Tigerheart’s Shadow

Tigerheart purred back. “Yes.”

Behind them, Spire was muttering, but Tigerheart couldn’t make out the words. He didn’t care about the strange tom. He just wanted to see the sky. Hurrying, he caught up with the kits, and before long they were padding out of the stinking tunnel into fresh air. A few moments later, Spire followed.

Stars glittered above. A sliver of moon hung between them. The dark sky reached to the horizon, so wide, Tigerheart’s chest seemed to burst with joy. He breathed in the scents of trees and grass. Dew-scented, the landscape stretched before them like a dream.

Shadowkit blinked at it. “Where are the big Twoleg dens?”

Small Twoleg nests crowded the Silverpath. But they nestled low against the ground like prey. The only shapes that tried to reach the stars here were the distant hills.

Lightkit moved closer to Tigerheart as Dovewing, Cinnamon, Spire, and Ant caught up to them. “It’s so big.” She sounded frightened.

“And quiet.” Pouncekit pricked her ears. Only the cry of a distant owl disturbed the peace. “I don’t like it.” She blinked at Tigerheart with wide, frightened eyes.

He leaned down and licked her head. “You’ll get used to it,” he promised.

Dovewing smoothed her tail along Lightkit’s spine. “When you’ve been out of the city for a few days, you’ll realize it’s not so big. And there are plenty of noises. The sound of the wind in the trees is like the rumbling of distant monsters, and the birds chatter like Twolegs.”

“Really?” Lightkit looked hopefully.

“What’s that funny smell?” Pouncekit twitched her nose.

Tigerheart breathed deep the familiar scents of wind and grass. “That’s what fresh air smells like.”

Shadowkit padded along the Silverpath for a few paces, then stopped. He looked up at the stars twinkling overhead. “There are more stars here!” His tail twitched excitedly.

“Wait until we’re far away from the Twoleg nests,” Tigerheart told him. “You’ll see more stars than you could ever dream of.”

Shadowkit blinked at him. “Are those our ancestors?”

Tigerheart nodded solemnly.

Lightkit looked up and frowned. “We have a lot of ancestors.”

Dash shifted beside them. “I’d better head back,” he meowed.

Dovewing met his gaze. “Will you be okay on your own?”

“Yeah.” Dash shook out his fur. “I’ve never been this far, but I’m glad I came.”

“You can come with us,” Dovewing offered suddenly.

Tigerheart looked at her in surprise. Was that a good idea? They would already be bringing four strange cats back to the Clans.

“Thanks,” Dash purred. “But I like city life.”

Tigerheart blinked at him gratefully. “Thank you, Dash. You have the heart of a warrior.”

“I don’t know about that,” Dash twitched his tail, clearly pleased. “But I’ve been glad to help.” He dipped his head. “Good luck to you all.” Pausing to glance at each cat for a moment, he turned and headed into the tunnel.

Tigerheart stretched. It was good to feel the moonlight on his pelt once more. It seemed to wash the stench of the city from his fur. “Let’s find somewhere to make camp for the night.” He looked toward the grassy bank beside the track. Twoleg nests clustered at the top. But a stretch of ground lay beside them, dotted with trees. The bushes around their roots would provide shelter until dawn. They could hunt then and fill their bellies with warm, clean prey before they set off for the lake. He blinked at Dovewing. “We’ll start early tomorrow.”

She stretched her muzzle forward and touched her nose to his cheek. “Yes,” she breathed happily. “Tomorrow we can head home.”

Chapter 29

The moon showed in the late afternoon, pale against a paler sky. It had grown fat in the days they’d been walking. A half-moon had passed, and each dawn brought colder weather. Tigerheart fluffed his fur out against it and looked at Pouncekit, Lightkit, and Shadowkit. They were quiet today, walking close to Dovewing.

“Don’t forget,” she told them softy. “If you get a piece of grit in your paw, lick it out straight away or it’ll work its way into your pad and hurt.”

Lightkit’s tail drooped. “My pads already hurt.”

“They’re tougher, though,” Pouncekit encouraged. “You stuck one in my muzzle while you were sleeping last night, and it felt as hard as stone.”

Shadowkit looked thoughtful. “If our pads are tougher, will it be harder for grit to get in?”

“Yes.” Dovewing leaned down as she walked and licked him gently between the ears.

“How far is there to go?” Lightkit asked.

Dovewing turned her anxious gaze on Tigerheart.

He glanced at the landscape stretching around the Silverpath. The Twoleg dens were fewer, dotted now. Yesterday they had passed the ledge where he’d been pushed into the belly of the Thundersnake. He tried to remember how many days he’d walked to get here. “We just need to keep going,” he meowed. “If we make good time, we’ll be there for full moon.”

“Full moon!” Pouncekit flicked her tail crossly. “Yesterday you said we’d be there before full moon.”