The Sun Trail

Chapter 7

As the cats were finishing their meal and beginning to groom themselves, Shaded Moss came to stand beside Gray Wing and Jagged Peak. “How is Stoneteller?” Blinking with a trace of anxiety in his eyes, he added, “It seems as if we’ve been away from the cave for moons already.”

“She’s okay,” Gray Wing replied. “But she’s desperately worried about all you cats who have left; she’s afraid she made the wrong decision.”

“We were the ones who decided,” Shaded Moss pointed out. “Each cat who came on the journey. Stoneteller just pointed out the opportunity.”

Try telling Stoneteller that, Gray Wing thought wryly.

The cats gathered for the day’s traveling. Shaded Moss was clearly in command, though Gray Wing noticed that Clear Sky didn’t hesitate to offer his opinions.

“Why don’t we head for that tree?” he suggested, flicking his tail. “Then we could cross the stream to avoid that stretch of rock.”

Shaded Moss nodded. “Good idea.”

The cats set out; Shaded Moss took the lead, with Clear Sky and Bright Stream close behind him. Jagged Peak trotted hard on Clear Sky’s paws, clearly proud of the adventures that had led him here. The youngest cats, apart from Jagged Peak, were Hawk Swoop, Falling Feather, and her brother Jackdaw’s Cry. Because they weren’t fully grown they had trouble scrambling over the larger boulders. Shaded Moss’s daughter, Rainswept Flower, and Shattered Ice walked beside them, offering help where they needed it.

Farther back in the line, Quick Water and Cloud Spots padded along together, reserved but alert. Just behind them, Dappled Pelt and Moon Shadow walked side by side. “Did you see how I frightened off that eagle yesterday?” Moon Shadow asked boastfully. “It would have carried off Jackdaw’s Cry if I hadn’t been there.”

Dappled Pelt rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you and the rest of us,” she muttered, only just loudly enough for Gray Wing to hear.

Leaving the cave hasn’t changed Moon Shadow, Gray Wing thought. He’s still annoying.

Moon Shadow’s sister Tall Shadow, loping along in his paw steps, made no comment about his boasting. Gray Wing remembered that even back in the cave she hardly ever spoke; but when she did, she was always worth listening to.

How could one litter produce one intelligent cat and one fuzz-brain?

As the cats followed Shaded Moss they gradually fell into a line, two by two. Gray Wing glanced aside to see that Turtle Tail had caught up with him.

“May I walk with you?” she mewed gently.

“Sure,” Gray Wing responded.

“I like being in the rear,” Turtle Tail confided as they padded on. “I like seeing that my denmates are all safe in front of me.”

Gray Wing purred understandingly. His heart lifted as they climbed along the side of the valley, the sun warming their fur.

“It’s definitely hotter than it was a moon ago,” Turtle Tail remarked. “The cold season is really coming to an end.”

Soon, the cats came to a pool where a stream spread out before plunging farther down the mountain. The ice that covered the surface had begun to melt in the strong sunlight. There was enough space for every cat to gather around the edge, to drink and bathe their sore pads.

Gray Wing settled beside Dappled Pelt, stretched out his neck and lapped at the icy water. It tasted of stone and mountain air. “I’m so glad we found you,” he remarked. “I was worried about Jagged Peak.”

“Yes, he’s really too small for this,” the tortoiseshell cat responded. “But he’s doing very well. And when—”

Dappled Pelt broke off, swiftly dipping one paw into the water and flicking a plump silver fish onto the rock beside her. It flapped and wriggled in the air until she killed it with a swipe of her claw.

“Where did you learn to do that?” Gray Wing asked, as the other cats clustered around with exclamations of surprise.

Dappled Pelt shrugged. “I used to catch fish sometimes in the pool below the waterfall, before the cold season came,” she explained, bending her head to take one bite from the fish before pushing it toward her companions. “Here, try it.”

One by one the rest of the cats came up to take a bite. Gray Wing wasn’t sure that he liked it, preferring the earthy taste of hare, but Falling Feather gulped down her mouthful with relish.

“Will you teach me how to do that?” she asked Dappled Pelt.

The she-cat’s golden eyes gleamed as she gazed at Falling Feather. “Of course. When we get where we’re going.”

“I’m not sure about this.” Jackdaw’s Cry licked his lips as if he didn’t like the taste. “No offense, Dappled Pelt, but I think I’ll stick to hares and eagles.”

