There was no time to respond to Rainswept Flower’s brave offer. Thunder stayed by Jackdaw’s Cry’s side as he pelted forward and plunged into the flames, squeezing his eyes tight shut. Heat flashed around him for a heartbeat; then he was through, almost stumbling over Moon Shadow, who was crouching on the last untouched piece of ground, whimpering as sparks showered down onto his fur.
Jackdaw’s Cry gave him a nudge. “On your paws,” he meowed. “You’re going to walk through the fire. Thunder and I will stay on either side of you, so the flames can’t get at you.”
Moon Shadow looked up at him, his eyes glazed with terror, reflecting the red of the fire. Thunder wasn’t sure if he understood what he had to do, but he struggled to his paws.
Together, with Moon Shadow between Jackdaw’s Cry and Thunder, the three cats faced the flames again. “Now!” Jackdaw’s Cry rasped.
He and Thunder sprang forward, half pushing, half carrying Moon Shadow. Thunder flinched as he felt the heat, but forced himself to keep moving. His pelt was drying now; he picked up the scent of scorched fur, and sharp pain shot through his pads.
Then, somehow, they were on the other side. Thunder and Jackdaw’s Cry let Moon Shadow sink to the ground; Cloud Spots and Dappled Pelt hurried up to examine him.
“Quick!” River Ripple meowed to Jackdaw’s Cry and Thunder. “Soak yourselves again—there are sparks in your fur!”
Jackdaw’s Cry launched himself into the stream; there was a hiss, and steam rose from his pelt. Thunder saw flames licking at his own fur and bounded over to join him, thankful this time for the icy shock.
“We did it!” he exclaimed, up to his belly in water.
Jackdaw’s Cry flicked his tail. “Are we amazing or what?” he asked.
Suddenly feeling exhausted, Thunder shivered as he crawled up the bank. His pelt was clinging to him, but he couldn’t feel any more pain. He padded over to Gray Wing, who was still curled up and struggling to breathe.
“Are you okay?” he asked anxiously. “There’s a burnt patch on your rear paw—”
“I’m fine,” Gray Wing interrupted, his voice a rough whisper. “I’m not badly hurt, and my fur will soon grow back. You don’t need to fuss.”
Thunder flinched at Gray Wing’s sharp tone. Didn’t he see how brave I was? Looking around he saw that the patch of forest where they were gathered wasn’t burning yet, but they needed to get farther away from the flames.
He realized that River Ripple was still watching, and turned to him. “Thank you for helping us,” he meowed. “Now, how do we get out of here?”
Chapter 12
Gray Wing watched through a haze of pain as Thunder and River Ripple talked together. His hind paws hurt more than any injury he had ever felt, and it took all his courage not to let the other cats see his pain or the trouble he had breathing.
What hurt even more was that Thunder—barely more than a kit—had taken the lead to save his denmates. These cats wanted me to be their leader—and I couldn’t get them out of the fire. Instead I was the cat who led them into danger! He knew too that if Thunder hadn’t spurred him on, he would never have found the courage to jump. Thunder saved my life.
Gray Wing remembered how Thunder had rebelled and said that he didn’t need Gray Wing to watch over him. He’s certainly getting his wish now…
At last Gray Wing could manage to breathe, though he still felt as if he had swallowed fire. He couldn’t understand how he could be in so much pain on the inside, where the flames had never touched him. Struggling to his paws, he opened his jaws to speak to the other cats, when River Ripple forestalled him.
“Not every cat would find it in him to jump over fire,” the silver-furred tom meowed. “Most of them would panic until it was too late.”
Gray Wing winced at River Ripple’s words: they came a bit too close to home for his liking.
“It’s good to see you again, Gray Wing,” River Ripple continued, as calm as he had been the day they had met by the river.
“My name is Tall Shadow.” The black she-cat shouldered her way to the front. “I’m the leader of these cats. Thank you for your help.”
She was trying to sound in control, but her voice was shaking and Gray Wing could tell that she was almost overcome by emotion.
“Can you really get us out of here?” she asked River Ripple.
“Certainly,” the silver tom assured her. “I can show you the way out of the fire and back to your hollow, but you have to trust me.”
He turned away and padded to the bank of the stream.
Tall Shadow stared after him. “Are you birdbrained?” she asked. “We’re not all going to be able to swim the stream. Cats don’t like water. Jackdaw’s Cry and Thunder only went in because they had no choice.”
Gray Wing winced at her sharp tone, when River Ripple was only trying to help. But he recognized how stressed she was, and besides, he had to admit she was right. Just here the stream was wide, swirling into pools; he couldn’t see how deep it was. He didn’t feel like plunging into it, injured as he was, and Moon Shadow was certainly too weak to manage it.
River Ripple didn’t respond to Tall Shadow. Instead he padded down the bank and out into the stream. The ripples swirled around him, barely covering his paws.
Gray Wing let out a gasp, and Thunder exclaimed, “You’re walking on the water!”
River Ripple turned back; in the light of the flames Gray Wing could see a gleam of amusement in his eyes. “No, I’m not,” he replied. “I’m walking on rocks and stones just below the surface. They’ll hold any cat’s weight.”
Gray Wing tried to clear his throat. “I’m sorry,” he croaked, “but I can’t go yet. I’m sorry I led the rest of you into danger, but the whole reason I came here was to look for Clear Sky—he’s my brother,” he added to River Ripple.
The silver tom gave him a long, hard stare. “You think that Clear Sky can’t look after himself and his cats?”
Gray Wing hesitated. “Well… he can,” he admitted. “Clear Sky’s excellent at surviving.”
River Ripple’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, yes, he’s very good at that.”
Suddenly the air was full of tension that had nothing to do with the encroaching fire. Have I been really stupid? Gray Wing asked himself. Have I been utterly reckless, leading my denmates toward the fire in the first place? Have we risked our lives for nothing?
River Ripple returned to the bank and padded up to Gray Wing. “Your leader is struggling,” he murmured. “Your spirit is strong, and now you need to be strong for every cat.” Glancing around, he added in a louder voice, “First we need to get you all to safety. Then we can think about helping Clear Sky and his group—if they need helping.”
“Right,” Gray Wing agreed. Relief and gratitude surged through him that River Ripple had presented him with a clear plan. “Let’s do that.”
As River Ripple led the way down the bank of the stream, Gray Wing tried to control a fresh bout of coughing that threatened to explode out of him. We’re still in danger. I don’t have time to be ill. Suddenly a terrible thought came over him: What if the fire spreads to the moor? His heart pounded at the thought of flames encroaching on their camp, the others yowling in fright… He struggled to take a breath and calm himself. Right now, we need to get out of danger. Then I’ll have time to worry about what the fire might do next.
Cautiously the cats formed a line, with River Ripple in the lead to show them where to put their paws. One by one they stepped onto the rocks in the river, picking their way along.