The First Battle

Chapter 17

Thunder glanced over his shoulder. Gray Wing was in the clearing, pacing back and forth. His shadow slid over the worn grass, sharp under the bright full moon. Thunder tried to catch his eye, but the sleek gray tom was absorbed in his own thoughts. Is he thinking about Turtle Tail? Or Clear Sky? Thunder hoped he was focusing on the meeting ahead rather than his grief but, with each turn, Gray Wing’s gaze flicked toward the nest in the tunnel where Rainswept Flower was nestling Turtle Tail’s kits.

Owl Eyes stared blankly into the distance, while Sparrow Fur washed his ear distractedly. Pebble Heart watched Gray Wing, his amber gaze steady.

There was a solemnity in the kit’s gaze that sent shivers rippling along Thunder’s spine. He looks like he’s lived longer than Tall Shadow. “Are you ready?” Though he had just been thinking of her, Tall Shadow’s mew surprised him.

“Yes.” Thunder faced her.

Gray Wing will do the talking,” Tall Shadow reminded him.

“I know.” Thunder curled his claws into the dewy grass. It was obvious that Gray Wing had far more sympathy for Clear Sky than any other moor cat. Guilt jabbed Thunder’s belly. Should I feel sympathy for him? He is my father, after all. He pushed the thought away with a growl. Then he should have acted like one. Thunder lashed his tail. “When do we leave?”

Tall Shadow lifted her muzzle and gazed around the clearing. Shattered Ice sat beside Hawk Swoop, a thrush lying half eaten between them. Cloud Spots was showing Frost the prey heap. It was the white tom’s first trip out of the gorse den and Thunder was pleased to see he was hardly limping. Wind Runner lay in the long grass, cozy in the nest Gorse Fur had built her. She’d refused to stay in the gloomy bramble den, even though he’d tried hard to persuade her they’d been more sheltered there. “Kits need to feel sunshine, and wind in their fur,” she had told him. Now, the kits clambered blindly over her, their fur fluffier than owlet feathers. One of them mewled hungrily. Thunder felt a twinge of sadness as he noticed that Sparrow Fur didn’t even lift her head at the sound. She’d been so excited about helping Wind Runner with her kits. But, since Turtle Tail’s death, she hadn’t even crossed the clearing to sniff them.

Tall Shadow cleared her throat. “I want you all to stay in camp until we get back,” she announced. Her voice carried clearly through the still night air.

Gorse Fur padded from the long grass. “Some of us should stand guard near the hollow,” he growled. “Just in case.”

Dappled Pelt gazed from outside the gorse den. “Clear Sky can’t be trusted.”

Thunder glanced at her, surprised at the darkness in the tortoiseshell’s tone.

“This is a meeting, not a battle,” Tall Shadow told her firmly. “Clear Sky knows that we just want to talk.”

Gorse Fur met her gaze. “What does he want?”

Thunder wished he could reassure the tom, but he didn’t trust Clear Sky any more than the rest of them.

He saw Tall Shadow take a step forward. “Gray Wing.” The black she-cat’s call seemed to jerk Gray Wing from his trance. His eyes flashed in the moonlight as he turned toward her. Then, nodding sharply, he padded toward the gap in the heather.

“Gray Wing!” Rainswept Flower called from his nest. “Aren’t you going to say good-bye?”

Gray Wing glanced toward the kits huddling beside Rainswept Flower. “Of course.” Shaking out his fur, he hurried across the clearing. “Rest, my dears,” he told them, touching his muzzle to each of their heads. “I’ll be back before long.”

Owl Eyes stared at him anxiously. “You’ll be okay, won’t you?”

Gray Wing pressed his cheek to the young tom’s. “Of course.” His purr sounded forced. “I’m going to meet with my brother. And I’ve got Thunder and Tall Shadow with me.”

Sparrow Fur glared at him. “You’re going to meet Clear Sky,” she mewed. “The meanest cat ever.”

“He’s still my littermate,” Gray Wing reminded her softly. He glanced fondly at Pebble Heart. “Will you be okay?”

Pebble Heart’s eyes reflected starlight. “Be careful, Gray Wing,” he mewed. “Danger lies in the hollow.”

“I will.” Gray Wing dipped his head.

Thunder narrowed his eyes, curious. Why was Gray Wing taking advice from a kit? What did Pebble Heart know of conflict between cats? Unease moved in his belly as Gray Wing crossed the clearing and followed Tall Shadow out of the camp. He tasted the air warily, wondering at the foreboding creeping beneath his pelt. Was a storm coming? The faint scent of rain tinged the breeze. He checked the sky. For now, it was clear, the stars sparkling high above.

“Are you coming?” Gray Wing called to him over his shoulder.

Thunder bounded after him. As Tall Shadow ducked into the heather ahead of them, he whispered in Gray Wing’s ear. “What did Pebble Heart mean by danger lies in the hollow?”

“I don’t know.” Gray Wing followed the black she-cat.

Thunder nosed his way among the springy branches. The trail was cracked and jabbed his pads as he wove one way then the other through the thick bushes. It was a few moments before he caught up to Gray Wing again. “What do you mean you don’t know?” he hissed at Gray Wing’s tail.

Gray Wing didn’t answer. As he broke from the heather, Thunder saw Gray Wing and Tall Shadow already climbing the grass slope toward the hollow. They were veering away from the quickest route.

