Warriors: Dawn of the Clans #1: The Sun Trail (11 page)

“I only did what any cat would have done,” Falling Feather mewed.

“Most cats don’t jump
into
rivers,” Hawk Swoop pointed out.

Quick Water was lying on the bank, shivering and coughing up water. “I’m so sorry!” she gasped. “I was stupid, and I put Falling Feather in danger.”

“Well, everything’s okay now.” Turtle Tail comforted Quick Water, bending to dry her fur with long, strong licks.

Gray Wing and Cloud Spots joined Turtle Tail to get Quick Water’s fur dry faster. Meanwhile Falling Feather gave her own pelt a couple of swipes with her tongue. “It’s dry, it’s fine,” she mewed when Dappled Pelt offered to help her. “Come on. We don’t want to stay here all day.”

By this time, sunlight was fading. Shadows gathered around the cats as they trudged along the path beside the river, growing more tired and chilled with every paw step.

“My fur is so cold,” Quick Water grumbled. “No cat should have to get that wet.”

Jagged Peak, padding alongside Gray Wing, let out a faint snort of amusement. “I think Quick Water should change her name to No Water!”

Eventually Shaded Moss halted beside a thicket of bushes and raised his tail to signal that they should stop. “We’ll spend the night here,” he announced. “Do any of you feel like hunting?”

“It’s too dark,” Hawk Swoop objected.

“But I can scent prey,” Moon Shadow meowed, licking his jaws in anticipation. “I’ll see what I can track.”

“Me too!” Jagged Peak added enthusiastically.

“It’s great that you want to try,” Dappled Pelt remarked. “But I seriously doubt you’ll catch anything.”

As the two hunters set off, the rest of the cats started to find spots for makeshift nests among the bushes. Gray Wing took a step toward his brother, hoping they might share a nest as they had in the cave, but Clear Sky turned away and curled up underneath a low branch. Gray Wing sighed and went to find his own spot. He was flattening a clump of longer grass when Shaded Moss padded up to him.

“You shouldn’t blame yourself for Bright Stream’s death,” the black-and-white tom began. “Every cat knew the dangers when they chose to come on the journey.”

“But it
was
my fault,” Gray Wing insisted bleakly. “She was trying to help me instead of taking care of herself.”

Shaded Moss fixed Gray Wing with a gaze full of sympathy and understanding. “You would have done exactly the same thing in her position. If she were still alive, she wouldn’t blame you.”

Gray Wing turned his head away, unable to meet that penetrating look. “If she were still alive, she wouldn’t
need
to blame me,” he rasped.

Shaded Moss said no more, and Gray Wing heard him padding away. He curled up in his grassy nest and closed his eyes. After a moment he felt another cat curling up beside him. Turtle Tail’s scent washed over him.

He was slipping into sleep when he heard bounding paw steps and Jagged Peak’s triumphant voice. “Look what we caught!”

Gray Wing scrambled to his paws along with Turtle Tail and the rest of the cats, who crowded around Jagged Peak and Moon Shadow. On the ground in front of them lay a small brown bird and a plump rat almost the size of a kit.

“Who said we couldn’t hunt at night?” Jagged Peak meowed.

After the days of near starvation in the mountains the prey seemed like a feast, and the cats’ spirits rose. Even Clear Sky ate a few mouthfuls.

“We should remember Stoneteller at times like these,” Shaded Moss announced when the prey had been eaten. “We should thank her for directing us out of the mountains to a place where there’s enough food, even in the cold season.”

I do thank you, Stoneteller
, Gray Wing thought, raising his eyes to the stars.
I just wish I could tell you that we’ve made it this far
.

Gray Wing awoke at dawn and scrambled to his paws. Around him the other cats were emerging from their nests in the thicket. The sun was just beginning to rise ahead of them, its golden beams pouring down to illuminate the valley. The narrow cleft where they had slept opened out into a soft green landscape that stretched flat and welcoming all the way to the distant blurry horizon.

“Wow!” Dappled Pelt whispered. “It’s the sun trail, just like Stoneteller said.”

