DOVEPAW WAS JUST organizing the little herbs she and Badgertooth had just collected. The sun's rays shone onto her back, warming it up. It was almost moonhigh. She sorted the herbs in their assigned areas quickly before turning to do something else. If there was anything else to do. Maybe Badgertooth had something in mind. She stopped in her tracks when Gorseberry came limping into the den pitifully.

"Dovepaw! I've got a thorn stuck in my paw. It's really deep down in there!" Gorseberry complained as he sat on the ground and held out his paw to Dovepaw. "And it's big!"

Dovepaw let out a mrrow of amusement. "A strong, brave warrior coming to my den complaining like a kit about a thorn in his paw? Unlikely! Let's see this thorn." She took his paw in hers and examined it. "It looks pretty small to me. And it's really shallow." She put her teeth around it and began to pull it out expertly.

"Ow!" Gorseberry whined, pulling his paw back a little bit. Dovepaw grabbed it again. "Not so hard!"

"This is the most painful it's going to get, and if you keep moving then it'll hurt a lot more!" Dovepaw warned. Gorseberry stopped wiggling, and Dovepaw tugged at the thorn, making it fall out. "There. Let me get some marigold to prevent any infection." Dovepaw went and got a marigold poultice. She hurried over to Gorseberry and started to lick the marigold into his injured pad. "There. You can return to whatever you like now. But whenever this starts hurting again, come tell me."

"Okay." Gorseberry disappeared behind the bramble screen and joined Hollyfern. Badgertooth came in after he left.

"Good job," he praised Dovepaw.

"It was just a thorn."

"You've been very distracted lately, and to see you not being distracted in a very simple task is just one step," Badgertooth answered.

Dovepaw stiffened.

"Don't think I haven't noticed," he purred. "I want to talk to you about something. Sit down."

They both sat down, but right then Cloudpaw came into the den. "Dawnsplash wants me to take care of the elder's ticks," he meowed.

Badgertooth nodded and took one of the poultices wrapped in leaves in his jaws and gave it to Cloudpaw. There was another leaf wrapped around it. "Use the second one to put the ticks in."

Cloudpaw nodded, screwing up his face in disgust. "Thanks," he mumbled awkwardly through the leaf in his mouth. He turned and left the den.

Badgertooth turned to Dovepaw again and sat down. "Now. Tell me what has been bothering you."

Dovepaw shifted her weight on both paws. "Well—so—" She gazed at her mentor worriedly. "So, you know what happened yesterday?"

"Of course. Is that one of the causes of why you're so distracted?" Badgertooth asked.

Dovepaw nodded. "Yeah. It's about Foxclaw."

There was a flash of concern that lit up Badgertooth's eyes. Dovepaw took a deep breath and continued cautiously. She didn't want Badgertooth getting angry. "Last night, I went to go and meet him by the stream and I sort of lost track of time and stayed all night."

"Oh, really? I thought you—"

"That's exactly what Mousepaw said. And that's what it was like at the time. I was scared and I felt betrayed, until I ran into him one night after the Moonpool. He managed to convince me to keep meeting him at night, so I did. . . . And now I realize how mouse-brained I am for that." She gazed at her paws, too ashamed to meet her mentor's gaze.

There was no sign of anger in Badgertooth's mew. "I see. Maybe you should stay away. You don't deserve that treatment, if I know anything. He just wants someone to love. But if he wants that, he can go find another she-cat instead of my apprentice."

Dovepaw was shocked. She expected some kind of lecture or scold from Badgertooth, but instead she got advice. She blinked at Badgertooth. "W-wow. Thanks for not getting mad. I was worried there."

Badgertooth dipped his head. "Of course. I knew your little secret anyway, and I just wanted you to realize how bad of an idea it was. Now, if you excuse me, we need to get ready for the Gathering. Not that we have to get anything ready." He stood up and flicked his tail. "It looks like the Clan is getting ready to leave. Come on."

Dovepaw followed her mentor outside of the den and to the crowd where the Clan was getting ready to go to the Gathering. Mousepaw came to join her.

"I can't believe it's only our second Gathering. We could have had more, but we didn't have any in our old home, right?" Mousepaw asked.

"No, we didn't. But this is a great opportunity to make friends and be less hostile with the other Clans."

"It's not like the other Clans are our enemies. MoonClan is our enemy, but thankfully they don't come to Gatherings," Mousepaw meowed.

"Thankfully." The cats began to move onward when Lynxstar kinked her tail over her back. "Oh, here we go."

