Jake shifted his paws. “I know I’m a kittypet. I’m happy with that.” He began to head down the slope that led into the valley. “It doesn’t mean I can’t walk a different path for a while.”
Talltail bounded after him. As he caught up, a screeching cry echoed across the valley. Jake froze. “Fox!” His eyes widened with fear. “Out here? I thought they only lived in Twolegplace.”
“Foxes are like rats. They live everywhere.” Talltail studied the hillside. The bark had sounded close. A red pelt scurried across the grass below them.
“Where can we hide?” Jake’s pelt bristled, his gaze darting across the wide stretch of grass in front of them. He nodded toward a smooth, gray boulder. “It won’t see us if we crouch behind that.”
“Just stand still,” Talltail ordered.
“But it’ll see us.” Jake’s mew was edged with panic. “There’s nowhere to hide out here.”
Talltail guessed that Jake was missing his shadowy alleys and dens. “There are plenty of places to hide.” He nodded toward the long grass sprouting beyond the boulder. It stretched all the way to the bottom of the valley. They could cross the entire hillside hidden among the rippling stems. Trees and bushes lined the river where it ended. “Just imagine that the grass and bushes are walls and fences. Besides, the wind will protect us.”
“The wind?” Jake blinked at him. “How?”
“It’s blowing this way,” Talltail explained. “We can smell the fox, but it can’t smell us.” He opened his mouth and let the musky scent wash his tongue as the fox slunk toward a swathe of bracken and disappeared. “See?” He flicked his tail as the fox’s pelt melted among the russet fronds. “It never even noticed us.”
Jake was already heading for the long grass. Talltail bounded after him, pushing through the stems a tail-length behind. He could smell Jake’s fear-scent, stronger than his normal aroma, and knew he had to calm Jake down before the fox detected it. “We could beat a fox easily,” Talltail called. “If we fought together.”
Jake slowed. “I guess we drove off that dog.”
Talltail fell in beside him. “I can teach you some battle moves if you’d like.” The ground sloped more steeply as they neared the river.
“Battle moves?” Jake let out a tiny yelp as his paws slithered beneath him.
Talltail dug in his claws to get a better grip. “We’re called warriors for a reason.”
“Who do you fight?” Jake bounded down a sharp drop, scrambling to a halt as the land began to flatten out.
“ShadowClan and RiverClan mostly,” Talltail replied, negotiating the drop more smoothly. “We share borders with them.”
“Like fighting over fences.”
Talltail’s pelt ruffled. “It’s more important than that,” he huffed. “We’re not just being selfish over a patch of ground. We’re fighting for our Clan’s survival! A true warrior would die to save his Clan.”
Jake narrowed his eyes. “Is that why you’re out here, risking your life?” he asked. “To save your Clan?”
Talltail hurried ahead, grass brushing his pelt. “I’m avenging my father.”
“How will that help your Clan?”
Talltail turned on Jake, hissing. “My Clan has nothing to do with this!”
“It has to! You’re a warrior.” Confusion clouded Jake’s gaze.
Talltail’s thoughts whirled and tangled. A warrior avenges the death of a Clanmate, doesn’t he? I’m doing this for Sandgorse! He stiffened. My father wants me to avenge his death. Sandgorse’s amber gaze glowed in his mind. Then he pictured it disappearing under a deluge of mud. Blood roared in his ears.
“Talltail?” Jake was circling him. “Are you okay?”
Talltail padded past him, forcing his pelt to flatten. “I’m fine.” He slid from the long grass at a point where scrubby, cow-trodden pasture sloped gently toward the river.
Jake popped out beside him. As he gazed across the valley to the wooded hollow, his belly rumbled.
“There’ll be prey in those bushes.” Talltail nodded toward the hawthorn that crowded the riverbank. Beyond the bare, prickly branches, sun sparkled on the rippling water. Overhead cold, blue sky stretched between the hilltops. Talltail tasted the air. The scent of fox was growing stale. The stone tang of frost was tinged with the smell of sheep, refreshing after the jumble of acrid Twoleg scents. Talltail bounded across the grass. Jake raced beside him, taking the lead and skidding to a halt by the bushes. Talltail stopped beside him, surprised to find himself breathless.
