by Erin Hunter
“Well done, Marmalade.” Red met his gaze with a withering look. “Did you think they were mice?” Marmalade’s pelt rose along his spine but he said nothing. Red padded closer to Talltail and sniffed him. “You smell strange. And you’re small for a kittypet.”
“He’s not a kittypet; he’s a Clan cat,” meowed Jake.
Red narrowed her eyes. “Then what’s he doing here?”
“He’s with me.” Jake shook out his fur. “We’re on a mission. We came to ask Jay a question.”
Talltail hissed in his ear. “Don’t tell them everything!”
Jake blinked at him. “They’re not interested.”
Talltail nodded toward the cats milling in the shadows. “And we don’t want them to be interested. They might try to stop us.”
Jake frowned. “But they might be able to help us.”
Talltail lashed his tail. These cats looked as helpful as a ShadowClan patrol. “Let me do the talking,” he insisted.
Jay lifted her head. “That’s just what I need. A talker.”
Talltail straightened. Just imagine she’s Whiteberry. He was used to coaxing grumpy elders into a better mood when damp weather made their bones ache. “I’m sorry to bother you,” he began softly. “But Jake said you’re the only cat who knows everything that happens around here.”
“That’s true enough,” Jay conceded, narrowing her eyes.
“We’re tracking some rogues who may have passed this way two moons ago,” Talltail explained as briefly as he could. “We were hoping you’d seen them.”
“Why?” Jay rasped. “Are they worth seeing?”
Talltail shrugged, trying not to seem too eager. “They’re just rogues.”
Marmalade pricked his ears. “What does a Clan cat want with rogues?”
Red padded around Talltail. “Perhaps he wants to join them.” Her gaze flicked over his pelt. “Perhaps he’s bored of the Clans.”
Talltail ignored her. “One of them’s called Sparrow.”
Jay rubbed a feather from her nose with her paw. “Why is a Clan cat traveling with a kittypet?” Her gaze rested on Jake.
Jake glanced at Talltail, as though asking permission to speak. Talltail kept his attention on Jay. “He likes Clan cats, that’s all,” he mewed.
“Clan cats.” Jay’s eyes clouded, as though she was remembering something from long ago. “I knew a cat once who liked Clan cats.” She bent down and tugged unsuccessfully at the pigeon’s flesh.
Jake trotted forward. “Let me help.”
Talltail’s heart lurched as Jake hooked the pigeon away from Jay. He flexed his claws, ready to fight, as Red and Marmalade showed their teeth. Growls rumbled from the shadows. At the edge of the clearing, the flea-bitten cats padded closer.
“I can rip off a chunk so you can get to the soft flesh,” Jake mewed cheerfully. He went on as Jay stared at him, wide-eyed. “It’s okay. I won’t eat any. I’ll just find you a juicy bit.” He nuzzled through the feathers and, holding the pigeon still with a paw, peeled off a strip. He dropped it at Jay’s paws and tore off another. Then he pushed the pigeon back toward her. “It’ll be easy to get into now.”
Talltail blinked. Was Jake really as rabbit-brained as he seemed? He’d nearly had a swarm of spitting cats on their tails.
Jay leaned down and sniffed the hunks of flesh, dabbing a piece with her tongue. She sat up and glanced at her companions. “Why couldn’t one of you think of that?”
Pixie bristled. Marmalade glared at Jake.
“I’m sure they did,” Jake told her. “But they were too polite to offer.”
Jay snorted. “Any more politeness and I’d starve to death.”
As she bent and took a bite, Jake leaned closer. “Can Talltail ask you those questions now?”
“About the rogues?” Chewing, Jay tipped her head. “Go on.”
Talltail pricked his ears. Perhaps Jake had just found a way to get them the answers he wanted. Not so rabbit-brained after all, kittypet! “I heard they might have come this way. Have you seen them?”
Jay swallowed. “Do they have names?”
“Sparrow,” Talltail told her again slowly. “He’s brown. He was traveling with Bess, Algernon, Mole, and Reena.”
Jay poked distractedly at the pigeon with her paw. “Are they all rogues?”
“Yes.” Talltail dug his claws into the cracked earth.
Jake nodded to Jay. “Why don’t you have another mouthful of pigeon?” he suggested. “It’ll help you think.”
