Chapter 8: Tall Pine

A rough blade of grass brushed against Tall Pine's muzzle, tickling his nose. He clenched his teeth to stop himself from sneezing and gave himself a little shake. I can't become distracted. This is a vital catch. I have to make it, he told himself as he forced his attention back to the task at paw.

A violent wind howled like a hungry wolf as it whipped down the slope, tossing the tufts of grass and flattening Tall Pine's whiskers against his face. It seemed to slice like a claw right through his thick pelt, chilling him to the bone. But he didn't allow his focus to wander again as he squinted through the gale. His eyes alighted on a plump hickory-brown shape nibbling at the grass between the gnarled evergreens. His mouth watered. But it wasn't his target. From that mark, his gaze shot upward, catching sight of a black speck circling high above. There you are.

The black and white tom dropped into a crouch, his shoulder muscles rippling like lake water in a breeze as his paws skimmed the ground. He stalked up the slope, darting from the shelter of one evergreen to the next. The spiky needles of a hemlock branch scraped his back as he paused underneath the sapling, now within one fox-length of the rabbit, his eyes trained on the skies.

The black speck circled lower and lower, morphing into a magnificent hawk with black and brown brindled feathers. Its sleek beak and curved talons glinted in the sunlight as its beady eyes were absorbed with watching the rabbit. It was so intent in its hunt of unsuspecting prey from above; it was unaware of the predator stalking it.

Tall Pine positioned his paws underneath him as he recognized the telltale twist of the hawk's wings as it began a dive. Wait for it— He tensed his muscles. It plunged through the air. Wait for it— Tall Pine's heart pounded against his chest. The rabbit stared up at the hawk, frozen by fear. The hawk flared out its wings to slow its descent, its talons outstretched. Now.

Wind rushed through the young tom's whiskers as he leaped, soaring high in the air. He unsheathed his claws and sank them into the hawk's feathers as he landed squarely on its back. It let out an earsplitting shriek, beating its wings more furiously than a storm as it wheeled around, trying to shake him off. Tall Pine grunted, digging his claw in more as he hung on. He knew he had to move his paw to pin one of the wings, but he didn't dare as the hawk writhed midair, fighting him with everything it had. Its left wing slapped him across the face, stunning him. His grip loosened, and he nearly tumbled off as its back titled, so he clung almost upside down.

I can't hold on for much longer. I have to end this. Conviction settled deep within him. Tall Pine roared a battle cry to summon his courage. He wrenched his left paw free, a feather snagged on one claw, and sunk his claws into the hawk's right wing. The mighty bird shrieked again, fighting to get free of his grip, but it was no use. Tall Pine hung on tightly as it tumbled to the ground, its wings flapping slower as its fight waned. They crashed down in a heap of fur and feathers.

Tall Pine hurriedly picked himself up and leaned forward to sink his teeth into the hawk's neck. Its body went limp. He flopped down with a loud grunt, his breath coming in pants. He stared numbly at the splayed-out body of the raptor as his heartbeat calmed. I did it. A giddy smile crept across his face like sunlight over the Dawn Mountain. I took down a hawk. All by myself. Thank you, Clan of the Bright Stars, for this prey.

"Well done." The black and white tom's head snapped up, his ears pricked as he twisted around to see where the voice had come from. A gray and white figure emerged from between two hulking boulders to his left. Quick Clouds's eyes twinkled as he trotted up to his trainee. "You did an excellent job stalking the hawk, you executed a precise leap, and you managed to keep control to take it down all by yourself. I am thrilled to say that you have more than passed your assessment."

Tall Pine ducked his head, his ears burning. "Thank you."

"I cannot believe how much you have learned and grown over these past moons." Pride shimmered in Quick Clouds's eyes, along with a hint of nostalgia. "You are nearly ready to become a full hunter."

The young tom met his instructor's gaze. "I wouldn't have gotten this far without you, Quick Clouds. Thank you for being a fantastic instructor."

