“We belong on the moor.” Pebble Heart’s mew was muffled by Gray Wing’s pelt. “This is where we’re supposed to be.” There was certainty in the young kit’s mew that sent shivers along Gray Wing’s spine. Does he know something? He tucked his nose beneath his tail, enfolding the trembling kits like fledglings in a nest.
“I’m so sorry.” Tall Shadow’s gentle mew sounded in his ear. But he didn’t lift his head. He nuzzled the kits, lapping them in turn as they burrowed against his fur. Swamped by grief, he was only vaguely aware of paw steps moving around him, the shapes of the moor cats moving in the moonlight, the brush of their muzzles against his flank.
“I’m sorry.” Hawk Swoop pressed her muzzle to his shoulder.
“She loved you.” Acorn Fur’s breath touched his pelt.
As the paw steps eventually padded away, one pelt remained pressed against his flank. Rainswept Flower had settled beside him, the warmth of her fur seeping into his as he comforted the kits.
“Turtle Tail was happy that you loved her,” Rainswept Flower whispered.
“I wish I’d loved her sooner,” Gray Wing murmured.
“It’s enough that you loved her at all,” Rainswept Flower returned.
Gray Wing felt the kits grow still against him. Exhausted by their adventure, worn out by grief, they grew limp as they drifted into sleep. He let his own eyes close. His mind whirled with memories of Turtle Tail. She’d tried to cheer him up when dark thoughts had haunted him. Look, Thunder has caught a bird! He’s going to be a great hunter. She’d encouraged her tribe mates when they grew weary on the long journey from the mountains. No cat said it would be easy! Her cheerful mew rang in his mind.
How can she be gone? Emptiness opened inside him, more chilling than death. I have her kits. He pressed closer around them. I will raise them and protect them just as she would have.
“Gray Wing.” Rainswept Flower’s mew roused him. He blinked open his eyes. Pale light seeped over the horizon. Was it dawn already?
Wind Runner padded from the camp, her brown pelt matted, her eyes weary. She stopped beside Gray Wing. “I’m sorry for what I said to you yesterday.” Her mew was hoarse. “I should never have wished grief on you.”
“It’s okay.” Gray Wing met her gaze, understanding the pain shadowing her gaze. The sun showed golden above the horizon, bringing the first color of the day to the moor.
“We should bury Emberkit,” Rainswept Flower murmured.
Wind Runner dipped her head. “Gorse Fur has already dug a grave. Gray Wing, will you carry Emberkit to it? His burial can serve as a farewell to Turtle Tail too.”
Gray Wing blinked at her. “What happened to her body?” Was she still lying alone in Twolegplace?
“Thunder says they laid her beneath a bush outside a Twoleg nest,” Wind Runner told him forlornly. “Her pelt was scattered with petals when they left her.”
Rainswept Flower gazed toward the distant river. “Perhaps someone will find her and give her a proper burial. Twolegs, or kittypets.”
Gray Wing’s throat tightened. I hope so. He uncurled himself from the kits and nudged them gently to their paws. “One of Wind Runner’s kits died yesterday,” he told them softly. “It’s time to bury him.”
“Should we bury Turtle Tail too?” Pebble Heart stared at him blearily.
“Her body is in Twolegplace,” Gray Wing told him. “But we will remember her when we bury Emberkit. We can say good-bye to both of them.” With a pang, he wished he could give Turtle Tail the burial she deserved. Would remembering her spirit be enough?
“Come on, kits.” Rainswept Flower slid past him and began lapping Owl Eyes’s ruffled pelt. “Let’s get you cleaned up for the burial.”
Gray Wing glanced at her thankfully before following Wind Runner into camp.
The wiry she-cat led him to the bramble den, sliding wordlessly through the trailing stems. He ducked in after her, surprised to see the three healthy kits scrambling clumsily over Hawk Swoop as she lay in Wind Runner’s nest. They had not opened their eyes, yet they squirmed and fidgeted energetically. A prick of joy seemed to lift his grief for a moment. Despite everything, there was new life in the camp.
Wind Runner nodded toward a tiny shape lying at the edge of the den.
Emberkit.
He crossed the soft earth and picked up the dead kit’s body. He was shocked by how light it felt—hardly more than a bundle of feathers.
“I’ll watch the others,” Hawk Swoop told Wind Runner as Gray Wing carried Emberkit out into the clearing.
Wind Runner hurried past him and led him out of camp. She crossed the clearing and ducked along a rabbit trail through the heather.
The sprigs brushed Gray Wing’s pelt as he followed. Emberkit swung beneath his chin. How could the grief of this day ever ease? As his thoughts darkened, the heather opened into a clearing, bounded by gorse. He padded out after Wind Runner.
The moor cats were already gathered around the grave Gorse Fur had dug. Shattered Ice stood beside Acorn Fur. Lightning Tail pressed against his sister, his eyes hollow. Thunder stood rigidly beside the earth piled next to the grave, while Cloud Spots and Dappled Pelt faced him, Tall Shadow and Jagged Peak at their side.
“He’s too young to be dead,” Sparrow Fur wailed. She huddled with Owl Eyes against Rainswept Flower. Pebble Heart hung back. They watched Gray Wing with glistening eyes as he padded forward and laid Emberkit in the hole. Shadows swallowed the tiny kit as his body dropped stiffly into the earth.
Gorse Fur stood like stone as Gray Wing joined the kits. Pebble Heart backed away. “It’s okay, Pebble Heart.” Gray Wing began to reassure him, but Pebble Heart was reaching for a pile of loose leaves.
The kit grabbed a wad between his jaws and carried them to the graveside. He dropped them into the grave. “They are burnet leaves,” he mewed. “They will give him strength for his journey.”
“Thank you, Pebble Heart.” Gorse Fur nodded solemnly as Pebble Heart took his place beside his littermates. He looked at Wind Runner. “We wish we’d had Emberkit for longer,” he meowed. “We had so much love to share with him. But we will remember him with pride. He would have grown into a fine tom.”
Wind Runner didn’t move or speak, only stared into the grave.
Tall Shadow watched, gaze fixed on the shadows that had swallowed Emberkit. For a moment it seemed as though every cat was frozen in grief. Gray Wing curled his tail till it arched protectively over Sparrow Fur, Owl Eyes, and Pebble Heart.
Then Thunder padded forward and began pawing earth into the grave. It showered silently over Emberkit’s soft pelt, until it landed with muffled thuds.
“No!” Wind Runner’s wail split the air. She lunged forward, eyes wide with panic. “Get him out! You can’t bury him. He’s my kit!”
Gorse Fur hauled her back with his forepaws and held her until she stopped wailing. “Let’s go back to the other kits,” he whispered to her gently. Helping her up, he guided her into the heather.
Gray Wing stared after the grieving pair, then turned back to Emberkit’s grave. He padded to the edge and gazed down at the half-covered body. “Finish it,” he told Thunder, fighting despair.
Thunder caught his eye. “I wish we could bury Turtle Tail too.” He looked exhausted by grief.
“It’s too late,” Gray Wing told him hoarsely. Who knew what they’d find? He knew foxes roamed Twolegplace at night. “It’s better we remember her covered in petals.”
“I guess.” Thunder’s ear twitched.
As he began to push more earth into the grave, Shattered Ice and Lightning Tail hurried forward to help. Working together, they covered Emberkit, filling the hole until it was a mound rising from the grass.