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Prologue

A cold, faded light cut through a cave so huge that the vaults were drowning in darkness. A veil of water covered the entrance, and its noise echoed off the walls.

At the back of the cave sat a sickly white cat. Despite her age, her green eyes were clear and filled with wisdom, with which she gazed at the skinny cats swarming on the floor and pacing restlessly in front of the shimmering streams of the waterfall. Old men huddled together on their bedding, kittens meowed desperately, demanding food from their exhausted mothers.

This can't go on any longer, ”the old cat whispered to herself.

A few tails away from her, kittens were quarreling over the skeleton of an eagle. All the meat from the bones had been gnawed the day before, when the queens caught the prey. A large brown kitten pushed the small striped kitty away from the bone it had bit into.

I really need! - he declared.

The striped kitty jumped up and grabbed the tip of her companion's tail.

We all really need it, bird-headed! - she snapped, accompanied by the howl of the cat.

The gray-white elder, each rib of which was clearly visible under the skin, crawled up to the kittens and, taking the bones in his teeth, dragged the bird's remains.

Hey! - the kid protested.

The elder stared at him.

I've hunted season after season, ”she growled. "Don't you think I deserve this pitiful bone?"

She turned and walked proudly away, clenching her prey in her teeth.

For a few moments the kitten looked after her, and then, crying, he rushed to his mother, who was lying on a stone by the wall of the cave. Instead of comforting her son, the mother muttered something, waving her tail in irritation.

The old white cat was too far away to hear the queen's words, but sighed longingly.

We are all balancing on the edge, she thought.

She followed the gray and white old woman who followed through the cave and threw an eagle bone in front of another cat, which was lying in its nest with its noses in its paws. Her empty gaze was fixed on one point on opposite side.

Take it, Muddy Water. ”The gray-white elder nudged the bone with her paw. - Eat. This is not enough, but maybe it will give you strength.

Muddy Water's indifferent gaze slid over her friend and returned to the point on the wall.

No thanks, Silver Rime. I've had no appetite at all since Broken Feather died. ”Her voice shook with despair. “He could have survived if we had a little more food. The elder sighed. “Now I'm just waiting to join him.

Muddy Water, you can't do that ...

The white cat was distracted from the conversation of the elders when a group of cats appeared on the threshold of the cave. Snow covered their skins. Some of the inhabitants of the cave jumped on their paws and rushed to meet those who came.

Did you catch anything? one of them asked hotly.

Yes. Where is your loot? - Demandingly barked another.

The cat, who was leading the newcomers, glanced guiltily.

Sorry. We had nothing to bring you.

The hope that had lightened up in the audience was dispelled like a fog driven away by a bright sun. They turned to face their comrades, and then trudged back, their heads down and their tails dragging along the ground.

The white cat was distracted from her observation, noticing that one of the cats was heading towards her. His muzzle had turned gray from time to time, the golden spotted hide was sparse and hung in tatters. He walked confidently, which indicated that he was once brave and strong cat.

Half Moon, he greeted white cat sitting down next to her and wrapping his tail around her shoulders.

The cat freed herself with a faint, contented purr.

You shouldn't call me that, Lion's Roar, ”she protested. “For many seasons, I have been the Storyteller of the Sharp Stones.

The ginger cat snorted.

I don't care how long others have called you Stonespeaker. For me, you will always be Half the Moon.

This time the white cat was silent. She just stretched her tail and touched her old friend's shoulder with it.

I was born in this cave, continued the Lion's Roar. “But my mother, Timid Doe, told me about the times before we came here. When you lived by a lake protected by trees.

Half Moon sighed weakly.

I am the only cat that still remembers this lake and the way we went to get here. But I have lived here, in the mountains, three times longer than by that lake, and the sound of the waterfall echoed in my heart. She paused, blinking, and then continued. - What have you come to talk about?

Lion's Roar hesitated before answering.

Hunger can kill us before the sun shines again. And there is no more room in the cave. - He shifted from paw to paw and licked the fur on the shoulders of Half the Moon. - We need to do something.

Stonespeaker's eyes widened as she turned to her friend.

