Tallstar’s Revenge

“I don’t feel like sleeping yet,” Barkpaw told him. “That was my first kitting.” He ducked through the entrance first.

Talltail followed, and they began to climb the slope, following the trail around the heather. “Is Palebird really okay?” Talltail meowed in a rush.

“Really.” Barkpaw’s pelt brushed his as they climbed.

“She looked tired.”

“It was a hard kitting.”

“None of them died, though.” Talltail thought of Finchkit.

“They’re survivors, like you,” Barkpaw purred.

They walked in silence for a while. Talltail gently steered his friend toward Outlook Rock. “I love this view,” he mewed as he led Barkpaw out across the stone.

Barkpaw peered into the night-shadowed valley. “Why? Everything is so dark and far away.”

Talltail sat down, beckoning Barkpaw to sit beside him with a flick of his tail. “Just wait.”

“For what?”

The sky was growing pale as the sun pushed up toward the horizon behind them. Glancing over his shoulder, Talltail saw weak rays seeping through the bare branches of ThunderClan’s forest. “You’ll see in a moment,” he told Barkpaw. As he spoke, the sun lifted above the trees. Sunlight swept the moor and lit up the tips of Highstones.

Barkpaw gasped. “I’ve never seen that!”

“Can you see the mountains behind?”

Barkpaw narrowed his eyes. “There are mountains?”

“And more land beyond them, probably,” Talltail meowed, paws pricking. “Places no Clan cat has ever seen.”

“Or will ever see,” Barkpaw commented.

Talltail turned. “Why not?”

“Why would any cat trek that far from home?”

“To see what was there!”

Barkpaw shrugged. “I’ve been to the Moonstone, and that’s far enough. There’s plenty to see on the moor. I still haven’t learned every herb that grows here.”

“Don’t you want to find new herbs, growing in places other cats haven’t been?”

Barkpaw stared across the valley. “I couldn’t possibly go wandering off. My Clan needs me.”

Talltail shifted his paws. “I wish WindClan needed me.”

“Of course they do!”

Talltail shrugged. “I thought I could replace Sandgorse by becoming a tunneler,” he murmured. “I thought they’d need me then. But Heatherstar said we didn’t need tunnelers anymore. Now Palebird has had Woollytail’s kits. So she doesn’t need me either.”

“She does!” Barkpaw exclaimed. “And the kits will need you, too.”

Talltail shook his head. “It’s more than not being needed,” he sighed. “That’s just part of it.”

Barkpaw frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I… I can’t help feeling that I have to find Sparrow.”

“Why?” Barkpaw’s eyes went round with confusion.

“He killed Sandgorse.” Talltail searched his friend’s gaze for some trace of understanding or sympathy. Didn’t any of his Clanmates realize what Sparrow had done?

“But Sandgorse’s death was an accident,” Barkpaw meowed. “It wasn’t Sparrow’s fault.”

Not Sparrow’s fault? Talltail’s anger swelled until he felt it block his throat, choking his words. Why didn’t anyone see that a rogue had caused the death of a Clan cat and walked away unpunished? He glowered at the valley. You’re out there somewhere, I know. He pictured Sparrow stretching happily in a pool of dawn sunshine. You think you can go unpunished forever, but I won’t let that happen. Talltail’s claws scraped the rock. One day, you’ll be sorry.

Barkpaw followed his gaze. “Each cat has his own destiny to follow,” he murmured. “And only StarClan knows where that leads.”

“What if it leads beyond the Clan?” Talltail growled.

Barkpaw’s tail twitched. “Beyond the Clan?”

“What if my destiny is out there?” Talltail nodded toward the valley. What if my destiny is to avenge Sandgorse’s death?

“On your own?”

“Yes.” Talltail glared at the distant fields, scanning for brown pelts moving across the grass.

“Do you want to be a rogue?” Barkpaw demanded. Shock edged his mew.

“Of course not.” How could Barkpaw be so narrow-minded? “Can I only be a warrior inside warrior territory?” Talltail turned his gaze on Barkpaw. “The warrior code must reach beyond borders, surely? Courage, honor, and loyalty don’t end at a scent line.”

“You’re just feeling unsettled because of the kits.” Barkpaw climbed to his paws and stretched. “Once you’ve gotten to know them, you’ll feel differently. There’s room for all of you in the Clan, you know.”

“Maybe.” Talltail watched Barkpaw pad toward the grass. But I doubt it.

“I’d better get back,” Barkpaw called over his shoulder. “Hawkheart will be looking for me.”

Talltail turned his gaze back toward the valley. Where does my path lead? He glanced at the sky. Are you going to tell me, StarClan? His heart sank when there was nothing but silence, no change in the shape of the clouds overhead or in the sound of the wind. But his warrior ancestors hadn’t shared with him at the Moonstone; why would they guide him now? Perhaps even StarClan didn’t know what lay ahead for him.