Thunder Rising

Chapter 2

When Gray Wing and Turtle Tail reached the bottom of the hollow, they found Hawk Swoop, Dappled Pelt, Cloud Spots, and Rainswept Flower all standing in front of Tall Shadow.

“You need to get more power into your back legs,” the black she-cat instructed them. “That way you can deal with any cat who creeps up behind you. Rainswept Flower, try it again.”

Gray Wing saw that Tall Shadow had propped a big piece of bark against one of the rocks. Rainswept Flower got into position, then kicked out strongly at the bark, dislodging it and sending scraps flying into the air.

“Much better,” Tall Shadow mewed. “Cloud Spots, you’re next.”

Gray Wing noticed that Jagged Peak was crouching a few tail-lengths away, looking on unhappily. A shiver of compassion ran through him. Life had been a struggle for Jagged Peak ever since he had fallen out of a tree and broken his leg. Clear Sky had driven him from the forest, saying he was unable to support a cat who couldn’t hunt. The moorland cats had taken him in, but Gray Wing knew how guilty his young brother felt that he couldn’t contribute much.

His ear twitched as Turtle Tail leaned over to whisper to him, distracting him from Jagged Peak’s troubles.

“I’m surprised to see Tall Shadow training the cats in fighting techniques,” she murmured. “Things must have changed around here.”

Gray Wing opened his mouth to respond, but before he could speak, Shattered Ice dashed across to Tall Shadow. “We discovered a cat in our territory!” he yowled, pointing his tail in Turtle Tail’s direction.

“Turtle Tail!” Rainswept Flower exclaimed, dashing over to touch her nose to Turtle Tail’s ear. “Shattered Ice, she’s not just a cat,” she added, annoyance in her voice as she gazed at the white tom. “She’s our friend.”

Hawk Swoop followed her denmate, and brushed her pelt against Turtle Tail’s. “It’s good to see you,” she meowed warmly.

The other cats held back, exchanging an uncertain glance, while hostility still radiated from Shattered Ice.

Suppressing a sigh of annoyance, Gray Wing waited anxiously for Tall Shadow’s response. He knew very well how cautious the black she-cat was around strangers. Of course, Turtle Tail isn’t a stranger. But it’s still not the best way to announce that she’s back.

“Since when do we talk about territories?” Turtle Tail muttered into his ear again. “Things have really changed.”

Reluctantly Gray Wing admitted to himself that she was right. He and his denmates had become like Clear Sky and his group—much more defensive of their hunting area—since Turtle Tail was last on the moor.

When the group had first split up, and Clear Sky had taken his cats to live in the forest, every cat had thought that they would come and go freely, visiting one another as often as they wanted. But it hadn’t turned out like that, and the division between the two groups had become as hard to cross as a mountain chasm.

Tall Shadow padded over to Turtle Tail, her tail held high, while the rest of the cats gathered around curiously. Gray Wing was impressed by how noble and dignified she looked, confident in herself as their leader. Surely she couldn’t possibly be unwelcoming toward Turtle Tail? All the same, he braced himself for an awkward conversation.

Tall Shadow dipped her head politely. “Greetings, Turtle Tail,” she mewed. Flicking her tail toward the tortoiseshell’s swollen belly, she added, “And congratulations. Who is the father?”

Turtle Tail scuffled her paws uneasily. “There’s no father,” she replied, “or none that I want involved in the kits’ lives.”

Tall Shadow exchanged a glance with Gray Wing, who could hear murmurs arising from the other cats. He could see that the black she-cat understood. Turtle Tail went to live with Twolegs, and now she has kits fathered by a kittypet. The less said about that the better.

Taking a deep breath, Tall Shadow turned to the other cats. “Good news! Turtle Tail has returned to the place where she belongs, and soon she’ll give birth to kits. More cats to strengthen our group!”

