Path of Stars (17 page)

“Of course.” Moss padded toward his injured campmate at once, Juniper and Raven hurrying after him. As Lightning Tail followed, Moss tucked his nose beneath Frog's shoulder. The injured tom grunted as Raven grasped his scruff.

“Careful,” Pebble Heart cautioned. His eyes glittered with worry. “He's injured his spine. Too much movement might make it worse.”

Raven tugged Frog onto Moss's shoulders.

Frog screeched with pain.

Pebble Heart's fur bushed. “Stop!”

Gently, Moss moved away and Raven lowered Frog to the ground.

Thunder blinked at Pebble Heart. “What can we do? We can't leave him here.”

Pebble Heart was gazing into the distance, his eyes clouded with a look that Gray Wing knew well. The young tom was thinking.

“Frog.” Willow crouched beside the tom. “You'll be okay. We won't leave you behind.”

“He needs to lie flat as we move him,” Pebble Heart murmured.

Gray Wing frowned. “That's not possible.”

Pebble Heart blinked at him, his eyes lighting up in the darkness. “Yes, it is!” He raced to the camp entrance. “We need to find the right sized piece of bark. I've seen plenty in the pine forest. It'll curve around his body but be flat enough to support him. We can use it to drag him to the moor.”

Lightning Tail pricked his ears. “I'll help find some.”

“I'll come too!” Moss hurried across the clearing.

“Where's Moss going?” Pine blinked anxiously at his father as he headed out of camp.

“He's not going far,” Dawn soothed. “He'll be back soon.”

Pine lifted his chin. “I'm going with him.” He began to cross the clearing, following Moss's paw steps.

Violet darted forward and grabbed the tip of the kit's tail between her teeth. “You're staying here,” she mewed through gritted teeth as she dragged Pine toward his mother. “Dawn has had enough to worry about today without you wandering off.”

Pine struggled free and glared at the dark gray she-cat, but
he didn't argue. Sticking his tail in the air, he stalked back to Dawn's side and sat down stiffly.

Gray Wing glanced toward the pine trees, no more than shadows against the cloudy night sky.

No one spoke as they waited for Pebble Heart, Moss, and Lightning Tail to return.

Gray Wing stiffened when, at last, paw steps sounded outside the camp. He hurried to the entrance, then hopped back as Lightning Tail burst, tail-first, into the clearing. He was dragging a piece of bark in his teeth while Moss and Pebble Heart pushed the other end with their paws. Gray Wing sniffed it as Lightning Tail let it drop beside Frog. The scent of sap was still fresh. It clearly had not been lying long on the forest floor. The bark would be strong.

Pebble Heart crouched beside Frog. “We need to move you onto the bark,” he told the tom. “It will hurt, but not for long.”

“I can bear it,” Frog grunted.

Willow paced beside the injured rogue, her worried gaze on Pebble Heart. “You'll be careful, won't you?”

“Of course.” Pebble Heart buried his muzzle into Frog's scruff and bit down. He blinked at Lightning Tail and Moss, and they hurried to help. Nosing Frog's hindquarters, they heaved him onto the piece of bark, while Pebble Heart guided his head.

Frog grunted, his eyes sparking with pain, then fell limp as they laid him into the curve of his bark nest.

Violet padded around him, looking worried. “Will we be able to drag it?”

Thunder puffed out his chest. “There's only one way to
find out.” Leaning down, he grasped one corner of the bark between his teeth and tugged. The bark slid a little way over the ground. Juniper hurried to help, taking the other corner in her teeth. Between them, the two cats began to heave Frog toward the clearing.

Gray Wing watched them haul him through the entrance. The rogues limped behind them, a straggling trail of battered cats. His pelt prickled nervously. Could they really drag Frog all the way to the moor? And what would he tell Wind Runner when they arrived?

“Frog?” Willow's anxious mew sounded from the head of the group. Gray Wing hurried past the rogues and stopped beside her. Above, the clouds were thinning. Stars were glittering through the gaps. They had made it onto the moor. The hollow was visible in the weak starlight, no more than a shadow on the hillside.

Willow leaned over the bark nest. The rogue's body was slumped in its curve.

