The Sun Trail/Chapter 15

==Chapter description==
:Following Clear Sky's lead, Jackdaw's Cry, Falling Feather, Turtle Tail, and Gray Wing pad through the trees, hunting. Gray Wing is uncomfortable hunting in the forest. Falling Feather had just caught a mouse, and they hear a loud screech. Clear Sky recognizes the voice as Moon Shadow's, and Gray Wing thinks the tom shouldn't go off by himself. Clear Sky hauls one cat away from the black tom, and Gray Wing leaps on another, cuffing the she-cat. The cat claws his side, and aims for his throat. Gray Wing avoids the blow, and is dimly aware of the battle ongoing. He thinks the cat wants to kill him, senses fogging with pain. He hears Turtle Tail's voice, and the she-cat rolls away from Gray Wing. Gray Wing staggers to his paws, seeing the three cats have stopped fighting. Satisfaction surges through him as he sees all cats bore claw marks. Turtle Tail helps Moon Shadow up to his paws. 
:The black she-cat tells them that they weren't welcome there, ordering them back to where they had came from. The black-and-white tom tells them to stop stealing their prey, and states they fight like half-dead rabbits, and had won only because the other cats had come to to help. The yellow cat grabs the squirrel before dragging it away with her. Moon Shadow protests, but Clear Sky stops the tom, asking if he had learned nothing. Moon Shadow follows Clear Sky onto the moor. Gray Wing finds the scratches on his side grow more painful with every step. Gray Wing wonders what it would be like to lose a battle.
:Tall Shadow is furious that Moon Shadow didn't listen to her order. Moon Shadow retorts that it was because it was a flea-brained order, as the hollow was smaller than in the mountains. Tall Shadow tells them that maybe they should hunt more in the forest, and orders Moon Shadow not to go off by himself again. Cloud Spots treats their injuries, and tells Gray Wing that he wasn't too happy with the idea that they would have to fight with the other cats.
:The next day, Moon Shadow, Clear Sky, Jagged Peak, Quick Water and Shattered Ice decide to go hunting. Gray Wing refuses to go with them, trying to convince himself that they wouldn't meet the other cats again. Turtle Tail suggests they go for a walk, and they head to the giant oaks. The two cats climb the huge boulder, and Gray Wing lies down to let the sunlight play over his fur. Turtle Tail sits beside him, content. Gray Wing dozes, and loses track of time until a voice rouses him. The two cats peer over the edge, and to his surprise, they see the plump tortoiseshell who introduces herself as Bumble, a kittypet. The kittypet climbs up the boulder, and they introduce themselves as Turtle Tail and Gray Wing.
:Bumble asks why they are so thin, and the two cats respond that they had traveled a long way; from the other side of Highstones, and didn't always have time to hunt. Bumble is curious why they had traveled, and they tell the kittypet there wasn't enough food in the mountains to feed them, and cats had gotten carried off by birds. Bumble exclaims that life there sounded so hard, and states it was no wonder they had come to live here. Turtle Tail says that living with Twolegs is weird. Bumble states it is great, and that she sleeps all day. She states the wild cats don't bother her; she was no threat. They decide to go hunting and part with Bumble.
:Together, they head back the moor. Turtle Tail and Gray Wing confide to each other about how they can't get used to hunting under trees. Gray Wing doubts they will ever see Bumble again, as they might eat her. Turtle Tail purrs in amusement and scents a rabbit. The two cats spring forward, but Gray Wing falls behind due to his injuries. When he reaches Turtle Tail, she has already caught the prey. They eat the rabbit, then return to the hollow. Clear Sky and the hunting cats catches up to them as they arrive. Jagged Peak compliments his brother's climbing skills, and to Gray Wing, Clear Sky seems to look more like himself. Tall Shadow congratulates them, then thanks Stoneteller for sending them to that place. Gray Wing, gazing at the landscape, lets himself believe they might've reached the place that Stoneteller had promised.
:Gray Wing notices that the area is rich with growth, and runs just for the joy of it. Soon after, a rabbit runs past him, Wind and Gorse hot on its heels. Wind follows it underground, and pops back up, the rabbit in her jaws. At his request, Wind leads Gray Wing into the rabbit's nest. When Gray Wing emerges from the hole, Wind tells him to never panic in the holes again, or he would be lost before he knew it. Gray Wing says that it might've not been a great idea, but is still fascinated about the network of tunnels underneath the ground. He thanks the two cats for showing him, and is relieved that the encounter hadn't been a hostile one.
==Characters==
===Major===
===Minor===
===Mentioned===
==Notes and references==
de:Der Sonnenpfad/Kapitel 15fr:Le sentier du soleil/Chapitre 15
Category:Dawn of the Clans arc
Category:The Sun Trail
Category:Chapter subpages