A roaring like a gale sweeping through the forest rose in Gray Wing’s ears, until he could no longer hear Turtle Tail’s words. His vision began to fade, and he was faintly aware of his body collapsing to the ground.
The world shrank to a tiny dot of light and then winked out.
Chapter 23
Thunder padded through the undergrowth, following Frost and Petal as they patrolled the boundaries of Clear Sky’s territory. Clouds covered the patches of sky he could see through the trees. The air was damp and chilly, and the ground soggy underpaw; he winced at the cold touch of water on his pads.
He felt more comfortable with Frost and Petal than with most of Clear Sky’s other cats. But the other cats’ caution had had an effect on Thunder—now he didn’t know who to trust, either.
He couldn’t help feeling sorry for Frost, who was still limping from when he trod on a burning branch during the forest fire. The injury wasn’t healing as it should, and there was always a layer of pain in the white tom’s eyes.
As they did so often now, Thunder’s thoughts strayed back to the camp on the moor and his life with Gray Wing. What would he think if he could see me now? The borders made Clear Sky’s group feel safe and guarded, but Thunder knew how uncomfortable Gray Wing was with these perpetual patrols, and that he thought there was no need to be so rigid about where cats were allowed to hunt.
He had heard stories about Petal’s brother, Fox, who had attacked Gray Wing for trespassing. Gray Wing had defended himself, and Fox had died in the fight. I’m sure Gray Wing wouldn’t have wanted that to happen, Thunder thought.
He felt a sudden impulse to question Petal and Frost about that fight, but he realized how stupid that would be. It’s none of my business. I’d probably get my fur clawed off.
Frost, who was in the lead, halted suddenly at the sound of a scuffling in the undergrowth. Thunder’s pelt began to prickle as he picked up the scent of a strange cat. He thought he ought to recognize it, but he couldn’t remember when he had smelled it before.
“Come out!” Petal called sternly. “We know you’re there.”
There was a moment’s pause before the fern fronds in front of the three cats parted and a skinny tortoiseshell cat stumbled out.
“Bumble!” Thunder exclaimed. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you a kittypet? Shouldn’t you be with your Twolegs?”
“You know this cat?” Petal snapped, looking suspiciously at Thunder.
Oh, mouse dung… now she thinks I’m friends with kittypets! “Er… she just came to our camp on the moor once,” Thunder replied.
“I’m not a kittypet—not anymore.” Bumble drew herself up proudly. “I told the moorland cats that I wasn’t going back to the Twolegplace, and I didn’t. I really didn’t. I’m a wild cat now.”
Thunder couldn’t help noticing that Bumble was much thinner than when she came to the moorland camp to ask to live there. Her ribs were showing, and for all her proud words, the look in her eyes was desperate. And she seemed a bit too insistent that she hadn’t gone back to the Twolegplace. Is she trying to convince us that she’s wild now… or herself? Thunder wondered.
“Wild or not,” Petal mewed tartly, “you can’t be here.”
“That’s right,” Frost added. “You’re trespassing. This is Clear Sky’s territory.”
Bumble hesitated, glancing indignantly from Frost to Petal and back again. “I can go where I want,” she responded, but there was a betraying quiver in her voice.
Frost didn’t reply in words, just slid out his claws and took a threatening step forward. Bumble stood up to him for a couple of heartbeats more, trying to puff her chest out bravely, but when Petal snarled she whipped around and fled.
“Get out and stay out!” Frost yowled as he and Petal raced after her.
Thunder stayed where he was as the other three cats vanished into the undergrowth. For a moment he tracked them by waving fern fronds and a bird that rocketed upward with a shrill alarm call; then all was silent.
I hope they don’t hurt her, he thought apprehensively. Why can’t they just let her go?
A faint, mournful wail drifted to Thunder’s ears, and he recognized Bumble’s voice. It didn’t sound as if she was injured, just frightened and hurt by the cats’ rejection of her.
Moments later, Frost and Petal reappeared. “We won’t have any more trouble from her,” Frost meowed with a satisfied whisk of his tail.
“Right,” Petal agreed. “She’s just a confused kittypet, that’s all; it’s not like she’s going to catch anything. The sooner she goes back to her Twolegs, the better off she’ll be.”
But Thunder couldn’t shake off his anxiety. Bumble is so thin now! “Maybe we could have helped her,” he murmured half to himself.
Petal let out a contemptuous snort. “No cat helped me or my brother when our mother died. We were only kits then.”
“That must have felt very lonely,” Thunder mewed.
Petal’s eyes hardened. “It was lonely, until Clear Sky rescued us. I’ll never stop being grateful for his help. And if supporting him means defending the boundaries with every tooth and claw I’ve got, then that’s what I’ll do. I owe Clear Sky.”
“Let’s keep going,” Frost grunted.
As they headed farther along the border, the clouds began to clear away and the sun peeped through. It was already beginning to dip toward the horizon, casting a reddish light into the forest.
“We’d better get a move on,” Petal murmured, excitement creeping into her voice. “Clear Sky will be starting his meeting soon, and we have to be back in camp.”
Frost’s eyes gleamed. “Yeah, no way I’m missing that. Hey, Thunder, do you know what it’s all about?”
Thunder shook his head. The first he had heard about the meeting was when Clear Sky had announced it that morning.
“Oh, come on,” Petal urged him. “You’re Clear Sky’s son. He must have told you something.”
“No, sorry, he didn’t,” Thunder responded, feeling slightly disappointed that his father hadn’t seen fit to confide in him. “He doesn’t share his secrets with me. We’ll all find out in good time.”
Petal rolled her eyes as if she didn’t entirely believe him, but didn’t question him any further. “What do you think Clear Sky is planning?” she asked Frost.
“Maybe he wants us to expand our boundaries,” Frost suggested. “Wouldn’t it be great to get as far as that hollow with the four oak trees?”
Thunder was horrified. That’s too far away! How would we ever defend that much territory? And what about all the cats who hunt there now? What would they do? But he was careful to hide his reaction from Frost and Petal.
“I don’t think so,” Petal meowed, to Thunder’s relief. “I think it’s more likely that Clear Sky wants to give certain cats more responsibilities.”
“Hmm… maybe.” Frost sounded dubious. “Which of us, do you think?”
Petal’s gaze grew calculating, and Thunder guessed she was considering the possibilities. “Falling Feather and Quick Water have been with Clear Sky from the beginning,” she began. “But Quick Water is such a scaredy-mouse! Always moaning about getting her paws wet. Falling Feather’s okay, I suppose, but there’s nothing special about her.”