“Perhaps it will.” The old she-cat pulled at the flesh with her gums, tearing a fresh morsel away, and began chewing. “Rogues, you say,” she murmured, her mouth full. “Rogues with house-cat names, mind you.”
“They travel together.” Talltail tried to hide the impatience pricking in his fur. “They would have passed this way about two moons ago.”
Jay nodded slowly, then swallowed. “Oh yes. I remember them. Red found them hunting our alleys.” She looked toward the tawny she-cat. “Was that them?”
Red frowned. “Was there a black-and-white she-cat with them?”
Talltail’s ears twitched excitedly. “And a small gray tom and a ginger-and-white—”
“That was them.” Red nodded. “We let them take one piece of prey each, then moved them on.”
“When?” Talltail’s whiskers were quivering.
“Was the moon full, Marmalade?” Red asked.
Marmalade glanced at the sky. “Not as full as this.”
“How long were the days?” Talltail wanted to know if they’d passed one moon ago or two.
“Not much longer than this,” Red told him.
“So last moon?” Talltail prompted.
Jay’s tail began to flick. “Whenever it was, they’ve gone now.” She ducked down for another mouthful of pigeon. “You should go too before you wear out my ears with your questions.”
Red and Marmalade padded closer to Talltail, tails flicking.
“Okay, we’re going.” Talltail turned away from the mangy old she-cat, beckoning Jake with a nod.
“Thanks for your help,” Jake called to Jay.
Jay blinked at the kittypet. “Thanks for yours.”
Jake purred. “I’m sure Red or Marmalade will help with your fresh-kill next time.”
“Sure we will,” Red hissed through gritted teeth.
Talltail nudged Jake away. “Come on.” Before you try to organize this bunch of loners into a Clan. He steered him toward the far side of the clearing, his pelt rippling uneasily as they passed the watching strays. There was a gap between the cracked dens that would lead them clear.
“I told you she’d help,” Jake purred as they reached it.
“You didn’t tell me you were leading us into an enemy camp,” Talltail muttered. He ducked into the alley and quickened his pace. The sooner he was away from here, the better.
Jake trotted after him. “You found out what you wanted to know, didn’t you?”
“Yes. Now let’s get out of here.” Talltail paused and looked back. “And thanks for your help, Jake. You did well to get that old she-cat to tell us about the rogues.”
Jake shrugged. “It’s like dealing with housefolk. You get more out of them by being friendly.”
The far side of the alley opened onto a row of neat, grassy squares. A long stretch of mesh divided them from the dilapidated dens. Talltail squeezed under the mesh, relieved to see the tiny meadows ahead. No more dodging broken glass. The grass felt soft beneath his paws. “How far is it to the end of Twolegplace?”
Jake nodded toward the large red-stone den at the end of the little meadow. “There are open fields beyond there.”
Talltail followed his gaze. Beyond the den, there was nothing but wide, star-speckled sky and rolling, dark emptiness below. “The rogues would have kept going,” he guessed. “Past Twolegplace.”
“Or they might have turned back,” Jake pointed out. “There’s warmth and shelter here.”
“Only if yo
u’ve got a Twoleg looking after you,” Talltail meowed. He started trotting toward the red-stone den. Jake stayed where he was. Talltail stopped. Was Jake going to go home now? An unexpected pang tugged his heart. He glanced over his shoulder.
Jake was sniffing the air, his eyes flashing with excitement. “I smell food.” He turned and disappeared around the corner of the den. Now where’s he going? Talltail peered around the edge of the red stone. Jake’s hind legs were disappearing through a small flap, like the one where he lived. Talltail stared. What in the name of StarClan is he doing? His heart began to race as he stared at the flap, expecting Jake to explode out with a vicious kittypet or angry dog on his tail. But nothing happened.
As Talltail’s belly began to growl, Jake’s head poked from the flap. “Come and get some!” he called. “There’s plenty.” He licked his lips, and the scent of little, brown pellets drifted to Talltail on the breeze.
“You want me to steal kittypet food?”
Jake nodded. “Why not? There’s always more.”
“What about the kittypet who lives there?” Talltail asked. “Won’t he mind?”
“It smells like a she, and she must be asleep upstairs, or out. There’s no sign of her by the food.”
