Эрин Хантер - Tallstar’s Revenge

Excitement thrilled through every hair on Talltail’s pelt, shocking in its intensity. When Finchkit pulled away, he gasped. “Thank you!” The words caught in his throat as he watched Finchkit pad away and take her place beside Palebird.

A she-cat appeared in front of him next, her sparkling pelt no more than a shimmer on the grass. Talltail blinked in surprise. Why was she so faded? A breath of wind might blow her away.

“I am Mothflight.”

Talltail shifted his paws. He’d heard stories about this ancient WindClan medicine cat. “I am honored to meet you,” he meowed.

Mothflight’s eyes flashed. “I was once a cat just like you. I still am, even though I walk with StarClan. The only difference is that I have watched over all the generations that followed me, as you will one day.”

“Did you watch me?” Talltail felt the words sharp on his tongue. There had been so many times when he felt StarClan didn’t care. “You weren’t there when I first came to the Moonstone.”

“We were always there,” Mothflight replied gently. “But you weren’t ready to see us. You had to find your own path before you could walk ours.” Her eyes shone even brighter than her pelt. “You did well, Talltail, and we are proud of you. And you have only just begun your journey.”

Talltail blinked at her. What did she mean?

“You will discover something that will bring great change, not just for WindClan, but for all the Clans,” Mothflight warned. “You must have faith in your destiny, for only then can you lead your Clan to where it truly belongs. Never forget the time you spent beyond the boundaries of your Clan. You alone know that a Clan cat can survive anywhere.” She leaned forward and touched his muzzle.

Talltail’s body was wracked with spasms as power jolted though him like lightning. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he barely heard Mothflight’s final words. “With your fourth life I give you a sense of adventure so that you may embrace even the greatest challenge with determination.”

He struggled to stay on his paws as the starlit cat moved away and the surge of energy released him. Heatherstar stepped forward. Talltail’s heart leaped. She looked young and strong, her pelt glittering and sleek, with no sign of the illness that had taken her ninth life. She touched her muzzle to his.

“I’m proud of you and I know you will lead WindClan well. With this life I give you the power to judge wisely. You above all know how to see through the clouds that trouble our Clan, and you will always choose the best path forward.” A feeling of great joy and confidence surged through Talltail, his mind clearing until it seemed to sparkle with the crystal purity of the Moonstone itself.

“Woollytail!” As Heatherstar vanished, Talltail greeted the old tunneler with a purr. How had he not seen him glittering in the shadows?

“It is good to see you again, Talltail,” Woollytail meowed. “You know how the tunnelers have shaped WindClan’s history. We may not tunnel anymore, but you must never let the skills that once protected and fed your Clan be forgotten.” His gaze pierced Talltail like sunlight. “WindClan must never be afraid to seek out new places to shelter and to hunt. I give you this life for honoring old traditions on behalf of the future.” His nose touched Talltail’s with a spark. Talltail felt heaviness pull him down until wisdom seemed to sit like stones in his paws. He might struggle to carry this weight at first, but he knew it would give him strength and clear-sightedness for all the moons to come.

As Woollytail pulled away, Talltail relished the lightness returning, which turned to joy as Dawnstripe stepped forward. He leaned forward to greet her.

“I’m so proud of you, Talltail,” she meowed. “I always knew you’d be a great warrior. You were right to train as a moor runner and turn your tail on tunneling.” She glanced over her shoulder. Was she flashing a triumphant look at Woollytail? Talltail’s whiskers twitched. Even in StarClan, they bickered over who was best.

Dawnstripe turned back and touched his nose with her wind-cold muzzle. “With this life I give you patience. Training the young takes kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. They are small gifts, but they will be rewarded many times.” Talltail felt a sense of calm wash over him with the softness of her breath on his muzzle.

“Thank you,” he murmured. “For your kindness and patience and for everything you taught me. It meant a lot.”

Dawnstripe’s eyes sparkled as she turned away. Shrewclaw took her place.

Talltail stepped back in surprise. “Are you here to give me a life?” His old rival was the last cat he expected to see on this night. He searched Shrewclaw’s dark brown pelt, looking for signs of the wounds that had killed him. But the tom’s glittering fur showed no scars, only starlight.

Shrewclaw lifted his muzzle. “I know we were never friends, Wormcat.”

“I’ll be Worm star soon,” Talltail corrected him with a purr.

Shrewclaw’s ear twitched. “But loyalty isn’t rooted in friendship. It is much stronger than that. It comes from being born and raised under the same sky, from walking the same path as our ancestors, and from sharing the warrior code.” He pressed his nose to Talltail’s. “With this life I commit you to upholding the warrior code, whatever challenges you might face. This is the wisdom of our ancestors, all our traditions distilled. Trust the code to lead you along the right path.” Stars swirled through Talltail’s mind as the life pulsed through him. He and Shrewclaw were one. Not friends. But they would fight side by side in any battle.

Shrewclaw drew away, dipping his head. Talltail took a deep breath. His paws ached from the effort of staying upright with so many lives flowing into him, and his mind was full of dizzying images. But there was one more life to come.

A broad-shouldered tom appeared, his amber gaze glowing with reflected stars. Sandgorse! Talltail felt his eyes glisten as he recognized his father.

“I knew you would be a great warrior, Talltail.” Sandgorse’s mew was thick with emotion.

“Really?” Talltail whispered.

“Really.” Sandgorse’s eyes shone even brighter. “You never needed to kill Sparrow to prove it.”

“Didn’t you want me to avenge your death?”

Sandgorse shook his head. “There was no reason for vengeance.”

“So you really did give your life to save Sparrow?” There had always been a shadow of doubt at the back of Talltail’s mind that the rogue might just have lied in a desperate effort to save his own life.

“What if I hadn’t?” Sandgorse didn’t move. “Would you still have killed him?”

Talltail’s thoughts whirled. “I don’t know.” He remembered his rage so clearly it took his breath away. But he also remembered the relief when it faded, and he had saved Sparrow from the Thunderpath. He dipped his head. “I guess that whatever happened to you in the tunnel, I’m glad I didn’t kill him.”

“I did save his life, Talltail,” Sandgorse told him. “Sparrow was telling the truth.”

Talltail’s heart seemed to shift and lighten in his chest, as though an ancient wrong had been righted. Sandgorse took a pace forward and touched his nose to Talltail’s. At once stars swept down and swirled him through the night-black sky. Dizzy, he heard Sandgorse’s words over the rushing of the silver wind.

“I give you this life for forgiveness. No death need ever be avenged. Forgiveness brings peace far more surely than vengeance.”

Talltail felt his ruffled fur smooth, his claws retract into his pads, his breath come steadily. Mercy was his, and always would be.

“I’m sorry you had to learn the hard way, Tallstar ,” Sandgorse meowed.