Moonlight purred, as though she thought the question was funny. “I liked him. But Jack’s an everkit—a den-bound cat. He was fun to be around, and handsome. And I was ready to have another litter. But my life is with my Sisters.”
Squirrelflight’s heart suddenly ached for the litter she dreamed of. “Will you see him again?”
“I’ll visit the barn where he lives and show him his kits when they’re old enough to travel,” Moonlight told her. “They may want to know him, and they might even choose to live near him when they’re old enough to leave our group. We let our young decide how they want to live. Not every cat wants a life like ours..”
As she spoke, Creek and Snow pushed through the ferns at the entrance, dragging long vines behind them. They dropped them beside the birthing den, and Stone took one inside while Moonlight fetched more for the wall. Squirrelflight noticed how peacefully the cats worked, quietly helping one another until Sunrise and Furze padded into camp carrying prey.
As the sun set, the Sisters finished their work and then settled around the clearing to eat. Moonlight pushed a young rabbit toward Squirrelflight and glanced at the purple sky, where stars were beginning to show. “Look.”
Squirrelflight followed her gaze toward a patch of stars that seemed to stretch in a line toward the horizon.
“The Claw Stars are pointing toward the sunset.” Moonlight glanced across the clearing to where Grass and Stone sat close to their mother, sharing a squirrel. “It is a good night for our sons to begin their wandering.”
“Tonight?” Squirrelflight’s heart ached as she saw Tempest nudge Grass fondly and tear off a strip of flesh for Stone. “Does Tempest know?”
“She’ll have seen the stars by now,” Moonlight told her matter-of-factly. The gray she-cat padded to join Tempest and the toms.
Squirrelflight carried the rabbit to Leafstar and laid it down before her. The SkyClan leader was dozing, her muzzle resting on the grass. She lifted her head sleepily as Squirrelflight sat beside her, and blinked at the rabbit. “Is the den ready?”
“Not yet, but we made good progress.” Squirrelflight looked at the half-finished den. “We can weave in the rest of the vines tomorrow. I might suggest that they lay a branch across the entrance to stop the kits from getting out.”
Leafstar pushed herself into a sitting position and sniffed the rabbit. “You sound so at home here. Are you planning to stay?” She eyed Squirrelflight accusingly.
“No, of course not.” Squirrelflight lifted her chin. “But I might as well make myself useful while I’m here.”
“Don’t make yourself too useful,” Leafstar grunted. “They might decide to keep you forever.”
Squirrelflight tore a hunk of rabbit from the carcass and settled down to eat it. The Sisters had a good life here, but she missed her Clanmates. She wondered what it was like to live without the warrior code. The Sisters had a code of their own, but it seemed very loose. Cats were allowed to come and go as they pleased, and she wondered what stopped the group falling apart, especially when they faced the hardships of sickness or hunger.
The shadows deepened as she ate, and the moon rose into a star-speckled sky. Moonlight got to her paws. Wordlessly, she headed toward the camp entrance. The rest of the group followed her, Grass and Stone padding close to their mother.
Furze stopped beside Squirrelflight. “Moonlight says you’re to go with them.” She glanced at Leafstar’s injured leg. “She can stay here with me.”
Squirrelflight looked at Leafstar. “Grass and Stone are leaving. They’re going to say good-bye,” she told her. “Will you be all right here by yourself?”
Leafstar sniffed. “I won’t be by myself. I’ll have Furze to keep me company.” She sounded unimpressed, but Furze didn’t seem to take offence. Instead she sat down beside the SkyClan leader and sniffed at the rabbit’s remains.
“Do you mind if I take a bite?” she asked Leafstar.
“Sure.” Leafstar shrugged.
Squirrelflight left them and hurried after the others. Sunrise was waiting for her as she pushed through the ferns at the entrance to the camp. “Which way did they go?” Squirrelflight gazed up the slope rising ahead. Bushes hid whatever path the Sisters had taken.
“Follow me.” Sunrise ducked beneath a gorse bush and led Squirrelflight up a winding trail through the undergrowth. Squirrelflight could smell the Sisters’ paw prints on the grass, fresher with each step, until she glimpsed Snow’s tail flicking away through a swath of bracken ahead. Sunrise quickened her pace and Squirrelflight followed, pushing past the ferns, surprised when she broke into the open to find that they’d reached the top of the hill.
The Sisters were lined along the crest, gazing at the land beyond. The starlit sky stretched over hill after hill, rolling away to the mountains. Grass and Stone stared into the distance, their pelts ruffled by the wind. As they looked back at the Sisters, Squirrelflight could see excitement glittering in their eyes. Were they glad to be leaving? Slowly, the Sisters gathered in a circle around them. Moonlight padded toward them and touched her nose to Grass’s ear and then Stone’s. “I wish you well,” she murmured.
Snow took her place as Moonlight returned to the circle, nuzzling each tom fondly before stepping away. One by one, the Sisters said good-bye to the toms. Squirrelflight’s throat tightened as Tempest approached them. Grief glittered in the tabby’s eyes as she pressed her muzzle to Grass’s cheek. “Take care of yourself,” she whispered. Then she turned to Stone. “Be happy.”
Stone’s eyes shone with sadness, and he ran his nose along his mother’s cheek. “We will always remember you.” He pulled away and glanced at Grass. They seemed to share a moment of understanding, then blinked and looked away.
Tempest padded back to join her Sisters. Hawk and Snow pressed either side of her as Moonlight dipped her head to the young toms. “This is the beginning of your great adventure,” the gray she-cat told them. “You must walk through the night, never looking back, and at dawn you will have left your kithood behind and become true toms. May the ancestors who walk the land find you and give you guidance.”
Stone dipped his head. “Thank you, Mother.”
Grass shifted his paws, seeming suddenly uncertain.
“Wander in peace,” Moonlight meowed.
The Sisters raised their voices to the sky. “Wander in peace.”
They moved, opening the circle they’d made, and Stone and Grass padded away, following the slope of the hill down into the next valley.
Squirrelflight glanced back over her shoulder. She wondered if she could ever give up the toms in her life. No. From here she could see the edge of the forest beside the lake. ThunderClan territory. She gazed wistfully toward it. What was Bramblestar doing right now? Was the Clan settling down for the night? Or was a patrol already searching for her? Guilt tugged beneath her pelt. Was Sparkpelt still keeping her secret? It would be a heavy burden to bear. She couldn’t let her daughter or her Clan worry any longer. She had to find a way home.
Grass and Stone had disappeared into shadow, but the Sisters stood watching silently as though breathing every last scent of them. Tempest leaned softly against Snow, her gaze misty.
Squirrelflight’s heart twisted with sadness. Tomorrow, once the Sisters’ loss was less raw, she’d ask Moonlight again if she and Leafstar could leave. If she explained how much she missed her Clan and her kin, perhaps the Sisters would understand her longing to go home. Would they believe her promise not to let her Clanmates come here until the Sisters had left? Her belly tightened. Was it a promise she’d be able to keep?
CHAPTER 6
