by Erin Hunter
“I want him to admit that he killed my father.”
“And then?” Jake’s ear twitched.
“You said you wouldn’t poke your whiskers where they didn’t belong.” Talltail padded toward the roots of a tree and began scraping moss from the crevices in the bark.
Jake paced behind him. “That cat looks dangerous, Talltail.”
“He’s just a rogue.” Talltail stripped away a long piece of moss.
“Come back with me,” Jake pleaded. “You’re not safe here.”
“This is why I left my Clan.” Talltail hooked out another wad of moss and dropped it onto the pile beside him.
“But you can go back to them, can’t you?”
“I’m never going back,” Talltail growled.
“Never?” Jake leaned closer. Talltail felt the kittypet’s breath on his cheek. “But you’re a warrior.”
“You don’t have to belong to a Clan to be a warrior.” The words felt empty as Talltail spoke them. Was that true?
“But what are you going to do once Sparrow is dead?” Jake demanded.
“That doesn’t matter.” Talltail hadn’t thought beyond the moment of his revenge so far. He wasn’t going to start now. “Help me gather moss.” The sun was sliding behind the distant hills. Talltail shivered as shadows thickened among the trees.
Jake crouched beside him and started picking at the next root. “If you’re staying,” Jake muttered, “so am I. You’re going to need help.”
Talltail paused and stared at the kittypet. “This is my mission, remember?”
Jake pulled a fat wad of moss from the bark with his claws. “Now it’s our mission.”
Talltail didn’t argue. An odd sense of relief loosened his muscles. He’d grown used to having Jake around. “Come on.” He scraped the gathered moss into a bundle. “We’d better get back.” He didn’t want to give the rogues too long to discuss his sudden appearance. They might start asking questions. He felt sure that Sparrow already had. The cold gleam in the tom’s eyes hadn’t been welcoming.
Talltail clamped his jaws around the soggy mass and began to carry it back toward the camp. Jake grabbed the rest and followed. Talltail slowed as they reached the bracken and padded though it softly, careful not to stir the stems.
“I don’t like it.” Algernon’s mew made Talltail stop in his tracks.
Jake halted beside him. “What’s wrong?”
“They’re talking about me.” Unease wormed in Talltail’s belly.
“We can’t turn them away.” Bess sounded firm. “They’re worn out.”
Talltail pricked his ears.
“But these woods are prey-poor,” Mole growled.
“There’s enough for now,” Reena argued.
Algernon snorted. “I knew we should have kept moving before we made camp.”
“There are fish in the river, downslope,” Reena pointed out.
“Can you swim?” Algernon muttered.
“It’s not so prey-poor around here as you think.” Sparrow’s mew was confident. “That pigeon I caught today is the first of many.”
“Really?” Mole’s voice rose with interest.
“I’ve found a place where the Twolegs scatter grain,” Sparrow told him. “There’ll be pigeons coming for as long as it’s there.”
Bess purred. “If that’s true, two extra mouths will be easy to feed.”
Talltail padded out of the bracken and dropped his moss. “We can help you hunt,” he mewed.
Algernon gazed past him, his gaze resting doubtfully on Jake. “Really?”
“Jake’s a quick learner,” Talltail told them. “He caught a mouse the other day.”
Jake caught his gaze. “I helped,” he corrected.
“We can manage without kittypet help,” Mole grunted.
Reena padded toward the corner sheltered by the holly bush. “I’ve piled some leaves here for you to make nests on,” she meowed.
“Thanks.” Talltail held her gaze in the half light, trying to read whether she was genuinely willing to have them stay.
She tipped her head. “You seem different, Talltail.”
“Do I?” Unnerved, Talltail picked up his moss and carried it to the heap of leaves Reena had scraped together.
“Less angry,” Reena meowed. “You . . . you didn’t seem to want us anywhere near WindClan by the time we left.” She sounded hurt and puzzled.
Talltail winced. His rage was still there, burning just below his skin, but he needed these cats to accept him, trust him—at least until he had a chance to avenge his father’s death. And deep down, he didn’t blame Reena for anything, or Bess, or Algernon, or Mole. “I . . . I guess it took me a while to get over Sandgorse’s death,” he mewed, trying to sound as if the memories were long gone. “I’m sorry if I offended you.”
