“Right.” Stone Song gathered his patrol together with a wave of his tail. “We’ll take Whispering Breeze, too. That should be enough for now.”
The patrol headed toward the entrance to the cave, the rest of the cats clustering together to watch them go. “Good luck!” Half Moon called.
“Bring us back something tasty!” Running Horse added.
Jayfeather knew that he should feel hopeful. Although the cats were still thinking about returning to the lake, they were at least making an effort to adapt to life in the mountains. But he had no room for hope; all he could think about was how he had to teach Half Moon to become Stoneteller, and then return to the time of the Clans.
Stone Song nodded to Jayfeather as the patrol padded past him on their way to the path behind the waterfall. “We owe you a lot,” he meowed. “You should stay here and get some rest after your struggle.”
Jayfeather dipped his head, though inwardly he was wincing. They treat me like one of them.
But all the time he belonged somewhere else, far, far away.
Half Moon bounded up to him. “Are you fit to go out again? I was thinking about those herbs that you found yesterday, when we were buried in the snow. We ought to go see if there are any more.”
Jayfeather’s heart weighed heavier than the mountains as he gazed into her eager eyes. “Can we go to the cave with the pointed stones first?”
Half Moon looked puzzled, then nodded. “If you want to.”
As they crossed the cavern, Jayfeather spotted Shy Fawn lying near Owl Feather, with her swollen belly propped awkwardly. Her kits will be born soon, he thought.
Half Moon paused and touched Shy Fawn’s shoulder with her tail-tip. “You’ll be fine now,” she murmured. “The patrol will bring you some prey.”
Shy Fawn blinked gratefully.
Jayfeather led the way down the tunnel into the Cave of Pointed Stones. Dawn light spilled through the hole in the roof, turning the pools to sheets of glimmering silver. Jayfeather let his gaze travel over the spikes of stone. Everything looked just the same as it did in the time of the Tribe of Rushing Water. If the stones had grown by then, he couldn’t tell. The cave seemed alive with the sound of dripping water, the light rippling over the columns and pinnacles.
“I wonder whether any other cats have visited here,” Half Moon meowed, her voice echoing. “Do you think the moon shines in the pool every night?”
Jayfeather swallowed uncomfortably. “I’ve got something to tell you.”
Half Moon padded close to him, her beautiful green eyes expectant. “Yes, Jay’s Wing?”
Taking a deep breath, Jayfeather stared down at the pool as he spoke. “I followed you here for a reason. I…I know some things you don’t.” When he dared to glance at Half Moon again, he saw that she was bristling playfully. Clearly she thought she knew what he was going to say.
“No…not like that.” Every word was being wrenched out of Jayfeather. “Half Moon, this is the place where you are meant to be. You and all the cats from the lake. Other cats have lived here before and survived, however hard it seems. You can’t go back. Your future lies here.”
Half Moon stared at him as if he had grown a second head. Continuing to talk to her was the hardest thing Jayfeather had ever done. I’d face all the eagles in the mountains rather than tell her this.
“You will become their leader,” he went on. “This cave will be your den, and your ancestors will guide you with signs in the pool, like the reflection of the new moon you saw last night. You will be known as the Teller of the Pointed Stones. This is your destiny.”
For a few heartbeats there was silence. “Well, that’s a mouthful of a name!” Half Moon meowed at last. Her voice was shaking—with outrage or amusement, Jayfeather couldn’t tell. “Is this some kind of joke?”
“No. I promise you it isn’t.” Jayfeather’s heart sank when he saw anger gathering in the green eyes that had looked at him so warmly.
“You came all this way to tell me this?” she burst out. “Where did you get all these mouse-brained ideas? Jay’s Wing, I’ve shown you how I feel! Is it so awful that I might have wanted to have your kits? If you’re not interested, then why can’t you just turn me down, like any normal tom?”
Her fury, her sense of betrayal, crashed over Jayfeather like a wave. Overwhelmed, drowning in it, he murmured, “This has nothing to do with me. It’s your destiny! I’m sorry!”
For a heartbeat, Half Moon faced him, glaring; then she whipped around and stormed out of the cave.
“Wait—”
Jayfeather bounded after her; when he emerged from the tunnel he saw her racing across the cavern to the entrance. She mustn’t go out there alone! It’s dangerous!
“Stop!” he yowled.
Half Moon ignored him. But then a feeble wail rose from the side of the cave where Shy Fawn was lying. “Half Moon, help me! My kits are coming!”
Half Moon halted, then spun around, looking for Jayfeather. “Jay’s Wing! Over here!” she called.
Jayfeather hurried across the cave and met her in front of Shy Fawn. Owl Feather was heading in her direction, too, but she was held up by her kits tumbling around her paws.
“Stay back there,” the she-cat scolded her litter. “This isn’t for kits.”
“But we want to see!” Strong Pounce protested.
“No! Go over there and play, and don’t make too much noise. This is a hard time for Shy Fawn.”
Looking down at the pregnant she-cat, Jayfeather had to agree. Shy Fawn’s distended belly was huge for such a small cat, and he wondered how many kits she was carrying. Her eyes were wide and scared.
“Please help me,” she whispered. “I don’t know what to do.”
Anger clawed at Jayfeather as he realized how frightened she was. She should have given birth among the soft moss and bracken of a proper nursery, not here on this rocky floor without even the right herbs.
At least she’s got a medicine cat, he thought.
“Half Moon,” he began briskly, “you remember where we got the moss for Chasing Clouds? Can you get some more, and soak it with water so that Shy Fawn can have a drink?”
Half Moon nodded and sped off.
“Owl Feather, I need a stick. Something good and stout that Shy Fawn can bite down on when the pains come. You should find one by the bushes around the pool.”
Owl Feather blinked in surprise at being ordered around, but she didn’t protest, just called over her shoulder as she padded toward the entrance, “Make sure my kits don’t follow me out.”
Jayfeather turned his attention back to Shy Fawn. Powerful ripples were passing across her belly, and she gasped with pain.
“Relax as much as you can,” Jayfeather advised her. “It won’t be long now.”
Half Moon reappeared with a bundle of wet moss in her jaws and sat down beside Shy Fawn’s head, helping her to drink, then licking her ears gently to keep her calm.
Another ripple coursed over Shy Fawn’s belly, and she let out a sharp cry of pain as she began straining.
“That’s good,” Jayfeather reassured her. “You’re coming along nicely.”
Owl Feather bounded up with the stick Jayfeather had asked for, and dropped it on the ground so that Shy Fawn could grip it in her jaws. “How many kits, do you think?” she asked Jayfeather.
Jayfeather felt Shy Fawn’s belly with his forepaw. “Three, at least,” he replied, realizing how weird it was to be able to see as he delivered kits. “Hang on, I think the first one’s coming.”
Shy Fawn’s belly convulsed. Jayfeather heard the stick crack in her teeth, and a small bundle of wet fur slid out onto the cave floor. Half Moon cushioned it with her paws and nudged it over to Shy Fawn.