“Are you okay?” Jake leaned closer.
“Fine,” Talltail panted.
“You look ruffled.”
“I guess I’m still weak from the poison.”
“Do you want to rest while I hunt?” Jake offered.
A purr caught in Talltail’s throat. “Do you know how to hunt?”
“I caught a bird once.” Jake puffed out his chest. Talltail tipped his head, impressed. “It was a bit injured when I found it,” Jake admitted. “But it flapped a lot before I killed it.”
Talltail rolled his eyes. “Let’s hunt together,” he suggested. He nosed his way between the hawthorn bushes. Beyond them, water lapped against the dark brown earth, deeply pitted by the hooves of animals. Talltail padded along the edge of the river, keeping a wary eye on the surface. Mouse scent touched his nose. “Wait.” He dropped to a crouch, beckoning for Jake to do the same with a flick of his tail. Something was scuttling beneath the branches up ahead. He crept forward, his paws as light as falling snow, and rounded the bush. Stopping, he peered through and caught sight of the mouse. It was sitting under a branch, grasping a berry in its paws. Talltail held still. He could see Jake creeping closer on the far side of the bush. Wait! He willed Jake not to scare away their prey.
The mouse scurried forward. Its scent washed Talltail’s nose. Another few paw steps and he’d reach it easily. He hesitated. Why not let Jake catch it? Every cat should learn how to hunt, even a kittypet.
The mouse moved again. Peering under the bush, Talltail saw it skitter sideways. He was going to have to drive it straight toward Jake or the kittypet would never catch it. He lunged beneath the branches, screwing up his eyes against the prickly twigs. Paws stretched, he skidded on his belly and burst out the other side.
Jake gasped as the mouse darted toward him, then fast as a weasel, he slammed his paws down on the tiny creature.
“Bite its spine!” Talltail called.
Jake clamped his jaws around the mouse’s neck and killed it with a sharp nip. Talltail wriggled out from beneath the bush, wincing as thorns jabbed his pelt. “Well done!”
Jake sat up, blinking, the mouse dangling from his mouth. He looked as surprised as the mouse. He dropped it onto the ground and purred. “I caught it!”
Talltail swallowed the urge to point out that the mouse had practically run into his teeth. “You reacted quickly.”
“Thanks.” Jake stared at the mouse uncertainly. “Now what?”
“You can eat it.”
“What about you?”
“It’s your catch.”
“You helped.” Jake nudged it toward Talltail with a paw. “Let’s share.”
“Is that okay?”
Jake cocked his head. “You share in the Clan, don’t you?”
“Only if it’s offered,” Talltail told him.
“I’m offering.” Jake nodded at the mouse. “You can have first bite.”
Talltail felt Jake’s gaze on him as he leaned down and bit into the warm flesh of the mouse. It tasted sweet. “Have some.” He pushed it back toward Jake.
Jake took a bite, sitting up to chew. Talltail watched his eyes soften. “Do you like it?”
“Yes,” Jake purred, and he took another bite, crunching through bone like a Clanborn cat. He nudged the carcass toward Talltail. “You finish it,” he ordered. “You still need to get your strength back.” Talltail didn’t argue. His legs felt shaky from the hunt. “Do you want to rest?” Jake asked as he
finished the last scrap.
Talltail looked across the stretch of meadows toward the woods. “Let’s keep going.” He wanted to reach the trees before dark. Woodland was gloomy enough at sunhigh. It would be as suffocating as a tunnel when dusk approached. He stood up and shook out his fur. Jake licked his lips. Together they headed across the grass, which rippled around them like water in the cold breeze.
By the time they reached the trees, Talltail’s paws were trembling with tiredness. He fluffed out his fur, suddenly chilled to the bone.
Jake brushed against him. “You look exhausted.”
Talltail shrugged. “I’m okay.”
“Why don’t we find a place to rest?” Jake glanced up at the sun. It was beginning to slide toward the hilltop behind them. “We’ve traveled far enough.”
Talltail’s pelt twitched. “We need to catch the rogues.”
