by Erin Hunter
A mottled tabby head poked in and sniffed the leaves. “They’re still warm,” he growled.
Talltail held his breath. Please, don’t look up!
The head ducked back out. Fast as a squirrel, Talltail scrabbled his way farther up the tree trunk. Above his head, the circle of light grew until he could feel fresh air washing over him. His claws screamed with pain as he dragged himself up the last tail-length. Leaves rustled below as a ShadowClan warrior jumped into the hollow and began sniffing at the nest. “Are you sure you can’t see him?” he called out to his Clanmates.
Talltail grabbed for the top of the trunk and hauled himself over the rim. Shards of bark showered down the shaft beneath him. He scrambled onto a crooked, lightning-blasted branch. Rotten with age, it creaked beneath his weight. He clung to it, flattening himself against the wood, praying it was wide enough to shield him from the gaze of the cats below.
“I heard something.”
“It must be a squirrel.”
“Smells like a tom.”
“A cat couldn’t climb that high.”
“Do you recognize the scent?”
“Stagnant water and earth. Too rank for a Clan cat.”
Talltail prickled with indignation.
“It could be one of those rogues we chased off last moon.”
“Those cats that smelled like WindClan? Why would they come back? I clawed that she-cat’s ears until she shrieked!”
He pricked his ears. The rogues came this way! He was still on Sparrow’s trail. A surge of hope sliced through his terror.
“Let’s check the Thunderpath.” The ShadowClan warrior’s mew echoed up the hollow trunk. “He’s obviously not in here anymore.”
Talltail clung to the branch, his heart pounding so hard that he feared it was ringing through the wood. Gingerly he peered down. Four warriors searched far below, picking their way among the tangled roots of the pine, sniffing every scent, their pelts bristling. Talltail’s legs began to ache, his claws throbbing with the effort of clinging on. Go away! He willed the patrol to move on, but they circled the trees again and again, tails flicking with anger.
At last one of the warriors wandered toward the open grass. “The trail comes from this way.”
“Let’s track it.” The mottled warrior padded after him.
Talltail watched as one by one the warriors headed away from the trees. They trekked across the grass, following his trail back along the Thunderpath. As soon as they were out of sight, he scrambled down the tree, feeling a rush of relief as his paws touched solid earth. Despite the cramp tightening his muscles, he ran fast as a rabbit, breaking through the scent line he hadn’t noticed in his rush to shelter among the trees, and diving across the narrow Thunderpath into a wall of thick bushes.
He slowed, catching his breath. Not much farther on, the bushes gave way to dense woodland. Oak and ash pushed up through patches of bramble. The cloudy sky showed through their bare branches. Talltail tasted the air. There were no Clan scents here. Bracken crowded between the trunks and hawthorn snagged his pelt, but he felt safe for the first time in a long while. As he pushed on, shadows darkened around him. The sun must be sinking. How could he tell where it was when he was trapped in all these trees? Tail drooping, Talltail padded to a halt. It was pointless trying to guess which way to go. He should wait till dawn and head for sun-up.
He pushed past a clump of shriveled ferns and found himself in a small clearing ringed by trees. There wasn’t enough sky to navigate by, but at least he wasn’t being smothered by branches. He curled among the jutting roots of the nearest oak. His belly growled, but he was too tired to hunt. Instead he laid his chin on his paws and closed his eyes.
“Talltail!” Sandgorse’s mew echoed through the dark. “Listen!”
“What is it?” Talltail looked wildly around, but all he could see was the blackness of shadow, washed with scents of trees.
“Talltail!”
“Sandgorse!” Talltail strained to hear a reply but the wind grew stronger and lashed the branches above him, drowning out every other sound. “Sandgorse?” Talltail woke with a start. Sunlight was flashing between the tree trunks and the air was still. He had been dreaming—but why hadn’t Sandgorse been able to speak to him? His belly twisted with hunger and he jumped to his paws. He would have to hope that Sandgorse visited him in his dreams again. Now it was time to get moving, to put some distance between him and ShadowClan.
