The den was as silent as a bone-dry stream. Then Lynxstar began to bristle. "Another one of my cats has been lured in by those crow-food-eating monsters like it's nothing! It's not going to happen again, I assure you! And if it does, well . . . they'll see what happens," she hissed through gritted teeth.
Frozenfang's eyes were wide. "It's not that easy!" she exclaimed. "I mean . . . MoonClan has been terrorizing your Clan for moons and moons to come. It won't be as easy as you think it is."
Lynxstar shot her a sharp look that caused the dark gray she-cat to cower. "If you say so. But if MoonClan is going to go on with this nonsense and unnecessary murder, then someone has to do something!" she exclaimed.
Frozenfang opened her mouth again but clearly thought better of it.
Marching out of the den with the other three cats staring at her with shock, Lynxstar called some other cats to join her on a patrol. "Dawnsplash, Hollyfern, Owlheart, Acornshade! Come with me. We have a very important mission to complete."
"Can't I come, too?" Frozenfang asked. Lynxstar sighed and nodded.
I kind of want to go. I want to sink my claws into Snowtail's flesh one more time! She glanced at Badgertooth.
His deep blue eyes sparkled. "You have your mother's spirit and your father's courage," he murmured, half to himself. "You can ask."
Dovepaw jumped out of her nest and raced towards Lynxstar. "I'm coming."
Dawnsplash purred. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you can't come. You were just attacked, first of all. Second, we need you here. Right, Lynxstar?"
Lynxstar nodded.
Dovepaw fought the urge to dig her claws into the ground. "Okay, fine."
"Wait! Wait! I'll go." Mousepaw was racing towards them frantically. She glanced at Dovepaw. "Just so that I can tell Dovepaw how it went."
"Thanks," Dovepaw mewed.
Lynxstar purred. "You're so kind, Mousepaw. Of course, you can go." She flicked her tail towards Owlheart. "Wait! Another cat is coming."
***
Mousepaw followed the rest of the patrol, her mind whirling. When she volunteered to go, she practically just blurted it out. There was no time. But now was no time to turn back. They were going to get a warrior back. This is for Dovepaw! she bravely told herself, puffing up her chest with pride.
The sun shone brightly down on the path, illuminating the pollen that floated in the air. Some flowers were either blooming or were already past the blooming stage. Mousepaw breathed in the sweet fragrance of the blossoms and moved onward with the group.
Hollyfern's investigative voice drifted back towards Mousepaw. She was at the head of the group, sniffing at the leaves and the ground around them. "I can tell that Snowtail's been here. Her scent is everywhere."
Mousepaw's spirits lifted. Surely we'll find her! She darted towards Hollyfern and looked around. This is so promising.
Owlheart nodded approvingly. "Ah. That's a relief. Lead us on, Hollyfern."
Hollyfern's green eyes lit up with pride. Mousepaw could tell she was excited to lead the group just like Owlheart, being such a young warrior. She led the group onward and into the open plains. She stopped abruptly, narrowing her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but Mousepaw beat her to it.
"I see . . . I see a white cat that looks a lot like Snowtail!"
Acornshade gave Mousepaw a swift glance as if to say, Don't interrupt Hollyfern! But she kept her mouth shut and didn't say a word.
Hollyfern glanced at Mousepaw, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "That's what I was going to say. Let's go!" She bounded ahead and so did the other cats.
Dawnsplash raced ahead, yowling, "Snowtail!" She looked frantic and desperate. So did Frozenfang, though she stayed silent.
Mousepaw cringed. As they approached the white she-cat, who was running as hard as she could, Owlheart added, "Snowtail, come back!"
Snowtail skidded to a halt and whirled around. She hissed, her ears flat on her head. "Can't you see that I'm leaving? You don't have to chase me."
"You're a part of FrostClan, not any other Clan!" Dawnsplash shrieked desperately. "Don't leave, Snowtail, please."
Snowtail's green eyes flashed as she looked at her sister.