But we cannot leave the mountains, ”she protested. Her voice trembled with fear. - I promised Sparrow Wing. He made me the Storyteller of the Sharp Stones, because this house is destined for us.

Lion's Roar met her bright green eyes.

Are you sure he wasn't wrong? How could he know what would happen in the future?

He was right, ”Half Moon muttered.

Her thoughts drifted back to a ceremony that had taken place many seasons ago. Sparrowwing made her the Storyteller of the Sharp Stones. She shuddered when she again heard his voice, full of love and pain from the fact that fate does not allow them to be together.

Others will come after you. Lead them, show them the way. Trust in the fate of the Clan. He would never have said that if he didn’t want us to stay here.

Half of the Moon's gaze roamed the heads of the cats. Her cats. Now the weak and hungry. She shook her head sadly. Lion's Roar is right: if they want to survive, they need to do something.

Gradually, she noticed that the cold gray light illuminating the cave became warm and golden, as if the sun was rising behind a veil of water. But Half Moon knew it was night.

Lion's Roar sat quietly beside her, licking his ears, and the other cats also ignored the golden light that lit up the cave.

They don't see anything, but I ...! What does this mean?

Plunging into the rays of bright light, Half the Moon remembered how she became the Healer. Sparrowwing said that her ancestors would help her make decisions, so sometimes she will see strange things that will mean more than it might seem at first. Half of the Moon never fully believed in ancestors, but learned to listen to signs.

The possible meanings of this omen flashed in the head of the Half Moon like snowflakes in a blizzard. Maybe this means that warm days are coming soon? But how does it help if there are so many of us? She wondered if the sun was shining anywhere right now? There must be a lot of food, safe and warm. But what does it matter here, high in the mountains?

The light of the sun grew brighter and brighter, so that in the end the Half Moon was completely enveloped in its rays. She relaxed when new idea appeared in her head.

Maybe Lion's Roar is right, and only a few of us belong to this place. Maybe others can go further and find a home where the sun is shining brightly. Somewhere where they will be safe, fed and able to raise new generations of kittens.

Basking in the warm sunshine, Half Moon was gaining the confidence it needed so much. Some of the cats will be able to stay, a small group that can hold out in the mountains, while the rest of her Clan will follow the sunrise, looking for new house.

But I don't want to leave the cave, she thought. - I want to meet the twilight of my life here, for a whole life from the place where I was born. And then maybe ... just maybe ... I'll see Sparrow's Wing again. "

Chapter 1

Gray Wing climbed up the snow-covered slope. The cat was heading for the summit, which loomed against the sky like a row of sharp teeth. He carefully rearranged his paws so as not to fall under the crust of ice and not drown in the powdery substance under it. White flakes fell slowly from the sky, settling on his gray fur. It was so cold that he could no longer feel his paws. My stomach grumbled with hunger.

I have already forgotten the last time I was warm and full.

In the last warm season, he was still a kitten and played with his brother - Clear Sky, at the edge of the pool, which was located outside the cave. It seemed that a whole life had passed since those times. Gray Wing retained only vague memories of green leaves covering the stocky trees and sunlight pouring into the rocks.

Stopping to look for prey, the cat looked around the snow-covered mountains, whose peaks stretched wherever you look. The heavy gray sky promised more snow.

There was no smell of prey in the air, and Gray Wing trudged on. Clear sky emerged from behind a ledge of rock, its pale gray skin barely visible in the snow. The cat's jaws were empty and when he noticed his brother, he just shook his head.

No prey odors. Nowhere! he shouted. - Why can't we ...

A hoarse cry from above cut him off in mid-sentence. A shadow flickered next to Gray Wing. Looking up, he saw a kite diving down. The bird's claws were large and curved.

When the kite flew closer, Clear Sky jumped high up, throwing its paws forward. His claws grabbed the feathers of the bird and he fell down, dragging the kite to the ground with him. The bird let out another loud cry and beat feverishly with its wings.

Gray Wing rushed up the slope ...

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Warrior Cats

Sun trail

Cold gray light streamed across the floor of the cave, which was so large that its ceiling was lost in shadow. A drop fell on the endless surface of the water near the entrance, and its sound echoed off the rocks.

