Tallstar’s Revenge

“What happened?” Tallpaw coughed, spitting out mud. “Is this StarClan?” He tried to remember what he had been doing before the darkness came, but his thoughts were spinning too fast. It was like trying to catch butterflies in the wind.

A gentle paw touched his shoulder. “It’s all right; you’re safe now.” Dawnstripe was crouching beside him. “Woollytail pulled you out.”

“Out of where?” Tallpaw struggled to sit up.

Dawnstripe sniffed him anxiously. “Does anything feel broken?”

Tallpaw felt his pelt stinging where it had torn on stones, but he could move each of his legs. “I’m okay.”

Woollytail paced in front of him, his gray-and-white pelt turned completely brown with smeared mud. “We’ll see about that.” He glanced at Tallpaw. “You should get your cuts and scratches seen to. Underground mud can be bad for you. Wounds infect easily.”

“Hush.” Dawnstripe waved Woollytail away with her tail. “He’s already scared enough.”

Scared? Tallpaw’s legs buckled beneath him and he collapsed onto his belly. Why would I be scared? Hazily he saw Algernon sitting a little way off. Sparrow was lying on the grass beside him, his short fur spiked and filthy. Were we both underground? Tallpaw wondered.

Mistmouse squeezed out of a rabbit hole, her pelt slicked with mud. Algernon caught her eye. “Any luck?” Mistmouse shook her head.

Tallpaw’s thoughts cleared with a jolt. “Sandgorse!” That’s why he’d gone down the tunnel. “Where is he?”

Woollytail stopped pacing. His eyes were ominously dark. He turned as Plumclaw scrambled out of a second burrow. “Did you get through?” Woollytail asked.

Plumclaw shook her head. “We hit rock. Hickorynose is still trying but there’s no way to dig past it.”

Tallpaw’s heart began to pound. “If he’s still down there, you have to get him out.”

Plumclaw crossed the grass toward him. “We’ve tried, Tallpaw, but the whole tunnel network collapsed. Floodwater’s in every branch and the roofs are still caving in.” She thrust her nose close to him, blinking away wet soil. “Another mouse-length and you’d have drowned, too.”

Tallpaw stiffened. “Sandgorse drowned?”

Plumclaw leaned back. “We haven’t found his body, but there’s no way he could still be alive down there.”

“No!” Tallpaw tried to struggle to his paws, but he was shaking too much.

Woollytail glanced at Mistmouse. “There’s nothing more we can do.”

“We’ve tried everything to get to him,” she meowed, ears flat. “He’s down there for good.”

“Maybe Sparrow can help!” Tallpaw stared at the rogue. Sparrow lifted his mud-streaked head. “Where did you last see Sandgorse?” Tallpaw demanded. “Can you lead the tunnelers there?”

“The tunnels are blocked,” Woollytail reminded him.

“But if you know where to look, you might be able to dig through,” Tallpaw persisted. “I’ll dig through myself.”

Dawnstripe pressed him back with a paw. “Tallpaw,” she murmured softly. “If Woollytail can’t reach him, no one can. Sandgorse is with StarClan now.”

Tallpaw’s hackles rose and anger surged in his chest. He glared at Sparrow. “Why did you leave him? You should have stayed with him! Don’t you know that’s what you do underground? You stay with your tunnelmate.”

Sparrow pushed himself to his paws. “I’m no tunneler. I don’t have partners. Not aboveground. Not belowground.” His gaze hardened. “I was lucky I made it out. There was no way I could have helped Sandgorse. He’s the one with all the skills. He shouldn’t have taken me down there. He should have known it was too dangerous.”

Tallpaw stared, breath catching in his throat. Sparrow was blaming Sandgorse for what happened? He stared at the other tunnelers, willing one of them to come to Sandgorse’s defense. How dare this rogue blame his father for the accident?

“Woollytail?” Tallpaw croaked to the old tunneler.

Woollytail stared at his paws. “Sandgorse answered for his recklessness,” he muttered.

“Are you saying this was his fault?” Tallpaw gasped.

Woollytail avoided his eye. “Come on,” he grunted. “Let’s get you to Hawkheart. Those wounds’ll need seeing to.”

Dawnstripe shoved her nose under Tallpaw’s flank and heaved him to his paws. Algernon darted over and pressed against his shoulder. With Dawnstripe pushing on the other side, Tallpaw managed to stagger forward. As they climbed the slope, he felt strength beginning to seep back into his paws, though his breath was hard to catch. He stopped and coughed up more muddy water, then moved on, thankful for Algernon and Dawnstripe’s help. He could hear paw steps behind and looked back to see Woollytail helping Sparrow back to camp. Tallpaw growled under his breath. How could Woollytail help the cat that had killed his tunnelmate?

He staggered wearily through the entrance. Aspenfall paused on a tussock and stared at the mud-streaked cats. “Any news?”

Palebird hurried out of the nursery. “Did you find him?”

Tallpaw stared blankly at his mother.

“No,” Dawnstripe answered for him.

“Sandgorse!” As Palebird collapsed, Meadowslip hurried to her side.