Tallstar’s Revenge

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.”

Talltail felt Jake’s gaze on him as he leaned down and bit into the warm flesh of the mouse. It tasted sweet. “Have some.” He pushed it back toward Jake.

Jake took a bite, sitting up to chew. Talltail watched his eyes soften. “Do you like it?”

“Yes,” Jake purred, and he took another bite, crunching through bone like a Clanborn cat. He nudged the carcass toward Talltail. “You finish it,” he ordered. “You still need to get your strength back.” Talltail didn’t argue. His legs felt shaky from the hunt. “Do you want to rest?” Jake asked as he finished the last scrap.

Talltail looked across the stretch of meadows toward the woods. “Let’s keep going.” He wanted to reach the trees before dark. Woodland was gloomy enough at sunhigh. It would be as suffocating as a tunnel when dusk approached. He stood up and shook out his fur. Jake licked his lips. Together they headed across the grass, which rippled around them like water in the cold breeze.

By the time they reached the trees, Talltail’s paws were trembling with tiredness. He fluffed out his fur, suddenly chilled to the bone.

Jake brushed against him. “You look exhausted.”

Talltail shrugged. “I’m okay.”

“Why don’t we find a place to rest?” Jake glanced up at the sun. It was beginning to slide toward the hilltop behind them. “We’ve traveled far enough.”

Talltail’s pelt twitched. “We need to catch the rogues.”

“They won’t be traveling fast,” Jake meowed confidently. “They’re rogues. They can travel where they like, when they like. What’s the hurry?” Talltail was too weary to argue. He let Jake lead him into the shelter of the trees. The kittypet stared up in wonder at the crisscrossing canopy of branches. “It’s like a huge den!”

Talltail didn’t look. It was bad enough listening to the branches rattle in the wind. Trunks crowded around him, bushes and shadow pressing between them, trapping his paws, shutting out the breeze. Jake bounded forward and padded around a tree, staring up. A scent had caught his attention. He darted over to sniff a bramble that tumbled out from between two trunks. “It’s busier than Twolegplace!” he meowed excitedly. “There are prey smells everywhere.”

Talltail sat down. “Great,” he muttered.

Jake glanced over his shoulder. “Look for a hollow to rest in,” he mewed. He nodded toward a dip between the roots of an oak. “That might make a good nest.” He ducked away past a hawthorn.

Talltail felt a twinge of anxiety as Jake’s tail disappeared. “Where are you going?”

“I’ll be back,” Jake’s mew echoed from the trees. “You rest.”

Talltail padded heavily toward the oak roots. The hollow was deep, and moss grew on the damp earth inside. Talltail clambered over the edge and curled into it. The moss was wet but he was too tired to care. Closing his eyes, he must have dozed. The next thing he knew, paws were pattering across the forest floor toward him. He tensed and peeked over the rim of the nest.

Jake bounded from the trees with a wad of leaves and feathers clasped between his jaws. He stopped at the edge of the hollow and dropped them in. “You can line your nest with these.” Talltail ducked as leaves, twigs, and feathers showered his pelt. He stood up and shook out his fur. “Thanks.” Leaning down, he picked up a short stick between his teeth and tossed it out of the nest. “You might want to check for sharp bits next time.”