A fragile white cat was sitting in the back of the cave. Despite her age, her green eyes were clear and wise, she carefully examined the skinny cats swarming in the cave. They paced restlessly in front of the shimmering waterfall. The elders huddled together in their nests to sleep, the kittens meowed desperately, demanding milk from their mothers, which they could not give.

It can't go on like this, ”one of the elders whispered to himself.

At a distance of several tails, one of the kittens quarreled over the gnawed carcass of an eagle, which had been lying here for a long time. A large ginger kitten pressed the shoulders of a small striped cat: she was gnawing on the bones of an eagle.

I need food! - he declared.

The striped kitty jumped up and slashed its claws along the redhead's tail.

We all need food, your flea brains! She snapped, watching the ginger kitten howl in pain.

A gray-white elder, whose ribs were visible even through the skin, staggered, walked up to the kittens and tore a bone from them.

Hey! - the kitten protested.

The elder looked at him.

I've been catching prey season after season, ”he growled,“ and you think I didn't deserve one pitiful bone?

Turning, the elder strode away, the bone tightly clamped between his teeth. The ginger kitten looked after him for a moment, and then, sobbing, he rushed headlong to his mother, who was lying on a rock near the cave wall. Instead of comforting him, his mother barked something angry, flicking her tail. The old white cat was too far away to hear her, but she sighed heavily.

"We've all reached the limit," thought the cat.

She watched as the gray and white elder walked through the cave and threw a bone in front of an even older cat. She buried her nose in her front paws, her dull gaze staring at the far wall of the cave.

Here, Muddy Water, - the gray-white cat with one paw pushed the bones closer to her. - Eat. Not much here, but it might help.

The indifferent gaze of Muddy Water slid over her friend, and she turned away again.

No thanks, Silver Frost. I have no appetite. The Broken Feather is dead. The cat's voice trembled with grief. “He survived if there was enough loot. Right now I'm just waiting to join him ...

Muddy Water, you can't ...

The white cat was distracted from the conversation of the elders, turning to a group of cats that appeared at the entrance, shaking snow from their fur. Someone was already running towards them.

Have you caught anything? One of them shouted impatiently.

Where's the loot? - another cat demanded an answer.

The patrol leader shook his head sadly.

Sorry. We didn't succeed.

The hope that was in the air of the cave began to melt like fog in sunlight. The cats glanced at each other, then fell silent, bowing their heads and hanging their tails.

The white cat looked at them, then turned its head and saw that the cat was coming up to it. Although he did not look young anymore, and his golden striped fur was thin and uneven, he walked confidently. It was evident that once it was a strong and noble cat.

Half the Moon, - he greeted the white cat, sitting down next to her and wrapping his tail around his paws.

She purred weakly.

You mustn't call me that, Lion's Roar, ”she argued. “For many seasons I have been the Storyteller of the Sharp Stones.

The golden tabby cat sucked in a breath.

I don't care how long the others have called you Storyteller. For me, you will always be Half the Moon.

Half Luna said nothing, just dropped her tail on the shoulder of an old friend.

I was born in this cave, continued the Lion's Roar. “But my mother, Timid Doe, told me about the time when you still lived on the shore of the lake, protected by trees.

Half Moon sighed weakly.

I am just one of those who still remember the lake and the journey that we made in order to come here. But I live three times longer in the mountains than by the lake, and endless views of the waterfall echo in my heart, ”the cat paused for a moment, and then asked:“ Why are you telling me this now?

Lion's Roar hesitated before answering.

Hunger can kill us all before the sun comes up again. We no longer have a place in this cave, - the cat touched his paw to the shoulder of the white cat. - We need to do something!

Half Moon's eyes widened.

But we cannot leave the mountains! She protested, breathless with excitement. - Sparrowwing promised me, he made me the Storyteller of the Sharp Stones, because this is our intended home.

Lion's Roar met her glowing green eyes.

Are you sure Sparrowwing was right? - he asked. - How could he know what would happen in the future?

He couldn't be wrong, ”Half Moon muttered.

