The Sun Trail

by Erin Hunter

“I’ll go through first and see what’s on the other side,” Clear Sky offered.

  Gray Wing’s belly lurched with fear. He couldn’t let his brother face this unknown danger alone. “I’ll go with you,” he declared, stepping forward to stand beside his brother.

  Clear Sky glanced at him, then looked away. “Come on, then,” he mewed tersely.

  Gray Wing’s head drooped sadly. He blames me for Bright Stream’s death . . . and he’s right.

  “Thank you both.” Shaded Moss gave an approving nod. “Come straight back once you’ve assessed any dangers.”

  Gray Wing followed his brother as they thrust their way through the dense, prickly branches, hissing in annoyance as sharp twigs scraped his shoulder, snagging a tuft of fur.

  “I don’t get this,” Clear Sky muttered as he halted to lift one paw and pull a thorn from his pad. “Why are all these bushes in a straight line? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “I guess it’s just how things are here,” Gray Wing responded.

  Slimmer than his brother, he found it easier to slip through the bushes, and was the first to emerge on the other side. Terror froze his paws to the ground. Huge, roaring creatures flashed to and fro a tail-length in front of him, dazzling him with their glittering, unnatural colors. A foul stench poured over him and he struggled to breathe.

  I’m going to die!

  Before he could warn his brother, Clear Sky slipped out of the bushes beside him. “Stupid prickles!” he hissed. “I’ve left half my fur—”

  He broke off with a gulp of astonishment.

  Gray Wing braced himself against the gusts of wind and raised his voice to a yowl. “This must be the Thunderpath Stoneteller told us about!”

  Clear Sky nodded. “It certainly sounds like thunder. And those must be the monsters. She warned us to stay away from them.”

  There was a moment’s peace, with no monsters hurtling past them. Gray Wing set his front paws on the path. It was made of black stone, and felt smooth beneath his pads. On the far side, thick undergrowth grew up to the edge of the stone, with bigger trees beyond, which would offer good cover from the monsters if only they could reach it.

  “We’ll be able to cross here,” he meowed. “Unless monsters attack.”

  Before he had finished speaking, the roaring began again, growing rapidly louder. “Watch out!” Clear Sky screeched.

  He fastened his claws in Gray Wing’s shoulder, dragging him back without a heartbeat to spare as another monster growled past.

  “Thanks!” Gray Wing gasped. “It must have been waiting out of sight, ready to pounce.”

  Another gap followed the last monster, and Gray Wing heard Shaded Moss’s voice calling through the bushes. “What can you see? Are you okay?”

  “Hang on!” Clear Sky replied, and added to Gray Wing, “Keep watch. Tell me if there are any more monsters lying in wait.”

  Gray Wing held his breath as Clear Sky padded all the way to the center of the Thunderpath. It was marked by a straight white line.

  “Is that snow?” Gray Wing asked, wondering why it would be lying there and nowhere else.

  Clear Sky bent his head to sniff the line. “No,” he replied. “I don’t know what it is.”

  As he spoke Gray Wing heard another faint rumble that swiftly grew into a roar. “Monster!” he yowled.

  Clear Sky leaped back to safety as a shining scarlet creature roared past on round black paws.

  “We’ll never get across if they’re waiting for us,” Gray Wing meowed.

  “They obviously can’t see that well,” Clear Sky responded thoughtfully. “It rushed straight past us. And I had enough time to get all the way across before it spotted me. I think we’ll be able to cross if we’re careful.”

  Gray Wing couldn’t share his brother’s confidence. “What if that last monster was old and slow?” he asked. “Faster, younger monsters might catch us before we even reach the white line!”

  Clear Sky gave him a somber glance. “This journey was never going to be easy,” he mewed. “We can’t give up now.”

  Gray Wing murmured agreement. “We’d better report back.”

  Pushing their way back through the bushes, they described what they had seen to Shaded Moss and the others.

  “What are we going to do?” Jackdaw’s Cry asked, his eyes wide with dismay. “Those things will eat us!”

  Tall Shadow let out a snort. “What good are we if we can’t outwit them? They may be huge and stinking, but it sounds like they’re pretty stupid.”

