"WHAT IS IT?" Reedtail asked, feeling suddenly nervous. It was odd how a ThunderClan warrior, especially Goldenheart, came all the way from her Clan just to talk to him. He was convinced that something was wrong. He could tell because of the urgent flash in Goldenheart's eyes.

     "I know this sounds crazy," Goldenheart began, "but we need your help getting Dovesong and Moonclaw back. MoonClan has an advantage if they have them, and right now the Clans are in danger."

     "You want me to save Dovesong and Moonclaw from MoonClan? You're crazy!" Reedtail exclaimed.

     "I told you it would sound crazy. But Mousetail from FrostClan is requesting me to get you, Amberdawn, Silverfoot, and Gingerstripe to come to the Gathering island in two moonhighs. She is gathering other cats, too. From all the Clans," Goldenheart explained.

     "Do any of you understand that by doing this, we might die?" Reedtail asked suspiciously. He knew that many cats have been influenced by MoonClan, like Blackstream and maybe even Ripplestorm, and Goldenherat might be one of them. But he also knew that he might be traumatized by Ripplestorm's murder. "Are you a part of MoonClan's plots, too?"

     Goldenheart let out a mrrow of laughter. "No! What makes you think that?"

     For a moment Reedtail thought it was a rhetorical question, but then he realized that she was being genuine. "M-my father was murdered by my mother, Blackstream, but I heard their whole conversation before he died. They were talking about MoonClan. And I know about the murders in ThunderClan, so I just assumed . . ."

     Goldenheart's gaze softened. "I'm not a part of MoonClan," she promised him. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

     "Don't worry about it." Reedtail flicked his tail dismissively. "I can get Silverfoot, Amberdawn, and Gingerstripe. But there's some complications . . ."

     "What kinds?" Goldenheart cocked her head curiously.

     "Well, Blackstream convinced my Clanmates that I was the murderer of Ripplestorm, so I'm kind of banished from ShadowClan," Reedtail explained.

     "Oh. Well, I can talk to them myself," Goldenheart mewed. "Just take me to your camp."

     "I don't know if that's going to work."

     "Sure it will! I'm confident. Just lead me to the camp. Please," Goldenheart pleaded.

     Reedtail hesitated. "No. This is something I have to do myself."

     Goldenheart gazed at Reedtail, uncertainty shining in her eyes. "Okay. If you say so. Should I go back?"

     "Tell me the message again."

     "Tell them to meet Mousetail at the Gathering island in two moonhighs. We'll all be there," Goldenheart explained.

     "Okay. Thank you." Reedtail dipped his head and Goldenheart turned and left. He watched her go until she vanished from sight to make sure that she was gone, and then turned toward the camp.

     Here we go . . . He raced in pursuit of the camp and met Spottedtail alone halfway to the camp. "Thank StarClan you're here!" he gasped.

     "What do you mean? What are you doing back already? Couldn't stand the hostility of the outside world?" she mocked him.

     Reedtail felt the venom in her voice stab his heart.

     "No, Spottedtail. This is urgent. I need to speak with Gingerstripe, Silverfoot, and Amberdawn alone," Reedtail responded.

     "To kill them, too?" Spottedtail guessed.

     "Not even close. To share an important message."

     "Give me one good reason to trust you."

     Reedtail gazed at her bravely. He knew that telling her that he wasn't the murderer wouldn't work. So he mewed, "Because I love you."

     Spottedtail stared at him. "I don't think that's a very good reason."

     "No, Spottedtail, really. I love you, so why would I lie to you?"

     Spottedtail looked unconvinced. "Oh, Reedtail . . ."

     Reedtail felt hopeful.

     "You can come to camp, but I have to stay with you to make sure you're not doing anything suspicious. I promise I'll keep the message a secret. For you." Her emerald eyes glistened.

     Reedtail followed her toward the camp. "So . . . you do like me, too?"

     Spottedtail looked at him, looking overwhelmed. "I can't say I do. I'm sorry. But we can still be friends."

     Reedtail's heart sank. "O-okay. That's fine, I guess."

     "No, I really am sorry," Spottedtail repeated.

     "I understand. And I really appreciate what you're doing for me. We can still be friends, like you suggested. I just hoped that we could be more than that," Reedtail admitted. "I hoped that you would be my mate. Ever since you and I were apprentices. It was just now that I finally had the courage to tell you."

     "Oh, yeah? What gave you the courage?" Spottedtail asked, sounding genuinely curious.

