Эрин Хантер - Tigerheart’s Shadow

He headed back toward the meat ledge where he’d left Cobweb and Fierce. They greeted him, eyes shining. Fresh-kill was piled at their paws. “We’ll have to make several trips back to the gathering place with a haul as big as this,” Fierce meowed happily.

“Let’s get this back to Dotty quickly.” Tigerheart nodded anxiously at the prey.

Fierce narrowed her eyes. “Is something wrong?”

“Fog and her gang are here.”

Fierce shrugged. “I guess they’re looking for food. It’s not a problem. They need to eat just like we do.”

Tigerheart gazed at her. She’d clearly never had to deal with cats like Darktail. “Not all cats want to share.”

“What do you mean?” Cobweb glanced around nervously.

“When Fog chased those rats into the trash field, did it look like she wanted to catch them?” Tigerheart stared at Fierce.

Fierce looked puzzled.

“Was she chasing them, or was she just trying to scatter them so we couldn’t catch them?” Tigerheart pressed.

Fierce frowned. “You think she wants to stop us scavenging. Why?”

“I’m not sure,” Tigerheart admitted. “But she’s camped outside your den, and we seem to trip over her wherever we go. I think she might be trying to take over your territory.”

Fierce looked unconvinced. “But we don’t have territory.”

“So you keep saying.” Exasperation tightened Tigerheart’s belly. “But you have places where you live and places where you scavenge. Imagine if you couldn’t live beneath the gathering place anymore. Imagine if you had to fight every time you wanted to rummage through your favorite scrapcans.” He remembered the rot pile cats. They’d stopped Dash’s scavenging. City cats weren’t as easygoing as they liked to make out. “Imagine Fog sleeping in your nest.”

“She couldn’t!” Fierce looked alarmed for the first time.

“Why not?” Tigerheart pressed. “She has more cats with her every time we see her. Her gang is getting bigger, and she has no sick cats to care for, or kits. If she decides to drive you out of your home, she could probably do it.”

As he spoke, he saw alarm flash in Cobweb’s eyes. He followed the gray tom’s gaze and saw Fog, Tuna, and a stout black-and-white tom padding toward them. “Take this catch to Dotty,” Tigerheart ordered. “I’ll speak to Fog.”

Fierce and Cobweb snatched up what they could, leaving a rabbit beside Tigerheart as they hurried away.

Tigerheart turned to face Fog.

The gray she-cat padded toward him, her eyes glittering with satisfaction. “I’ve never seen this place before.” She stopped in front of him and looked down at the rabbit. “Perhaps it’s a good thing those foxes drove us out of our home. The scraps here are much better than anything we used to scavenge.” She glanced at the black-and-white tom. “I bet you’re glad you joined our little community, Growler.”

The tom purred and reached a paw toward the rabbit.

Tigerheart slapped it away, keeping his claws sheathed. He wasn’t going to fight unless he had to. “I thought you didn’t want to invade our territory.”

“I thought you didn’t have any territory,” Fog countered.

“Maybe the guardian cats don’t, but I do.” Tigerheart curled his lip.

Fog looked at Tuna and then Growler. “And you’re going to defend it single-pawed?”

“I’m going to stop you stealing my catch.” Tigerheart dragged the rabbit closer.

“I told you.” Fog’s eyes shimmered with menace. “In the city, it’s every cat for herself.” She darted forward and hooked the rabbit away.

Anger scorched through Tigerheart’s fur. With a hiss, he swiped his claws across her cheek. Paws slammed into his flank as the black-and-white tom flew at him. Tigerheart fell onto his side. Kicking out his hind legs, he knocked Tuna away before he could join the fight. Then he rolled nimbly back onto his paws and reared. Growler glared at him, hissing. Fog lunged, her claws stretched as she raked his muzzle. Tigerheart ducked his head and rammed it into her belly. He lifted her off her paws and tossed her to one side, then spun and faced the black-and-white tom. Thrusting his muzzle forward, he snapped at Growler’s leg. He sank his teeth in hard, tasting blood and feeling bone. The tom screeched and pulled away. Claws pierced Tigerheart’s tail. He spun and saw Tuna clinging on. With a snarl he aimed a flurry of swipes at Tuna’s muzzle. Yowling, Tuna ducked away. Gray fur flashed at the side of Tigerheart’s vision. He turned in time to see Fog attacking once more. He reared to meet her as she dived at him, and he wrapped his forelegs around her. Knocking her off her paws, he rolled her onto her back and began churning her belly with his hind claws. She screeched, struggling in his grasp. Clinging on, Tigerheart rolled from under the ledge. Alarm shrilled beneath his pelt as he knocked against a pair of Twoleg paws. The Twoleg screeched.

Around him, the clearing exploded into chaos as Twolegs yelped and howled and waved their front paws. They crowded around him and glared, their white, sunken eyes stretched in surprise. Tigerheart let go of Fog and ran. Dodging between shrieking Twolegs, he hared along the small alley between ledges before ducking into shadow. He glimpsed Dotty ahead. Fierce and Cobweb were with her. Blaze stared at him with wide eyes. Ant, Mittens, and Rascal streaked toward them, fish between their jaws. “Grab what you can and get out of here!” Tigerheart yowled. They snatched prey in their teeth and headed for the alley. Tigerheart grabbed the grouse as he passed the jutting stones and followed them.

Twoleg shrieks followed Tigerheart and the others as they skimmed the stone, veered away from the stone clearing, and ducked into the alley. They ran until the screaming faded. Then Fierce pulled up. Tigerheart slewed to a spot beside her. He dropped the grouse and gasped for breath as Ant, Cobweb, Dotty, and Blaze scrambled to a halt beside them. Rascal and Mittens turned and stared, still holding their fish.

“What happened?” Fierce demanded as she dropped the hunk of meat she’d been holding.

“Fog and her friends tried to steal the rabbit,” Tigerheart panted.

“Why did you fight her?” Fierce looked indignant. “Now we can’t go back! The Twolegs will be looking out for us.”

“Do you think I should have let her take the rabbit?” Tigerheart stared at her.

“There was plenty for everyone!”

“Then why did she want our rabbit?” Frustration flared in Tigerheart’s chest. When would Fierce understand that Fog wanted what the guardian cats owned and that she wouldn’t stop until she had driven them away? Just like Darktail.

The guardian cats looked at one another uncertainly.

“It is strange that she didn’t just find her own scraps,” Cobweb murmured.

“Why did she have to take Tigerheart’s catch?” Rascal agreed.

Fierce glared at the tabby tom. “Probably because Tigerheart’s been trying to start a fight with her since he met her,” she snapped. “Perhaps that’s what warrior cats do.”

Tigerheart met the tortoiseshell’s angry gaze unflinchingly. “Warriors believe that some things are worth fighting for.”

Fierce turned away angrily. Suddenly she stiffened, her ear pricking. Tigerheart jerked his muzzle around to follow her gaze. Fog and her friends were padding down the alley toward them.

Tigerheart glanced at Fierce, resentment seething beneath his pelt. He stepped aside as Fog reached them and let Fierce face the smoky she-cat. “Fine. Why don’t I let you handle this?”

Fierce eyed Fog warily as the gray she-cat stopped a muzzle-length from her nose. Tuna and Growler flanked her. Streak watched from behind with six more strays.