THE NEARLY-FULL moon floated low in the sky, stars twinkling all around it as it sank into the horizon. Relief brought Spottedsong back to life when she realized it was almost dawn. It was almost time until she could sleep. And talk. Even though interacting with other cats wasn't exactly on her list of interests, she needed someone to talk to. She needed to make things up to Gorseberry, no matter what it took. What if he never spoke to her again? Or at least, motioned to her again. Whatever he did to communicate.

Spottedsong glanced toward the middle of the clearing where several cats were gathered around Owlheart's body, groomed and doused in lavender, sleeping quietly. Spottedsong felt a stab of guilt and regret at the sight of the cobwebs wrapped around the wounds she left behind. But right after the guilt had passed, loathing for Cypressstar and maybe even herself took its place. It was my choice to do this. He didn't have to be in charge of me, but I let him be in control of me.

***

Spottedsong found herself impatiently pacing back and forth, her heart racing with disquiet. Even though Mousetail's kits had been returned unharmed two days ago and she had one less thing to worry about, she knew that it would be anytime that some cat would uncover Spottedsong's secret because Cloudsky could spill it, or Gorseberry would finally find a way to tell the Clan what he saw, or her scent would be found on Owlheart's body.

It was early in the morning, and it wasn't time for the patrols to be sent out yet, but Spottedsong simply couldn't sleep, even after a long night standing vigil after being chosen as deputy and decided to stay out in the chilly clearing while she waited; at least it was quieter out here. It wasn't exactly warm, though, even though, as a FrostClan cat, she had a thick, cold-resistant coat of fur.

"Why so stressed?"

Spottedsong turned around sharply, her shoulder fur beginning to rise, to see Skystorm standing behind her.

"First of all, your vigil's over. Second, keep your fur on," Skystorm mewed. Then he tipped his head to one side. "I know I said, 'Why so stressed?' but are you even stressed?"

"Yes, and it's none of your business," Spottedsong snapped.

"Well, you must be pretty overwhelmed if you didn't go straight to sleep after a long night," Skystorm pointed out.

Spottedsong sighed in exasperation. "Again, it's none of your business. Why must you stick your tail in every cat's business? Sometimes you have to leave it alone and be okay with it because one's concern is their concern."

"I'm just worried about you. I'm your older brother, I should be allowed to worry. It's also in my nature, so, there's two reasons why I should be worried."

"Okay, but older by what? A heartbeat? That doesn't even matter. What matters is you should be minding your own business. Emphasizing that so you go away," Spottedsong retorted.

"Something's wrong. You haven't been this . . . you know . . . snappy since we were apprentices. Seriously, you can tell me," Skystorm offered, lowering his voice to a near whisper.

"So I'm not allowed to change my mind?" Spottedsong scoffed. "What if you're just annoying me?"

"Come on, what is it?" Skystorm persisted, and to Spottedsong's dismay.

Spottedsong held his gaze for a few heartbeats. Well, he won't stop asking unless I give some sort of answer. "Fine. I'm just . . . remembering Tawnyflight. She was the only parent we really knew, and now we have no idea when we'll see her again."

"Look, I miss her too, but she's been dead for nearly two seasons, and you're deputy now, and Owlheart just died. See? There are so many reasons why you would be stressed, and thinking about Tawnyflight is not one of them."

"Great StarClan!" Spottedsong blurted. "Just mind your own business, okay? This"-she gestured to the space in between them as if to point out their conversation-"is not something you should be minding."

"Yes, it-"

"Oh, look, it's time for me to organize the patrols. And I might just put you on the first one." Spottedsong shot Skystorm an angry look before she padded away.

***

Near the ThunderClan border, Spottedsong pulled herself slowly toward the mouse that was nibbling on a pecan unknowingly. As she raised her paw, a strong, frigid breeze passed through the forest. A mouse dropped its food and skittered away, a leaf flying up in its wake. Fox dung! Spottedsong muttered through gritted teeth.

Before she left the clearing in search of more prey, though, Spottedsong stopped when she heard voices not far away. Dead leaves crunched under a cat's paws. Spottedsong turned to the sound and saw a tortoiseshell coat of fur through the thickening undergrowth. She recognized the scent immediately. "Hollyfern!" she hissed.

The tortoiseshell she-cat slipped out of the undergrowth from behind the ThunderClan border, her ears flattened. "S-Spottedsong," she mewed nervously.

"What were you doing in ThunderClan territory? You're supposed to be by the WindClan border with Cloudsky and Gorseberry!" she growled. "You know you'll be in a lot of trouble for this, right? Who were you seeing anyway?"