“I’d rather hunt, thanks,” Talltail muttered. Now that he was almost out of Twolegplace, he didn’t need to eat those dry pellets anymore.
“Okay.” Jake ducked back inside.
Talltail growled under his breath. He might as well catch some fresh-kill while he was waiting for Jake to stuff his belly. He began to sniff along the bushes at the grass, sticking his head under the leaves of a laurel and tasting the air. He smelled shrew. Mouth watering, he crept under the branches. The soil crunched frostily beneath his paws. Following his nose, he squeezed past the thick stem and tracked the scent to a spiky bush, then into tall grass. The stems swished as he pushed through, showering dusty seed over his pelt. The shrew smell grew stronger. Grass rustled ahead. Straining to see in the shadows, Talltail spotted a small shape moving beneath a holly bush. He pressed his belly to the ground. He’d learned from chasing the mouse into Twolegplace that hunting in thick undergrowth took more patience than speed.
The shape scuttled, then stopped. It was definitely a shrew. Talltail could make out its small, pointed nose as it snuffled among the leaf litter. Stealthily he crept forward, keeping low so that his spine didn’t disturb the branches hanging above. A tail-length from the shrew, he flung his paws forward and pounced.
The shrew’s paws scrabbled on the leaf litter, but Talltail was quick and pinned its tail. Hooking it close, he killed it with a bite. He gulped it down and padded onto the moonlit grass feeling pleased with himself.
Jake was lying beside the Twoleg den, belly-up, happily washing his paws. As Talltail padded toward him, he hauled himself up and belched. “Catch something?”
“A shrew.”
“Was it tasty?”
“You should catch one and find out.”
Jake sat back on his haunches. “Would you teach me?”
Talltail shrugged. “We’re at the end of Twolegplace.” He nodded to the alleyway. It would lead past the red-stone den to open fields. “You’ll be going home, won’t you?”
Jake looked up at the moon. “In the morning. Let’s find somewhere to sleep.” He gazed across the grass at a small, wooden den. “What about that shed?”
Talltail glanced over his shoulder. It looked like the den he’d been poisoned in. “No thanks. I’d rather sleep under a bush.”
“Okay.” Jake looked around. “Which one?” He padded toward the laurel. “This looks like it’ll give us some shelter.”
“What if the kittypet whose food you just stole comes out in the night?” Talltail didn’t fancy waking up to a fight.
“Let’s head toward the fields, then,” Jake suggested. “There’ll be a hedge or something, won’t there?”
Talltail narrowed his eyes. “I thought you weren’t leaving Twolegplace?”
“I want to see what it’s like sleeping in the wild.” Jake headed toward the alley and disappeared into the shadows.
Talltail padded after him. If this kittypet wanted to play warrior, why argue? He’d be gone tomorrow. Another pang bit his belly. He ignored it and followed Jake to the front of the den, where another tiny meadow stretched to a low, stone wall. He leaped it after Jake and trotted over a short stretch of grass that led to a rutted Thunderpath, deserted in the moonlight. They crossed it side by side, their shadows stretching across the dried mud, then jumped into the long grass beyond.
Talltail slipped into the lead. They were in wild territory now. The quiet darkness felt soothing after the glaring noise of Twolegplace. Talltail weaved through the grass and jumped over a ditch. A thick hedge edged the other side and he crept under it. The earth was dry. “Let’s sleep here.” He began to scoop out a hollow with his paws.
Jake watched him. “You dig your nests?”
“There’s nothing to sleep on.” Talltail kept on scraping. “A hollow will keep us warm.”
Jake watched and then copied him, pawing at the earth until he’d dug a shallow dip. “Won’t the roots make it prickly?” Jake stared in dismay at the gnarled hedge roots that he’d uncovered.
“They won’t hurt you.” Talltail curled into his own scoop.
“I’m not used to lumps in my nest.”
“You wanted to know what it’s like sleeping wild.” Talltail could feel roots jabbing between his ribs too, but he wasn’t going to say anything. “Besides, it’s just for tonight. We’ll make better nests tomorrow,” he promised, closing his eyes.
