Tallstar's Revenge/Chapter 37

"This isn't courage, Talltail. Killing me wouldn't bring Sandgorse back."

— Sparrow to Talltail when he is about to kill him in Tallstar's Revenge, page 410

Tallstar's Revenge
Chapter number:	37 (of 45)
Page numbers:	399-411
Point of View:	Talltail
Chronology

Below contains in-depth information for chapter thirty-seven of Tallstar's Revenge. If you are looking for a shorter summary of the entire book, please check the main article.

Chapter Number: 37 (of 45)

Page Numbers: 399-411

Chapter description

Talltail fidgets in his nest as a dream flies in. He is on a moor and heather is trembling far away. A hole is beside him. Talltail trembles and peers inside, darkness sucking him in. He struggles to find his paws, and feels water and dirt as he scratches the walls around him. Sandgorse howls to his son, his voice echoing through the shadows. Talltail can see his father, half-buried in the mud. He tries to drag him by the scruff and out into the grass, crying his name. Sandgorse's flanks quiver, his eyes close, and he falls still. Talltail crouches down and presses his nose to his father's cheek and his eyes fall open. The black and white tom jerks back and asks if he's alive, but Sandgorse only stares at him. Talltail thrusts his muzzle into his fur and meows he's going to avenge his death, and he will make Sparrow pay for what he's done. Sandgorse's head only rolls around and Talltail feels him slump, yowling into the sky. Someone calls him, and Talltail feels a muzzle poke his shoulder. He blinks and sees Jake looming over him, and he asks if it's dawn yet, staring at the rogues' camp. Jake soothes him and says not yet, and that he was twitching in his sleep, and he felt worried. Talltail meows it was just a bad dream.

Jake curls up beside him and says he needs to go back to sleep and Talltail leans closer, closing his eyes. His dream still flashes in his mind, seeing Sandgorse die. When Jake starts to go back to sleep, Talltail's tail-tip twitches and sees a nest in the clearing. He sees Sparrow's shadow from his nest, and wonders where he is going. Talltail believes he might be hunting. He gets excited thinking this could be his chance. He only needs to ask to join him, and then push him off the cliff. Reena calls him and blinks from her nest, asking where he is going. Talltail freezes and meows he saw Sparrow walk into the forest, and wanted to see if he was out hunting so he could join. Reena warns him Sparrow doesn't like company when he goes out hunting early. Talltail meows that he might want to be with him. Reena meows that she wouldn't risk it, offering to hunt with Talltail if he wants to. He shakes his head and meows he'll get some more sleep. He climbs back to his nest, wondering how long he will need to wait.

When Sparrow comes back to camp it is already dawn, and Talltail stretches, pretending to be yawning. Sparrow is carrying a pigeon and asks Talltail if he had just got up. Talltail lies he did, and asks if he had caught another pigeon, thinking about what the rogues told him: a place where the Twolegs have scattered grain, and the pigeons come. Sparrow reminds him the Twolegs leave food for them in the field, and Talltail asks if it's actually in the field. Sparrow meows near the Thunderpath, and began to drink in a pool of snowmelt. Talltail wonders if Sparrow would take him hunting there, but Bess' cry disrupts his thoughts. She hops out of her nest and sniffs the pigeon, and Reena joins, licking her lips. Mole is still in his nest, and Jake is still asleep.

Talltail asks Sparrow if he can take him there. He asks where, and Talltail meows the place where there are the pigeons. Sparrow shrugs and agrees. Talltail explains that he wants to hunt for him, as a thank you for letting them stay. Jake stirs and asks who is letting them stay, and Sparrow gazes at him, meowing no one's letting anyone stay, licking the water from his lips. He meows they are only just sharing the camp. Talltail dips his head and meows of course. Reena rolls he pigeon and asks if they can stay and Bess' gaze darkens, saying warriors and kittypets don't belong with rogues. Talltail interferes, saying he's not a warrior. The words had come out so fast Talltail didn't even think about it. Jake hops out of his nest and says he'll always be a warrior, just like he'll always be a kittypet. Algernon nods, saying that they will always be rogues, and asks who caught the pigeon. Bess stares fondly at Sparrow, meowing he caught it. Talltail pads towards the bracken and meows to Jake they'll need to practice their stalking. Jake blinks at him, asking if they are eating first, looking at the pigeon. Talltail meows later, saying he wants to talk with him privately. He meows they might catch something while practising, and walks into the woods.

Jake asks where should they practice stalking, and Talltail asks if he heard. Jake asks what, looking around the forest. Talltail meows about Sparrow, and Jake asks what about him. The black-and-white tom meows that Sparrow's taking him hunting near the cliff. Jake stiffens and says he's not thinking of it, and Talltail meows of course he's going to. He says it's the perfect place as there's no fighting or explanations needed; he just needed the right time and he can give Sparrow a push down the cliff. Jake's eyes widens in horror and asks if he will push Sparrow onto the Thunderpath. Talltail insists it's perfect, as he'll pay for Sandgorse's death beneath a monster. Jake tells him to not do it, and Talltail meows he said he would help him. His kittypet friend asks if he really wants to kill a cat, and Talltail replies if he stayed in WindClan, he would have done so in battle by now. Jake points out killing in battle would make sense as he needs to defend a Clanmate but to kill a cat many moons later would not.