  “Stoneteller told us that they don’t seem able to leave the Thunderpath,” Rainswept Flower meowed thoughtfully. “It looks as if she’s right—we haven’t seen any of them on the grass beside the river. As long as we can cross the black stone, we should be safe.”

  “Good thinking.” Shaded Moss gave his daughter an approving nod. “We’ll cross in twos. Clear Sky and Gray Wing, you’ve seen what these creatures are like, so you can supervise.”

  “I’ll go first,” Dappled Pelt volunteered instantly. “I want to get it over with.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Rainswept Flower mewed.

  Shaded Moss dipped his head. “Good luck.”

  Gray Wing and Clear Sky led the two she-cats to the line of bushes. When they arrived by the side of the Thunderpath, everything was quiet.

  Dappled Pelt worked her claws impatiently in the grass. “What are we waiting for?”

  Gray Wing held up his tail for silence and crouched beside the black stone, his ears pricked. A distant rumble swelled in his ears, from both directions.

  Monsters were coming.

  All four cats flinched back into the bushes as the noise and stench rolled over them.

  “They’re huge!” Rainswept Flower exclaimed.

  More nervously this time, she and Dappled Pelt approached the edge again. “We have to do this,” Dappled Pelt muttered determinedly.

  “I’ll come with you and keep watch from the other side,” Clear Sky announced.

  Standing side by side, the three cats waited, their ears alert and their eyes watchful. A monster growled past more slowly, the sun dazzling off its shiny pelt.

  “Is it looking for us?” Rainswept Flower asked, crouching down in the long, tickly grass.

  The others flattened themselves beside her, and the monster went by without stopping.

  “It missed us.” Dappled Pelt puffed out her breath in a massive sigh. “Come on, Rainswept Flower!”

  The two she-cats dashed out onto the black stone. Clear Sky bounded after them. Gray Wing yowled a warning as he heard the roars of approaching monsters, but his friends were safely on the other side before two more of the huge creatures flashed past.

  “So it can be done,” he murmured, trembling with relief. “They’re fine!” he called out to the others on the far side of the bushes. “Send the next pair through.”

  Cloud Spots and Quick Water appeared and stood by the side of the black stone. Everything was quiet.

  “Is your side clear?” Gray Wing called out to Clear Sky.

  Clear Sky waved his tail. “Fine! Come on!”

  Cloud Spots and Quick Water raced across safely. Everything was still quiet, and Gray Wing began to wonder if the monsters had given up hunting and gone back to their dens.

  But as Jackdaw’s Cry and Falling Feather appeared from the bushes, yet another monster roared past, and Gray Wing realized they weren’t out of danger yet. At least with that reek they leave behind, they won’t be able to scent us.

  As silence fell again he glanced both ways along the Thunderpath, then called out to Clear Sky, who waved his tail again to signal that it was safe to cross. Jackdaw’s Cry and Falling Feather crossed without trouble. Shattered Ice and Hawk Swoop took their places at the edge of the black stone.

  When Gray Wing and Clear Sky had checked, they began bounding across; but, as they reached the middle white line, Clear Sky suddenly screeched, “Monster!”

  Shattered Ice and Hawk Swoop duck
ed back toward Gray Wing, but he spotted a monster too, approaching faster than the one on Clear Sky’s side.

  Now they’re hunting us in pairs!

  “No! Keep going!” he yowled.

  Hawk Swoop froze in panic, scrabbling at the black stone as if she was trying to bury herself. Shattered Ice leaped toward her and grabbed her by the scruff of the neck. Gray Wing lost sight of them as the fierce monster roared past.

  Then the dust cleared. Gray Wing felt limp with relief as he saw both cats collapse, panting—but uninjured—on the far side.

  “The monsters seem to know we’re here.”

  Gray Wing started at the sound of Shaded Moss’s voice and turned to see the black-and-white tom standing behind him. “The rest of us will cross together,” he added.

  Shaded Moss called the other cats through the bushes and lined them up beside the Thunderpath, hidden in the long grass. Gray Wing made sure to stand next to Jagged Peak, where he could keep an eye on the young cat. “Do not move until we tell you!” he warned.

  Turtle Tail sneezed as a grass stem brushed her nose.

  “Quiet! You’ll bring all the monsters running!” Moon Shadow hissed.

