Wind Runner flashed him a look. “Slate says that Fern refuses to go into the warren.”
“So does Minnow,” Gray Wing reminded her. “Not every cat likes to hunt underground.”
Wind Runner ignored him. “And Minnow tells me Willow keeps getting lost in the heather. Every time she goes missing, we have to stop the hunt and send someone to find her.”
“Their trainers are working with them. Willow will learn the trails soon—”
Wind Runner cut him off. “Bee is the worst,” she snapped. “At least Fern and Willow are trying.
Reed tries to be nice, but I can see that Bee is lazy. She thinks being part of a group means having prey dropped at your paws. She doesn’t realize that the group only works if it works together.”
Tall Shadow nodded. “Juniper and Raven hunt, but only together. They won’t work with Jagged Peak and Holly, who are meant to train them. Even when I send them on a patrol with others, they go off by themselves.”
Clear Sky frowned. “They share their catch, though?” Worry wormed beneath his pelt. Were Slash’s campmates going to undermine the hard-won unity of the groups?
“They add what they catch to the prey pile,” Tall Shadow conceded. “But they eat by themselves, and they’ve made a nest as far from the others as they can.”
“It’s hardly surprising.” Thunder whisked his tail. “I saw what it was like in Slash’s camp. Slash starved his campmates. He ordered them to hurt one another. It will take a while for these rogues to trust that we are kinder.”
Leaf narrowed his eyes. “Is that why Ember goes hunting by himself?”
Thunder glanced at his campmate. “He doesn’t feel comfortable in a patrol yet,” he mewed defensively. And he won’t work with Cloud Spots at all, he added silently, remembering the tom’s refusal to be trained in the ways of the group.
Leaf grunted. “And he eats what he catches outside camp. I’ve never seen him add anything to the prey pile.”
Wind Runner shifted her paws. “These rogues live by a different code. They’ll never learn to live by ours. We share what we catch and we take care of one another. They don’t seem to understand that loyalty and sharing make us strong.”
Gray Wing raised his gaze to the star-specked sky. “We must be patient,” he murmured.
“Remember how long it took us to learn to work together. It’s only been a quarter moon since the rogues joined us. We must give them time.”
Warmth surged beneath Clear Sky’s pelt as he realized his brother was right. How kind and patient Gray Wing was.
Gray Wing went on. “Don’t forget, we’ve taken in new cats before,” he meowed. “You were a loner once, Wind Runner.” He dipped his head respectfully to the moor cat. “And you, Blossom.”
Clear Sky’s gaze flicked to the tortoiseshell. Surely they must remember what it was like to adjust to group life?
Leaf’s gaze glittered impatiently. “We may have been loners once, but we never hung out with cats like Slash. It’s hard to trust any cat who chose someone like that as a leader.”
Tall Shadow returned the forest cat’s gaze grimly. “It’s harder to trust cats who were thieves less than a moon ago.”
“Cats can change.” Clear Sky lifted his chin. Loving Star Flower and his kits had made him a different cat. She was One Eye’s daughter, and yet she was as good and loyal as any cat he knew.
Where a cat came from did not have to define who they now were. Surely kindness would change the rogues? “We should not judge them on what they used to do, but on what they decide to do now.”
Wind Runner snorted. “That’s easy for you to say, Clear Sky. You didn’t take in any of Slash’s cats.”
“I told you,” Clear Sky said, defending himself, “we had too many mouths to feed already.
Besides, it’s not like I’ve never taken in rogues.”
Leaf flattened an ear. “Like One Eye?” he muttered dryly.
Clear Sky fought back irritation. Would they ever let him forget his mistake? Would they have been able to predict how cruel and greedy One Eye would become? “Most of the time it turns out fine!” He nodded toward Blossom. “Blossom is a great campmate. Thorn, Nettle, Birch, and Alder are as loyal as any camp-born cat.”
Blossom puffed out her chest. “Our new campmate, Red, is a good hunter. He catches far more than he eats, and I trust him as much as any cat.”
Gray Wing blinked, surprise flashing in his eyes.
Thunder’s ears pricked. “Did you say Red?”
Clear Sky’s pelt pricked along his spine. “Yes,” he answered uneasily. “Why?”
Gray Wing blinked at them. “Red was one of Slash’s rogues.”
Shock flashed through Clear Sky’s pelt. He stared at Blossom. “Did you know that?”
She shook her head. “Red just said he’d been chased by dogs and needed somewhere safe to stay.
I thought he was from Twolegplace.”
Wind Runner’s eyes sparked with interest. “He lied to you.”
“He didn’t lie.” Clear Sky’s hackles lifted. “He never said he was from Twolegplace. Just that the dogs had chased him from there. We assumed it was his home.”
“And he didn’t correct you.” The moor cat padded closer. “Do you still trust him now?” Her gaze bored into Clear Sky’s.
Clear Sky looked away, anxiety pricking in his paws. He understood why Red had misled him.
The rogue must have guessed he’d be turned away if he confessed to being Slash’s campmate. And yet
Red had misled him. Was that trustworthy behavior?
River Ripple got to his paws. “It’s not surprising we are wary of our new campmates,” he meowed. “They have tried to hurt us in the past. But every cat makes mistakes. We all know how ruthless Slash is. He let Fern’s sister die. Can any of you be sure that, faced with such cruelty, you’d refuse to do something you’d regret?”
Wind Runner curled her lip. “I’d never steal!”
“Never? Not even to protect your kits?” Tall Shadow narrowed her eyes.
Clear Sky saw Gray Wing’s gaze flash toward him. “River Ripple is right,” Clear Sky meowed.
“When we’re frightened or angry, we make mistakes. But among good friends, we find the best in ourselves. Just being in the groups will change these rogues. I’m sure of it.”
But even as he spoke, his thoughts flicked to Red. He’d left the rogue in the camp. Fear prickled through his fur. A rogue was in the camp with his kits! He fought the urge to race home. He reminded himself of his own words: Thorn, Nettle, Birch, and Alder are as loyal as any camp-born cat. And yet panic sparked in his belly. What if Red was like One Eye? What if he turned the group against him? Would he drive him out? Would he harm Tiny Branch, Flower Foot, and Dew Petal?
“Clear Sky?” Gray Wing was staring at him anxiously. “Are you okay?”
Wind Runner interrupted before Clear Sky could answer. “He’s suddenly realized what it feels like to live with your enemy.”
Anger flared in Gray Wing’s eyes. “These cats asked us for help!” He glared at Wind Runner. “So what if they hate rabbit burrows, or get lost in the heather.” His glaze flashed to Leaf. “It might take a while before they feel like hunting in patrols or making nests beside cats they hardly know.” He turned to Tall Shadow. “They asked us for help, and if we think we are so much better than they are, we should set an example and help them!”
River Ripple lifted his chin. “We can earn these cats’ trust by trusting them. They came to us seeking safety, and we have given them that. Surely they will return our kindness with kindness of their own?”