“He's not moving.” Willow looked expectantly at Pebble Heart.

The young tom sniffed Frog's muzzle. “He's still breathing, but very weakly,” he murmured.

“Do something to help him!” Willow's tail quivered.

Gray Wing's heart twisted as he heard horror in her mew.

Pebble Heart met her gaze. “I can clean wounds and stop them from bleeding, but Frog's injury is inside. There's nothing I can do.”

Anger flared in Willow's gaze. “But you got him this far!”
She glanced toward the hollow. “We're so near. He
has
to make it.”

Frog grunted softly.

Willow crouched beside him. “Frog. Hang on. We're nearly there. You're going to be okay.”

Gray Wing saw Frog's tail slide limply onto the ground.

Willow hopped over the bark and tucked it in neatly beside him. “We're going to take care of you, Frog.”

Frog made no sound.

“Frog?” Willow leaned into the nest and lapped at his shoulder urgently. “Say something. Wake up. Stay awake. You can sleep when we get to safety.”

Pebble Heart placed his paw on Frog's flank.

Gray Wing's heart lurched as shock darkened the young tom's gaze. He looked at Frog and saw stillness beneath Pebble Heart's paw. Frog wasn't breathing.

“Frog!” Panic edged Willow's mew.

“I'm sorry.” Pebble Heart's mew was husky. “He's dead.”

“No!” Willow backed away, her eyes wide.

Violet hurried to her side, steadying Willow as she began to tremble. “So much death!”

Thunder padded forward. “This will be the last.” He met Gray Wing's gaze. Was that doubt flickering in his starlit gaze?

Gray Wing dipped his head. “There's no point dragging Frog to the hollow now,” he meowed softly. “We should bury him here and mark his grave so that he will not be forgotten.”

As he spoke, he heard paws pounding across the hillside. He turned his head and saw, in the moonlight, Wind
Runner and Gorse Fur running toward them. He hurried to meet them. He didn't want Wind Runner stumbling into the rogues without warning.

“There you are, Gray Wing!” Wind Runner pulled up as she neared, her pelt rippling uneasily as she saw the rogues gathered behind him. Her mew hardened. “What are
they
doing here?”

Gorse Fur narrowed his eyes as he scanned the bedraggled cats.

Gray Wing shifted his paws. “Their camp was attacked by dogs. Slash deserted them with a few of his allies. Three of their campmates are dead and most of them are injured. I told them that we would give them shelter for the night.” He held his leader's gaze unflinchingly. “Their camp is no longer safe. They need our help.”

Wind Runner flattened her ears, her gaze flicking toward Juniper, Raven, and Ember. “They didn't need our help when they attacked our patrol a few days ago.”

Gray Wing stood his ground. “They had no choice. Disobeying Slash would have cost them their lives.” He glanced at Fern, remembering her terror of the cruel tom. “But Slash is gone now. These cats are no different from you and me.” He hoped it was true.

“Really?” Wind Runner padded past Gray Wing and circled Juniper and Raven. She stared at them angrily. “Are we supposed to trust you now?”

“We won't hurt you,” Raven told her quickly.

Wind Runner curled her lip. “If only you'd felt that way last time we met.”

Gorse Fur padded to his mate's side. “They don't look in a fit state to harm anyone.”

Wind Runner glared at him. “So we should take them into our camp?”

“Just until tomorrow,” Gray Wing pleaded. The wind was turning cold and cutting through his damp pelt. He shivered. “They need shelter.”

Dawn padded forward. She nosed Drizzle and Pine ahead of her. “Will you at least take my kits?”

“No!” Drizzle dug her paws into the grass.

“We want to stay with you!” Pine stared desperately at his mother.

Moss padded to his mate's side. “It's okay, Dawn. We can keep them safe.”

Dawn ignored him. She kept her gaze fixed on Wind Runner. “They're so small, they'll freeze out here on the moor. Please give them shelter. They can't harm you.”

Wind Runner eyed the kits, her gaze wavering with uncertainty.

Gray Wing hurried to her side. “We can't separate them from their mother. We have to take them all in. They're no threat to us now. They need our protection. What if the dogs follow their scent? Or Slash comes back?”