Talltail growls Sparrow never understood what he did, and that he needs to be punished and to make him sorry. Jake meows to just tell him, and make him understand. Talltail glares at him asking if he thought he had not tried at Sandgorse's death. He meows that Sparrow wouldn't admit it, and that he doesn't care about anything. Talltail meows he'll make sure he's going to care about this, and Jake asks by killing him. He meows he knows Talltail, and he's not a killer. He'd die trying to defend his loved ones, but killing a cat he barely knows isn't like him. Talltail hisses Sparrow has to pay, wondering why Jake is arguing. He meows if no one pays for Sandgorse's death, then it wouldn't be fair. Jake meows that life isn't fair, and Talltail says it's not fair to him. Jake gazes at him and softly begs to Talltail to not do this. He snarls that he must, saying if he doesn't agree, he should go home as he's no use. Talltail stomps away, thinking even Jake had betrayed him. He wondered why he had trusted anyone, and thought he came for revenge and he's going to get it.

Talltail heads back to camp, and asks Sparrow if they can hunt. Sparrow tells him there is prey underneath a holly bush, and Talltail asks what about the pigeons. Sparrow warns him they'll be aware of them after what happened this morning, and suggests they wait until tomorrow as they wouldn't want to scare them off. Talltail paces back to camp, and Reena offers to hunt with him, which seems like a relief to the long-tailed tom. However, woodland hunting made Talltail even more restless, even though they caught a squirrel and a blackbird. Back at camp, Talltail avoided looking at Jake, but he could feel him watching. He shares the fresh-kill with the other rogues, climbing into his nest.

Reena asks if he's tired already, asking if they could go for a walk. Talltail replies it's too cold, and Jake offers to go with Reena. She blinks and meows no thanks, as it is too cold. Jake looks at the rogues and curls up back in his own nest. Talltail stares at Sparrow, thinking about tomorrow. His heart is too fast for him to sleep, picturing in his mind hurling Sparrow of the cliff, and a monster racing towards him.

The sky slowly clears, and Talltail hops out of his nest. He thrust his nose near Sparrow's ear, asking him to go hunt. Sparrow blinks and asks now, as the sun isn't even up yet. Talltail meows he thought he liked early hunting, and the pigeons probably aren't even awake yet, so they can choose a good hiding spot. Sparrow narrows his eyes and meows Talltail sounds like a warrior planning a patrol and he left WindClan to escape duties, and Talltail replies that hunting isn't a duty, but fun. The brown rogue yawns and heads into the forest, gesturing to hunt. Talltail stalks him, thinking Sparrow is the prey to him, more than any pigeon. Images flash in his mind about Sandgorse's death, and he clenches his teeth to stop growling. As they reached the field, Sparrow nods towards the grain, saying it is there, and Talltail heads towards the cliff, meowing that they should check the Thunderpath first. Sparrow asks why, and Talltail replies crows will take away prey back home, then corrected himself saying WindClan territory.

Sparrow asks what good is it to them, and asks who eats crow-food or crows. He meows the cliff is also too steep to climb down. Talltail innocently asks if it is, and Sparrow tells him to go wait for the pigeon, but Talltail meows to look at the Thunderpath, uncurling his claws. Sparrow shrugs, and follows him towards the cliff. He can smell the monsters, and Sparrow asks if there was any sign of crow-food. He meows he can't see anything. Talltail lifted his paws, thinking to Sandgorse he's going to avenge his death. Sparrow notes he's acting weird. Talltail stretched out his claws, telling him to take a good look at him as he's going to be the last cat he ever sees, as he's killing him. Sparrow asks why, and Talltail asks if he doesn't know. Sparrow meows to tell him, and Talltail growls he killed his father. Sparrow asks if it's Sandgorse, and Talltail tells him he made him go inside the tunnel, and left him there to die. Sparrow meows that didn't happen, and Talltail hisses he saw him run out, leaving Sandgorse behind.

The brown rogue replies he didn't know what to do, as he's not warrior. Sparrow meows Sandgorse knew what to do as he is not warrior, and gave up his life so he could escape. He meows Sandgorse held up the earth for him to run. Sparrow edges closer and tells Talltail his father died a hero, and Talltail demands why should he believe him. Sparrow asks if he doesn't believe Sandgorse would sacrifice himself to save him, and Talltail realizes the rogue is playing with him like he's the prey. He tells himself to just push him, and Sparrow asks if he's going to kill him, asking if that's part of the the warrior code. Talltail snarls he knows nothing about the warrior code, and Sparrow replies he knows courage, which Sandgorse showed when he helped him escape. Talltail thinks that his father was brave, and would have given his life for someone else. Sparrow tells him this isn't courage, as killing him would not bring Sandgorse back. Talltail hears Jake's words in his mind, telling him he's not a killer. He backs away, telling him to get away from the cliff. Sparrow's eyes grew wide, and screams for help, falling backwards down the cliff. Talltail flings out one paw, trying to reach out for the brown rogue, then saw Sparrow disappear.

Characters

Major

• Talltail

Minor

• Sandgorse (Vision or Dream)
• Jake
• Sparrow
• Reena
• Bess
• Mole
• Algernon