Clear Sky didn’t respond. Stiffly he turned away, signaling with a wave of his tail for his cats to follow him on the way back to their camp. He had to make a conscious effort to keep his shoulder fur lying flat.
No ex-rogue is going to tell me what to do!
Chapter 7
On the way back to camp with Gray Wing and Mouse Ear, Thunder pondered whether they could trust Clear Sky. He was worried by the importance his father put on training to fight. He can talk about dogs and badgers until his fur falls off, Thunder thought. But I can’t shake the feeling that he intends to fight other cats.
When he arrived back at the camp, he saw Owl Eyes, Sparrow Fur, and Pebble Heart batting a ball of moss to one another at the edge of the hollow. From her place on the rock, Tall Shadow kept watch over them.
I don’t think I could ever have Tall Shadow’s patience, Thunder thought. But maybe that’s why we make a good team. He didn’t always agree with the black she-cat, but he valued her wisdom and experience. And Wind Runner has stopped pushing herself forward since she had her kits. That makes life a lot easier. All the same, he wished that Gray Wing had never wanted to give up the leadership.
“I wonder if Tall Shadow has spotted Tom or One Eye while she’s been up on that rock,” Gray Wing muttered, as if he had sensed some of what was going through Thunder’s mind.
“We’ve got to tell every cat that One Eye has joined up with Clear Sky,” Mouse Ear put in. “Mud
Paws and Holly know him too, and they’ll certainly have something to say!”
While the tabby tom was speaking, Pebble Heart broke away from his littermates and raced over to Thunder and the others. “Is everything all right?” he asked anxiously.
Has he picked up that we’re worried? Thunder wondered.
“Everything is fine, little one,” Gray Wing mewed reassuringly.
Though he said nothing, Thunder asked himself whether they ought to be more open with Pebble Heart. It was clear that he had talents that were beyond most cats—maybe they should encourage him to use them.
Gray Wing bounded across the hollow and leaped up onto Tall Shadow’s rock, leaning close to whisper in her ear.
“Let all cats gather together beside the rock!” she called out immediately.
Thunder and Mouse Ear collected Owl Eyes, Sparrow Fur, and Pebble Heart and headed down into the camp, finding a place to sit close to the rock. Lightning Tail joined them; Cloud Spots and Dappled Pelt settled nearby, while Jagged Peak limped up with Holly and Mud Paws. Wind Runner and Gorse Fur sat at the entrance to their den while their kits wrestled happily in front of them.
Gray Wing’s glance traveled across the camp as the rest of the cats gathered around. “Clear Sky has some new cats in his group,” he announced.
“So what?” Jagged Peak asked with a dismissive flick of his tail. “We’ve got three new cats ourselves.”
Mouse Ear rose to his paws and dipped his head respectfully to Gray Wing and Tall Shadow.
“The problem is,” he explained, “that Clear Sky’s new cats are a rogue and a kittypet. And the rogue in particular is an old enemy of ours…”
Holly sprang to her paws, her spiky fur seeming even more bristly than usual. “Not One Eye?” she snarled.
Mouse Ear nodded.
“I thought he lived on the other side of the Thunderpath,” Mud Paws meowed. “What’s he doing over here?”
“It can’t be anything good. That cat is bad news,” Holly hissed. “He’s a dreadful bully—a thief, a scavenger. He manipulates other cats and stirs up trouble. Has Clear Sky gone mad?”
Thunder noticed that Jagged Peak was shifting closer to Holly, his eyes shining with admiration.
“I think you must be a very wise cat,” Jagged Peak murmured, “to have such insight.”
Holly gave him a swift glance, surprised and pleased. Thunder had to stifle a mrrow of laughter.
She’s certainly brave, he thought. Maybe that’s what Jagged Peak likes about her.
On top of the rock, Tall Shadow turned to look at Gray Wing. “Clear Sky is your brother,” she meowed. “What do you think about this development?”
Thunder knew what he thought: that Clear Sky must have bees in his brain to introduce troublemakers into his group. But he stayed silent to listen to what Gray Wing would say.
As Gray Wing stepped forward, Thunder heard the quiet rattle of his breathing. His health is still poor, he thought anxiously. And fighting in that huge battle can’t have helped. He knew that Pebble Heart had worked hard with Dappled Pelt and Cloud Spots to heal their denmates’ injuries, but Thunder didn’t think there was anything that any cat could do to heal the injury to his lungs that Gray Wing had suffered in the forest fire.
“I’m sure Clear Sky thinks he’s doing the right thing,” Gray Wing began.
Tall Shadow let out a derisive snort. “Clear Sky always thinks he’s doing the right thing,” she pointed out. “He thought he was doing the right thing when he started guarding his borders, and look where that got us.”
Thunder couldn’t hide his surprise that Tall Shadow had interrupted so quickly after inviting Gray Wing to speak. But the black she-cat herself seemed to realize that she had made a mistake.
“I’m sorry,” she mewed, dipping her head to Gray Wing. “I haven’t been myself since our last visit to the four trees. I can’t stop thinking about the Blazing Star and what the spirit-cats’ message might mean.” She shook her head impatiently. “It’s keeping me awake at night.”
Gray Wing touched Tall Shadow lightly on the shoulder with the tip of his tail. “That’s okay,” he reassured her. “It worries me, too. As for Clear Sky, I’m sure he knows he did wrong leading up to the battle, and he’s full of regret. He won’t want to stir up trouble again, but we have to be realistic.
Clear Sky is a cat who will always try to protect his home, and he’ll go to great lengths to do that.
He’s taken on some pretty unpleasant cats: One Eye… and Tom, who stole Turtle Tail’s kits—”
He broke off as yowls of protest broke out from the cats sitting around. Thunder felt a huge bubble of anger swelling inside him. He couldn’t control it; leaping to his paws, he glared around him, his neck fur bristling and his tail lashing as the words seemed to explode from him: “We need to start fight training!” Thunder declared. “Clear Sky’s cats are doing just that, and so should we—especially with dangerous cats like Tom and One Eye to deal with.”
Several other cats yowled their agreement, but Thunder noticed that Sparrow Fur and Owl Eyes were exchanging looks of distress.
“Do they mean our father?” Sparrow Fur asked indignantly. “I don’t know if he’s dangerous, but I’m sure he’s not evil.”
Thunder wasn’t surprised that the kits should feel curiosity about their father, and maybe even a trace of loyalty. But he didn’t have time to speak to them; as the yowling died away, Gray Wing had begun to respond.
“Harmony and peace are good,” he meowed. “But I’ve been thinking this over, and I’m afraid we’re being stupid to ignore what might happen. We don’t intend to attack any cat, but we should be prepared. Even if the threat doesn’t come from One Eye and Tom, there are other dangers out there.”
“Dogs, foxes…” Jagged Peak interrupted.
“Exactly,” Gray Wing responded. “Leaf-fall is here, and before we know it, leaf-bare will be upon us. And with leaf-bare come desperate, hungry animals. So is it agreed? We will live in peace, but we train for battle—battle we hope we never see.”