SPOTTEDSONG PADDED BESIDE Gorseberry as they came to the Gathering island. ThunderClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan were already there, but RiverClan was running late. Spottedsong saw one of her friends, Tawnybriar, and her mate, Stoatstream, with the WindClan cats. She glanced at Gorseberry and then headed over there. Tawnybriar looked delighted to see them, but Stoatstream hadn't noticed; he was talking to a ShadowClan tom called Dawntail.

"Hi, Spottedsong and Gorseberry," Tawnybriar greeted them. Then she turned her attention to Spottedsong alone. "You look exceptionally happy tonight. What's the occasion?"

Spottedsong waved her tail happily. "Don't you notice a new pair of mates when you see them?" she asked.

Tawnybriar's eyes lit up. "You and Gorseberry are mates? Congratulations, both of you! When did this happen?" Stoatstream turned around at her excited response, dipped his head briefly to Spottedsong and Gorseberry, then turned back to Dawntail.

"Yesterday," Spottedsong answered with a fond look at Gorseberry. The tabby tom nodded, his green eyes shining with happiness and moonlight.

"Really? Wow. That's great. How have other things been in FrostClan?" Tawnybriar asked.

"Great, actually. Mousetail's kits were born just a few days ago," Spottedsong told her. "She had two tom-kits and two she-kits. I've been helping our medicine cat out just to make sure Mousetail and her kits are cared for."

Tawnybriar purred. "I see FrostClan's got a new medicine cat in the making," she mewed, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Spottedsong's fur felt suddenly warm. "No, no, I just want to care for the new family in the Clan. I am not interested in becoming a medicine cat."

"If you say so," Tawnybriar replied, amusement still lingering in her gaze. "Anyway, speaking of kits . . ."

Spottedsong's eyes widened instinctively, and she exchanged an excited glance with Gorseberry. "Are you expecting?" she asked.

Tawnybriar's amber eyes glittered with happiness. "Yes. I just found out, so don't tell anyone! Not from my Clan, at least. They don't know yet."

Stoatstream turned to them; Dawntail was just walking away with Twistedclaw from ShadowClan. "Sorry about that. What were you saying, Tawnybriar, and why do they look so happy all of a sudden?"

Tawnybriar glanced at Spottedsong and Gorseberry, amusement glittering in her eyes. Then she turned her attention back to her mate. "I have some news for you, but you have to promise not to freak out."

"Why would I freak out? I never do that," Stoatstream meowed.

Tawnybriar rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I found out that we're having kits!"

Stoatstream blinked at her in utter disbelief. "You're joking."

"Nope," Tawnybriar corrected. "But don't tell anyone else yet! They don't know!"

Just as Stoatstream snapped out of his shock and began to nod, a yowl came from the Great Oak. "Let the Gathering begin!" It was Jaguarpelt, the RiverClan deputy, not Streamstar. Spottedsong glanced at the WindClan cats and dipped her head in farewell as she and Gorseberry headed toward their Clan again.

When everyone was quiet, Jaguarpelt began. "In RiverClan, hunting has been well, although Streamstar has fallen ill. Hopefully she'll be back on her paws by the next Gathering. I will be taking over for now. In other news, one of our apprentices, Gingerpaw, has passed her assessment and is now Gingerstalk."

"Gingerstalk! Gingerstalk!" It was not only RiverClan who had raised their voices in the chant. A few cats from the other Clans also did so. In a time like this, every Clan needed as many warriors as they could get. The gray tabby she-cat stood straight and tall in the middle of the RiverClan cats, her chest puffed out proudly.

Jaguarpelt sat back on his haunches. "That is all. Brightstar, would you like to continue?"

Spottedsong narrowed her eyes. It was hard for her to believe that Streamstar was really sick. Jaguarpelt was a naturally ambitious cat, and with at least one cat from all of the Clans being influenced by MoonClan, it was easy to believe that Jaguarpelt would have harmed Streamstar to get the place as leader. But with the chilly season of leaf-fall coming in, any cat could get sick.

"Oh, dear," Brightstar murmured. "I hope Streamstar gets well." She stood up to address the Clans. "Hunting in ThunderClan has been good. We have had an incident with one of our cats. I will not address them by name, but we have discovered that they are the murderer of Larchcloud and Silversong."

Spottedsong bristled.

"Why would you not address them by name, hm?" Fallenstar demanded. "This is a very important topic, especially since this unnamed cat is a traitor to your Clan. So, tell me, Brightstar, who is this cat?"

Brightstar hesitated. The murmuring in the Clans increased. Uneasiness stirred within Spottedsong. Would this Gathering end in more fighting? "I have dealt with them, Fallenstar. You do not have to worry."

"I think it is fully our responsibility to worry," Lynxstar mewed. "Our duty is to keep our Clans safe. Traitorous acts are like wildfires. If they are not dealt with quickly enough, it will spread and become out of control."

Breezestar nodded silently.

Brightstar seemed taken aback. "I took care of this. This cat won't cause any more trouble. The source of this trouble is gone."

Spottedsong shuffled her paws self-consciously. She knew that Brightstar was talking about some cat in her Clan that had been affected by Moonclaw's game. She still wasn't sure if she should trust the RiverClan medicine cat, even though she had been told again and again that Moonclaw should be trusted. Moonclaw was just that kind of cat that was hard to trust.