“Hey, it’s food!” Moon Shadow mewed cheerfully, eyeing the remains of the fish as if he hoped he would get a second bite.

“I think it’s great!” Bright Stream purred, and Rainswept Flower nodded agreement.

“I guess you’ll want to eat more fish when we find our new home,” Bright Stream continued, her tone gently teasing as Clear Sky ate his share.

“Hmm…” Clear Sky looked doubtful, then brushed his mate’s pelt with his tail. “Maybe I’ll have to give in if our kits have a taste for it.” He and Bright Stream exchanged a glowing glance.

Gray Wing gave his brother a prod. “Is Bright Stream expecting kits?” he whispered.

Clear Sky nodded, blinking happily. “She thinks so. I know the timing’s not ideal, right at the beginning of our journey, but… I can’t wait to be a father.”

“Bright Stream will be a wonderful mother,” Gray Wing mewed, ignoring the stab of envy he felt.

When all the cats had eaten their share, they gave in to the temptation to lie on the rocks around the pool, enjoying the warm sunlight.

“Hey, Turtle Tail!” Quick Water pointed to a turtle basking in a sunbeam at the opposite side of the pool. “You’ve found your natural home here!”

Good-humoredly Turtle Tail flicked the gray-and-white she-cat with her paw. “So is your home anywhere it’s raining, Quick Water?”

Meanwhile, Clear Sky was watching the small birds that circled overhead. “Do you want me to see if I can catch any of those?” he asked Shaded Moss.

Shaded Moss glanced along the trail in the direction they needed to go, then shook his head. “We haven’t traveled far enough yet.”

“What’s the rush?” Moon Shadow complained. “This new home, wherever it is, won’t disappear, will it?”

“That’s right,” Jackdaw’s Cry agreed. “We’ve been walking for ages!”

Other cats murmured in agreement.

“You lazy bunch!” Turtle Tail exclaimed. “We’ve only been traveling for four sunrises. We haven’t even left the mountains yet.” Her neck fur fluffed up with indignation. “No cat said it would be easy.”

Before any cat could argue, Tall Shadow rose to her paws and pointed with her tail to a distant clump of pine trees on the side of the mountain. “Let’s aim for those by tonight,” she suggested.

“Good idea,” Dappled Pelt agreed.

To Gray Wing’s relief, the threatened discord vanished like frost in sunlight as the cats rose to their paws, ready to set out again. As they moved off, he fell in beside Bright Stream. “Clear Sky tells me you’re having kits,” he mewed. “That’s great!”

Bright Stream glanced at her paws in embarrassment. “I don’t want any cat to know yet,” she murmured. “I don’t want the others to think I’m going to slow them down.”

“No cat will think that,” Gray Wing reassured her. “And your kits will be a great start for our new home, wherever we end up.”

Sunhigh had just passed when Shaded Moss drew to a halt; the other cats bunched up behind him. Gray Wing saw that the ledge they had been following had petered out. A wide slope of slippery scree lay in front of them, leading to a sheer drop into a valley far below.

“I don’t like the look of that,” Hawk Swoop muttered.

“Me neither,” Jackdaw’s Cry added. “Do we have to go this way?”

“Yes, we do,” Shaded Moss stated firmly, before any cat could start arguing. “We’ll take it slowly, in pairs. The younger, less experienced cats can walk on the inside.”

“Can I go with you, Clear Sky?” Jagged Peak asked, wriggling forward until he stood at the edge of the scree.

Gray Wing admired his little brother’s courage. Guessing where he could be of most help, he padded over to Jackdaw’s Cry. “You can come with me if you like,” he mewed.

Jackdaw’s Cry gave him a grateful glance. “Thanks.” His whiskers twitched nervously, but his voice was steady as he added, “I keep worrying about the drop into the valley. It’s a long way down.”

“Then don’t look down,” Gray Wing advised. “Stay close to me, and make sure there’s something solid under your paws before you put your weight on them.”

Jackdaw’s Cry listened seriously to what Gray Wing told him. “What about using my tail for balance?” he asked.

“Good idea. Keep your gaze fixed on the far side, and whatever you do, don’t panic,” Gray Wing added.

Jackdaw’s Cry nodded. “I’m ready now.”