"You ought to give yourself more credit," the older tom replied, tilting his head. "You are a hardworking, dedicated, and talented trainee who deserves to be proud of your accomplishments." He tossed his head at the hawk. "Now, let's get this back to camp."

Tall Pine's neck ached as Quick Clouds, and he lugged his haul of prey down the mountainside, but he barely felt the strain with the pride blooming like early Time of Thawing Earth flowers in his chest. The sun had broken through a dense layer of clouds, matching the lightness in his step. I took down a hawk all by myself. I passed my assessment, and Quick Clouds said I'm almost ready to become a full hunter. I don't think today could get any better.

The trees shifted from intermittent scruffy evergreens to a thicker alpine forest, and the rough stone underfoot gave way to slippery pine needles as the pair toiled back to the Clan of the Morning Sun's camp. The well-worn trail that would lead them back to the stone gorge became apparent among the denser trees. As they rounded a bend in a snake-like path, they nearly collided with Dawn Sky and Amber Mist, who had just merged from a fork in the trail.

"Whoa," Amber Mist exclaimed, leaping backward out of the way. She dropped her fat vole as her eyes grew huge as boulders. "You guys caught that hawk?"

Quick Clouds chuckled, twitching his whiskers as he set down Tall Pine's other catches: a squirrel and two mice. "Tall Pine caught it. It was a part of his assessment today."

Amber Mist stared up at the older trainee, open-mouthed. "You caught it all by yourself?"

Tall Pine dropped his prey, spitting out a feather so he could respond. "Yes, I did."

"That's incredible! You must be an amazing hunter. Hawks are scary and dangerous, and yet you caught one all by yourself."

"Well, I'm still learning," he mumbled as he stared at his paws. His ears turned red again, embarrassed with all of the attention. Thankfully, Amber Mist had already turned her attention to something else.

"What's it like to hunt a hawk? Is it hard? How do you hunt them? Will I ever learn to hunt them like Tall Pine?" A flurry of questions tumbled out of her mouth as she bounced around Dawn Sky, who had grabbed her trainee's vole and started walking again.

"Yes, it is hard. I will teach you how to hunt hawks someday once you're further along in your training," Dawn Sky explained through a mouthful of prey.

"Yay," Amber Mist squealed, though her questions were like the starlit sky—seemingly unending. "But how do you hunt hawks? And when will I learn how to?"

Dawn Sky let out a sigh that was just audible to Quick Clouds and Tall Pine as the she-cats vanished around a bend. They chuckled as they picked up the prey again, continuing on their slow trek back to camp.

The long shadows cast by the brambles in the light of the setting sun enveloped Tall Pine as he and Quick Clouds finally arrived at the stone gorge. His jaw, neck, and back ached from the strain of hauling the hawk back to camp, and his muscles were tired from hunting. The rapidly falling twilight in the trees' shadows made him want to curl up in his nest and sleep, but he shook himself awake as urgent pawsteps reached his ears. He pricked his ears as he turned his head, squinting into the gloom of the forest.

Sage Fur, Raven Swoop, and Drifting Leaf burst out of the treeline, their pelts blazing as they dashed through a pool of deep orange sunlight. Quick Clouds, who had also been alerted by the footsteps, raised his tail for them to halt, his brow furrowed. The patrol slowed as they neared their Clanmates, their sides heaving from what must have been a long sprint. Tension sparked off their bristling fur, and their eyes were round.

Quick Clouds touched noses with his mate, Sage Fur, and then addressed all three patrol members. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

"We've just come from our border with the Clan of the Flowing Waters," Raven Swoop explained. "We were patrolling it when we came upon some scents on our side of the border. We found a Clan of the Flowing patrol nearby, but when we confronted them, they nearly attacked us. We made sure they left, and then we came straight back to camp to report to Mossy Moon."