Reena twitched her ears. “Not offended, exactly.” She sounded sympathetic. “I guess it was a lot for you to deal with: Sandgorse dying like that, and Sparrow surviving.”
Talltail shot her a sharp look. Reena was dangerously close to discovering the truth. He had to convince her he didn’t hold Sparrow responsible. “Oh, it wasn’t Sparrow’s fault,” he forced out through gritted teeth. “He was lucky to get out. Sandgorse wasn’t.” He stopped speaking as if he needed to concentrate on spreading his moss over the fallen leaves, shifting as Jake slid in beside him and began to shape the rest into a nest.
Bess crossed the clearing, a pigeon in her jaws. She dropped it at Talltail’s paws. “I caught this earlier,” she told him. “You and Jake can share it.”
Talltail shook his head. “We can’t take your prey.”
“Yes, you can,” Sparrow called from the darkness on the far side of the clearing. “WindClan fed us through greenleaf.”
Algernon nodded. “It’s only fair we feed one of theirs.”
“I’m not one of theirs anymore,” Talltail told him.
Algernon flicked his tail. “Nonsense,” he snorted. “You are Clanborn. You’ll be a Clan cat all your life.”
Reena reached beneath a low branch at the edge of the clearing and hauled out a damp-looking shrew and a half-eaten squirrel. She tossed the shrew to Sparrow and carried the squirrel to Bess. “Mole. Algernon. Will you join us?”
Talltail leaned down and tore the wing from the pigeon with his jaws. He nosed it toward Mole and Algernon as they crouched beside Reena’s squirrel. “Take this,” he offered. “We don’t need all of it.”
“Give them the other one, too,” Jake whispered in his ear.
Talltail ripped it off and dropped it at Algernon’s paws. He was aware of Sparrow’s gaze. He knows why I’m here. The thought flashed like fire in his mind. Fear sparked beneath his fur. He swallowed and padded back to Jake’s side. Jake was already chewing on the pigeon. Talltail’s belly tightened. How could he eat? Act normal. His own words echoed in his mind and he forced himself to take a mouthful of pigeon.
“How’s Palebird?” Bess’s question took him by surprise. She was looking up from the squirrel carcass, her eyes bright with interest.
“Palebird?” Talltail echoed dumbly. Up till now, he’d managed to block thoughts of WindClan from his mind.
“And Whiteberry,” Reena purred.
“Are the tunnelers getting used to not tunneling?” Mole asked.
Talltail blinked at them, mind whirling. He never imagined he’d speak his Clanmates’ names again. “Palebird had Woollytail’s kits,” he told Bess.
“That’s wonderful!” Bess’s eyes flashed with joy.
Talltail spat out a feather. “It’s great,” he lied.
Reena swallowed a mouthful. “How old are they?”
“A quarter moon when I left.” He pictured Wrenkit, Rabbitkit, Flykit, and Bristlekit crowding around his legs, tails high, squeaking with excitement. Their voices echoed in his mind.
Give us a badger ride!
Can we come?
Can I decide my own warrior name?
He closed his eyes, surprised by the sharp pang tha
t stabbed his heart.
“How could you bear to leave them?” Reena’s mew cut into his thoughts.
“They’re happier without me,” he growled, burying his muzzle into the soft flesh of the pigeon.
“Leave him be, Reena.” Algernon’s mew was gentle. “He’s had a long journey. We can ask all our questions tomorrow, when he’s rested.”
The moon was glowing through the branches. Night wrapped the forest in silence. Far away, beyond the trees, a fox barked shrilly.
Jake licked his lips. “I’m exhausted.” He stretched and climbed into his nest.
Talltail nosed the remains of the pigeon toward Algernon. “Thanks for the prey.” He climbed into the nest beside Jake’s, their fur touching. Jake’s warmth eased the racing of his heart as he watched Algernon and Mole gather the prey-scraps and hide them under the holly bush. Reena and Bess settled in their nests beside the bracken. Algernon curled up beside Mole between the roots of the oak. Sparrow circled down into a thick pile of leaves in a shadowy corner of the camp.
