Tigerheart’s Shadow

Pouncekit raced into the woods, her tail high. “It’s so crunchy!” she squeaked, padding happily over the near-frozen layer of dry leaves. Lightkit and Shadowkit hurried after her, their paws clogged with mud. Tigerheart caught Dovewing’s eye. She looked weary. “Do you want me to stay close to you and the kits for a while?” he asked.

“No.” She peered between the trees. “Keep your eye on Blaze and Spire. They’re moving so fast.”

Spire had been pushing ahead relentlessly, and the other cats always seemed to be trailing behind. Tigerheart wondered if the healer had forgotten that he had a queen and kits with him. The days of walking had been hard for them all. But at least the rain, which had started to fall soon after they left the Silverpath, had stopped now. It had rained for two days, and as the fields and meadows had become muddier underpaw, Tigerheart had increasingly wondered whether they’d been wise to leave the Silverpath. The stones there had been hard on every cat’s pads, but trudging over sucking earth was exhausting.

Cloverfoot had stopped and was sitting at the foot of a tree while Berryheart caught her breath. “Can you ask him to slow down again?” Cloverfoot asked Tigerheart as he neared. “Berryheart can’t keep up this pace.”

“I will.” Tigerheart looked back at the kits. Lightkit scooped up a pawful of dust and flicked it over Shadowkit. As it fluttered around him, the gray tom lifted his muzzle to the sky and sneezed. Pouncekit ran and skidded through a pile of dry grass. “There’s no time to play!” Tigerheart called.

Pouncekit looked up from the grass and blinked at him sadly. “But it’s so nice here. Can’t we stop for a bit?”

“Not today.” Tigerheart could see Spire and Blaze disappearing over a rise. Why was Spire hurrying? Did ShadowClan need them so badly? Or was Spire just eager to get Berryheart home before she kitted? He left Berryheart and Cloverfoot with Dovewing, Cinnamon, Ant, and the kits and quickened his pace. He’d catch up with Spire and ask him to slow down. The woods thickened, and shadows striped the forest floor. As Tigerheart rounded a juniper bush growing between the trunks, he heard Rippletail and Sparrowtail. He could see their pelts through the branches. They had stopped and were talking in hushed tones. Tigerheart paused and pricked his ears.

“What if that weird tom has got it all wrong?” Sparrowtail snorted.

“I don’t like the way he talks to himself,” Rippletail mewed. “He stares into space and mumbles as though someone’s listening. I’ve never seen a medicine cat act that… crazy.”

“I don’t think Spire’s crazy,” Sparrowtail sounded worried. “But I don’t think he knows where he’s going, either. That stream he made us cross yesterday was dangerous. Berryheart nearly fell off the log. The water would have swept her into rocks.”

“He could be leading us anywhere,” Rippletail murmured, her voice weary.

“What if we never find our way back to ShadowClan? The kits are due soon. What if Berryheart kits before we get home?”

Tigerheart backed away. He didn’t want them to know he’d been listening. He wish he could reassure them, but as they trekked farther and farther from the Silverpath, he too had begun to doubt whether Spire truly knew where he was headed.

He climbed the rise where Spire and Blaze had disappeared and saw them halfway down the slope below. Breaking into a run, he bounded after them, breathless by the time he caught up with them.

“Hi, Tigerheart.” Blaze greeted him with a flick of his tail. “Is everyone okay?”

“Berryheart and the kits are struggling to keep up,” Tigerheart told him.

Spire stopped and blinked at him, his gaze vacant.

“Did you hear me?” Irritation flickered through Tigerheart’s fur. “You need to slow down.”

“I can’t,” Spire answered distractedly. “There’s no time to waste.”

Anxiety pressed Tigerheart’s belly. “Is ShadowClan in trouble, or are you worried about Berryheart kitting before we reach the lake?”

Spire frowned without focusing. “I don’t know. I only know that something is tugging me forward, and we mustn’t delay.”

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Tigerheart asked Spire. He saw worry flash briefly in Blaze’s eyes. It alarmed him. If Blaze had doubts, then something must be very wrong.

Spire lashed his tail. “Of course I know,” he snapped. “I told you.”

“But how do you know?” Tigerheart pressed. “Do you dream tomorrow’s route every night?”

“No,” Spire meowed curtly. “But I can feel when we’re on the right path.”

“So we’re going wherever you feel is best?” Tigerheart’s paws pricked with alarm. They might be wandering around the hills for moons.

Spire began walking. “We must hurry. There’s a river ahead. Crossing will be dangerous. But we must keep going.”

Tigerheart saw brightness beyond the trees where the beech woods ended. He strained to see between them. Could Spire see water? Land stretched beyond, rising toward hills. His worry deepened. “Are you sure there’s a river?”

Spire flashed him a look, then headed on.