SPOTTEDSONG SLEPT SOUNDLY in her nest as the sun began to set, sending its brilliant rays onto the campgrounds. Ever since Dovesong returned, Spottedsong was never bothered by loud and chaotic voices and was never visited by Moonclaw in her dreams. She wondered what happened to her.

     Spottedsong had returned to her warrior duties a few days ago, and it was wonderful. She had a few headaches here and there, but she wasn't dizzy or confused as much. But Badgertooth insisted she rest at least once each day, and that's what she was doing.

     She was roused into full consciousness when she heard the nest beside her rustling. She lifted her head and saw her brother, Skystorm, next to her. "I need to talk to you really quickly."

     "Um . . . sure. Let me clean myself really quick." Spottedsong was concerned by the look of nervousness in her littermate's eyes. She stood up and, as Skystorm left, arched her back in a stretch and parted her jaws in a yawn. She quickly groomed herself, licking her paw and scrubbing her face carefully. When she was finished, she left the den in search of Skystorm. Her brother was by the den, waiting. "Okay. What do you want to talk about?"

     "Let's go outside of the camp." Skystorm led Spottedsong hastily to the camp entrance and beside the towering waterfall outside of the camp. "I've been meaning to ask you some questions about what has been going on with Moonclaw and everything."

     "I haven't heard anything from her in a quarter moon," Spottedsong informed him, eyeing him skeptically. "What are you up to?"

     "Oh, nothing. I just wanted to know what the warning signs are," Skystorm meowed quickly, blinking at her hopefully.

     The answer was on the tip of Spottedsong's tongue. But her confusion was coming back and she stared blankly at Skystorm, trying to remember. "The warning signs . . . ?"

     "Great StarClan," Skystorm sighed. "What do you look for when all of those weird things happen? Like, what happened when you tried to kill Dovesong?"

     "I . . . What? I would never try to kill Dovesong!" Spottedsong cried.

     Skystorm sighed. "Badgertooth said you were all better."

     "I am! I just get confused sometimes. Sorry, what was the question?" Spottedsong asked.

     "What happened when you tried to kill Dovesong a couple moons back?" Skystorm repeated. "Come on, you have to remember!"

     Spottedsong did remember. She hated thinking about it. "Oh-that time I was just scared, so I did it. But other times, like when I was rogue and Dovesong came across the clearing that I was at, that was when this weird feeling came over me, but before that it was like a million voices whirling around in my head like flies, loud and distracting. And then I lost all control. But only temporarily. Does that make sense? I know it's really weird . . ."

     "Yeah, weird, but I understand. I just wanted to know because it seemed like the reason most things have been happening, like when Frozenfang almost died to Dawnsplash, or when those ThunderClan warriors were killed."

     Spottedsong's mouth fell open in shock. "The ThunderClan warriors? I mean, I know they were murdered, but Moonclaw had something to do with it?"

     "Well, that's what Dovesong and Swallowpaw said."

     "Oh. Huh. Well, I haven't heard anything from Moonclaw in a while. Everyone who was influenced by her should be fine now. Though I don't know what happened to her. Perhaps she was hurt . . . I hope not, but that's the most reasonable reason," Spottedsong explained grimly. "That's RiverClan's problem, though. She was their only medicine cat, right?"

     "I think so. Well, that's all the information I need. Thanks."

     "You're welcome. But, Skystorm, before you go, what do you need this information for? What are you up to?"

     "I just want to know the warning signs," Skystorm insisted innocently.

     "Do you think you're being affected, too? You can tell me."

     "No! I was just curious. That's all. Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to visit my mate and kits," Skystorm meowed, immediately turning around and leaving.

     He's hiding something from me, Spottedsong realized. I just need to find out what without him knowing. How in the name of StarClan can I do that? She watched him go as she thought about it. She entered the camp after him. She was so deep in thought that she didn't realize Gorseberry was approaching her.

     "Owlheart wants you on patrol," he told her quietly, as if cautious to startle her.

      Spottedsong jumped and whirled around to look at the tabby. "Great StarClan, you scared me! Don't do that again."

     Gorseberry narrowed his eyes. "Are you okay? You're never this jumpy."

     "I'm fine. I just had an important conversation with Skystorm, that's all." Spottedsong looked across the clearing to her brother, who was entering the nursery to greet Mousetail. "I'll come," she added hastily. She followed Gorseberry toward the patrol, which consisted of Acornshade, Blizzardpelt, Cloudsky, Whitefoot, and Hollyfern. "Owlheart's adding on to the patrols, now, is he? Is it because of the murders in ThunderClan?"

