She backed away. “Okay,” she snarled. “We’ll go and find better prey than this.” Flicking her tail, she turned away.
Tuna glared at Tigerheart menacingly, then followed. Growler showed his teeth. One by one, her ragged crew padded after her.
Tigerheart turned on Fierce. “Do you see now why every cat needs borders?”
Fierce bristled. “We don’t all dream of being a warrior. We’re healers, not fighters, and we managed to live in peace before you arrived. Not every argument needs to be settled with claws.” She picked up her hunk of meat and headed away. Cobweb, Ant, Mittens, and Rascal avoided his gaze as they followed with their catch.
We managed to live in peace before you arrived. Tigerheart flexed his claws angrily. You didn’t have to deal with Fog before I arrived. How could Fierce be so shortsighted? Didn’t she realize that the more she appeased Fog, the bolder Fog would become?
“I want to be a warrior.” Blaze’s mew took Tigerheart by surprise.
He blinked at the young tom, who was puffing out his chest. “I’m glad it’s not just me.”
Dovewing leaned closer to Tigerheart as they lay beside their nest, their bellies full of grouse, while the kits chased one another around the legs of the wooden ledge. “Did something happen while you were out?”
“Only what I told you.” Tigerheart had recounted their encounter with Fog’s gang. He still hadn’t told her about the worry nagging deep in his belly. City cats had no code at all. From what he’d seen, they were hardly better than rogues. He didn’t want his kits to grow up thinking the way they did.
Outside the gathering-place den, the sky darkened as night drew in. The clear stretches of wall shimmered in the orange light from the Twoleg dens.
“Tigerheart.” Shadowkit clawed his way onto his father’s back. “Can you give me a bodger ride?”
“Me too!” Pouncekit jumped up beside her brother.
Lightkit scrambled on. “And me.”
Tigerheart winced at the prick of their tiny claws. “It’s not a bodger ride,” he corrected. “It’s a badger ride.” He pushed himself to his paws, lurching a little to make them squeal, and began to stomp across the shiny floor.
“What is a badger?” Lightkit asked.
“I told you.” Tigerheart paused to let them settle, then staggered forward suddenly. The kits squealed again and clung on harder. “A badger is a big black-and-white creature that lives near the forest. It has a huge muzzle and beady eyes, and it eats kits if it catches them.”
“Why didn’t a badger eat you?” Pouncekit demanded.
“I never got caught,” Tigerheart told him.
“Did a badger ever chase you?” Pouncekit pressed.
“I fought one once,” Tigerheart told her.
“You fought one?” Shadowkit’s gasp ruffled his ear fur.
“I was with two Clanmates,” Tigerheart meowed. “Three warriors against one badger, and it still nearly won.”
“How did you beat it?” Lightkit mewed breathlessly.
Tigerheart turned sharply. The kits squeaked and scrabbled deeper into his fur. “I had to use all my best warrior moves,” he told them. “And I had my Clanmates by my side. When it saw the three of us lined up in front of its muzzle, it wailed in terror and ran away.”
“You scared a badger away!” Lightkit tugged at his pelt.
“You’re the best warrior ever,” Pouncekit squeaked.
Shadowkit slid off his back and hurried back to Dovewing. “Will we have to fight badgers one day?” he asked her.
She nuzzled his ear affectionately. “Perhaps,” she mewed. “But so long as you have Clanmates fighting at your side, you’ll be safe.”
Tigerheart tipped Lightkit and Pouncekit onto the floor with a shrug.
Pouncekit tried to cling on. “Don’t stop!”
“It’s getting late,” he meowed firmly. “You should go to sleep.”
“But I want to hear more about badgers!” Lightkit protested.
Dovewing got to her paws and nudged the brown tabby kit toward the nest. “If you go to sleep, we’ll tell you about hawks tomorrow.”
“What’s a hawk?” Lightkit stopped at the edge of the nest as Shadowkit and Pouncekit scrambled in.
“It’s a bird with a huge, sharp beak made of claws,” Dovewing mewed.
Lightkit leaped down beside her littermates. “It sounds scary.”