Wind Runner's pelt bristled. “If dogs are following them, we don't want them in our camp.”

“We can drive off dogs.” Gorse Fur's mew took Gray Wing by surprise. “
And
Slash if we need to.” He glanced at the kits. “We can't turn them away.”

Thunder stepped forward. “Lightning Tail and I will stay
in your camp too, if you'll let us. We can help if there's any trouble.”

Gray Wing blinked hopefully at Wind Runner. “Let's prove that we're better than Slash,” he begged. “He abandoned them. We can't.”

Wind Runner's eyes flashed. “
We
don't need to prove anything.”

Willow padded forward, her head low. “I understand why you don't want to take us in. But please let me bury my brother here before we move on. He deserves to rest in peace.”

Wind Runner followed Willow's gaze toward the scrap of wet fur curled in the bark. “Did you drag him all the way here?”

“We thought we could save him,” Willow told her bleakly.

Wind Runner blinked, her eyes clouding, as though suddenly overwhelmed by the tragic scene confronting her. “Very well.” Her mew was husky. “You may all shelter in our camp for the night,” Wind Runner told her. “We will post extra guards, and in the morning we'll decide what to do.”

Above, a cloud drifted away from the moon. Silvery light bathed the rogues.

Gray Wing dipped his head. “Thank you, Wind Runner.” Relief washed over him. The rogues would be safe for the night.

What would happen to them in the morning? He pushed the thought away and turned to Willow. “Let's find a sheltered spot to bury Frog.”

Clear Sky glanced at the moon,
not yet full in the indigo sky. Frost glittered on the branches as he padded through the dark woods.

Blossom walked beside him, her paws crunching leaves as they headed for the four trees hollow. “Do you think Wind Runner will ask you to take in some rogues again?” Her breath billowed in the cold night air.

“I hope not.” Clear Sky fluffed out his pelt. Memories of One Eye pricked his conscience. He'd been a fool to trust
that
rogue, even if he was Star Flower's father. He was determined to protect his group better this time.

Blossom sniffed. “Then why did she call this meeting?”

“She wants to hear how the groups are getting on with their new campmates.” It had been a quarter moon since Wind Runner had come to ask him to take in some of Slash's followers. She had seemed irritated by his refusal to take any rogues off her paws. But he'd pointed out that he'd taken in a loner the night before—a tom called Red who'd turned up at the border, ruffled and frightened, claiming he'd been attacked by dogs in Twolegplace. Clear Sky assumed they
were the same dogs that had gone on to attack the rogue camp. He'd been ready to send Red back to Twolegplace, but Star Flower had insisted he let the skinny tom rest in their camp. Although Quick Water and Nettle had argued, still not ready to trust another rogue, the others had eventually voted them down based on Red's condition. He was clearly underfed, with lumps of fur missing where the dogs had snapped at him.

When Wind Runner had come to ask him to take in more rogues, he'd said simply, “I have enough mouths to feed already.” It was true, after all. Clear Sky worried that Quick Water still nursed a lingering distrust of Star Flower and any other rogue cat. He sensed it best to limit the number of rogues he allowed into the group, lest Quick Water's wariness spread.

He slowed where a fallen branch blocked their path and let Blossom leap it first. He jumped after her, his paws sliding on the icy leaves beyond. Perhaps he
should
have offered to take one of the rogues. Now that Slash had stopped stealing their food, the prey pile was tall enough to feed all his cats. Red had proven himself a good hunter and fed more than his own belly.

The musty scent of the four trees hollow touched Clear Sky's nose. As they reached the rim, he paused and looked down.

Wind Runner was already pacing the clearing. Gray Wing sat and waited at the edge. River Ripple had brought Dappled Pelt with him. Tall Shadow sat beside them, while Pebble Heart sniffed curiously at the frost-wilted plants
edging the slopes. Seeing Thunder's orange pelt, pale in the moonlight, Clear Sky was surprised once again how broad the younger cat's shoulders had grown. He still thought of his son as a young tom, feisty and argumentative. How mature he looked now.

Clear Sky shifted his paws guiltily. This past moon, Star Flower's kits had shown him how close the bond between father and kit could be. He knew he should have handled his firstborn son better. Instead of advising him, he'd reacted defensively to Thunder's challenges, and criticized where he should have guided.
Why did I waste my chance to be a father to him?

