Frost lowered his head in shame.
“It’s not Frost’s fault that he was burned in the fire,” Thunder meowed.
“No.” Clear Sky spun around to glare at him. “But see how the forest fire really damaged us? Now one of our group puts us all in danger. Frost can’t carry out his patrols properly.”
Thunder had never liked the way Frost behaved, but he couldn’t bear to see the white tom humiliated like this.
“Frost has been hunting and patrolling,” he protested, his pelt prickling with apprehension as he contradicted his leader. “He still contributes to our group. And his wound just needs care to get better. Isn’t that right?” He looked around at the other cats, waiting for one of them to come out in support of Frost, but they all stared hard at the ground or busied themselves with grooming. Cowards! Thunder thought.
As he was looking around, Thunder felt a sudden shove in his back. It was Clear Sky, forcing him down to the ground so that his nose was less than a mouse-length from the wound on Frost’s leg. The scent of rotting flesh flooded over him, and bile rose in his throat. Some of the cats mewed with anxiety, but still they did nothing.
“If you care so much, why don’t you lick his wound clean?” Clear Sky asked.
I won’t be treated like this!
Wriggling free, Thunder turned to face his father. “What has happened to you?” he demanded. “Why don’t you care about Frost anymore? You always say that you’re acting in the best interests of all of us.”
“That’s right.” To Thunder’s surprise, Quick Water rose to her paws and faced Clear Sky. Finally one of the other cats was standing up to have their voice heard! Quick Water had known Clear Sky all his life. If any cat can reason with my father, it’s her. “What are you doing?” she asked in a quiet, certain voice. “You’re our leader, not our tormentor. Think of Quiet Rain—would she want to see this?”
“Leave my mother out of it,” Clear Sky snarled.
Quick Water ignored his interruption. “Is this why she wished you good luck when we left the mountains?” she asked.
Instead of exploding into anger, Clear Sky took a deep breath, letting his gaze travel over all his cats. “I owe you all an apology,” he mewed, stepping back. “Clearly you don’t understand what I’m trying to do. I should have explained it better.” Turning to Thunder and Frost, he continued, “Frost must leave us. It’s time for him to go, before he spreads disease among us. This is for the greater good.”
Frost’s jaws opened in a gasp of shock, as he gazed incredulously at Clear Sky.
“Thunder, I want you to escort him to the boundary and leave him…” Clear Sky seemed to hesitate, then plunged on. “Leave him where the maggots will find him. Do you understand?”
Thunder felt his neck fur beginning to bristle. I want no part of this. “No, I’m not sure I do understand,” he replied, letting a trace of anger creep into his tone. “Where the maggots will find him? Are you asking me to abandon Frost somewhere to die alone, with no cat to take care of him?”
Clear Sky didn’t respond, but from the icy look in his blue eyes Thunder realized that was exactly what he was asking.
“No!” Frost wailed as he took in for the first time what his leader meant to do to him. “Please, Clear Sky, don’t send me away! I can still hunt—I caught a vole yesterday. And I’ve done all my patrols. I’ll die out there! Please give me another chance.”
Thunder watched, appalled as this once-proud cat begged his leader for his life. This can’t be what it means to belong to a group of cats. Once Frost had roamed free as a rogue cat; perhaps it would have been better for him to have stayed like that. Perhaps it would be better for me.
Thunder’s thoughts winged back to Gray Wing and Hawk Swoop. Why had he ever left them? But I could never go back and ask to join them again, not after everything that’s happened… or could I?
When Thunder imagined telling Gray Wing about how he had stood by when Wind Runner was chased off, and when Misty was killed, he knew that he would never be able to stand the disappointment in the older cat’s eyes.
I’ve let every cat down—including myself. But no more. It ends here.
Thunder leaped up onto a tree stump, his gaze raking across the cats in the clearing.
“What are you doing?” Clear Sky hissed.
“Yes, get down, you stupid furball,” Quick Water meowed.
What? Thunder gaped at the she-cat. I thought you were on my side!
“I won’t do this,” he announced, recovering himself quickly. “I won’t lead Frost to his death. I can’t help any of you, but I can help myself and Frost.” He suddenly understood what he had to do. “We’re leaving. And neither of us is coming back.”
Yowls of protest or agreement rose from the cats who surrounded them, and furious arguments broke out. Not bothering to listen, Thunder bunched his muscles to leap down from the stump.
But before he could jump, a familiar stink hit Thunder in the throat, heavy and menacing, and he spotted a fox prowling into the clearing, its pointed snout raised and its tail straight out behind it.
“Now see what you’ve done!” Clear Sky growled, dragging him down from the tree stump. “Bringing danger into the camp with your noise.”
He gave Thunder a shove. Off balance, Thunder stumbled straight into the path of the fox. In the midst of his danger, a thought flashed through his mind. Did Clear Sky do that on purpose? He remembered the time Clear Sky had come back to camp, stinking of foxes and in a foul mood. The fox’s eyes lit on Thunder and in a flash it was running at him. Some cat let out a yowl of distress. Thunder had just enough time to recall Gray Wing’s story of how he and Clear Sky had once tackled a fox. One had jumped on its back, while one clawed its face. But it looks as if I’m on my own here!
As the fox bounded toward Thunder, he reared up on his hind legs and swiped at the creature’s muzzle, a double blow with both sets of claws. At the same moment Leaf and Falling Feather appeared, one on each side of him, their paws raised to strike.
But there was no need. The fox let out a bark of pain, whipped around and vanished into the undergrowth.
“Thanks,” Thunder gasped to the two cats who had come to support him. His heart was pounding as if he had run all the way to the moorland camp and back.
“No need,” Leaf mewed; Thunder was surprised to see respect dawning in the black-and-white tom’s eyes. “You managed fine on your own.”
“Yes,” Clear Sky agreed, padding up to join them. “Some cat taught you well.”
“Not you,” Thunder retorted coldly. He knew that whatever bond he had felt with his father was truly gone. I’ll never trust Clear Sky again.
Clear Sky made no reply.
Thunder looked around at the other cats, but none of them were meeting his gaze. Nettle and Fircone, who had been so eager for him to talk to Clear Sky, were slinking away with their heads lowered.
So that’s how it is, Thunder thought.
“Come on.” Falling Feather touched Thunder on the shoulder with her tail-tip. “Let’s get this over with. I’ll come with you and Frost as far as the border, just in case that fox is still hanging around.”
“What border would that be?” Thunder asked drily. “They change so often around here, I’ve lost track.”
“Don’t get clever,” Clear Sky snarled. “You do know, if you leave now, you don’t come back.”