“They won’t be traveling fast,” Jake meowed confidently. “They’re rogues. They can travel where they like, when they like. What’s the hurry?” Talltail was too weary to argue. He let Jake lead him into the shelter of the trees. The kittypet stared up in wonder at the crisscrossing canopy of branches. “It’s like a huge den!”
Talltail didn’t look. It was bad enough listening to the branches rattle in the wind. Trunks crowded around him, bushes and shadow pressing between them, trapping his paws, shutting out the breeze. Jake bounded forward and padded around a tree, staring up. A scent had caught his attention. He darted over to sniff a bramble that tumbled out from between two trunks. “It’s busier than Twolegplace!” he meowed excitedly. “There are prey smells everywhere.”
Talltail sat down. “Great,” he muttered.
Jake glanced over his shoulder. “Look for a hollow to rest in,” he mewed. He nodded toward a dip between the roots of an oak. “That might make a good nest.” He ducked away past a hawthorn.
Talltail felt a twinge of anxiety as Jake’s tail disappeared. “Where are you going?”
“I’ll be back,” Jake’s mew echoed from the trees. “You rest.”
Talltail padded heavily toward the oak roots. The hollow was deep, and moss grew on the damp earth inside. Talltail clambered over the edge and curled into it. The moss was wet but he was too tired to care. Closing his eyes, he must have dozed. The next thing he knew, paws were pattering across the forest floor toward him. He tensed and peeked over the rim of the nest.
Jake bounded from the trees with a wad of leaves and feathers clasped between his jaws. He stopped at the edge of the hollow and dropped them in. “You can line your nest with these.” Talltail ducked as leaves, twigs, and feathers showered his pelt. He stood up and shook out his fur. “Thanks.” Leaning down, he picked up a short stick between his teeth and tossed it out of the nest. “You might want to check for sharp bits next time.”
“Sorry.” Jake hopped down beside him and began picking twigs from the litter. He tossed them out, then paddled the soft moss with his paws. “That feels better!”
“In WindClan, we line our nests with sheepswool,” Talltail remarked.
“I’ll get some.” Jake jumped out.
“It’s okay; you don’t have to.” Bones aching with tiredness, Talltail sat down.
Jake was already heading toward the edge of the trees. “I won’t be long!”
Talltail curled back into the moss, ignoring the dampness. He rested his nose on his paws and closed his eyes. Just a few more moments’ sleep and he’d feel better. Darkness swirled through his thoughts and pulled him into tumbling dreams.
Talltail! His father’s voice echoed from the shadows. Talltail, dreaming, stared around. Shadows crowded against his pelt, turning the air thick until he struggled for breath. Then something started falling on him—cold, wet earth, heavy as stones, more and more until his mouth and nose were clogged. He was inside the gorge tunnel! Suddenly eyes blinked in the blackness. Sparrow! Talltail recognized the cold, amber gaze of the rogue flashing in the dark.
“Where’s Sandgorse? Have you left him behind?” Panic surged beneath Talltail’s pelt. “Sandgorse? Sandgorse?” He pushed past Sparrow, calling into the darkness. Water rumbled in the distance, its roar growing louder, and sticky mud dragged at Talltail’s legs. “You abandoned him!” Talltail turned on Sparrow, lashing his soaked tail.
But the flashing eyes had gone, and he was alone underground. More earth slid weightily onto Talltail’s flank. He struggled, trying to kick free of the mud as it flooded around his paws. It lapped against his belly and dragged at his fur. “Sandgorse!” he shrieked in panic.
“Talltail!” His father’s voice returned his call. “Talltail! Talltail!”
A paw shook his shoulder. Talltail jerked up his head. Jake was in the nest beside him, poking him. His eyes were wide with excitement. “You have to come and see this!”
Sheepswool surrounded Talltail, soft against his pelt. “Did you collect all that?” Talltail stared at it, still dazed from his dream.
“Yes!” Jake hopped out of the nest. “But I found something else. Come on!”
Talltail struggled to his paws, fighting the heaviness of sleep. “I’m coming.” He hauled himself out of the nest and followed Jake.
Jake padded briskly between the trees, weaving past brambles and bracken, and hopped a rotting log. Talltail scrambled over it, still drowsy. “What is it?” Irritation itched beneath his fur. Couldn’t Jake have let him sleep?
