He stiffened his shoulders. “If Clear Sky’s moving boundaries we need to know where he’ll expand next.”
Tall Shadow tipped her head. “How?”
Wind Runner’s ears twitched. “We could send spies.”
“Too dangerous.” Gray Wing traced an arc in the sandy earth with a claw.
Wind Runner and Tall Shadow hopped backward to give him room. Turtle Tail paced a wide circle, her gaze curious.
“This is where the forest ends,” Gray Wing explained. He traced a fresh line with his paw, expanding the arc out in a bulge. “You found Misty here, right?” He pointed to the fresh line, and then traced another bulge. “And Bumble here.”
Tall Shadow was nodding. The two bulges stuck out like ears on a cat.
“This space—” Gray Wing scuffed the earth between and drew a fresh arc farther out with a sweep of his paw. “This area will probably be his next target.”
Wind Runner’s eyes lit. “Until he’s pushed his boundary clear to the edge of the moorslope.”
Gray Wing nodded. “If he’s determined to take more territory, he might use the same strategy again and again, until”—Gray Wing traced two more bulges from the fresh arc, then scuffed the earth between—“he’s pushed right up—”
“Thunder!” Rainswept Flower’s mew interrupted him.
Gray Wing glanced across the clearing. The she-cat’s nose was high. Her whiskers twitched excitedly.
Cloud Spots padded forward, tasting the air. “She’s right.”
Gray Wing looked up. The sky was clear, growing purple as the sun set. “Thunder?” He frowned. “Can you smell rain?”
“Not rain! Thunder!” Rainswept Flower raced toward the gap in the heather and peered through.
She hopped backward as Hawk Swoop swept past, her amber eyes glowing with joy.
Gray Wing frowned as he saw her, confused. “You went hunting.” He stopped as he caught a glimpse of a familiar pelt behind her.
“Thunder!” Joy surged through his pelt as he recognized the young tom. Thunder’s paws, which had been so huge when he was a kit, didn’t seem big anymore. “You’ve grown!” His shoulders were broader, muscles rippling beneath his sleek orange-and-white pelt. Hawk Swoop had raised him in the moor cats’ camp after his mother and littermates had been killed. When he’d left to be with his father in the forest, Gray Wing had missed him but he’d understood why the young cat had wanted to go. He hurried to greet him, ears twitching with curiosity. “What are you doing back on the moor?”
Thunder glanced nervously around the camp. “I hope you don’t mind me coming here.”
Gray Wing slowed. Thunder hadn’t answered his question. Strange forest scents clung to his pelt. Doubt pricked in his paws. Why had Thunder appeared now—so soon after Bumble’s death and Gray Wing’s quarrel with Clear Sky? Had his brother sent the young tom to spy?
Hawk Swoop puffed out her chest. “He’s come home,” she mewed, her voice cracking.
Beside the gap in the heather, Rainswept Flower stiffened. “Who’s that?”
A white tom had limped into camp after Thunder.
Gray Wing narrowed his eyes.
“That’s Frost,” Hawk Swoop told them, her words tumbling out. “He’s been banished by Clear Sky. Thunder left with him. We found them trekking from the border.” Her eyes were fixed on Thunder, shining as fondly as if he were her own kit.
Thunder was staring at Gray Wing, his gaze sharp with worry. “Frost needs help and we had nowhere else to go.”
That’s why they’ve come! Gray Wing’s pelt smoothed. Thunder was helping a friend.
Hawk Swoop went on. “Jackdaw’s Cry and the others went on with the hunt, but I wanted to bring Thunder home as soon as possible.” Her tail flicked with anxiety and she lowered her voice. “Banished cats should not be wandering the moors alone. And Frost is injured. Clear Sky wouldn’t tolerate a cat not pulling its weight!”
Cloud Spots went to circle the white tom, his nose twitching.
Frost backed away, pelt bristling.
“It’s okay,” Cloud Spots murmured distractedly, his eyes searching Frost’s pelt. “I’m just checking to see how badly you’re hurt.”
“It’s a burn on my leg,” Frost mumbled. He held still, watching warily as Cloud Spots padded around him.
“Thunder!”
Frost whirled in surprise as excited mewls burst from the bramble and small paws thrummed over the sandy clearing. The kits were racing to greet their old friend.
Gray Wing swished his tail. “Wait,” he told them. “You can greet him in a moment.”
“Your wound has gone sour.” Cloud Spots’s nose wrinkled as he sniffed at Frost’s hind leg.
“Is that why it hurts so much?” Frost’s face twisted with pain.
“Yes.” Cloud Spots crouched and sniffed the wide, raw wound, which showed near the top of the leg where fur should have been. Yellow pus welled on swollen red flesh.
“It’s a burn from the fire that won’t heal,” Thunder explained.
“Come with me.” Cloud Spots beckoned to Frost with a nod and led him toward a gorse bush. Its branches jutted over the clearing and Cloud Spots gently nosed Frost into the space beneath. Gray Wing saw the white tom’s face soften with relief as he sank down into its shade.
“I’ll fetch some herbs to ease the pain.” Cloud Spots ducked out from beneath the gorse and trotted toward the gap in the heather.
“What happened, Thunder?” Gray Wing leaned closer to the young tom. “Why did Clear Sky banish you?”
Thunder shifted his paws uneasily.
Gray Wing was suddenly aware of Rainswept Flower’s breath at his ear. Hawk Swoop was leaning close to Thunder. Tall Shadow and Wind Runner padded nearer, their ears twitching. Turtle Tail stood a tail-length away while the kits lined up beside her, fidgeting with impatience.
“Can we greet him yet?” Sparrow Fur begged.
Gray Wing stared into Thunder’s eyes. He saw grief darkening his amber gaze. What had happened between the young tom and his father? “Come with me.” Gently, he nudged Thunder through the gap in the heather and crossed the smooth grass, golden in the setting sun. As he sat down, he noticed Thunder glance over his shoulder, swapping looks with Turtle Tail. He was touched by the warmth in their gazes. He loved both cats and he was glad they were fond of each other. “I’m so pleased you’ve come back.” He purred loudly.
Thunder nosed his shoulder fondly. “It’s good to see you.” He began to pace around Gray Wing.
Gray Wing’s ear twitched. He had to know why Thunder was so tense. “Hawk Swoop said Clear Sky had banished you.”
Thunder halted. “He banished Frost, not me,” he muttered. “I chose to leave.”
“You chose to leave your father?” But you were so eager to join him!
Thunder growled. “I have no father!”
Gray Wing gasped. “Has something happened to Clear Sky?” If his brother had been injured, or worse…
“No. He’s fine.” Thunder stared angrily at his paws.
“Then why—”
“He wanted me to take Frost somewhere and leave him to die alone!” Thunder jerked up his head and stared straight at Gray Wing. “All the forest cats are scared of him. He hurts anyone who stands up to him. I can’t stay in the forest if I don’t agree with him.”
Gray Wing felt a flash of pride at Thunder’s outrage. But sadness tugged at his belly. Was Clear Sky going to drive away every cat who loved him? He remembered his recent quarrel with his brother over Bumble’s death. He hurts any cat who stands up to him. Perhaps Thunder knew Clear Sky had killed her. It could be another reason he’d left.