  But there was still silence from the black stone. “I think it’s okay,” Gray Wing meowed. “Clear Sky?”

  Clear Sky waved his tail from the opposite side. “Fine! Do it!”

  The remaining cats bounded forward. Gray Wing felt his paws scorched on the hot, smooth surface of the Thunderpath. Then he plunged into the undergrowth on the far side, thankful to be surrounded by the scents of the others.

  Working together with Clear Sky had felt good, but when he turned to his brother he saw that Clear Sky’s gaze was cold again, fixed on the trees ahead.

  “Is every cat okay?” Shaded Moss asked.

  “I’m a bit worried about Hawk Swoop,” Dappled Pelt replied. “She had a nasty shock back there.”

  “It was my own fault,” Hawk Swoop replied, giving her chest fur an embarrassed lick. “I’m fine now.”

  “It’s great to be under the trees,” Turtle Tail remarked as they set out again. “The monsters can’t see us here.”

  “And with all this thick stuff, we don’t have to hear them,” Jackdaw’s Cry agreed.

  But Gray Wing felt uneasy as he made his way through the undergrowth. Plants seemed to be grabbing at his paws, as if trying to trip him. And there were noises all around him: birds calling, branches creaking, prey scuffling in the undergrowth. He longed for the silence and clear air of the mountains.

  “How much farther?” Shattered Ice complained, proving that Gray Wing wasn’t the only cat having problems. “I’ve got so many thorns in my paws I think I’m turning into a gorse bush!”

  “Yes, and how can we hunt birds when we can’t see the sky?” Quick Water added.

  “Stop behaving like kits!” Moon Shadow barged his way through the ferns. “Just smell the prey! We could eat just by keeping our mouths open and letting it fall in.”

  “I want to go farther before we stop for the night,” Shaded Moss called back. “There’s no time to hunt yet.”

  Moon Shadow let out an annoyed hiss.

  “I think we should see how far these trees go,” Clear Sky said. “I’ll climb one.” Without waiting for a reply, he bounded to the nearest tree and leaped almost halfway up the trunk before digging his claws into the bark.

  “Wow!” Turtle Tail stared after him. “I always knew he could jump, but that’s amazing!”

  Only a few moments passed before Clear Sky scrambled back down again. “I couldn’t get high enough to see,” he meowed. “I need a taller tree.”

  Padding onward, every cat examined the trees on either side until Shaded Moss halted in front of a huge one with gnarled roots and dense branches. “Try this one,” he suggested to Clear Sky. “I think it must be an oak . . . my mother used to tell me about the trees where the Tribe lived before.”

  Clear Sky sprang into the tree with another mighty leap, and Tall Shadow followed, though she had to start climbing farther down the trunk.

  “I want to go too!” Jagged Peak squealed excitedly. “I can climb!”

  “Stay on the ground,” Shaded Moss ordered.

  Jagged Peak’s tail-tip twitched irritably, but he didn’t argue.

  Gray Wing tipped back his head to watch Clear Sky and Tall Shadow until they vanished among the dense, leafless branches. A moment later, a triumphant yowl sounded from high up in the tree.

  “Clear Sky has reached the top,” Jagged Peak mewed, an envious look in his eyes.

  Twigs tumbled to the ground as Clear Sky and Tall Shadow reappeared, jumping down and catching their breath.

  “The trees end not far from here,” Clear Sky panted.

  “Great!” Turtle Tail exclaimed, with a satisfied swish of her tail. “I want to see the sky again.”

  “And what did you see beyond the trees?” Shaded Moss asked.

  “Oh . . .” Clear Sky looked disconcerted. “I’m not sure. It looked a bit misty.”

  Gray Wing saw his brother exchange a meaningful glance with Tall Shadow, and wondered what the two cats were keeping back. But he knew very well that there would be no point in pressing Clear Sky with more questions; their old ease and closeness was gone.

  With Shaded Moss and Clear Sky in the lead, the cats padded on through the trees toward the brightening light that heralded the edge of the woods. But before they emerged into the open, Shaded Moss halted. Gray Wing pushed forward with the other cats to see what was going on.

  A flat path wound through the trees, clear of undergrowth. Gray Wing tasted the air, and sniffed along the grass at the edge, but found no familiar smells.

