Эрин Хантер - A Forest Divided

She can’t die. Not after such a long journey to see her sons. It wouldn’t be fair.

He had sent Lightning Tail back to their camp, worried about leaving Leaf and the others alone too long in a territory they hadn’t yet fully explored. Who knew what might be lurking between the trees there?

He heaved himself to his paws, stiff from sleeping beneath a frosty bramble, and shook out his fur.

The snow had stopped, but thick drifts banked one side of the camp, and the clearing glittered white.

He recognized Clear Sky’s fur half-hidden in a nest dug beneath the camp wall. Star Flower’s golden pelt glowed beside his father’s. The pair was still sleeping. A pang of jealousy pricked his belly, but he pushed it away. Star Flower had made her choice.

“Thunder!” Eagle Feather’s excited mew rang from Holly’s den. His small face peeked out.

“We’re going to make snow tunnels. Do you want to help?”

Dew Nose pushed past her brother and plunged into the snow. Then she bobbed up again and struggled toward him.

“I’m too big for snow tunnels!” Thunder called out.

Storm Pelt scrambled from the den and followed Eagle Feather as he chased his sister. “You could pretend to be a fox and try to dig us out!”

Thunder purred, then glanced guiltily toward Pebble Heart’s den. There was a sick cat in the camp—perhaps he should tell the kits to be quiet.

Eagle Feather reached him and shook snow from his whiskers. “I’ll start tunneling. You try to find me.” He dived into a deep drift and disappeared.

“Give us time to hide!” Dew Nose called, scooting deep into the snow after her brother.

“Wait for me!” Storm Pelt scrambled after them.

The camp entrance rattled, and snow showered from the brambles around it. Thunder turned to see Jagged Peak pad into camp, a wren in his jaws. He crossed the clearing and dropped it outside

Pebble Heart’s den, then headed for his own. Wasn’t he going to go inside and check on his mother?

Thunder was momentarily distracted by muffled purrs from beneath the snow. He thought he should pull the kits out before they froze. Stepping toward the sound, he pricked his ears. He could hear Dew Nose whispering.

“Stay still or he’ll guess where we are.”

His whiskers twitched with amusement. Plunging his muzzle into the snow, he grabbed the first scruff he felt and plucked Storm Pelt out.

The kit swung into the air, spraying snow.

Jagged Peak halted, his eyes widening as he saw Thunder. “What’s going on?” he demanded.

Thunder dropped Storm Pelt into a shallow patch. “The kits are tunneling.”

Jagged Peak bounded across the clearing. “They’ll freeze! Or drown! Or both!” He began digging through the snow with his paws.

“Ow!” Dew Nose squealed as he unearthed her.

Eagle Feather struggled to the surface, his head popping out. “What’s wrong?”

Jagged Peak stared at him sternly. “Whose idea was this?”

“Mine.” Eagle Feather stuck his nose in the air. “It’s fun!”

“It’s dangerous .” Jagged Peak swished his tail with annoyance. “Stay out of the deep snow and find something useful to do.”

“It’s not fair. We were only playing!” Eagle Feather struggled to the surface and padded away, his indignant swagger spoiled as every paw step plunged deeper into the snow.

Dew Nose bobbed after him. “Let’s think up another game.”

“We could practice hunting!” Storm Pelt followed.

Jagged Peak eyed Thunder sternly.

“I was watching them,” Thunder told him.

Jagged Peak frowned. “Sometimes you have to say no .”

Thunder felt a prickle of resentment. He’d been rescuing the kits! But he dropped his gaze and shrugged. “I guess.” Jagged Peak had a lot to worry about. It wasn’t surprising his temper was short these days.

The kits had crossed the clearing and stopped near Tall Shadow. The camp leader was gazing apologetically at Mouse Ear and Mud Paws. “Will you go hunting again today?” she asked them. “I know you hunted for everyone yesterday, but the others are”—her gaze flicked to Pebble Heart’s den—“ distracted right now.”

“I just caught a wren,” Jagged Peak called across the clearing. “And Gray Wing’s out stalking.”

“But we have extra mouths to feed.” Tall Shadow nodded toward Holly’s den. “Don’t forget, Fern’s with us now.”

“I’ll hunt with them.” Sun Shadow’s mew made the camp leader turn. The young tom was stretching in the wide nest of pine branches. He looked brighter than when Thunder had found him yesterday, his pelt sleek from a wash and his eyes shining. He bounded into the clearing and padded toward her. “I’m starting to get the hang of forest hunting.”

“Good.” Mud Paws greeted him with a nod. “The more paws the better.”

“If there’s any prey out today, it should be easy to spot against the snow,” Mouse Ear meowed.

As Thunder wondered if he should offer to help, snow crunched outside the camp and Pebble Heart ducked through the entrance. A wad of browning stalks dangled limply from his jaws.

He stopped as he reached Tall Shadow and placed them carefully on the snow. “I wish we’d come to the forest in greenleaf,” he meowed ruefully. “I can see spots where herbs would have been thick only a few moons ago. But there are only these left now.” He prodded the straggly stems with a paw. “I’m not sure it’ll be enough to help Quiet Rain.”

Sun Shadow’s eyes clouded with worry. “Is she worse?”

Pebble Heart met his gaze steadily. “The journey weakened her, and the infection may now have burrowed too deep for me to treat it with mere poultices. I’m hoping that chewing a few of these old nettle stalks might help her fight it from the inside.”

Dew Nose hurried forward. “I can take them to her.”

Tall Shadow shooed the kit away with her tail. “Go and play,” she murmured distractedly. She stared at Pebble Heart. “Are there any herbs left in the hollow that we could get?”

“There should be.” Pebble Heart nodded.

Mud Paws narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “We can collect them while we’re out hunting,” he offered.

“Okay.” Tall Shadow flicked her tail. “But be careful not to hunt on Wind Runner’s land.”

“We will,” Mud Paws promised. He shook out his pelt and headed for the entrance.

Mouse Ear trekked through the snow after him, Sun Shadow at his heels.

The kits scampered through the snow in their wake, stopping as the toms disappeared through the camp entrance, and stared wistfully after them.

“You look tired, Pebble Heart.” Tall Shadow tipped her head to one side.

Thunder dragged his gaze from the kits. He suddenly noticed the exhaustion in the young tom’s eyes. Pebble Heart must have been up all night taking care of Quiet Rain. “I’ll take the nettles to her while you rest.” He sniffed them. They were little more than rotting stalks. “Does she just have to chew them?”

Pebble Heart’s tail drooped. “It might be hard to persuade her. She’s not an easy cat to care for.”

Thunder lifted his chin. “I’ll do my best.” He leaned down and grasped the nettle stems, relieved that the frost that had wilted them had also stolen their sting.

He carried them across the clearing and ducked into Pebble Heart’s den. The darkness inside was warm, but the air smelled sour with infection. Swallowing back queasiness, he crossed the earth floor to the heather nest where Quiet Rain lay. She didn’t move as he neared, but lay limply on the dry fronds. Heat pulsed from her pelt, and he dropped the nettle stems in front of her muzzle.

“What do you want?” Her mew took him by surprise and he jumped backward. She lifted her head heavily, her nose wrinkling as she sniffed the stalks. “What are these?”