“Oops, you got a wet paw!” Half Moon teased.
“I’ll show you wet paws!” Jayfeather growled.
Scooping up some water, he flicked it at her; Half Moon shrieked and ran away. Jayfeather raced after her, losing sight of her for a moment among the clustering columns. Suddenly she darted out at him and they collided. Jayfeather found himself looking into her eyes; they were the lustrous green of forest pools. Her warm fur brushed his.
“The moon’s up,” he meowed, breaking away from her to stand on the edge of a pool. “It must be night outside.”
As his breathing steadied, he became aware of cats moving restlessly in the main cave. Owl Feather’s kits were wailing with hunger. A pang of sadness pierced Jayfeather, sharp as a claw. I can understand why they don’t want to stay here.
“Look!” Half Moon padded up to stand beside him. “You can see the moon in the water.”
Looking into the puddle in front of him, Jayfeather saw a reflection of the tiny new moon, shining down through the hole in the roof. Half Moon couldn’t take her eyes off it.
“It’s so beautiful!” she whispered. “So tiny—just like a claw scratch.”
She dabbed at the surface of the water with one paw, and the moon fluttered like silver wings before settling again as the water stilled. Letting out a faint mrrow of wonder, Half Moon dabbed again and again. However often she disturbed the surface, the moon was still there.
“It doesn’t give up, does it?” Half Moon blinked at Jayfeather. “It’s always there, constant like the stones in this cave. Maybe we should be like the moon’s reflection, holding fast whatever happens?” Padding farther into the cave, she gazed around at the stones again, a new sense of understanding beginning to creep into her eyes. Jayfeather felt his pelt prickle.
“They have been here for so many seasons,” Half Moon murmured. “If we stay, will our descendants survive for as long as these columns of stone?”
Jayfeather jumped to her side. “Yes, they will! I promise.”
Half Moon shot him a look of alarm. “How do you know?”
“I just do,” Jayfeather replied. “Trust me.”
Her green gaze grew warm as she looked into his eyes. “I do trust you. Always.” Jayfeather felt his tail entwining with hers. “I wish the others would trust you too,” Half Moon mewed.
Over her shoulder, Jayfeather spotted movement; he shivered as Rock stepped out from behind a distant column, the moonlight shining on his hairless body. He fixed his bulging eyes on Jayfeather and nodded once.
“Half Moon!”
The sharp voice came from the entrance to the cave. The vision of Rock winked out. Jayfeather and Half Moon broke apart to see Rising Moon standing at the mouth of the tunnel.
“Half Moon, what are you doing here?” Rising Moon gave her daughter a disapproving glare, and her voice was like ice. “Jay’s Wing, Chasing Clouds wants to speak to you. I’ve hunted all over for you.”
Jayfeather dipped his head politely and brushed past her to go out again into the main cavern. Chasing Clouds was lying where Jayfeather had left him, in the shallow scoop of sand. He raised his head as Jayfeather padded up. “You saved my life,” he rasped. “Thank you.”
Jayfeather scuffled the cave floor with his forepaws. “We all played a part,” he mumbled.
“I can’t believe we fought off that bird!” Chasing Clouds’s voice grew stronger, and a gleam of pride appeared in his eyes.
“Well, you did,” Jayfeather told him. “And you could do it again. Any of us could, if we tried hard enough.”
“Not that again!” Rising Moon was close enough to overhear. “It’s too dangerous.”
“She’s right.” Jagged Lightning padded up to the gray-and-white she-cat’s side. “Why should we risk our lives to catch our prey?”
“Because it’s the only way to survive here.” Half Moon faced the older cats. “And if we train properly, we won’t be risking our lives every time.”
Anger flashed in Rising Moon’s eyes. She opened her jaws to retort, but Stone Song interrupted. “Look, we’re all exhausted. This isn’t the right time to be making decisions. Let’s get some sleep and talk about it again tomorrow.”
For a heartbeat Rising Moon and Jagged Lightning looked as if they wanted to argue, but then they turned away and stalked off to the other side of the cave. Stone Song and Half Moon found scoops in the floor, and curled up there, ready to sleep.
Jayfeather hesitated for a heartbeat, then took the few paw steps that brought him to Half Moon’s side. She looked up at him, letting out a warm purr. Lying down beside her felt natural and right. Usually, Jayfeather slept close to a cat only if they were sick enough to be in the medicine cat’s den. Even then, they would be in separate nests.
This is better, Jayfeather thought, yawning as he closed his eyes. Comforting, even without the moss and feathers I’d have in the stone hollow… He could still hear Half Moon’s gentle breathing as he drifted into sleep.
A plaintive wail woke Jayfeather, cutting through the endless thunder of the falls. The gray light that filtered through the screen of falling water was strengthening, and he guessed that outside the sky was growing pale with the approach of dawn. Raising his head, he spotted Owl Feather’s kits at the other side of the cave, pummeling their mother’s belly with tiny paws as they tried to make the milk come.
“I’m sorry, kits,” Owl Feather mewed sadly. “I’ve no more milk for you, because I haven’t had enough to eat.”
The miserable wailing went on. Other cats were stirring too; Dawn River was grooming herself, but most of the others just sat slumped on the cave floor. Jayfeather could feel their despair like a cold, smothering fog.
“We won’t get a chance to go back to the lake,” Whispering Breeze muttered. “This place will kill us first.”
Jagged Lightning heaved himself out of the scoop in the cave floor and padded over to Owl Feather, resting his muzzle briefly on her head. “We have to hunt,” he announced. “I won’t let my kits starve.”
Fish Leap turned toward Jayfeather, beckoning to him with his tail. “Jay’s Wing, what was it you were saying yesterday about hunting in pairs?”
“More than pairs.” Jayfeather scrambled out of his nest and padded across the cavern to join the others. Disturbed by his movement, Half Moon rose to her paws, gave herself a quick stretch, and followed. “We need a whole patrol to protect the hunters,” he went on. “Two or three of the best hunters to catch the prey, and a few of the strongest cats and the best fighters to watch out for attacking birds.”
“You mean fight off birds that can carry a cat into the sky?” Jagged Lightning sounded disbelieving. “I’d like to see that!”
“Oh, no!” Owl Feather looked up, distraught. “They’ll steal my kits!”
“Then the kits mustn’t leave the cave.” Stone Song padded up to join them. “There’s plenty of room here for them to play.”
“And there’s no need to worry,” Dawn River added. “We’re not going to be here that long.”
“But what about the rest of us?” Rising Moon demanded. “Trying to fight birds like that is a mouse-brained idea.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure,” Stone Song responded. “We fought off that bird yesterday. Okay, Chasing Clouds was hurt, but that doesn’t need to happen if we can figure out the best way to defend ourselves.”
Rising Moon let out a disbelieving snort.
“I think we ought to give Jay’s Wing’s idea a try,” Dove’s Wing meowed. “Even if we do decide to go back to the lake, we won’t get far without food in our bellies.”
“But how can we fight birds that big?” Fish Leap asked. “We can’t fly up and attack them in the air.”