A Warrior's Spirit Read online

  The monster woke up with a cough and a rumble and began to move off. Pebbleshine pressed herself as low as she could and kept still, not even twitching a whisker. At least, as far as she could tell, they were moving in the right direction.

  But after a few moments, the Twoleg kit let out a loud noise. Pebbleshine started, but forced herself to stay quiet. For a moment she couldn’t work out what the sound was, until the kit did it again, and she realized that it was sneezing. Poor thing, it must be sick, Pebbleshine thought. Maybe it needs to see a medicine Twoleg.

  A heartbeat later she slid, her claws scrabbling at the hard floor as the monster suddenly swerved and began speeding off in a different direction. No! Let me out! Pebbleshine wanted to yowl the words aloud, but she knew the Twolegs wouldn’t understand her. I’ll only be in more trouble if they find me here. I just have to figure out a way of escaping.

  But the monster sped on and on. There was no opening for Pebbleshine to squeeze through, and even if she had found one, it would have been too dangerous to leap out.

  The kit kept sneezing, and the male Twoleg turned around to speak to it. Pebbleshine didn’t understand what he was saying, but he sounded puzzled. The kit’s only reply was another sneeze, and now it seemed as if it couldn’t stop.

  The adult Twolegs began speaking to each other, their voices agitated. Then the monster shuddered and drew to a halt. The Twolegs pushed out openings on the monster’s flank and scrambled out. The female Twoleg peered under Pebbleshine’s rock; the Twoleg was blocking her escape path, so Pebbleshine tried to hunch herself up into an even smaller space, but it was no use. The female let out a squawk of surprise, pointing at her. Pebbleshine glanced toward the other opening the Twoleg kit had escaped from, but it was just swinging closed.

  Oh, StarClan, no! They’ve spotted me . . . and I’m trapped!

  The male Twoleg walked around to the back of the monster. Pebbleshine guessed he was going to open it up. She felt every hair on her pelt bristling with fear, but she bunched her muscles, ready to leap out. She had no idea what the Twolegs would do to her if they caught her, but she was sure it couldn’t be good.

  The back section of the monster swung up; the male Twoleg reached for Pebbleshine, but she was too fast for him. She leaped past him, feeling his outstretched paw brush her pelt, and fled.

  Pebbleshine’s legs were cramped from spending so long tightly curled up, but she forced herself into a run, heading away from the Thunderpath and into the scatter of unfamiliar Twoleg dens that bordered it. She was certain that the Twoleg was chasing her, but when she finally had to halt, panting for breath, there was no sign of him.

  Trembling with relief, Pebbleshine tried to work out where she was. Then, somehow, she would find her way to where she wanted to be. She stood on a stretch of grass outside a Twoleg nest, with other Twoleg nests all around her, as far as she could see. None of the sights or scents were familiar to her.

  What is this place?

  Pebbleshine realized that she wasn’t even sure how to get back to the Thunderpath, much less discover the direction she needed to take to rejoin her Clan. The rain had stopped, but clouds still covered the sky, so she couldn’t work out a route from the position of the sun. For a moment despair threatened to overwhelm her. She didn’t recognize anything here.

  What if I’ve only made things worse? What if that monster carried me even farther away? She felt herself sinking. It seemed clear now that she’d never be able to get back to SkyClan by riding a monster, because there was no way to predict where they would go. But then how will I ever get back all that way?

  Pebbleshine summoned her courage, determined not to give in to these dark fears. It’s all right. I can make it. I’m a warrior! Her chest still heaving after her frantic dash for safety, she sat down on the grass to think.

  It had already been a couple of days since she had been carried away from Hawkwing and her Clanmates. Pebbleshine knew that they would be waiting for her to come back, but she knew too that they couldn’t wait forever. They had to go on searching for the place beside the water where the other Clans lived. It was SkyClan’s only hope of survival.

  My kits have to be born in a Clan, Pebbleshine thought with a growl of frustration.

  At that moment, an angry hiss broke out from the nearest Twoleg nest. Pebbleshine whipped her head around to see a fluffy gray she-cat burst out of a small opening near the ground and head toward her, stiff-legged and snarling.