     "Maybe." Gorseberry shrugged. "Come on, let's get going."

     Whitefoot kinked his tail over his back to tell the patrol to follow. "Let's start with the ThunderClan border." He nodded toward the direction of ThunderClan land, and he led his patrol there.

     When they were about halfway to the border, something caught Spottedsong's eye. She turned to look at it. At first there was nothing, and then there was a second rustle in the bushes. She glanced at the patrol. No one was looking. She darted toward the bushes and looked around for whatever she had seen.

     She let out a yowl of terror as her paws slipped on hard rock, slicing through her pads, and she fell over a ravine. Luckily she was able to find a foothold on the side of the rock and grabbed onto that with her injured, unsheathed paw. "Help!" she yowled. Her pads stung, and she had to fight the pain to stay on the side of the ravine.

     Then she heard paw steps overhead. She could see Gorseberry now. But she also heard her Clanmates behind him. He lowered himself to the ground and reached down to grab Spottedsong's scruff. He hauled her upward, and Spottedsong's paws scraped the rock in an effort to get back up. He hauled her onto the top of the rock, and she collapsed in exhaustion. "Are you okay?" Gorseberry asked at once.

     Spottedsong opened her eyes and turned her paws over to look at her stinging pads. They both had deep gashes in them, blood welling from them. "Other than that," she grimaced, nodding to her injured paws, "I'm fine."

     "We need to get you back to camp immediately," Whitefoot observed. "Can you walk?"

     Spottedsong winced as she got to her paws. Both of her forepaws throbbed. "I don't think I can put my forepaws on the ground. A little bit, maybe. . . ."

     "Okay. Hollyfern and Gorseberry will support you back to camp," Whitefoot decided. He glanced over his shoulder toward the ThunderClan border and back at Acornshade, Blizzardpelt, and Cloudsky. "The rest of you, come with me. Let's go mark the borders. With that murderer on the loose, we have no time to lose."

     "We'll be back with you soon," Hollyfern promised as the cats parted. She and Gorseberry supported Spottedsong back to the camp. "What were you doing there anyway? Even the newest apprentice knows not to wander from a patrol!"

     "I know, I heard something in the bushes, and when I went to investigate, I slipped over the ravine. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have. The thing I heard was just right across the ravine," she apologized.

     "That's a coincidence, isn't it?" Gorseberry murmured. "You heard something by a ravine right as you passed it. And whatever it was, it was across the ravine. Sounds suspicious."

     Hollyfern nodded. "It does. Perhaps it wasn't a coincidence. Maybe some cat was trying to get you to fall over the ravine," she suggested.

     "And hedgehogs fly! Seriously, Hollyfern, who would want to target Spottedsong? What harm did she ever do?" Gorseberry asked.

     "Well, the other Clans know about her imprisonment, don't they? Perhaps they saw her as a threat and wanted to get rid of her anonymously," Hollyfern guessed.

     "Nonsense. Let's think about the sensible option: MoonClan. Maybe they were targeting me. Cypressstar doesn't seem to trust me anymore because I failed to kill Dovesong twice."

     "You had an alliance with Cypressstar?" Hollyfern gasped. "Why? How?"

     Spottedsong looked at the two littermates apologetically. She knew that the truth had to come out about everything someday. She would have to tell them. "When Moonclaw visited me, she made me make a promise. Of course, I didn't know what I was agreeing to then. I was a mouse-brained apprentice. But then, I had to visit Cypressstar to 'prove my loyalty'. I had to spill my own blood, take an oath that I was forced to take. And then . . . he believed that I was truly loyal. But then, I failed to kill Dovesong twice. I never wanted to kill her, of course, but Moonclaw made me try."

     The three cats paused. Hollyfern and Gorseberry glanced at each other, then turned their stunned gazes toward their Clanmate. Spottedsong cringed, immediately regretting her decision to tell them. But she reminded herself that the Clans were in danger, and what she did could help, even if it was just a brief and sudden explanation. Every action counts.

     After a long, uneasy silence, they started walking again, and Hollyfern murmured, "That's . . . terrible. Does anyone else know about this? Or is anyone else affected, or . . . what else do you know?"