***

Dovepaw jumped from the fallen tree onto the flat ground of the Gathering place. She headed straight for the place where Swallowpaw was hanging around with her littermates, Hollypaw, and Creampaw. She was excited to see the five cats again, mostly considering that they were all from WindClan and this was her only chance to talk to them.

"Oh, here comes Dovepaw! Hi!" Swallowpaw exclaimed as Dovepaw approached the apprentices.

Creampaw looked particularly pleased to have Dovepaw in her midst again. Dovepaw remembered how the young apprentice was blown away by her injured leg and how she survived it. "Hello, Dovepaw," she mewed politely.

"Hi," Hollypaw meowed. "How has it been in your Clan? We have heard much about it, but, of course, you already knew that."

Dovepaw suddenly felt discomforted. Somehow the way the Clans were so hostile towards the fact that MoonClan was not only focused on FrostClan but on the other Clans too made Dovepaw feel uncomfortable when someone mentioned what was happening in her Clan. She glanced at Swallowpaw, uncertain. "Oh, well, it's been quite well. Nothing new, really."

Dovepaw hoped that Swallowpaw would stay quiet, and she did. Surprisingly.

"Well, that's good. It's good that there's no trouble stirring in our midst," Finchpaw replied.

Swallowpaw flicked her tail to dismiss the tense conversation. "Well, I helped out a cat with this huge thorn in their pad. Fawnspots was proud, I know she was! But she never admits it because I'm just her apprentice." She ended her explanation with a huge eye roll.

Finchpaw and Jaypaw exchanged glances. "We'll let you she-cats talk. We're going to join the other apprentices." The two toms marched away.

"Toms," Hollypaw grunted exasperatedly as she stared after Jaypaw and Finchpaw.

Dovepaw glanced over at where they were heading. Mousepaw was in the middle of a huge group of apprentices.

"Is that your sister?" Creampaw asked. "I think I've seen you with her, and somehow you two look alike."

Dovepaw cast a glance at the fluffy gray-and-white she-cat. "I don't think we look anything alike. But yeah, she's my sister. And my best friend. Have you gotten to know her at all?"

"No, but Hollypaw and I would like to," Creampaw mewed.

Hollypaw dipped her head. "I've heard nothing but positive things about her, especially from Finchpaw. It sounds like she tells great stories."

"We can go over there if you like," Swallowpaw suggested.

"Sure!" Creampaw and Hollypaw immediately ran towards the group.

"Er . . . if you want to, Dovepaw. I sort of just blurted it out," Swallowpaw meowed through clenched teeth.

"Sure. I'm curious to see what stories she tells. It better not be . . ." She trailed off and followed Swallowpaw to the group. It better not be the incident.

"It better not be what?" Swallowpaw asked casually.

"My incident," Dovepaw admitted. "Oh, never mind. She talks about everything."

They found a spot next to a ThunderClan apprentice and a ShadowClan apprentice.

Dovepaw pricked her ears to listen. Mousepaw was speaking loud and clear so that all of the apprentices could hear. She likes attention. This is the perfect place for her.

". . . And then, there was a loud noise like some cat was breaking in! I was like 'What was that?' and then I darted towards the camp entrance to see a bunch of huge cats, all scarred and scary-looking cats that looked ready to fight!" She gave a little jump and gazed around at the apprentices, who were murmuring in amusement.

Dovepaw let out a quiet mrrow of amusement. "She's so good at that," she whispered to Swallowpaw.

There was a glimmer of laughter in Swallowpaw's amber eyes. "Apparently."

"Then the whole Clan was fighting against them, and it was great! Until they retreated." She stopped hopping around and gazed down at her paws, acting miserable. "I looked around, and I was like, 'Where is my kin? I need to find out if they are okay!' So I ran towards the medicine den where my sister was and she wasn't there, and I started to freak out!"

"She must be talking about you. How sweet!" Swallowpaw meowed.

I know what she's talking about. The battle where Tawnyflight died. Dovepaw glanced at Swallowpaw somberly, hoping that her friend would get the message.

"Wait—what happened at that battle?" Swallowpaw suddenly sounded concerned and confused.

"Tawnyflight died," Dovepaw answered, careful to keep her voice low. She turned around. "I can't listen anymore."

Swallowpaw followed. "Oh, Dovepaw, I'm so sorry . . ."

There was the sound of tumbling rocks that attracted Dovepaw's attention. She glanced towards the sound and saw Brightstar run up the slope of the rock. "Let the Gathering begin!"

