Tallstar's Revenge Read online

  Dedication

  Special thanks to Kate Cary

  Contents

  Dedication

  Allegiances

  Maps

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Exclusive Manga Adventure

  About the Author

  Other Books in This Series

  Back Ads

  Credits

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  ALLEGIANCES

  WINDCLAN

  LEADER

  HEATHERSTAR—pinkish-gray she-cat with blue eyes

  DEPUTY

  REEDFEATHER—light brown tabby tom

  MEDICINE CAT

  HAWKHEART—mottled gray-and-brown tom with yellow eyes

  WARRIORS

  (toms and she-cats without kits)

  MOOR RUNNERS

  (cats responsible for aboveground hunting and border patrols)

  REDCLAW—dark ginger tom

  HAREFLIGHT—light brown tom

  ASPENFALL—gray-and-white tom

  APPRENTICE, DOEPAW

  CLOUDRUNNER—pale gray tom

  APPRENTICE, STAGPAW

  DAWNSTRIPE—pale gold tabby she-cat with creamy stripes

  LARKSPLASH—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

  APPRENTICE, RYEPAW

  APPLEDAWN—rose-cream she-cat

  TUNNELERS

  (cats specializing in hunting and digging tunnels belowground)

  SANDGORSE—pale ginger tom

  WOOLLYTAIL—gray-and-white tom

  HICKORYNOSE—brown tom

  MISTMOUSE—light brown tabby she-cat

  PLUMCLAW—dark gray she-cat

  APPRENTICES

  (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)

  DOEPAW—light brown she-cat

  STAGPAW—dark brown tom

  RYEPAW—gray tabby she-cat

  QUEENS

  (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

  PALEBIRD—black-and-white she-cat

  BRACKENWING—pale ginger she-cat

  MEADOWSLIP—gray she-cat

  ELDERS

  (former warriors and queens, now retired)

  WHITEBERRY—small pure white tom

  FLAMEPELT—dark ginger tom

  LILYWHISKER—light brown she-cat

  FLAILFOOT—black tom

  SHADOWCLAN

  LEADER

  CEDARSTAR—very dark gray tom with a white belly

  DEPUTY

  STONETOOTH—gray tabby tom with long teeth

  MEDICINE CAT

  SAGEWHISKER—white she-cat with long whiskers

  WARRIORS

  CROWTAIL—black tabby she-cat

  BRACKENFOOT—pale ginger tom with dark ginger legs

  ARCHEYE—gray tabby tom with black stripes and thick stripe over eye

  APPRENTICE, FROGPAW

  HOLLYFLOWER—dark-gray-and-white she-cat

  APPRENTICE, NEWTPAW

  MUDCLAW—gray tom with brown legs

  TOADSKIP—dark brown tabby tom with white splashes and white legs

  APPRENTICE, ASHPAW

  NETTLESPOT—white she-cat with ginger flecks

  MOUSEWING—thick-furred black tom

  DEERLEAP—gray tabby she-cat with white legs

  AMBERLEAF—dark orange she-cat with brown legs and ears

  FINCHFLIGHT—black-and-white tom

  BLIZZARDWING—mottled white tom

  LIZARDSTRIPE—pale brown tabby she-cat with white belly

  QUEENS

  FEATHERSTORM—dark brown tabby

  BRIGHTFLOWER—orange tabby

  POOLCLOUD—gray-and-white she-cat

  ELDERS

  LITTLEBIRD—small ginger tabby she-cat

  LIZARDFANG—light brown tabby tom with one hooked tooth

  SILVERFLAME—orange-and-gray she-cat

  THUNDERCLAN

  LEADER

  PINESTAR—red-brown tom with green eyes

  DEPUTY

  SUNFALL—bright ginger tom with yellow eyes

  MEDICINE CAT

  GOOSEFEATHER—speckled gray tom with pale blue eyes

  APPRENTICE, FEATHERPAW

  WARRIORS

  STORMTAIL—blue-gray tom, blue eyes

  DAPPLETAIL—tortoiseshell she-cat

  ADDERFANG—mottled brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

  TAWNYSPOTS—light gray tabby tom

  HALFTAIL—big dark brown tabby tom with part of his tail missing and yellow eyes

  SMALLEAR—gray tom with very small ears and amber eyes

  ROBINWING—small, energetic brown she-cat with ginger patch on her chest and amber eyes