But as he watched Thunder lead Leaf across the clearing, stopping to speak with Wind Runner, his chest swelled with pride. Thunder had grown into a fine leader even without his guidance.

Why worry about the past? He could only change the future.

Clear Sky plunged down the slope, Blossom at his heels, and crashed through the bracken into the clearing. The other leaders turned as he raced through the moonlight. “Good evening!” He greeted them warmly. For the first time in a moon, he felt optimistic. Slash was gone; the groups were growing; prey was starting to creep from its burrows so that, once more, bellies were full.

Wind Runner eyed him darkly. “You seem pleased with yourself.”

Leaf snorted. “That's because
he
didn't take any of Slash's rogues into his group.”

Clear Sky blinked in surprise. Why were they so resentful? Were the rogues causing trouble? “Is something wrong?”

Tall Shadow whisked her tail. “The groups are unsettled.
You
should try sleeping in a nest beside a cat who, half a moon ago, was stealing your prey.”

“It must be hard,” Clear Sky sympathized. “But they're hunting for us, not stealing, now.”

River Ripple's eyes shone in the moonlight. “Actually, Dawn and Moss are
great
hunters,” he reported. “They still haven't learned to swim, but they're trying. They'll be catching fish in another moon.”

Gray Wing pricked his ears. “How are Pine and Drizzle?” he asked anxiously. “Have they settled in well?”

Dappled Pelt purred. “They're like a pair of ducklings. They can't wait to learn how to swim.”

Thunder blinked. “Surely they're too young?”

River Ripple's whiskers twitched. “They're only allowed to paddle in the shallows for now. And there's always someone with them. They can learn to swim as soon as they're strong enough to ride the currents.”

Wind Runner's tail twitched impatiently. “I'm pleased Dawn and Moss and their kits are adjusting to group life,” she muttered. “I just wish I could say the same about Fern, Willow, and Bee.”

Clear Sky noticed Gray Wing's pelt ripple irritably. Was he annoyed with Wind Runner?

“They're trying their best,” Gray Wing meowed sharply.

Wind Runner flashed him a look. “Slate says that Fern
refuses to go into the warren.”

“So does
Minnow
,” Gray Wing reminded her. “Not
every
cat likes to hunt underground.”

Wind Runner ignored him. “And Minnow tells me Willow keeps getting lost in the heather. Every time she goes missing, we have to stop the hunt and send someone to find her.”

“Their trainers are working with them. Willow will learn the trails soon—”

Wind Runner cut him off. “Bee is the worst,” she snapped. “At least Fern and Willow are trying. Reed tries to be nice, but I can see that Bee is lazy. She thinks being part of a group means having prey dropped at your paws. She doesn't realize that the group only works if it works
together
.”

Tall Shadow nodded. “Juniper and Raven hunt, but only together. They won't work with Jagged Peak and Holly, who are meant to train them. Even when I send them on a patrol with others, they go off by themselves.”

Clear Sky frowned. “They share their catch, though?” Worry wormed beneath his pelt. Were Slash's campmates going to undermine the hard-won unity of the groups?

“They add what they catch to the prey pile,” Tall Shadow conceded. “But they eat by themselves, and they've made a nest as far from the others as they can.”

“It's hardly surprising.” Thunder whisked his tail. “I
saw
what it was like in Slash's camp. Slash starved his campmates. He ordered them to hurt one another. It will take a while for these rogues to trust that we are kinder.”

Leaf narrowed his eyes. “Is that why Ember goes hunting by himself?”

Thunder glanced at his campmate. “He doesn't feel comfortable in a patrol yet,” he mewed defensively.
And he won't work with Cloud Spots at all,
he added silently, remembering the tom's refusal to be trained in the ways of the group.

Leaf grunted. “And he eats what he catches outside camp. I've never seen him add anything to the prey pile.”

Wind Runner shifted her paws. “These rogues live by a different code. They'll never learn to live by ours. We share what we catch and we take care of one another. They don't seem to understand that loyalty and sharing make us strong.”