A breeze was blowing toward them from the valley, carrying harsh, unfamiliar sounds. Gray Wing pricked his ears, trying to make sense of the distant buzzing, but it was like nothing he had ever heard before.

Turtle Tail came to stand beside him. “Why do I feel that our journey is only just starting to get difficult?” she asked.

Gray Wing nodded. “I know what you mean.”

Clear Sky appeared, climbing the bank from the river and shaking water droplets from his whiskers. Gray Wing noticed that he was moving more resolutely, with new determination in his eyes as he strode up to Shaded Moss. “This is it,” Clear Sky meowed. “We leave the mountains today. For Bright Stream’s sake, I’ll help you find our new home.”

“Good.” Shaded Moss touched the younger cat on the shoulder with his tail.

Gray Wing squared his shoulders. If Clear Sky, after all he had lost, could focus on their journey, then he could, too. He still felt full from his share of the prey the night before, and he guessed that the others were, too; they were all ready to set out after a drink from the river.

Quick Water padded along briskly; she had found time to groom herself, and looked recovered from her fall into the river.

Gray Wing quickened his pace to walk alongside her. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine.” Quick Water gave her chest fur a couple of embarrassed licks. “But I still feel really stupid for falling off that rock.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Gray Wing purred. “At least we found out that Falling Feather doesn’t mind swimming. That could be useful at some point.”

As the cats continued, the mountains fell away on either side. The last vestiges of snow vanished from the landscape. Emerging from the mouth of the valley, every cat halted to stare in silent astonishment.

The river flowed away through flat stretches of green grass, dotted with huge spreading trees. The closest stretch of grass was enclosed by shiny mesh and lines of thick bushes growing close together. Inside were strange animals that looked like clouds, though they had hard black paws and black faces that bent to nibble the grass.

Warily the cats approached to peer through the bushes. The nearest animal turned to look at them and let out a weird bleating cry. Gray Wing jumped and flinched back a pace, then felt embarrassed until he realized that all his companions had done the same.

“I’m pretty sure those are sheep,” Shaded Moss meowed. “I remember the elders telling tales about them. They’re not dangerous.”

“Just
huge
.” Jackdaw’s Cry gulped.

Jagged Peak crept up to the line of bushes again. “I wonder what they taste like.”

Gray Wing gave him a gentle flick over the ear with his tail. “You will
not
start hunting sheep!”

Turning away from the creatures, the cats padded on beside the river. Gray Wing was nervous about venturing into the vast open stretch of grass, and guessed that his companions felt the same.

“This is a bit scary,” Turtle Tail confessed, coming to walk at his side.

“I know,” Gray Wing agreed. “There’s nowhere to hide!”
But I could run so fast here
, he thought with a twinge of longing.
I could stretch my legs farther than ever before.

Gazing across the landscape he spotted a flicker of movement: something small and brown hopping through the grass.
Rabbit!
Without pausing to think, Gray Wing took off, racing over the ground until the land and the sky vanished into a blur. The rabbit hurtled away from him, but he kept his gaze fixed on it.

Everything seemed to slow down. Gray Wing felt his muscles bunching and stretching under his fur, his paws pushing off from the soft grass, propelling him forward. Suddenly the rabbit was in front of him; he leaped on top of it, killing it with a swift bite.

Slightly dazed, Gray Wing stood up. On the far side of the grass, his companions were watching him, openmouthed. A bleat from one of the sheep startled him, making him realize how close the strange creatures were. Stumbling a little with the rabbit hanging from his jaws, he trotted back to the riverbank.

“That was . . .
fast
,” Cloud Spots mewed.

“Amazing!” Jagged Peak added.

Gray Wing wasn’t sure what had taken hold of him. He set the rabbit down and stepped back. “Come on, eat,” he invited with a wave of his tail.

Dappled Pelt shook her head. “Thanks, but I’m not hungry,” she murmured.

“Neither am I,” Tall Shadow agreed. “I mean . . . great catch, Gray Wing, but we all ate well last night.”

“Even so, we should all eat whenever we have the chance.” Shaded Moss crouched down beside the rabbit. “Who knows when we’ll find more prey?”

