Falling Feather thrust her muzzle close. “She was looking after her cats!”
“That’s all I’m doing!” Indignation surged through him. How could Falling Feather be so ungrateful? “Because of me you are safe and well fed.”
Falling Feather frowned. “It’s the forest that feeds us.”
“And who makes sure the forest belongs to us and no one else?” Clear Sky jerked his muzzle toward the boundary marking the edge of the trees.
“All you care about is boundaries,” Falling Feather accused. “You stretch them farther every chance you get. There’s more to life than territory!”
“Really?” Clear Sky spat. “Do you want to share our prey with every passing stray?”
“There’s enough prey in the forest to share!”
“But now we have kits! Have you forgotten Birch and Alder?” Clear Sky couldn’t believe how shortsighted she was being. “There’ll be more kits one day, and more! Do you want them to starve, like Fluttering Bird?” Grief echoed in the back of his mind as he recalled his young sister who’d died in the mountains. Guilt soured his memory. Would she have lived if I’d hunted harder? “I never want to watch a kit starve again.”
“Do you think I do?” Falling Feather hissed. “Stop pretending you’re moving boundaries for our sake. You’re just greedy!”
Rage roared in his ears. Fast as a snake, Clear Sky raked her muzzle with his claws.
Falling Feather jerked away, her paws slithering on the leaves, and stared as though she hardly recognized him.
He showed his teeth. “Everything I do, I do for all of us,” he snarled.
Falling Feather backed away, blood welling on her nose. “Okay,” she growled huskily.
“I’m sorry I hurt you,” said Clear Sky, “but when the cold season comes and there are new kits in camp, you’ll understand what I already know: any cat who questions my loyalty puts all of us in danger.”
With a whip of his tail, he turned and began to head farther into the forest.
Charred wood scents still wafted on the breeze as they trekked silently through the forest, despite the fact that several full moons had passed since the great fire. When they reached camp, Clear Sky climbed the steep bank edging one side and watched Falling Feather slink across the clearing to the tangled roots of an oak. There she crouched alone, her tongue flicking out to soothe the scratch on her muzzle. Quick Water hurried to join her and the two she-cats huddled, heads close, murmuring.
Clear Sky shifted his paws. Were they gossiping about him? Was Falling Feather complaining about the scratch he’d given her? He wondered whether to interrupt. He didn’t want cats to talk about him behind his back. But, if he drew attention to Falling Feather’s whining, he might make it worse. His pelt pricked uneasily but he held his tongue.
His gaze flicked to Fircone and Nettle. The two young toms had joined the forest cats only recently. Their loyalty was still as brittle as dry leaves. They’d persuaded Thunder to question Clear Sky’s decision to enlarge the forest boundaries. A growl rattled in his throat. He was going to have to strengthen their commitment. And teach them some courage! Brave cats would have questioned him themselves.
He straightened, leaping down the bank and padding into the center of the earth clearing.
Leaf, a black-and-white tom, looked up from where he’d been washing his belly at the foot of a smooth rock jutting at one end of the clearing. He searched Clear Sky’s gaze. “Is Thunder really leaving?”
“He already left.” Clear Sky flicked his tail. He didn’t want to think about the past. The future was all that mattered. “Gather to hear me speak.” He flashed his gaze around the forest cats.
Quick Water padded toward him. Falling Feather followed. Nettle and Fircone circled him and stopped a tail-length away. Leaf shook out his fur and joined Nettle, exchanging glances with the young rogue.
A yellow face peered out from beneath a low-spreading yew. “Is there a meeting?”
Clear Sky beckoned her with his tail. “Yes, Petal. Please join us.”
As the golden-pelted she-cat slid out from beneath the dark green branches, the faces of two kits peered after her, their round eyes shining.
“Don’t worry, Birch.” Petal turned and soothed the tom kit. She nodded to his sister, huddled beside him. “Alder, stay there. Make sure Birch stays with you.”
She whisked them back into the shadow with a soft flick of her tail-tip and crossed the clearing.
“What’s up?” She stopped beside Falling Feather.
Clear Sky hardly heard her. He was watching Birch and Alder as they stared from the yew. They weren’t Petal’s kits. She’d taken them in after their mother had died.
After I killed their mother.
The words rang unbidden in his head. Guilt moved like worms beneath his pelt. A growl rumbled in his throat. No! She attacked us! I was just defending my cats.
She was just defending her kits.
He ignored the reproach echoing in his ears and fought to steady his paws. They were trembling. I must stay strong if I’m to see my cats through the cold season. The forest was still blossoming as the warm season gave way to hot. But warmth never lasted. The forest would be frozen all too soon. Prey would go to ground and hunger would stalk the cats with the ruthlessness of a fox, just as it had in the mountains.
“Clear Sky?” Petal’s mew jerked him from his thoughts.
He flicked his tail and leaped past Leaf onto the rock.
His cats turned their faces toward him.
“Thunder and Frost have left and they aren’t coming back.”
Fircone and Nettle exchanged glances.
“There’s no room in our forest for cats who aren’t loyal.” He snapped his gaze toward Falling Feather.
She straightened. “I’m loya—”
He cut her off.
“Falling Feather thought about leaving with them.”
“Only for a moment!” Falling Feather protested.
He was pleased to see guilt flashing in her wide green eyes. She looked anxiously around at the other cats. Clear Sky hoped they all saw the same guilt in her gaze. Then, they’d understand what he was about to do. “Even a single moment is too long,” he growled. “If we are to make it through the cold season we need to establish strong boundaries and unwavering loyalty now.” He stalked to the edge of the rock and glowered at Falling Feather. “When times are hard, I need to be able to trust you.”
Quick Water lifted her muzzle. “You have known Falling Feather since you were a kit,” she called up. “Of course you can trust her.”
Leaf’s gaze slid toward Falling Feather. “What about the rest of us, not born in the mountains? Can we trust her?”
Clear Sky scanned the cats’ faces eagerly. Did any other cat share Leaf’s doubt?
“Of course!” Quick Water stared angrily at Leaf.
Petal narrowed her eyes. “Clear Sky is right,” she murmured. “We need to be able to rely on each other even when times are tough. If we’d wanted to live as rogues, we’d have stayed rogues. But we chose to join Clear Sky because we believed he offered us a better life.”
“Exactly!” Clear Sky lifted his tail triumphantly. “I’m glad you understand, Petal. I only want what’s best. Loyalty will give us strength. It will let us trust one another. It will keep us safe.” His gaze flashed back to Falling Feather. “That is why she must be punished.”
Falling Feather’s snowy fur spiked along her spine. “Punished?” Her mew was barely a breath.