Above his head the small patch of visible sky was pale blue, glowing at one edge with gold-pink beams of light. Sun-up! Talltail whirled around until he was facing the rays from the rising sun. At last he knew which way to go. Ignoring his rumbling belly, he pushed through bracken and ducked under a bramble. A trailing branch caught his paw and he tripped, cursing as pain shot through his leg. Limping, he hurried on, but after a few paces he stubbed another paw on a jutting root, and winced as thorns stabbed his pelt. How did forest cats get anywhere?
Birds twittered in the branches, making his belly growl more loudly. He had to find food. He needed to be strong when he caught up with Sparrow. He paused and tasted the air. Mouse. Talltail crouched down and scanned the undergrowth. A dead leaf trembled at the bottom of a bramble. Talltail saw a flash of brown fur and pounced. The mouse shot away. Talltail darted after it, squeezing beneath the thorny branches. He exploded from the other side of the bush to see the mouse scuttle over the roots of a tree and race for the safety of a hawthorn bush.
Talltail peered through the spiky branches. He could see the mouse trembling beside the stem, and reached in with a paw. He patted the ground, his claws stretched as he tried to reach the tiny creature. It hurtled away and skittered out the other side of the bush. Talltail dodged around, his paws skidding on leaves. He glimpsed the mouse as it scuttled into a swathe of bracken, and plunged in after it. Crashing through the stems, he zigzagged after it, trying to slam his paws down on the blur of brown fur, first one way, then another, always just a moment too late.
Dumb mouse! He cursed under his breath as it disappeared through a hole in a high, wooden barrier. The scent of it filled his nose. Hungrily Talltail leaped onto the top of the wood. Ahead, red Twoleg dens blocked his view. Crowded together, with sharp edges, they seemed to glower at him through big, square eyes. Talltail blinked at them, feeling the fur rise along his spine.
A square patch of grass lay between him and the closest den. More wooden walls divided the stretch of land behind the dens into a row of tiny meadows. Talltail scanned the grass for the mouse. No sign. He padded along the top of the narrow wall, leaping the thick stalk that blocked the way to the next and peering into the little meadow. The mouse wasn’t there either. Talltail curled his lip. He’d have caught that mouse on the moor. No dumb bushes or wooden walls to get in his way.
Something moved in a clump of wilting leaves below. His nose twitched. He could smell the mouse and see its brown back cowering under a leaf. Fixing his gaze on its pelt, he jumped down, his paws sinking into wet earth. He darted forward and grabbed the mouse in his teeth, killing it with a bite. Ravenous, he began to eat. Thank you, StarClan! The moist, fatty flesh tasted great. He chewed loudly, relishing the flavor. As he swallowed the last mouthful, a growl rumbled behind him.
Dog!
CHAPTER 29
Talltail whirled around. A massive dog loomed over him, teeth glistening, eyes sparking with rage.
It lunged, and at the same instant Talltail ducked. Jaws snapped at his shoulder, tugging out fur. Screeching with pain, Talltail raced for the fence and leaped onto it, dropping down the other side. A narrow passage ran beside the red-stone den. Talltail charged along it, claws spraying grit behind him. Another tall, wooden fence blocked the end, but he scaled it and jumped down from the top.
A Thunderpath lay in front of him with a monster roaring along it. Talltail froze, pelt bushing. Behind him, the dog barked furiously. Could it get over the fence? I’m not waiting to find out! As soon as the monster had passed, Talltail fled
across the Thunderpath. Dodging into a tiny gap between two stone dens, he raced through the bushes at the back, then hurtled past another den. Swerving onto a stone path that led between blank walls, he kept running, his breath coming in gasps. Shapes blurred around him as he ran. Monsters howled, endless fences blocked his path, but he kept dodging and jumping, refusing to give the dog a chance to catch him.
Eventually, chest heaving, Talltail scrambled to a halt. He glanced over his shoulder. No sign of any dog. Red stone walls loomed over him on three sides. Blood welled on his shoulder where he’d lost fur. He limped toward a heap of stinking bundles that had been piled in the corner of the passage. It smelled like Carrionplace, but right now it looked like a place to shelter. Crouching behind it, he tried to catch his breath.
