Chapter 31: Tall Pine
The night was dead-silent save for his labored pants and the crackle of leaves beneath his pads. Tall Pine dashed through the moonlit forest, the trees a blur of shadows as he ducked branches and dodged trunks at the last heartbeat. His heart pounded in his chest so quickly he thought it might burst, but he pushed himself to keep going. I have to catch this mouse. Grim determination settled inside him like drying mud under scorching sunlight.
High in the sky, the waning moon peeked out from between racing clouds, shedding only meager light on the forest floor after the interlocking branches of the canopy overhead. Tall Pine relied mainly on the musky scent of the mouse to guide him as he bounded over a rotting log. In the distance, a hole loomed in the earth between the roots of an oak tree. The mouse's scent was making a beeline for it. No, I can't lose it. Urgency flared inside him, fueling a giant leap into the air. Wind streamed through his whiskers for a long heartbeat before he crashed down on the earth, landing with his right forepaw on the mouse's tail.
"Thank you, Clan of the Bright Stars, for this prey," Tall Pine murmured as he scooped up the dead mouse. He turned, intending to keep moving, but stopped in his tracks as the exertion caught up with him. His flanks heaved with the effort of chasing not only the mouse but the rabbit he had caught before it. Exhaustion made him feel like a layer of downy feathers had been stuffed inside him, muddling his mind and making his limbs reed-like. He had never looked forward more to collapsing in the plush moss of his nest. Wait, what am I thinking? The young tom chided himself. I can't go back to camp yet. I've only caught two pieces of prey. My Clan needs the food. I have to do this. I have to make up for my mistake- He cut himself off as he banished all thoughts of his nest and sleep from his mind. Instead, he fixed the trees ahead of him with a thoughtful stare. Maybe if I double back, I can find the vole I scented earlier.
Adjusting his grip on the mouse, Tall Pine began to hike back the way he came, heading up the gentle slope. As he trekked along, his breathing calmed, and the woodland around him came into sharper focus. A frigid breeze rustled the bare branches arching over his head and nipped at his nose. The trees were a palette of shades of gray shapes and shadows. Snow flurries had fallen earlier that sunrise, leaving a dusty layer of snow that crunched under his paws, echoing in the night, and the cold penetrated his pads mercilessly. The eerie call of an owl drifted through the trees.
The black and white tom halted abruptly as his heart leaped in his chest. He shivered again, but not with cold this time. From the shadows, he felt as though hungry eyes were watching him, but as he spun in a circle, he couldn't see anything. The darkness was oppressive, closing in on him, and dangerous like the thorn-sharp claws of a predator at the same time. His fur spiked up like a thistle along his spine. I don't like being out here all along at night. I need to get back to camp. I shouldn't be here. He swung in the direction of the gorge but stopped himself. Don't be a mouse-brain. I can't go running back to camp with my tail between my legs. I have to help my Clan. I've already done enough damage- Besides, these are the same woods, just in the dark. There is no reason to be afraid.
"Tall Pine?"
Oh, my stars! Oh no! Tall Pine's brain exploded. He leaped nearly two tail-lengths into the air like a fragile leaf in a blustery wind. Landing clumsily, he whirled around, scouring the undergrowth for whoever had said his name as his heart thudded in his ears. Between the spiky bows of a hemlock tree, he locked gazes with a pair of blue eyes, glinting in the moon's ghostly light. A lump coalesced in his throat. This is it: the end. There is some creature lurking in the depths of the darkness, waiting for unsuspecting-or completely mouse-brained-prey to wander by and ensnare it…
"Tall Pine." The young tom braced himself as the voice called his name again, but this time it wasn't ominous or threatening but instead carried the lilt of youthful confusion. He frowned, though his ears were still pulled back, as paw-steps pattered like raindrops and a cat stepped into a shaft of moonlight, their fur shining a brilliant white. For a heartbeat, she looked like a spirit cat. Then her next words rang out. "Thank the stars, it's you. I finally found you."
Tall Pine heaved a massive sigh, his shoulders slumping in utter relief. Then he furrowed his brow, fixing her with an incredulous gaze. "Frosted Leaf, what in the Clan of the Bright Stars are you doing here? It's nighttime. Also, you're trespassing on the Clan of the Morning Sun's territory."
Frosted Leaf nodded, her eyes round. "I know. I am so sorry for scaring you. But I have been trying to find you for a while. There is something vital-"
"What is it?" Tall Pine's neck fur began to bristle again. His gaze flickered to the shadows behind her. "Did you come with some of your Clanmates? Fighters? Are you planning on attacking my Clan again?"