Shaded Moss had already started off across the scree, heading slowly and steadily for the mountainside beyond, where boulders and scrubby thorns broke up the slope. Clear Sky set out after him, with Jagged Peak at his side.

Bright Stream and Falling Feather followed, with Bright Stream taking the outer position, nearer the cliff edge. Glancing back, Clear Sky looked uncertain for a moment, as if he wanted to go back and help his mate.

“I’ll be fine!” Bright Stream called out to him. “Watch where you’re putting your own paws.”

Gray Wing exchanged a glance with Jackdaw’s Cry, and ventured out onto the scree with the young black tom at his side. Even though he didn’t look, he was aware of the sheer drop into the valley, only a couple of tail-lengths away. His paws slipped as he dislodged some of the smooth, flat stones and sent them skittering over the edge. For a heartbeat he thought he was going to follow them, but he managed to regain his balance.

“Are you okay?” Jackdaw’s Cry asked, his eyes wide and his ears flattened.

“Fine,” Gray Wing replied tersely. “Just keep going.”

Glancing over to the far side, he saw that Shaded Moss had already reached safety, and Clear Sky was nudging Jagged Peak up onto a flat, snow-covered stone before clambering off the scree and sitting down beside him.

“Come on!” Jagged Peak called encouragingly in his shrill voice. “It’s not too hard!”

Bright Stream and Falling Feather reached them a few heartbeats later. Gray Wing began to relax a little, seeing the solid ground was only a few paw steps away. He risked a glance over his shoulder and saw the long line of cats behind him, moving steadily.

I think we’ll be okay.

A sudden screech split the quiet air. “Eagles! Eagles!”

Jagged Peak was leaping up and down on the flat rock, his tail waving at the sky. Gray Wing looked up to see two huge birds swooping down toward the cats exposed on the scree.

Yowls of panic rose up and the cats began to run, loose stone sliding beneath their paws as the well-organized line broke up. A horrible vision flashed through Gray Wing’s mind of cats plummeting helplessly into the valley, or shrieking as they were carried away in the eagles’ talons.

Jackdaw’s Cry had frozen in terror a tail-length from safety. Gray Wing grabbed him by the scruff and hurled him off the scree toward Clear Sky and Shaded Moss. Then he whipped around and headed back toward his Tribemates.

His paws slipping as he tried to hurry, Gray Wing noticed that Dappled Pelt had lost her footing completely and was sliding helplessly down the slope. She let out a panic-stricken yowl as she struggled to find a firm paw hold.

“I’m coming!” Gray Wing called.

He ran between Dappled Pelt and the line of his Tribemates, dodging the rain of loose stones that pattered around him, dislodged by the other cats’ paws. Reaching a place above the she-cat where the stones weren’t moving, he cut back down toward her, aiming for a spot just below her where he could halt her fall.

Dappled Pelt stared at him, her eyes stretched wide with fear and her tail waving as she scrabbled vainly at the scree.

Reaching the spot, Gray Wing dug his paws firmly between the stones to find a firm purchase, and braced himself to take Dappled Pelt’s weight. When she slithered into him he panicked for a moment as he felt the ground shift under his paws, but he managed to hold her.

Still frantic, Dappled Pelt tried to claw back up the way she had come, but there was nothing solid for her to grip.

“Keep still!” Gray Wing gasped. His belly lurched with fear as he saw the eagles swooping lower, their claws extended and their wing tips brushing the heads of the cats. Most of the others had reached safety, but Hawk Swoop and Rainswept Flower had fallen behind, and Gray Wing couldn’t make any progress with Dappled Pelt.

We’re chickfeed, for sure!

As Dappled Pelt kept on struggling, Moon Shadow came bounding down the slope just ahead of them. “Come on… this way,” he meowed to Dappled Pelt, bracing his shoulder against her.

Dappled Pelt stumbled forward, heading paw step by paw step toward the end of the scree, with Moon Shadow taking part of her weight. Gray Wing followed, scrabbling to keep his paw hold.

When they reached solid ground, Moon Shadow boosted Dappled Pelt ahead of him, then clambered up beside her. Gray Wing raced after them as they dived underneath an overhanging rock where the rest of the cats were hiding. Rainswept Flower and Hawk Swoop joined them a heartbeat later, just managing to dodge an eagle’s outstretched claws.