The rest of the cats watched him dig in, then moved forward to take their share. Gray Wing was the last to eat, and when he was full there was still some of the rabbit left. He took another mouthful, but it was hard to choke it down.

“I can’t manage any more,” he meowed, feeling shocked at the sight of leftover prey. “If no cat wants it, we’ll have to leave it.”

Shattered Ice looked just as shocked. “What kind of place is this,” he asked, “where there is
too much
food?”

The sun rose higher as the
cats made their way beside the bank of the river. Huge stretches of green grass lay along their route, enclosed by bushes or the weird shiny meshes. Sheep watched them curiously as they passed. Gray Wing was unnerved by their stares, and could see that his companions felt the same.

Shaded Moss took the lead as before, with Clear Sky and Tall Shadow beside him. Soon, he paused under a large tree and gathered the other cats around him.

“Now that we’re not high up,” Shaded Moss began, “it’s impossible to see much of the route ahead. But we’ll head straight for the point where the sun rises.” He gestured with his tail: “That will lead us to those pointed stones.”

Gray Wing looked at the place his leader indicated. The ground ahead still led gently downward, and just visible on the horizon were dark peaks outlined against the bright sky.
That’s an awfully long way off
, he thought, with a prickle of apprehension.

“We’ll never get that far!” Jagged Peak gulped. He glanced up at Gray Wing, his blue eyes full of misgivings. “Our paws will be worn away to nothing!”

“It’s just one step at a time,” Shaded Moss said encouragingly.

As they continued they still clung to the riverbank. Gray Wing wondered if he was the only one comforted by the sound of running water. Though it was much softer than the waterfall, it was almost the only familiar thing in this strange land.

Cloud Spots and Dappled Pelt sniffed at the lush clumps of herbs hanging over the water. Dappled Pelt’s whiskers quivered with excitement as she spotted each new patch of growth.

In several places the lines of thick bushes stretched down to the water’s edge, and the cats had to push their way through, their pelts catching on thorns and sharp twigs. Small birds flew up in twittering flocks, startled by the cats’ presence.

The first time they saw the birds, Moon Shadow and Hawk Swoop sprang forward—only to halt, confused, when Shaded Moss called them back.

“We’re not hungry yet,” he told them. “There’s no need to waste prey.”

Moon Shadow and Hawk Swoop exchanged bewildered glances. “It just seems so
wrong
, letting prey escape,” Moon Shadow mewed.

Gray Wing remembered the rabbit they had been unable to finish. For once, he thought the black tom spoke for all of them.

Jackdaw’s Cry walked beside Gray Wing, staring around, wide-eyed. “The grass is so
soft
!” he said. “And there are so many creatures . . . not just the sheep, but the birds too.” The excitement faded from his voice. “Who knows what else might be hiding in the bushes and watching us?” he finished, shivering.

Gray Wing understood what the young tom meant. “Don’t forget we’re faster than most animals,” he murmured. “We can run away for safety.”

But all the cats were walking closer together now, flinching at sudden noises, and Gray Wing wondered how long they could continue under this kind of stress. Being able to run away didn’t seem as reassuring as it should have.

His ears flicked forward when he heard a rumbling sound that grew louder with every paw step. It came from the other side of a dense, bristly line of bushes. Tasting the air, he picked up a strong, acrid scent.

“What’s that yucky smell?” Jagged Peak asked, passing his tongue over his jaws as if he’d tasted buzzardfood.

“I don’t know.” Shaded Moss drew the cats together with a gesture of his tail. “Keep together until we find out what we’re facing.”

The fur on Gray Wing’s shoulders rose. Looking around at his denmates, he saw that they were bristling too, their eyes wide.

“I’ll go through first and see what’s on the other side,” Clear Sky offered.

Gray Wing’s belly lurched with fear. He couldn’t let his brother face this unknown danger alone. “I’ll go with you,” he declared, stepping forward to stand beside his brother.

Clear Sky glanced at him, then looked away. “Come on, then,” he mewed tersely.

Gray Wing’s head drooped sadly.
He blames me for Bright Stream’s death . . . and he’s right.

“Thank you both.” Shaded Moss gave an approving nod. “Come straight back once you’ve assessed any dangers.”

