“Do you mind?” Gray Wing searched his gaze, knowing he would not leave Pebble Heart if the young tom still needed him.
“I want you to be happy,” Pebble Heart mewed. “And I’ll know where to find you if I need you.”
“Where will you go?” Tall Shadow frowned. “Back to the old hollow?”
Pebble Heart didn’t shift his gaze from Gray Wing. “He’s going to Wind Runner’s camp.”
Gray Wing stared wordlessly back.
Tall Shadow glanced at Jagged Peak. “Of course.” She dipped her head to Gray Wing. “We will miss you.”
Jagged Peak padded forward and nudged Gray Wing’s shoulder with his muzzle. “Come and visit the kits,” he meowed. “They’ll miss you.”
Gray Wing nodded. “Take care of Fern.” Guilt pricked his belly. He’d invited her to join him, and now he was leaving. But she’d be safe in Tall Shadow’s camp—safer than she’d been with Slash.
His belly tightened. “Be careful,” he cautioned.
Jagged Peak frowned. “Of what?”
“Don’t forget, the pines are still new territory. You don’t know what other cats might claim it as their own.” Should he warn them about Slash? No. Fern would know if the rogue had returned. She’d tell them all they needed to know. There was no need to worry them now.
Tall Shadow turned away, swishing her tail. “It’s our territory now, and we’ll fight for it if we have to.” She padded toward Sun Shadow, nudging him forward. Raindrops glistened on her pelt.
Jagged Peak followed, and Gray Wing touched his muzzle to Pebble Heart’s head. “I’m proud of you.”
“I know.” Pebble Heart ducked away and headed after his campmates.
Gray Wing turned toward the moor. He could see the clouds clearing, far beyond the moortop.
Excitement rising in his belly, he broke into a run. Racing over the rain-slicked grass, he ducked into a swath of heather, enjoying the twisting path that sent him turning this way and that before it seemed to burst into an open stretch of moorside. He hardly felt the pain in his injured leg as he pounded on, smelling the scents of Wind Runner and her kits as he neared the camp. The rain had eased here on the moortop, and he shook the wetness from his pelt, relishing the wind that streamed through it. He was almost dry by the time he ducked into the heather tunnel that led to the camp.
Padding quietly into the clearing, he glanced around.
Shadows hid the edges. No cat stirred. They must already be in their nests. Should he head back to the moor and find a hollow to sleep in for the night?
“Intruder!” A shriek sent surprise flashing through his chest. Claws raked his cheek, then pierced his pelt as a cat leaped onto his back.
“Dust Muzzle! It’s me!” He recognized the kit’s scent and shook him off, wincing as the kit tore a lump of fur from his pelt.
“Gray Wing?” Dust Muzzle stared at him through the darkness. “What are you doing here?”
Heather rustled around him, and paw steps scuffed the grass.
“Gray Wing?” Wind Runner crossed the clearing.
Gorse Fur pushed past her. “Is everything okay?”
Minnow and Reed hung back in the shadows, their eyes glinting in the gloom.
“Everything’s fine,” Gray Wing told them. “But I can’t live in the pine forest anymore. I can hardly breathe there, and I need to feel the wind in my fur again.” He gazed hopefully at Wind Runner.
Was she ready to take an old campmate into her new home?
“Then you are welcome here.” Wind Runner purred loudly.
Moth Flight bounded from her nest. “Is Gray Wing coming to live with us?” She bounced around him, her eyes shining.
“Yes, I am.” Gray Wing cuffed the kit playfully with his paw.
A warm smell touched his nose, making his heart speed up.
“Gray Wing?” Slate slid from the heather and met his gaze. “Are you really coming to stay for good?” She padded closer until he could feel her breath on his muzzle.
“Yes.”
Dust Muzzle pushed between them. “Can you give me a badger ride?”
Wind Runner rolled her eyes. “It’s time to sleep!” Starlight was glittering above them as the clouds eased away.
“Oh, please!” Moth Flight stared desperately at her mother.
“Let me take them out onto the moor.” Gray Wing blinked at Wind Runner. “The heather always smells best after rain.”
Gorse Fur purred. “I wouldn’t waste your time arguing.” He nudged Wind Runner’s cheek with his nose. “Let’s go back to our nests and let them go roaming if they want to. The kits will be safe with Gray Wing.”
“They’re too big for badger rides,” Wind Runner commented.
“That’s Gray Wing’s problem.” Gorse Fur padded across the clearing.
“I’ll come with you,” Slate offered.
Gray Wing grunted as Dust Muzzle scrambled onto his back. Wind Runner was right. The kit was as heavy as a fat rabbit.
“What about me?” Moth Flight mewed.
Slate padded toward her. “You can climb on my back, but I can’t promise to carry you for long.”
She swayed as the kit clambered up.
“Take us as far as the moortop,” Moth Flight pleaded.
Gray Wing ducked through the tunnel. Dust Muzzle pressed himself low as the heather swept over their heads. Out on the moor, Gray Wing headed upslope. He wanted to see the view from the top.
His injured paw ached as he carried Dust Muzzle, but he didn’t care. Slate caught up to him, Moth
Flight balancing precariously on her back. She was frowning with the effort of carrying the young she-cat.
“Get off now, you two.” Gray Wing shook Dust Muzzle from his shoulders. “You can run to the top of the moor.”
Dust Muzzle sprang onto the grass. “Come on, Moth Flight! I’ll race you.”
Gray Wing watched the two young cats streak away. He fell in beside Slate. “Are you glad I came back?” he asked, his mouth dry.
Slate shot him a teasing look. “What do you think?”
Chapter 25
Clear Sky curled tighter around Star Flower. It was moonhigh, and the she-cat was in a deep sleep, her golden pelt warm. Above them, stars showed between the branches of the oaks.
They had returned to camp after burying Quiet Rain. Acorn Fur and Nettle had hurried to greet him, wondering what had kept him away so long. When he’d told them of his mother’s death, they’d brushed past him, showing their sympathy. Alder and Birch had brought him prey, two voles that they’d caught near the snake rocks.
Birch had narrowed his eyes when Clear Sky had given one to Star Flower. “We caught them for you.”
Clear Sky glared at him. “We share prey in this camp.”
Alder grunted. “When she disappeared, we thought she’d left again.”
Clear Sky’s hackles lifted. “She left you to be with me.”
Had there been gossip while they’d been away? Had his campmates been discussing whether they could trust Star Flower? If only they had seen her loyalty and strength in Tall Shadow’s camp, they’d know the answer was yes. She’d encouraged and comforted him selflessly. Tall Shadow and Gray Wing had seen her devotion and treated her as an equal. Quiet Rain had admired her spirit. Even
Thunder had begun to show her a grudging respect.
Grief jabbed Clear Sky’s belly as he thought of his kin. For two nights he’d slept beneath the same trees as them. And together they had mourned Quiet Rain’s death. Why do they have to choose different paths from mine?
He closed his eyes, breathing in the warmth of Star Flower’s pelt, and let weariness pull him into sleep.
“Clear Sky.”