"No, nothing like that," she said hastily.
"Then why are you on my territory?" he demanded. A growl brewed in his throat.
Frosted Leaf took a step back, her eyes widening. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. T-there's just something that I discovered that I thought you'd want to know."
Tall Pine sighed, instantly feeling guilty. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten angry. It's just...things have been difficult for my Clan in the last few sunrises. Anyway, what did you want to tell me?"
Frosted Leaf sat down, wrapping her tail around her paws, so he sat as well. "I discovered a significant lead for our investigation into Gray Moon and why he started the war so we can stop it." Tall Pine frowned but said nothing. Leaning forward, she continued, "I was resting in camp today when I overheard two of my Clan's senior fighters whispering outside the wall. It was hard to hear, but they talked about something like Gray Moon's plan of fighting the Clan of the Morning Sun. But one thing I know for sure is that there is going to be a meeting with my chieftain and the senior fighters. Tonight."
Tall Pine cocked his head. "Are you sure you heard them right?"
"Yes, I am, completely," Frosted Leaf assured him.
The young tom blinked a few times as her words sank in. "You mean Gray Moon is going to have a meeting with other cats to discuss their plan to wage war against my Clan? And it's tonight? My stars, we could learn so much. Why he started this war in the first place. Why he suddenly changed course and wants to meet with Mossy Moon...tomorrow. We could uncover something that could end this war."
"Exactly." Frosted Leaf's eyes shone like rippling water in the sunlight. "No one else in either of our Clans would have to get hurt. But it's tonight-" she leaped to her paws and whirled around. "-so we must hurry. Oh, I am so glad I found you in time-" Freezing, she turned back, her expression twisting with confusion as she realized that he wasn't following her. "Tall Pine, what-"
"I can't do it." Tall Pine stared at the intricate patterns the frost had etched on a fallen leaf in front of his paws. He couldn't meet her gaze.
She took a step forward. "Why not? What's wrong?"
He shook his head. "I just can't."
Frosted Leaf frowned. "I don't understand. You were the one who wanted us to do it in the first place. Our Clans will continue this war, causing more casualties in the process and weakening each other until the Bands come and finish us off. This is our chance to end it once and for all. Our only chance."
"I've done enough already," Tall Pine burst out. He was on his paws in a split-heartbeat and began to pace as if it would calm the sea of emotions churning inside him. "I can't do anything because I can't risk it coming back to hurt my Clan. What will happen if we go and your Clanmates discover us? I've done enough damage already."
Frosted Leaf furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"
The black and white tom took a trembling breath. Halting, he forced himself to meet her gaze. "After the battle, Gray Moon said that he had attacked because he had found Clan of the Morning Sun scent on your territory, even around your camp. None of my Clanmates have crossed the border, let alone been to your camp. Except me." His sides quivered with sobs that though he tried to hold in, came spilling over anyway. "It's my fault," he choked out. "The battle, all of the injured cats. It's all my fault."
"Oh my stars," Frosted Leaf breathed. She hurried to his side, wrapping her tail around his shoulders. "Tall Pine, great ancestors, you can't blame yourself. It's not your fault."
"No, it is," he insisted.
Leaning forward, she stared hard into his eyes. "No, it's not. You may have left those scents, but you are not to blame for my Clan's attack. Gray Moon has been wanting to escalate the conflict for a while now; he's just been looking for a reason. If it wasn't the scents, he would have found a different one."
Tall Pine gazed into her calm blue eyes, clinging to their steadiness. Guilt had been amassing inside him over the past three sunrises, sucking away at his energy, his hope, and his sense like a parasite, driving him to do things he never would have before. It was now a huge chunk of ice in his chest, heavy and impenetrable, weighing him down endlessly. But as he blinked tears out of his eyes, the ice began to soften under the warmth of her words. It was my scent that gave Gray Moon a reason, but it sounds like he would have attacked anyway. I can't totally believe that this is not my fault, but Frosted Leaf is right. We have a chance to save both of our Clans by stopping this war. I'd be a mouse-brained coward to waste it.
Frosted Leaf tilted her head. "So, are you willing to give it a shot?"
Tall Pine nodded slowly. "Yes. Yes, I am."
