Goldenpaw's POV

I couldn't stop myself from shaking as I watched Hollyleaf stare down at the glistening red berries, her green eyes glowing with malice.

What does Hollyleaf want to do with deathberries? I wondered fearfully. Just by knowing the name of the herb, I can predict that it isn't something good.

I quickly took a step away from the medicine den as Hollyleaf began to pace, making sure that she wouldn't turn towards the entrance to see me watching her. Almost at the same moment, another cat appeared into my view as they approached the medicine den.

It was Leafpool. I flicked my ears with curiosity as I watched her pause at the front of the den, hesitating, before finally crawling through the bramble screen and inside. She hadn't noticed me at all, and if she did, she didn't acknowledge it.

Once Leafpool was out of my sight, I returned to my original spot right outside of the medicine den so that I could hear what was being said.

"Hollyleaf," I heard Leafpool meow calmly, as if she wasn't surprised at all that Hollyleaf was in there. "It's all right. I forgive you."

I narrowed my eyes at these words. Forgive her for what?

Hollyleaf sounded as shocked and confused as I was. "What?!" She yowled. "You forgive me? You're the one who needs forgiveness!"

I pressed my ear even closer to the den entrance, becoming more and more captivated by this conversation. What could Leafpool have possibly done?

I then wondered if Snowpaw was able to hear all of this too, so I turned my head around slightly to see her sitting down just a couple of tail-lengths from me. Her gaze gave absolutely nothing away.

Before I could ask my sister any questions, I heard Hollyleaf speak again. "You abandoned your kits!" She hissed. "You let us grow up in a web of lies, and now the warrior code might be broken forever because of your stupid, selfish actions."

My eyes widened like they never had before as I put all of the pieces of Hollyleaf's words together. Is... is Leafpool, Hollyleaf's mother, and she lied to her about it? But I thought that Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw were Jayfeather's, Lionblaze's and Hollyleaf's parents. I'm so confused!

"Do you think you need to tell me that?" Leafpool then asked. "I can only tell you how much I love you. I'm so sorry for what I did."

"And you expect me to forgive you?" Hollyleaf snarled in response. "Well, I don't. I never will."

I then found myself having to jump out of sight again as I heard some shuffling come inside, and I could just barely see Hollyleaf's long, black fur sticking out of the den entrance.

"See those deathberries?" Hollyleaf demanded, her growl ringing in my ear. "You're going to eat them, or I'll make you!"

My mouth felt as if it had dropped to the ground. So that's why Hollyleaf got the deathberries out! I realized, still in complete shock. But... she wants to use them to kill Leafpool? Her own mother?

I then was overwhelmed with a very ominous kind of certainty. That's what Hollyleaf meant when she said to Snowpaw that she would try and kill her "too". It all makes sense now, in the worst kind of way.

It was then that I came to terms with the fact that the ThunderClan medicine cat's life was possibly at stake. I was about to shove past Hollyleaf to protect Leafpool, but I stopped myself as I realized that more words were being exchanged.

"What?" Leafpool exclaimed, sounding like she was in utter shock.

"Eat them!" Hollyleaf hissed. I could now clearly see the she-cat's bristling fur from the outside of the den. "You deserve to die."

Oh my StarClan! I stood up, ready to leap in at any moment.

But I continued to hold myself back as I listened to Leafpool's response. "Hollyleaf," the she-cat meowed. "I have lost my kits, the one cat I loved, and my calling as a medicine cat."

I blinked my eyes open and closed a few times, I guess to make sure that what I was hearing and seeing was real.

"Which do you think would be easier for me," Leafpool continued, "to die or to go on living?"

I shook my head slowly, continuing to be in sheer confusion. So, when I suddenly saw Leafpool crawl back out of the den, it completely scared me, causing me to let out a small yelp.

Leafpool whipped her head to the side to look at me, and my heart felt as if it had skipped a beat as I met her amber gaze.

"Goldenpaw," Leafpool meowed in an unusually angry tone. "What are you doing? Have you been listening?"

I stared back at Leafpool, hoping that I was appearing way more calm on the outside than I was on the inside. "No," I lied, shaking my head quickly. "I was just passing by."

Leafpool sighed, clearly too exhausted to press anymore, but her eyes were narrowed with suspicion. "Okay, Goldenpaw," she meowed, her voice full of skepticism. "If you say so..." I then watched as the tabby-and-white she-cat lowered her head and began to pad into the clearing towards where Honeyfern was.

