Tallstar's Revenge (34 page)

The shape scuttled, then stopped. It was definitely a shrew. Talltail could make out its small, pointed nose as it snuffled among the leaf litter. Stealthily he crept forward, keeping low so that his spine didn't disturb the branches hanging above. A tail-length from the shrew, he flung his paws forward and pounced.

The shrew's paws scrabbled on the leaf litter, but Talltail was quick and pinned its tail. Hooking it close, he killed it with a bite. He gulped it down and padded onto the moonlit grass feeling pleased with himself.

Jake was lying beside the Twoleg den, belly-up, happily washing his paws. As Talltail padded toward him, he hauled himself up and belched. “Catch something?”

“A shrew.”

“Was it tasty?”

“You should catch one and find out.”

Jake sat back on his haunches. “Would you teach me?”

Talltail shrugged. “We're at the end of Twolegplace.” He nodded to the alleyway. It would lead past the red-stone den to open fields. “You'll be going home, won't you?”

Jake looked up at the moon. “In the morning. Let's find somewhere to sleep.” He gazed across the grass at a small, wooden den. “What about that shed?”

Talltail glanced over his shoulder. It looked like the den he'd been poisoned in. “No thanks. I'd rather sleep under a bush.”

“Okay.” Jake looked around. “Which one?” He padded toward the laurel. “This looks like it'll give us some shelter.”

“What if the kittypet whose
food
you just stole comes out in the night?” Talltail didn't fancy waking up to a fight.

“Let's head toward the fields, then,” Jake suggested. “There'll be a hedge or something, won't there?”

Talltail narrowed his eyes. “I thought you weren't leaving Twolegplace?”

“I want to see what it's like sleeping in the wild.” Jake headed toward the alley and disappeared into the shadows.

Talltail padded after him. If this kittypet wanted to play warrior, why argue? He'd be gone tomorrow. Another pang bit his belly. He ignored it and followed Jake to the front of the den, where another tiny meadow stretched to a low, stone wall. He leaped it after Jake and trotted over a short stretch of grass that led to a rutted Thunderpath, deserted in the moonlight. They crossed it side by side, their shadows stretching across the dried mud, then jumped into the long grass beyond.

Talltail slipped into the lead. They were in wild territory now. The quiet darkness felt soothing after the glaring noise of Twolegplace. Talltail weaved through the grass and jumped over a ditch. A thick hedge edged the other side and he crept under it. The earth was dry. “Let's sleep here.” He began to scoop out a hollow with his paws.

Jake watched him. “You dig your nests?”

“There's nothing to sleep on.” Talltail kept on scraping. “A hollow will keep us warm.”

Jake watched and then copied him, pawing at the earth until he'd dug a shallow dip. “Won't the roots make it prickly?” Jake stared in dismay at the gnarled hedge roots that he'd uncovered.

“They won't hurt you.” Talltail curled into his own scoop.

“I'm not used to lumps in my nest.”

“You wanted to know what it's like sleeping wild.” Talltail could feel roots jabbing between his ribs too, but he wasn't going to say anything. “Besides, it's just for tonight. We'll make better nests tomorrow,” he promised, closing his eyes.

Jake didn't reply, but Talltail heard his pelt swish as he settled into his uncomfortable scoop.
We'll make better nests tomorrow.
Why had he said that? Jake would be going home at dawn.
And I'll be tracking the rogues.
Excitement pricked in Talltail's paws as he pictured Sparrow, imagined sinking his claws into the rogue's fur, hearing him plead for mercy. Talltail was on his trail. He knew he would find Sparrow. And soon, very soon, he would have his revenge.

C
HAPTER
33

Sunlight woke Talltail. He opened his
eyes, squinting as rays sliced through the hedge. He slunk, stretching, from his makeshift den and shook out his fur. A sharp frost had hardened the earth and whitened the meadows. Ahead, the land sloped to a rugged hilltop where the sun squatted on the horizon, spilling light over the silver grass. The hedge rattled behind him.

“It looks like a good day for walking.” Jake's mew was thick with sleep as he stumbled from beneath the branches. He yawned, then blinked at the hilltop. “Is that the way you're heading?”

“I guess so.” The hilltop would be a good place to start. From there, he could decide which route the rogues might have taken. It looked rocky and exposed, the slope steeper and more rugged than WindClan territory. Anxiety pricked at his belly. Had any Clan cat traveled this far before?

“You don't sound sure.” Talltail felt Jake's pelt brush against his as the kittypet stood beside him.

“The rogues could have gone anywhere,” Talltail pointed out. He gazed across the open stretch of grassland that curved past Twolegplace. What if they'd decided to take the low path, keeping out of the cold wind?

“You've got to start somewhere,” Jake meowed.