As soon as Tall Pine gave his answer, Frosted Leaf was on her paws, urging them to get going. They stole through the forest swiftly and silently, almost as if they were spirit cats, not entirely there. Once he had buried his prey, Tall Pine led the way to the border. After they crossed, Frosted Leaf slipped like an experienced hunter through the trees on her territory, guiding them. At first, Tall Pine recognized familiar landmarks that told him they were heading in the direction they had taken the last time; down the mountainside and toward the Blue River where the Clan of the Flowing Waters's camp lay. But once the slope leveled out, Frosted Leaf shifted their course, curving their path to head deeper into her Clan's territory.
The moon rose higher in the sky as they trekked along, but they finally came to a halt beneath the gently swaying bows of a gnarled willow tree, shrouded in its tangled shadows. In the distance, moonlight streamed in a gap between the branches, illuminating a forest glade in silvery light. Frosted Leaf turned to him. "We're here," she mouthed.
Tall Pine lifted his muzzle to the wind. Sure enough, the heavy-water scents of several Clan of the Flowing Waters cats drifted into his nose. From amongst them, he teased out the gravelly-water scent that belonged to Gray Moon. He twitched his ears. They must be holding their meeting in the glade ahead. But how can we get close enough to spy on them without being discovered? His eyes wandered around the forest for a heartbeat, lighting up as he spotted the black silhouette of a towering oak tree with long, thick branches.
"Follow me," the hunter trainee breathed. Beckoning to Frosted Leaf, he led the way as they slunk toward the glade, their paws no more than whispers over the leaves, keeping to the shadows and the cover of undergrowth. Once they reached the roots of the oak, Tall Pine stopped and motioned with his head upward.
"Are you fish-brained?" Frosted Leaf mouthed, staring at him as if she sincerely thought so.
"If we climb it, we can get closer without them discovering us," Tall Pine mouthed back.
Frosted Leaf let out a little, almost imperceptible snort. Though she grimaced, she reared up on her back legs, dug her claws into the rough bark, and hoisted herself up. With a soft chuckle, he followed. They clawed their way up the trunk until they reached two thick branches, one a little higher than the other, that jutted out over the glade. Frosted Leaf began to inch along the lower one as Tall Pine strode along the higher one.
The clearing below them rippled with murmurs like a mountain brook. It was narrow and ovular, lined with a ring of trees and dense undergrowth that concealed it from prying eyes on the forest floor anyway. Moonlight slanted through the treetops, making the frost painting the grass glitter and casting shadows on the pelts of the circle of cats in the center.
"-once it is time, my team and I will be positioned here," a sleek black tom was saying. He leaned forward to point with a claw at some sort of map they must have scratched in the dirt, but though Tall Pine squinted, it was too dark for him to see.
"My team will have nearly submerged ourselves in the water and hidden in the curve of the bank," a pale gray she-cat said next, her mew firm and focused.
"And my team will be laying in wait amongst the reeds on the next island over," a final voice added. A pale pelt glowed in the darkness, and the young tom bristled as he recognized Sun Splash.
"Excellent," came Gray Moon's deep, harsh tones. With his sleek gray pelt, the Clan of the Flowing Waters chieftain was nearly one with the shadows; the only sign that he was there was the slight twitching of his ears. "Once I give the signal, you all will know what to do. But let's go over the plan one more time to be sure. This is our one chance to strike at the heart of the Clan of the Morning Sun. Our only chance to do what must be done to protect our Clan by removing those who would stop us. We must not fail."
"We will not fail, Gray Moon." The sleek black tom held his chieftain's gaze, his words not assurance but a vow.
Gray Moon's eyes crackled with the intensity of a thunderstorm. "No, we won't."
Tall Pine crouched on his branch, leaning forward so he could hear the best he could. His eyes stretched wider and wider as he listened to the Clan of the Flowing Waters go over their plan once more. Great stars, some of my Clanmates were right. They are not seeking a peaceful resolution. A chill ran down his spine. He felt sick to his stomach. No, they are using the guise of an invitation to a meeting with the hope of negotiating peace to disguise treachery. What they are planning will devastate my Clan and set us on a path from which there is no coming back. It will destroy both of our Clans. And they are planning to do this...at dawn. Oh no. His head jerked up to gaze at the moon, which was about to start its descent in the sky. His blood ran cold, and alarm ignited like a fire inside him. I have to get back to camp and alert Mossy Moon. She's walking into a trap.
Tall Pine leaned down. "Frosted Leaf," he hissed. "We have to go."
Glancing up at him, the pale gray she-cat nodded. Her eyes were round as the full moon. "I know. You must warn your Clan. But hold on."