Oh my stars, Tall Pine thought, the hawk falling out of his gaping jaws. The Clan of the Flowing Waters crossed the border? That's a massive escalation. Not only has Gray Moon refused to cooperate with the other Clans, putting every Clan cat's life at stake, and rescinded the seasons-old alliance with my Clan, but now he's trying to provoke us to fight? He was just talk at first, but now he's actually taking action. And after the Gathering, he seems to have a vendetta against Mossy Moon and the Clan of the Morning Sun. This can't be good, especially now. I need to discuss this with Frosted Leaf the next time I see her. Memories from his secret meetings with the pale gray she-cat flashed through his mind, making him smile, but he quickly shut them away and refocused his attention.

"That's grave news," Quick Clouds said, twitching his whiskers. "Gray Moon has started to escalate tensions at the time we can least afford it. I have a feeling Mossy Moon will do the right thing, but if Gray Moon continues to escalate the conflict—which I do not doubt he will—there's only so much we can tolerate before we have to respond."

"And then stars help us all," Sage Fur murmured. She shook her head slowly. "We cannot fight a war on two fronts. We need all of the Clans to stand united; divided, we shall fall. I pray that Gray Moon will see reason."

"I'm afraid that might be a fruitless hope," Raven Swoop said with a swish of his tail. "But we cannot know anything until we see how this plays out. For that, we need to alert Mossy Moon. We should do it right away."

Raven Swoop and Sage Fur swept passed Tall Pine and into the tunnel. Quick Clouds collected the prey and gave the young tom a serious glance before he followed them. Tall Pine was just bending down to pick up his prey when Drifting Leaf trotted up to him.

"Hi, Tall Pine," Drifting Leaf mewed, pausing a tail-length away.

"Hi, Drifting Leaf," he purred, taking a step forward to touch his muzzle to his mother's. "How are you?"

"I'm all right. The patrol was kind of intense." The dusty brown she-cat gave her chest fur a few licks. She brightened as she raised her head again, her ears pushed forward. "How did your assessment go?"

"It went well, I think." Tall Pine tossed his head at the hawk lying at his paws. "I caught several pieces of prey, including this hawk."

"Oh, my stars. You brought down your first hawk by yourself." Drifting Leaf's golden eyes lit up like little suns. She leaned forward to nuzzle Tall Pine's cheek, a purr rumbling in her chest. "I'm so proud of you, my son. You have grown into an amazing hunter."

"Thank you." Tall Pine smiled, though his ears burned once more with embarrassment. He glanced at the black abyss of the passageway, just visible through the shadowy brambles. "We should probably head into camp now."

Drifting Leaf murmured her agreement, and so once Tall Pine had picked up his prey, they wove their way through the brambles and headed into the tunnel. The air inside the camp was as tense as the patrol had been as they emerged from the passageway. Their Clanmates clustered in small groups concentrated near the Rockperch. Low mutters as frosty as the night air filled the camp. The black and white tom exchanged a glance with his mother, a frown creasing his face. What's going on? Why is everyone so tense? Do they already know what happened at the border? No. He shook his head. No, everyone can't have found out already, especially because Raven Swoop and Sage Fur are reporting directly to Mossy Moon. There has to be another reason. But what is it?

The young tom murmured goodbye to Drifting Leaf before he strode over to the prey pile and deposited his catch. He paused as he looked up, surveying the camp, but he still couldn't see the cause of all of the tension. But he did catch sight of the silver tips of Fern Dapple's ears, so he hurried over to where she sat with Blossom Dust outside the trainee's den on the other side of camp.

"Tall Pine." Blossom Dust's eyes lit up as he approached, the worried crinkles around her eyes smoothing as she smiled. "How did your assessment go?"

"It went well," he said as Blossom Dust and Fern Dapple turned to him. "I passed. But that's not what's important right now. I can't help but notice that everyone is very tense. What happened?"

The she-cats were silent as they exchanged a dark glance.

Tall Pine felt as though fleas were biting his flesh harder and harder. A wildfire of anxiousness and impatience flared higher and higher inside him as the silence dragged on. What in the stars could it be? His tail lashed as he looked from his sister to his friend. "Tell me now. What is going on?"

Fern Dapple slowly raised her head. She looked him in the eye, her blue eyes round, as though pleading with him. "Tall Pine—" her mew was measured. "—this will be hard for you to hear. Please, try to stay calm."