“Look!” Jake stopped beside a beech trunk and nodded toward the ground. “Smell that.” Talltail’s nose was already twitching. “Cat scent,” Jake announced proudly. “When I’d fetched the wool, I decided to have a sniff around. And I found this.”
A jumble of scents clung to the leaf-strewn soil between the tree roots. Talltail leaned closer, opening his mouth.
“Is it the rogues?” Jake demanded.
There was a familiar hint to the smell. “I think it might be!” Talltail straightened up and stared at Jake, feeling a worm of excitement stir in his belly. The scents were too frozen to tell for sure. But they were definitely cat scent and definitely familiar. “They’re stale.” He unsheathed his claws and sank them into the cold, damp earth. “But we’re on the right trail!”
CHAPTER 34
Talltail woke in the wool-lined hollow between the oak roots. He could feel Jake breathing beside him, his pelt warm where their fur touched. He lifted his head, tasting the air. The icy chill had gone, replaced by dampness. The musty aroma of dying leaves flooded the nest.
“Jake.” Talltail nudged the kittypet. Unfrozen, the cat scents they’d found last night would be much stronger. He hopped out of the nest, his paws sliding on the soggy leaves that had crunched underpaw yesterday.
Jake blinked open his eyes. “What is it?” He yawned.
“The weather’s changed,” Talltail told him. “There might be a trail we can follow.”
Jake scrambled out of the nest, his nose twitching. He glanced at the remains of the squirrel Talltail had caught last night and licked his lips. “Should we hunt first?”
Talltail blinked. “We can hunt later.” We have to check those scents! Heart quickening, Talltail headed for the trail Jake had led him along yesterday, mouth open, tasting for scents. He smelled moldy bark and damp leaves. Prey-scent hung heavy on the air, and the stale tang of fox.
Jake trotted after him. “Can you remember where they were?”
How could I forget? Talltail’s fur rippled along his spine. It was his first real evidence that he was on the trail of the rogues. If it is the rogues. He broke into a run. He recognized Sparrow’s scent before he’d even reached the beech where the rogues had sheltered. Loosened by the mild frost, the smell flooded the damp air, stale but clear. Talltail skidded to a halt beside the flattened leaves where the rogues had clearly spent more than one night. In the pale dawn light he noticed the bones of prey scattered nearby and spotted a thin film of fur clinging to the craggy bark at the base of the tree.
Jake stopped beside him, panting. “I
thought I’d lost you for a moment,” he puffed.
“I had to know if it was them.” Talltail stood with his legs braced, his old rage surging back as Sparrow’s scent filled his nose. He could taste Reena’s scent too, and Bess’s. A pang tugged his heart as he remembered how welcoming he’d been when the rogues had first arrived. How could he have been so foolish and trusting? He should have known they were trouble the moment they set paw on WindClan territory. Why didn’t his Clanmates understand the threat of letting strangers into the camp? Rabbit-brains! They believed the rogues were their friends, even after Sparrow had caused Sandgorse’s death! Talltail curled his claws into the soft earth, a growl rumbling in his throat. I’ll make you sorry!
“Talltail?” Jake was staring at him. “Are you okay?”
Talltail flicked the tip of his tail. “I’m fine,” he muttered. “I just want to find those cats.”
Jake dipped his head. “We’ll find them,” he promised.
Talltail paced the edge of the abandoned nest until he found a scent trail leading away between the trees. It was old, but still strong enough to track. Pelt pricking, he began to follow it.
“Where are we going?” Jake called.
“Can’t you smell their trail?”
Jake caught up. “I can only smell trees and leaves.” He stuck out his tongue. “There are so many new scents out here. It’s hard to tell them apart.”
“You’ll get used to it.” Talltail glanced at Jake, suddenly realizing that the tom was supposed to be going home. “Aren’t you heading back to Twolegplace?” he asked.
Jake blinked at him. “What? Now that we’ve found the trail? I can’t leave you to face Sparrow alone.”
“But this is my mission. I should . . .” Talltail’s mew trailed away. He didn’t want Jake to go. He searched the kittypet’s green gaze. “You don’t have to come.”