Talltail watched through narrowed eyes as Sparrow stirred in his nest, no more than a shape in the darkness. Flexing his claws, he let his lip curl as he stared at Sparrow. You killed my father. His thoughts hardened, like stone shaped in fire. Now, I will kill you.
CHAPTER 36
“Aren’t you used to forest hunting yet?” Reena called over her shoulder as she streaked ahead, zigzagging between the trees. She was chasing a squirrel.
Talltail stumbled on a stone that rocked beneath his paw. He blinked with surprise as Jake overtook him, leaping a frosty log and gaining on Reena. “How’d you get so good at this?” Talltail puffed, dodging a branch a moment before it hit his muzzle.
“It’s a bit like alley running.” Jake disappeared through a wall of bracken.
Talltail pelted after him, the stems crunching as he dived through them. Milky sunshine seeped through gray cloud. An icy wind whipped flecks of snow through the trees. He had lost sight of Reena through the bracken. As he plunged after her, he heard her angry mew ahead.
“Dog dirt!”
He broke from the stems to see her staring up the trunk of an ash tree. Above, a fluffy tail flicked away between the branches.
Jake circled beside her. “Can you climb up after it?”
“Not that high,” Reena mewed sulkily.
Talltail stopped beside them, his flanks heaving. “Why don’t we try the field?”
Jake stared at him. “The one with the monsters?”
Reena dragged her gaze away from the disappearing squirrel. “They won’t be there today,” she meowed. “They only come sometimes.”
“Great.” Talltail tasted the air, picking up the scent of grass, and headed past the tree. He was sick of struggling through woodland. A run across the field would help stretch his muscles. Sleeping so close to Sparrow had knotted them until it ached to stand still. The wind might blow my thoughts clear, too. He’d spent most of the night wondering how to take his revenge on Sparrow. One plan replaced another until his head hurt. None of them seemed right. The only thing he was sure of was that he had to gain Sparrow’s trust enough to get him alone.
Does he trust me already? It was hard to tell what the brown rogue was thinking. His pale stare gave nothing away. I don’t even know if he realizes he caused Sandgorse’s death.
Anger flared in Talltail’s belly and he broke into a run. “I see the field!” he called to Reena and Jake.
The pale dawn brightened the trees ahead. Talltail scrambled around a clump of ferns, paws skidding on the icy leaves. Digging in with his claws, he raced for the light, excitement surging through him as he broke onto frost-whitened grass. The slope stretched ahead. Looking up the hillside, he could see the scars the monsters had left behind. Thunderpath stench pricked his nose as he headed across the slope.
“Wait for us!” Reena caught up first, Jake reaching them a moment later.
“Are you really going to catch a rabbit?” Jake panted.
“If I can find one.” Talltail opened his mouth and let the snow-flecked wind spray his tongue. He tasted the familiar musk of rabbit. “Come on.” He led the way across the grass.
Reena purred. “It’s great having young cats to hunt with.” Her eye caught Talltail’s. “And I’m glad you’ve stopped being such a grumpy old badger.”
Jake fell in beside her. “Talltail’s not grumpy.”
Talltail glanced at his friend. Should he remind Jake how bad-tempered he’d been when the Twoleg had locked him in Jake’s den?
“When I was staying with WindClan,” Reena recalled, “I hardly dared talk to him. I was scared of getting my head bitten off!”
“We’re here to chase rabbit, remember?” Talltail muttered, memories of his grief flooding back.
“See?” Reena flicked her ears at Jake. “Grumpy old badger.”
“He’s not grumpy with me.” Jake wound past Talltail, lifting his tail.
Reena shrugged and sat down. “Any sign of rabbit?” she asked Talltail.
“They must still be asleep.” The sun was lifting above the horizon. The wind whisked the frosty grass, scattering tiny dots of snow.
“I wish they’d wake up.” Jake sighed. “I’m hungry.”
“You’re probably missing kittypet food.” Reena licked her paw.
“Maybe,” Jake conceded. “Catching your food is hard work.”
It’s even harder when you’ve elders and kits to hunt for, too. Talltail’s pelt pricked as he wondered how WindClan was surviving leaf-bare. Had they stocked enough prey? Colder weather was on the way and without the tunnels to hunt in, prey might be scarcer than Heatherstar had predicted.