“But where?” Talltail frowned. This might have been strange country to him, but the rogues had probably walked this route for moons and knew all its secrets, all the best places to shelter and find food.

“Why don't we climb the hill, like you said?” Jake mewed. “From up there, it might be obvious which way they'd choose.”

“We?”
Talltail blinked. “I thought you were going home.”

“Eventually.” Jake held his gaze. “But there's no harm in seeing what's on the other side of the hill.”

Talltail paused, wondering why he didn't feel irritated. This was
his
mission. He didn't need help. Especially not from a kittypet. Yet suddenly the looming hill seemed less daunting. He shrugged. “Okay.”

The wind whipped his whiskers as he padded up the slope. Jake followed a few paces behind, his head switching back and forth as he scanned the landscape. When sharp, gray rocks began to jut from the grass and the slope steepened, Talltail paused and waited for him to catch up. “You're shivering.”

Jake's silky fur was rippling along his spine. “I'm okay,” he muttered tightly. “There'll be shelter on the other side.”

“I hope so.” Talltail wasn't convinced. Though he could hardly feel the wind through his short, thick fur, he knew it'd be fiercer once they'd reached the top; it was sweeping over the hilltop toward them.
What if it makes Jake turn back?
Talltail glanced anxiously over his shoulder. Twolegplace sprawled just beyond the hedge. It wouldn't take long for Jake to reach the shelter of its stone walls and tiny, fenced-in meadows.

Jake leaped past him up the rocky slope, his paws slithering on the frosty rock.

“This way's easier,” Talltail called. He veered around the outcrop, following a grassy trail, but Jake scrabbled stubbornly on.

“If I can climb up Twoleg walls, I can manage this,” he growled.

Talltail reached the hilltop first, and a cold blast of air snatched his breath away. He narrowed his eyes against the icy wind and tried to ignore the pang of disappointment digging in his belly. Jake would turn back now, surely?

Focusing, he surveyed the land sloping ahead. It was like being on Outlook Rock again. The view was different but he still had a hawk's eye and took only a few moments to scan the valley. The land rose and fell gently on one side; the other was steep and barren, topped by craggy peaks. A river sparkled between, meandering along the valley bottom, and in the hollow between two low hills, a dense wood nestled like moss in a nest.

“That's where they'd head.” Jake's breathless mew took him by surprise. Talltail followed the kittypet's gaze toward the wooded hollow.

“If they're anything like me, they'll be looking for shelter.” Jake flattened his ears against the wind.

Talltail sniffed. “If they were anything like
you
, they'd be snuggled up in a Twoleg den eating kittypet food.” He paused, pelt pricking as he realized how mean he sounded. “Sorry.” He caught Jake's green gaze. “I just meant they're not kittypets. They might have their own ideas about shelter.”

Jake shifted his paws. “I know I'm a kittypet. I'm happy with that.” He began to head down the slope that led into the valley. “It doesn't mean I can't walk a different path for a while.”

Talltail bounded after him. As he caught up, a screeching cry echoed across the valley. Jake froze. “Fox!” His eyes widened with fear. “Out here? I thought they only lived in Twolegplace.”

“Foxes are like rats. They live everywhere.” Talltail studied the hillside. The bark had sounded close. A red pelt scurried across the grass below them.

“Where can we hide?” Jake's pelt bristled, his gaze darting across the wide stretch of grass in front of them. He nodded toward a smooth, gray boulder. “It won't see us if we crouch behind that.”

“Just stand still,” Talltail ordered.

“But it'll see us.” Jake's mew was edged with panic. “There's nowhere to hide out here.”

Talltail guessed that Jake was missing his shadowy alleys and dens. “There are plenty of places to hide.” He nodded toward the long grass sprouting beyond the boulder. It stretched all the way to the bottom of the valley. They could cross the entire hillside hidden among the rippling stems. Trees and bushes lined the river where it ended. “Just imagine that the grass and bushes are walls and fences. Besides, the wind will protect us.”

“The wind?” Jake blinked at him. “How?”

“It's blowing this way,” Talltail explained. “We can smell the fox, but it can't smell us.” He opened his mouth and let the musky scent wash his tongue as the fox slunk toward a swathe of bracken and disappeared. “See?” He flicked his tail as the fox's pelt melted among the russet fronds. “It never even noticed us.”

Jake was already heading for the long grass. Talltail bounded after him, pushing through the stems a tail-length behind. He could smell Jake's fear-scent, stronger than his normal aroma, and knew he had to calm Jake down before the fox detected it. “We could beat a fox easily,” Talltail called. “If we fought together.”

Jake slowed. “I guess we drove off that dog.”

Talltail fell in beside him. “I can teach you some battle moves if you'd like.” The ground sloped more steeply as they neared the river.

“
Battle
moves?” Jake let out a tiny yelp as his paws slithered beneath him.

