DOVEPAW SHOOK OUT her pelt. It was a quarter-moon after Foxclaw's exile, yet she thought about him everyday. She tried to empty her mind of him by taking walks in the forest of just sorting herbs even though they didn't need to be sorted. But tonight was the meeting with the other medicine cats at the Moonpool, and she would be able to talk to Swallowpaw again.

     Dovepaw laid beside the medicine den, letting the sun warm her pelt. She rested her head on her paws, gazing around at the cats in the clearing. Flowers were beginning to bloom now, and the sweet fragrance of blossoms filled the camp.

     The arc that led into the camp rustled and Blizzardpelt, Hollyfern, Whitefoot, and Mousepaw entered the den. Dovepaw almost expected to see Foxclaw follow.

     What is wrong with me? I can't seem to forget about him, and somehow I don't feel any hatred towards him. But he betrayed me! Maybe Mousepaw can help. Dovepaw watched as Mousepaw dropped her fresh-kill in the fresh-kill pile. Dovepaw stood up and limped over to her brown-and-white-furred sister. "Mousepaw?"

     Mousepaw turned around, her blue eyes shining. "Dovepaw! It feels like forever since we had a decent talk . . . er . . . is that what you wanted, or am I just desperate?" She tilted her head to one side curiously.

     Dovepaw couldn't stifle a purr, though it came out dry. "Do you want to share some fresh-kill?"

     Mousepaw shrugged. "Sure, but Skypaw—"

     The dark gray apprentice was just walking past when Mousepaw said that. He flicked his tail over her ear. He mewed compassionately, "Go ahead, whatever makes you happy." Then he walked away.

     Mousepaw stared after him until he disappeared into the shadows, then she sighed, but it was a happy sigh, a satisfied sigh. "You say you want to share fresh-kill? I caught a plump squirrel, maybe you would like that." She dragged the carcass from the pile and laid it down. "You do seem kind of . . . sad. What's wrong?"

     Dovepaw gazed at her littermate. I trust her. I can tell her. "It's Foxclaw. I miss him." She cringed, turning her gaze to her paws, waiting for Mousepaw to start spewing accusations at her.

     But instead Mousepaw just let out a soft mrrow of sympathy. "Why? He's a traitor to the Clan."

     "I-I know, but I've realized that I really did love him, and that's why I can't forget about him, even though I try to push him to the back of my mind." Dovepaw studied Mousepaw's gaze. "I just never told anyone because I knew that it was against the code, and . . ."

     "Dovepaw! It's time to get ready to go." It was Badgertooth. He was standing at the edge of the medicine den, gazing at Dovepaw and her littermate.

     Dovepaw glanced back at Mousepaw. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. You can finish that. You deserve it, catching such a delicious squirrel." She purred, waving her tail in the air, and joined Badgertooth.

     "We must leave. It is almost moonhigh," Badgertooth meowed. Without warning, he turned to leave. The dusk patrol, who was just returning, bid their farewells and 'safe travels'.

     Dovepaw almost felt light after pouring all of her feelings to Mousepaw, her loyal and trustworthy littermate. She never felt safe telling any cat. And now she was going to the Moonpool where she could collect advice from StarClan, and maybe even from Swallowpaw and the other medicine cats.

***

     The path was moonlit and the stream glittered with twinkling stars. This is the stream that Foxclaw showed me. . . . Dovepaw shook out her pelt, trying to forget. Her worries all faded when she caught a glimpse of Fawnspots and Swallowpaw at the far end of the stream. Cleartail, Fogsight, and Mapleleaf were there too.

     Dovepaw ran ahead. "Hi, Swallowpaw!"

     Swallowpaw's amber eyes gleamed. "It feels like a while since I saw you. How are you since . . ."

     Dovepaw flattened her ears and dropped her voice to a whisper so that the other medicine cats couldn't hear. "I'm fine without Foxclaw now."

     "Wait, what?"

     "I forgot to tell you—he got exiled."

     "What do you mean? That was so . . . quick." Swallowpaw looked very confused.

     "Frostfeather, one of the senior warriors, was killed and I discovered that it was Foxclaw."

     "Yes, she was very talented," Badgertooth added. "It was surprising that such a young warrior was capable of killing her so easily."

     Dovepaw's heart lurched. She turned around. "You won't tell the others, will you?"

     "Not about you and Foxclaw; that's not important to them. But about his exile? Yes, I will tell them how wonderful you were." Badgertooth purred and flicked his tail over his apprentice's ear playfully.

     "That's awesome! How did you do it?" Swallowpaw looked excited now.

     Dovepaw cast a sidelong glance at the other medicine cats. "I think we should get going first. I'll tell you all about it on the way."

     Swallowpaw was nearly bouncing on her paws. She stayed close to Dovepaw's side as they walked. "So, how did it go?"

     "Well, after our little talk, I went back to camp and found that the whole Clan was surrounding Frostfeather's body, distressed. So I checked it out. I searched for Frostfeather's body for a scent, which was mostly covered in fox dung, but I found it and figured out that it was Foxclaw. I told Lynxstar right away and she told the Clan. Then they exiled Foxclaw," Dovepaw explained.

     Swallowpaw's mouth gaped with awe. "Wow, you did that? Impressive! So now do you know where he went? Or what he's been doing or what he's planning?"

     Dovepaw shook her head. She looked down at her paws, feeling hot with misery and shame. She had turned him in, yet she yearned with him with such desperation. "The last time I saw him, I said, 'Get away from me. I never want to see you again', so then I didn't seek him out again. He's dead to me now. Or, that's what I want . . . I think. I don't know."

     Swallowpaw's eyes were filled with sympathy. "I'm sorry that all happened to you. You shouldn't have to feel all of that, being so young . . ." She trailed off. "Oh, here we are!" She walked in front of Dovepaw now, obviously eager to see what StarClan had in store for her.