The young tom had to take a deep breath to quell the impatience swelling inside him, but he could not stop the sense of foreboding. Whatever the cause, it is nothing good. He took a seat down, wrapping his tail around his paws. "Okay. But, please, tell me."

Blossom Dust rose to her paws and padded to his side, placing her tail on his shoulder. She met his gaze solemnly. "Tall Pine, a patrol found Sharp at our border, and Mossy Moon has agreed to let him stay with our Clan."

"WHAT?" Tall Pine yelled, leaping to his paws. His jaw hung ajar as his mind scrambled to grasp what Blossom Dust had just said. A tide of emotions surged through him—shock, confusion, worry, but mostly outrage—until he drowned in them. Thoughts raced like spooked rabbits through his mind. Sharp is here. In our camp. He spun in a circle, searching the crowd in vain for a glimpse of the flame-colored tom. How in the stars is this possible? Why is he here? Why now? Is he here to help the Bands get revenge on us? Whatever the reason, it's certainly nothing good. And yet, Mossy Moon let him join our Clan. What is she thinking? Why would she let him stay with us with the threat he poses and after everything he's done to us? He gritted his teeth as a growl rumbled in his throat. His fur stood on end as he slid his claws in and out.

"Tall Pine." The hunter trainee slowly became aware of a tail touching his shoulder and a voice calling his name. "Tall Pine." He shook himself out of his trance and jumped as Fern Dapple's face appeared right in front of his muzzle, her eyes boring into his.

"Fern Dapple," he gasped. "You scared me."

"Sorry." The silver tabby she-cat shrugged, not looking apologetic at all. "But we've been trying to get your attention. You were lost in your thoughts."

Blossom Dust wrapped her tail over Tall Pine's shoulders as she touched her nose to his ear. "We know that this is a huge shock for you. It was for everyone when we first heard it—we've just had time to process. Let Fern Dapple and I explain, and it will help."

He took a deep breath and sat down again. "Okay."

The she-cats sat down as well and began to fill him in. Like Blossom Dust had promised, his shock slowly faded away, but his fury and sense of dreaded certainty only swelled. Sharp is lying. His arrival here in the Valley of Hidden Stars at the time when the Bands should be retaliating against us is too coincidental. There's no way he's here for asylum. He is here to deceive and betray us again. And Mossy Moon has fallen for it by letting him join our Clan instead of banishing him from our territory. He's just going to hurt everyone again. As the thought formed, he let out a gasp. Oh, my stars. I'm such a self-absorbed mouse-brain. What about Spotted Owl? How will she be handling this?

Fern Dapple and Blossom Dust let out mews of surprise as Tall Pine surged to his feet, pivoting as he craned his neck to see over the heads of his Clanmates. Where is she? Anxiousness fluttered like a butterfly's wings against his ribcage. I have to make sure she's okay. There. He spotted his sister emerging from Mossy Moon's den. Before he had time to think, his paws were carrying him across the camp, Fern Dapple and Blossom Dust's calls of confusion following him.

"Spotted Owl," Tall Pine panted, skidding to a stop in front of his sister.

"Woah, careful." The black and white she-cat leaped backward to avoid him crashing into her. She cocked her head, frowning. "What's going on, Tall Pine? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Tall Pine met his sister's eyes as he took a step forward. "I just learned that you found Sharp while on patrol, and Mossy Moon agreed to let him join the Clan. I was worried about you. I had to know; are you okay?"

"Oh. Right." Spotted Owl twitched her ears. She averted her gaze. "Yeah, I'm okay." Her mew was flat, guarded.

Tall Pine furrowed his brow. What? How can she be okay with everything that's happened? She doesn't seem fine. He tilted his head in an effort to look his sister in the eye. His tail swished uncertainty. "Are you sure?"

The dappled she-cat nodded mutely, still not meeting his gaze.

"Spotted Owl, I know you well enough to know you're not okay," the black and white tom pressed. "No one expects you to be okay with all of this, especially after what Sharp—"

"Tall Pine, please," she interrupted him. She squared her shoulders, though he had caught her visibly wince when he had said Sharp's name. "I really am fine."