Talltail dug in his claws to get a better grip. “We're called warriors for a reason.”

“Who do you fight?” Jake bounded down a sharp drop, scrambling to a halt as the land began to flatten out.

“ShadowClan and RiverClan mostly,” Talltail replied, negotiating the drop more smoothly. “We share borders with them.”

“Like fighting over fences.”

Talltail's pelt ruffled. “It's more important than that,” he huffed. “We're not just being selfish over a patch of ground. We're fighting for our Clan's survival! A true warrior would
die
to save his Clan.”

Jake narrowed his eyes. “Is that why you're out here, risking your life?” he asked. “To save your Clan?”

Talltail hurried ahead, grass brushing his pelt. “I'm avenging my father.”

“How will that help your Clan?”

Talltail turned on Jake, hissing. “My Clan has nothing to do with this!”

“It has to! You're a warrior.” Confusion clouded Jake's gaze.

Talltail's thoughts whirled and tangled.
A warrior avenges the death of a Clanmate, doesn't he?
I'm doing this for Sandgorse!
He stiffened.
My father
wants
me to avenge his death.
Sandgorse's amber gaze glowed in his mind. Then he pictured it disappearing under a deluge of mud. Blood roared in his ears.

“Talltail?” Jake was circling him. “Are you okay?”

Talltail padded past him, forcing his pelt to flatten. “I'm fine.” He slid from the long grass at a point where scrubby, cow-trodden pasture sloped gently toward the river.

Jake popped out beside him. As he gazed across the valley to the wooded hollow, his belly rumbled.

“There'll be prey in those bushes.” Talltail nodded toward the hawthorn that crowded the riverbank. Beyond the bare, prickly branches, sun sparkled on the rippling water. Overhead cold, blue sky stretched between the hilltops. Talltail tasted the air. The scent of fox was growing stale. The stone tang of frost was tinged with the smell of sheep, refreshing after the jumble of acrid Twoleg scents. Talltail bounded across the grass. Jake raced beside him, taking the lead and skidding to a halt by the bushes. Talltail stopped beside him, surprised to find himself breathless.

“Are you okay?” Jake leaned closer.

“Fine,” Talltail panted.

“You look ruffled.”

“I guess I'm still weak from the poison.”

“Do you want to rest while I hunt?” Jake offered.

A purr caught in Talltail's throat. “Do you
know
how to hunt?”

“I caught a bird once.” Jake puffed out his chest. Talltail tipped his head, impressed. “It was a bit injured when I found it,” Jake admitted. “But it flapped a lot before I killed it.”

Talltail rolled his eyes. “Let's hunt together,” he suggested. He nosed his way between the hawthorn bushes. Beyond them, water lapped against the dark brown earth, deeply pitted by the hooves of animals. Talltail padded along the edge of the river, keeping a wary eye on the surface. Mouse scent touched his nose. “Wait.” He dropped to a crouch, beckoning for Jake to do the same with a flick of his tail. Something was scuttling beneath the branches up ahead. He crept forward, his paws as light as falling snow, and rounded the bush. Stopping, he peered through and caught sight of the mouse. It was sitting under a branch, grasping a berry in its paws. Talltail held still. He could see Jake creeping closer on the far side of the bush.
Wait!
He willed Jake not to scare away their prey.

The mouse scurried forward. Its scent washed Talltail's nose. Another few paw steps and he'd reach it easily. He hesitated.
Why not let Jake catch it?
Every cat should learn how to hunt, even a kittypet.

The mouse moved again. Peering under the bush, Talltail saw it skitter sideways. He was going to have to drive it straight toward Jake or the kittypet would never catch it. He lunged beneath the branches, screwing up his eyes against the prickly twigs. Paws stretched, he skidded on his belly and burst out the other side.

Jake gasped as the mouse darted toward him, then fast as a weasel, he slammed his paws down on the tiny creature.

“Bite its spine!” Talltail called.

Jake clamped his jaws around the mouse's neck and killed it with a sharp nip. Talltail wriggled out from beneath the bush, wincing as thorns jabbed his pelt. “Well done!”

Jake sat up, blinking, the mouse dangling from his mouth. He looked as surprised as the mouse. He dropped it onto the ground and purred. “I caught it!”

Talltail swallowed the urge to point out that the mouse had practically run into his teeth. “You reacted quickly.”

“Thanks.” Jake stared at the mouse uncertainly. “Now what?”

“You can eat it.”

“What about you?”

“It's your catch.”

“You helped.” Jake nudged it toward Talltail with a paw. “Let's share.”

“Is that okay?”

Jake cocked his head. “You share in the Clan, don't you?”

“Only if it's offered,” Talltail told him.

“I'm offering.” Jake nodded at the mouse. “You can have first bite.”