It’s their problem now. I just have to look after myself. And Jake. He looked at his friend, wondering how long they had together before the kittypet returned to his Twoleg. A sharp pain stabbed his heart.
“Aren’t you embarrassed?” Reena asked Jake suddenly.
Jake blinked at her. “Embarrassed?”
“About being a kittypet.”
“Why?” He sounded confused.
“Taking food from a Twoleg.” Reena’s wide gaze was curious. “It’s undignified for a cat.”
“Is it?” Jake tipped his head on one side.
“A cat should rely on itself, not the kindness of Twolegs,” Reena argued.
“I was born a kittypet,” Jake pointed out. “I’m not doing any harm.” He stared across the field. “And if I’m eating kittypet food, it means there’s more prey for rogues like you.” He nodded toward a distant tussock. “Did something move over there?”
Talltail followed his gaze. “Yes!” His paws pricked as he saw rabbit ears twitch in the grass downslope. He flicked his tail at Reena. “See?” he challenged. “Even a kittypet has the same instincts as we do.”
Reena’s eyes sparkled. “I bet he can’t catch it, though.” She padded past Talltail, her tail brushing his flank. “Not like you.”
Talltail’s fur rippled. He glanced self-consciously at Jake, but Jake was staring across the field at the twitching ears.
“What now?” Jake asked.
Talltail waved his tail upslope. “You two head up there and circle around it.”
“Like we caught the thrush!” Jake’s eyes glowed.
Talltail nodded. “I’ll stalk it from here. Then we’ll see which way it runs.”
As Reena and Jake headed uphill, Talltail dropped into a crouch and ran low, as fast as a swooping hawk. The wind streamed past his ears and filled them with snow till he could only hear his own heartbeat. As he neared the rabbit he stopped and watched. It was munching the tips of the grass, lifting its head from time to time to peer nervously around. Talltail glanced upslope. Reena was nudging Jake into a crouch until they were both stalking low, circling wide around their prey and halting a little way past it.
Talltail lifted his head just high enough to catch Jake’s eye. Jake stared at him, questioning. Talltail nodded. Jake and Reena stalked forward.
Talltail closed in. The rabbit was halfway between them, head down, ears flattened now against its spine. The warm smell of it bathed Talltail’s tongue. His belly rumbled. He padded closer, gaze fixed on its brown pelt. He glimpsed the ginger and orange pelts of Reena and Jake beyond. Another few paces and he’d be within pouncing distance. He quickened his step, eager to reach it before Reena. He wanted to carry this catch home to the rogues. It would help earn Sparrow’s trust.
If only the brown rogue would choke on it.
Rage stirred as Talltail realized he was hunting for the cat who’d killed his father. A growl rumbled in his throat. The rabbit lifted its head, eyes sparking with panic. It heard me! Furious, Talltail leaped for it. The rabbit shot away, eyes widening in terror as it spotted Jake and Reena lunging from the other side. It headed downhill, pelting through the thickening snowfall.
Talltail hared after it, his paws thrumming, wind howling in his ears. The field sloped steeper. He narrowed his eyes against the snow, his gaze focused on the brown pelt of the rabbit.
“Talltail!” A panicked yowl sounded from behind.
Reena? He could hardly hear for the wind and the roaring of the blood in his ears. It felt great to be tearing over the grass again, the scent of prey in his nose, no branches to trip on, no trees to swerve around. He was gaining on the rabbit easily. Just so long as it didn’t have a burrow to dive down. And even if it did, he could chase it inside. I’m a tunneler’s son. With a rush of triumph Talltail sprang and landed squarely on the rabbit.
“Talltail!” Reena’s terrified shriek sounded through the wind as he skidded down the slope, snow spraying from beneath his paws. He grabbed the rabbit in his jaws and, swinging it up, crunched through its spine. It stopped struggling and hung limply in Talltail’s mouth.
Reena was racing toward him. Jake’s orange pelt flashed behind. “Don’t move!” Reena screeched.
“Why?” Talltail dropped the rabbit and stared as Reena scrambled to a halt a tail-length ahead of him.
“Just walk toward me,” Reena ordered.
Bewildered by the terror in her eyes, Talltail picked up the rabbit and padded toward her. She weaved around him, herding him farther up the slope, her pelt bristling.