Tigerheart’s Shadow

Tigerheart’s hackles lifted as he remembered Darktail. “Fog believes in every cat looking after himself. Her denmates probably feel the same. Do you want cats here who are only interested in filling their own bellies?” He flicked his muzzle toward the nests where Feather and Scowl, their newest patients, lay. Spire was stripping herbs from their stems beside them. “I’ve met cats like Fog before. In the forest, we call them rogues. They have no pity for sick cats. They see them as burdens. Inviting Fog to join this group would destroy everything you’ve built here!”

Fierce listened thoughtfully. “But you think, if we can drive the foxes away, Fog and her friends would go home?”

“Yes.” Tigerheart ignored the doubt pricking in his belly. “They liked their old home. I think they’d choose it over this place if they could.”

Pipsqueak’s tail twitched. “Just because we chased a pair of foxes from the herb patch doesn’t mean that we can fight a whole clan of them.”

“We don’t know that it is a whole clan,” Tigerheart argued.

“It was enough to drive away Fog and her cats,” Rascal commented darkly.

“But if we fought together…” He looked pleadingly around the guardian cats. “With Fog fighting with us instead of against us, we could do it. I could offer to show them the battle moves I taught you.”

Fierce blinked at him. “First you tell us Fog’s cats are a threat; then you offer to teach them how to fight?”

Dovewing padded forward and stood beside Tigerheart. “Tigerheart’s only trying to help. He speaks from experience. Rogues drove his Clan from their home. He had to fight to get it back. His Clan still hasn’t really recovered.”

“Why is he here, then?” Dotty looked at him through narrowed eyes. “Doesn’t his Clan need him?”

Guilt sparked in Tigerheart’s chest. “I’m here because I think my Clan is better off without me for a while.”

Dovewing shifted beside him. “And because he wants to be with me and our kits.”

Dotty tipped her head toward Dovewing. “Why did you come?” she asked. “You talk about the Clans like they’re better than strays. Why did you leave them?”

Tigerheart felt Dovewing’s fur bristle self-consciously. He met Dotty’s inquisitive stare. “She dreamed that her kits would be safer here.”

Dotty rolled her eyes. “She sounds like Spire.”

Spire lifted his head. Herb specks were caught in his whiskers. “Dreams sometimes reveal the truth.” He nodded distractedly at Dovewing and Tigerheart. “I dreamed they would come, didn’t I?”

“Dreams are nonsense,” Dotty huffed. “What does it matter if Spire dreamed you were coming? It doesn’t change anything.”

As she spoke, Rascal and Mittens squeezed through the entrance and jumped to the floor. Mittens’s eyes glittered with alarm. Rascal’s pelt was ruffled.

“There are cat scents around the slabs,” Mittens mewed breathlessly.

Fierce stiffened. “Fog’s cats?”

Mittens nodded. “They’ve clearly been snooping around in the night.”

“And there are Twoleg scents too,” Rascal added. “Fresh ones. They must have come before dawn.”

Tigerheart lifted his muzzle. “Fog’s group is clearly attracting the attention of the Twolegs, just like they did at the outdoor gathering. We need to get rid of her before the Twolegs discover our den.”

Fierce gazed at him thoughtfully for a moment and then nodded. “Let’s practice those battle moves you taught us,” she meowed decisively.

Pipsqueak’s pelt bristled nervously. “Are we going to fight the foxes?”

“Not until we know how many there are and if Fog will help us,” Fierce told him. “But it sounds as though we are going to have to defend our home one way or another, so we might as well be ready.”

The guardian cats looked at one another. Tigerheart’s paws pricked nervously as they leaned close and murmured. One by one, they met Fierce’s gaze and nodded.

Hope swelled in Tigerheart’s belly. He was doing what was best for the group. He couldn’t let Fog drive them away. “We should train outside,” he suggested. “We need to get used to fighting on uneven ground.” He swept his tail over the shiny floor. “And I hope the battle never reaches this den.”

He let Fierce lead the way out. Pipsqueak, Dotty, Rascal, and Mittens followed, Ant and Cobweb at their tails. As Bracken, Boots, and Peanut headed after them, Tigerheart called them back.

“You’re healers,” he meowed. “Perhaps you should be gathering herbs for the wounded rather than training how to fight.” He searched their gazes. He didn’t want to frighten them, but if there was a battle, they would need to be prepared.

Peanut nodded. “We’ll go to the herb patch now,” she mewed. “There may be some leaves left untouched by the frost.”

As she led Boots and Bracken out, Dovewing glanced at Pouncekit, Lightkit, and Shadowkit. They were still watching, leaning forward eagerly. Dovewing purred. “They’re desperate to help.”

Tigerheart blinked fondly at them. “Perhaps they could watch the battle training.” It would be almost like being among real warriors.

Dovewing’s ears twitched anxiously. “You mean, take them outside?”