Her thoughts drifted back to the ceremony, many seasons ago, when Sparrow's Wing appointed her as Storyteller of the Spiked Stones. She shuddered when she heard his voice again, full of love and grief that they could not be together. “Others will come after you, and so it will be moon after moon. Choose well, teach so that you can entrust the future to them. "

He would never say that if he didn't want this to be our home.

Half Moon looked at the other cats, emaciated and hungry. She shook her head sadly. Lion's Roar was right about something: something must be done to survive.

Gradually, the cat began to realize that the cold gray light in the cave began to shine with warm gold, as if the sun was rising behind the wall of a noisy waterfall. But Half Moon knew it was night.

Lion's Roar, like the rest of the cats in the cave, was oblivious to the blazing golden fire.

“Nobody sees him but me! What does this mean? "

Bathed in bright light, Half Moon remembered the first time she became a healer. Sparrowwing told her that her ancestors would guide her in making decisions, that sometimes she would see strange things. The cat never knew its ancestors, but learned to see signs.

Possible explanations began to spin in the head of the Half Moon, like snowflakes in a blizzard.

“Maybe the warm weather will come earlier than usual. But how does it help when there are so many of us? Then a shelter ... But what about those who help us here in the mountains? "

The sunlight grew stronger and stronger, Half the Moon could hardly look at these rays. She relaxed and a new idea appeared in her head.

“Perhaps Lion's Roar is right. Only a few of us can survive here. Maybe one of us should go to where the sun rises to create a new home there in bright light? Where will they be safe, where will they eat well and raise kittens? "

As Half Moon bathed in the warm sunshine, she felt confident. Some of her cats will stay in the mountains to support life here, while the rest of the clan will go to the rising sun to find yourself a new home.

But I will not leave this cave, she thought. - I will spend the sunset of my life here, where almost all of my moons have passed, far from the place where I was born. And then maybe… maybe… I'll find Sparrow's Wing again. ”

Graywing climbed the snow-covered slope towards the ridge, which darkened against the sky like a row of sharp teeth. He carefully rearranged the front paws in turn, so as not to fall through the crust of the crust into the loose snowdrift. Light flakes of snow fell from the sky, sparkling on his dark gray hide. It was so cold that Gray Wing couldn't even feel his paws, his stomach howled with hunger.

"I can't remember the last time I felt full."

In the last sunny season, he was still a kitten, playing near a waterfall with his brother, whose name was Cloudless Sky. Now it seems like it was an eternity ago. Gray Wing vaguely remembered only the green leaves on the low mountain trees and the sunlight in which the rocks bathed.

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A decrepit white cat sat in the back of the cave. Despite her old age, her clear green eyes shone with wisdom, and her gaze slid anxiously over the emaciated cats crowding in the cave; the young ones paced restlessly up and down in front of the sparkling waterfall, the old people huddled wearily close to each other in their sleeping niches, and the kittens mewed desperately, demanding milk from their emaciated mothers.

A few tails away, kittens were arguing over the skeleton of an eagle. The meat from the bones was gnawed the day before, when the mother of the babies caught the bird. A large ginger kitten pushed the puny kitty away from the bone, which she gnawed greedily.

I need! he said firmly.

The kitty jumped on its paws and vengefully grabbed the offender by the tip of the tail.

We all need, tickhead! - she snorted, not paying attention to the wild howl of the redhead.

Then an old bony cat ran up to the kittens, its ribs protruding menacingly from under the sparse silvery-white fur, and grabbed the bone thrown in the heat of the fight.

Hey, wait! - the ginger kitten was indignant.

The old woman stared at him angrily.

I hunted long moons without sleep or rest! she hissed. “Didn't I deserve some pitiful bone?

With these words, the old cat withdrew, gripping the prey tightly in its teeth.

For a few moments the kitten looked after her in confusion, and then, with bitter crying, rushed to his mother, who was lying on a stone near the wall. But instead of comforting the baby, she only barked angrily at him, angrily wagging her tail.

The old white cat sat too far away to hear her retort, so she sighed.

Everyone's at their limit, she thought.