  APPRENTICE, LEOPARDPAW

  FUZZYPELT—black tom with fur that perpetually stands on end and yellow eyes

  APPRENTICE, PATCHPAW

  WINDFLIGHT—gray tabby tom with pale green eyes

  QUEENS

  MOONFLOWER—silver-gray she-cat with pale yellow eyes

  POPPYDAWN—long-haired dark brown she-cat

  ELDERS

  WEEDWHISKER—pale orange tom with yellow eyes

  MUMBLEFOOT—brown tom with amber eyes

  LARKSONG—tortoiseshell she-cat with pale green eyes

  RIVERCLAN

  LEADER

  HAILSTAR—thick-pelted gray tom

  DEPUTY

  SHELLHEART—dappled gray tom

  MEDICINE CAT

  BRAMBLEBERRY—white she-cat with black spotted fur, blue eyes, and a pink nose

  WARRIORS

  RIPPLECLAW—black-and-silver tabby tom

  TIMBERFUR—brown tom

  APPRENTICE, WHITEPAW

  MUDFUR—long-haired light brown tom

  OWLFUR—brown-and-white tom

  OTTERSPLASH—pale ginger-and-white she-cat

  MARSHCLOUD—brown tabby tom, stout and short-tailed

  MUDTHORN—brown tom with black ears

  BRIGHTSKY—nimble ginger-and-white she-cat

  PIKETOOTH—skinny brown tabby tom with narrow face and protruding canine teeth

  LAKESHINE—long-haired gray-and-white she-cat

  SHIMMERPELT—night-black she-cat with glossy pelt

  FALLOWTAIL—light brown she-cat with blue eyes

  APPRENTICE, SOFTPAW

  QUEENS

  ECHOMIST—long-haired gray she-cat

  LILYSTEM—pale gray she-cat

  ELDERS

  TROUTCLAW—gray tabby tom

  TANGLEFUR—long-haired tabby with thick knotted pelt

  BIRDSONG—tabby-and-white she-cat with ginger patches around her mu
zzle, flecked with gray

  CATS OUTSIDE THE CLANS

  SPARROW—dark brown tom

  BESS—black she-cat with white paws

  MOLE—dark gray tom

  ALGERNON—creamy-brown tom

  REENA—ginger she-cat

  JAKE—ginger tom

  QUINCE—gray she-cat

  JAY—black-and-white she-cat

  PIXIE—fluffy white she-cat

  MARMALADE—large ginger tom

  RED—orange she-cat

  NUTMEG—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

  Maps

  PROLOGUE

  The dark moor rose to meet the night-black sky. Starry pelts sparked like flint against the trembling heather. Grass streamed around the paws of WindClan’s former warriors as they sat, whiskers stiff, unbowed by the wind.

  “Welcome to StarClan, Heatherstar.” A sleek tom with starshine glowing in his pelt faced the young WindClan leader. “I have watched you serve your Clanmates with bravery and loyalty as their deputy, and now I am honored to give you a life as their leader.”

  Heatherstar dipped her head. “Thank you, Thrushpelt.”

  “I died a medicine cat,” the tom reminded her. “But before that, I was a warrior. I never hesitated to fight for what I knew to be right, however hard that seemed. I give you your eighth life and, with it, the courage to trust your instincts. When your heart speaks, listen.” Leaning forward, he touched his nose to Heatherstar’s head.

  As the new life pulsed through her, the gray cat groaned through clenched jaws.

  Thrushpelt stepped back and glanced over his shoulder. “Daisytail?”