Gray Wing raised his gaze to the star-specked sky. “We must be patient,” he murmured. “Remember how long it took us to learn to work together. It's only been a quarter moon since the rogues joined us. We must give them time.”

Warmth surged beneath Clear Sky's pelt as he realized his brother was right. How kind and patient Gray Wing was.

Gray Wing went on. “Don't forget, we've taken in new cats before,” he meowed. “You were a loner once, Wind Runner.” He dipped his head respectfully to the moor cat. “And you, Blossom.”

Clear Sky's gaze flicked to the tortoiseshell. Surely they must remember what it was like to adjust to group life?

Leaf's gaze glittered impatiently. “We may have been loners once, but we never hung out with cats like
Slash
. It's hard to trust any cat who chose someone like
that
as a leader.”

Tall Shadow returned the forest cat's gaze grimly. “It's harder to trust cats who were thieves less than a moon ago.”

“Cats can change.” Clear Sky lifted his chin. Loving Star Flower and his kits had made him a different cat. She was
One Eye's daughter, and yet she was as good and loyal as any cat he knew. Where a cat came from did not have to define who they now were. Surely kindness would change the rogues? “We should not judge them on what they used to do, but on what they decide to do now.”

Wind Runner snorted. “That's easy for you to say, Clear Sky. You didn't take in any of Slash's cats.”

“I told you,” Clear Sky said, defending himself, “we had too many mouths to feed already. Besides, it's not like I've
never
taken in rogues.”

Leaf flattened an ear. “Like One Eye?” he muttered dryly.

Clear Sky fought back irritation. Would they ever let him forget his mistake? Would
they
have been able to predict how cruel and greedy One Eye would become? “Most of the time it turns out fine!” He nodded toward Blossom. “Blossom is a great campmate. Thorn, Nettle, Birch, and Alder are as loyal as any camp-born cat.”

Blossom puffed out her chest. “Our new campmate, Red, is a good hunter. He catches far more than he eats, and I trust him as much as any cat.”

Gray Wing blinked, surprise flashing in his eyes.

Thunder's ears pricked. “Did you say
Red
?”

Clear Sky's pelt pricked along his spine. “Yes,” he answered uneasily. “Why?”

Gray Wing blinked at them. “Red was one of Slash's rogues.”

Shock flashed through Clear Sky's pelt. He stared at Blossom. “Did you know that?”

She shook her head. “Red just said he'd been chased by dogs and needed somewhere safe to stay. I thought he was from Twolegplace.”

Wind Runner's eyes sparked with interest. “He lied to you.”

“He didn't lie.” Clear Sky's hackles lifted. “He never
said
he was from Twolegplace. Just that the dogs had chased him from there. We
assumed
it was his home.”

“And he didn't correct you.” The moor cat padded closer. “Do you still trust him
now
?” Her gaze bored into Clear Sky's.

Clear Sky looked away, anxiety pricking in his paws. He understood why Red had misled him. The rogue must have guessed he'd be turned away if he confessed to being Slash's campmate. And yet Red
had
misled him. Was that trustworthy behavior?

River Ripple got to his paws. “It's not surprising we are wary of our new campmates,” he meowed. “They have tried to hurt us in the past. But every cat makes mistakes. We all know how ruthless Slash is. He let Fern's sister
die
. Can any of you be sure that, faced with such cruelty, you'd refuse to do something you'd regret?”

Wind Runner curled her lip. “I'd
never
steal!”

“
Never
? Not even to protect your kits?” Tall Shadow narrowed her eyes.

Clear Sky saw Gray Wing's gaze flash toward him. “River Ripple is right,” Clear Sky meowed. “When we're frightened or angry, we make mistakes. But among good friends, we find the best in ourselves. Just being in the groups will change these rogues. I'm sure of it.”

But even as he spoke, his thoughts flicked to Red. He'd left the rogue in the camp. Fear prickled through his fur. A rogue was in the camp with his kits! He fought the urge to race home. He reminded himself of his own words:
Thorn, Nettle, Birch, and Alder are as loyal as any camp-born cat.
And yet panic sparked in his belly. What if Red was like One Eye? What if he turned the group against him? Would he drive him out? Would he harm Tiny Branch, Flower Foot, and Dew Petal?