“It is.” Dovewing nuzzled them down into the soft folds of the furless pelts, then padded back to Tigerheart. She settled beside him as he lay down on his belly and began to wash his paws. “It’s so nice being together without the Clans judging us,” she mewed absently.
Tigerheart stopped washing. Why had she said that? Did she prefer it here?
She nudged his shoulder with her nose. “It is, isn’t it?”
He met her green gaze and tried to read it. Was she about to tell him that she’d changed her mind? Did she want to stay in the city? “I guess,” he murmured.
“Sneaking around never felt right.” She turned her gaze toward the guardian cats who were moving around the shadowy den. Spire padded between the nests of the two new sick cats. Fierce washed her chest. Ant and Cobweb were still gnawing on the meaty bone they’d stolen, while Rascal and Mittens picked fish bones from their teeth. Blaze was already sleeping in his nest, tired out from the day’s adventure.
Tigerheart looked at Dovewing. Was she wondering what it would be like to live here forever? “When we go home,” he meowed pointedly, “we won’t have to sneak around. We can be honest. We just need to decide which Clan we want to raise our kits in.”
“I guess it will have to be ShadowClan,” Dovewing sighed. “I can’t ask you to give up your chance to be the leader of your Clan.”
“I might not have a chance anymore.” For the first time, Tigerheart wondered with a sickening jolt if he’d been replaced as ShadowClan’s deputy. He had, after all, deserted them.
Dovewing sniffed. “Who else could lead ShadowClan? You said that your Clanmates were begging you to lead them before you left. Of course you have a chance.”
Tigerheart eyed her nervously. She was still gazing across the den. Was she testing him? Was he meant to say that he would give it up?
She turned and caught his eye. “I know how important it is to you. I want you to be happy.”
“So you’ll join ShadowClan?” Hope flickered in his chest.
“I guess.” She didn’t sound convinced. “If there’s still a ShadowClan to join.”
He tensed. It’s dark in the forest. He remembered Shadowkit’s words and shivered. Stop it! He was seeing prophecies everywhere. Even in the words of a kit.
Dovewing went on. “But we don’t have to worry about that now. We can worry about it when the kits are old enough to travel.”
When will that be? He didn’t dare ask, but he felt they should leave soon. She was so wrapped up in her love for their kits, perhaps going home wasn’t important to her anymore. Perhaps their safety was the only thing she cared about. He glanced toward the nest, where the kits had settled into silence. They must be asleep already. Perhaps she was right. His heart ached with love for Dovewing, Lightkit, Pouncekit, and Shadowkit. He should put their interests first. But wasn’t getting them back to the Clan so that they could grow up surrounded by warriors just as important as keeping them safe? If they didn’t become warriors, what would they become?
Dovewing’s breath deepened beside him, and he realized she had dozed off. He pressed closer against her. It would all be okay. He had Dovewing and his kits, and one day he’d have his Clan again.
He looked up at a clear stretch of wall, hoping to spy starlight piercing the harsh Twoleg light. A shadow moved beyond the stone. Tigerheart stiffened. A face was peering into the den. He recognized the wide ears and pointed muzzle. Fog. She was spying on the guardian cats. Fear quivered in his belly. Was she planning her next move? Did she have an eye on the cozy den the guardian cats had made for themselves beneath the
gathering place?
I have to stop her. Tigerheart knew that, whether they left this place or not, he had to make sure these cats were safe from Fog and her gang.
His thoughts flitted as he watched Fog’s silhouette move along the stretch of clear wall. How could he drive her away? An idea sparked in his mind. Perhaps there was no need to drive her away. She might be happy to return to her old home if he could figure out how to get rid of the foxes that had stolen it.
CHAPTER 23
“We’d need to find out how many foxes live there before we make a move.” Fierce paced the shiny floor of the gathering-place den.
“Of course,” Tigerheart agreed. “But if we can get Fog and her gang to join us in the fight, I think we can drive them away.”
