The First Battle

by Erin Hunter

  Tall Shadow cleared her throat. “I want you all to stay in camp until we get back,” she announced. Her voice carried clearly through the still night air.

  Gorse Fur padded from the long grass. “Some of us should stand guard near the hollow,” he growled. “Just in case.”

  Dappled Pelt gazed from outside the gorse den. “Clear Sky can’t be trusted.”

  Thunder glanced at her, surprised at the darkness in the tortoiseshell’s tone.

  “This is a meeting, not a battle,” Tall Shadow told her firmly. “Clear Sky knows that we just want to talk.”

  Gorse Fur met her gaze. “What does he want?”

  Thunder wished he could reassure the tom, but he didn’t trust Clear Sky any more than the rest of them.

  He saw Tall Shadow take a step forward. “Gray Wing.” The black she-cat’s call seemed to jerk Gray Wing from his trance. His eyes flashed in the moonlight as he turned toward her. Then, nodding sharply, he padded toward the gap in the heather.

  “Gray Wing!” Rainswept Flower called from his nest. “Aren’t you going to say good-bye?”

  Gray Wing glanced toward the kits huddling beside Rainswept Flower. “Of course.” Shaking out his fur, he hurried across the clearing. “Rest, my dears,” he told them, touching his muzzle to each of their heads. “I’ll be back before long.”

  Owl Eyes stared at him anxiously. “You’ll be okay, won’t you?”

  Gray Wing pressed his cheek to the young tom’s. “Of course.” His purr sounded forced. “I’m going to meet with my brother. And I’ve got Thunder and Tall Shadow with me.”

  Sparrow Fur glared at him. “You’re going to meet Clear Sky,” she mewed. “The meanest cat ever.”

  “He’s still my littermate,” Gray Wing reminded her softly. He glanced fondly at Pebble Heart. “Will you be okay?”

  Pebble Heart’s eyes reflected starlight. “Be careful, Gray Wing,” he mewed. “Danger lies in the hollow.”

  “I will.” Gray Wing dipped his head.

  Thunder narrowed his eyes, curious. Why was Gray Wing taking advice from a kit? What did Pebble Heart know of conflict between cats? Unease moved in his belly as Gray Wing crossed the clearing and followed Tall Shadow out of the camp. He tasted the air warily, wondering at the foreboding creeping beneath his pelt. Was a storm coming? The faint scent of rain tinged the breeze. He checked the sky. For now, it was clear, the stars sparkling high above.

  “Are you coming?” Gray Wing called to him over his shoulder.

  Thunder bounded after him. As Tall Shadow ducked into the heather ahead of them, he whispered in Gray Wing’s ear. “What did Pebble Heart mean by danger lies in the hollow?”

  “I don’t know.” Gray Wing followed the black she-cat.

  Thunder nosed his way among the springy branches. The trail was cracked and jabbed his pads as he wove one way then the other through the thick bushes. It was a few moments before he caught up to Gray Wing again. “What do you mean you don’t know?” he hissed at Gray Wing’s tail.

  Gray Wing didn’t answer. As he broke from the heather, Thunder saw Gray Wing and Tall Shadow already climbing the grass slope toward the hollow. They were veering away from the quickest route.

  He broke into a run until he reached them, then fell in beside Gray Wing, matching his pace. “Why are we going this way?” Across the wide slope, he could see treetops shimmering in the hollow. Tall Shadow seemed to be leading them around it.

  “We’re heading for the sunhigh slope,” Gray Wing told him. “It’s clear of brambles and ferns. We decided that Clear Sky would feel more at ease if he saw our approach clearly.”

  “Who cares how he feels?” Thunder growled.

  Gray Wing’s pelt brushed his. “We need him to feel calm.”

  Thunder snorted. “It’s like feeding prey to a buzzard. He’ll take as much as he can get and still try to claw your pelt off.”

  Tall Shadow turned her head, her dark gaze glowing through the gloom. “We have to try.” She flicked her night-black tail toward the top of the steepening slope. “I’ll go on ahead to check it’s safe. My pelt will be hidden better in the shadows.”

  “Don’t go into the hollow until we get there.” Gray Wing called as she bounded ahead.

  “Shouldn’t we stay with her?” Thunder watched her go uneasily. What if Clear Sky had planned a trap?

