Clear Sky wasn’t sure if it had been wise for the moorland cats to allow Star Flower to stay overnight in the hollow. She had taken Thunder to find the herb that would heal the sickness, but to every cat’s disappointment the flowers she had found weren’t actually Blazing Star, only another plant that looked vaguely like it. Star Flower herself had seemed as upset as any cat, but Clear Sky couldn’t be certain that her feelings were genuine.
But Thunder still trusts her, he thought. That cat is smitten!
Thunder and Star Flower had stayed talking together far into the night, until Tall Shadow had emerged from her den, tired and irritable, and told them to shut up and let other cats get some sleep.
Clear Sky’s feelings of amusement faded as he realized that none of the waking cats were coming to speak to him, or even acknowledging his presence. Not even the cats he had known all his life, had traveled down from the mountains with. I feel like an outsider… because it’s what I am.
Finally Gray Wing padded over to him. “How are you feeling?” he asked. “Are you ready to challenge One Eye to a fight on the moor?”
Clear Sky didn’t need to be reminded. Do I have to tell my brother that I feel sick to the bottom of my stomach? The knowledge that he was putting his life at risk meant that he hadn’t eaten since the previous sunrise.
Thunder and Lightning Tail had told him that River Ripple would support them, but they weren’t sure about Wind Runner. And they hadn’t even tried to talk to the forest cats. Clear Sky’s heart ached at the thought that he couldn’t rely on the help of the very cats he was trying so hard to protect.
They can’t want One Eye as their leader. Are they all such cowards? Then he remembered One
Eye’s rogues, and admitted to himself that perhaps his own cats didn’t have much choice. They could very well be prisoners in the forest. A moment later, a less comforting thought crept into his mind.
But surely they could escape if they tried hard enough.
“Has it all been worth it?” he asked Gray Wing despondently.
His brother’s eyes widened with shock. “I can’t believe you’re asking that!” he meowed. “Hasn’t it always been worth it?”
Clear Sky had no answer to that question, and he silently rose to his paws and padded beside his brother to the edge of the hollow. Tall Shadow leaped down from her rock to join them, and the other cats gathered around. Clear Sky realized that the only cats missing were Holly, still lying sick in her den, Cloud Spots, and Jagged Peak, who, despite warnings about the sickness, hardly ever left Holly’s side.
“Good-bye,” Tall Shadow mewed, dipping her head to Clear Sky. “And good luck.”
The other cats joined in, repeating her words and calling out their good wishes.
“You can do it, Clear Sky!”
“Rip that crazy cat’s pelt off!”
“Good luck!”
“We’ll be with you!”
Their enthusiasm warmed Clear Sky and put strength into his muscles. But as he took the first paw step out of the camp, he realized there was one more thing he had to do. He wanted to see Holly, to remind himself why he was doing this.
Turning back, he pushed his way gently through the crowd of cats and bounded across the hollow to her den. Holly lay on her side in her mossy nest, her belly bulging with her growing kits. Jagged Peak crouched beside her; his tail lashed with concern and his eyes were dark with trouble.
Cloud Spots was there, too, encouraging Holly to eat some tansy. “Holly, you have to hold on,” he meowed. “This should help until we can get the Blazing Star. The sooner we can get rid of One Eye, the sooner we can get safely across the Thunderpath to fetch some.”
“It won’t be long now,” Jagged Peak promised. “You’ll be fine, Holly, and so will our kits.”
Clear Sky couldn’t tell whether his younger brother actually believed what he was saying.
Holly had a faraway look in her eyes, and didn’t seem to hear what Cloud Spots or Jagged Peak said. As Clear Sky gazed at her—knowing he couldn’t come closer than the entrance to the den—he noticed the sores on her body and the way her chest heaved with short, panting breaths.
This can’t go on, he thought.
Turning away with his resolve renewed, he halted as a cracked, broken voice called out, “Good luck, Clear Sky.”
Glancing back over his shoulder, Clear Sky saw Holly’s gaze trained on him. Then slowly her eyes closed as she winced in a fresh onset of pain.
Clear Sky felt his motivation surge. He could save Holly. He could save all the sick cats. Let’s do this!
Clear Sky left the den to rejoin Gray Wing, Thunder, and Tall Shadow. The rest of the cats drew back respectfully.
“I’ll go to the edge of the forest and call out to One Eye,” Clear Sky began. “I’ll lure him to the spot on the moor that you drew in the earth, Gray Wing.” With a glance at the sky, he went on, “Let’s say that I’ll be there at sunhigh. Can you be waiting, hidden?”
Gray Wing nodded. “We’ll be there.”
“And we’ll send the same message to Wind Runner and River Ripple,” Tall Shadow added. “We can only hope that Wind Runner has had a change of heart.”
“If we can’t summon enough cats,” Thunder asked worriedly, “how will we get a message to you to abandon the plan?”
“You don’t need to,” Clear Sky replied, summoning all his determination. “I’m not abandoning this plan. Whatever it takes, this is the last day that One Eye draws breath.” Or maybe it’s my last day… He gave his pelt a vigorous shake, refusing to think about that. “We’re doing this!” he asserted. “The only failure is not to try, and I’ve never stopped trying.”
Gray Wing gave him an approving purr and touched noses with him. “We won’t abandon you,” he promised.
Clear Sky drew himself up and headed for the forest with a final flick of his tail. What if this is the end? he asked himself. What if this is the last time I see these cats? Would I be satisfied if my life ended today? He drew a deep breath. At least Gray Wing and I are reconciled.
It took an effort not to glance back at the hollow, but he forced himself to keep looking ahead, facing his fate.
Crouching behind a rock, Clear Sky peered cautiously at the edge of the forest, only a few fox-lengths in front of him. Although the lush growth of greenleaf had died back, leaving the trees gray and bare, there were very few traces of the burned patches from the fire.
But Clear Sky’s satisfaction at seeing the end of the devastation was short-lived. It didn’t take him long to spot deep claw scratches on several trees, forming the round shape that he had already seen on Petal’s pads.
Is One Eye leaving his mark everywhere now? he asked himself, ashamed to remember that although he’d never etched anything into the trees, he’d left his own mark all around the borders of his territory not long ago. Now he gagged at the wave of One Eye’s stench that rolled toward him out of the trees, and stiffened at the thought that One Eye could be hiding somewhere in the undergrowth, already aware of Clear Sky’s presence.
Stop that! Clear Sky told himself, giving his pelt a shake. If you imagine One Eye squatting under every bush, you’ll never dare do anything. He let out a sigh, wondering when this vile invasion would end.
Today, he reminded himself.