She silently watched the silvery-white old woman, who dragged the eagle's bone through the whole cave and threw it in front of another old cat, lying in its sleeping hole, with its nose buried in its paws. The old woman's fading gaze was fixed on the far wall of the cave.

Here, Misty Water, - the silvery-white creaked, pushing its prey towards it with a paw, - you eat. Not enough, of course, but there really is.

Misty Water slid an indifferent gaze over the bone, turned her eyes to her friend and turned away again.

Thank you, Rimesilver, but I'm not hungry. After the death of Broken Feather, I didn't even want to look at food, - voice old cat trembled with sadness. - If we had a little more food, he would be alive now! She sighed bitterly, dropped her head. - Now I live only in anticipation of a quick meeting with him ...

Misty Water, you can't do that ...

The snow-white cat did not hear the end of this conversation, she was distracted by the appearance of a whole string of cats, which noisily entered the cave, shaking off the snow from wet wool... Several fellow tribesmen jumped up from their seats and rushed to the newcomers.

Have you caught anything? one local asked impatiently.

Where is the loot? exclaimed another.

The leader of the returnees shook his head mournfully:

Sorry friends. We returned with empty paws.

The hope that gripped the cave dwellers melted away like fog under the hot sun. The hunters looked at each other sadly and walked away, their heads lowered and their tails dragging along the floor.

The snow-white cat watched them go, but after a moment she turned her head sharply, noticing the cat approaching her. His face turned white with age, his thick golden coat became thin and bald, but his proud gait indicated that he was once strong, courageous and respected in the clan.

Half the Moon! - he greeted the white cat and sat down beside him, wrapping his tail around his paws.

The snow-white cat purred softly.

Lion's Roar, stop calling me by that name, ”she asked. “I’ve already lost count of the moons that have passed since I became the Storyteller of the Sharp Stones.

In response, the golden cat just snorted dismissively:

What does it matter to me how long have you been called the Stoner? For me, you will always remain Half of the Moon.

Half Luna did not answer, just silently stretched out her tail and stroked her old friend on the shoulder.

I was born in this cave, continued the Lion's Roar. “But my mother, Timid Doe, often told me about the times when we lived in another place. I heard from her that you were born on the shore of a lake, under thick trees.

Half Moon sighed inaudibly.

Now, apart from me, there is no one left in the clan who would remember the lake and our long journey here ... But I live here three times longer than I lived near the lake, and the incessant murmur of the waterfall has long been ringing in my heart. - She paused, blinked, then asked: - Why did you start this conversation?

Lion's Roar hesitated to answer.

If nothing changes, we could all starve to death before we return. warm days, moreover, there is no room left in the cave for a long time. He extended his paw, smoothed the fur on Half Moon's shoulder. - We need to do something.

Half Moon goggled at him in amazement.

But we cannot leave the mountains! she choked out in a choking voice. - Sparrow's Wing gave his word, and that's why he made me the Storyteller of the Sharp Stones, because we are destined to live here in the mountains!

Lion's Roar, without flinching, held the indignant gaze of her green eyes.

Have you ever thought Sparrowwing could be wrong? - he asked. - How could he know what the future holds for us?

He couldn't be wrong! - Half the Moon whispered with conviction.

Mentally, she was transported again to that distant day when Sparrow's Wing made her the Storyteller of the Sharp Stones. Oh, how long ago it was! But Half the Moon even now involuntarily fluttered when from the distant past the voice of Sparrow's Wing, full of love and bitterness of inevitable separation, reached her:

“From now on, you will be called the Storyteller of the Sharp Stones. You will be the first, others will come for you, and it will always be like this - moon after moon, snow behind foliage. Choose your successors wisely, carefully teach them everything you know, in order to entrust them with the future of your clan ... "

"Would he have said so if we were not destined to live in the mountains?"

Half of the Moon looked around her clan - her unfortunate, hungry and emaciated cats. How to be? She shook her head sadly. Lion's Roar was right about one thing - you need to do something, otherwise they will all starve to death.

Unexpectedly for herself, she noticed that the cold gray light that flooded the cave suddenly turned warm and golden, as if the hot sun had risen behind the waterfall. But where does the sun come from on a dark night?

