Shadowkit blinked at him. “I thought the tunnel had fallen in.”
Dash shook out his pelt. “Tunnels are used to trains. They never fall in,” he promised.
Lightkit wriggled from beneath Cinnamon. “That was exciting!” Her eyes shone.
Pouncekit whisked her tail. “Can we wait for another one? I want to do it again!”
Dovewing blinked at Tigerheart. “Are you okay?” Her fur was bristling with fear.
“I’m fine. How are you?”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to hear properly for days.” Dovewing twitched her ears.
Cinnamon stared after the Thundersnake, her flanks heaving. “That was horrible.”
“I’m putting my paws in my ears next time.” Ant mewed.
“That was bigger than all the monsters I’ve ever seen,” Blaze breathed. He looked at Spire. The skinny tom was still lying on his belly. “Are you hurt?”
Spire lifted his nose from between his paws. “Was it real?”
Blaze stared at him. “Of course it was real. Can’t you smell it?”
The air was thick with acrid Thundersnake stench.
“Come on.” Tigerheart began walking. He wanted to reach fresh air as soon as he could. Air that made his lungs burn couldn’t be good for the kits. He heard the stones crunch as the others hurried after him. Fixing his gaze on the shadows ahead, Tigerheart strained to see daylight.
He lost track of time as he pushed on. The kits stopped talking. Occasionally Ant and Cinnamon murmured something to each other. Dash hurried ahead from time to time, scouting for rats or some sign of the end. Two more Thundersnakes howled past. Shadowkit trembled harder each time, as though each passing reached deeper into his fur. Lightkit and Pouncekit seemed energized by them, their weariness evaporating for a few moments after the roar had subsided.
Spire trailed behind, and Blaze fell back to urge him on. “Come on. We’ll be in the open soon.” The young tom’s mew echoed off the stone walls.
“It feels like we’ve been walking for moons,” Ant mewed grimly. “Are you sure there is an end to this tunnel?”
“It can’t be far now,” Tigerheart told him, trying to sound convincing. Then his eyes blinked as he saw pale light far ahead. Another Thundersnake? He pricked his ears. There was no distant growl. The earth felt still beneath his paws. He tasted the air. Fresher scents than he’d smelled in moons touched his tongue. “We’re nearly there!” His heart soared. He quickened his pace.
Pouncekit hurried ahead, Lightkit at her heels. “I want to see outside.”
“Will we be able to see the lake?” Lightkit asked.
“Not yet.” Tigerheart wondered if he should warn them that the lake was days away.
Shadowkit trotted after his sisters.
Blaze left Spire’s side for the first time and caught up with them. His ginger-and-white pelt was ruffled with excitement. “I’ve never seen outside the city.”
“Nor have I.” Ant sounded excited.
Tigerheart purred, wondering what Ant expected to find.
Cinnamon and Spire padded after them, stumbling a little as the stones shifted beneath their paws.
Dovewing looked at Tigerheart, her eyes shining. There was enough real light now to see the green of her gaze. “We’ve made it out of the city.” She looked at the kits as they hurried ahead, Dash trotting protectively alongside them. She purred loudly. “We’re going to make it back to the lake, aren’t we?” She spoke as though this was the first time she’d believed it.
Tigerheart purred back. “Yes.”
Behind them, Spire was muttering, but Tigerheart couldn’t make out the words. He didn’t care about the strange tom. He just wanted to see the sky. Hurrying, he caught up with the kits, and before long they were padding out of the stinking tunnel into fresh air. A few moments later, Spire followed.
Stars glittered above. A sliver of moon hung between them. The dark sky reached to the horizon, so wide, Tigerheart’s chest seemed to burst with joy. He breathed in the scents of trees and grass. Dew-scented, the landscape stretched before them like a dream.
Shadowkit blinked at it. “Where are the big Twoleg dens?”
Small Twoleg nests crowded the Silverpath. But they nestled low against the ground like prey. The only shapes that tried to reach the stars here were the distant hills.
Lightkit moved closer to Tigerheart as Dovewing, Cinnamon, Spire, and Ant caught up to them. “It’s so big.” She sounded frightened.
“And quiet.” Pouncekit pricked her ears. Only the cry of a distant owl disturbed the peace. “I don’t like it.” She blinked at Tigerheart with wide, frightened eyes.
He leaned down and licked her head. “You’ll get used to it,” he promised.
Dovewing smoothed her tail along Lightkit’s spine. “When you’ve been out of the city for a few days, you’ll realize it’s not so big. And there are plenty of noises. The sound of the wind in the trees is like the rumbling of distant monsters, and the birds chatter like Twolegs.”
“Really?” Lightkit looked hopefully.
“What’s that funny smell?” Pouncekit twitched her nose.
Tigerheart breathed deep the familiar scents of wind and grass. “That’s what fresh air smells like.”
Shadowkit padded along the Silverpath for a few paces, then stopped. He looked up at the stars twinkling overhead. “There are more stars here!” His tail twitched excitedly.
“Wait until we’re far away from the Twoleg nests,” Tigerheart told him. “You’ll see more stars than you could ever dream of.”
Shadowkit blinked at him. “Are those our ancestors?”
Tigerheart nodded solemnly.
Lightkit looked up and frowned. “We have a lot of ancestors.”
Dash shifted beside them. “I’d better head back,” he meowed.
Dovewing met his gaze. “Will you be okay on your own?”
“Yeah.” Dash shook out his fur. “I’ve never been this far, but I’m glad I came.”
“You can come with us,” Dovewing offered suddenly.
Tigerheart looked at her in surprise. Was that a good idea? They would already be bringing four strange cats back to the Clans.
“Thanks,” Dash purred. “But I like city life.”
Tigerheart blinked at him gratefully. “Thank you, Dash. You have the heart of a warrior.”
“I don’t know about that,” Dash twitched his tail, clearly pleased. “But I’ve been glad to help.” He dipped his head. “Good luck to you all.” Pausing to glance at each cat for a moment, he turned and headed into the tunnel.
Tigerheart stretched. It was good to feel the moonlight on his pelt once more. It seemed to wash the stench of the city from his fur. “Let’s find somewhere to make camp for the night.” He looked toward the grassy bank beside the track. Twoleg nests clustered at the top. But a stretch of ground lay beside them, dotted with trees. The bushes around their roots would provide shelter until dawn. They could hunt then and fill their bellies with warm, clean prey before they set off for the lake. He blinked at Dovewing. “We’ll start early tomorrow.”
She stretched her muzzle forward and touched her nose to his cheek. “Yes,” she breathed happily. “Tomorrow we can head home.”
Chapter 29
The moon showed in the late afternoon, pale against a paler sky. It had grown fat in the days they’d been walking. A half-moon had passed, and each dawn brought colder weather. Tigerheart fluffed his fur out against it and looked at Pouncekit, Lightkit, and Shadowkit. They were quiet today, walking close to Dovewing.