Hollyfern lowered her gaze to the ground. "If I tell you, will you tell Lynxstar?"

"Depends on what you want to tell me," Spottedsong pointed out.

"Please don't tell her!" Hollyfern's voice held a desperate edge to it.

"I can't make any promises. I'm FrostClan's deputy now, and I want to keep it that way."

"Please," Hollyfern begged.

Spottedsong sighed. Hollyfern was her friend, and ever since her kin began to struggle, she had been struggling as well. Spottedsong figured Hollyfern needed a break. Lynxstar didn't have to know, did she? "Fine."

Hollyfern glanced around the clearing, then fixed her green gaze on Spottedsong's. "I'm expecting Darkclaw's kits."

"Darkclaw? From ShadowClan? First of all, what was he doing all the way over here, and what were you thinking overall? He already has a mate!" Spottedsong hissed.

Hollyfern's eyes rounded. "He does? He never thought to tell me. . . . Oh, no, what have I done? What will his mate think when she finds out? Do you know who his mate is? You have to. You're friends with his friends, right?"

"We chat at Gatherings, so I guess. But anyway, it's Silverfoot."

"What? I thought they were rivals or something. The 'if I see your face ever again, you'll wish you were never born' sort of rivals," Hollyfern gasped. "I've spoken to her enough to know that if she knows about Darkclaw and I, she'll tear me to shreds. Oh, why didn't Darkclaw tell me? Isn't this what a disloyal mate is like?"

"He was probably planning on telling you. Sometimes cats make mistakes, but it's not because they're disloyal. He's probably realized the mistake he's made-"

"What are you getting at? Are you saying that his choice to be with me or Silverfoot was a mistake? That I don't deserve his-or any cat's-love or that I'm not desirable?" Hollyfern sounded genuinely infuriated. "I deserve love, Spottedsong, just as much as you do! Just as much as any cat!"

"No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that-"

"I think I've had enough." Hollyfern turned away and was about to dash into the trees-not ThunderClan's trees-when she looked over her shoulder. "I know your secret, and I might just reveal it because that's what a loyal warrior would do."

"No-" Hollyfern was already gone. Spottedsong sighed and headed the opposite direction. Maybe I can make sure we have an understanding that that was not what I was trying to say . . . Realization hit her. StarClan. What if I was trying to say that but I just didn't realize? What if this is the kind of thing that Cypressstar wants? To tear our Clan apart from the inside out? To turn us against each other?

I'm being mouse-brained. He can't possibly be that sly. But then, I have no idea what his background is like. She remembered what Moonclaw had said when she and Dovesong went to talk to the RiverClan medicine cat. "But underneath the kind mentor there was a cruel and manipulative monster that was willing to kill and destroy to get what he wants." Suddenly, it made sense. It should have made sense before: Cypressstar had been lying and playing tricks on her all along so she would begin to act on the wrong side.

Spottedsong turned her paw over so she could see the scar on her pad. This scar is just a scar. The blood I spilled because of it is just blood. There is no oath. It was never broken because it never existed. I am FrostClan's deputy, so I won't give in to his games now. She stamped her paw firmly back on the ground.

Although she thought all those words with confidence, unease and paranoia suddenly began to sink in. Spottedsong tried to shake it off and, fluffing out her fur and flattening her ears, she left to find her fresh-kill and the rest of the patrol.

***

Spottedsong's legs trembled as she made her way over the fallen tree that led to the Gathering island. Even though she had done this countless times before, the height separating the bridge and the black water below was fear-inducing. Luckily, the water was calm and the tree's trunk wasn't wet and slippery, but it still seemed the same, as her legs and paws trembled tremendously.

She got to the other side safely, and Lynxstar had just gotten across, so she was waiting for her on the other side. It didn't take long for the rest of the Clan to get across.

Spottedsong looked around the Gathering island. All the Clans were there.

Pressure on Spottedsong's side caught her attention. Surprisingly, Gorseberry was leaning on her for support. They exchanged awkward glances and Gorseberry straightened up and took a step back. "You did that on purpose," Spottedsong mewed. "You're not mad at me."

Gorseberry shifted his gaze to his paws, his fur ruffling a bit. He shook his head.

"Liar," Spottedsong retorted, flicking her tail over his ear fondly. "You know I love you, right?"

Gorseberry rolled his eyes.

"I know you're mad at me, but seriously, you're the one who asked."

Gorseberry gave her a confused look as if to say Asked what?

