His paws felt heavier than rocks as he dragged himself up the slope, but when he reached the lip of the hollow he spotted Thunder padding up to Clear Sky. Gray Wing lowered himself to the ground and watched.
Thunder sat down beside Clear Sky with a respectful dip of his head.
Clear Sky turned to look down at him. “I heard about how you took the lead in the forest fire,” he meowed. “The way you showed the other cats how to leap over the flames. You should be proud.”
Thunder’s eyes glowed as he gazed up at his father. “Any cat would have done the same,” he responded.
“No. You were the cat who did it. And you hunted well, too—I enjoyed being with you.”
Gray Wing noticed that Jagged Peak was trying to join the other two cats, creeping up slowly and keeping low to the ground.
Clear Sky spotted his younger brother, too, and whipped around to face him. Jagged Peak jumped, startled.
“And you? What have you done to prove yourself?” Clear Sky demanded, scorn in his voice and eyes. “Well,” he added sneeringly, “you survived. That’s as much as you can do, now.”
Jagged Peak’s shoulder fur bristled. “Actually,” he began, “I was responsible for looking after the camp and the cats who—”
“So you stayed behind, where it was safe,” Clear Sky interrupted.
Gray Wing couldn’t ignore that. He sprang to his paws and padded up to the group. “Jagged Peak is being really useful,” he mewed sharply. “Injured leg or no injured leg. He protected the cats who stayed in the hollow, and in case you didn’t notice, he did an excellent job of welcoming your cats into our camp. We need him, Clear Sky.”
Turning toward Jagged Peak, Clear Sky gave him a long look from intense blue eyes. “I’m sorry,” he told the young cat. “I take back what I said.”
But Jagged Peak’s gaze was still full of pain and anger. “It’s too late!” he spat. “You clearly think I’m a waste of space. Why else would you have thrown me out of the forest? And now that I’m beginning to prove myself, you need Gray Wing to tell you what I’ve done.” He shook his head. “Will I ever be good enough?”
“I told you I’m sorry… ,” Clear Sky began.
But Jagged Peak wasn’t listening. Turning his back on Clear Sky, he limped away to join Rainswept Flower.
Clear Sky let out a sigh as he watched him, then turned to meet Gray Wing’s gaze. “I didn’t mean…” His voice trailed off.
Gray Wing twitched his whiskers in exasperation. “You never do mean anything, do you, Clear Sky?”
“I’m just trying to do my best for every cat!” Clear Sky protested, instantly defensive.
“By humiliating your brother?”
Thunder was watching the two of them, drinking in every word. Gray Wing couldn’t help feeling glad that the young cat was seeing firsthand that Clear Sky wasn’t perfect. But even thinking that made Gray Wing squirm with discomfort. Why do I care so much? Why shouldn’t Thunder be happily reunited with his father?
“Well, I can’t help it!” Clear Sky snapped, his neck fur beginning to rise. “It’s not my fault Jagged Peak fell out of that tree. Every cat has to contribute, and weak cats just don’t count.” He gave a single lash of his tail. “It’s about survival!”
Gray Wing dug his claws into the ground. “We’re all doing a pretty good job of surviving,” he pointed out, forcing himself to sound calm. “There’s enough prey here for every cat. Stoneteller was right to tell us to leave the mountains; I can see that now. You need to let yourself relax a little bit. We’ve done what we set out to do. This is the time to enjoy it.”
“Okay, we’ve survived for now,” Clear Sky meowed. “But who knows what tomorrow brings? We have to be prepared—always.”
As he finished speaking, Clear Sky turned his attention to Thunder. His eyes were full of approval. Gray Wing tried desperately not to feel his heart sink as he saw how close the two cats were becoming. I allowed them to discover each other. I even encouraged it.
“You’re growing up into a brave and tactical fighter,” Clear Sky meowed approvingly, touching Thunder’s shoulder with the tip of his tail. “I like that in a cat. Storm was brave, too. It’s good to see that quality in her son.”
Thunder’s eyes sparkled, all his attention on Clear Sky. “Tell me more about my mother,” he begged.
“All in good time,” Clear Sky responded. He seemed to hesitate, before asking: “How would you feel about coming to live in the forest with me?”
“No!” Gray Wing protested, but neither cat was listening to him.
Thunder gazed wide-eyed at his father. “Do you mean it?”
“Of course,” Clear Sky told him. “Who wouldn’t want a fearless young cat in their group? You’ll be an asset.”
“Thunder,” Gray Wing began hesitantly, “you still have a lot of growing up to do. Maybe you can make this decision when you’re a bit older.” He couldn’t help the anger that was churning inside him. Thunder would have died on the moor as a kit, if it hadn’t been for him!
Thunder turned to look at him. “I’m not a kit anymore,” he mewed.
“Well, Thunder?” Clear Sky asked, before Gray Wing could speak. “Are you coming into the forest with me, or staying here in the hollow with the other kits?”
Gray Wing’s pelt prickled all over as he waited for Thunder’s reply.
The young cat hesitated for a moment, his eyes troubled. “Is that true, what you said?” he asked Clear Sky eventually. “That we don’t know what tomorrow brings?”
Clear Sky glanced across at Gray Wing, almost as if he was asking permission, but Gray Wing didn’t respond, not even to twitch a whisker.
“Yes, I truly meant that,” Clear Sky eventually replied. “There’s food and comfort now, but no cat knows how things might change. What about your skirmish with the dogs?”
Thunder gaped in astonishment. “How do you know about that?”
“I have friends all over the place,” Clear Sky meowed. “Rumors have a way of reaching me. You did have trouble with some dogs, didn’t you?”
Thunder nodded. “It was scary,” he admitted with a shiver. “But I survived! We all did.”
“Yes, you’re clearly a survivor.” Clear Sky’s voice was filled with approval. “And you need to help other cats to be the same. Thunder, I would like you to join my group. Troubled times lie ahead of us, and the more strong cats I have by my side, the safer we’ll all be.”
Gray Wing had to clamp his jaws shut to stop himself from interfering. Why is Clear Sky playing these games with Thunder, talking about survival and making him think back to the dog attack? Any cat would think we were still up in the mountains, starving to death, terrified for our lives. Clear Sky can say what he likes, but we are safe and well fed here, most of the time.
Though his tail lashed angrily, Gray Wing managed to keep silent. This has to be Thunder’s choice. He accused me of not knowing what’s best for him. Well, not this time.
He was relieved to see that Thunder still looked anxious as he peered up at Clear Sky. “There’s just one thing… ,” he mewed uncertainly. “When I was a kit, you didn’t want me. You sent me away. If it wasn’t for Gray Wing, I might not be alive now.”
At first Gray Wing thought his brother wouldn’t have an answer for that, but Clear Sky seemed unworried. “Congratulations on passing the test,” he purred.
Thunder looked bewildered. “What test?”
No, Gray Wing thought, as understanding dawned. Clear Sky has to be kidding. Was he really going to try and pretend that this had all been part of a bigger plan?