Gray Wing followed his brother as they thrust their way through the dense, prickly branches, hissing in annoyance as sharp twigs scraped his shoulder, snagging a tuft of fur.

“I don’t get this,” Clear Sky muttered as he halted to lift one paw and pull a thorn from his pad. “Why are all these bushes in a straight line? It doesn’t make sense.”

“I guess it’s just how things are here,” Gray Wing responded.

Slimmer than his brother, he found it easier to slip through the bushes, and was the first to emerge on the other side. Terror froze his paws to the ground. Huge, roaring creatures flashed to and fro a tail-length in front of him, dazzling him with their glittering, unnatural colors. A foul stench poured over him and he struggled to breathe.

I’m going to die!

Before he could warn his brother, Clear Sky slipped out of the bushes beside him. “Stupid prickles!” he hissed. “I’ve left half my fur—”

He broke off with a gulp of astonishment.

Gray Wing braced himself against the gusts of wind and raised his voice to a yowl. “This must be the Thunderpath Stoneteller told us about!”

Clear Sky nodded. “It certainly
sounds
like thunder. And those must be the monsters. She warned us to stay away from them.”

There was a moment’s peace, with no monsters hurtling past them. Gray Wing set his front paws on the path. It was made of black stone, and felt smooth beneath his pads. On the far side, thick undergrowth grew up to the edge of the stone, with bigger trees beyond, which would offer good cover from the monsters if only they could reach it.

“We’ll be able to cross here,” he meowed. “Unless monsters attack.”

Before he had finished speaking, the roaring began again, growing rapidly louder. “Watch out!” Clear Sky screeched.

He fastened his claws in Gray Wing’s shoulder, dragging him back without a heartbeat to spare as another monster growled past.

“Thanks!” Gray Wing gasped. “It must have been waiting out of sight, ready to pounce.”

Another gap followed the last monster, and Gray Wing heard Shaded Moss’s voice calling through the bushes. “What can you see? Are you okay?”

“Hang on!” Clear Sky replied, and added to Gray Wing, “Keep watch. Tell me if there are any more monsters lying in wait.”

Gray Wing held his breath as Clear Sky padded all the way to the center of the Thunderpath. It was marked by a straight white line.

“Is that snow?” Gray Wing asked, wondering why it would be lying there and nowhere else.

Clear Sky bent his head to sniff the line. “No,” he replied. “I don’t know what it is.”

As he spoke Gray Wing heard another faint rumble that swiftly grew into a roar. “Monster!” he yowled.

Clear Sky leaped back to safety as a shining scarlet creature roared past on round black paws.

“We’ll never get across if they’re waiting for us,” Gray Wing meowed.

“They obviously can’t see that well,” Clear Sky responded thoughtfully. “It rushed straight past us. And I had enough time to get all the way across before it spotted me. I think we’ll be able to cross if we’re careful.”

Gray Wing couldn’t share his brother’s confidence. “What if that last monster was old and slow?” he asked. “Faster, younger monsters might catch us before we even reach the white line!”

Clear Sky gave him a somber glance. “This journey was never going to be easy,” he mewed. “We can’t give up now.”

Gray Wing murmured agreement. “We’d better report back.”

Pushing their way back through the bushes, they described what they had seen to Shaded Moss and the others.

“What are we going to do?” Jackdaw’s Cry asked, his eyes wide with dismay. “Those things will eat us!”

Tall Shadow let out a snort. “What good are we if we can’t outwit them? They may be huge and stinking, but it sounds like they’re pretty stupid.”

“Stoneteller told us that they don’t seem able to leave the Thunderpath,” Rainswept Flower meowed thoughtfully. “It looks as if she’s right—we haven’t seen any of them on the grass beside the river. As long as we can cross the black stone, we should be safe.”

“Good thinking.” Shaded Moss gave his daughter an approving nod. “We’ll cross in twos. Clear Sky and Gray Wing, you’ve seen what these creatures are like, so you can supervise.”

“I’ll go first,” Dappled Pelt volunteered instantly. “I want to get it over with.”

“I’ll come with you,” Rainswept Flower mewed.

Shaded Moss dipped his head. “Good luck.”

