in the half light, trying to read whether she was genuinely willing to have them stay.

She tipped her head. “You seem different, Talltail.”

“Do I?” Unnerved, Talltail picked up his moss and carried it to the heap of leaves Reena had scraped together.

“Less angry,” Reena meowed. “You… you didn’t seem to want us anywhere near WindClan by the time we left.” She sounded hurt and puzzled.

Talltail winced. His rage was still there, burning just below his skin, but he needed these cats to accept him, trust him—at least until he had a chance to avenge his father’s death. And deep down, he didn’t blame Reena for anything, or Bess, or Algernon, or Mole. “I… I guess it took me a while to get over Sandgorse’s death,” he mewed, trying to sound as if the memories were long gone. “I’m sorry if I offended you.”

Reena twitched her ears. “Not offended, exactly.” She sounded sympathetic. “I guess it was a lot for you to deal with: Sandgorse dying like that, and Sparrow surviving.”

Talltail shot her a sharp look. Reena was dangerously close to discovering the truth. He had to convince her he didn’t hold Sparrow responsible. “Oh, it wasn’t Sparrow’s fault,” he forced out through gritted teeth. “He was lucky to get out. Sandgorse wasn’t.” He stopped speaking as if he needed to concentrate on spreading his moss over the fallen leaves, shifting as Jake slid in beside him and began to shape the rest into a nest.

Bess crossed the clearing, a pigeon in her jaws. She dropped it at Talltail’s paws. “I caught this earlier,” she told him. “You and Jake can share it.”

Talltail shook his head. “We can’t take your prey.”

“Yes, you can,” Sparrow called from the darkness on the far side of the clearing. “WindClan fed us through greenleaf.”

Algernon nodded. “It’s only fair we feed one of theirs.”

“I’m not one of theirs anymore,” Talltail told him.

Algernon flicked his tail. “Nonsense,” he snorted. “You are Clanborn. You’ll be a Clan cat all your life.”

Reena reached beneath a low branch at the edge of the clearing and hauled out a damp-looking shrew and a half-eaten squirrel. She tossed the shrew to Sparrow and carried the squirrel to Bess. “Mole. Algernon. Will you join us?”

Talltail leaned down and tore the wing from the pigeon with his jaws. He nosed it toward Mole and Algernon as they crouched beside Reena’s squirrel. “Take this,” he offered. “We don’t need all of it.”

“Give them the other one, too,” Jake whispered in his ear.

Talltail ripped it off and dropped it at Algernon’s paws. He was aware of Sparrow’s gaze. He knows why I’m here. The thought flashed like fire in his mind. Fear sparked beneath his fur. He swallowed and padded back to Jake’s side. Jake was already chewing on the pigeon. Talltail’s belly tightened. How could he eat? Act normal. His own words echoed in his mind and he forced himself to take a mouthful of pigeon.

“How’s Palebird?” Bess’s question took him by surprise. She was looking up from the squirrel carcass, her eyes bright with interest.

“Palebird?” Talltail echoed dumbly. Up till now, he’d managed to block thoughts of WindClan from his mind.

“And Whiteberry,” Reena purred.

“Are the tunnelers getting used to not tunneling?” Mole asked.

Talltail blinked at them, mind whirling. He never imagined he’d speak his Clanmates’ names again. “Palebird had Woollytail’s kits,” he told Bess.

“That’s wonderful!” Bess’s eyes flashed with joy.

Talltail spat out a feather. “It’s great,” he lied.

Reena swallowed a mouthful. “How old are they?”

“A quarter moon when I left.” He pictured Wrenkit, Rabbitkit, Flykit, and Bristlekit crowding around his legs, tails high, squeaking with excitement. Their voices echoed in his mind.

Give us a badger ride!

Can we come?

Can I decide my own warrior name?

He closed his eyes, surprised by the sharp pang that stabbed his heart.

“How could you bear to leave them?” Reena’s mew cut into his thoughts.

“They’re happier without me,” he growled, burying his muzzle into the soft flesh of the pigeon.

“Leave him be, Reena.” Algernon’s mew was gentle. “He’s had a long journey. We can ask all our questions tomorrow, when he’s rested.”

The moon was glowing through the branches. Night wrapped the forest in silence. Far away, beyond the trees, a fox barked shrilly.

Jake licked his lips. “I’m exhausted.” He stretched and climbed into his nest.

Talltail nosed the remains of the pigeon toward Algernon. “Thanks for the prey.” He climbed into the nest beside Jake’s, their fur touching. Jake’s warmth eased the racing of his heart as he watched Algernon and Mole gather the prey-scraps and hide them under the holly bush. Reena and Bess settled in their nests beside the bracken. Algernon curled up beside Mole between the roots of the oak. Sparrow circled down into a thick pile of leaves in a shadowy corner of the camp.

Talltail watched through narrowed eyes as Sparrow stirred in his nest, no more than a shape in the darkness. Flexing his claws, he let his lip curl as he stared at Sparrow. You killed my father. His thoughts hardened, like stone shaped in fire. Now, I will kill you.