     Spottedsong met her friend's eyes, wondering if she should spill all of her companions' secrets. But really, all she knew was that Gingerstripe and Dawnsplash were affected. But if they wanted help from them, that wouldn't work very well. Dawnsplash was still imprisoned. Gingerstripe would hardly be of any help because she was from ShadowClan, not FrostClan. "Not . . . not really. Well, Dawnsplash is. Or was. I haven't heard anything from Moonclaw in a while. But I don't think she'll be much help if you try. You know how Lynxstar wants to keep her isolated in case she tries to kill anyone else. She might imprison me, too, again. But she doesn't know that nothing has happened ever since Dovesong was rescued."

     "Wasn't Moonclaw rescued, too? Streamstar explained at the Gathering that Moonclaw had gone missing," Gorseberry pointed out.

     "What are you trying to say?" Spottedsong asked.

     "Well . . . maybe Moonclaw left or something. But that doesn't seem likely. She sounds evil," Gorseberry explained. "Is she?"

     Spottedsong wondered if she should tell him about Moonclaw's past, because if she just said that Moonclaw wasn't evil, that wasn't enough. But that seemed too personal. Moonclaw needed to be there. "I don't know," she replied at once. "But, I mean, it's not like we can just go stroll onto RiverClan land searching for Moonclaw."

     Gorseberry looked alarmed. "No, I don't want to find her! That's risky. I just want to know why you haven't heard anything in a while. But anyway, we're here. I can take it from here, Hollyfern."

     The tabby's sister nodded, glanced at Spottedsong sympathetically, and darted away into the horizon.

     "Come on, Spottedsong," Gorseberry mewed.

     Spottedsong followed him unhesitantly. As she followed close behind him, she felt a new kind of feeling toward her old friend. He had saved her without hesitation. He didn't even scold her for being as bee-brained as a kit. But she didn't want to admit it. She knew that he was just a friend, and besides, love was a weakness. She could never love anyone that way.

     When they entered the den, Dovesong looked up, looking startled. "What happened?" She must have seen the pained look in Spottedsong's eyes and the panicked look in Gorseberry's.

     "I fell over a ravine," Spottedsong admitted, sitting down heavily, grateful to get off her paws. She held out her forepaws for Dovesong to see. "The rock sliced through my pads."

     Dovesong sucked in a sharp breath. "Okay. I'll get something for that." She turned and disappeared in the herbs store.

     Spottedsong looked at Gorseberry when she was gone. "Thank you for saving me," she meowed.

     Gorseberry looked slightly embarrassed, giving his chest fur a couple of quick swipes to avoid eye contact. "Ah, well, I couldn't let my Clanmates fall into a ravine, now, could I?"

     "What warrior would? You acted without hesitation. A true-hearted warrior does that," Spottedsong pointed out.

     "Well, I am an amazing warrior," Gorseberry gloated, puffing out his chest proudly. "Oh, here she comes."

     Dovesong emerged from the herb store with the poultice in her jaws. "This should help. Hold out your pads again."

     Spottedsong held out her paws reluctantly, and winced when Dovesong began to trickle the liquid onto her pads. "What is that?"

     "Oak leaves. It prevents infections," Dovesong mumbled through the leaf she clenched in her jaws. She pulled it away when the liquid was all over Spottedsong's cuts. She turned around and came back with a small collection of cobwebs in claws. She balanced on two legs-or presumably one-and wrapped the cobwebs around Spottedsong's paws. "What do you do to hurt yourself all the time?" she teased.

     "I'm being a warrior," Spottedsong replied, playing along. "Thanks."

     "Try not to put much pressure on those paws for now. I would recommend not going back on patrol for today," Dovesong explained.

     Spottedsong suppressed a sigh of disappointment. "Okay. Thanks again." She stood up and limped out of the den after Gorseberry. "I'm guessing you're going back?" she asked him.

     "Yeah. Unless . . . unless you would like some company? I suppose they'll do fine on their own. Besides, if Owlheart asks, we can tell the truth without him getting angry," Gorseberry explained, his green eyes glittering.

     "Oh! Sure."

     "Okay." Gorseberry nodded approvingly. Then he nodded to the top of the waterfall. "Do you ever wonder what's up there?"

     "No, not really," Spottedsong admitted. But she didn't admit that her stomach was fluttering nervously. "What, do you want to go up there? I doubt there's an easy way to do that. And with my paws, I don't think I can climb."

     "Oh, don't give up so easily. There's a slope behind the camp that leads up there. It's like a cliff. Come on, I'll show you." Gorseberry flicked his tail and Spottedsong followed him hesitantly. He glanced over his shoulder when they left the camp, a daring gleam in his eyes. "Don't be so tense. It's fine! Come on."