Gray Wing and Clear Sky led the two she-cats to the line of bushes. When they arrived by the side of the Thunderpath, everything was quiet.

Dappled Pelt worked her claws impatiently in the grass. “What are we waiting for?”

Gray Wing held up his tail for silence and crouched beside the black stone, his ears pricked. A distant rumble swelled in his ears, from both directions.

Monsters were coming.

All four cats flinched back into the bushes as the noise and stench rolled over them.

“They’re huge!” Rainswept Flower exclaimed.

More nervously this time, she and Dappled Pelt approached the edge again. “We have to do this,” Dappled Pelt muttered determinedly.

“I’ll come with you and keep watch from the other side,” Clear Sky announced.

Standing side by side, the three cats waited, their ears alert and their eyes watchful. A monster growled past more slowly, the sun dazzling off its shiny pelt.

“Is it looking for us?” Rainswept Flower asked, crouching down in the long, tickly grass.

The others flattened themselves beside her, and the monster went by without stopping.

“It missed us.” Dappled Pelt puffed out her breath in a massive sigh. “Come on, Rainswept Flower!”

The two she-cats dashed out onto the black stone. Clear Sky bounded after them. Gray Wing yowled a warning as he heard the roars of approaching monsters, but his friends were safely on the other side before two more of the huge creatures flashed past.

“So it
can
be done,” he murmured, trembling with relief. “They’re fine!” he called out to the others on the far side of the bushes. “Send the next pair through.”

Cloud Spots and Quick Water appeared and stood by the side of the black stone. Everything was quiet.

“Is your side clear?” Gray Wing called out to Clear Sky.

Clear Sky waved his tail. “Fine! Come on!”

Cloud Spots and Quick Water raced across safely. Everything was still quiet, and Gray Wing began to wonder if the monsters had given up hunting and gone back to their dens.

But as Jackdaw’s Cry and Falling Feather appeared from the bushes, yet another monster roared past, and Gray Wing realized they weren’t out of danger yet.
At least with that reek they leave behind, they won’t be able to scent us
.

As silence fell again he glanced both ways along the Thunderpath, then called out to Clear Sky, who waved his tail again to signal that it was safe to cross. Jackdaw’s Cry and Falling Feather crossed without trouble. Shattered Ice and Hawk Swoop took their places at the edge of the black stone.

When Gray Wing and Clear Sky had checked, they began bounding across; but, as they reached the middle white line, Clear Sky suddenly screeched, “Monster!”

Shattered Ice and Hawk Swoop ducked back toward Gray Wing, but he spotted a monster too, approaching faster than the one on Clear Sky’s side.

Now they’re hunting us in pairs!

“No! Keep going!” he yowled.

Hawk Swoop froze in panic, scrabbling at the black stone as if she was trying to bury herself. Shattered Ice leaped toward her and grabbed her by the scruff of the neck. Gray Wing lost sight of them as the fierce monster roared past.

Then the dust cleared. Gray Wing felt limp with relief as he saw both cats collapse, panting—but uninjured—on the far side.

“The monsters seem to know we’re here.”

Gray Wing started at the sound of Shaded Moss’s voice and turned to see the black-and-white tom standing behind him. “The rest of us will cross together,” he added.

Shaded Moss called the other cats through the bushes and lined them up beside the Thunderpath, hidden in the long grass. Gray Wing made sure to stand next to Jagged Peak, where he could keep an eye on the young cat. “Do
not
move until we tell you!” he warned.

Turtle Tail sneezed as a grass stem brushed her nose.

“Quiet! You’ll bring all the monsters running!” Moon Shadow hissed.

But there was still silence from the black stone. “I think it’s okay,” Gray Wing meowed. “Clear Sky?”

Clear Sky waved his tail from the opposite side. “Fine! Do it!”

The remaining cats bounded forward. Gray Wing felt his paws scorched on the hot, smooth surface of the Thunderpath. Then he plunged into the undergrowth on the far side, thankful to be surrounded by the scents of the others.

Working together with Clear Sky had felt good, but when he turned to his brother he saw that Clear Sky’s gaze was cold again, fixed on the trees ahead.