“Is every cat okay?” Shaded Moss asked, gazing around at the group as they cowered under the rock.

“We’re fine,” Clear Sky replied.

“Just scared out of our fur,” Turtle Tail added.

Dappled Pelt was crouching with her head down and fur still fluffed out. She was shaking. “I’m so sorry,” she murmured. “I panicked back there, and I could have got you both killed.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Moon Shadow puffed out his chest. “You’ll know better next time.”

Turtle Tail leaned over to whisper into Gray Wing’s ear. “I’m quite impressed by how Moon Shadow saved Dappled Pelt. But I’d never tell him so!”

Gray Wing nodded, grateful for her humor. “He’s brave, but he’s still an annoying furball,” he whispered back.

Quick Water, who had been keeping watch at the edge of the overhang, glanced over her shoulder. “Those eagles are out there,” she reported. “They know we’re here, and they seem prepared to wait all day.”

Gray Wing remembered how helpless he had felt when the eagle was trying to lift him off his paws. “If it’s the only way to stay safe, we’ll have to put up with staying under this rock,” he pointed out.

“For how long?” Hawk Swoop demanded. “I don’t know about any other cat, but I need some prey!”

Indignant murmurs showed that some of the others agreed with her.

“We have to protect ourselves,” Shaded Moss decided, with a nod to Gray Wing. “It’s just a matter of waiting.”

With a few more grumbles the cats settled down, licking pads sore from crossing the scree, or curling up to sleep. At first they seemed glad to rest, but as the day dragged on their anxiety began rising again.

Cloud Spots stuck his head out into the open, then jerked back into cover. “There are two more eagles out there,” he reported, his eyes wide with dismay. “They’re sitting on the top of this rock.”

More screeches split the air and Gray Wing shivered. It was as if the eagles were challenging the hidden cats. They know exactly where we are.

As daylight faded, the eagles showed no signs of leaving. Even worse, one of them hopped down and stretched its neck under the rocky overhang. His heart pounding with fear, Gray Wing shoved Turtle Tail behind him to keep her away from the snapping yellow beak. All the cats shrank back, pressing themselves against the rock wall in a shuddering heap of fur. The eagle watched them for a few heartbeats with malignant yellow eyes, then flapped out of sight, but every cat knew that all four eagles were still there.

“We’re not mice!” Clear Sky announced when the eagle had withdrawn. “We will not be treated like prey! We need to show these eagles that cats are the hunters around here.”

“And how are we going to do that?” Rainswept Flower demanded.

Clear Sky’s glance raked the cowering group. “By catching one of the eagles ourselves,” he meowed.

Gray Wing couldn’t stifle a gasp of shock. Looking around, he saw the others exchanging scared glances.

“That’s impossible,” Shaded Moss stated, in a tone that didn’t invite contradiction. “There are four eagles out there!”

Clear Sky was undaunted. “And there are more of us in here,” he retorted.

Admiration for his brother’s courage rose inside Gray Wing, bringing a trickle of hope like the first thawing of an icicle. “Let’s at least hear what Clear Sky has to say,” he urged the others.

Shaded Moss hesitated, then gave a curt nod.

“I believe that four cats could bring down one eagle,” Clear Sky explained. “Me, Tall Shadow, Quick Water, and Jackdaw’s Cry.” Glancing at the cats he had named, he added, “We can all jump high, and together we have the strength to pull down a bird.”

Gray Wing took a pace forward. “I want to help,” he meowed.

“You will,” Clear Sky responded. “You’re the fastest among us. I want you to draw the other birds away. Take three cats with you.”

Shaded Moss shouldered his way forward until he stood beside Clear Sky. There was quiet authority in his voice. “Tell me exactly what you think we should do.”

Clear Sky scraped a few pebbles together with one paw and began to lay them out as he spoke. “Here are the four eagles. Gray Wing and his cats will get three eagles to follow them. My group will isolate the fourth and surround it.”

The other cats had gathered around him, watching closely. Gray Wing tried to picture the plan in his head, and eventually nodded. “It could work,” he agreed.

“Or we could just wait until dark and sneak away,” Turtle Tail suggested.

Clear Sky turned on her in outrage. “And let the birds follow us tomorrow, and the next day, and the next? We have to take them on now, so that they leave us in peace.”

“Clear Sky is right,” Tall Shadow declared.