Mousepaw felt a pang of sympathy. Dawnsplash and Snowtail are the only surviving of their kin . . . except for Whitefoot, I guess. She watched as Snowtail looked around at the patrol.
"You came all this way just to bring me back?" She began to bristle. "I was asked to leave!"
Dawnsplash's bright blue eyes darkened.
"Who asked you?" Acornshade demanded.
Snowtail flattened her ears. "That is none of your business," she hissed. "Now, if you would, please leave me be." She turned around.
Dawnsplash opened her mouth to yowl, Stop! but Owlheart slapped his tail over her mouth. The ginger-and-white she-cat glared at him.
"You can go. We will not stop you. But just remember that you're leaving behind your birth Clan, which is in danger of being wiped out," Owlheart meowed calmly, keeping his unwavering blue gaze on Snowtail.
Snowtail narrowed her eyes, but then looked away. "If you won't stop me, and Lynxstar gets mad at you, blame yourself for letting me go." She swept her gaze over the patrol, turned sharply and quickly, and then raced into the distance.
Dawnsplash looked as if she were frozen to her spot in the grass. "S-she's gone. She left her Clan, and me. I don't know why . . ." Her voice trailed away and her blue eyes clouded.
Mousepaw didn't know what she could do for her. She stayed where she was and watched as Snowtail ran into the distance. "Why would you let her go?" She couldn't help but ask.
Owlheart glanced around at the patrol. "One of us will go and see where she goes," he announced. "The stealthiest cat here will go."
They were silent. But Acornshade broke the silence by meowing, "Mousepaw should go. She's small, and she is nimbler than the rest of us."
Mousepaw looked at Owlheart. Can I go? That would be amazing!
"Good point, Acornshade," Owlheart replied. "Okay. You can go, Mousepaw. Just make sure to be back before dusk. And if there's danger, come back to camp immediately."
Mousepaw nodded. She turned and prepared to take off towards Snowtail.
"Good luck!" Hollyfern called.
Mousepaw felt a burst of pride. She was doing something important for the Clan! She couldn't let them down. I can't let Dovepaw down. As she began to approach Snowtail, she slipped into the shadows of the forest and followed.
The forest was drenched in the smell of what Mousepaw called darkness, although she couldn't smell darkness. She must be heading for MoonClan. Are her actions connected to the same thing that Sparrowfeather and Foxclaw's were? As she pondered the possibility, she kept following Snowtail's paw steps. Keep looking that way. . . .
Mousepaw held back a purr of pride when Snowtail approached a large, boulder-surrounded camp with large, muscular bodies and menacing gazes. She shuddered. MoonClan. She recognized Nightclaw and Shadowheart, Tawnyflight's mate. She held back a growl at the memory of Sparrowfeather returning to the two cats, his claws stained with Crimsonfrost's blood.
Mousepaw pushed the images to the back of her mind and pushed onward. She stayed close to the back of the camp where no one went. She peeked through a small hole in the wall. Snowtail was meowing to a muscular cream-and-black she-cat. The cat who killed Leafpaw. Mousepaw held back a growl of dislike. She pricked her ears, trying to listen in on the conversation.
"So you came," the cream-and-black cat mewed coolly.
Snowtail dipped her head. "Easily, Ivyspring."
Ivyspring nodded slowly. "And do you have any information on what those two traitors, Tawnyflight and Frozenfang? Cypressstar has been very angry about Frozenfang these days."
Mousepaw felt a claw of grief rake at her heart. Tawnyflight is dead. At least the MoonClan warriors can't get to her anymore.
"Frozenfang is an official warrior of FrostClan. Meanwhile, Tawnyflight is dead. Surely you know?" Snowtail tilted her head to one side. "After all, MoonClan warriors killed her."
"We knew she was badly injured, but we also know that your Clan has two . . . very skilled medicine cats," Ivyspring meowed. "Shadowheart is heartbroken."
Snowtail glanced around at the camp. "His kits are still alive, though, if he wants to . . ."
Ivyspring curled her lip, revealing yellow teeth. "He still feels fond of that traitor, even though she is, or was, of FrostClan, and is dead. He will never speak a word to his kits. Cypressstar has shown enough mercy by letting him stay in MoonClan."
