Lightpaw sprinted through the forest, heart pumping wildly. Branches tore at his fur, but he refused to stop until he knew he was safe from the menacing glare of Whisperstone. His paws were numb with exhaustion, but he raced on.

He suddenly saw the familiar entrance of camp before him, and slowed his pace to a jog. Still terrified, he cast glances about him in nervousness, sure he could hear heavy pawsteps signaling Whisperstone's arrival. But nothing except the cheerful noise of birds and the rustling of squirrels greeted his ears.

Looking behind him, he didn't notice Pantherpaw's sleek form until it was too late and he was already tripping over his paws in effort to stop. He crashed into her, the two tumbling head over heels and finally coming to a stop by a thick oak tree root.

"Sorry!" he gasped out, scrambling up. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going, and--"

"It's fine," replied the black she-cat. "I wasn't either!" Her eyes twinkled with amusement. "So how are you liking having Whisperstone as your mentor?"

He shuffled his paws, debating whether or not to tell her. Dewpaw had believed him, and this was her sister, so Pantherpaw should maybe believe him. Summoning his courage, he took a deep breath. "Well, actually, he's not a very good mentor." He told her the story of Whisperstone's meeting with Quailstar, and the glares that the huge tom gave Plainfoot whenever the deputy wasn't looking.

Pantherpaw was silent for ages, her eyes serious. Her fur ruffled slightly. He waited for her reply, ducking his head in hope that she would trust him.

"Are you actually serious?!" she burst out. "I can't believe that you would make something that bad up about your mentor! He might be scary, but you shouldn't do that, Lightpaw." She curled her lip in disdain; the friendly glow in her eyes was gone, replaced by a mask of annoyance and frustration.

Lightpaw opened his mouth in protest, but she was already gone, sweeping past him in a flurry of reproach.

"Dewpaw believed me!" he called after her in anger. She turned for half a second. "Then she's a fool too," she replied. She entered camp and was whisked out of his sight.

He drooped against the oak root, his anger leaving him in a gust of sadness. No one believed him except Dewpaw, and even she had her doubts. Now he was beginning to doubt himself: Was Whisperstone really bad? Was he actually trying to plot against the Clan?

He thought about the meeting with Quailstar. Maybe he had misheard. What if Whisperstone was chasing the leader of the other Clan out, not plotting with her? But he knew what he had seen.

However much he tried to convince himself otherwise, he knew that Whisperstone was a danger to the Clan, and he had to make more cats believe him.