The Sun Trail

Chapter 21

Gray Wing couldn’t understand how one day could make such a difference. The four great oaks stood the same as they always had, but their leaves were limp and still; there was not a breath of wind. The forest was gloomy, with no sun breaking through the clouds. Worst of all, there was no sign of Storm.

Hope sprang up in Gray Wing as he heard a rustle and saw fronds of fern shaking as a cat approached the bottom of the hollow. But his tail drooped in disappointment as Turtle Tail emerged into the open.

“Hi,” she meowed, bounding toward him. “I’m hunting. Do you want to join me?”

Gray Wing shook his head. “Sorry. I’m waiting for Storm.”

“Again?”

“Yes, again,” Gray Wing replied, slightly annoyed at the hint of disapproval in Turtle Tail’s voice. Then as all his hopes and doubts surged through him, he knew that he had to confide in some cat. “I… I really like her,” he confessed. “I want her to come and live in the hollow with us.”

Turtle Tail’s eyes widened; Gray Wing was surprised to see sadness in their green depths.

“Oh… I see,” she mewed. “I’ll be off, then.” She spun around, racing away swiftly in the direction of the Twolegplace.

But she said she was hunting, Gray Wing thought, then began to search for Storm. At one point he picked up her scent, then realized it was stale, probably from when she had met him the day before.

“Gray Wing.”

That wasn’t the voice he longed to hear. He turned and spotted Tall Shadow beckoning to him from halfway up the slope.

“Walk with me,” she invited as he came up to her. “I need to talk to you.”

Tall Shadow led the way through the forest and along the edge of the moor. “Tell me more about the new cats who are living with Clear Sky and Moon Shadow.”

Gray Wing shrugged, peering through the trees in case Storm appeared. “I told you all I know,” he replied. “They seem to have settled in well, as far as I could see.”

Tall Shadow nodded thoughtfully. “Do you think we should invite Gorse and Wind to move into the hollow with us?”

Gray Wing was startled. He thought that Tall Shadow was the last cat who would want to do that; she hadn’t been particularly welcoming when he had brought the two rogues for a visit.

“It’s not natural for us,” he began hesitantly. “In the mountains, there were no other cats. So it’s hard for us to invite strangers in.”

“I know,” Tall Shadow agreed. “But maybe we should consider it. It would be helpful to hunt together, and we would be stronger if dogs or foxes attacked.” Sighing, she added, “I wish Shaded Moss was still with us. He would know what to do.”

“Don’t be too sure,” Gray Wing told her. “This would be just as strange to him.” He thought for a few heartbeats and then continued, “Perhaps we should do what Stoneteller said, and trust our instincts above all else.”

“Well,” Tall Shadow meowed, her voice suddenly sharper, “my instinct says we shouldn’t be too hasty about letting other cats live with us. Not yet, anyway.”

“That’s fine by me,” Gray Wing responded, though he couldn’t help asking himself, Then what about Storm?

For the next few days, Gray Wing forced himself not to spend all his time looking for Storm. Instead, he kept busy with hunting and helping to improve the nests in the hollow.

He had gone as far as the river searching for moss when he heard a friendly voice hailing him. “Gray Wing!”

It was Gorse, with Wind just behind him. They bounded to join Gray Wing at the water’s edge, both of them touching noses with him.

“Good to see you,” Gray Wing meowed. “How’s the prey running?”

“Fine, thanks,” Wind replied. “Though that hare was the best catch we’ve made in moons.”

“It was fun visiting your camp,” Wind told him with a friendly flick of her tail. “Can we come and see you again? We could show you some of the best places for prey.”

“Maybe another time,” Gray Wing responded awkwardly. “We’re kind of busy just now.”

Gorse gave a nod. “No problem.”

Gray Wing was relieved that the two rogues hadn’t taken offense. He liked Gorse and Wind, and would have invited them but for his recent conversation with Tall Shadow. He understood her wariness of getting too close to strangers.

Then what about Storm? he wondered once again. But Storm didn’t feel like a stranger to him.

Anxiety struck him as the silver-furred she-cat came back into his mind. Maybe I should be worried about not seeing Storm… she might be in trouble!

Saying good-bye to Gorse and Wind, Gray Wing abandoned the moss he had been collecting and headed across the moor toward the forest. Quickening his pace, he resolved to go right into the heart of the Twolegplace if he had to. But before he reached the edge of the trees he halted in surprise as he saw the silver tabby emerge from the undergrowth.

“Storm!” he called out.

Storm jumped, startled, and for a heartbeat Gray Wing wondered if she even wanted to see him. But as he bounded up to her he saw that her green eyes were warm with welcome. “Hello,” she mewed. “How are things with you?”

“I’m fine,” Gray Wing replied. He wanted to ask Storm where she had been, but he was worried about offending her. She’s here now, and that’s what matters.

Side by side the two cats wandered down to the river and crouched on the edge, gazing down into the water. Tiny fish were slipping in and out of the stones, their skin glinting in the sunlight.

“One of my friends can catch fish,” Gray Wing remarked.

Storm’s eyes widened. “Really? Amazing!”

Silence fell again. Gray Wing felt slightly awkward; there were so many things he wanted to say to Storm, but somehow he couldn’t find the words.

“I wish I could invite you to the hollow again,” he meowed at last. “But Tall Shadow is being a bit edgy about strangers just now. We can meet somewhere else, can’t we?”

“Sure,” Storm responded, though she didn’t make any suggestions.

Gray Wing leaned over to brush muzzles with her, but she turned her head away and rose to her paws. “Well, I’ll see you soon,” she mewed cheerfully, and bounded off toward the trees.