Shadowheart isn't a very suitable name for him. He seems like a nice cat, and when Dovepaw and I saw him about half a moon ago, he was intimidated by Nightclaw. Mousepaw narrowed her eyes, trying harder to listen.
Snowtail cringed at her own words. "Of course."
"You came." A dark brown tabby tom came striding towards Ivyspring and Snowtail.
That must be Cypressstar.
"Yes." Snowtail dipped her head respectfully to the Clan leader. "I was just telling Ivyspring about the two traitors in my former Clan."
Cypressstar flicked the tip of his thin tail. "So I heard. Tawnyflight is dead, you say?"
Snowtail nodded. "She's been dead for about a moon now. I thought you knew."
"I assumed she was badly injured. That was how we left her. I never thought to ask," Cypressstar meowed. He didn't sound surprised at all.
How rude! They kill a bunch of cats, and they don't even feel anything towards it except for maybe pride. Mousepaw growled. What did we ever do to them to deserve such treatment?
"And how easy was it to leave?" Cypressstar narrowed his eyes. Mousepaw knew he was testing Snowtail for something.
"I had a little fight with the medicine cat's apprentice, but there's no way she would have beaten me with that injury of hers," Snowtail answered. "And a patrol followed me."
Cypressstar started to bristle. "What? Are they here?"
Snowtail shook her head. "No, no. I told them to leave. My sister was there and she would have done anything to stop me if the Clan deputy hadn't stopped her." A purr of laughter escaped her.
"Good. Now follow me. We need to talk some more, where no other cat can hear us. Ivypring, ask Nightclaw if you can join a patrol or something." Cypressstar flicked his tail. Before they left, he glanced over his shoulder and swept his gaze over the camp walls. His gaze rested on Mousepaw for a few heartbeats, even after she ducked under the walls. Then he shrugged and continued onward.
Mousepaw let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. He didn't see me. Please tell me he didn't see me. Her breath shaky, she pelted away from the camp and towards her own.
When she arrived at the camp, she was first approached by Owlheart. "No trouble, I presume?" he asked. "How was it?"
"No trouble. When Snowtail arrived the first thing she was asked was if she had any information on Tawnyflight and Frozenfang."
"They didn't know?"
"No. But when Snowtail told them, they seemed indifferent. And it sounds like they're punishing Shadowheart," Mousepaw reported.
"Punishing him? For being Tawnyflight's mate? How are they punishing him?"
"It sounds like they won't even let him lay eyes on his kits," Mousepaw mewed. "He must be miserable."
Owlheart nodded. "Yes. He must be. That's all I wanted to know, thanks."
Mousepaw dipped her head. "Of course." She turned and walked to the medicine den. "Dovepaw!"
Dovepaw poked her head out of the bramble screen. "Yes? Oh, hi, Mousepaw. How'd it go? Come inside." She backed into the den.
Mousepaw followed her and sat on the soft ground beside her sister's nest. "Are you okay?" She narrowed her eyes mischievously. "Are you going to be scarred forever?"
Dovepaw batted at Mousepaw's muzzle playfully. "Of course not. It was just shocking."
Mousepaw shrugged. "Sure. You never know what to expect from Snowtail. She's very unpredictable."
Dovepaw nodded. "Very. One moment she's quiet and not very interactive with anyone, but then she is so strong about her opinions and what she thinks about certain topics."
"Yes. Especially that one time when she fought with Sparrowfeather," Mousepaw meowed.
"That time she was right and everyone was on her side," Dovepaw pointed out.
"She was still really strong about her opinions then."
Dovepaw nodded just as Badgertooth came in. "Hi," she greeted him.
"Hello. Dovepaw, I want to do some training today," Badgertooth meowed.
Dovepaw stood up. "Okay. I'll talk to you later, Mousepaw."
"Sure. I think Whitefoot wants to know how my adventure went anyway." Mousepaw left just as Badgertooth started Dovepaw's training session.