  His friends were looking just as bewildered. The scents didn’t seem to be prey; Gray Wing felt no prickle of instinct telling him to hunt. Instead, his neck fur bristled and his paws tingled as if he wanted to run.

  “Which way should we—”

  Hawk Swoop’s question was cut off by a loud volley of harsh noises from farther down the path, drowning out the sounds of the woods.

  “A dog!” Shattered Ice exclaimed.

  “What’s a dog?” Jagged Peak asked, gazing down the path in the direction of the noise.

  “An animal you don’t want to meet,” Shaded Moss replied, drawing the group closer together with a wave of his tail. “We used to see them in the valleys sometimes in the warm season, but we always stayed out of their way.”

  As he finished speaking, a huge brown animal bounded around a curve in the path and halted, its lips drawn back in a snarl.

  Shaded Moss yowled, “Scatter!”

  The cats fled, diving into clumps of fern or scrambling up trees. Gray Wing pushed Jagged Peak into a bramble thicket and followed him in, clawing desperately at the thorns to make a space where they could hide.

  No! he thought a moment later. We should have kept running, but now we’re trapped.

  He tugged helplessly at the tendrils that curled around him. A tail-length away, the dog snuffled along the edge of the thicket. Gray Wing knew it would find them at any moment.

  Then he heard another sound: high-pitched, clear, and crisp, with a note of anger. The dog whined in response. Gray Wing peered out of the brambles and saw a tall, thin creature walking on its hind legs, with a loose, multicolored pelt and a strange, pink, hairless face.

  Jagged Peak popped up his head behind Gray Wing. “Oh, wow!” he exclaimed. “Is that a Twoleg? It’s so weird!”

  The Twoleg didn’t seem to notice the scent of the cats. It padded up to the dog, seeming to have no problem balancing on its two hind paws, then fastened a soft tendril to the dog’s neck and dragged it away.

  The dog whined again. It didn’t want to leave, straining toward the clumps of fern where the other cats were crouching.

  No cat moved for a moment after the Twoleg and the dog had vanished down the path. Then gradually they began to emerge from their hiding places.

  “I’ve never seen any
thing so awful in my entire life!” Falling Feather was shaking so much she could hardly stand. “Did you see its teeth?”

  “It’s okay.” Jackdaw’s Cry comforted her, giving her ear a gentle lick. “It’s gone now.”

  Gray Wing could see that even Shaded Moss was struggling to stay calm. “We were bound to come across Twolegs and dogs sooner or later,” he meowed. “And we survived, so let’s keep going.”

  All the cats were happy to plunge back into the deep woods, leaving behind the trail with its dog-stench. But they were tired of the struggle through the thick undergrowth, and the thorns that seemed to lie in wait to attack their paws and muzzles.

  “I thought we’d never get here!” Gray Wing exclaimed, finally emerging at the edge of the trees.

  But he realized that while they were in the woods a persistent cold drizzle had started to fall, soon soaking their fur as they stood under the outlying trees.

  “This is even worse than snow!” Quick Water complained.

  Gray Wing stared ahead, his heart beginning to pound as he gazed at what lay ahead. This is what Clear Sky saw from the top of the tree! A collection of square, hard-edged blocks of stone lay in front of them, some taller than trees, with shiny square holes in the sides. A wave of unfamiliar scents washed over him. Some were warm and tantalizing, making his belly growl, while others made him curl his lip in disgust. He recognized the scent of Twolegs that had clung around the earthen path behind them.

  “These must be Twoleg dens,” Shaded Moss suggested.

  “And this is a Twolegplace!” Shattered Ice added. “Misty Water told me about them, but I thought she was making it up.”

  Gray Wing thought they must be right; he could see a few Twolegs, heads ducked against the rain, running between the blocks of stone.

  “Now what do we do?” Cloud Spots asked. “I don’t want to go any nearer.”

  “Neither do I,” Falling Feather agreed. “There might be more dogs!”

  Shaded Moss pointed with his tail, beyond the dens, to where the sharp peaks they were heading for were barely visible through the low clouds and rain. “That’s where we’re heading,” he meowed. “To the place where the sun rises. But it’ll be dark soon. We should find shelter for the night among the dens, where it’s dry.”