Sunshine sliced between the walls, striping the middle of the passage. Talltail trembled, dazed and sore. Panic began to swirl in his belly. How will I ever find my way through Twolegplace, let alone find Sparrow? He lapped at the patch of raw flesh on his shoulder. If only Barkface were there with soothing herbs. You will have to hunt for yourself, heal yourself if you get hurt. There will be no one to share your victories. Or your defeats. Heatherstar’s words rang in his mind. I can do it, he told himself.
A clang made him freeze. He jerked up his head, pelt bristling. The noise came from around the corner. Another crash rang through the air. Talltail began to back away. A dog yelped excitedly. Talltail felt the fur rise along his spine. Had it tracked him here?
A cat screeched in alarm. It was in trouble.
Leave it. Talltail stared in the direction of the noise, his mind whirling. I can’t! He hadn’t trained to be a warrior to leave other cats in danger! He raced forward and swung around the corner at the end. A ginger tom was cowering in the corner of a walled dead end, his green eyes wide with alarm. A brown-and-white dog the size of a badger barked in his face while the tom swung out in a frenzy with his claws.
A different dog! Twolegplace was swarming with them. But this time Talltail wasn’t going to run. A cat was in trouble.
Talltail focused his mind. There was rage in the tom’s eyes, as if all he needed was a bit of luck for the battle to go his way. Talltail sprang onto the wall and ran along it until he was level with the dog. He stopped beside the dog, eyeing its back, then unsheathed his claws and jumped. He landed squarely on the dog’s shoulders, ripping into its flesh. As the dog bucked and yelped beneath Talltail, the ginger tom reared up and swiped its muzzle. Talltail leaped down, landing beside the tom. Watching his paw movements from the corner of his eye, Talltail matched them swipe for swipe. The dog began to back away, its eyes clouding with confusion, then with fear. It snapped at the ginger cat once more, then yelped with frustration, turned, and fled.
Talltail dropped onto all fours. The tom collapsed beside him, flanks heaving.
“Are you okay?” Talltail sniffed the other cat’s pelt. No blood scent.
The tom lifted his head. “I’m just catching my breath.”
“Did it bite you?”
“Didn’t get close enough.” The tom heaved himself to his paws, staggering a little as his forepaw buckled beneath him. Talltail glanced at it. “Just a sprain,” the tom told him. “I turned it on a stone while I was running.” He stared at Talltail. “Thanks, by the way. I thought I was a goner.”
Talltail stared at him. “Goner?”
“Dog food,” the tom explained. “Dead.”
“You shouldn’t have let yourself get chased into a corner,” Talltail told him bluntly.
“You think?”
Talltail tucked his hindquarters under him, ready to spring back up onto the wall and leave. It was starting to rain and he needed to find somewhere to shelter for the night.
“What’s your name?” the ginger tom called. “I’m Jake.”
“I’m Talltail.” He hopped up onto the wall. “You should get out of here. The dog might come back.”
“You’re a Clan cat, aren’t you?” Jake blinked up at him. “From over the fences? I’ve always wondered about the wild cats who live in the woods.”
“That’s ThunderClan.” Talltail fluffed out his fur against the rain.
“So you’re a ThunderClan cat.”
“ThunderClan?” Talltail felt a flicker of annoyance. “No way! There’s more than one Clan.”
“Really?” Jake’s eyes bulged.
“I have to go.” I’m not here to make friends. “Get away from here before the dog—”
“—comes back. I know. Well, thanks for helping me out.”
“Be more careful in the future.” Talltail sprang down the other side of the wall into another tiny meadow that backed onto a red-stone den. This meadow had shrubs growing around the edge. A hedge ran along one side and Talltail hurried across the grass and squeezed through, popping out into another little green square. He padded over it, glancing warily at the Twoleg den at the end, then tasting the air for dogs. The rain was falling heavily now, drenching his pelt. He scrambled over the far fence into an identical space. Talltail wondered why Twolegs made so many barriers. Didn’t they have scent marks?
Kittypet scent touched his nose as he landed on another patch of wet grass. A ginger-and-black she-cat was sheltering under a bush near the Twoleg den. Perhaps she could give him a clue if he was headed in the right direction. He padded toward her, blinking calmly at her to reassure her.
She huddled deeper under the bush, her pelt bristling, her eyes wide with alarm.
