Эрин Хантер - Tigerheart’s Shadow

At the end of the alley, the land opened out. The Twoleg dens ended, and ahead of them stretched a maze of Thunderpaths. Monsters zipped along them, the air foul with their fumes. Tigerheart blinked in surprise as he saw a Thunderpath arching over the others. Its vast legs plunged wide stone paws into the earth below.

Cinnamon pointed her muzzle toward a green slope beneath the soaring Thunderpath. “That’s where the herbs grow.”

Tigerheart stared across the Thunderpaths twining between him and the herb patch. “How in StarClan do we reach it?”

“This way.” Fierce hurried along the side of a wide Thunderpath. Monsters whipped past them, tugging at his fur. Their roar made his ears tremble, but Tigerheart saw with a rush of relief that Fierce was heading toward a ditch beside the Thunderpath. There was a gap beneath it. A tunnel!

Excitedly, he followed Fierce, Cobweb, Ant, and Cinnamon into the dark hole. It was no bigger than a badger run. Its smooth, rounded walls echoed as they splashed through the shallow water running along the bottom of the tunnel. Tigerheart wrinkled his nose as he felt slimy stone beneath his paws and smelled the stench of ditch water. But at least it would get them safely to the other side of the Thunderpath.

Fierce led them from one tunnel to another until, at last, they emerged on the green slope beneath the flying Thunderpath.

Tigerheart looked up nervously at the wide stone path that arced over their heads. Its wide leg was planted firmly at the top of the slope. Low bushes and grass sprouted against it. The slope was dotted with scrubby plants, their leaves dusty from the stench of the Thunderpath. “Are these the herbs you use? Don’t they taste bad?”

“We wash them before we use them to get the monster stink off,” Fierce told him.

Cobweb was already hurrying toward the stone leg, sniffing eagerly at one of the plants. “The willow herb is doing well.”

Ant wove around a dark green bush topped with white-and-yellow flowers. “The feverfew is ready for gathering.”

“At least foxes don’t eat herbs.” Fierce was glancing around the slope warily.

Tigerheart followed her gaze. He tasted the air, reaching for the scent of fox among the monster stench. He caught a whiff and stiffened. The smell was fresh. “We should stick close to one another,” he warned Fierce.

Fierce signaled to the patrol with her tail. “Let’s check the herbs once we’ve solved the fox problem.”

“But it’s night-chill already,” Cobweb meowed anxiously. “If we wait until ice-chill, the frost will have killed the freshest leaves.”

Tigerheart guessed that night-chill must be leaf-fall, and ice-chill was leaf-bare.

Fierce glanced along the slope. “We’re still half a moon away from frost.”

“If we’re lucky,” Cobweb argued. “If we don’t gather herbs soon, we’ll have to wait until warmingtime.”

Does he mean newleaf? Despite their strange words, these cats faced the same problems as medicine cats in the forest. Hadn’t Puddleshine been pressing Rowanstar to send out herb-gathering parties in the quarter moon before Tigerheart left?

“Let’s check the whole slope,” he suggested. “I want to find out if this fox has made a den. And I need to find more of its scent. I’m not sure if it’s a dog fox or a vixen.” A vixen would be harder to drive out, especially if she’d already dug a den.

Fierce dipped her head and began to lead the patrol through the bushes. Tigerheart pricked his ears. The fox had been here recently, but he knew that foxes tended to sleep during the day. Perhaps they’d catch it napping. He picked up a fox scent and whispered to Fierce. “This way.” Heading into a stretch of long grass, he followed the scent trail that drifted from the green stems. The Thunderpath soaring overheard cut a wide shadow over the slope. Tigerheart shivered in the chilly wind that funneled beneath it. Cobweb and Ant pressed close behind. Cinnamon and Fierce followed. As Tigerheart led the patrol uphill, a huge monster roared on the Thunderpath at the bottom of the slope. He flattened his ears against the roar and narrowed his eyes, scanning for movement ahead.