“Or more mouths to feed,” Shattered Ice protested. “I can’t believe you’re letting her walk back in here after the way she betrayed us!”

Tall Shadow whipped around, her neck fur bristling. “If you’re so worried about food,” she rasped, “you can go hunting.”

Shattered Ice opened his jaws to protest, then caught Tall Shadow’s warning glance. Muttering something inaudible, he turned and padded away, up the slope and out of the hollow.

Gray Wing watched him go. He could tell that Shattered Ice hated being humiliated in public like that. He had been one of the key cats who had led them down from the mountains. But Tall Shadow has been leading us since Shaded Moss left her in charge, and she gets the final word here.

Turning back to the others, Gray Wing saw that Thunder was intently watching Shattered Ice as he left the camp.

“I want to hunt too,” the kit mewed.

“Not right now,” Gray Wing told him. “Better leave Shattered Ice alone until he gets over his bad mood.” He always was a bit touchy. And it must be difficult for him; he’s worked so hard on this new camp, and now Turtle Tail, who was gone all through the cold season, returns to enjoy it.

“Come over here.” Tall Shadow beckoned Turtle Tail toward a patch of moss. Gray Wing joined her, and the three cats sat together, watching Acorn Fur and Lightning Tail chasing butterflies. Jagged Peak limped up and settled down a couple of tail-lengths away, his eyes uncertain, as if he wasn’t sure of his welcome.

“Jagged Peak, what happened to you?” Turtle Tail exclaimed, her eyes widening with shock as she saw the young cat’s injury. “I thought you were living in the forest with Clear Sky.”

“I was,” Jagged Peak replied, scuffling his paws unhappily. “But I fell out of a tree and hurt my leg, and Clear Sky…” His voice trailed off.

“Clear Sky decided he only wants healthy cats,” Tall Shadow finished for him. “So Jagged Peak came back to us. It might take a while, but he’ll get better.”

She looked kindly at Jagged Peak, who nodded, but Gray Wing knew very well that his brother wasn’t at all certain that the injured leg would mend.

“I’m so sorry,” Turtle Tail meowed, her green eyes full of sympathy.

“So,” Tall Shadow continued. “What do you think of our new home, Turtle Tail?” Her eyes shone with interest. “Have we changed much? It’s good to see you back. I’d love to hear more about what made you decide to return.”

Turtle Tail was looking around the hollow, taking everything in with an intense green gaze. Gray Wing tried to see the cats through her eyes: plump and happy, their pelts shining with health. She was impressed by the camp, he knew: the cover of gorse and rocks that stuck up out of the earth, and the wide tunnel dens.

“Aren’t you glad we left the mountains?” Turtle Tail asked eventually, avoiding Tall Shadow’s questions. “Do you remember how Stoneteller sent us on our way? What was it she said? ‘There is another place for some of us, full of sunlight and warmth and prey for all seasons.’ It seems so long ago now.”

Gray Wing nodded in agreement. He thought of Turtle Tail’s bounce and energy back then, the hope and spirit that had been so important when their journey got rough. She seemed different now; he could sense that she had gained wisdom and experience. We’ve all changed, I guess, he thought.

As Gray Wing watched his friend, he saw the happiness fade from her face. He opened his jaws to question her, but Tall Shadow got there before him.

“What is it?” she asked. “What’s wrong, Turtle Tail?”

Turtle Tail dug her claws into the soft moss. “I’m not sure I can bring my strengths to help you anymore,” she confessed. “Stoneteller used to praise me for my speed and sharp eyes, and look at me now.” She gestured toward her heavy belly with one paw.

“You still have your sharp eyes,” Tall Shadow mewed. “Your skills are needed here more than ever.” She hesitated for a moment, then glanced thoughtfully around her. “I need some cat to be the eyes and ears of the hollow,” she continued. “To watch the horizon and report back. Will you?”

Turtle Tail looked confused. “Why do you need a cat to keep such careful watch?”