Beside me, I then saw a flash of black, and I practically thrusted myself in the direction of the flash to see Hollyleaf charging out of camp. I almost wanted to follow her, to see what further plans she maybe had, but then I thought better of it. When Snowpaw and I were kits was the first time and only time that I will ever leave the camp without permission!

As I watched Hollyleaf's fluffy tail disappear through the gorse tunnel, I then realized something.

Leafpool is no longer a medicine cat? I recalled, my mouth dropping once again. Then, I snorted. Snowpaw will be excited, won't she?

Snowpaw seemed to be thinking the same thing that I was, for I glanced back and saw that Snowpaw was still sitting in the same place, looking incredibly joyed.

"I'm guessing you heard everything?" I asked as I padded back over to her.

She nodded quickly, her eyes sparkling. "I heard enough!" She purred. "Now I can become a medicine cat! Jayfeather will surely need an extra pair of paws!" As Snowpaw began to raise her voice, I think without her realizing it out of her excitement, I almost wanted to cover her mouth so that Leafpool wouldn't hear.

But luckily, Snowpaw didn't get to say any more as the both of our heads flew to the camp entrance once again. My eyes widened to see Jayfeather burst through the gorse tunnel, as quickly and swiftly as he could if he was able to see. He immediately bounded up to Snowpaw and I, who were closer to him than any other cat.

"Snowpaw? Goldenpaw?" Jayfeather called our names frantically. "Have you seen Hollyleaf?"

Snowpaw and I exchanged a nervous glance. "You just missed her!" I exclaimed to the gray tabby tom.

"She was here in the medicine den," Snowpaw explained, padding up to the medicine cat. "But she just left the camp. We don't know where she went."

Jayfeather stared at us, his eyes wide before letting his blind eyes fall to the ground. "What in the name of StarClan was she..." Jayfeather muttered, half to himself, before shaking his head quickly and turning around, running out of camp just as quickly as he had entered it. "I have to go!"

"Well, no kidding," I muttered to Snowpaw as Jayfeather's gray tail disappeared from sight. Jayfeather is dealing with the same thing as Hollyleaf is, and Lionblaze too, I realized.

Almost as soon as Jayfeather had left, more pelts appeared at the gorse tunnel, and I let out a half-relieved, half-exhausted sigh as I saw Lilypetal pad into camp, and the dark ginger pelt of Squirrelflight following right behind her.

"Leafpool!" My mother exclaimed, scanning her head around the camp and Squirrelflight doing the same. "Where are you?"

"I'm over here," Leafpool meowed, her voice revealing her extreme exhaustion. I turned my head towards her meow to see that she was sitting just underneath the Highledge.

Squirrelflight let out a huff of contentment. "There you are!" She meowed as she ran up to her sister.

"We've been looking all over for you!" Lilypetal explained, padding up to stand next to Squirrelflight.

"Where is everyone else?" Leafpool asked, her voice shaking with apparent nerves.

I narrowed my eyes. Something seriously crazy happened this full-moon, I thought. And something I know for sure is that it definitely didn't go in Leafpool's favor, or Hollyleaf's, or Jayfeather's or Lionblaze's.

"They're coming," Squirrelflight answered her sister. "They're right behind us."

I then watched as the three she-cats padded closer to each other, beginning to whisper. Desperate to hear what was going on, I began to walk slowly over towards the Highledge. I rolled my eyes and groaned as I felt a tail wrap itself around mine to stop me.

"Goldenpaw, haven't you already poked into other cat's business enough?" I heard Snowpaw hiss from behind me.

I whipped my head around to look at her. "What do you mean?" I hissed back. "Come with me! Just maybe you'll get to hear all of the details as to why you are able to be the medicine cat now!"

Snowpaw rolled her eyes, clearly being able to detect the sarcasm in my voice.

Her tail finally let go of mine. "I've already heard all that I need to hear," she muttered before turning to pad over to the medicine den. "Fine. Do whatever you want, but I'm going to watch the medicine den while Jayfeather is still gone."

I watched my sister disappear into the medicine den before turning back around and deciding to pad over to the fresh-kill pile, where I knew I would clearly be able to hear what Lilypetal, Leafpool, and Squirrelflight were saying. After all, I needed to know what had gone on at this Gathering!