Thunder felt a twinge of pity. Will he ever let this go? “I have my own camp now, and my own cats,” he told his father. “My future lies with them, not with you.” His paws pricked guiltily at the flash of grief in Clear Sky’s blue eyes. The hope was gone. Thunder dropped his gaze. “You will always be my father,” he went on softly. “But you have to let us all be the cats we want to be. I can’t come and live with you. I must find my own path.” Hesitantly, he looked up at Clear Sky, surprised to find that his father’s gaze was calmer now. Star Flower had crossed the clearing to stand beside him.
“Your father knows this, Thunder.” She glanced at Clear Sky. “It is hard for him, but he understands.”
Clear Sky nodded, his eyes brimming with emotion.
Throat tightening, Thunder dipped his head. “Take care of each other.” As he turned to leave, he glanced at Quiet Rain’s grave. Sun Shadow still lay beside it, his eyes closed. Had he even been aware of the ghostly cats in the clearing?
Thunder nodded to Gray Wing and Tall Shadow, then headed for the slope. It was time he went home. “Thanks for coming,” he meowed to River Ripple as he passed.
He bounded up through the bracken, veering at the top to head into the forest. An owl called through the rain that pounded the trees. A wind was whipping their high branches, and they clattered as he passed. He raced on, certain of the path home, following the scents of the forest until he heard mews echoing up from the ravine. He halted at the top and gazed down into the camp. Shadows swallowed the bushes and dens. Rain glinted on the stones. He jumped down them, claws stretched to keep a grip on the slippery surface. At the bottom, he squeezed under the gorse, happiness surging through his fur as he smelled the familiar scents of his friends.
“Thunder!” Lightning Tail hurried to greet him, his black pelt slick with rain. “We were just deciding whether to send out a search party.”
“Not in this weather, I hope.” Thunder stopped in the clearing. Lightning Tail was the only cat he could see. “Where is everyone?”
“In their dens!” Lightning Tail purred. “Haven’t you noticed? It’s raining!” He beckoned Thunder with a nod of his head and led him toward a large bush a few paces from the rock that towered at the end of the clearing. He ducked underneath and Thunder followed.
Beneath the low-spreading branches, paws had hollowed out the earth to make two nests. The rain pattered above them, but it was dry under here.
“Look.” Lightning Tail nodded toward the gap they’d slid through. There was a clear view to the gorse entrance. “I thought this would make a good place to sleep. It’s dry and we can keep an eye on who comes and goes.”
Thunder purred. “Which nest is mine?” Only one of the hollowed dips was lined with moss.
Lightning Tail nodded toward it. “You can have mine tonight,” he offered. “You must be tired.
Tomorrow we can find fresh moss to line yours.”
Outside, the gorse rattled. Thunder stiffened, peering at the gap beneath the spiny branches.
Milkweed was squeezing her way through, a mouse hanging from her jaws. Leaf followed her into the camp, carrying a vole in his.
“Night hunting?” Thunder blinked at Lightning Tail.
Lightning Tail purred. “They left Pink Eyes in charge of the kits and slipped out at dusk.”
“Together?”
“They haven’t been apart since you left.”
Thunder’s heart swelled until he thought it would burst. Above him, rain battered the bare branches. But he was dry, and his campmates were content. Tomorrow he would roam the forest with Lightning Tail and bring back fresh-kill for his cats.
Chapter 24
Gray Wing touched his nose to the rock that covered Quiet Rain’s grave.
Behind him, Tall Shadow was saying good-bye to River Ripple. “Tell Shattered Ice and Dappled Pelt they are missed, but we are glad they’re happy in their new home.”
River Ripple swished his tail. “It’s hard to believe I once lived alone on the island. I can’t imagine life without my campmates now.”
Gray Wing’s pelt pricked along his spine. Who are my campmates? Tall Shadow and Jagged Peak? He had lived with them so long, it would seem strange to live without them. But the thought of returning to the dark pine forest filled him with gloom. Perhaps it was just the lingering grief of Quiet Rain’s death. A bright morning, with sunlight piercing the canopy and pooling on the needle-strewn floor, might cheer him up. And Pebble Heart would be there, his determined gaze a comforting reminder of Turtle Tail.
“We should go.” Clear Sky’s mew called Gray Wing from his thoughts. His brother stood beside
Star Flower, their pelts touching. “Come and visit often,” he told Gray Wing. “Especially when the kits come.” His gaze flicked toward Star Flower, glowing as she returned it.
One Eye’s daughter had shown such courage and loyalty to her mate. A pang of sorrow pricked Gray Wing’s belly. Turtle Tail had once stood beside him like that.
You shouldn’t spend the rest of your life mourning. You should have a mate and kits of your own. His mother’s words rang in his ears.
“You will come to see the kits, won’t you?” Star Flower leaned toward Gray Wing.
“Of course,” Gray Wing answered distractedly.
He watched as Clear Sky and Star Flower padded side by side toward the forest.
Tall Shadow was nudging Sun Shadow to his paws. “Come with us,” she murmured. “You’ll catch a chill if you stay here in the rain.”
Sun Shadow heaved himself to his paws, his eyes downcast.
Pebble Heart fell in beside the black tom, pressing his shoulder against his flank and guiding him toward the edge of the hollow. Jagged Peak followed, casting a final glance back at Quiet Rain’s grave.
Tall Shadow fell in behind them. “Are you coming, Gray Wing?”
Gray Wing felt rain soaking through his pelt. It dripped from his whiskers and pooled at his paws.
“Gray Wing?” Tall Shadow’s eyes narrowed.
“I’m coming.”
A fresh wind sprayed fine rain into his face as he crested the top of the slope. It carried the scent of the moor, and he breathed it in, his heart aching.
You should have a mate and kits of your own.
Pebble Heart was guiding Sun Shadow along the edge of the hollow, following the slope down toward the pine forest.
His paws suddenly heavy, Gray Wing stopped. “I can’t come with you.”
Tall Shadow jerked around, her eyes wide. “What?”
Guilt rippled through Gray Wing’s fur, but he had to speak the truth. “I can’t live among the pines.”
“But that’s what you chose!”
“I chose it because I wanted to help you build a new home.” He gazed solemnly at Tall Shadow.
“But you’re settled now. You don’t need my help.”
“Is this because I accused you of trying to take over?” Tall Shadow’s tail twitched uneasily.
Jagged Peak stared at him. “We need you, Gray Wing.”
“No, you don’t.” Gray Wing turned his head and gazed across the moor. “I can hardly breathe there. You were right. While I’m among the pines, I’m not as fast as I used to be, but up here the wind seems to rush through me, and I can run without losing my breath.”
“Won’t you be lonely?” Tall Shadow looked worried.
Gray Wing’s chest tightened as he pictured Slate. “I hope not.”
Pebble Heart’s eyes shone through the darkness. He peeled away from Sun Shadow and faced Gray Wing. “You must follow the path you choose,” he murmured softly.