  “This is my place,” she hissed. She was a big cat, and her bristling fur made her look bigger still. “You don’t belong here. Keep moving—or else.”

  Pebbleshine rose to her paws. Normally, she fought alongside her Clanmates, but she knew she could handle a kittypet alone, no matter how fierce. Still, as tired and worried as she was, a fight was the last thing she needed.

  “I’m just passing through,” she mewed, turning and beginning to pad away.

  “Yeah, keep moving, coward!” the gray kittypet spat.

  Pebbleshine spun around, her decision not to fight flying out of her head. I’m a warrior of SkyClan! No kittypet is going to talk to me like that!

  Letting out a growl from deep in her throat, Pebbleshine stalked toward the kittypet. She slid out her claws and let her neck fur bush up defiantly. I’ll show her what a warrior is—and how a warrior fights!

  The kittypet’s eyes suddenly widened in alarm, and she took a pace back, as if she hadn’t expected Pebbleshine to stand up for herself. Pebbleshine was almost close enough to take a swipe at her when another voice broke in.

  “Leave her alone, Coco! Can’t you see she’s expecting kits?”

  Pebbleshine glanced over her shoulder to see two young kittypets—a thin black-and-white she-cat and an orange tom—come racing across the grass and thrust themselves between Pebbleshine and Coco, scolding the gray she-cat as they approached.

  “What’s wrong with you?”

  “Can’t you be friendly for a change?”

  Coco let out a furious hiss. “Like I’d want to be friends with you flea-pelts!” she exclaimed. She backed away a few paces, then turned and flounced off toward her Twoleg den, disappearing again inside the small door.

  The black-and-white she-cat ducked her head to Pebbleshine. “Sorry about that,” she meowed.

  “Yeah,” the orange tom added. “We hope Coco didn’t scare you. I’m Milo, by the way, and she’s Olive.”

  Pebbleshine stifled amusement at the thought that the two kittypets were trying to protect her, a fully trained Clan warrior. But she thought they were quite cute—hardly more than kits—and she didn’t want to hurt their feelings.

  “I’m Pebbleshine,” she responded, dipping her head politely. “Thanks for your help, but I’m fine, really. What is that cat’s problem?”

  “Oh, Coco!” Olive twitched her ears dismissively. “She always has her tail in a twist. Are you sure you’re okay?” she added, brushing her tail along Pebbleshine’s side. “Are you hungry? You could come and eat with us.”

  “Our housefolk have plenty,” Milo agreed. “Water, too. And it’s not far.”

  Pebbleshine shook her head. “Thank you, but no. I really don’t want to go into a Twoleg nest.”

  Olive and Milo exchanged a bewildered glance, as if they couldn’t imagine why Pebbleshine would object to entering their den. “Twoleg?” Olive sounded puzzled. “Do you mean housefolk? Don’t you have a den of your own?”

  I had one once . . . a beautiful den, in the gorge. Pebbleshine thrust the pang of homesickness aside and forced herself not to think about the past. In any case, that wasn’t what Olive had meant. “No,” she replied. “I’m a Clan cat. We don’t live with Twolegs.”

  The two kittypets looked at each other again, still clearly confused. Pebbleshine felt the same dread return: How far must I be, if no cat seems to know what a Clan is?

  Eventually Milo shrugged. “Okay,” he mewed, “would you at least like us to show you where you can get water out here?”
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br />   At his question, Pebbleshine suddenly realized how thirsty she was, as if her mouth were full of sand. If I must be surrounded by kittypets who don’t even know about the Clans, she thought, at least they can be helpful! “Oh, yes, please!”

  “Follow us,” Olive told her.

  The two kittypets set off across the grass, strolled down the Thunderpath a little way, and then wriggled under a Twoleg fence. Squeezing through after them, Pebbleshine found herself on the edge of a wilder area, where the grass was longer and rougher, and narrow paths wound among clumps of bushes. The clouds were breaking up; weak sunlight glittered on the wet foliage. In the distance Pebbleshine could hear the shouts of playing Twoleg kits.

  “This way.” Milo took the lead down a slope to where a small stream trickled between stones. With a gasp of relief Pebbleshine crouched down beside it and gratefully lapped at the cool water.

