“Good idea,” Tall Shadow agreed.
Thunder narrowed his eyes. Anxiety edged the black she-cat’s mew.
“What’s going on?” Gray Wing’s wheezing mew sounded from his nest. He was hauling himself to his paws.
Tall Shadow looked at him. “Have you seen the kits?”
“Wind Runner’s?” Gray Wing looked confused. “Has she had them?”
“Yes!” Turtle Tail began pacing, eyes glistening. “But my kits are missing.”
“Have you seen them?” Tall Shadow asked Gray Wing firmly.
He shook his head, his paw slipping as he tried to climb out of his nest. “Let me look. I know I’ll find them.”
Thunder bounded toward him. “Stay there.” Gray Wing was not in a fit state to search the moor. He glanced at Jagged Peak. “Are you going to search for them or not?” he snapped.
Jagged Peak flattened his ears. “I said I would.”
“Then go.” Thunder nudged Gray Wing back into his nest as Jagged Peak headed out of the camp. “I’ll make sure he stays here.” Turtle Tail blinked at him gratefully, then bounded after Jagged Peak. Shattered Ice and Hawk Swoop followed.
“I’ll search the moortop,” Shattered Ice volunteered.
“I’ll look by the gorge,” Hawk Swoop offered.
Thunder watched them go, frustration tugging at his belly. Part of him wished he hadn’t offered to watch over Gray Wing. He felt helpless stuck in the hollow.
Gray Wing moved beside him. He was struggling to climb out of the nest again.
“Shhhh, just rest.” As he nosed Gray Wing back into the moss, Tall Shadow padded closer.
“Sit on him if you have to. He must be fit by full moon.” She stared sternly at Gray Wing. “We’re depending on you to make a peace with Clear Sky that will last.” She glanced toward the bramble, where the sound of mewling was muffled by the thick shield of flowers. “We need it now more than ever.”
Gray Wing flopped down helplessly. “I just hope I can find the right words.”
“You only need to be reasonable,” Tall Shadow growled. “Clear Sky’s no fool. Why choose bloodshed over peace?”
Thunder felt dread uncoil in his belly. He’d seen the vicious rogues Clear Sky had recruited. With them on his side, Clear Sky might settle the peace by driving the moor cats from their home forever. Should he warn them? As Thunder hesitated, Gray Wing drew in a shuddering breath. Let him rest. Now wasn’t the time to burden anyone with more worry. He stared through the gap in the heather, straining to see the moor. Please let them find the kits.
A frantic yowl sounded in the distance. Jagged Peak! Thunder raced for the moor. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Tall Shadow pressing Gray Wing back into his nest.
She signaled to Lightning Tail with a nod. “Go with Thunder. I’ll watch Gray Wing.”
Thunder heard Lightning Tail’s paws thrum across the clearing behind him. He leaped through the gap in the heather and tore over the grass.
Plunging through a swath of heather, he zigzagged along a rabbit trail until he burst onto smooth grass on the other side. Bumble’s grave was ahead. He leaped over it, skidding as he landed. Lightning Tail exploded from the heather behind.
“Thunder!” Jagged Peak’s yowl sounded beyond a wall of gorse. Thunder nosed his way under the bush, ignored the thorns scraping his spine. “What’s happened?” His heart was in his throat as he squeezed out the other side, Lightning Tail bursting out at his side, and Jagged Peak limping toward him.
His eyes were sparking with fear. “The kittypet took them!”
“What kittypet?” Lightning Tail frowned.
Thunder ignored him. “Where’s Turtle Tail?”
“She’s gone after the kittypet,” Jagged Peak puffed. “She told me to come back. She said I couldn’t keep up.” Anguish twisted his mouth.
“How do you know it was the kittypet?” Thunder demanded.
“The scents,” Jagged Peak struggled to get his breath. “We tracked the kits’ trail and it met another. The heather was drenched with Tom’s scent. Turtle Tail recognized it at once.”
Tom! Shock pulsed through Thunder. Turtle Tail had been right to look so afraid yesterday. “She’s gone after them?” How could she stand up to Tom alone? The kits might give her the courage to fight harder, but they’d also make her vulnerable—and what if he turned his nasty temper on them?
Thunder’s mind reeled. “Lightning Tail.” He turned toward the black tom. “Come with me.” He jerked his head toward camp. “Jagged Peak, tell Tall Shadow and Gray Wing what’s happened. Don’t let Gray Wing follow us. He’s too ill. Tell him I won’t return without Turtle Tail and the kits!”
He hurtled forward, heading for the river. What was Tom planning to do with them? “Hurry!” He heard Lightning Tail’s paws pounding behind him. They had to catch up with Tom before Turtle Tail did. Who knew what he’d do to her if she tried to stop him?
Chapter 11
“Wait.” Clear Sky nudged Snake to a halt. His nose twitched as unfamiliar cat scent touched it.
The forest here was ridged, dips opening between the ancient trees that marked the borderline. Beyond, marsh meadows lined the river.
“Follow me.” Clear Sky crept up the slope toward the edge of the tree line and peered from the shade. Sunshine bathed the fields and he blinked.
“What is it?” Snake asked as he caught up.
“Can’t you smell?”
Snake opened his mouth to taste the air, but Clear Sky had already spotted the cat. A sleek, broad-shouldered tom was weaving his way through the long grass beyond the border. Three kits trotted in his wake. Clear Sky narrowed his eyes. The tom’s copper-colored pelt had the softness of a kittypet, but the scrappy young kits looked wild. Why were they traveling together?
Snake hissed beside him.
Clear Sky glanced at the brown tabby rogue. His back was arched and bristling like a hedgehog. “Take it easy,” he soothed. “They’re not on our land.”
“But if I give them a scratch or two, they won’t even come near it again.” Snake leaned forward, showing his teeth.
Clear Sky nodded approvingly. This rogue’s aggression would prove useful in the future. But not here. “It’s just a kittypet and some kits,” he reasoned. “Why bother fighting?” He beckoned Snake forward with a flick of his tail. “Words can be just as powerful.” He padded from the trees and pushed through the grass. The hot morning sun glared down, searing his pelt. Pelt pricking with satisfaction, he stepped into the path of the kittypet and faced him, ears flat. “What are you doing here?” he snarled.
The kittypet stopped. Behind him, the kits clustered together, eyes wide. Tiny growls trembled in their throats as they pressed against his bulging flank. He glanced around as though searching for an escape route.
“Don’t bother running.” Clear Sky glanced at Snake as he slid from the grass. “You’re too fat to outpace us.”
The kittypet shifted his paws. “My name is Tom. Are we on your territory?” His mew was smooth. “I didn’t realize. Please accept my apologies. We’ll leave at once if you’d kindly show us the way.” He blinked at Clear Sky innocently.
Clear Sky snorted. “Would you like me to fetch you food too?” Kittypets were all the same. They’d beg anyone for anything rather than fend for themselves.
“Of course not.” Tom dipped his head courteously. “I have not come this way for any reason but that it is the way home. I certainly wouldn’t want to challenge any cat”—he paused to let a purr rumble in his throat—“any cat as impressive as you.”