     Reedtail shuffled his paws in the dirt. "W-well, I had a dream last night, when I fell asleep with Ripplestorm's body. And in the dream, I had told you that I loved you when we were carrying his body back to camp. But then I woke up when you said you love me, too. So I hoped that it would be true, but now I see that it was just my brain playing tricks on me."

     Spottedtail suddenly looked guilty. "I'm sorry."

     "For what? For not liking me the way I like you? You don't have to feel bad for that. I understand," Reedtail told her gently and reassuringly.

     "Really?" Spottedtail's gaze lit up. "I'm glad I don't have to worry about it. I-I had that same experience with Dawntail. He wasn't as good at communicating as you are."

     "Brightstripe's mate? There's two problems with that. One, he's Brightstripe's mate, and two, he's so much older than you," Reedtail meowed, concerned.

     "That's what I told him. I didn't want to make Brightstripe feel bad, and I didn't even like him anyway. He's weird in a way. But I shouldn't be talking like that about a senior warrior," Spottedtail admitted.

     "We're nearly senior warriors. I think it's fine," Reedtail pointed out. "And he is a weirdo," he admitted.

     Spottedtail purred in amusement. "Oh, here we are. Stay close to me and let me do the talking."

     "Okay. We have a deal." Reedtail followed Spottedtail into the camp. The cats began to murmur worriedly. Reedtail scanned the camp nervously, mostly looking for Ripplestorm. But his body was gone. He must have been buried. Sadness filled him.

     Spottedtail was approaching Amberdawn and Gingerstripe where they shared fresh-kill. Reedtail only just noticed where he was going. "Amberdawn? Gingerstripe? Reedtail would like to talk to you."

     Amberdawn and Gingerstripe exchanged glances, and then Amberdawn glared at Reedtail, getting to her paws. "Why should we trust you? You're a murderer!"

     Reedtail grimaced. He looked around at the cats in camp. Some of them had turned to look in his direction. He caught Blackstream's eye, and he flinched at the burning ambition in his mother's eyes. He turned back to Amberdawn. "I only want to talk with you, Gingerstripe, and Silverfoot. Spottedtail will be there, too."

     Gingerstripe inhaled sharply and Amberdawn held Reedtail's gaze steadily. "I guess," she mewed, "and only because three other cats will be there. Not because I trust you."

     The words stabbed Reedtail's heart. He looked sadly at Amberdawn. "Okay."

     "I guess I'll come, too," Gingerstripe meowed. She glanced over at Silverfoot, who was sharing fresh-kill with Darkclaw. "Silverfoot! Come here."

     The black she-cat looked up from her meal, her eyes narrowed against the sunshine. She exchanged quick words with Darkclaw and headed over to Gingerstripe. "What is it? Why is Reedtail here?"

     "He would like to talk to you, me, and Amberdawn for a moment," Gingerstripe explained, getting to her paws. "Where shall we go?" she asked Reedtail.

     "Outside of camp."

     "Okay, now I feel even more unnerved," Amberdawn muttered as she followed the four cats outside of the camp.

     "It'll be fine," Gingerstripe assured her. "Besides, I don't think Reedtail killed Ripplestorm. I doubt he'll hurt us."

     Reedtail gave her a thankful look.

     Amberdawn still looked unsure. "Fine."

     When they were far enough away from the camp, Reedtail turned to the she-cats. "Goldenheart came to me at the border with ThunderClan. She told me to tell you three that Mousetail from FrostClan wanted us four to meet her at the Gathering island in two moonhighs."

     "Sounds suspicious to me," Silverfoot said.

     "It's about saving Dovesong and Moonclaw. Why would I lie about that?" Reedtail asked. "Come on; I didn't kill Ripplestorm!"

     "For StarClan's sake! This isn't even about Ripplestorm," Spottedtail hissed at Silverfoot and Amberdawn. "It's about the safety of FrostClan and RiverClan's medicine cats."

     Silverfoot and Amberdawn glanced at each other swiftly. "I guess I'll come," Silverfoot mumbled at last.

     "Me too," Gingerstripe mewed. She looked at Amberdawn. "What about you?"

     Amberdawn looked around at them nervously. "I still don't trust Reedtail. But I guess I'll come."

     "Thank you!" Reedtail gasped.

     "Can I come, too?" Spottedtail asked. "This sounds like a dangerous mission, and you guys will need all the help you can get." She cast a mischievous glance at Reedtail. "And I like dangerous missions."

     Reedtail purred and flicked his tail. "Okay, you're in. Just promise not to tell anyone, all of you," he told the rest of his Clanmates.

     "Okay," Silverfoot agreed. The other three nodded.

     Hope flared inside him.