  “She’ll be careful.” Gray Wing kept his gaze fixed ahead. “I don’t want to arrive out of breath.”

  Thunder stiffened. “Is your chest still tight?”

  “A little.” Gray Wing’s tail twitched. “But I’ll be fine.”

  Thunder watched Tall Shadow disappear into the darkness at the top of the slope. “Perhaps I should go with her.”

  Gray Wing glanced pointedly at his wide white paws, pale against the grass. “Her pelt won’t be seen. We don’t want to alarm Clear Sky.”

  Thunder flexed his claws angrily. Were they going to spend their whole lives tiptoeing around Clear Sky? The meanest cat ever. Sparrow Fur’s words rang in his mind. Danger lies in the hollow. He looked to Gray Wing, remembering Pebble Heart’s words. “If you don’t know what Pebble Heart meant, why did you look so worried when you left?”

  Gray Wing’s paws brushed the grass.

  “Well?” Thunder pressed.

  “Pebble Heart has dreams,” he murmured at last.

  Thunder frowned. “We all have dreams.”

  “Not like Pebble Heart’s.”

  A soft wind lifted Thunder’s fur. “What do you mean?”

  “You never knew Stoneteller. She was our leader in the mountains.” Gray Wing kept walking. “She shared with the ancients in dreams. They warned her of darkness to come and showed her the way forward when we were unsure.”

  Thunder’s heart quickened. “Do you think Pebble Heart shares with the ancients?”

  “I don’t know.” Gray Wing scrambled up the last steep rise and stopped at the top. Starlight glittered behind him. He was breathless from the climb. “But I think he’s special.”

  Thunder caught him up. “He’s like Stoneteller?”

  Gray Wing shrugged. “His dreams are important. That’s all I know.” He gazed toward the hollow. It opened like a wound at the edge of the moorland.

  Thunder flattened his ears against the rustling of the forest beyond.

  “He dreamed of death,” Gray Wing murmured. “Before Turtle Tail was killed.”

  Thunder’s fur spiked as surprise jolted through him. “You mean he saw it coming?”

  “He didn’t know it would be Turtle Tail.” Gray Wing stared at him. “You’re the only one I’ve told. Keep it to yourself while Pebble Heart’s a kit. He’s young and we don’t want to put pressure on him.”

  “Why tell me now?”

  “Just in case.”

  Fear dropped like a stone in Thunder’s belly as Gray Wing held his gaze.

  “Some cat needs to know, in case something happens to me.”

  Thunder’s mouth grew dry. “Pebble Heart’s had a dream about the meeting, hasn’t he?”

  Gray Wing bounded forward. “Let’s catch up.” He crossed the grass following Tall Shadow’s trail.

  Thunder charged after him, his pelt bristling with frustration. “Is there something you need to tell me?”

  Gray Wing stopped at the top of the hollow where Tall Shadow was pacing the lush grass. He gave Thunder a warning look.

  Thunder swallowed back the questions spinning in his head and scrambled to a halt. He stared down into the hollow. The four oaks swished, their leaves rippling like water in the moonlight. At the bottom he could see a great rock between them, thrusting from the ground like a massive paw. Silhouetted at the top, he recognized Clear Sky’s broad shoulders, and saw his father’s confident pose. For a moment, Thunder thought he was getting a glimpse at the cat Clear Sky once was—the young cat of the mountains.

  He hoped that this would make him easier to negotiate with.

  Tall Shadow shifted her paws.
“He’s not alone.”

  Thunder opened his mouth, letting the cool night breeze bathe his tongue. A jumble of cat scents made him stiffen, his fur prickling. “He’s brought every cat in his territory.”

  “Every cat?” Gray Wing snapped his head around.

  Falling Feather, Quick Water, Leaf, Petal. Thunder recognized all the scents of his old camp mates. And newer scents he didn’t know. Had Clear Sky recruited more rogues?

  Tall Shadow was peering down into the hollow. “I can’t see any cat except Clear Sky.”

  Thunder fought to steady his breath. “They’re hiding.”

  “Is it a trap?” Tall Shadow narrowed her eyes.

  “Gray Wing!” Clear Sky’s yowl sounded from below. “I know you’re here. With Thunder and Tall Shadow. Why not show yourselves? You came to talk, didn’t you? Then let’s begin.”