  “Thanks,” she meowed at last, sitting up and shaking drops of water from her whiskers. “That was exactly what I needed.”

  “Is there anything else we can do to help you?” Olive asked, her blue eyes wide with anxiety.

  “No, I—” Pebbleshine broke off. She had been feeling hopeless, realizing how far she had traveled from her Clan—so far that she wasn’t sure of the direction anymore. But these kittypets clearly knew their way around. They probably don’t ever wander that far from their nests. She remembered Bug’s reaction when she’d asked about the monster camp. These kittypets probably won’t know, either. But it has to be worth asking. “I’m looking for a monster camp,” she began. “A big space covered with that black Thunderpath stuff. There are Twoleg dens around part of it, and bushes along one side. Is there anywhere like that around here?”

  “Hey, we know a place like that!” Milo exclaimed.

  Olive nodded vigorously. “It’s not far from the Cutter’s—that’s where our housefolk take us when we’re sick,” she explained to Pebbleshine. “And for . . . well, other stuff.”

  Shock jolted through Pebbleshine as if a rock had fallen on her head out of a clear sky. “Really?” she responded, her heart lifting. Maybe soon I’ll see Hawkwing again. “Can you tell me how to get there?”

  The two young cats exchanged a doubtful glance. “It might be easier to show you,” Olive mewed. “But it’s a long way. We’d have to be gone overnight.”

  Milo scrabbled in the grass with his forepaws. “Our housefolk will be really scared if we’re missing.”

  “Please,” Pebbleshine begged. “It’s so important for me to get back there. My Clanmates—my friends, I mean—will be waiting for me.”

  “Well . . . our housefolk could probably survive one night without us,” Olive responded, looking hopefully at Milo. “I mean, at least we have housefolk to keep us safe. You don’t have anyone—and you’re expecting kits!”

  Thank . . . you? Pebbleshine thought, not sure what to make of that. I’d rather have Clanmates than housefolk any day. But the kittypet seemed determined to help her, so Pebbleshine tried to look encouraging.

  “Come on, Milo,” Olive mewed to her friend. “We have so much . . . helping Pebbleshine is the least we can do! Besides, it’ll be an adventure!”

  The orange tom hesitated for a moment longer. Then his eyes widened and he let out an excited purr. “Okay. We’ll go with you,” he promised.

  Chapter 4

  “We ought to eat first,” Olive meowed. “As much as we can, so we don’t get too hungry on the way.”

  “I’m always up for that!” Milo purred, swiping his tongue around his jaws. “And we ought to say good-bye to our housefolk, too.”

  “Are you sure you won’t eat with us?” Olive asked Pebbleshine, twitching her whiskers anxiously. “How will you manage overnight, if you don’t?”

  Pebbleshine hid her amusement at the younger cat’s attempt to care for her. “No, thanks. I’ll hunt on the way,” she replied.

  “Really?” Milo sounded impressed, but there was a doubtful look in his eyes. “Are you sure?”

  “Quite sure.”

  Though they still looked reluctant to accept Pebbleshine’s decision, the two kittypets bounded back up the slope and wriggled under the fence. Pebbleshine followed more slowly, in time to see them vanish into the nearest den, through a small opening like Coco’s.

  She settled herself under a bush to wait, but she was so excited that she couldn’t stay still for more than a couple of heartbeats. She paced back and forth along the edge of the grass, wondering if she was really about to find her Clanmates again.

  At last I’ve got an idea where to go. I just hope these kittypets really do know where to find the monster camp.

  The sun was slipping down the sky by the time the two kittypets returned. Pebbleshine felt as if she had been waiting forever; she had begun to wonder if they had changed their minds. Finally the main door of the Twoleg den opened; Milo and Olive appeared with a female Twoleg. Pebbleshine quickly ducked back into the shelter of the bush and watched while the Twoleg crossed the garden and began to pick some of the brightly colored flowers that grew around the edge of the grass.

  Maybe those are Twoleg herbs, Pebbleshine thought, interested. Could she be a medicine Twoleg?

  Milo and Olive twined themselves affectionately around the legs of the Twoleg until she bent down and gave each of them a stroke. Cold shudders crept through Pebbleshine at the sight of them. I’d never want to get that close to a Twoleg! Not if I could help it!

