Gray Wing’s mew sounded in his ears. Jackdaw’s Cry knows these tunnels as well as he knows the rabbit runs through the heather. You must learn them too. Who knows when you’ll need their shelter?
If only he hadn’t spent so much time in the forest with Clear Sky. Bitterness caught in his throat. I could have been learning these routes. I might have made it back to the camp by now.
Whiskers twitching as he felt for open space ahead, he hurried through the blackness. His heart lifted as light showed ahead. How? The tunnel hadn’t sloped upward. He couldn’t be near the surface. He hurried toward the brightness, realizing as he neared that moonlight was seeping through a deep crack in the earth. The scent of grass, rich with predawn dew, washed over him. He scowled with disappointment and halted, straining to see ahead.
A scuffling sound made him stiffen. Fur was brushing the earth. Thunder’s belly tightened as a familiar stench touched his nose.
Badger!
He backed away. Had he stumbled into a set? Heavy paws scuffed the ground in the shadows farther down the tunnel. Thunder’s pelt lifted as eyes glinted in the muted moonlight streaming from the crack. He could make out the white stripes of a badger face.
A growl rumbled toward him.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to—”
Claws scraped the earth as the badger lunged. Fighting panic, Thunder turned and raced back along the tunnel. As it narrowed around him, he dived forward, reaching out with his forepaws to haul himself through. Behind, he felt hot breath on his tail and heard jaws snap, an angry snarl following him as he dragged himself forward.
Heart thrumming against the earth, he heard heavy paws scraping the earth behind. The badger was too big to fit through.
Unsheathing his claws, Thunder heaved himself through the narrowest part of the tunnel, gasping for breath as he scrambled out the other side.
He stopped and pricked his ears. Trembling like prey, he listened as the badger snorted before lumbering away. Thunder’s thoughts began to race. Petal and Snake were at the entrance. A badger blocked this way. There was only one way to go.
He raced back to the split and headed down the other tunnel. Please let it lead to the camp! Ignoring the stale air, he raced through the darkness, fur bristling as he braced every moment to hurtle headlong into a dead end. But the tunnel seemed to open before him like a fern leaf unfurling. It twisted this way and that, but a deep sense in his belly told Thunder that it had to be heading for the hollow. As the ground began to slope up beneath his paws, sharp night air touched his nose. There must be an opening ahead. He kept running until he saw moonlight. He raced for it, bursting out onto grass.
A cool breeze ruffled his fur and he breathed it deep into his chest. Relief washed his pelt. Above, the clouds had cleared and the moon shone, full and bright. He gazed around, searching for familiar markers. The hillside was dappled with heather, gorse, and grass so that it looked like a tortoiseshell’s pelt in the moonlight. But Thunder could still recognize the dark shadow that betrayed the dip where the camp nestled. The hollow! He raced toward it, crossing a swath of grass and plunging through heather. He zigzagged along a rabbit trail and burst out the other side. With a rush of excitement he recognized the heather wall of the camp.
He raced for it and leaped through the gap, skidding to a halt in the clearing.
The eyes of his camp mates swiveled toward him, flashing in the moonlight.
“Thunder!” Lightning Tail jumped up in alarm. But Thunder was heading for Gray Wing’s nest. He had to speak to Pebble Heart.
He stopped at the edge of the nest. Owl Eyes, Sparrow Fur, and Pebble Heart were nestled against Rainswept Flower. They stared at him with bright round eyes.
Thunder looked right at Pebble Heart. “What was your dream?” he demanded.
Rainswept Flower leaped to her paws behind the kits and hissed: “Thunder, what is this about? You’re scaring them!”
Sparrow Fur scanned the shadows behind Thunder. “Where’s Gray Wing?”
“He’s still at the hollow,” Thunder told her quickly, his gaze fixing on Pebble Heart. “What was your dream?” he repeated sharply.
Owl Eyes jumped up and shielded his brother. “Leave him alone!”
“It’s okay.” Pebble Heart nosed Owl Eyes softly aside and hopped out of the nest, meeting Thunder’s eyes. “Did Gray Wing tell you about it?”
“Thunder!” Shattered Ice’s mew sounded across the camp. Frost’s white pelt glowed at the corner of Thunder’s gaze. Paw steps scuffed the grass behind him. The cats were gathering in the clearing.
“Why did you come back alone?” Gorse Fur asked uneasily.
Thunder faced him. “Gray Wing, Tall Shadow, and Jackdaw’s Cry are in trouble.” He searched the anxious gazes of his campmates. Would they be prepared to fight to protect their friends? “I came back to get help.”
“Help?” Gorse Fur murmured.
Cloud Spots slid from beneath the gorse. “What’s the trouble?”
Shattered Ice growled. “I knew Clear Sky couldn’t be trusted.”
“He’s a fox-heart,” Frost hissed bitterly.
Thunder turned to Pebble Heart. “I must know what your dream was about.” He lowered his voice as the moor cats murmured behind him.
Pebble Heart gazed at him solemnly. “I saw a fight beneath a great rock,” he breathed.
“How did it end?” Thunder ignored the panic throbbing through his chest.
Pebble Heart blinked at him. “I don’t know.” Confusion clouded the young cat’s gaze. “It didn’t make sense.”
Thunder flicked his tail in frustration.
“I’m sorry,” Pebble Heart mewed.
“It’s not your fault.” Thunder turned away. There wasn’t time to worry—he needed to act. He leaped onto the flat rock. The smooth stone felt strange beneath his paws. This was Tall Shadow’s place, not his. But Tall Shadow wasn’t here.
He gazed down at the moor cats. “Clear Sky has betrayed us!”
Shattered Ice flattened his ears. “I told you—”
Thunder cut him off. “He brought his cats with him. Too many to count. Rogues and loners I’ve never seen before. Tall Shadow, Gray Wing, and Jackdaw’s Cry are stranded on the great rock in the hollow. I don’t know how long they can hold Clear Sky’s cats off. I’m going back to help them. Who will come with me?”
Gorse Fur stepped forward, chin high. “I will!”
“Me too!” Shattered Ice stood beside his friend.
“I’m coming!” Lightning Tail lashed his tail.
“So am I!” Frost’s blue eyes sparkled like ice. “If there’s a fight with Clear Sky, I want to be part of it!”
Acorn Fur paced beside him. “We’ll all go!” she yowled.
Thunder shook his head. “Someone must stay with Wind Runner and the kits.” He could hear mewling from Wind Runner’s nest in the long grass. He narrowed his eyes, waiting for someone to offer to remain in the camp.
Rainswept Flower met his gaze wordlessly. Jagged Peak stepped from the shadows, his face grim with determination. Dappled Pelt joined Cloud Spots and stared at Thunder, unflinching.
Pride surged beneath Thunder’s pelt—every cat wanted to fight for their friends. “You are brave,” he yowled. “And I’m honored to fight beside you, but someone must stay behind.” What if the battle ended in death? He pictured Owl Eyes, Pebble Heart, and Sparrow Fur trying to comfort Wind Runner and her kits as they waited in vain for someone to come home. Wind Runner couldn’t hunt for them all. “Jagged Peak.” He stared at the lame tom. “You’ll be more use here.”
Jagged Peak glared back at him stubbornly. “But I want to fight!”