He’d called a meeting the next morning, as soon as the guardian cats began to stir. Pouncekit, Lightkit, and Shadowkit watched from their nest. They stared with round, dark eyes, their ears pricked. Dovewing had given them strict instructions to keep quiet while the older cats talked. She stood beside Cobweb now, her gaze fixed on Fierce. Tigerheart had told her about his plan. He could sense Dovewing silently urging him on, but the guardian cats weren’t enthusiastic. Although Blaze watched curiously, Peanut and Bracken listened anxiously, their pelts prickling. Ant frowned, shifting his paws uneasily. Dotty, Pipsqueak, and Boots glanced at one another as he went on. “Fog is only going to make our life difficult if she stays,” he told them. “Last night, I saw her looking into our den.” He nodded toward the clear stretch of wall. “Her cats are not going to sleep outside in this weather if they think they can sleep in here.”
Dotty looked puzzled. “Why don’t we invite them to join our group?”
Tigerheart’s hackles lifted as he remembered Darktail. “Fog believes in every cat looking after himself. Her denmates probably feel the same. Do you want cats here who are only interested in filling their own bellies?” He flicked his muzzle toward the nests where Feather and Scowl, their newest patients, lay. Spire was stripping herbs from their stems beside them. “I’ve met cats like Fog before. In the forest, we call them rogues. They have no pity for sick cats. They see them as burdens. Inviting Fog to join this group would destroy everything you’ve built here!”
Fierce listened thoughtfully. “But you think, if we can drive the foxes away, Fog and her friends would go home?”
“Yes.” Tigerheart ignored the doubt pricking in his belly. “They liked their old home. I think they’d choose it over this place if they could.”
Pipsqueak’s tail twitched. “Just because we chased a pair of foxes from the herb patch doesn’t mean that we can fight a whole clan of them.”
“We don’t know that it is a whole clan,” Tigerheart argued.
“It was enough to drive away Fog and her cats,” Rascal commented darkly.
“But if we fought together . . .” He looked pleadingly around the guardian cats. “With Fog fighting with us instead of against us, we could do it. I could offer to show them the battle moves I taught you.”
Fierce blinked at him. “First you tell us Fog’s cats are a threat; then you offer to teach them how to fight?”
Dovewing padded forward and stood beside Tigerheart. “Tigerheart’s only trying to help. He speaks from experience. Rogues drove his Clan from their home. He had to fight to get it back. His Clan still hasn’t really recovered.”
“Why is he here, then?” Dotty looked at him through narrowed eyes. “Doesn’t his Clan need him?”
Guilt sparked in Tigerheart’s chest. “I’m here because I think my Clan is better off without me for a while.”
Dovewing shifted beside him. “And because he wants to be with me and our kits.”
Dotty tipped her head toward Dovewing. “Why did you come?” she asked. “You talk about the Clans like they’re better than strays. Why did you leave them?”
Tigerheart felt Dovewing’s fur bristle self-consciously. He met Dotty’s inquisitive stare. “She dreamed that her kits would be safer here.”
Dotty rolled her eyes. “She sounds like Spire.”
Spire lifted his head. Herb specks were caught in his whiskers. “Dreams sometimes reveal the truth.” He nodded distractedly at Dovewing and Tigerheart. “I dreamed they would come, didn’t I?”
“Dreams are nonsense,” Dotty huffed. “What does it matter if Spire dreamed you were coming? It doesn’t change anything.”
As she spoke, Rascal and Mittens squeezed through the entrance and jumped to the floor. Mittens’s eyes glittered with alarm. Rascal’s pelt was ruffled.
“There are cat scents around the slabs,” Mittens mewed breathlessly.
Fierce stiffened. “Fog’s cats?”
Mittens nodded. “They’ve clearly been snooping around in the night.”
“And there are Twoleg scents too,” Rascal added. “Fresh ones. They must have come before dawn.”
Tigerheart lifted his muzzle. “Fog’s group is clearly attracting the attention of the Twolegs, just like they did at the outdoor gathering. We need to get rid of her before the Twolegs discover our den.”
Fierce gazed at him thoughtfully for a moment and then nodded. “Let’s practice those battle moves you taught us,” she meowed decisively.
Pipsqueak’s pelt bristled nervously. “Are we going to fight the foxes?”