The Lion's Roar, as if nothing had happened, continued to wash his ears, other cats also behaved as if they did not notice anything surprising, meanwhile the golden light became brighter and brighter.

“Am I the only one to see this? How can this be? "

Warmed by a dazzling golden glow, Half Moon once again remembered her initiation ceremony. Sparrow Wing then said that her ancestors would never leave her, they would always be there to tell her the right decision, therefore, she should be very attentive to everything unusual, because behind it there can be something much more than it seems at first glance.

For all its long life Half of the Moon never felt the presence of the ancestors and did not speak to them, but she learned to notice and interpret the signs.

Gray Wing turned to Clear Sky.
- What are you standing? - he begged. - Run after her! Bring her back, because she carries your kittens! She needs you!
But Clear Sky did not budge, longingly watching the silvery figure slowly receding into the thicket.
“No, you shouldn't,” he said quietly. - I have to think about the majority. If Thunderstorm is not ready to accept my rules, then we will not have a common future with her.
- But you love her! whispered Gray Wing.
- Yes I love. But she made her choice, and my future is here, - Clear Sky stamped his paw on the ground.
His voice grew stronger, now there was no pain in him, but anger, an unyielding determination shone in his eyes again. Graywing realized that it was useless to persuade his brother.
“I'm sorry that happened,” he said with a sigh. “Believe me, I didn't want the Fox dead. I couldn't even imagine that this would happen ... but he attacked me first.
- He was doing his duty! - rapped Clear Sky, turning his back to his brother. - By the way, how is Jagged Peak?
Gray Wing's heart fluttered.
- He's getting better! he exclaimed hotly. - Cloudnik came up with exercises for him to develop his muscles. Of course, Jagged Pike's training is not easy, he often complains, but he tries his best. - Encouraged by the interest of Clear Sky in younger brother, Gray Wing plucked up his courage and asked, “Why don’t you drop by his place?” See for yourself how he is doing.
Clear Sky paused for a moment, then shook his head resolutely.
“No,” he said. - What has passed is gone. I have to go ahead and not look back. I have responsibilities, I have to protect my cats, and the weak next to me have nothing to do. So I have to say goodbye to you and Jagged Peak and Thunderstorm. You no longer have a place in my life.
Gray Wing staggered back, shocked by the icy determination that gleamed in his brother's eyes. He sighed. I had to admit that Clear Sky had chosen its own path and was not going to turn away from it.
“Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find us,” he said. - We will always be glad to see you.
At least I can say it for myself, Graywing thought sadly. “But who knows what the others will say? Will Long Shadow want to accept Clear Sky after all that he has done? And will Jagged Peak be able to forgive him? "
Graywing nodded to his brother one last time and walked away.
The cold drove its claws hard into the wasteland, froze streams and lakes, turned grass and thorns into ice needles. The Hawk's flight was loud and could hardly move its paws, her kittens were supposed to appear from day to day, so the Gray Wing spent the whole morning helping the Jackdaw's Scream to dig a spacious burrow in the depths of the tunnel, away from the piercing winds.
- Wonderful! - puffed Flight of the Hawk, sinking into a nest of moss and soft ferns, which was prepared for her by the caring Cry of the Jackdaw. - Oh, the kittens would sooner be born!
Graywing left her with a friend and walked out into the wasteland, exposing her wool to the cold wind. As he watched Hawk Flight, he couldn't help but think of Thunder.
