Whiteberry lay beside her and stretched sleepily. “I could scent prey through a tail-length of soil.”
Tallkit blinked. One day he’d learn all of these skills. He knew he should feel excited, but he could only picture darkness and mud. He shivered as though he were already belowground.
Flamepelt returned to his story. “The rabbit was well under ShadowClan territory.”
“And you followed it?” Ryepaw gasped. “But it was ShadowClan prey once it’d crossed the border!”
“Tunnels belong to WindClan,” Flamepelt rasped.
Tallkit padded closer. “How did you know it was ShadowClan territory when you were underground?”
“The soil smells of pinesap,” Flamepelt told him briskly, then pressed on. “The rabbit kept running. I was closing on it fast. Then I heard paw steps on the forest floor above. I was close to the surface.”
Doepaw’s tail twitched. “Could they tell you were there?”
Whiteberry cut in with a snort. “No overgrounder can smell through earth.”
“But they might have heard my paw steps.” Flamepelt lowered his voice. “If they mistook me for a rabbit, they might start digging. I couldn’t risk them discovering the tunnels. So I froze.” Flamepelt paused. “I could hear the rabbit racing away, and there was fresh air wafting down the tunnel. The prey was heading for an opening. I just had to hope that the ShadowClan patrol wouldn’t spot it and chase it back underground.”
“Did they?” Ryepaw asked breathlessly.
“The ShadowClan paw steps suddenly broke into a run,” Flamepelt told her. “I heard their calls: Rabbit! Rabbit!” His gaze widened, flicking from Doepaw and Ryepaw to Tallkit.
The fur on Tallkit’s spine lifted. “What happened?”
“Earth showered around me as they pounded overhead. I had to think fast. If they found the opening and chased the rabbit back down, they’d find me and discover the tunnel. I had to block it.”
“Block it?” Ryepaw squeaked. “How?”
“I had to cause a cave-in!” Flamepelt announced. “The soil was light and soft. If I could loosen enough to block the tunnel without bringing the whole roof down, I’d be safe.”
Tallkit’s heart began to pound. “What if the whole roof had collapsed?” His chest tightened.
“I’d have drowned in soil,” Flamepelt breathed.
“No!” Ryepaw’s mew was barely a whisper.
“I could hear ShadowClan voices at the end of the tunnel, then the rabbit’s paws thumping closer. Stronger steps were on its tail. The patrol was heading straight toward me.” Flamepelt reached up with a forepaw. “I began scraping at the soil above my head. Claws out, I dug as hard and as fast as I could. The paw steps were thundering nearer, echoing against the walls of the tunnel. Another few moments and they’d smell me. A few moments after that, they’d crash right into me. I clawed at the roof with both paws until I heard the earth groaning. I stuck my paws in for a final pull and the roof showered down. I leaped back just in time as the whole tunnel gave way in front of me. Beyond the wall of soil, I heard the squeal of the rabbit as the ShadowClan patrol caught up with it.”
“Didn’t they know you were there?” Doepaw asked.
“It was too dark, and the earth-scent hid my smell.” Flamepelt shrugged. “As far as they were concerned, it was just a dead-end rabbit hole. I turned around and headed for home.”
Lilywhisker sighed. “I miss those days.”
Flamepelt nodded. “What I wouldn’t give to be running tunnels again!”
Whiteberry whisked his tail over his paws. “There were enough tunnelers back then to patrol every tunnel.”
“We kept them in good condition,” Flamepelt agreed. “These days, if there’s a cave-in, the Clan just thinks it’s one less tunnel to patrol.”
Doepaw narrowed her eyes. “Isn’t it good that we don’t have to send so many cats underground?” She nodded at Lilywhisker’s leg. “It is dangerous.”
“Being a moor runner’s not exactly safe,” Flamepelt retorted. “There are buzzards and dogs and foxes aboveground. They’re just as dangerous as a cave-in. The better trained we are, the less risk there is. That’s why we need to keep training our young’uns to tunnel. There’ll come a time when we’ll depend on the tunnels again.”
Ryepaw tilted her head sideways. “But there are plenty of rabbits these days. Now our territory covers the whole moor, and even in the worst snows we can find enough to feed the Clan.”
Flamepelt sat up. “What if another Clan decides to invade our territory?”
Doepaw bristled. “We’d fight them off.”
Flamepelt’s tail twitched. “Tunnels give us an advantage in battle.”
Tallkit glanced from elder to apprentice. Had moor runners and tunnelers always disagreed like this? How had WindClan stayed together for so many moons if the two sides felt so differently?
Chapter 4
The camp entrance swished as Sandgorse padded into camp, Plumclaw and Mistmouse at his tail. Mud streaked Sandgorse’s pelt and his shoulders sagged. Tallkit hurried to greet him.
“Hi, kit!” Sandgorse meowed. “Have you had a good day?”
“Yes! Flamepelt’s been telling us about the time he chased a rabbit all the way under ShadowClan territory.”
“Ah, that’s a good story.” Sandgorse ran his tail along Tallkit’s spine. The tip felt wet and smelled of mud. “We’ve been working on the gorge tunnel.”
“Sandgorse!” Heatherstar leaped out of the Meeting Hollow and crossed the camp. Reedfeather bounded after her. “How’s the work going?” Heatherstar prompted. The leader’s gaze flicked over the muddy, bedraggled pelts of Plumclaw and Mistmouse, and there was a flash of concern in her eyes.
“It’s fine,” Sandgorse reported. “We’ve shored up the stretch beyond the peat ridge. It’s steep there, but we’ve pulled up clay from lower down and strengthened the tunnel walls.”
Reedfeather narrowed his eyes. “It seems like a lot of work.”
Plumclaw shook out her pelt. “It’ll be worth it when it’s finished.”
“When will that be?” Heatherstar asked.
Mistmouse exchanged glances with Sandgorse. “It’s hard to say,” she meowed. “We’re tunneling in territory we haven’t worked before. It’s difficult to predict whether we’re going to meet sand, clay, or stone next.”
Reedfeather moved beside Heatherstar. “It sounds dangerous.”
“It’s challenging.” Sandgorse puffed out his chest. “But we’re learning a lot. And when it’s done, WindClan will have a secret route from the top of the moor right down to the river.”
“What about the cliff face?” Heatherstar’s ears twitched. “You can’t tunnel through rock.”
“We’ve planned for that,” Plumclaw explained. “There’s a seam of clay just as the river drops into the deepest part of the gorge. We plan to dig up through that and meet the tunnel coming down.”
“Won’t RiverClan be able to see it from the bottom of the gorge?” Reedfeather asked.
“There are brambles,” Sandgorse told him. “The entrance will be hidden.” He looked at Tallkit. “I can’t wait to show you,” he purred.
Tallkit felt a rush of pride. Sandgorse could do things even the Clan leader couldn’t. “I can’t wait to see it!” he mewed.
“You may be apprenticed in time to help finish digging it,” Sandgorse purred.
Tallkit stiffened. Suddenly he imagined himself at the bottom of a long tunnel, far from the sky, digging in the dark through filthy clay, desperately trying to find his way through to fresh air. He swallowed as his chest tightened. “Yes,” he whispered shakily.