Эрин Хантер - Tigerheart’s Shadow

Dovewing shifted beside him. “And because he wants to be with me and our kits.”

Dotty tipped her head toward Dovewing. “Why did you come?” she asked. “You talk about the Clans like they’re better than strays. Why did you leave them?”

Tigerheart felt Dovewing’s fur bristle self-consciously. He met Dotty’s inquisitive stare. “She dreamed that her kits would be safer here.”

Dotty rolled her eyes. “She sounds like Spire.”

Spire lifted his head. Herb specks were caught in his whiskers. “Dreams sometimes reveal the truth.” He nodded distractedly at Dovewing and Tigerheart. “I dreamed they would come, didn’t I?”

“Dreams are nonsense,” Dotty huffed. “What does it matter if Spire dreamed you were coming? It doesn’t change anything.”

As she spoke, Rascal and Mittens squeezed through the entrance and jumped to the floor. Mittens’s eyes glittered with alarm. Rascal’s pelt was ruffled.

“There are cat scents around the slabs,” Mittens mewed breathlessly.

Fierce stiffened. “Fog’s cats?”

Mittens nodded. “They’ve clearly been snooping around in the night.”

“And there are Twoleg scents too,” Rascal added. “Fresh ones. They must have come before dawn.”

Tigerheart lifted his muzzle. “Fog’s group is clearly attracting the attention of the Twolegs, just like they did at the outdoor gathering. We need to get rid of her before the Twolegs discover our den.”

Fierce gazed at him thoughtfully for a moment and then nodded. “Let’s practice those battle moves you taught us,” she meowed decisively.

Pipsqueak’s pelt bristled nervously. “Are we going to fight the foxes?”

“Not until we know how many there are and if Fog will help us,” Fierce told him. “But it sounds as though we are going to have to defend our home one way or another, so we might as well be ready.”

The guardian cats looked at one another. Tigerheart’s paws pricked nervously as they leaned close and murmured. One by one, they met Fierce’s gaze and nodded.

Hope swelled in Tigerheart’s belly. He was doing what was best for the group. He couldn’t let Fog drive them away. “We should train outside,” he suggested. “We need to get used to fighting on uneven ground.” He swept his tail over the shiny floor. “And I hope the battle never reaches this den.”

He let Fierce lead the way out. Pipsqueak, Dotty, Rascal, and Mittens followed, Ant and Cobweb at their tails. As Bracken, Boots, and Peanut headed after them, Tigerheart called them back.

“You’re healers,” he meowed. “Perhaps you should be gathering herbs for the wounded rather than training how to fight.” He searched their gazes. He didn’t want to frighten them, but if there was a battle, they would need to be prepared.

Peanut nodded. “We’ll go to the herb patch now,” she mewed. “There may be some leaves left untouched by the frost.”

As she led Boots and Bracken out, Dovewing glanced at Pouncekit, Lightkit, and Shadowkit. They were still watching, leaning forward eagerly. Dovewing purred. “They’re desperate to help.”

Tigerheart blinked fondly at them. “Perhaps they could watch the battle training.” It would be almost like being among real warriors.

Dovewing’s ears twitched anxiously. “You mean, take them outside?”

“Just as far as the stone slabs,” Tigerheart encouraged. “Fresh air will do them good. And there won’t be any Twolegs around. It’s not a yowling day.”

“What about the Twolegs Rascal smelled?”

“They must be gone. He didn’t see them. He only caught their scent.” Tigerheart felt a prick of guilt. Would Dovewing guess that he was eager to get the kits outside because he wanted them to taste the wind and feel soft grass beneath their paws? He wanted to know if the leaf-bare wind would pierce their kit fluff too easily. Would the cold earth freeze their pads? Were they ready to make the journey home?

She looked at him uncertainly, and then at the kits.

Pouncekit was already racing across the shiny floor. “Did Tigerheart say we could go out?”

Lightkit charged after her sister. “I want to go first.”

“Won’t it be cold outside?” Shadowkit trailed them doubtfully.

“That’s what you’ve got fur for, silly!” Pouncekit called over her shoulder.

Dovewing’s tail drooped. “I guess we can take them out,” she conceded. “But only for a while.”

Lightkit tried to haul herself up the leg of the wooden ledge. Dovewing scooped her up and carried her up to the entrance. “Don’t go outside until I’ve got Shadowkit and Pouncekit,” she warned. As she jumped down to fetch them, Tigerheart noticed Spire. The healer had wandered into a pool of sunshine at the far end of the den and was staring at the air, his eyes glazed. Was he having a vision?

“I’ll join you in a moment,” Tigerheart called to Dovewing as she dropped Shadowkit beside his littermates.

“Don’t be long,” Dovewing answered, nosing them through the gap in the wall.

Tigerheart padded toward the skinny black tom. Spire didn’t shift his gaze from the shaft of light that seemed to have hypnotized him. Tigerheart wondered whether to disturb him, but as he neared, Spire spoke, his gaze still distant.

“Take care of Blaze.”

For a moment, Tigerheart wondered who the healer was talking to, but there was no cat left in the den aside from Feather and Scowl, and they were hidden among the furless pelts of their nests. Was he talking to an imaginary cat?

“I will not live beside the widewater. But Blaze will.”

Widewater? Instantly Tigerheart thought of the lake. Was he talking about their journey there? “Are you saying Blaze will travel home with us?”

Spire’s yellow gaze flashed toward him, focusing suddenly. “Of course.”

He’s talking to me. Tigerheart leaned closer. “So widewater means the lake?”

“That’s where the Clans live, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Surprise set Tigerheart’s fur prickling. “How do you know?” Had Dovewing mentioned the lake?

“I told you.” Spire shook out his pelt. “I see things.”

“Do you see our journey? Do we make it home safely?”

Spire looked away. “Go teach battle moves, like you promised.”

Unease wormed in Tigerheart’s belly. The healer was avoiding his question. “Do you know if we get home safely?” he pressed.

Spire padded past him, heading for the sick cats’ nests. “I don’t see everything,” he meowed briskly.

Tigerheart hurried from the den, suddenly anxious to see Dovewing and their kits. Did the black tom know something? Something he didn’t dare tell?

Pouncekit, Lightkit, and Shadowkit were bouncing over the grass beside a stone slab. Dovewing watched them protectively, her gaze flitting beyond them, as though checking for danger. She caught sight of him and blinked at him, purring. “They like the grass.”

“It’s so soft,” Lightkit squeaked.

“And tickly.” Pouncekit rolled over in it, mewling with delight.

Shadowkit stayed in the shelter of the slab and watched anxiously.

“I want to explore,” Pouncekit mewed.

“I want to play.” Lightkit called to Tigerheart. “Are you going to play with us?”

Tigerheart looked to where the guardian cats were already practicing the battle moves he’d taught them to fight foxes. “I have to go and help Fierce,” he told Lightkit. “We can play another time.”

Lightkit wasn’t listening. She was following Pouncekit as the gray kit sniffed her way to the next stone slab like a fox following scent.

Tigerheart purred. It was good to see the kits with grass beneath their paws and sky overhead. For the first time, he could imagine them as warriors. He turned toward the guardian cats. Cobweb and Ant were stalking around Rascal. Rascal eyed them sharply. As Cobweb dived for Rascal’s forepaw and Ant lunged for his tail, Rascal ducked and rolled. Cobweb and Ant landed clumsily as Rascal tumbled out of reach.