No other cat looked so certain, but they all gradually let out murmurs of agreement.

“Okay,” Clear Sky mewed briskly. “We must move fast, because it’ll be dark soon.”

“Turtle Tail, Cloud Spots, and Bright Stream will go with Gray Wing to lure three of the birds away.” Shaded Moss gave his orders calmly. “Leave the fourth eagle as close to the rock as you can, so that Clear Sky and his cats can spring out and catch it.”

Clear Sky’s whiskers twitched in alarm as his mate’s name was mentioned. “I’m not sure Bright Stream is fast enough,” he objected.

Shaded Moss flicked his ears in surprise. “She’s almost as fast as Gray Wing.”

Gazing at his brother, Gray Wing knew exactly why Clear Sky was reluctant for his mate to play such an important part in their plan. He’s worried about their kits.

“I’ll be fine,” Bright Stream insisted, her tone full of hidden meaning. “Gray Wing will take care of me,” she added, flicking Clear Sky playfully over the ear with her tail-tip.

“And what about the rest of us?” Jagged Peak asked, his tail twitching irritably. “I’ve attacked an eagle before, you know. I’ve got experience!”

“The rest of you will stay here under the overhang, ready to rush out and help wherever you’re needed,” Shaded Moss meowed. Solemnly he added to Jagged Peak, “You must be ready to pounce at any moment.”

Jagged Peak nodded eagerly and crouched down at the edge of the overhang, ready to spring.

Gray Wing motioned to Turtle Tail, Bright Stream, and Cloud Spots with a flick of his ears, and they ventured out from beneath the overhang. The gathering darkness helped to conceal them as they crouched low among the rocks until they were some distance away.

“Now!” Gray Wing mewed.

Together they sprang into the open, caterwauling loudly to attract the attention of the eagles. All four birds were perched on the crags above them. A shudder went through Gray Wing from his ears to his pads as four heads swiveled toward him and his denmates.

Two of the eagles took off with cumbersome wing-beats to gain height—then they swooped.

“Cloud Spots! Turtle Tail!” Gray Wing yowled. “Run to the next boulder! Lure the birds toward you!”

The two cats took off, racing across the snow-covered slope, and the pair of eagles flapped after them. Gray Wing and Bright Stream huddled into the shelter of a boulder as the birds passed over their heads.

“I’ll attract the others,” Bright Stream whispered.

Before Gray Wing could respond, she slipped out into the open, and began trotting in circles, pretending to limp. As the other two eagles took off and flew toward her, she darted back under the rock where Gray Wing was waiting.

“That was risky,” he muttered.

“It worked, didn’t it?”

The two eagles settled, one on top of the rock and one on the ground, peering underneath. Gray Wing spotted Clear Sky and the others creeping out from under the overhang, preparing to surround the bird on the rock.

We have to lure the one on the ground farther away, Gray Wing thought.

Hoping Bright Stream would understand, he gestured with his tail toward a nearby bush. Bright Stream nodded. “I’m ready.”

Together Gray Wing and Bright Stream sprang into the open, right in front of the eagle on the ground. Gray Wing heard it screech as it took off after them. Glancing over his shoulder he saw Clear Sky powering upward, leaping so high that he grabbed the neck of the eagle on the rock. It tried to take off, but Clear Sky’s weight was too much for it. The other three cats crowded after him and dragged the bird down to the top of the rock.

Transfixed by the sight, Gray Wing didn’t look where he was going. His flying paw struck something and he stumbled. Haredung! he hissed, spotting a gnarled tree root almost concealed by snow.

His pace faltered as a sharp pain sliced through his leg. He could sense the pursuing eagle swooping down on him and struggled to move faster. A heartbeat later Bright Stream’s pale tabby-and-white pelt reappeared in the dim light and he realized that she had swerved around to help him. Boosting him with her shoulder, she shoved him toward the bush, into a narrow gap beneath the thorny branches.

His vision blurred by terror, Gray Wing scrabbled to pull himself farther in and give Bright Stream space to follow. But when he turned, he saw her sliding backward, her claws digging uselessly into the ground.

What…? Pain made Gray Wing slow to realize what was happening. Then he saw that the eagle had caught hold of Bright Stream, its cruel talons sunk into her haunches. She shrieked as the bird lifted her off the ground.

“Gray Wing! Help me!”