Tallstar’s Revenge

The sun was sliding toward Highstones as they reached camp. Tallpaw’s belly was rumbling. As he followed Hareflight, Shrewpaw, and Dawnstripe toward the entrance, he smelled Sandgorse and Plumclaw’s fresh scents on the grass. The tunneling patrol must have returned recently. He pushed through the heather tunnel, his heart quickening as he saw Sandgorse, Plumclaw, Woollytail, Hickorynose, and Mistmouse gathered in the Meeting Hollow. Heatherstar and Reedfeather faced them stiffly.

Hareflight trotted into camp behind Tallpaw and stopped. “Looks like the tunnelers have got more news about the gorge tunnel.”

“Great.” Shrewpaw sounded unenthusiastic. He padded past his mentor. “Can I get something to eat?”

Hareflight nodded. “You too, Tallpaw,” he meowed. “You must be hungry.”

“Thanks.” Tallpaw crossed the tussocks, his gaze lingering on the Meeting Hollow.

“Tallpaw!” Reena’s mew made him spin around.

The rogue she-cat was settled in a patch of sunshine beside the elders’ den. A lapwing lay beside her, half-eaten. Its rich scent washed Tallpaw’s tongue.

“Do you want some?” Reena called. “I can’t eat all this.”

Gratefully Tallpaw hurried toward her. “What happened to the rabbit we caught?”

“Dawnstripe gave it to the elders.”

Whiteberry stuck his head out of the den. “It was very tasty.” His gaze moved toward the Meeting Hollow. “Reena said that the tunnelers had helped catch it.”

Tallpaw took a bite of lapwing, his belly growling. “Woollytail flushed it out of a hole for me,” he told Whiteberry with his mouth full.

“Perhaps Heatherstar’s giving the other tunnelers hunting tips.” Whiteberry sniffed. “They’ve been talking since Sandgorse’s patrol got back.”

From the bristling of the tunnelers’ fur and the dark look in Heatherstar’s eyes, Tallpaw guessed they weren’t talking about hunting. Besides, tunnelers were already as good at hunting as moor runners, in their own way.

“Great lapwing,” he told Reena, suddenly aware that she was watching him. “Did you catch it?”

Reena nudged him with a paw. “Don’t be silly,” she purred. “That’s proper moor hunting. Give me a barn full of mice and I’m as fast as the next cat, but chasing birds through heather takes more skill than I’ve got.”

“You wait till the end of greenleaf.” Tallpaw ripped away another mouthful of bird flesh. “You’ll be plucking buzzards from the sky.”

Reena purred. “You think?” She didn’t sound convinced.

Tallpaw stiffened as Heatherstar and Reedfeather left the Meeting Hollow. He searched the tunnelers’ faces as they headed for the prey heap. What had they been discussing? Tallpaw quickly swallowed his mouthful of lapwing as his father veered toward him. He leaped to his paws. Had Sandgorse heard how he’d caught the rabbit? Was he coming to congratulate him? Then Tallpaw caught sight of Sandgorse’s expression, and his heart sank.

Behind him, the gorse rattled as Whiteberry ducked back inside her den. Reena shifted her paws. She looked uneasy. She must have seen the thunderous look on Sandgorse’s face, too.

“Hey, Sandgorse.” An ominous feeling sat like a stone in Tallpaw’s belly.

Sandgorse stopped in front of him, eyes blazing. “Why did you have to tell Heatherstar that you nearly drowned?”

“I—I didn’t!” Tallpaw backed away. “It was Woollytail. He told Dawnstripe.”

“You’re such a coward, you can’t even own up to your own mistake!”

“What mistake?” Why was Sandgorse so angry?

“It’s bad enough that my son is too rabbit-hearted to go underground,” Sandgorse snarled. “Now I discover that he’s so scared of getting his paws wet he wants to stop everyone from going underground!”

“I don’t!” Tallpaw’s heart pounded in his throat. What had Heatherstar told the tunnelers?

“Thanks to you and your tattling, Heatherstar’s ordered us to close off the gorge tunnel and stop all work there.” Sandgorse leaned closer, his breath hot on Tallpaw’s muzzle. “You get a fright, and a project that we’ve spent moons on has to be abandoned.”

Tallpaw shrank as his father showed his teeth. “Just because you don’t want to be a tunneler,” Sandgorse hissed, “doesn’t mean you have to spoil it for everyone else! From now on, stay away from me and the tunnels!”

Chapter 14

Tallpaw hung his head over the side of his nest and peered out from under the gorse. The clearing was empty. While the Clan slept, the waning moon silvered the tussocks and spilled shadows across the Meeting Hollow. Tallpaw blinked up at the stars. Are you there, StarClan? Can you see me? He wondered if Finchkit was watching him. Would she have been such a disappointment to Sandgorse? Maybe she would have known how to make Palebird happy.