Tallstar’s Revenge

“Talltail?” Jake’s eyes were like twin moons, huge and pale. “What’s your plan?”

“I want him to admit that he killed my father.”

“And then?” Jake’s ear twitched.

“You said you wouldn’t poke your whiskers where they didn’t belong.” Talltail padded toward the roots of a tree and began scraping moss from the crevices in the bark.

Jake paced behind him. “That cat looks dangerous, Talltail.”

“He’s just a rogue.” Talltail stripped away a long piece of moss.

“Come back with me,” Jake pleaded. “You’re not safe here.”

“This is why I left my Clan.” Talltail hooked out another wad of moss and dropped it onto the pile beside him.

“But you can go back to them, can’t you?”

“I’m never going back,” Talltail growled.

“Never?” Jake leaned closer. Talltail felt the kittypet’s breath on his cheek. “But you’re a warrior.”

“You don’t have to belong to a Clan to be a warrior.” The words felt empty as Talltail spoke them. Was that true?

“But what are you going to do once Sparrow is dead?” Jake demanded.

“That doesn’t matter.” Talltail hadn’t thought beyond the moment of his revenge so far. He wasn’t going to start now. “Help me gather moss.” The sun was sliding behind the distant hills. Talltail shivered as shadows thickened among the trees.

Jake crouched beside him and started picking at the next root. “If you’re staying,” Jake muttered, “so am I. You’re going to need help.”

Talltail paused and stared at the kittypet. “This is my mission, remember?”

Jake pulled a fat wad of moss from the bark with his claws. “Now it’s our mission.”

Talltail didn’t argue. An odd sense of relief loosened his muscles. He’d grown used to having Jake around. “Come on.” He scraped the gathered moss into a bundle. “We’d better get back.” He didn’t want to give the rogues too long to discuss his sudden appearance. They might start asking questions. He felt sure that Sparrow already had. The cold gleam in the tom’s eyes hadn’t been welcoming.

Talltail clamped his jaws around the soggy mass and began to carry it back toward the camp. Jake grabbed the rest and followed. Talltail slowed as they reached the bracken and padded though it softly, careful not to stir the stems.

“I don’t like it.” Algernon’s mew made Talltail stop in his tracks.

Jake halted beside him. “What’s wrong?”

“They’re talking about me.” Unease wormed in Talltail’s belly.

“We can’t turn them away.” Bess sounded firm. “They’re worn out.”

Talltail pricked his ears.

“But these woods are prey-poor,” Mole growled.

“There’s enough for now,” Reena argued.

Algernon snorted. “I knew we should have kept moving before we made camp.”

“There are fish in the river, downslope,” Reena pointed out.

“Can you swim?” Algernon muttered.

“It’s not so prey-poor around here as you think.” Sparrow’s mew was confident. “That pigeon I caught today is the first of many.”

“Really?” Mole’s voice rose with interest.

“I’ve found a place where the Twolegs scatter grain,” Sparrow told him. “There’ll be pigeons coming for as long as it’s there.”

Bess purred. “If that’s true, two extra mouths will be easy to feed.”

Talltail padded out of the bracken and dropped his moss. “We can help you hunt,” he mewed.

Algernon gazed past him, his gaze resting doubtfully on Jake. “Really?”

“Jake’s a quick learner,” Talltail told them. “He caught a mouse the other day.”

Jake caught his gaze. “I helped,” he corrected.

“We can manage without kittypet help,” Mole grunted.

Reena padded toward the corner sheltered by the holly bush. “I’ve piled some leaves here for you to make nests on,” she meowed.

“Thanks.” Talltail held her gaze in the half light, trying to read whether she was genuinely willing to have them stay.

She tipped her head. “You seem different, Talltail.”

“Do I?” Unnerved, Talltail picked up his moss and carried it to the heap of leaves Reena had scraped together.

“Less angry,” Reena meowed. “You… you didn’t seem to want us anywhere near WindClan by the time we left.” She sounded hurt and puzzled.

Talltail winced. His rage was still there, burning just below his skin, but he needed these cats to accept him, trust him—at least until he had a chance to avenge his father’s death. And deep down, he didn’t blame Reena for anything, or Bess, or Algernon, or Mole. “I… I guess it took me a while to get over Sandgorse’s death,” he mewed, trying to sound as if the memories were long gone. “I’m sorry if I offended you.”

Reena twitched her ears. “Not offended, exactly.” She sounded sympathetic. “I guess it was a lot for you to deal with: Sandgorse dying like that, and Sparrow surviving.”

Talltail shot her a sharp look. Reena was dangerously close to discovering the truth. He had to convince her he didn’t hold Sparrow responsible. “Oh, it wasn’t Sparrow’s fault,” he forced out through gritted teeth. “He was lucky to get out. Sandgorse wasn’t.” He stopped speaking as if he needed to concentrate on spreading his moss over the fallen leaves, shifting as Jake slid in beside him and began to shape the rest into a nest.