Jake didn’t reply, but Talltail heard his pelt swish as he settled into his uncomfortable scoop. We’ll make better nests tomorrow. Why had he said that? Jake would be going home at dawn. And I’ll be tracking the rogues. Excitement pricked in Talltail’s paws as he pictured Sparrow, imagined sinking his claws into the rogue’s fur, hearing him plead for mercy. Talltail was on his trail. He knew he would find Sparrow. And soon, very soon, he would have his revenge.
CHAPTER 33
Sunlight woke Talltail. He opened his eyes, squinting as rays sliced through the hedge. He slunk, stretching, from his makeshift den and shook out his fur. A sharp frost had hardened the earth and whitened the meadows. Ahead, the land sloped to a rugged hilltop where the sun squatted on the horizon, spilling light over the silver grass. The hedge rattled behind him.
“It looks like a good day for walking.” Jake’s mew was thick with sleep as he stumbled from beneath the branches. He yawned, then blinked at the hilltop. “Is that the way you’re heading?”
“I guess so.” The hilltop would be a good place to start. From there, he could decide which route the rogues might have taken. It looked rocky and exposed, the slope steeper and more rugged than WindClan territory. Anxiety pricked at his belly. Had any Clan cat traveled this far before?
“You don’t sound sure.” Talltail felt Jake’s pelt brush against his as the kittypet stood beside him.
“The rogues could have gone anywhere,” Talltail pointed out. He gazed across the open stretch of grassland that curved past Twolegplace. What if they’d decided to take the low path, keeping out of the cold wind?
“You’ve got to start somewhere,” Jake meowed.
“But where?” Talltail frowned. This might have been strange country to him, but the rogues had probably walked this route for moons and knew all its secrets, all the best places to shelter and find food.
“Why don’t we climb the hill, like you said?” Jake mewed. “From up there, it might be obvious which way they’d choose.”
“We?” Talltail blinked. “I thought you were going home.”
“Eventually.” Jake held his gaze. “But there’s no harm in seeing what’s on the other side of the hill.”
Talltail paused, wondering why he didn’t feel irritated. This was his mission. He didn’t need help. Especially not from a kittypet. Yet suddenly the looming hill seemed les
s daunting. He shrugged. “Okay.”
The wind whipped his whiskers as he padded up the slope. Jake followed a few paces behind, his head switching back and forth as he scanned the landscape. When sharp, gray rocks began to jut from the grass and the slope steepened, Talltail paused and waited for him to catch up. “You’re shivering.”
Jake’s silky fur was rippling along his spine. “I’m okay,” he muttered tightly. “There’ll be shelter on the other side.”
“I hope so.” Talltail wasn’t convinced. Though he could hardly feel the wind through his short, thick fur, he knew it’d be fiercer once they’d reached the top; it was sweeping over the hilltop toward them. What if it makes Jake turn back? Talltail glanced anxiously over his shoulder. Twolegplace sprawled just beyond the hedge. It wouldn’t take long for Jake to reach the shelter of its stone walls and tiny, fenced-in meadows.
Jake leaped past him up the rocky slope, his paws slithering on the frosty rock.
“This way’s easier,” Talltail called. He veered around the outcrop, following a grassy trail, but Jake scrabbled stubbornly on.
“If I can climb up Twoleg walls, I can manage this,” he growled.
Talltail reached the hilltop first, and a cold blast of air snatched his breath away. He narrowed his eyes against the icy wind and tried to ignore the pang of disappointment digging in his belly. Jake would turn back now, surely?
Focusing, he surveyed the land sloping ahead. It was like being on Outlook Rock again. The view was different but he still had a hawk’s eye and took only a few moments to scan the valley. The land rose and fell gently on one side; the other was steep and barren, topped by craggy peaks. A river sparkled between, meandering along the valley bottom, and in the hollow between two low hills, a dense wood nestled like moss in a nest.
“That’s where they’d head.” Jake’s breathless mew took him by surprise. Talltail followed the kittypet’s gaze toward the wooded hollow.
“If they’re anything like me, they’ll be looking for shelter.” Jake flattened his ears against the wind.
Talltail sniffed. “If they were anything like you, they’d be snuggled up in a Twoleg den eating kittypet food.” He paused, pelt pricking as he realized how mean he sounded. “Sorry.” He caught Jake’s green gaze. “I just meant they’re not kittypets. They might have their own ideas about shelter.”