"What? Why?" Tall Pine blinked at her in confusion. His paws here tugging him toward home, and his heart was frosted with fear.
Frosted Leaf glanced up at him again and then gestured down at the glade. He frowned but turned his attention back on the proceedings below.
Gray Moon rose to his paws. Lifting his chin, he scanned the cats around him through narrowed eyes that burned like embers about to ignite into flames. "We are done. In a very short time, we will be putting everything we planned into action. This plan will become reality. It will be tough, but we must have sharp claws and strong hearts. We cannot fail. We must be deadly precise. This is not only for the protection of our Clanmates but for the future of our Clan."
"For the future of our Clan," the Clan of the Flowing Waters cats echoed.
Gray Moon flicked his tail to dismiss them. "Go back to camp and rest while you can. We leave before dawn."
The other cats murmured in agreement, then one by one, they dipped their heads to their chieftain and slipped off into the shadows like fish through water. Tall Pine relaxed. That was a good catch. If we'd climbed down now, they probably would've found us. Once the glade had fallen silent, he prepared to clamber down, but a voice from below made him freeze.
"Gray Moon, are you sure about this?" The mew was soft, but it echoed in the otherwise silent glade. The young tom peered down to see Wind Fur step into a shaft of moonlight, his pale tabby pelt like the shadows on the forest floor.
On the other side of the clearing, almost at the treeline, Gray Moon stopped in his tracks. "Yes." His voice was smooth and hard like a river pebble. He turned swiftly, padding a few steps as he held his regent's gaze. "I have never been more sure of anything."
Wind Fur took a step forward. "But do you know what this will mean-"
"Our guaranteed victory."
"Never-ending war with the cats who used to be our closest allies. We don't know that we will succeed, and if we do, we don't know if it'll make them back down."
"No, we don't know for sure, but after this sunrise, if we succeed, the Clan of the Morning Sun will be in chaos. We may deliver a severe enough blow to crush their resistance, and if we don't, we will strike quickly and deadly as we have planned."
"But they will never forgive this transgression," Wind Fur argued. His amber eyes were round and persistent. "I have friends in the Clan of the Morning Sun; I know those cats. They will be so enraged that they will never give up and never back down, not in a thousand moons. We won't end the war; we will just be starting a never-ending war."
"Wind Fur." Gray Moon's eyes narrowed into slits. "Your friendship with cats from the Clan of the Morning Sun seems to be clouding your judgment. Should I be worried about where your loyalties lie?"
Wind Fur blinked, his eyes widening. "No, of course not. My loyalty remains with the Clan of the Flowing Waters like how it's always been. It is because of my loyalty that I am concerned about this plan. If this war doesn't end, our Clanmates will continue to get injured."
"Yet cats have already gotten hurt and died," Gray Moon hissed. "Or have you forgotten?" Not waiting for a response, he plowed on. "With this plan, we will end the war, stopping more of our Clanmates from getting injured in the future. We will have removed the obstacles preventing us from going ahead with our other plan to fight the Bands, preventing more casualties. But most of all, we will finally be getting vengeance for all of the hurt and suffering and cats we lost because of the Band patrol. They murdered our Clanmates, slaughtered them like prey like their lives meant nothing." As he paused to take a breath, his entire body quivered with anger. His eyes were glazed over like a thin sheet of ice as he curled his lip. "They killed my son. Now I will finally get vengeance on the cat who is responsible for all of this." His gaze snapped back to Wind Fur. "We are going through with this plan."
Wind Fur dipped his head, his tone submissive but expression reserved. "Very well, Gray Moon."
Oh, my stars. Tall Pine sat back on his branch, his eyes stretching as wide as they could go. I was right. I knew there must be another, deeper reason why Gray Moon was doing this. The Bands murdered his son, so he wants revenge. He blames-
"Tall Pine," Frosted Leaf whispered, jolting him out of his thoughts. She was staring up at him from the forest floor. "They're gone. We must leave."
Right. Tall Pine backtracked along his tree branch, then leaped from branch to branch until he clattered to the ground beside her. Determination settled deep within his bones, tugging on his heart, so it pointed straight and true toward where he needed to go. With a last glance over his shoulder at the moonlit glade, he turned to face the direction that would take him home to the Clan of the Morning Sun's camp. "Let's go."
