This wasn’t true; he could easily tell the difference between a stale scent and a fresh one, but he was desperate to make up for oversleeping. If he flattered Clear Sky, his father might let him join the patrol.
Clear Sky whisked his tail. “If you haven’t learned that by now, you never will,” he grunted. “I’m patrolling alone. Every cat needs solitude from time to time.” Before Thunder could object, he marched toward the bramble entrance. Thunder watched him go, uneasiness worming beneath his pelt.
Clear Sky had never wanted solitude before. Why now?
As his father pushed his way out of camp, Thunder hurried across the clearing toward Lightning Tail.
“I want you to watch the camp,” he whispered quickly.
Lightning Tail was spreading his strips of moss over the wet earth with a paw. “Why?”
“Clear Sky asked me to do it, but I want to follow him.”
Lightning Tail looked up. “Why? Where’s he going?”
“He says he’s going to patrol the borders,” Thunder breathed. “I wanted to come but he’s ordered me to stay in camp.”
Lightning Tail shrugged. “Perhaps he wants to be alone.”
“That’s what he said,” Thunder conceded. “But I’m following him anyway. What if he runs into a fox or a dog?”
Lightning Tail’s whiskers twitched teasingly. “You’re just being nosy.”
“That’s not true,” Thunder snorted.
Lightning Tail straightened up. “Then I’m coming with you.”
“Now who’s being nosy?” Thunder teased.
Leaf looked up from his scraps of moss. “What are you two whispering about?”
“We need you to guard the camp,” Thunder told him. “We’re going out on patrol.”
Leaf shrugged and smoothed a wide piece of moss with his paw. “Okay.”
Thunder hurried toward the bramble wall, Lightning Tail at his heels. He ducked through the entrance tunnel, his mouth open as he tasted for Clear Sky’s scent.
Instinctively, he looked toward the gully his father had led him along on their last patrol together, but Clear Sky’s scent drifted from the other direction. Thunder followed it. Keeping low, he brushed past a clump of bracken and slid beneath a branch.
“He’s heading for the river,” Lightning Tail whispered from behind.
Thunder’s tail twitched. There was a boundary at the river’s edge. Clear Sky didn’t patrol it very often. He believed that the river, which flowed between River Ripple’s marshes and the oak woods, was enough to keep inquisitive rogues and kittypets from crossing into their territory.
Perhaps he was hoping to find some new recruits, just like he’d found Milkweed, Pink Eyes, and Blossom. Was that the purpose of his patrols? As Thunder pushed through a stretch of long grass, he wondered again at the change in his father. The leader who had fought so hard to defend his borders was now happy to open them to any cat.
The thought cheered him, and he leaped the last few clumps of grass and began to follow the forest floor as it sloped upward. He hurried onward watchfully. He didn’t want Clear Sky to see that he’d followed him. Once he’d caught up to his father, he would only make his presence known if there was trouble—an unfriendly rogue or a hungry fox.
“Can you see him?” Lightning Tail fell in beside him as they neared the top of the ridge.
“No, but he can’t be far ahead.” Clear Sky’s scent trail was fresh, his paw prints easy to make out on the damp forest floor. Beyond the crest, flattened grass showed where Clear Sky had bounded down to the river. Thunder scanned the slope, looking for Clear Sky’s pale gray pelt. He could see the river glimmering beyond the trees, but no sign of his father other than the trail of crushed grass. He broke into a run, leaping down the slope, slowing only as he approached the tree line. The river flowed beyond, babbling lazily as it washed the stony bank.
Lightning Tail pulled ahead and peeked out from the trees. “He’s not on the shore,” he hissed over his shoulder.
Thunder pointed his nose downstream. “His scent leads that way, along the river.”
“He must be heading for the flat rocks,” Lightning Tail suggested.
The flat rocks were large boulders that rose above the river farther downstream. The first time Thunder had come to live with his father, they’d sunned themselves there, relishing the warmth of the sun-blanched stone. Now he sniffed the grass, picking up Clear Sky’s scent. “Let’s see,” he told Lightning Tail. “Come on.”
Keeping to the shelter of the trees, he headed for the boulders. The rain had eased, and sun was breaking through the thick, gray clouds. Before long, light glimmered beyond the trees as sunlight flashed on the rain-washed stone.
Thunder stopped and tasted the air. Clear Sky’s scent was stronger here. He peered out from the trees at the wide expanse of stone. A light breeze whispered through the treetops above him, and the river gurgled somewhere far below the edge of the rocky outcrop.
“There he is!” Lightning Tail’s whisper sounded in Thunder’s ear.
Stiffening, he followed his friend’s gaze.
Clear Sky was sitting in the middle of the flat rocks, his ears pricked. He was scanning the forest that crowded the edges of the stone, tail twitching excitedly. Thunder narrowed his eyes. Had Clear Sky spotted prey?
A familiar mew sounded from the trees beyond. “So, you decided to take me up on that hunting lesson?”
Thunder froze as Star Flower stalked from the trees and crossed the stone. She stopped just in front of Clear Sky and raised her bushy tail. The sun’s rays flashed through the clouds and turned her golden pelt to fire.
Lightning Tail stiffened beside Thunder. “What’s she doing here?”
Thunder didn’t answer. Jealousy was scorching through his chest as he watched the she-cat weave around Clear Sky. A low growl rumbled in his throat. No wonder he didn’t want me to patrol with him.
“I’m not here for hunting lessons.” Clear Sky blocked Star Flower’s path.
She stopped, her eyes glittering playfully. “Then why are you here? I invited you to meet me so I could teach you the ways of the forest.”
Clear Sky brushed around Star Flower, his eyes never leaving hers. He stopped close to her muzzle. “You don’t need to teach me anything,” he meowed. “I’ve learned all I need to know. And I’ve learned it the hard way.”
“I told you,” Star Flower purred throatily. “We have more in common than you think.”
Clear Sky half closed his eyes. “Perhaps we do.”
Star Flower let her tail slide beneath Clear Sky’s chin.
Thunder curled his claws deep into the soft earth, imagining its softness flowing beneath his muzzle. She had used the same gesture when talking to him.
He stared at his father, willing Clear Sky to step away from the treacherous she-cat. But Clear Sky stood still while Star Flower padded slowly around him.
“You were going to give me some lessons in leadership,” she murmured.
“Not yet.” Clear Sky’s eyes flashed. “Before you can lead, you must learn how to follow.”
He’s encouraging her! Rage surged beneath Thunder’s pelt. Then fear. He knew better than any cat how Star Flower could turn against those she pretended to care for. She’d once convinced him that she wanted to join his group—that she wanted to be his mate. But she’d only been spying for One