Tallstar’s Revenge

“It’s what Sandgorse would do.” Now that the rage had gone, Talltail wondered how he could ever have thought of killing Sparrow. Had grief taken away all his faith in the warrior code?

“I knew it!” Jake paced around him. “I knew you couldn’t do it!”

Talltail’s pelt pricked. What if Sparrow hadn’t had time to explain? What if I’d pushed him over as a monster came into the gorge? What if he’d—? He shifted his paws. With cold, crushing certainty, he knew that killing Sparrow wouldn’t have changed anything. “I let anger change who I am.” He gazed helplessly at Jake.

“No, you didn’t!” Jake argued. “In the end, you let Sparrow live. That was being true to yourself, far more than you were when you wanted to kill him.” His gaze softened. “I know you, Talltail. Your thirst for Sparrow’s blood, your belief that only his death would change the way you felt—that was never really you.”

Talltail blinked up at his friend. “You’re right. But that’s all I’ve thought about for so long. What do I do now?” He felt shaky, as if the path ahead had vanished into mist.

Jake glanced toward the camp. “Does Sparrow know you planned to kill him?”

Talltail’s whiskers twitched. “Oh yes,” he meowed grimly. “He knows.”

“Then we’d better leave,” Jake murmured. “We can’t expect him to share food and shelter with us now, even if you did change your mind.”

Talltail nodded, feeling numb. “I have to say good-bye first,” he meowed.

“Really?” Jake’s fur rippled along his spine. “After what you did?”

“Yes.” Talltail knew he couldn’t vanish without telling the other rogues he was leaving. That wouldn’t be fair, to let them think they had done something to offend him or Jake. “You wait here.” He wove through the crisp bracken into the center of the camp. Sparrow sat on the far side, washing his paws.

“Talltail!” Bess trotted over to him. “Sparrow told us you were both nearly killed by a monster!”

Reena bounded across the clearing. “Are you hurt?”

Algernon sat up, his ears pricked. “Sparrow said it was pretty close.”

Mole sniffed Talltail’s pelt. “You’ve still got the monster’s stench on you.”

“I’m fine.” Talltail looked at Sparrow.

Sparrow stared back, his impassive gaze as unreadable as ever.

Talltail dipped his head. “Jake and I must leave now.”

“Now?” Bess sounded surprised.

“You can’t go yet!” Hurt flashed in Reena’s eyes.

Sparrow stopped licking for a moment. “They must, actually,” he meowed.

Algernon looked over his shoulder at the brown tom.

Talltail shifted his paws. “Jake needs to go home,” he explained.

“What about you?” Reena’s muzzle was a whisker away from his. “Are you going back to WindClan?”

“I’ll see Jake home,” Talltail meowed. After that, who knows?

“I can show you the way,” Reena offered. “I know the Twolegplace.” She began to circle him. “If we start now we can be there by—”

Talltail cut her off. “We can find our own way,” he told her. Reena flinched as though he’d raked her nose with claws.

Bess pressed against her. “You heard him, Reena.” There was sympathy in the she-cat’s mew, and Talltail suddenly wondered if Reena had been hoping that Talltail would be her mate: that they’d have kits and travel together. Had she started to imagine a whole new life ahead of them?

Guilt rippled through his pelt. “I’m sorry, Reena.” Part of him wished that he could make her happy. Their kits would be brave and strong. Talltail shook the thought away. Reena’s path wasn’t his. He was destined to travel alone. “I’ll miss you,” he meowed a little awkwardly.

She touched her muzzle to his cheek. “And I’ll miss you.”

Sparrow got to his paws. “We won’t be visiting WindClan next greenleaf.”

“Really?” Because of me? Guilt jabbed Talltail’s belly.

“Times have changed,” Sparrow meowed. “We need new paths to roam. Old tracks grow stale.”

Algernon’s eyes were wide with shock. “You’ve decided this just now, have you?”

Sparrow shook his head. “Not right now, no. But I think it’s the right decision. We have our lives; WindClan has theirs. Rogues like us don’t belong in Clans. The warrior code wasn’t made for us. Right, Talltail?”

Stunned, Talltail nodded.

Sparrow went back to washing his paws. “Give our regards to Heatherstar and Hawkheart,” he mewed. “Tell them we wish them well.”

“I’m sure they would do the same for you,” Talltail croaked. He dipped his head to Mole. “Take care.” He wondered if the elderly tom would make it through many more leaf-bares.

“Travel well, Talltail,” Mole rasped.

“I will.” Turning, Talltail padded from the camp.

“Good-bye! Good-bye!” Bess and Reena called behind him.

“Watch out for dogs!” warned Algernon.

“I will,” Talltail muttered.