“Things aren’t quite as happy as they appear,” Tall Shadow explained. “True, the cats are well fed and cared for, but things have changed. It’s many moons since we laid eyes on Clear Sky, but when we’ve met his cats, they’ve made it quite clear that the forest is theirs now. They talk about cats trespassing, and if any of us sets paw under the trees, they chase us off.”

Gray Wing nodded; regret pierced him like a thorn as he realized afresh how distant they had become from Clear Sky and his cats. As kits, he and Clear Sky had spent every waking moment together. I never would have guessed we’d end up like this.

“It feels as if they’re hostile,” he mewed.

“Have you seen any of them near the Twolegplace?” Tall Shadow asked Turtle Tail. “We need to know everything we can about them. Any detail, however slight, could be useful.”

Turtle Tail shook her head, while Gray Wing felt his fur prickle. Are we spying on Clear Sky now?

But as Tall Shadow went on, Gray Wing realized that wasn’t the most important thing on her mind. “If Clear Sky’s cats don’t want to share hunting rights in the forest, it’s up to me to protect our hunting rights out here. As it is, we always seem to be arguing with rogue cats over prey.”

“That was a problem before,” Turtle Tail commented with a glance at Gray Wing.

“True,” Tall Shadow meowed. “But it’s definitely gotten worse. We’d achieved some kind of understanding with the rogue cats. We left them alone, and they did the same. Now… it’s difficult to put into words, but there are tensions that we didn’t have before. That’s why we need your help. Can you let me know when strange faces appear or hunt near our home?”

“I’ll do whatever I can,” Turtle Tail promised. Gray Wing could see that her eyes were full of bitterness. “I should never have left,” she admitted. “If I’d been here, I could have done more to help. And I can’t believe that Clear Sky is behaving like that!”

Gray Wing felt that he had to defend his brother. “He’s just doing what he thinks is best.”

Turtle Tail flicked her tail, showing clearly that she wasn’t convinced. “Since when does he have to be so protective about hunting rights?” she asked. “There’s enough prey here for every cat.”

A rustling sounded behind Gray Wing. He glanced over his shoulder to see that Jagged Peak had crept closer to listen to their conversation. He might have been permanently injured, but clearly the young cat had cunning enough to move silently. His eyes were gleaming with excitement.

“I can help, too!” he announced. “I can keep watch with Turtle Tail. I might not be able to run or scramble into trees, but I can guard the hollow.” Glancing at Turtle Tail’s swollen belly, he added, “Turtle Tail won’t be as capable as she normally is, and I can’t run like I used to, but between the two of us…”

Tall Shadow hesitated, her eyes compassionate as she surveyed the injured cat. “Thank you, Jagged Peak,” she responded. “But all I want now is to see you rest and get well.”

Gray Wing’s muscles tensed as he saw the look of hurt and rejection on Jagged Peak’s face. He knew Tall Shadow meant to be kind, but he also knew how desperately Jagged Peak needed to prove to himself that he could still be useful.

“Go on with the exercises Cloud Spots gave you,” he mewed sympathetically to his brother. “You’ll soon be out hunting again.”

Jagged Peak turned away without replying, his head drooping. Gray Wing knew that his brother didn’t believe his encouraging words. Turtle Tail rested her tail on Jagged Peak’s shoulder, but he shrugged her off.

Watching him slink away, hobbling on his damaged leg, Gray Wing asked himself whether Tall Shadow had made the right decision.

“Maybe you should have let him help,” he murmured.

“It would make him feel better,” Turtle Tail agreed. “And another pair of eyes can’t be bad, surely?”

Tall Shadow’s sharp gaze flicked from one to the other. “I’m supposed to be in charge,” she mewed abruptly. “It’s not easy.” She sniffed and stalked off toward her den.

Gray Wing exchanged a glance with Turtle Tail, whose mouth hung open in shock. Who put ants in her fur? Gray Wing wondered.