"So if this cat won't cause trouble, what is their name?" Runningfang, the WindClan deputy, demanded from where he sat in between the roots of the Great Oak.

Brightstar's gaze raked across the gathered cats. "She's not here tonight."

Fallenstar's eyes narrowed. "Okay, well, if you refuse to share this information, then I will report now. Hunting has been well in ShadowClan, though the leaf-fall breeze has begun to drive prey into hiding. We have two new warriors, Brightecho and Oakstripe."

The Clan cats' voices raised in celebration. "Brightecho! Oakstripe!"

Spottedsong glanced at the ShadowClan cats to see the two cats sitting together. Brightecho looked around proudly, and Oakstripe looked faintly embarrassed. They must have been littermates; the color of their fur was the exact same shade of ginger, and they both had shining green eyes.

Breezestar went on to announce, and soon it was Lynxstar's turn. "Prey has also been running well in FrostClan, and the Clan has been thriving. Four kits have been born into the Clan. Mousetail and Skystorm are their parents."

"Mousetail! Skystorm!"

Spottedsong glanced at her brother, who sat up straight and erect, with his green eyes glowing with pride. Then she looked at Gorseberry, who also looked happy for Skystorm, but his eyes betrayed his longing. Spottedsong gently put her paw on top of his in an attempt to comfort him. He looked at her gratefully.

Lynxstar waited for the chatter to die down before she continued. "One of our warriors, Whitefoot"-Spottedsong stiffened-"was attacked and killed by a MoonClan patrol. We grieve deeply for him, but we honor his loyal and strong spirit. May he hunt safely with StarClan."

Spottedsong looked at her paws, grief sweeping over her once again. It shouldn't have been him who died. It should have been me. I was the one who got myself into that situation. It was so mouse-brained of me! Gorseberry nuzzled her gently. It was now his turn to attempt to comfort her.

That's when Spottedsong realized. Wait-Lynxstar doesn't know that Blackstream of ShadowClan was there, does she? Spottedsong jumped to her paws. "Excuse me, but there's a detail that I forgot to share with you."

The five leaders looked at each other, then at her. The cats around her began to murmur. Spottedsong ignored them and continued to look at the leaders, waiting for one of them to let her continue. "Yes, Spottedsong?" Lynxstar prompted.

"When I was watching this meeting, there were more than just MoonClan cats. Blackstream of ShadowClan was there, too," Spottedsong announced.

Shocked yowls came from the ShadowClan cats. Blackstream called out, "Are you accusing me of murder? Or working with those crow-food-eating mange-pelts? What kind of proof do you have?"

Spottedsong stiffened. She looked down at her paws, realizing she had no proof. She only knew what she saw. "I-I don't have proof."

"But I do." The Clan cats looked toward the sound of the voice of Spottedtail, a black ShadowClan she-cat. "The night that Ripplestorm died, I helped Reedtail bring Ripplestorm's body back to camp. Yes, Reedtail's scent was fresh on Ripplestorm's body. But he had stayed with Ripplestorm that night. I scented another cat on Ripplestorm-Blackstream."

More shocked yowls erupted from the gathered cats. "That makes no sense!" Blackstream yowled. "I was in camp all night that night. Reedtail is my son-maybe it was just his scent you found."

"Sounds like a typical lie from a murderer," Rabbitleap, Blackstream's other son, accused.

Blackstream looked at the brown tabby tom in shock. "You can't be serious-Spottedtail doesn't have any StarClan-cursed proof!"

"Maybe she doesn't," Silverfoot mewed calmly, "but you were my mentor. I should know you well enough to know when you're lying. It sounds like you are the real murderer of Ripplestorm."

Blackstream's yellow eyes flashed with alarm. "Why would I kill my own mate? I'm grieving just as much as everyone else. Besides, none of you have solid proof!" Her voice was raised in a yowl. "Fallenstar, what do you think of this foolish behavior?"

"I don't think it's foolish at all," Fallenstar meowed. "From what I hear, Reedtail was never the murderer, but a witness. Now that I think about it, on that day, it was clear that you were lying, Blackstream. This just adds to the evidence."

Blackstream bristled, but she obviously decided that it wouldn't do her good if she said anything else.

"We will discuss this tomorrow," Fallenstar concluded. He turned to Lynxstar. "Is that all?"

Lynxstar looked slightly stunned, but she quickly snapped out of her daze and looked at Fallenstar. "Yes. That is all."

"Then this Gathering has come to a close," Jaguarpelt said. Then the five leaders leaped down from the Great Oak and the Clans began to mingle yet again.

Spottedsong stayed close to Gorseberry, but her thoughts were elsewhere. Jaguarpelt had to be up to something, and what was going to happen to Blackstream? Or Brindlemist? And what had happened to Reedtail? Was it too late to tell Reedtail that they knew he wasn't the murderer?

Then, with a jolt, Spottedsong realized that the destruction inside the cats of all the Clans that Moonclaw left was still lingering, and even if she wasn't here, it would be carried out until the Clans were destroyed from the inside out.