Sign Of The Moon

Jayfeather hesitated for a heartbeat, then took the few paw steps that brought him to Half Moon’s side. She looked up at him, letting out a warm purr. Lying down beside her felt natural and right. Usually, Jayfeather slept close to a cat only if they were sick enough to be in the medicine cat’s den. Even then, they would be in separate nests.

This is better, Jayfeather thought, yawning as he closed his eyes. Comforting, even without the moss and feathers I’d have in the stone hollow… He could still hear Half Moon’s gentle breathing as he drifted into sleep.

A plaintive wail woke Jayfeather, cutting through the endless thunder of the falls. The gray light that filtered through the screen of falling water was strengthening, and he guessed that outside the sky was growing pale with the approach of dawn. Raising his head, he spotted Owl Feather’s kits at the other side of the cave, pummeling their mother’s belly with tiny paws as they tried to make the milk come.

“I’m sorry, kits,” Owl Feather mewed sadly. “I’ve no more milk for you, because I haven’t had enough to eat.”

The miserable wailing went on. Other cats were stirring too; Dawn River was grooming herself, but most of the others just sat slumped on the cave floor. Jayfeather could feel their despair like a cold, smothering fog.

“We won’t get a chance to go back to the lake,” Whispering Breeze muttered. “This place will kill us first.”

Jagged Lightning heaved himself out of the scoop in the cave floor and padded over to Owl Feather, resting his muzzle briefly on her head. “We have to hunt,” he announced. “I won’t let my kits starve.”

Fish Leap turned toward Jayfeather, beckoning to him with his tail. “Jay’s Wing, what was it you were saying yesterday about hunting in pairs?”

“More than pairs.” Jayfeather scrambled out of his nest and padded across the cavern to join the others. Disturbed by his movement, Half Moon rose to her paws, gave herself a quick stretch, and followed. “We need a whole patrol to protect the hunters,” he went on. “Two or three of the best hunters to catch the prey, and a few of the strongest cats and the best fighters to watch out for attacking birds.”

“You mean fight off birds that can carry a cat into the sky?” Jagged Lightning sounded disbelieving. “I’d like to see that!”

“Oh, no!” Owl Feather looked up, distraught. “They’ll steal my kits!”

“Then the kits mustn’t leave the cave.” Stone Song padded up to join them. “There’s plenty of room here for them to play.”

“And there’s no need to worry,” Dawn River added. “We’re not going to be here that long.”

“But what about the rest of us?” Rising Moon demanded. “Trying to fight birds like that is a mouse-brained idea.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure,” Stone Song responded. “We fought off that bird yesterday. Okay, Chasing Clouds was hurt, but that doesn’t need to happen if we can figure out the best way to defend ourselves.”

Rising Moon let out a disbelieving snort.

“I think we ought to give Jay’s Wing’s idea a try,” Dove’s Wing meowed. “Even if we do decide to go back to the lake, we won’t get far without food in our bellies.”

“But how can we fight birds that big?” Fish Leap asked. “We can’t fly up and attack them in the air.”

“No, we’ll have to lure one down to us.” Stone Song sounded reluctant, as if he knew how his suggestion would be received. “Then we can work out the skills we need.”

“You’re not using my kits!” Owl Feather glared at him, protecting the three tiny cats with her paws and tail.

“Of course not,” Stone Song reassured her.

“I’ll do it,” Half Moon offered. “I’ll pretend to be injured.”

Jayfeather felt his heart lurch. “No way,” he mewed. “I’ll do it. This was my idea.”

Stone Song blinked at him. “You’re taking quite a risk.”

“Some cat has to,” Jayfeather replied, forcing his voice to be steady, though inside he was shaking. It was too easy to imagine being whisked into the sky, gripped in cruel talons. “Are we going to do this or not? We need food right away.”

Though some of the cats still seemed uncertain, enough of them gathered around Jayfeather to make up a patrol. Jayfeather looked at them: Stone Song, Jagged Lightning, and—to his surprise—Furled Bracken, along with Half Moon, Fish Leap, and Dove’s Wing. All of them looked tense but determined.

“Let’s go,” Jayfeather meowed, leading the way out of the cave. Emerging from behind the waterfall, he realized that the storm was over. The howling wind had sunk to a stiff breeze, with a few flakes of snow tossed in the air, and gaps showed in the rolling gray clouds above their heads. The patrol crunched through the snow and clambered up the rocks beside the waterfall until they stood on top of the cliff.

Jayfeather took a deep breath. He had never trained another cat, especially not in fighting skills. The safety of these cats was his responsibility—not just now, when they were luring the bird down deliberately, but for all the generations to come. Is this what it means, to have the power of the stars in my paws?