     Spottedsong's whiskers twitched with amusement. "Fine. What are we waiting for?" She ran after Gorseberry, but she was sad to not be able to run as fast as she would with good paws. She chased after Gorseberry toward the land behind the camp. She skidded to a halt when Gorseberry stopped in front of her. "Here?" she asked.

     "Yep. Take a look." Gorseberry turned toward the slope that curved upward to the top of the cascading waterfall. The sun shone brightly on it, making it look even more appealing that it would have without it. "Shall we go up?"

     "Sure." Spottedsong followed her friend up the slope. She felt his fur brush hers as he darted up the slope and onto the flat top. She purred in amusement as he turned around and waited eagerly for her. She caught up quickly. "Whoa," she breathed when she looked around. She could see the camp below, but none of those cats could see her; there were rocks in the way. On the other side was the vast land beyond the Clans' territory. "It's so big." She looked at Gorseberry in amazement. "Skystorm told me about this . . . but I thought he was exaggerating."

     "Well, you can never know if what he says is true." Gorseberry shrugged carelessly.

     "True."

     "I could never help but be jealous of him," Gorseberry sighed.

     Spottedsong looked at him in surprise. "Why?"

     "Well . . . he has everything he could ever want: an expecting mate, two littermates . . . and I always wanted that, you know? But I could never find the right cat, and my parents are, well, I don't feel like they're my parents."

     "But Rosefeather loves you and Hollyfern so much!" Spottedsong gasped.

     "She does. I know she does. She's just . . . she's been quiet ever since Sparrowfeather left and Leafpaw died, and then she was just silent after Foxclaw died. And Sparrowfeather is just a stranger to me now. My enemy," Gorseberry explained quietly.

     "Oh, Gorseberry, I'm sorry," Spottedsong murmured. "But Skystorm and Cloudsky and I don't really have close parents, either. Remember, Tawnyflight died a long time ago, and I haven't seen my father before. But Tawnyflight always talked about him. She always told us, 'Shadowheart was the kindest, most honest cat I've ever met.'"

     Spottedsong wanted to see her father terribly. But he was in MoonClan. He didn't come with Tawnyflight when she left. Spottedsong wondered why. Did he even know about his kits? Would he be happy when he saw them? Would it even be safe to find out?

     "Well, yeah, but I wasn't talking about mothers and fathers," Gorseberry pointed out.

     "You brought it up."

     "True. You have a point." Gorseberry glanced at the edge of the waterfall and padded over, crouching behind the rocks and gazing over the top. Spottedsong joined him. "Do you ever wonder what happened to our Clanmates? The ones that went missing when we were on that journey."

     "I don't remember what happened. I was a kit," Spottedsong mewed. "But my guess is they died. If they didn't, they would have come looking for us by now."

     "Well, yeah, maybe, but I just have the feeling that they're still alive and waiting for us. I mean, how could a Clan as huge as ours shrink that fast and have no survivors?" Gorseberry wondered.

     "I don't know. And anyway, our Clan wasn't huge. It was just big. Really big. You saw how many cats died. There could have been more. You never know."

     Gorseberry didn't seem to hear her. "We could make all of the grieving cats in our Clan happier again. Like Acornshade. Sure, both of her kits are dead, but her mate, Berrytuft, went missing. We don't know if he died. And Hareleap. He had a mate and kits, right?"

     Spottedsong nodded. "And Brownfur. But that's all I know of."

     "Do you think we can find them again?"

     "That sounds risky. Lynxstar might have considered it once, and if she decided it was too dangerous, I trust her," Spottedsong explained.

     "Okay. Hey, are your paws good enough to go hunting? I'm starving, but I haven't caught any prey yet," Gorseberry mewed.

     "Maybe. Do you think it's alright to go hunting without a patrol?"

     "I think it's fine. As long as there's prey for everyone, it's fine." Gorseberry's eyes glittered mischievously.

     "I feel like you're up to something," Spottedsong purred.

     Gorseberry sighed good-humoredly. "Do you want to go or not?"

     "Okay, okay, I'll go!" Spottedsong purred again, following Gorseberry down the slope. "But I might not be able to catch anything."

     "But it's only your pads that are hurt," Gorseberry pointed out. "You're just trying to find a reason to not hunt. Is that it?"

     ". . . Yes," Spottedsong admitted reluctantly. "You got me there."

     "Then let's go!" Gorseberry ran off in the direction of the forest by the uncharted territory.

     Spottedsong got an uneasy feeling when she spotted the woods that she first came to when she was visited by Moonclaw.

     Gorseberry paused and looked around at Spottedsong. "Hey, are you okay?"