He took another step forward. "Spotted Owl, I'm here for you. You're my sister; I care about you, and I want to help you. You just need to talk to me. It's okay—"

"Enough," Spotted Owl roared, her fur fluffing up so she appeared nearly twice her size. Her green eyes blazed as hot as a wildfire, finally meeting his. "Tall Pine, I told you. I am fine. Leave it alone. I do not want to talk about it; I want you to leave me alone."

Tall Pine stumbled several steps backward. His eyes stretched wide as his heart thudded in his chest. Where did all of that anger come from? I just want to help her. I just want to be there for her. I know she's not fine-there has to be something going on; otherwise, she would not be this angry. I don't know what it is, but I know it is all Sharp's fault. Anger hardened into an intense rage, fueled by the hatred and resentment that had long lain dormant inside him. He wheeled around, scanning the gorge. He didn't see anything for a few heartbeats, but then he caught a glimpse of a flash of bright ginger fur over by the small unused caves. Before he knew what he was doing, he was storming across the camp. His vision was tinted blood-red. That backstabbing fox-hearted murderer. He is the cause of all of our problems and suffering. I will make him pay. A growl built in his throat. "Sharp."

But before he had gotten more than five pawsteps, a shape tackled him from behind. Tall Pine grunted as he slammed into the dusty floor of the camp. He writhed, a muffled snarl tearing from his throat. But His attacker kept him firmly pinned to the ground with a stone-strong grip. After several heartbeats, he grew tired, and the grip relaxed. Claws pricked his flesh as he heard a familiar voice, full of fury, growled in his ear. "Tall Pine, what in the stars are you doing?"

The weight vanished from his back, allowing the young tom scrambled to his paws. He turned to stare into Spotted Owl's wide eyes. "I don't know exactly," he admitted, his anger fading like nighttime as dawn breaks. "I guess I was going to attack Sharp because…" He trailed off, unable to find a reason that seemed to justify his actions. I wanted to protect you.

Spotted Owl stared at him for a heartbeat longer, emotions flickering across her face. Eventually, she shook her head, her eyes turning frosty-cold. "I told you to leave it alone." She tossed her head in Sharp's direction. "Leave him alone. And leave me alone."

Tall Pine gazed after his sister, open-mouthed, as she stalked away. Shock and the sting of her words rolled through him like fog. Something twisted inside him, an emotion that he couldn't quite name. The image of his sister's gaze haunted his mind. Something in it felt familiar—dreadingly familiar. He let out a long sigh of utter bewilderment. I feel like the entire world has turned upside down. What in the stars is going on?

Wow, this chapter was one emotional roller coaster ride. We go from Tall Pine's exciting and happy successful hunt (yay! That was fun to write :) ) to confusion and tension from the patrol and in the camp, to his shock at finding out what happened in the last chapter, to his worry over Spotted Owl, to anger, and finally, confliction. Phew.

I hope everything in the second part of the chapter where Tall Pine talks to Fern Dapple, Blossom Dust, and Spotted Owl makes sense and feels like it works. I spent a lot of time trying to get it right, but eventually I didn't want to spend anymore time on it and I wanted to post the chapter.

In the second half, we really see another side of Tall Pine come out to a level we haven't seen before—how deeply he cares for Spotted Owl and how angry he can get if someone hurts someone he loves. So pretty much how much he really hates Sharp. Honestly, I feel bad for Sharp. We also have got a little teaser in the interaction between Spotted Owl and Tall Pine that sets up things to come later in the book!

Fun Fact: Quick Clouds knows a little bit about herbs and healing because his brother, Wind Heart, was the healer of the Clan of the Morning Sun before Red Maple. As a trainee, Wind Heart often had trouble remembering all of the herbs and their uses, so at night, Quick Clouds would help him study.

Reviews:

Wyatt (Guest) - Thank you! I love Sharp and Spotted Owl too. Yeah, it's been a little weird.

Thank you all for reading!

- A Warrior At Heart