"You asked if I would be your mate, so you obviously care or you asked too soon. It's your choice."

Gorseberry shuffled his paws in the dirt.

"Fine. Well, I'm going to go now." Spottedsong glanced at him, and then gave him a quick nuzzle in the cheek before turning to join the other deputies at the foot of the Great Oak. She stood beside Leafheart, who stood at the edge of the line, next to where Owlheart used to be at Gatherings.

"Where's Owlheart?" Leafheart asked immediately, skipping his usual warm greeting.

Spottedsong returned his gaze, nervousness churning in her stomach. For a moment she was afraid her fresh-kill would come up the way it came, but she took a deep breath and meowed, as calmly as she could, "Dead."

"What?" Leafheart gasped. "How? When?"

"Just yesterday. His body was found in the camp, but we don't know who killed him." That was a half-lie. She knew who killed him. She did. Gorseberry knew. Cloudsky knew. They knew the ugly truth, but at least they were loyal enough to keep the secret. "I-I am FrostClan's deputy now." That was true, but the words felt bitter on her tongue. She didn't deserve this. She knew Owlheart would be watching now, thinking about how wrong it was for his killer to be the new FrostClan deputy. And she could understand. It was wrong, but at least everything was going as planned.

"Oh. I'm so sorry that had to happen right before tonight. He's safe in StarClan now," Leafheart murmured, resting his tail on Spottedsong's shoulder momentarily. "How are you liking this new position?"

Alarm shot through Spottedsong as she thought of something to say. "I wasn't expecting it. And I don't know how I can ever be as good at Owlheart was. But Lynxstar says I'll do just fine, so I guess I will."

Leafheart nodded. "She's right. And you don't have to be as good as Owlheart. Just be your best, okay?"

"Let us begin the Gathering tonight!"

The chatter in the air slowly, gradually died down as cats filed into their regular spots with their Clans for the Gathering.

Brightstar began the meeting. "My-"

She didn't have time to finish because Fallenstar interrupted her. "Before you begin, I think we would all like an update on this unnamed cat you told us about last time." He looked around at the Clans as they all nodded and murmured in agreement, all except for the ThunderClan cats. Spottedsong narrowed her eyes at them and saw that Robinfeather was pressed against a pretty gray tabby she-cat, Brindlemist, who looked old enough to be Robinfeather's mother. It seemed they were both trying their hardest to hide their fear, but they failed miserably.

Could one of them be the unnamed cat? I wouldn't be surprised if it was Robinfeather . . . but she does seem to have a particularly large distaste for MoonClan ever since she was attacked. So I guess it could be Brindlemist? Spottedsong looked back at the leaders, but she couldn't stop thinking about Brindlemist. Could it really be her?

"Like I said last time," Brightstar meowed, sounding as confident as ever, "we have it under control."

"We need names!" Jaguarpelt hissed.

"I promised I wouldn't say names, and I intend to keep that promise."

Spottedsong glanced across the clearing at Brindlemist, and she looked relieved. It's her. It has to be.

Clamoring was aroused from the Clan cats, but before it grew too loud, Fallenstar said, "We'll come back to this sometime. Continue with your report, Brightstar."

Brightstar dipped her head and continued. "With leaf-bare on the way, we expect more, heavier snow soon, so we have made the patrols bigger so more fresh-kill can be collected before they go into hiding. Otherwise everything is uneventful in ThunderClan." She turned her gaze to Jaguarpelt. "How is Streamstar?"

A somber look came to Jaguarpelt's eyes. "She has moved to the ranks of StarClan."

All four of the leaders looked particularly shocked, but also unsurprised at the same time. "I'm very sorry to hear that," Breezestar murmured. "She will be remembered for seasons to come." He dipped his head honorably.

"Thank you. She is terribly missed. . . . But in other news, I visited the Moonpool just a few moonhighs ago, and I am Jaguarstar now." His gaze flicked to the medicine cats, and Spottedsong followed his gaze. Fernpaw looked particularly defiant, her tail flicking irritably from side to side.

"Jaguarstar! Jaguarstar!" The island reverberated with the sound of cats chanting the new RiverClan leader's name. But something about the air that surrounded the cats made Spottedsong think that Streamstar's death wasn't as simple as getting sick. Something else happened. But what? Maybe Fernpaw knew. She looked like she knew, but Spottedsong's instincts told her it wasn't worth the wait to ask Fernpaw what she knew.

Jaguarstar turned his gaze to Breezestar, and the Gathering continued.