  Thunder hesitated as Gray Wing stepped forward. He felt his breath catch. I hope he’s wrong about Pebble Heart’s dreams.

  CHAPTER 18

  “Keep your hackles down,” Gray Wing murmured as he descended the slope.

  “What are you doing?” Thunder stared after him, paws rooted to the grass. “We’re outnumbered.”

  “He won’t attack.” Gray Wing glanced over his shoulder.

  “Why bring his whole camp if he doesn’t mean to attack?” And what about Pebble Heart’s warning? Thunder couldn’t believe that Gray Wing was being so reckless.

  Tall Shadow padded after him. “What will he gain by harming us?”

  Thunder watched her go. “Clear Sky hurts cats just because he can.”

  “I don’t believe that.” Gray Wing paused and met Thunder’s gaze. “Are you coming or not?”

  Thunder took a deep breath. I’m no coward. Forcing his fur to lie flat, he followed. The grass was slippery with dew beneath his paws. The musky scents of the forest cats filled the hollow. His gaze slid sideways as they reached the bottom. Shapes moved in the shadows on the slopes. He could see them slipping between the ferns like fish through reeds. But the moonlit clearing was deserted.

  That’s just like Clear Sky. I bet he told them to stay hidden because he knows a hidden enemy is more intimidating. “Just face us, you cowards,” he muttered under his breath.

  “Hush!” Tall Shadow’s hiss was sharp.

  Gray Wing padded to the foot of the great rock looming at the end of the clearing. He slid around the side and a moment later appeared at the top, facing Clear Sky.

  Thunder flexed his claws. He felt uncomfortable, exposed.

  “Join us!” Clear Sky called down.

  Something about this felt wrong. A chill ran down Thunder’s spine.

  “Come on.” Tall Shadow headed toward the rock.

  Thunder followed. At least, he told himself, up there, they’d be safe from the reach of claws and teeth.

  “What do we do if they attack?” he whispered to Tall Shadow as she crouched, ready to jump.

  “Let’s hope they don’t.” She leaped, landing on a narrow ledge halfway up before jumping to the top.

  Thunder sighed. That wasn’t much of a plan. “I hope you’re right,” he muttered, bounding after her.

  The top of the rock was smooth, still warm from the day’s heat. Gray Wing sat a tail-length from Clear Sky, who rested on his haunches, paws splayed as he washed his chest.

  Tall Shadow circled Clear Sky slowly, her eyes never leaving him. She stopped and narrowed her eyes. “Why did you bring the others?”

  Clear Sky lifted his head slowly and met her gaze, drawing his paws neatly in front of him. “Why did Gray Wing bring you?”

  Thunder bristled. “Because we don’t trust you,” he growled.

  Gray Wing nudged Thunder backward as Tall Shadow settled beside him. “Thank you for coming, Clear Sky,” he meowed evenly.

  Clear Sky lifted his chin. “This meeting is long overdue.” His voice rang across the hollow.

  Thunder scanned the shadowy slopes, searching for movement. Clear Sky seemed to be addressing every cat, as though he was leader of them all. His hackles lifted. “Stop acting like it was your idea.”

  “Be quiet, Thunder,” Gray Wing growled softly.

  “Yes, Thunder. Be quiet.” Clear Sky’s eyes flashed scornfully in the moonlight.

  “Don’t tell me what to do!” Thunder flashed back at him.

  “I forgot,” Clear Sky meowed silkily. “You were always Gray Wing’s cat.”

  “That’s not true!” Claws seemed to rake Thunder’s heart. “I tried to be the son you wanted me to be.”

  “Is that right?” Clear Sky stared at him coldly, the moonlight gleaming on his pelt.

  “You wanted me to be cruel, like you!” Thunder thrust his muzzle toward his father. “But I’ll never be cruel!”

  “Thunder!” Gray Wing hissed at him fiercely.

  Tall Shadow wove past Thunder, nudging him backward, as Gray Wing shifted his paws.

  “I’m sorry about Thunder,” said Gray Wing. “He’s young and impulsive.”

  Thunder struggled to swallow his rage at the politeness in Gray Wing’s mew. How dare you apologize for me!