He broke into a run until he reached them, then fell in beside Gray Wing, matching his pace. “Why are we going this way?” Across the wide slope, he could see treetops shimmering in the hollow. Tall Shadow seemed to be leading them around it.

“We’re heading for the sunhigh slope,” Gray Wing told him. “It’s clear of brambles and ferns. We decided that Clear Sky would feel more at ease if he saw our approach clearly.”

“Who cares how he feels?” Thunder growled.

Gray Wing’s pelt brushed his. “We need him to feel calm.”

Thunder snorted. “It’s like feeding prey to a buzzard. He’ll take as much as he can get and still try to claw your pelt off.”

Tall Shadow turned her head, her dark gaze glowing through the gloom. “We have to try.” She flicked her night-black tail toward the top of the steepening slope. “I’ll go on ahead to check it’s safe. My pelt will be hidden better in the shadows.”

“Don’t go into the hollow until we get there.” Gray Wing called as she bounded ahead.

“Shouldn’t we stay with her?” Thunder watched her go uneasily. What if Clear Sky had planned a trap?

“She’ll be careful.” Gray Wing kept his gaze fixed ahead. “I don’t want to arrive out of breath.”

Thunder stiffened. “Is your chest still tight?”

“A little.” Gray Wing’s tail twitched. “But I’ll be fine.”

Thunder watched Tall Shadow disappear into the darkness at the top of the slope. “Perhaps I should go with her.”

Gray Wing glanced pointedly at his wide white paws, pale against the grass. “Her pelt won’t be seen. We don’t want to alarm Clear Sky.”

Thunder flexed his claws angrily. Were they going to spend their whole lives tiptoeing around Clear Sky? The meanest cat ever. Sparrow Fur’s words rang in his mind. Danger lies in the hollow. He looked to Gray Wing, remembering Pebble Heart’s words. “If you don’t know what Pebble Heart meant, why did you look so worried when you left?”

Gray Wing’s paws brushed the grass.

“Well?” Thunder pressed.

“Pebble Heart has dreams,” he murmured at last.

Thunder frowned. “We all have dreams.”

“Not like Pebble Heart’s.”

A soft wind lifted Thunder’s fur. “What do you mean?”

“You never knew Stoneteller. She was our leader in the mountains.” Gray Wing kept walking. “She shared with the ancients in dreams. They warned her of darkness to come and showed her the way forward when we were unsure.”

Thunder’s heart quickened. “Do you think Pebble Heart shares with the ancients?”

“I don’t know.” Gray Wing scrambled up the last steep rise and stopped at the top. Starlight glittered behind him. He was breathless from the climb. “But I think he’s special.”

Thunder caught him up. “He’s like Stoneteller?”

Gray Wing shrugged. “His dreams are important. That’s all I know.” He gazed toward the hollow. It opened like a wound at the edge of the moorland.

Thunder flattened his ears against the rustling of the forest beyond.

“He dreamed of death,” Gray Wing murmured. “Before Turtle Tail was killed.”

Thunder’s fur spiked as surprise jolted through him. “You mean he saw it coming?”

“He didn’t know it would be Turtle Tail.” Gray Wing stared at him. “You’re the only one I’ve told. Keep it to yourself while Pebble Heart’s a kit. He’s young and we don’t want to put pressure on him.”

“Why tell me now?”

“Just in case.”

Fear dropped like a stone in Thunder’s belly as Gray Wing held his gaze.

“Some cat needs to know, in case something happens to me.”

Thunder’s mouth grew dry. “Pebble Heart’s had a dream about the meeting, hasn’t he?”

Gray Wing bounded forward. “Let’s catch up.” He crossed the grass following Tall Shadow’s trail.

Thunder charged after him, his pelt bristling with frustration. “Is there something you need to tell me?”

Gray Wing stopped at the top of the hollow where Tall Shadow was pacing the lush grass. He gave Thunder a warning look.

Thunder swallowed back the questions spinning in his head and scrambled to a halt. He stared down into the hollow. The four oaks swished, their leaves rippling like water in the moonlight. At the bottom he could see a great rock between them, thrusting from the ground like a massive paw. Silhouetted at the top, he recognized Clear Sky’s broad shoulders, and saw his father’s confident pose. For a moment, Thunder thought he was getting a glimpse at the cat Clear Sky once was—the young cat of the mountains.

He hoped that this would make him easier to negotiate with.

Tall Shadow shifted her paws. “He’s not alone.”

Thunder opened his mouth, letting the cool night breeze bathe his tongue. A jumble of cat scents made him stiffen, his fur prickling. “He’s brought every cat in his territory.”

“Every cat?” Gray Wing snapped his head around.

Falling Feather, Quick Water, Leaf, Petal. Thunder recognized all the scents of his old camp mates. And newer scents he didn’t know. Had Clear Sky recruited more rogues?

Tall Shadow was peering down into the hollow. “I can’t see any cat except Clear Sky.”

Thunder fought to steady his breath. “They’re hiding.”

“Is it a trap?” Tall Shadow narrowed her eyes.

“Gray Wing!” Clear Sky’s yowl sounded from below. “I know you’re here. With Thunder and Tall Shadow. Why not show yourselves? You came to talk, didn’t you? Then let’s begin.”

Thunder hesitated as Gray Wing stepped forward. He felt his breath catch. I hope he’s wrong about Pebble Heart’s dreams.