“You can’t… ,” he started to interrupt, but his brother quickly spoke over him.
“Don’t you see, young one?” Clear Sky’s voice was smooth, persuasive. “I wanted to see if you could survive without me. You did. So now is the time for us to grow together. I did all of that for you.”
I’ve heard some twisted arguments in my time… , Gray Wing thought. The father who rejected Thunder was convincing the young cat that he had been spurned out of love.
Thunder stretched out his neck as if to give Clear Sky an affectionate nuzzle, then stopped short, clearly uncertain whether Clear Sky would appreciate the gesture. Gray Wing himself wasn’t sure. But Thunder’s agreement was obvious. Gray Wing had no chance of standing between the young cat and his father. The decision had been made. Clear Sky looked over at Gray Wing, and he could see the challenge in his brother’s eyes—it was a challenge he wasn’t ready to meet.
Thunder will be leaving soon. All I can do is prepare him.
Chapter 15
“Let all cats gather around to listen!” Tall Shadow yowled.
She stood on her rock, outlined against a scarlet sky as the sun went down over the moor. The day after the fire was drawing to an end.
Following his confrontation with Thunder and Clear Sky, exhaustion had overwhelmed Gray Wing; he had stumbled into his nest and slept for most of the day.
When he awoke he discovered that Rainswept Flower and Shattered Ice had made an expedition with Petal and Quick Water to find out the full extent of the damage in the forest. They reported back that Twolegs with bright pelts and gleaming monsters had wrestled the fire into submission; it was safe there now, though devastation stretched in all directions, and the smell of burning still lingered.
Cloud Spots and Dappled Pelt had headed for the river, bringing back bundles of herbs from the waterside. Cats had been out to hunt; life was gradually returning to normal.
As the cats gathered around the rock now to hear what Tall Shadow had to say, Gray Wing noticed that they were still divided into two groups: the forest cats and the moorland cats. His heart sank to realize it, especially when he spotted Thunder close beside Clear Sky.
“Every cat knows what happened last night in the fire,” Tall Shadow continued. “I didn’t behave as a leader should. And now, with my brother so badly injured, I don’t have the time or the strength to carry on.”
Gray Wing winced as he realized what she was about to say. He had expected some kind of announcement, but he still shrank from being singled out.
Tall Shadow glanced around the assembled cats. “I thank all of you for the support you have given me,” she went on. Or not, Gray Wing thought, with a glance at Shattered Ice and Jackdaw’s Cry, whose eyes were fixed on Tall Shadow with intense interest.
“Now Gray Wing will be your leader,” the black she-cat finished, and immediately leaped down to sit beside Moon Shadow.
A chorus of surprise and approval rose up from the crowd of cats. Glancing around, Gray Wing realized that Clear Sky’s cats looked particularly astonished. Strange that she would announce this in front of them… but I suppose she has her reasons. And he sensed he wouldn’t have long to ponder those reasons.
A tail swiped Gray Wing across the shoulder, and he turned to see Shattered Ice standing beside him. “About time, too,” the white tom meowed. “Congratulations.”
“Yeah, you’ll be a great leader,” Jackdaw’s Cry added from where he stood at Shattered Ice’s shoulder.
Glancing past him, Gray Wing spotted Turtle Tail gazing at him from the mouth of her den, where she was sitting with her kits. Her eyes were shining with admiration.
Gray Wing could feel himself calming, until he turned and found himself face-to-face with Clear Sky. He braced himself for another argument, but Clear Sky gave him a nod and mewed, “You’ll perform well, Gray Wing.”
“Thanks.” Gray Wing relaxed again; his brother’s tone couldn’t be called friendly, but it wasn’t hostile either. “That means a lot to me. Maybe our two groups can work together more closely now?”
He held his breath, waiting to hear how Clear Sky would respond. The other cat dipped his head.
“Maybe,” he said, his tone impossible to read. He shook himself. “It’s time we were leaving. Good luck with everything and thank you.”
The forest cats were beginning to gather around his brother, ready for the trek across the moor. This was a surprise. Gray Wing had thought it would take several moons for the forest cats to even think about going back to their ruined home.
“Do you have to go so soon?” he asked. “Wouldn’t it be better to stay with us, until the forest has healed itself?”
Clear Sky shook his head. “The forest is where we belong,” he said. “Nothing can keep us away.” Then he raised his voice so all the cats around could hear him. “We thank you for helping us last night,” he meowed, “and for the hospitality of your camp.” He glanced around until he spotted Jagged Peak. “I especially want to thank you, Jagged Peak. You did so much to make us feel welcome.”
Jagged Peak gazed at him in silence for a moment, then turned his head away.
“Now we have to go and see what’s left of our home,” Clear Sky went on. Quietly he added to Gray Wing, “I want a word with you in private.”
Gray Wing had a horrible feeling that he knew what this conversation would be about. “Okay,” he murmured.
Clear Sky led the way up the slope and out onto the moor, halting a few tail-lengths away from the hollow. “I hope you won’t take this the wrong way,” he began, “but the fire has changed things.”
“I know,” Gray Wing responded. “Even though you’re leaving, I hope we can see more of each other now.” He was trying to sound enthusiastic. He couldn’t see why it would be so terrible for the two groups to work more closely together. It would be the end of so many tensions. And I’d get to see Thunder more often.…
“I have to be honest,” Clear Sky mewed gently. “I doubt we’ll be seeing more of each other. I need to prepare for whatever challenges the future holds, and you should do the same, Gray Wing. You’re the leader now. Or is that Tall Shadow? Or that rogue… what is she calling herself these days… Wind? I hear she’s a cat with leadership gifts. It’s so difficult to make sense of who is leading your cats these days.”
The shock of Clear Sky’s words hit Gray Wing in the face. He was being so cruel and mocking, when their camp had given him a place to rest last night! How could he behave this way? “What are you implying?” Gray Wing growled.
“Nothing,” Clear Sky meowed, his eyes widening with innocence. “Only maybe your group needs to be a bit more… organized.”
If this had been any other cat, Gray Wing would have given him a swift cuff around the ear. But Clear Sky is my brother, he thought, forcing himself to be calm, and digging his claws into the ground to stop himself raking them across the gray tom’s pelt. What will it look like if I start a fight in the hollow?
“I don’t think you have the right to tell us how to organize ourselves,” he said stiffly. “We were organized enough to save your lives!”
Clear Sky nodded. “True enough. Dangers are all around, and I have to concentrate on making sure my cats are safe now, and back in their rightful home.”
Gray Wing felt his neck fur begin to bristle at Clear Sky’s use of the word rightful. It was harder than ever not to lose his temper. We’re just mountain cats who left our birth home to find somewhere we could live more easily. Clear Sky and his cats had no more right to the forest than Gray Wing and his group had rights over the moor. These are simply the places we’ve chosen to settle. But he didn’t want to see Clear Sky leave on the back of a quarrel.