“I only want to ask you a question,” Talltail called.
She stared at him. “My Twolegs will be back in a moment. They’ll chase you off.” She lifted her muzzle bravely.
Talltail stopped a tail-length from the bush. “Before they do, can you tell me if you’ve seen any rogues around here recently?”
“Only you.” The she-cat backed away.
Talltail gazed at her wearily. “I’m a Clan cat.”
“A Clan cat?” Her pelt spiked. “That’s worse!” Eyes sparking with terror, she scrabbled from the bush and hared toward the fence, leaping over it and disappearing.
Talltail shook out his pelt. He was tired and hungry and had no idea if he was getting any closer to the rogues. He didn’t know if he would ever find his way out of this forest of Twoleg dens. And his belly was growling again. He had to find food. He hurried through the rain and leaped the next wall. A small wooden den sat at one end of the bushy clearing. It looked deserted, too small for Twolegs to live in, too ramshackle for pampered kittypets. A good place for prey to hide. He stalked toward it, searching the sides for a gap. There was a small hole at one corner. The edge was ragged. Small teeth had chewed it.
Rat? He’d never eaten rat. But it was food. He crept into the shadowy den, his nose wrinkling as pungent smells wreathed around him. He swallowed his rising queasiness. They were just scents. They couldn’t hurt him. He slunk around the pieces of wood that littered the den floor, sniffing for prey and wondering if he’d even smell it through the stink. He blinked in the gloom. Something was lying on the ground in the corner. Talltail padded toward it, nose twitching. The soft, dead body of a rat showed in the half light. Someone had left prey behind.
Dumb kittypets. What was the point of catching prey if you didn’t eat it? He crouched beside the rat and took a bite. It was so fresh, it was still warm. There was a sharp taste to its flesh, barely detectible over the thick scents swirling around the shed. Twolegplace rats must taste different. Hungrily Talltail took another bite. His belly heaved. I have to eat. I have to stay strong.
He forced himself to keep chewing despite the taste, swallowing until every morsel was gone. Relieved, he licked his lips, thinking longingly of fresh moor rabbit. The weight in his belly made him sleepy. He curled down onto the hard floor and closed his eyes, flattening his ears against the thundering of the rain. It might stink in here, but at least it was dry. Tucking his nose under his paw, he tried to ignore the tiny jabs in his belly. I ate too fast. He curled up tighter
and let sleep enfold him.
CHAPTER 30
Talltail’s belly was gripped in vicious jaws with teeth that bit through fur, skin, muscle. What’s happening? He screeched in agony and fought to get free. He woke with a gasp, staring into the shadows that filled the wooden den. The pain in his belly didn’t disappear. It hardened, making him writhe. Jerking, he vomited. He hauled himself to his paws and dragged himself from the den. So thirsty!
Thoughts clouded with pain, he staggered across the wet grass, lapping at the raindrops until he reached a puddle. He drank desperately, but as soon as the water hit his belly, another painful spasm seized him. He vomited again, unable to stop himself. But the tormenting thirst was still there, as if all the water in the world would not quench the fire inside him. Terrified, Talltail crouched on the wet grass and sank his claws into the earth. StarClan, help me! He let out a long desperate moan.
“Talltail?” A voice sounded from somewhere above him.
Had Sandgorse come to take him to StarClan? Talltail looked up weakly, then opened his mouth to release a thin stream of bile. Paws landed on the grass beside him. A muzzle reached toward his. He was dimly aware of warm breath bathing his nose.
“You ate that rat, didn’t you?” The shocked mew rang in his ear. “Didn’t you realize it was poisoned? I didn’t think Clan cats would be so dumb!”
Jake. Talltail recognized the voice and saw ginger fur, pale in the moonlight. “Help me,” he rasped.
“Wait here.” Jake backed away and vanished.
Talltail was too weak to move. His body twitched, helpless with pain; he had no power to resist the spasms. Vomit dribbled from his mouth, jerked up by another convulsion. If I die, I’ll see Sandgorse. Through his haze of pain, a pale light gleamed. I’m sorry I didn’t avenge your death. Grief flooded him. He’d failed his father again.