  Gray Wing went on. “The silence between us has festered like warm prey. Talk will clear the air and perhaps we can go back to how things were when we first arrived from the mountains.”

  Clear Sky’s ear twitched but he didn’t speak.

  “Do you remember how it was?” Gray Wing prompted. “What it was like to be warm for the first time? To have full bellies? To feel soft grass beneath our paws instead of snow and rock? We were proud that we’d made such a dangerous journey. We were united in our determination never again to cower, hungry, in cold caves.” He reached his muzzle closer to Clear Sky. “Surely, you remember?”

  Clear Sky cocked his head to one side. “I remember the cats who died on the way. Have you forgotten Bright Stream?” His gaze glittered like ice. “And, when we arrived, the rogues didn’t exactly welcome us to their land. We had to fight for it.”

  “That’s not true!” Gray Wing objected. “What about Wind and Gorse?” He flicked his nose toward the shadows moving at the edges of the clearing. “What about Nettle and Fircone? All these rogues! They’re your allies now.”

  “Like Fox?” There was a sneer in Clear Sky’s mew.

  As Gray Wing flinched, Thunder leaned closer. He’d heard about the tom Gray Wing had killed. “Fox died defending boundaries that you created!” he snarled.

  “Hush!” Tall Shadow breathed in his ear. “Control yourself, Thunder. Now isn’t the time to settle scores with your father.”

  He met her dark gaze, anger churning in his belly. She was right. They were here to bring peace to the forest and the moor.

  She stepped forward and lifted her face so that moonlight drenched her muzzle. “The stars have looked down on this place for countless seasons. The stone beneath my paws has stood for endless moons.”

  Movement flickered at the corner of Thunder’s vision. The cats below were slinking from the shadows. Falling Feather’s white pelt glowed. He recognized the small frame of Quick Water at her side. Nettle and Fircone hurried closer, fur rippling. Petal, Leaf, and Snake jostled to get near. Thunder spotted a dull, black pelt moving like a shadow after the others. Was that Jackdaw’s Cry?

  As silent as hunters, they gathered beneath the rock. Their eyes shone with curiosity. Above them, bats flitted, swooping this way and that like ghostly swallows. The cats ignored them and lifted their gazes to Tall Shadow.

  She turned to them. “This great rock did not rise from the ground for me to sit on. These trees did not grow to give you shelter.” She flicked her muzzle toward the moor. “The grass did not cover the moor to soften our paw steps. The rabbits didn’t hollow burrows for us to shelter in.” She turned her gaze suddenly to Clear Sky. “The forest did not burn to destroy your home.”

  Thunder saw him shiver. She’d reminded Clear Sky of how vulnerable he’d been when flames threatened to engulf his camp. He’d needed t
heir help then. He’d never have survived without it.

  Tall Shadow pressed on. “This land isn’t ours. We live here for a few short moons then disappear. But the land lives on. It isn’t ours to claw into morsels and share like prey. We must honor it and protect it. It feeds us and shelters us.” Her gaze swept back to the cats below. “Can we be united in that?”

  Quick Water glanced at Falling Feather. Leaf rounded his eyes, intrigued. Fircone shifted his paws.

  Were they considering Tall Shadow’s plea?

  Thunder looked at Clear Sky. His father’s gaze had widened. Suddenly, he looked young, his ears pricked, his whiskers quivering. Had Tall Shadow convinced him that they could share the land in peace?

  Hope surged beneath Thunder’s pelt as Gray Wing stepped forward, reaching his muzzle out to his brother.

  “Got you!” A triumphant yowl sounded below.

  Thunder spun, heart lurching as he saw Jackdaw’s Cry leap and swat a bat from the air. The black tom leaped on it and began gnawing, a warning growl rumbling in his throat.

  “How dare you!” Petal turned on him, hissing. “That’s forest prey.”

  “This is no cat’s land.” Jackdaw’s Cry looked up at her, bat flesh hanging from his jaws. He flicked it into his mouth and swallowed hungrily.

  Petal leaped and hooked the bat away. “That belongs to us! Clear Sky forbid you from eating our prey!”

  “No!” Gray Wing’s eyes rounded in horror.

  Thunder blinked. They were so close to an agreement. They mustn’t fight now. Not over prey!