Jagged Peak gaped. “Me?”
Clear Sky’s belly cramped with a mixture of compassion and guilt as he gazed at his young brother. I thought he would be no good to any cat after his fall from the tree. And now he believes it himself.
“I’m sure you’ll manage just fine,” Gray Wing assured Jagged Peak. “Will you do it?”
“I—I want to, Gray Wing,” Jagged Peak stammered. “But I can’t leave Holly.”
“Mouse droppings!” a hoarse voice called out from the other side of the camp.
Clear Sky turned his head to see that Holly had dragged herself to the entrance to her den, and was listening to the discussion.
“Of course you can do it, Jagged Peak,” she went on. “It’s about time you took your proper place as a leader of cats.”
“But what if…” Jagged Peak began to protest, but his voice trailed off; he couldn’t put words to his worst fear.
Holly snorted. “I’m not going anywhere. Now get across that Thunderpath and fetch me some Blazing Star!”
“So… are you willing to go?” Gray Wing asked.
Jagged Peak turned back to him, his eyes brimming with emotion. “I will,” he choked out.
Gray Wing wasted no more time. “We have to act tonight,” he mewed. “Jagged Peak, you and the cats you take with you had better rest for a while before you set off. You should reach the Thunderpath as the sun starts rising. Once it has, you’ll be able to see what you’re doing.”
Jagged Peak nodded. “Who is going with me, Gray Wing?”
“You’d better have Lightning Tail,” Gray Wing replied after a moment’s thought.
Lightning Tail looked surprised, and Clear Sky could understand why. Choosing the one cat who really doesn’t trust Star Flower? But then he realized how clever Gray Wing was being. Of all cats, Lightning Tail would be expecting trouble, which meant that he would be alert for the first signs of it.
Now the young black tom gave a curt nod. “Okay.”
Gray Wing hesitated, as if he was thinking of choosing a third cat. Before he spoke, Clear Sky slid up to his side. “I want to go,” he meowed. “I’ve been there before, so I know where to find the Blazing Star.”
Gray Wing faced him, looking deep into his eyes. “Okay,” he responded at last, though there was a trace of reluctance in his tone. Lowering his voice, he continued, “Just make sure you don’t try to take over. This is a mission I’ve given our younger brother, and I want him to have the chance to prove himself. Can you accept that?”
Clear Sky swallowed hard before he replied. “Sure I can.” But only if everything goes smoothly, he added silently to himself.
Glancing around, he saw Thunder moving among the other cats, setting guards on the camp, while the cats chosen for the expedition headed for their dens for a brief rest.
It’s good that we’re pulling together, Clear Sky thought. Then the doubts crept in, as he wondered if the cats were walking to their deaths.
Will One Eye be lying in wait for us?
Chapter 19
Gray Wing shared his den with Clear Sky for what remained of the night, but Clear Sky slept uneasily. When Gray Wing prodded him in the side and mewed, “It’s time,” he was instantly alert.
A chilly breeze flowed into the den; beyond the entrance the darkness was beginning to lift. When Clear Sky emerged into the open, he could just make out Tall Shadow on the lookout rock, while
Thunder stood guard at the top of the slope. Mud Paws, Shattered Ice, and Dappled Pelt were there, too, spaced at intervals around the hollow.
Lightning Tail was already waiting, standing at the foot of the rock. At first Clear Sky couldn’t see Jagged Peak; then he spotted his brother as he appeared just outside the den he’d shared with Holly until she fell ill.
The sick she-cat was just behind him, standing unsteadily on her paws. “Take care, Jagged Peak,” she rasped. “You’ll be brilliant; I know it.”
“I’m doing it for you,” Jagged Peak replied. “I’ll bring back the Blazing Star to make you well again.”
As the two cats looked deeply into each other’s eyes, Clear Sky turned away, embarrassed. He bounded across the hollow toward Lightning Tail. A couple of heartbeats later, Jagged Peak had joined them, meowing briskly, “Right. Let’s go.” He led the way to the top of the hollow and the other cats followed, crowding around to see them on their way.
“Good luck!” Dappled Pelt called. “Bring back lots of the herb!”
“And watch out for One Eye!” Shattered Ice added.
Jagged Peak raised his head proudly. “He’d better not mess with us!”
Clear Sky couldn’t help thinking that his younger brother had no idea how much danger they would be in if One Eye learned that they were venturing through the forest, but he said nothing.
“Clear Sky, you’ll take the lead as soon as we get to the Thunderpath,” Jagged Peak instructed his cats as they trekked across the moor toward the forest. “Then you and Lightning Tail gather as much of the herb as you can carry—huge bunches of it. I’ll keep watch while you do that. Then I’ll lead on the way back. Lightning Tail, you bring up the rear and warn us if there’s trouble.” His gaze flicked across each of the cats in turn. “Is that clear to every cat?”
“That’s fine,” Lightning Tail responded, while Clear Sky nodded.
Clear Sky found it hard to hide his amusement. He wasn’t sure they needed to be told all this in such detail, but at the same time it was good to see Jagged Peak relishing his role. Maybe there’s a leader in him yet.
Suiting his pace to his brother’s limping gait, Clear Sky padded alongside Jagged Peak. “How do you feel about becoming a father?” he asked.
He expected Jagged Peak to be excited, and pathetically grateful to Holly for carrying their kits, but his brother’s response was quite different.
“I’ve been helping Holly prepare our nest,” he mewed. “And I’ve been hunting extra-hard to bring her more prey. She needs to keep her strength up. And I’ve had practice, of course… helping out with Turtle Tail’s litter when they were younger.”
Clear Sky was surprised at how practical he sounded. “But how do you feel?” he asked again.
Jagged Peak hesitated, casting a glance over his shoulder to see that Lightning Tail had dropped a couple of fox-lengths behind. “Am I allowed to admit… terrified?” he asked. “I mean, I’ve never done this before!”
Clear Sky let out a snort of laughter, and a heartbeat later Jagged Peak joined him.
“You know,” Clear Sky meowed when he had managed to control himself again, “there was a time when you wouldn’t have been able to admit to feeling terrified. You’d have gotten angry and picked a fight with me, and then you’d have tried to prove yourself by doing something foolish. You—” He broke off, wondering if he had gone too far.
“That’s true,” Jagged Peak responded in a neutral tone. “I had a lot to get my head around after I was injured.”
Clear Sky nodded. “I’m sure I didn’t help matters,” he admitted. “I should never have made you leave my group. You deserved better from me.”
Jagged Peak halted, staring his brother full in the face. “Thank you,” he mewed. “That means a lot to me. There was a time when you would never have been able to apologize.”
Before Clear Sky could say more, Lightning Tail caught up with them, glancing from Clear Sky to Jagged Peak and back again. “It’s good to see you getting along so well,” he commented wryly.