A growl sounded beside them. Tigerheart’s chest tightened. The fox! He turned, unsheathing his claws as red fur exploded from the grass. It sent Cobweb and Ant tumbling. Tigerheart smelled dog fox. Thinking fast, he leaped as it snapped at Cobweb, who was struggling to find his paws. Hooking his claws into the fox’s fur, Tigerheart tugged it back in time for Cobweb to escape.

Ant was already back on his paws. With a hiss, the tom swung a paw at the fox’s nose. The fox lunged at him, its eyes sparkling with rage. Ant ducked just in time and, dodging beneath the fox’s chin, spun and aimed another blow at its muzzle. Fierce leaped onto the fox’s back and sank her teeth into its shoulder. Cinnamon snapped at its hind paw and sank in her teeth. The fox yelped and shook Fierce off, turning to snarl at Cinnamon.

Tigerheart hesitated, watching the guardian cats fight. They were brave and fast, but their attacks were hasty and uncoordinated. Each cat fought as if facing the fox alone. Each attack distracted the fox from the one before, but none was fierce enough to frighten it. They’re just making it angry. Tigerheart could see frustration flashing in the fox’s eyes as it responded to each assault, turning to meet one and then another. With a sudden bark of rage, it darted at Cobweb, sank its teeth into the tom’s spine, and shook him. Cobweb shrieked with pain and fear.

Tigerheart flung himself beneath the fox’s belly. “Bite its tail!” he ordered Fierce. “Get on its back!” he yowled at Ant. “Claw its throat!” he told Cinnamon. As the three guardian cats leaped to obey, Tigerheart twisted under the fox’s belly and began churning his hind paws at the soft flesh above him.

As the cats swarmed around him, the fox yowled in pain. Cobweb dropped to the ground. His flank thumped the earth, and for a moment, he was still. Tigerheart glanced at him. Was he dead? Then the smoky gray tom twitched and groaned on the grass. The fox turned on the others. Tigerheart darted from beneath its belly and leaped to stand beside them. The fox stared at them as Cobweb scrambled to his paws. Tigerheart felt a surge of triumph as doubt flashed in the fox’s eyes. It’s scared.

Suddenly the fox’s gaze flicked past them. Its expression changed in an instant. Joy, so malicious that it made Tigerheart’s blood freeze, sparked in its eyes. A growl sounded behind them. Two foxes. He spun and saw a vixen padding toward them, her teeth bared.

“Cobweb! Get up!” Tigerheart stared desperately at the injured tom. “We’ve got to get out of here.” These cats didn’t have the skill to fight two foxes at once.

Fierce flung herself toward the dog fox, hissing and snarling, swiping her paws so wildly that it drove the fox backward. Ant darted toward Cobweb and nudged the smoky tom to his paws. Tigerheart turned to face the advancing vixen. Cinnamon pressed against his side. Together they reared as the fox leaped at them. Flailing wildly, they pushed it back. “Run!” He yowled at Fierce and Ant as they helped Cobweb down the slope. His gaze flicked to Cinnamon. “You too!”

She searched his gaze. “What about you?”

“I’ll follow,” he promised.

As she raced after her friends, Tigerheart faced the foxes alone. They slid together and snarled at him menacingly. Fear closed his throat. He wanted to give the guardian cats a chance to get Cobweb clear. But he couldn’t fight two foxes either. He backed away as they advanced. Blood roared in his ears. Showing his teeth, he bushed out his fur. As he glanced down the slope and saw Fierce guiding Cobweb and the others into the tunnel, the foxes rushed him. Their eyes glittered with glee. Swiping out one paw, then another, Tigerheart caught the muzzle of each. But they were on him. The force of their hard, strong bodies knocked him backward. He landed clumsily and turned. He had to flee. Hot breath bathed his tail as he hared down the slope. The tunnel was only a tree-length away. Run! The others had already disappeared into the shadows. He leaped for the entrance, panic scorching through his heart. Sharp teeth caught his tail. Agony seared like fire as he felt his fur rip. Ducking into the tunnel, he ran. Water sprayed out behind him as he pelted through the darkness. His tail shrilled with pain, and he glanced over his shoulder. Two pairs of eyes peered down the tunnel. The foxes had stopped at the entrance and were watching him flee.