The hunter trainees hiked back through the Clan of the Flowing Waters's territory even faster than they had the first time. Well, as quickly as they could go with the numerous streams they needed to cross, that each made Tall Pine wrinkle his nose in distaste, which had made Frosted Leaf smirk and roll her eyes, then laugh outright on the way there. Urgency spurred their paws on as fast as they could go while also conserving energy for the long trek and staying vigilant for any Clan cats, so they didn't waste time playing around, but Tall Pine found himself exchanging a few smiles with Frosted Leaf every now and again. He was still chilled to the core by what he had learned-between the Clan of the Flowing Waters's plan and Gray Moon's real reason-and while it frightened him, he was not fearful. He was determined. And cautiously hopeful.
The Clan of the Flowing Waters is planning something horrible, he thought with a shudder. But we have uncovered it. I can tell my Clan so we can be prepared. Mossy Moon can use this information and what I discovered about Gray Moon to stop them before they can hurt us anymore. And maybe-just maybe end this war.
Glancing to his left, Tall Pine watched Frosted Leaf out of the corner of his eye. The pale gray and white she-cat trotted along, her blue gaze focused intently ahead of her and tail gently swishing as he knew it always did when she wasn't paying attention. Her scent of watery blossoms wreathed around his nose, making his heart ache.
"What?" Frosted Leaf asked, catching him looking.
Tall Pine hastily turned his attention back on the forest in front of him. "Nothing," he said as his ears burned as hot as coals. It is only because of Frosted Leaf that any of this is possible. She was brave enough to take a stand against her own Clan and risk punishment to find me tonight and bring us to spy on the meeting. She has come a long way from the cat who once didn't think it concerned her. She even pushed me to go tonight. She is courageous, honorable, kind, and selfless; truly an amazing cat. I miss the sparkle in her eyes. I miss her laugh. I miss spending time with her. I miss her.
All too soon, but at the same time, not fast enough, they reached the border between the Clan of the Morning Sun and the Clan of the Flowing Waters. Though invisible, the scent marker, a clashing mixture of sunlight and oak leaves and slippery stones and water, was pungent in Tall Pine's nose. He halted half a tail-length from the border, so close it would only take one more step to cross, but he didn't. Not yet.
"I don't know how to thank you for your help tonight," the black and white tom murmured, tilting his head to meet Frosted Leaf's gaze. "It must have taken an insurmountable amount of courage to stand against your Clan like this. But my Clan can now stop this war and prevent any more of my Clanmates from being hurt. We owe you our lives."
Frosted Leaf nodded. "Of course. You don't have to thank me. There was no way I could've sat back and done nothing with that knowledge." Her eyes shone with seriousness. "Now, no more cats will get hurt. We did it."
"Yes, we did," Tall Pine said softly, holding her gaze.
"You should probably go," she said faintly, nodding in the direction of the slope on the opposite side of the border. "Go and warn your Clan before it's too late."
"Yes, I should," he agreed. But neither of them moved. Time stopped as they remained staring into each other's eyes as everything that they were dying to say and couldn't say at the same time passed between them through their locked gazes. Hopes, wishes, dreams, prayers for a future that they could see, practically touch. Nostalgia and loss for what they would never have. Certainty of what had to happen and sorrow about it at the same time. And love. Tall Pine stared into Frosted Leaf's blue depths, nothing but love brimming within his gaze for an eternity and a heartbeat before he broke their connection. Loss bloomed inside him like snowdrops after the snow has ceased.
"I need to go." Tall Pine picked up a paw, hovering over the border.
"Wait." The desperation in Frosted Leaf's voice made him turn back. She stared at him with broken eyes welling with tears. "Does this have to be goodbye? Is there any way we could start seeing each other again? I miss you, Tall Pine. These past several sunrises have been so dark and empty without your light."
At the quiver in her voice, Tall Pine felt his heart shatter. He froze for a long heartbeat, suspended on the cliff of indecision, unable to turn one way or another. His heart swelled. He wanted more than anything in the world to say yes. But he shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Frosted Leaf," he said gently, both to her and himself. "This night has been incredible, everything I never thought I would have again. But this was not a beginning, only an afterthought after an ending. We can't see each other anymore-we both know that. So, this is goodbye."
Picking up his paw again, he stepped over the border.
Whoa, what a chapter! This one was super intense, with so much being revealed and so much hinted at being revealed. What do you all think? Also, what an emotional rollercoaster with the reunion of Tall Pine and Frosted Leaf and them being torn apart again! It's moments like these that make me enjoy being an author ;).
Fun Fact: Though they don't have much time to think about it, if asked, Tall Pine and Frosted Leaf would both say that they want to have kits one day.
- A Warrior At Heart