Tigerheart’s Shadow

“It’s something Twolegs do.” Ajax sniffed.

Tigerheart’s heart sparked with hope. Dovewing had been right. There was a gorse-spiked den. He was heading the right way. “How do I get to that Twolegplace?” he asked Ajax.

Ajax looked over his shoulder at his Twoleg nest, then swished his tail. “Follow me. I’ll show you.”

As he headed across the patch of grass behind the nest, Fuzzball glanced nervously at Tigerheart. “Are you sure you want to go there?”

Tigerheart nodded. “I have to.”

Ajax called to them from across the grass. “Are you two coming?”

Tigerheart hurried toward him. He let the two kittypets take the lead. They were clearly more skillful at dodging Twolegs and monsters. They kept to shadowy gaps between nests, and when they needed to cross a Thunderpath, they knew exactly when to dart between the monsters. When they saw Twolegs on the pathways, they slipped around them, ducking nimbly if a Twoleg bent to touch them.

“If you can learn to dodge Twolegs and monsters like that,” Tigerheart puffed as they reached a clear stretch of grass on the outskirts of the Twolegplace, “you can learn to fight.”

Fuzzball blinked at him hopefully. “Do you really think so?”

“Sure.” Tigerheart looked back in relief at the dens and paths that cluttered the landscape behind him. “You just need to work out a few battle moves and practice them until you can do them without thinking.”

Fuzzball purred.

Ajax was padding on, crossing the scruffy grass. Tigerheart followed him. He could see two shiny tracks cutting across the scrubland ahead. A few tree-lengths away, a small nest sat on a wide stone ledge that edged the track squarely. Ajax stopped and nodded toward it. “That’s where Twolegs wait for the Thundersnake to arrive.”

“Thundersnake?” Tigerheart pelt prickled with unease. “What’s that?”

Ajax stared at him. “You don’t know? Are you kidding?”

Tigerheart fluffed out his fur self-consciously. “We don’t have Thundersnakes in the forest.”

Fuzzball padded between him and Ajax. “A Thundersnake is a huge monster that travels along the Silverpath.” He nodded toward the shiny tracks that lay a few tail-lengths in front of them.

“The Silverpath leads to the big Twolegplace.” Ajax added. “That’s why the Twolegs are waiting. When the Thundersnake arrives, they’ll climb into its belly and let it carry them there.”

Climb into its belly? Shuddering with horror, Tigerheart followed his gaze and saw Twolegs milling on the ledge now. Some were gazing eagerly along the track. Others hung back or paced. Tigerheart could sense impatience in the Twolegs’ restless movements. “How long till the Thundersnake comes?”

“Soon.” Ajax turned his head and looked expectantly along the shiny tracks.

Tigerheart watched the Twolegs on the ledge. One of them put down the heavy bundle it was carrying and crouched beside it. The Twoleg used its forepaws to open up the bundle, revealing colorful pelts crammed inside. “What’s that?” Tigerheart nudged Ajax.

Ajax turned to look. “It’s a shell,” he grunted. “Twolegs use them to carry their spare pelts around.” He stiffened and looked back along the track. “The Thundersnake’s coming.”

Tigerheart followed his gaze. His ears twitched as the tracks began to hum. He felt the air tremble around them as their vibration grew stronger. Suddenly a monster appeared where the tracks dipped behind a ridge. It rumbled toward them like a storm.

Tigerheart’s paws froze in fear. The Thundersnake was huge—far bigger than any monster he’d seen before. The earth shook as it pounded closer. Its paws carved a path along the tracks, which seemed to scream beneath its weight. He glanced at Ajax and Fuzzball. Why weren’t they running away? He held his ground beside them, fighting the urge to flee as the Thundersnake screamed closer. It roared past them like forest fire. Hot air blasted from its flanks, which flashed by, flank after flank, until Tigerheart wondered if the Thundersnake would ever end. He narrowed his eyes against its choking stench and dug his claws into the earth. Its wind tore at his pelt, and he flattened his ears against its deafening howl. Stiff with terror, he held his breath as the world seemed to explode around him. Was this really where Dovewing’s dream was supposed to lead?

Chapter 11