  A light brown she-cat with ginger patches padded from among her Clanmates, her fur blazing with silver light. “Do you know me?” she gently asked Heatherstar.

  Heatherstar lifted her head and drew in a shuddering breath. “Yes! I have heard your name many times. You refused to let your kits fight against ShadowClan, and your insistence was so strong, it became part of the Clan code.”

  Daisytail nodded. “From then on, no kit was allowed to train for battle before they were six moons old. I would have taken on each of those ShadowClan warriors myself before I let my little ones suffer a single blow. Even though you do not have kits of your own, Heatherstar, I want you to share the strength of my conviction. For your ninth life I give you the force of a mother’s love. Use it to protect your Clan.” She pressed her muzzle to Heatherstar’s head. “It is stronger than the wind and outlasts life itself.”

  Heatherstar rocked as a spasm gripped her. She lurched forward and stumbled onto her knees.

  A mottled gray-brown tom stepped forward. “Heatherstar?” He leaned down to the new WindClan leader. “Are you okay?”

  Daisytail flicked her tail. “She is strong, Hawkheart. I can feel it.”

  Heatherstar straightened up. “I’m fine,” she told the tom. Trembling, she faced StarClan. “I promise that I will make WindClan a force to be respected among all the Clans of the forest. I will lead them well through my nine lives. And when I join you, I hope you will welcome me with pride at what I have achieved.”

  Murmurs of approval rose among the ranks of starry pelts.

  “Remember,” Daisytail called, “there is no power stronger than love!” As she spoke, StarClan blurred and began to spiral upward like a comet’s tail, into the midnight sky.

  “We should return to the Moonstone,” Hawkheart murmured in Heatherstar’s ear.

  Heatherstar shook her head. “I’m not ready to leave StarClan.”

  Hawkheart watched the glimmering pelts fade. “But they’ve gone.”

  “Their scent remains.” Heatherstar swished her tail stubbornly.

  “Then I’ll meet you at Mothermouth when you wake.” Turning, Hawkheart padded down the slope, his pelt melting into the shadows until he was hardly visible against the heather. “The Clan will be waiting for us at home.”

  “I won’t be long.” Heatherstar watched the medicine cat vanish. Still unsteady, she climbed the moor, moving slowly at first but growing stronger with each step as the new lives throbbed beneath her fur. She broke into a run, charging across the windswept grass, her whiskers flattened against her face. She stopped suddenly as the moor dropped away. Balancing at the edge of the sandy precipice, Heatherstar gazed across woods and meadows stretching into darkness.

  Paw steps sounded behind her. “Why do you linger here?” The mew was soft.

  Heatherstar turned, blinking. The fading pelt of an ancient warrior shimmered in front of her. “I wanted to breathe the scents of StarClan for a while longer,” she confessed. “Who . . . who are you?”

  “I am Mothflight.” The she-cat’s green eyes shone. Behind her, the heather showed through her coat. Her pelt, once white, now glowed dimly, more starlight than fur.

  “Mothflight?” Heatherstar’s eyes widened. “You were WindClan’s first medicine cat!”

  Mothflight nodded.

  “You discovered the Moonstone,” Heatherstar whispered. “And now you’ve come to see me?”

  “I watched your naming ceremony,” Mothflight told her. “And waited for the others to leave so that I could speak with you alone.”

  “Do you have a prophecy for me?” Heatherstar curled her claws excitedly into the peaty soil.

  “Not a prophecy, no. A warning, perhaps.” Mothflight’s voice was hardly more than a breath on the wind.

  Heatherstar leaned closer, ears pricking.

  “Listen carefully, Heatherstar,” Mothflight insisted. “Whatever happens, do not demand the loyalty of your Clan.”

  Heatherstar lifted her head in surprise. “Of course I’ll demand it! I’ve earned it.”

  “Warriors must decide for themselves where their loyalty lies.”

  “It should lie with the Clan and with me,” Heatherstar hissed.

  “But you cannot test it.”

  Heatherstar bristled. “I’m their leader.”

