“But why do we have to be quiet?” Dew Nose whispered as she led her littermates around the edge of the clearing.
“Out of respect for Quiet Rain,” Holly hissed.
Eagle Feather sniffed. “No one asked her to come here and die.”
“Hush!” Storm Pelt pawed his brother’s tail sharply. “She was kind to us, remember?”
Thunder glanced uneasily at Sun Shadow. What must he think? But the black tom didn’t blink, his eyes clouded with grief as he stared at the trees. Pity jabbed at Thunder’s heart. He came here to find his father, but now he is truly alone among strangers.
Tall Shadow straightened. The sun was an orange ball beyond the pines, silhouetting the dark trunks with fire. “We must bury her.”
Sun Shadow jerked his muzzle toward her. “Where? This is not her home.”
“Her kin are here.” Tall Shadow padded toward the young tom.
Sun Shadow returned her gaze silently.
Clear Sky lifted his chin. “She must be buried where we can all visit her grave.”
Gray Wing nodded. “On shared territory.”
“At the four trees?” Jagged Peak glanced at his brothers.
“She would be close to those she once knew,” Tall Shadow murmured solemnly.
Thunder pictured the battle grave. Now there would be another grave beside it. The grave of a cat who had died in peace, among those who had loved her. “I’ll help carry her there.”
“Me too.” Jagged Peak stood up.
Gray Wing got to his paws and stretched, wincing as his injured forepaw slipped on the slushy ground.
Tall Shadow nodded to Mud Paws, who was washing in his nest. “Will you guard the camp while we’re gone?”
Holly approached Jagged Peak. “Should we come with you?” She glanced at their kits, damp from playing in the snowmelt.
Jagged Peak shook his head. “Stay here.”
“I’ll come.” Pebble Heart padded from his den. “I should help bury her, since I failed to save her.”
Gray Wing brushed against the young tom. “She was old,” he breathed. “It was her time.”
Thunder straightened, realizing how stiff he was. He shook out his pelt, relieved to feel warmth flowing back into his paws and tail.
Star Flower crossed the clearing and touched muzzles with Clear Sky. “River Ripple should be at her burial.”
Clear Sky frowned. “Why?”
“He is a leader, like you, Thunder, and Tall Shadow,” she meowed. “You are all petals of the same flower, remember?”
“And Wind Runner,” Gray Wing added, thinking of the camp on the moor. “Although… we are still giving her space.”
Clear Sky looked thoughtful. “You are right. We should leave Wind Runner in peace. But the rest of us should be together,” he mewed.
“I will get River Ripple,” Star Flower told him.
Thunder felt a sudden flash of gratitude toward the she-cat, but he noticed that Clear Sky’s pelt pricked uneasily.
“It’s too far for you to travel,” he argued.
Star Flower met his gaze. “Carrying kits does not weaken a cat; it makes her stronger.”
“I’ll go with her.” Tall Shadow stepped forward.
Thunder blinked in surprise at the warmth in her mew. And yet, why not? Hadn’t Star Flower been trying to make up for her betrayal in everything she did? She had not left Clear Sky’s side, she’d treated his mother with respect, and now she was offering to get River Ripple for the burial. Was it possible that she’d earned their trust at last?
Clear Sky dipped his head. “Okay,” he agreed. “We’ll meet you at the four trees.”
Tall Shadow headed for the camp entrance, waiting at the bramble tunnel while Star Flower touched muzzles with Clear Sky.
“Be careful,” he whispered.
“I will.”
As Star Flower turned and followed Tall Shadow from the camp, Jagged Peak leaned to push his muzzle beneath Quiet Rain. Thunder ducked to help, nosing the old she-cat’s body onto Jagged Peak’s shoulders and sliding in beside him. The first stiffness of death had left her, and she hung limp and cold between them.
Clear Sky led the way out of camp, Gray Wing following with Pebble Heart and Sun Shadow.
At the far edge of the forest, they paused.
Monsters roared along the slush-covered Thunderpath, spraying filthy, half-melted snow in great waves over the side.
“Wait here.” Clear Sky nodded to Thunder and crept out onto the grass. Through slitted eyes, he scanned the Thunderpath, ducking as another monster howled past. “There’s a gap coming.” He beckoned Thunder and Jagged Peak from the trees.
Thunder stumbled on the uneven grass, and Gray Wing slid between him and Jagged Peak, putting his shoulders beneath his mother’s body.
“Stay close together,” Clear Sky hissed.
Eyes flashed toward them, streaking them with light as the monster thundered past.
“Now!”
Thunder felt Clear Sky nudge him forward and hurried onto the slippery stone. He felt Gray Wing at one flank, Jagged Peak at the other. Together they carried Quiet Rain, stumbling to a halt as they reached the far side.
Thunder frowned at Gray Wing’s wounded leg. Fresh blood was darkening the fur. “Can you manage?”
“She’s not heavy,” Gray Wing grunted.
Thunder caught his eye and saw grief glitter there. Quiet Rain had been half-starved when she died and weighed hardly more than a kit.
“Come on,” Clear Sky urged from behind. “Let’s get into the forest and away from this place.” As he spoke, another monster thundered by, sending slush and grit spraying over them.
Thunder padded forward, trying to keep in step with Gray Wing and Jagged Peak as the ground grew uneven beneath his paws. Roots crisscrossed the path and brambles snagged at his pelt. He tripped twice, feeling Quiet Rain jerk as he stumbled. He felt relieved when Clear Sky led them from the trees onto the smooth grass slope that led up to the rim of the four trees hollow.
By the time they reached the top, Gray Wing was panting.
“Let Sun Shadow take your place,” Thunder whispered.
The black tom had been eyeing Quiet Rain’s body, distress showing each time Thunder stumbled or she began to slide from Jagged Peak’s shoulders.
Gray Wing met Thunder’s gaze with weary eyes and slipped from beneath Quiet Rain. “Will you help?” he asked Sun Shadow softly.
Sun Shadow dipped his head and slid in between Jagged Peak and Thunder.
Thunder lifted his nose toward Clear Sky. He should have a chance to carry his mother to her final resting place. “Do you want to take over for me?”
Clear Sky blinked at him gratefully, hurrying to take his place as Thunder slid from beneath her.
He left them and bounded into the hollow, his paws sliding on the muddy slope. At the bottom, he stopped beside the battle grave. Snow covered the ground, sheltered from the warm winds and sunshine. He scratched at the earth, surprised to find it still frozen beneath his claws.
How can we dig a grave here?
As he glanced around the clearing, searching for a spot clear of snow where the sun might have pooled, warm enough to soften the earth, bracken rustled on the far slope. He recognized Tall Shadow’s black pelt moving through it. Star Flower’s fur was camouflaged among the golden fronds, but he could smell her scent—and River Ripple’s. A purr rumbled in his throat as the silver tom padded from the undergrowth.
River Ripple met his gaze solemnly. “I’m sorry to hear Quiet Rain died.”
“It was her time,” Thunder returned.
Tall Shadow padded from the bracken, Star Flower at her tail. “Have you chosen a burial spot?”