Sign Of The Moon

“I’ll stay out here while the rest of you hide,” he directed. “Remember, you mustn’t be seen from above because that’s where the bird will come from. Stone Song, Jagged Lightning, and Furled Bracken, you get ready to leap out and attack. Fish Leap, Dove’s Wing, Half Moon: You stay hidden and watch what happens. Then we can discuss tactics later.”

“I’m not watching behind a rock while you get torn apart,” Half Moon objected.

Her concern warmed Jayfeather. “You can join in if there’s trouble,” he told her.

Half Moon’s tail lashed once. “Try stopping me!”

“What do we do when it comes?” Fish Leap asked. “We can’t pounce on it as if it was a blackbird!”

“I think we should go for the wings,” Stone Song suggested. “It can’t carry one of us off if it can’t fly.”

Furled Bracken nodded. “Leaping for its neck would be good, too. That’s a weak point on any bird, I don’t care how big it is.”

“Good idea,” Jayfeather agreed. “Now, get out of sight before it spots you all.”

The rest of the patrol slunk away to take up positions among the rocks.

“This is going to work,” Half Moon encouraged Jayfeather before she left. “I just know it!”

I hope so, Jayfeather thought, aware of fear like a chunk of ice in his belly. I have to do this, for the sake of the Tribe of Rushing Water.

Standing at the edge of the river, Jayfeather felt very alone. The other cats had disappeared; all he could see was the tip of Fish Leap’s tail, brown against the snow. He looked up into the sky; it was gray and endless, and there were no signs of any birds. His belly felt hollow and sore.

“Look!” Half Moon’s low voice came from behind a nearby rock.

Blinking, Jayfeather gazed up into the sky again. A tiny speck had appeared, circling lazily far above. His paws felt frozen to the rock as he watched it; the bird came close enough for him to see that it was an eagle, like the ones he had heard about from the Tribe of Rushing Water. It was even bigger than the bird that had attacked them yesterday. He braced himself for it to swoop down on him, but then it circled away, losing interest.

No! Jayfeather wanted to yowl. I’m a juicy bit of prey! Come and get me!

He began to limp forward, holding up one paw as if he was injured, and let out a wail. The eagle swept through the sky, gliding down in a wide circle, until Jayfeather could make out its hooked talons and yellow, staring eyes.

Great StarClan—it’s huge!

He crouched down in the snow, mewling piteously. The wing shadow covered him and spread around him; he squeezed his eyes shut tight as the bird’s strong scent washed over him.

I hope the others are ready to pounce…

The beating of the eagle’s wings was like thunder. Then fearsome claws dug down into Jayfeather’s shoulders and he let out a shriek. In the same heartbeat, caterwauling pierced the air around him. As his paws left the ground, the rocks sprang to life.

“Go for the wings!” Stone Song yowled. “Don’t let it fly away!”

His words were swallowed up in the chaos of screeching cats and wildly flapping wings. Jayfeather spotted Furled Bracken leaping for the eagle’s throat, missing it by a mouse-length as his claws slashed at air. Half Moon bit down on the edge of the eagle’s wing and was flung off; she hit the rock with a thump, clutching a mouthful of feathers. Fish Leap grabbed at Jayfeather’s tail and tried to hold him down.

“No! Let go!” Jayfeather shrieked, feeling his pelt begin to rip away with the added weight.

Fish Leap dropped back, and for a heartbeat Jayfeather thought that the eagle had won as it began to lift away from the cliff top. He could do nothing but flail his paws helplessly. Then Stone Song and Jagged Lightning raced in, one from either side, and made a leap for the eagle’s wings. Both sank their claws in at the same moment; the eagle let out a furious cry, but it couldn’t take to the air with the weight of a cat on each wing. While they held it down, Dove’s Wing ducked underneath, close to Jayfeather, and gave a swift nip to each of the bird’s legs, one after the other.

With another raucous screech, the eagle let Jayfeather go; he crashed down onto the rock, half-stunned, and watched as Stone Song and Jagged Lightning slashed at the bird’s shoulders, scoring their claws through its feathers, then leaped aside to safety. The eagle mounted into the sky, shedding feathers as it went, blood dripping from its naked legs. Jayfeather watched, panting, as it dwindled to a speck in the sky and was gone.

“Are you okay?” Half Moon crouched panting on the cliff edge, but her green eyes glowed as she gazed at Jayfeather.

“I’m fine,” Jayfeather gasped, though his shoulders where the eagle had gripped him felt as if they were on fire.

Half Moon rose to her paws and padded over to him, giving his wounds a sniff. “We ought to put moss on those, like you did for Chasing Clouds last night,” she mewed. “I wonder if there’s any dock growing around here. That’s good to stop bleeding.”

The rest of the patrol began to stagger to their paws, checking their own scratches.