  Mothflight’s tail twitched. “You are young. Wisdom will come with experience. Until then, let my words guide you.”

  Heatherstar snorted. “I will make the decisions for my Clan.”

  “Of course,” Mothflight soothed. “But you don’t yet realize that sometimes warriors must leave what they love before they understand what they truly value.”

  “Leave what they love?” Heatherstar echoed. “Do you mean their Clan?”

  Mothflight stared back silently.

  “Warriors who leave their Clan betray their Clan,” Heatherstar spat. “My Clan will be loyal.”

  “There will be a warrior whose loyalty to WindClan will waver,” Mothflight told her. “A cat who will have to seek far beyond the confines of your territory to discover where his heart truly lies.”

  Heatherstar curled her lip. “Are you telling me that one of my Clan will turn rogue?”

  Mothflight blinked, her eyes like green stars. “He will stray, and you must let him, even if you fear he will never return. It is the only way he will discover where he truly belongs.”

  CHAPTER 1

  “Be careful, Tallkit!”

  Tallkit paused when he heard Palebird’s anxious call. “I’ll be okay!” he mewed. He glanced back at the nursery. The warm, milky scent of his mother drifted from the entrance.

  Inside the thick gorse den, Brackenwing soothed her. “Barkkit and Shrewkit will watch out for him, I promise.”

  Tallkit shivered. This was only his second sunrise outside the nursery, and his paws pricked with excitement. A light dusting of snow had turned the camp white, frosting the tussocky grass and thick heather walls. The freezing air stung his nose. He fluffed up his fur.

  Barkkit pawed at the white tip of Tallkit’s black tail. “You look like you’re turning to ice as well.”

  Tallkit flicked his tail away, purring with amusement. His white muzzle and white paws would just make it easier for him to hide in the snow!

  Shrewkit bounced past him. “Let’s show him the Hunting Stones, Barkkit!”


  Tallkit stared at his denmates. They were three moons older and twice his size, but he was determined to keep up with them. “I thought we were going to climb Tallrock again,” he protested. “I know I’ll make it this time.” His eyes stung in the bright, cold air. He’d only opened them for the first time a few sunrises ago and they were still slowly adjusting to sunlight after the cozy gloom of the nursery.

  He blinked up at the high slab of granite where Barkkit had told him Heatherstar stood to address the Clan. It loomed, jagged and dark, from a wide, sandy crater, which encircled it like an empty pool.

  The Meeting Hollow.

  Tallkit gazed into it wide-eyed. At the bottom, Heatherstar, Hawkheart, and Reedfeather huddled beside the stone, their breath billowing as they spoke.

  Hawkheart looked up and caught Tallkit’s eye over the rim. “Our youngest kit is exploring again,” he murmured.

  Tallkit shifted his paws. The dark glint in the medicine cat’s gaze made him nervous. Palebird had warned him to stay away from the gray-brown tom; he had little patience for kits.

  “Stay under cover, Tallkit.” Hawkheart narrowed his eyes. “We don’t want you attracting buzzards to the camp.”

  “Buzzards?” Tallkit’s heart lurched.

  “Kits are their favorite prey,” Hawkheart warned. “And they can spot you from Highstones.”

  Reedfeather’s whiskers twitched. “Don’t scare the poor kit.” There was a purr in his throat as he nodded to Shrewkit, who had popped up beside Tallkit. “What are you showing him today?”

  Shrewkit flicked his tail. “The Hunting Stones.”

  Heatherstar shook frost from her thick gray pelt. “Be careful,” she cautioned. “The stones will be icy.”

  “Don’t come mewling to me if you sprain a paw,” Hawkheart called.

  “Come,” the WindClan leader urged her deputy and medicine cat. “It’s too cold to sit here. Let’s go to my den.”

  As Heatherstar hopped out of the Meeting Hollow, Hawkheart and Reedfeather followed, their tails twitching as they ducked into the shelter of the leader’s den beneath a gorse bush at the far end of the clearing.