She's probably already lambing, he thought anxiously. - A whole moon has passed since she left the Clear Sky. How is she? Are you healthy? "
The Gray Wing perked up. He suddenly knew what he had to do.
Running through the wasteland warmed him up, made his heart beat faster.
When they reached the forest, Gray Wing took a path to bypass the Clear Sky camp.
"I have more important things to do than bicker with him and his crazy cats."
As Twoleg territory loomed ahead, Graywing involuntarily slowed down, but forced himself to move on. Carefully making his way along the hard stone paths, he looked around vigilantly, looking for the nest in which Chatterbox and Turtle Tail lived.
“They may know where Storm has settled! And in general, I haven't seen Turtle Tail for a long time! "
At first he was lucky. Gray Wing recognized a tall nest that smelled of the stench of monsters and was lined with bare tree trunks painted in strange colors on all sides. Between the nest and the fence lay a lawn on which Two-legged kittens screamed screaming.
But as Gray Wing turned the corner, he heard a furious bark. Turning around, he saw a black dog rushing towards him.
Terror gripped Gray Wing. Not remembering himself, he ran away, the dog behind him. Turning the next corner, Gray Wing saw the Thundering Trail in front of him, along which monsters roared with growls. What to do? Run right under the paws of the monsters or wait to get into the dog's teeth? Gray Wing ran away again, turned onto some path and started off with all his paws.
He soon realized that he was lost. The fences and nests of the Twolegs swept past, and he kept running and running, not making out the road. Gray Wing did not dare to stop or look around, he constantly heard heart-rending dog barking behind his back and felt the stinking smell of his pursuer.
Turning around another corner, the cat stopped abruptly. Directly in front of him was a huge Twoleg nest. There was nowhere else to run, and Gray Wing was trapped. Hence, there was only one thing left - to fall in an unequal battle.
But when the cat resignedly turned to the approaching dog, a loud voice suddenly sounded over his head:
- Gray Wing! Here!
He raised his head and widened his eyes in amazement. Turtle Tail was standing right above him! She balanced on a narrow metal ledge that ran along the hole of light in the wall of the stone nest. Stretching its paws, Gray Wing leaped off the ground with a mighty leap and, already in flight, heard the dog's jaws clicking in the air.
Turtletail stretched out her neck, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck with her teeth, and pulled him onto the ledge.
- Thanks! puffed Gray Wing.
The dog below howled and barked in annoyance.
- Calm down, flea skin! - shouted Turtletail and nodded to Gray Wing. - Let's go!
Jumping off the ledge onto the fence, she led the cat past several stone nests, and then jumped into the grass.
- Well, well, I'm so glad to see you! - exclaimed Turtletail, looking at the Gray Wing with eyes shining with happiness. - What a fine fellow you are that you have come to see us with Chatterbox!
Gray Wing embarrassedly smoothed the fur on his shoulder.
“Well, actually I was looking for Storm,” he muttered.
Turtletail didn’t move, but her eyes went out in a flash.
“Well, yes,” she babbled barely audibly.
“You see, she has returned to Twoleg territory,” Gray Wing continued. He felt that he had said something wrong, but what did it matter? Now he needed to find out about the Storm as soon as possible. - Have you seen her? Where is she? How is she?
Turtletail turned away, sinking her claws into the ground, and reluctantly replied:
- I do not know...
- Yes, we know, we know! - came a clear voice from above. Looking up, Gray Wing saw Chatterbox sitting on a fence at the far end of the clearing. “Have you forgotten, Turtle Tail? The storm has moved to the old lair of monsters!

