Эрин Хантер - A Forest Divided

Clear Sky’s anger rose, roaring in his ears. “Star Flower is coming with me.” He reared, hissing, but Slash leaped back and grabbed Star Flower. Hooking his claws into her shoulders he hauled her to the ground and pinned her there. The tabby and the ginger tom crouched on either side, their teeth bared.

Star Flower groaned, her eyes wild with terror.

Clear Sky froze. How could he fight them off without Star Flower getting hurt?

“That’s better,” Slash snarled. “It would be a shame to wound such a pretty cat… and with kits in her belly. The thought of harming them breaks my heart.” His whiskers twitched cruelly.

The ginger tom hissed, his eyes gleaming. “Poor little kitties.”

A chill ran along Clear Sky’s spine. He met Slash’s gaze, trying to hide the fear in his own. “What do you want?”

“I told you,” Slash hissed. “Star Flower and I go back a long way. I was One Eye’s closest friend.”

Anger sparked in Star Flower’s eyes. “Get off me!” She struggled, her paws slithering over the ground as Slash pushed her harder into the soggy leaves. “I never knew what One Eye saw in you!” she hissed. “You’re not fit to say his name.”

Slash’s ear flattened. “Oh, really?” With a flick of his claws, he sliced her cheek. “Then why did you promise him that you would be my mate?”

“That was a long time ago!” Star Flower struggled harder.

Clear Sky felt panic rising as blood welled on her fur. He didn’t understand what was happening.

He just wanted it to end. “Stop! Tell me why you’re here and what you want!”

Slash turned his head slowly toward Clear Sky. He let go of Star Flower and stalked forward, his lip curling. “Don’t think we haven’t noticed you mountain cats recruiting all the strays you can find.”

He tipped his head, his gaze menacing. “Why are you building such big groups? Everywhere we go now, we smell scent markers and see where you’ve been hunting.”

“So?” Clear Sky tried not to look at Star Flower as she dabbed a paw at her cheek.

“This territory used to be ours,” Slash snarled. “The strays caught prey and shared it with us. So we left them alone. Now they are part of your groups. They think they’re safe. They think they don’t need to share their catch with us anymore.” He glanced back at the toms. “We’re getting hungry, aren’t we?”

“If you want prey, take prey!” Clear Sky growled. “There’s enough food in the forest to feed three extra mouths.”

“But we’re not just three extra mouths.” Slash’s eyes narrowed to slits. “There are many of us.

Rogues from the Twolegplace. Rogues from beyond the pines and the river. We’re more than you could ever imagine.”

“Then why have we never seen you before?” Fear wormed in Clear Sky’s belly.

“You never had to,” Slash snarled. “We only had to wander the edges of this land to collect enough prey. The strays who lived here knew how to keep us happy. They’d lay out fresh-kill for us to find. They’d leave the borders unhunted. There was no need to come looking for food here. But the strays hunt for you now. And we go hungry.” He eyed Clear Sky with menace. “Why did you mountain cats have to come and spoil everything?”

“We were hungry,” Clear Sky told him.

“That’s not good enough.” Slash paced around Star Flower, his sharp eyes flicking over her pelt.

“We need to put things back the way they were.”

“We’re not leaving!” Clear Sky hissed.

“We’re not asking you to leave.” Slash paused beside Star Flower. Pushing his muzzle close to her injured cheek, he licked the blood from her fur with a long, lingering lap. “I just want to meet with the leaders of your groups so we can discuss how you might share your prey with us, like the strays used to.” He glanced up at the sky. The moon was high and bright. “Tomorrow night, at this same time, I want to meet all the leaders on the sunning rocks beside the river.”

Clear Sky stared back at him. What kind of leader would obey these fox-hearts? “What if they don’t agree?”

Slash’s tail flicked sharply behind him. “I will kill Star Flower.” He nodded to the tabby tom and padded away between the trees. The tabby grabbed Star Flower’s scruff between his teeth and dragged her after Slash. The ginger tom followed, snarling at Star Flower’s tail as her legs kicked in a futile attempt to free herself.

Clear Sky’s thoughts tumbled over one another. Blood pulsed though his paws. He wanted to run after them and free Star Flower. But she might die.

So might the kits!

He felt sick.

The bracken rustled behind him.

He turned, fur bushing, as Quick Water slunk out.

“Were you watching?” he gasped.

She nodded, her gaze sharp.

“Why didn’t you help?”

“Two against four?” Quick Water narrowed her eyes.

“Three against three !” Clear Sky hissed. “Star Flower would have fought beside us.”

“Would she?” Quick Water looked unconvinced. “It sounded to me like she and Slash were pretty close once. And you remember how she betrayed us for her father. Why wouldn’t she betray us for her father’s friend, too?”

Rage pulsed through Clear Sky. “Didn’t you see how he hurt her?”

“It could have been part of the act.”

Blood roaring in his ears, Clear Sky lashed out with his paw and raked Quick Water’s face.

“Does that feel like an act?” he yowled.

Quick Water ducked away as blood shone on her muzzle. She glanced at him resentfully.

“Clawing me won’t make Star Flower loyal.”

“She is loyal!” Clear Sky hissed. “More loyal than my own kin!”

“Only you believe that.” Quick Water rubbed her nose with her paw. “Do you really think the other leaders are going to risk their pelts to save Star Flower? No cat will fight those mangy rogues to save a traitor, even if she is carrying your kits.”

Clear Sky stared at the old she-cat. Where was her loyalty? Didn’t she realize these rogues weren’t just threatening Star Flower? They were threatening every cat! He pushed through the bracken, frustration burning in his pelt. Skirting the top of the mud bank, he barged past the bramble and stalked from the camp. The tops of the trees seemed aflame in the rising sun as he headed for the edge of the forest. Quick Water was wrong. The other cats would help. They weren’t mouse-brained old fleabags like she was. They’d realize the threat facing them.

And they will fight for Star Flower.

They had to! Even if Clear Sky had to force them to fight.

No one threatens my kits and gets away with it.

Slate skidded to a halt, panting, and gazed around, her ears pricked. The moorland stretched away from her in all directions, the short, springy grass dotted with clumps of reeds, gorse bushes, and outcrops of rock. Nothing moved in all the landscape.

“Cricket!” Slate yowled, her pelt prickling with worry. “Cricket, where are you?”

There was no reply, no glimpse of her brother’s orange tabby fur.

I thought he was right behind me…

Slate and her brother, Cricket, had been racing toward a big jutting boulder that reared up from the flat moorland in front of them. Slate had been winning, and when she’d glanced over her shoulder to see how close her brother was, he had vanished.