  Finally the Twoleg went back inside the den. The two kittypets waited until she was gone, then raced across the garden and joined Pebbleshine under the bushes. “Okay, we’re ready to go now,” Milo mewed. He looked around thoughtfully, then pointed with his tail. “It’s this way.”

  He started to weave a path through the bushes, but Olive didn’t follow. “Are you sure?” she asked, with a doubtful glance in the other direction.

  Milo halted and let out an exaggerated sigh. “It’s the way we go to the Cutter, fur-for-brains!”

  Olive hesitated for a moment, then twitched her ears. “Okay. Have it your way.”

  Pebbleshine felt her heart sink. Do they really know where to go, if they can’t even agree between themselves? But following the kittypets was the only choice she had, so she tried to crush down her doubts. It has to be worth a try.

  Once they decided on a direction, the kittypets led the way confidently through the long grass on the edge of the Thunderpath that wound through the Twolegplace. Pebbleshine’s nose wrinkled at the acrid scent of monsters.

  “Do we have to follow Thunderpaths all the way?” she asked.

  “Sorry, we do,” Milo replied. “Almost, at least. This is the only way we know, because our Twolegs take us this way to the Cutter.”

  Pebbleshine nodded, accepting his explanation. At least, she thought, the kittypets were young and strong, keeping a steady pace without getting scared about being away from their nest, or demanding a rest because they were tired.

  Not all kittypets are weak, she reminded herself, thinking of the daylight warriors of SkyClan. But she was still surprised that cats with no Clan training had so much stamina. They even relaxed enough to chase butterflies and have a friendly scuffle along the way, Olive rolling with Milo among the roots of a tree. Pebbleshine’s spirits lifted as she watched their teasing and fun.

  “So do you live in the . . . monster camp, was it?” Olive asked Pebbleshine after a while, shaking debris from her pelt. “It sounds a little scary.”

  “Monsters can be scary, but I don’t live in their camp.” Pebbleshine sighed, struggling with another pang of homesickness for her den among the rocks. “My Clanmates and I are traveling. I used to live in a gorge, beside a stream, with the rest of my Clan.”

  “What’s a Clan?” Milo asked.

  Pebbleshine explained how she and her Clanmates lived together, how they trained to fight and hunt, and took care of one another. “My Clan is called SkyClan,” she finished.

  “That sounds great!” Milo e
xclaimed.

  “And what about your kits’ father?” Olive asked. “Is he part of your Clan, too?”

  Pebbleshine nodded. “Yes, and that’s partly why it’s so important that I get back to them.”

  “What’s his name? What is he like?” Olive’s questions were tumbling out of her.

  “He’s called Hawkwing,” Pebbleshine replied. Her voice grew warm with memory, even though the pain of missing her mate felt like thorns piercing her heart. “He’s the best cat in the Clan.”

  “Is he your leader?” Milo asked.

  “Not yet,” Pebbleshine told him. “Maybe one day . . .”

  Olive blinked, looking a bit wistful. “I wish we could be part of a Clan.”

  “It’s not always easy. In fact, recently, SkyClan has had a very hard time.” Pebbleshine paused, feeling a prick in her heart as she remembered the troubles with Darktail, and leaving the gorge.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?” Milo asked, his ears tipped curiously toward her.

  “A very bad cat came along pretending to be our friend, but he stole our home,” Pebbleshine began slowly. She didn’t want to get into details these kittypets wouldn’t understand . . . and she didn’t want to think too hard about it herself. Memories of life at the gorge still hurt too much. “It was difficult, and we had to leave some Clanmates behind. Now we’re looking for a new home.”

  Olive’s eyes filled with sympathy. “Don’t you have anywhere to go? Maybe you could come live by us. There’s a lady a few houses down who has lots of cats! I bet she’d take you in. . . .”

  Pebbleshine looked at her warmly. “That’s kind, Olive, but Clan cats don’t usually live with Twolegs. We like to be in charge of ourselves. Sometimes it can be a hard life,” Pebbleshine warned her. “But I think you and Milo would make fine warriors.”

  “But we couldn’t leave our housefolk,” Milo insisted. “What would they do without us?”