     Dovepaw sighed. I wish I were as enthusiastic as her. She makes it seem so easy. She followed the back-and-white apprentice down to the glittering pool of stars. Well, if every cat were the same, we would be pretty boring, wouldn't we? She stepped forward and glanced around at the others. Swallowpaw settled herself a tail-length away from Dovepaw and lapped at the water.

     Dovepaw did the same, unflinching when the icy water touched her tongue. She curled up comfortably and waited for StarClan to send her to sleep.

     The sweet scent of freshly bloomed flowers surrounded her when she arrived in her dream. It must be newleaf. She sighed, satisfied.

     "Welcome back." A small brown she-cat stepped into the clearing, her amber eyes shining with welcome. "You must have a lot of questions, and so do I."

     "Leafpaw," Dovepaw breathed. "It's been forever. You didn't deserve to die."

     Leafpaw let out a purr of contentment. "I'm in a better place now, where no MoonClan warrior can lay a claw on me. Also, I still get to watch over my kin. Over my littermates."

     "Is that what you came to me about? Foxclaw?"

     Leafpaw nodded, her amber eyes shining with regret. "He was so alone after I died. And I'm not just saying that. I know for a fact. Rosefeather, Hollyfern, and Gorseberry didn't trust him much after my father . . . He didn't have much, but when you came into his life, he was so much happier."

     Dovepaw felt a pang of guilt and regret and sympathy all at the same time. "I'm sorry . . . I overreacted. He was just . . . he hid secrets from me, and . . ." Her throat seemed close up with sadness.

     Leafpaw stepped forward, her soothing scent wreathing around Dovepaw. "Don't take it personally, Dovepaw. He made a mistake, and he shouldn't have hidden such a terrible secret from you."

     Dovepaw looked up at the brown tabby. "Thanks."

     "Now, I have something to show you."

     Dovepaw nodded. Darkness enfolded her and then revealed a sunlit clearing with a white she-cat in the middle. She had small black spots on her face and green eyes that shone in the sunlight. Frostfeather.

     Dovepaw looked around and saw a brown tabby tom stalking through the bushes. Foxclaw. She growled. He was covered in what looked like mud, or fox dung. She watched as he stalked closer and closer . . . Pounce! The bushes rustled and Frostfeather looked over her shoulder, only to let out a shriek of alarm and pain as Foxclaw sank his long, hooked claws into her shoulders. They struggled in a fight.

     It seemed that Frostfeather, who was bigger in size and more experienced than Foxclaw, was winning before Foxclaw had her pinned, one paw planted on her tail and two paws blocking her from getting back up. He ducked his head and sank his teeth into the she-cat's throat, throwing blood onto the clearing.

     Gradually and intensely Frostfeather went still and limp.

     Dovepaw gasped sharply, her ears flattened, her heart racing. What would make him do such a terrible thing, much less kill her in such a terrible way? And to his former mentor! She watched as Foxclaw ran away, just as Whitefoot and Snowtail entered the clearing.

     Snowtail yowled, grief and fury filling her voice. Whitefoot pressed close to his mother, staring at Frostfeather's body with shock. Then the vision faded.

     "No . . . he couldn't have . . . he promised me he wasn't lying to me," Dovepaw mewed softly.

     Leafpaw brushed her flank against Dovepaw. "You don't have to worry about him anymore. He's gone, far away."

     Dovepaw wanted to believe that, but she couldn't. "Thank you." She closed her eyes and opened them again in the Moonpool hollow.

     Swallowpaw was awake and laying there, gazing into the water. She turned her head to look at Dovepaw, but didn't speak.

     After all of the medicine cats were awake and ready to leave, they bid their farewells at the edge of the stream where Fogsight, Cleartail, Fawnspots, and Swallowpaw.

     Mapleleaf looked thoughtful. "Didn't Cleartail look tired and sort of . . . ill?"

     Badgertooth cast a glance at the dark red she-cat. "She did. Her eyes were dull and every time she breathed she sounded like she was having a hard time."

     Dovepaw realized that Cleartail did look ill and tired. But she didn't say anything. She didn't look that way last time I saw her . . . this must have been really sudden. If she dies, then RiverClan will have a hard time since they don't have a medicine cat to take her place.

     "Oh, well, here's where I should leave," Mapleleaf meowed all of a sudden. She sounded desperate to get back to her camp.

     Crimsonfrost was her sister, wasn't she? She must be grieving for her.

     Badgertooth seemed to make the realization as well. He nodded to Mapleleaf. "Okay. Have a good night."

     Mapleleaf dipped her head. "You as well." Then she bounded across the stepping-stones towards her camp.

     "Let's go." Badgertooth led Dovepaw down the path. "How was it tonight?" he asked.

     "It was okay. I saw Leafpaw, and she showed me what happened when Frostfeather died." Dovepaw gazed at her paws. "I feel so dumb. But then, Leafpaw told me that Foxclaw was just lonely."

     There was a small hm from Badgertooth. "Lonely, you say?"

     "Yes. After Sparrowfeather, Rosefeather, Hollyfern, and Gorseberry just didn't trust him anymore. At least, that's Leafpaw's interpretation of it," Dovepaw explained.

     "Interesting." Badgertooth fell silent, clearly thinking about this.

     There was a sudden rustle in the bushes next to Dovepaw, then a touch on her tail. She whipped her tail away from whatever it was. "Hey, uh, Badgertooth? Can you give me a second?"

     Badgertooth nodded. "Yeah, sure."

     Dovepaw slipped into the bushes, only to crash into something dark and soft. She stepped back. "Sorry," she apologized. She gasped when she realized she was staring at the last cat she wanted to see.