Tallstar’s Revenge

Heatherstar turned, blinking. The fading pelt of an ancient warrior shimmered in front of her. “I wanted to breathe the scents of StarClan for a while longer,” she confessed. “Who… who are you?”

“I am Mothflight.” The she-cat’s green eyes shone. Behind her, the heather showed through her coat. Her pelt, once white, now glowed dimly, more starlight than fur.

“Mothflight?” Heatherstar’s eyes widened. “You were WindClan’s first medicine cat!”

Mothflight nodded.

“You discovered the Moonstone,” Heatherstar whispered. “And now you’ve come to see me?”

“I watched your naming ceremony,” Mothflight told her. “And waited for the others to leave so that I could speak with you alone.”

“Do you have a prophecy for me?” Heatherstar curled her claws excitedly into the peaty soil.

“Not a prophecy, no. A warning, perhaps.” Mothflight’s voice was hardly more than a breath on the wind.

Heatherstar leaned closer, ears pricking.

“Listen carefully, Heatherstar,” Mothflight insisted. “Whatever happens, do not demand the loyalty of your Clan.”

Heatherstar lifted her head in surprise. “Of course I’ll demand it! I’ve earned it.”

“Warriors must decide for themselves where their loyalty lies.”

“It should lie with the Clan and with me,” Heatherstar hissed.

“But you cannot test it.”

Heatherstar bristled. “I’m their leader.”

Mothflight’s tail twitched. “You are young. Wisdom will come with experience. Until then, let my words guide you.”

Heatherstar snorted. “I will make the decisions for my Clan.”

“Of course,” Mothflight soothed. “But you don’t yet realize that sometimes warriors must leave what they love before they understand what they truly value.”

“Leave what they love?” Heatherstar echoed. “Do you mean their Clan?”

Mothflight stared back silently.

“Warriors who leave their Clan betray their Clan,” Heatherstar spat. “My Clan will be loyal.”

“There will be a warrior whose loyalty to WindClan will waver,” Mothflight told her. “A cat who will have to seek far beyond the confines of your territory to discover where his heart truly lies.”

Heatherstar curled her lip. “Are you telling me that one of my Clan will turn rogue?”

Mothflight blinked, her eyes like green stars. “He will stray, and you must let him, even if you fear he will never return. It is the only way he will discover where he truly belongs.”

Chapter 1

“Be careful, Tallkit!”

Tallkit paused when he heard Palebird’s anxious call. “I’ll be okay!” he mewed. He glanced back at the nursery. The warm, milky scent of his mother drifted from the entrance.

Inside the thick gorse den, Brackenwing soothed her. “Barkkit and Shrewkit will watch out for him, I promise.”

Tallkit shivered. This was only his second sunrise outside the nursery, and his paws pricked with excitement. A light dusting of snow had turned the camp white, frosting the tussocky grass and thick heather walls. The freezing air stung his nose. He fluffed up his fur.

Barkkit pawed at the white tip of Tallkit’s black tail. “You look like you’re turning to ice as well.”

Tallkit flicked his tail away, purring with amusement. His white muzzle and white paws would just make it easier for him to hide in the snow!

Shrewkit bounced past him. “Let’s show him the Hunting Stones, Barkkit!”

Tallkit stared at his denmates. They were three moons older and twice his size, but he was determined to keep up with them. “I thought we were going to climb Tallrock again,” he protested. “I know I’ll make it this time.” His eyes stung in the bright, cold air. He’d only opened them for the first time a few sunrises ago and they were still slowly adjusting to sunlight after the cozy gloom of the nursery.

He blinked up at the high slab of granite where Barkkit had told him Heatherstar stood to address the Clan. It loomed, jagged and dark, from a wide, sandy crater, which encircled it like an empty pool.

The Meeting Hollow.

Tallkit gazed into it wide-eyed. At the bottom, Heatherstar, Hawkheart, and Reedfeather huddled beside the stone, their breath billowing as they spoke.

Hawkheart looked up and caught Tallkit’s eye over the rim. “Our youngest kit is exploring again,” he murmured.

Tallkit shifted his paws. The dark glint in the medicine cat’s gaze made him nervous. Palebird had warned him to stay away from the gray-brown tom; he had little patience for kits.

“Stay under cover, Tallkit.” Hawkheart narrowed his eyes. “We don’t want you attracting buzzards to the camp.”

“Buzzards?” Tallkit’s heart lurched.

“Kits are their favorite prey,” Hawkheart warned. “And they can spot you from Highstones.”

Reedfeather’s whiskers twitched. “Don’t scare the poor kit.” There was a purr in his throat as he nodded to Shrewkit, who had popped up beside Tallkit. “What are you showing him today?”

Shrewkit flicked his tail. “The Hunting Stones.”

Heatherstar shook frost from her thick gray pelt. “Be careful,” she cautioned. “The stones will be icy.”

“Don’t come mewling to me if you sprain a paw,” Hawkheart called.