Looking after her, Gray Wing felt hot with embarrassment. Somehow I said the wrong thing… I don’t understand her at all.

Gray Wing collected his moss and headed back to the hollow. When he reached it and dropped his bundle beside the new nests, where Hawk Swoop and Cloud Spots were working busily, he spotted Turtle Tail, coming back empty-pawed from the direction of the Twolegplace. The scent of Twolegs was all over her.

“You’ve been visiting Bumble again,” he asserted. Still off balance from the odd encounter with Storm, he couldn’t summon up much patience for Turtle Tail. “Do you really want to be with her more than with us?”

Turtle Tail’s ears flicked up and she lashed her tail. “Well, you don’t seem to have time for me anymore,” she snapped. “Perhaps if I had silver fur you’d feel differently.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” But inside, Gray Wing knew that his friend was speaking the truth. He did want to be with Storm, more than any other cat. “Don’t let your fur get tangled,” he added more gently. “Storm’s such a terrific cat, and I hope that soon she’ll come here to live with us.”

Turtle Tail gave him a blank stare. “Great,” she mewed in a flat voice. “I’m totally happy for you both.” She turned and stalked off, her tail in the air.

Gray Wing gazed after her, totally bewildered. Shattered Ice, who was standing close by, let out an exaggerated sigh. “Gray Wing, you have the sense of a rabbit sometimes,” he muttered.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Gray Wing told him.

Shattered Ice just rolled his eyes.

Gray Wing shook his head in confusion, and went to help Cloud Spots and Hawk Swoop with the new nests. They were finished by nightfall, and Gray Wing had his best sleep for a long time, waking vigorous and refreshed. As he stood beside the nest shaking scraps of moss from his pelt, Turtle Tail padded up to him.

“Gray Wing, will you come with me?” she asked. “Just the two of us?”

“Sure.” Gray Wing decided not to say anything about her odd behavior the day before. “Do you want to hunt?”

Turtle Tail shook her head. “I want to talk, but not here.”

She led the way over the moor to where the waterfall thundered down into the gorge. Crouching beside it, she didn’t speak, just looked down at the rushing river as it surged between the rocks.

Gray Wing sat beside her, beginning to feel impatient. “Well?” he asked.

“We had such a long, hard journey to get here,” Turtle Tail began softly, “and we wondered if we’d ever reach the end. Now we have… but our destinations seem to be very different.”

“True,” Gray Wing meowed. “Clear Sky and the others—”

“I’m not talking about Clear Sky,” Turtle Tail interrupted. She swallowed and took a deep breath. “I’m going to live with Bumble.”

Gray Wing sprang to his paws, dismay filling him from ears to tail-tip. “No!” he exclaimed. “You can’t be a kittypet! You’re wild.”

Turtle Tail flicked her tail. “Then I’ll be a wild kittypet. I don’t think there’s a place for me here anymore, Gray Wing. I’ll be fine.” She rose and touched her nose to his ear. “You make sure to go for what you want. Promise?”

Feeling utterly baffled, Gray Wing nodded. “I promise.”

Still not understanding Turtle Tail’s decision, Gray Wing padded by her side until they reached the edge of the Twolegplace. When they could see the huge red dens looming up through the trees, Turtle Tail halted and turned to him.

“Will you let the others know where I’ve gone?” she asked. “I’m too embarrassed to make a big scene.”

“Of course I will,” Gray Wing replied.

“And I’ll visit!” Turtle Tail sounded as though she had to force herself to sound cheerful. “Don’t worry!”

She brushed her tail down Gray Wing’s side, then spun around and raced toward the Twoleg dens. Gray Wing watched her out of sight. He felt empty, as if something precious had gone out of his life.

Things are changing all the time, he thought as he trudged away from the Twolegplace. Every cat needs to choose their own destiny—and mine is with Storm, the way Turtle Tail’s is in the Twolegplace. Determination swelled inside him. I’ll ask Storm to come and live in the hollow. Tall Shadow will understand if Storm’s my mate.

For a while he padded alongside the river, but when he came to the huge rocks he turned to follow the stream that flowed into the main current. Excitement tingled through his paws as he imagined what it would be like to have Storm beside him, hunting, exploring, resting together in the shelter of their nest. When the time was right, they would even have kits together.

A flash of silver in the undergrowth alerted him and he halted as Storm came into view, a beautiful sheen of sunlight on her silver tabby pelt.

“Gray Wing!” she called, quickening her pace. “I was looking for you.”

Delight like warm sunshine spread through Gray Wing. “I was looking for you, too,” he told her. “I have something I want to say.”

Storm’s green eyes were troubled. “There’s something I have to tell you too,” she announced. She hesitated, then went on, “I’m going to live with Clear Sky.”

Shock ripped through Gray Wing, as cruel as a fox’s claws. “Why would you do that?”

Storm’s whiskers twitched. “I’ve seen a lot of him since that first time,” she explained. “We sort of…”

Gray Wing suddenly understood. “Oh, right,” he meowed. “Well, that’s great.”

Storm drew closer, her sweet scent washing over him. “I’m so sorry, Gray Wing,” she murmured. “I wish things were different, but…” Taking a pace back, she added, “We’ll still see each other. The forest isn’t that big!”

She turned and padded away, her tail waving gracefully. Gray Wing dug his claws into the ground and clamped his jaws shut so as not to utter a word. Storm had made her choice, and it wasn’t him. Gray Wing had never felt so alone in his life.

Maybe I owe my brother this, he thought as he tried to make sense of what was happening. It was because of me that Bright Stream died, and now I have a second chance to make Clear Sky happy.