“Not until we know how many there are and if Fog will help us,” Fierce told him. “But it sounds as though we are going to have to defend our home one way or another, so we might as well be ready.”
The guardian cats looked at one another. Tigerheart’s paws pricked nervously as they leaned close and murmured. One by one, they met Fierce’s gaze and nodded.
Hope swelled in Tigerheart’s belly. He was doing what was best for the group. He couldn’t let Fog drive them away. “We should train outside,” he suggested. “We need to get used to fighting on uneven ground.” He swept his tail over the shiny floor. “And I hope the battle never reaches this den.”
He let Fierce lead the way out. Pipsqueak, Dotty, Rascal, and Mittens followed, Ant and Cobweb at their tails. As Bracken, Boots, and Peanut headed after them, Tigerheart called them back.
“You’re healers,” he meowed. “Perhaps you should be gathering herbs for the wounded rather than training how to fight.” He searched their gazes. He didn’t want to frighten them, but if there was a battle, they would need to be prepared.
Peanut nodded. “We’ll go to the herb patch now,” she mewed. “There may be some leaves left untouched by the frost.”
As she led Boots and Bracken out, Dovewing glanced at Pouncekit, Lightkit, and Shadowkit. They were still watching, leaning forward eagerly. Dovewing purred. “They’re desperate to help.”
Tigerheart blinked fondly at them. “Perhaps they could watch the battle training.” It would be almost like being among real warriors.
Dovewing’s ears twitched anxiously. “You mean, take them outside?”
“Just as far as the stone slabs,” Tigerheart encouraged. “Fresh air will do them good. And there won’t be any Twolegs around. It’s not a yowling day.”
“What about the Twolegs Rascal smelled?”
“They must be gone. He didn’t see them. He only caught their scent.” Tigerheart felt a prick of guilt. Would Dovewing guess that he was eager to get the kits outside because he wanted them to taste the wind and feel soft grass beneath their paws? He wanted to know if the leaf-bare wind would pierce their kit fluff too easily. Would the cold earth freeze their pads? Were they ready to make the journey home?
She looked at him uncertainly, and then at the kits.
Pouncekit was already racing across the shiny floor. “Did Tigerheart say we could go out?”
Lightkit charged after her sister. “I want to go first.”
“Won’t it be cold outside?” Shadowkit trailed them doubtfully.
“That’s what you’ve got fur for, silly!” Pouncekit called over her shoulder.
Dovewing’s tail drooped. “I guess we
can take them out,” she conceded. “But only for a while.”
Lightkit tried to haul herself up the leg of the wooden ledge. Dovewing scooped her up and carried her up to the entrance. “Don’t go outside until I’ve got Shadowkit and Pouncekit,” she warned. As she jumped down to fetch them, Tigerheart noticed Spire. The healer had wandered into a pool of sunshine at the far end of the den and was staring at the air, his eyes glazed. Was he having a vision?
“I’ll join you in a moment,” Tigerheart called to Dovewing as she dropped Shadowkit beside his littermates.
“Don’t be long,” Dovewing answered, nosing them through the gap in the wall.
Tigerheart padded toward the skinny black tom. Spire didn’t shift his gaze from the shaft of light that seemed to have hypnotized him. Tigerheart wondered whether to disturb him, but as he neared, Spire spoke, his gaze still distant.
“Take care of Blaze.”
For a moment, Tigerheart wondered who the healer was talking to, but there was no cat left in the den aside from Feather and Scowl, and they were hidden among the furless pelts of their nests. Was he talking to an imaginary cat?
“I will not live beside the widewater. But Blaze will.”
Widewater? Instantly Tigerheart thought of the lake. Was he talking about their journey there? “Are you saying Blaze will travel home with us?”
Spire’s yellow gaze flashed toward him, focusing suddenly. “Of course.”
He’s talking to me. Tigerheart leaned closer. “So widewater means the lake?”
“That’s where the Clans live, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” Surprise set Tigerheart’s fur prickling. “How do you know?” Had Dovewing mentioned the lake?
“I told you.” Spire shook out his pelt. “I see things.”