Ah ... well, yes ... - Turtle Tail mumbled, not looking up.
Gray Wing realized that she knew this perfectly from the very beginning, but for some reason did not want to speak.
- Thank you, Chatterbox! - he sincerely thanked. - Will you take me there?
The chatterbox thought for a moment.
- I can show you, but I won't go inside, okay? This place gives me goosebumps.
Graywing squinted at Turtletail, wondering if she would agree to go with them. But Turtletail, without looking at him, squeezed out: "Bye!" and rushed headlong across the clearing to the fence. Jumping on it, she jumped off the other side and disappeared from sight.
“What's the matter with her? How did I offend her? " - thought Gray Wing sadly.
Sad and bewildered, he followed Chatterbox along the wall for a long time, then trudged even longer past the Thundering Path, and so close to the snarling monsters that several times he was visited by a cowardly desire to run away. The growling of the monsters was deafening, the stench permeated the wool.
Finally they stopped in front of the trail and waited until they could get across to the other side. Here in the stream of monsters a gap formed, and Chatterbox howled:
- Let's run!
They were in the middle of the trail when another monster roared past, blowing the fur with a fetid wind.
“If only one paw is closer, and we would turn into carrion,” rasped Gray Wing.
The Chatterbox led him past the Twolegs' nests. It was dusk in the huge light holes of the nests transparent stone, the light came on.
Crowds of Twolegs roamed the roads back and forth, so the cats had to dodge them every now and then.
“I just don’t understand how you can live here! moaned Gray Wing.
The chatterbox glanced sideways at him.
- And I do not understand how you can live in the open air, freeze all the time, starve and get wet in the rain! she replied. - I guess everyone lives the way they like!
Gray Wing couldn't find an answer to that.
Finally, Chatterbox turned once more, and the cats found themselves in front of a huge stone den. Rows of empty holes gaped at its sides, the huge entrance blackened like a gaping mouth.
The chatterbox flicked her tail.
- So go. I will wait for you here and take you back.
Gray Wing's eyes widened in dismay.
- Thunderstorm ... lives here?
“Yes,” the cat nodded. - You see, for those cats who want to have a roof over their heads, but at the same time do not want to live with the Twolegs, there is not much to choose from. You don’t think there’s a lot of warm empty vagrant nests here, do you?
Fighting fear and panic, the Gray Wing approached the back door. Closing his eyes, he forced himself to step over the threshold and found himself in the dark. Dim light filtered from empty holes of light. Instead of earth, there was smooth stone, in some places stone trees protruded from it, on which the roof was supported. A wave of stench struck Gray Wing in the nose, and he recognized the old scent of monsters.
- Storm! Storm! he called.
Nobody answered. Graywing took a few steps, looking around, but nowhere was anything like a hideout suitable for a lambing cat and her kittens to be seen.
He walked a few more cat tails and noticed that the stone floor began to rise slightly. Quickening his pace, Gray Wing ran upstairs and carefully moved to the next level. Everything was the same here: darkness, emptiness, heaps of rubbish, stone trees and no trace of the Thunderstorm. A chilly draft touched the fur of the Gray Wing, water dripping somewhere in the distance.
The cat climbed higher and higher until he found himself at the very top of this terrible den. The storm was still nowhere to be seen, and no one responded to the cries of the Gray Wing.
“Maybe Chatterbox was wrong? Maybe Thunderstorm doesn't live here? "
Hesitantly approaching one of the open holes in the wall, Gray Wing glanced down and saw how high he had climbed. It was almost like in the mountains here! Below was the territory of the Twolegs. Monsters, like shiny fire-eyed beetles, scampered along the black paths. Further, beyond the Twolegs' territory, there was a forest - mostly gray-brown, interspersed with greenery in the place where the pines grew. Wasteland stretched beyond the forest, and the Gray Wing clean air, among the tall grass, where you can run at full speed.
Quiet footsteps behind him made him turn.
- Storm! he gasped.
The silver cat stood in two tails from him. Graywing's heart beat hot at the sight of her. The thunderstorm was already lambing and looked much worse than in the forest when he last saw it. Thin, tired, the sides were hollow, the fluffy silvery coat was matted and faded. And only beautiful green eyes shone as before.
“Thunderstorm,” Gray Wing repeated, taking a step towards her. - How are you? How are your kittens?
“There are three of them,” Storm nodded. - And yes ... it's okay.
- Where are they? - Gray Wing looked around. - May I have a look at them?
The silver cat hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.
- No, better not.
Bitter disappointment descended like a cloud on the heart of the Gray Wing.
- But they are my family too! Please, Thunderstorm! How can I offend your kittens?
But Thunderstorm shook her head again, more emphatically this time.
“These are my kittens,” she said quietly but firmly.
Overwhelmed by her coldness, Gray Wing lowered his head. What could he do to melt her heart? Apparently, Thunderstorm decided to rip him and the Clear Sky from her memory and life.
“But is that right? Why doesn't she want someone to help her raise the kids? "
Gray Wing wanted to ask all these questions out loud, but he was completely lost under the proud and decisive gaze of Storm. The words stuck in his throat, seemed pathetic and unnecessary. Submissively bowing his head, Gray Wing quietly uttered:
- Well, whatever you say, Thunderstorm. Goodbye. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.
With these words, he turned and trudged back - down and down, along the dark stone slopes of the abandoned den of monsters, to the black exit, in front of which Chatterbox was waiting for him.