     Spottedsong shook herself. "Yeah, fine."

     "I promise I'll make sure nothing hurts us," Gorseberry promised.

     Spottedsong felt touched by his words. I'll make sure nothing hurts us. "Okay. I trust you. Now let's go!" She ran after Gorseberry into the grass. She stopped when she realized he had disappeared without a trace. "Gorseberry?" she called out quietly. "Come out here!"

     Spottedsong looked around frantically. Had something attacked Gorseberry? Why hadn't he called out? "This isn't funny! Come out!" She caught a trace of his scent on the grass and followed it. It was so long she began to run, the grass whipping through her fur as she ran past. Soon the scent trail stopped. "Gorseberry?"

     A rabbit ran by.

     Prey! Spottedsong gave chase instinctively. She ran after the small, furry animal, but then she collided with something else. She fell on the ground, her chest aching where she was hit, and looked up. Gorseberry jumped away from her right after he fell on top of her.

     "Sorry, sorry!" he exclaimed. "I didn't mean to. . . . Are you hurt?"

     "I'm fine. Where did you go? I was so worried!"

     Spottedsong thought she could see a delighted gleam in his eyes. But perhaps it was just the sun. "I saw the rabbit and decided to catch it quickly. I'm sorry."

     "No, I'm sorry! I let your prey get away."

     "'Sorry' catches no prey," Gorseberry retorted, deepening his voice to sound like a strict mentor. "Come on, I bet it hasn't gotten far."

     "Rabbits can run fast. I doubt we'll be able to find it again," Spottedsong pointed out. "Unless you have an idea."

     Gorseberry nodded. "You stay here. I'll drive it to you." He turned around and disappeared in the long stalks of grass again.

     As Spottedsong waited for the rabbit to come, she heard a loud screech that was unmistakably a falcon's, and the panicked yowl from Gorseberry. She piped up and raced toward the sounds of a struggle. Gorseberry was bravely fighting the giant bird, trying to bring it down and tearing off feathers in the process. She rushed toward them and thrust herself at the giant bird, knowing what risks she was taking. But she would take them for Gorseberry.

     The falcon let go of Gorseberry and turned to Spottedsong as she sank her claws into its flesh and attempting to bring it down. Gorseberry fell back, staring in shock at Spottedsong and the falcon. "What are you doing?" he cried. He jumped at the bird, too, and the two young warriors were able to bring it down. After a long moment of thrashing, the bird fell limp under Spottedsong's claws and teeth. "StarClan in the sky!" Gorseberry exclaimed beside her. "That was awesome!"

     "Yes. It's enough to feed the entire Clan," Spottedsong breathed. "Are you okay?"

     Gorseberry nodded. "Let's get this bird back to camp." As he and Spottedsong took either side of the bird in their jaws and walked closely side by side, he exclaimed breathlessly, "This is even better than a rabbit! You must have had a great mentor to be able to fight a bird as big as this one."

     "Owlheart is a great warrior," Spottedsong agreed. "Lynxstar can't scold us for leaving now."

     "Agreed!"

     Back at the camp, Rosefeather was reinforcing the warrior's den when she saw Gorseberry and Spottedsong. She dropped back onto all fours and padded toward them. "Who caught that?" she asked, sounding impressed.

     "Spottedsong did. I was just attacked," Gorseberry admitted as they both set down the carcass. "I have to admit, she was really brave back there! And with injured paws, too!"

     Spottedsong glanced warmly at Gorseberry. "I just had to repay you for saving my life today." She looked at Rosefeather. "Have the elders and queens gotten their share yet? Otherwise they can have the most of this."

     Rosefeather nodded toward Flypaw and Icepaw, who just dropped prey off at the elders' den. "You two have it. Those two already gave Mousetail and the elders their fresh-kill. Besides, you deserve it."

     "Thank you!" Gorseberry and Spottedsong carried it away. Gorseberry called to a group of warriors by the waterfall. Cloudsky, Frozenfang, and Ashbreeze were huddled together. Icepaw hurried toward his mentor and stood by her side. "Hey, do you want to share?" he asked.

     The three warriors and the apprentice looked at the falcon, then at each other, then back again. "Sure! Thanks." Frozenfang was the first to rush over, followed by the other cats. Flypaw came over to Gorseberry, his mentor.

     "Can I have some?" he asked hopefully, staring hungrily at the bird.

     "Why not?" Gorseberry asked.

     Spottedsong looked at her friend fondly. So what if I am developing feelings for him? He wanted a cat to love like a mate, didn't he? And all I want is for him to be content.