A Forest Divided (30 page)

To her horror Slate saw the fox raise a forepaw and slam it across Wind Runner's head. Wind Runner let out a yowl of pain and tumbled to the ground, rolling over and over, her legs and tail waving helplessly.

As the fox loomed over Wind Runner, Slate recovered her balance and charged forward, expecting to draw her enemy away. But the fox did not react. Its eye on the side facing her was cloudy and half-closed.
It's the eye Cricket hurt,
Slate realized, remembering her brother's claws ripping at the fox's face. The fox couldn't see her attacking from the side because of its wounded eye.

That's the key to defeating it!

Slate took a deep breath, then flung herself at the fox from that side, keeping low to stay out of the way of its vicious jaws. As her claws sank into its fur, the half-blind fox turned to meet her, but Slate stayed out of its line of vision by attacking from under its jaws. She had a clear path to its neck, and
plunged her foreclaws into the softer fur, tearing at the fox's throat with every scrap of strength she could muster.

Panicking, the fox thrashed and snarled, desperate to escape Slate's grip. Wind Runner scrambled back onto her paws and lunged at the fox from the other side. Together the two she-cats forced the fox to the ground, its struggles growing weaker.

Slate held on tight, ripping and tearing at the fox's throat until blood sprayed upward, splashing her muzzle. The feeling of triumph was all she had hoped for.

“That's for Cricket!” she snarled through clenched teeth.

As she watched the light die out from the fox's eyes, Slate became dimly aware of Wind Runner yowling urgently.

Another fox?
she thought.
Does this one have a mate that's charging to its rescue?

Slate released the fox and stepped away from it, trying to brace herself for another attack. She swayed on her paws, looking around for the new enemy. But all she saw was Wind Runner, staring at her with a look of horror in her yellow eyes.

“Your wound!” Wind Runner cried, gesturing toward Slate's belly.

Slate looked down and saw blood—a lot of blood—seeping from the gash in her belly. Cold fear washed over her as she sank to the ground, turning her head toward Wind Runner.

“Help me,” she begged.

Blackness beckoned to her, coaxing her to sink down into its comforting depths. Slate fought against it, realizing that
she had been wrong when she thought she would be content to give up her life in the fight.

I don't want to die. . . .

But the blackness was too strong for her. The echoing dark was all around her, and Slate was falling, falling into a pit that had no bottom, where the light of day would never come.

Slate felt the touch of a tiny paw on her forehead. She opened her eyes to see a small white face with bright eyes, so close to her that the kit's whiskers tickled Slate's ears.

“She's alive!” Moth Flight called. “I told you she wouldn't die!”

Moth Flight pulled back, and Slate looked around to see Gorse Fur, Wind Runner, Dust Muzzle, and Cloud Spots all gazing down at her. She realized that she was back in her nest in Wind Runner's camp.

Wind Runner took a pace forward and rubbed her cheek against Slate's. “I was so afraid,” she confessed. “You didn't wake up, even when we dragged you home.”

Cloud Spots appeared behind Wind Runner, his eyes warm with relief. “I'm not surprised,” he meowed. “I could tell when I first met you, Slate, that you're a fighter.”

Slate looked down at her belly and saw that Cloud Spots had sealed her wound again with a wad of cobwebs. “Thank you,” she murmured. “Thank you all so much.”

“It's the least we could do,” Gorse Fur responded. “You saved us from the fox.”

“I couldn't have done it without Wind Runner,” Slate
mewed. Turning to the brown she-cat, she went on, “I'm sorry I've gotten myself injured again. I wasn't aiming to stay in your camp forever. I'll leave as soon as I'm feeling stronger.”

Gorse Fur and Wind Runner exchanged a glance. “Actually,” Gorse Fur began, “we've been talking—”

“You can't leave!” Wind Runner blurted out suddenly, her eyes filled with emotion.

Gorse Fur nodded. “You're family now,” he agreed.

“That is,” Wind Runner added, twitching her ear, “if you'd ever want to become a
group cat
.”

Slate looked from the excited kits to Cloud Spots, to Gorse Fur, and finally back to Wind Runner.
Half a moon ago, I wouldn't have believed this was possible. But now . . .

“I do,” she meowed, warmth flooding through her from ears to tail-tip. “I want to be part of this family.”

ERIN HUNTER
is inspired by a love of cats and a fascination with the ferocity of the natural world. As well as having great respect for nature in all its forms, Erin enjoys creating rich mythical explanations for animal behavior. She is also the author of the bestselling Seekers and Survivors series.

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THE PROPHECIES BEGIN

Book One: Into the Wild

Book Two: Fire and Ice

Book Three: Forest of Secrets

Book Four: Rising Storm

Book Five: A Dangerous Path

Book Six: The Darkest Hour

THE NEW PROPHECY

Book One: Midnight

Book Two: Moonrise

Book Three: Dawn

Book Four: Starlight

Book Five: Twilight

Book Six: Sunset

POWER OF THREE

Book One: The Sight

Book Two: Dark River

Book Three: Outcast

Book Four: Eclipse

Book Five: Long Shadows

Book Six: Sunrise

OMEN OF THE STARS

Book One: The Fourth Apprentice

Book Two: Fading Echoes

Book Three: Night Whispers

Book Four: Sign of the Moon

Book Five: The Forgotten Warrior

Book Six: The Last Hope

DAWN OF THE CLANS

Book One: The Sun Trail

Book Two: Thunder Rising

Book Three: The First Battle

Book Four: The Blazing Star

Warriors Super Edition: Firestar's Quest

Warriors Super Edition: Bluestar's Prophecy

Warriors Super Edition: SkyClan's Destiny

Warriors Super Edition: Crookedstar's Promise

Warriors Super Edition: Yellowfang's Secret

Warriors Super Edition: Tallstar's Revenge

Warriors Super Edition: Bramblestar's Storm

Warriors Field Guide: Secrets of the Clans

Warriors: Cats of the Clans

Warriors: Code of the Clans

Warriors: Battles of the Clans

Warriors: Enter the Clans

Warriors: The Untold Stories

Warriors: Tales from the Clans

Warriors: The Ultimate Guide

MANGA

The Lost Warrior

Warrior's Refuge

Warrior's Return

The Rise of Scourge

Tigerstar and Sasha #1: Into the Woods

Tigerstar and Sasha #2: Escape from the Forest

Tigerstar and Sasha #3: Return to the Clans

Ravenpaw's Path #1: Shattered Peace

Ravenpaw's Path #2: A Clan in Need

Ravenpaw's Path #3: The Heart of a Warrior

SkyClan and the Stranger #1: The Rescue

SkyClan and the Stranger #2: Beyond the Code

SkyClan and the Stranger #3: After the Flood

NOVELLAS

Hollyleaf's Story

Mistystar's Omen

Cloudstar's Journey

Tigerclaw's Fury

Leafpool's Wish

Dovewing's Silence

Mapleshade's Vengeance

Book One: The Quest Begins

Book Two: Great Bear Lake

Book Three: Smoke Mountain

Book Four: The Last Wilderness

Book Five: Fire in the Sky

Book Six: Spirits in the Stars

RETURN TO THE WILD

Book One: Island of Shadows

Book Two: The Melting Sea

Book Three: River of Lost Bears

Book Four: Forest of Wolves

Book Five: The Burning Horizon

MANGA

Toklo's Story

Kallik's Adventure

Book One: The Empty City

Book Two: A Hidden Enemy

Book Three: Darkness Falls

Book Four: The Broken Path

Book Five: The Endless Lake

Book Six: Storm of Dogs

NOVELLAS

Alpha's Tale

Sweet's Journey