"Here we go," Dovepaw mewed. She began to move towards the other medicine cats. But this time she didn't see Cleartail anywhere. Maybe she stayed back at the RiverClan camp because of her illness. "Looks like Cleartail isn't here tonight."

Swallowpaw's eyes were narrowed. "Yes . . . I have a sneaking suspicion that she might have . . ." She shook her head and trotted towards her mentor, Fawnspots.

Dovepaw joined Badgertooth. "Where's Cleartail? Was she here earlier?"

"I don't know, but my guess is she stayed back at her camp," Badgertooth suggested. "Also, it looks like another cat took her place tonight. I think her name is Moonclaw . . ."

Dovepaw realized that she heard snippets of the elder's and senior warrior's conversations about a cat named Moonclaw. She had been a MoonClan apprentice, but when her mysterious ability—which Dovepaw hadn't heard of—was discovered by her mentor, Cypressfang, who was now Cypressstar, she was sent away to do MoonClan's bidding. "Really?"

The clearing fell silent. The five leaders were standing on the rock, waiting for the Clan cats to be silent. "Welcome," Brightstar began. "I will start with some news from my Clan. Right now, ever since newleaf has sprung into existence, we have had good hunting. But we have lost a warrior, Crimsonfrost, to the claws of an unknown cat. All we know is she was found dead at the entrance of our camp, covered in her own blood. There was no scent trail that could lead us to her murderer."

Dovepaw glanced around at the Clans. Mapleleaf's eyes were clouded with great affliction as her sister's death was described.

A ShadowClan warrior called out. "Have you any idea who did this horrible deed? Is there any cat that was rebellious against Crimsonfrost in particular?"

"No, but—"

"May I have a say in this?" Lynxstar interrupted.

Brightstar shot a look at Lynxstar. "If you must."

Lynxstar dipped her head briefly to show her respect towards the yellow she-cat. "When my Clan first arrived here, Brightstar's Clan helped us. As you all know, an apprentice was harmed by a MoonClan warrior. My prediction is MoonClan is particularly hateful towards ThunderClan because of their kind deed, so they think that it is right to punish ThunderClan. That is what I think, at least." Lynxstar sat down and curled her tail over her paws with a small sigh.

"Thank you, Lynxstar." Brightstar seemed despondent towards this piece of news. She leaned in and whispered something in Lynxstar's ear. Lynxstar nodded.

I wonder what message they're sharing amongst themselves, Dovepaw wondered.

"That is all I would like to share. Fallenstar, do you have anything you would like to share with the Clan?"

"All that I have to say is that prey has been running well ever since new-leaf came to the territory. It is really a blessing. And I do hope that this MoonClan dilemma is solved sooner or later. Breezestar?" The elderly, dark gray tom turned to the WindClan leader.

The light gray tom shook his head and glanced at Streamstar.

"Fishing has been well in RiverClan," Streamstar began, her strong yet sweet voice filling the silent clearing. "But our medicine cat, Cleartail, has become very ill and has died."

There were murmurs of sympathy from some of the cats in the clearing. Some cats turned to look at the medicine cats.

"We had no idea she was ill. But she must have been for a while. But in her place, we have a cat, Moonclaw, that has the slightest bit of knowledge about herbs, and she will be granted acceptance by StarClan and with the help of the other Clan's medicine cats." Streamstar swept her clear blue gaze over the group until she spotted Moonclaw. Then she sat down. "That is all I have to report." She glanced at Lynxstar expectantly.

Lynxstar stood up again. "We have been thriving this past moon, yet MoonClan is still hard on our heels. We have lost two cats—or three if you want to count any who were exiled."

There were more murmurs, but less of sympathy and more of worry. Dovepaw knew it was because Lynxstar mentioned MoonClan.

Dovepaw inhaled sharply. I don't want to listen to this. I don't want to be reminded of this painful time. But she didn't move. She gazed up at the leaders and stayed strong.

"We were attacked by MoonClan and lost one of our senior warriors, Tawnyflight. Then, later, we found another one of our warriors, Frostfeather, dead in a clearing in the forest. We found out that one of our newest warriors, Foxclaw, was behind it, thanks to our medicine apprentice, Dovepaw."

There were more whispers and mutters, some concerned, some angry, and some sympathetic.

Dovepaw let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Some cats glanced at her, an impressed glimmer in their eyes.

"That is all," Lynxstar meowed.

"Then this Gathering has come to an end," Brightstar announced. Then the cats began to go their separate ways, some bidding their farewells to their friends.

Dovepaw cast a sidelong glance at Moonclaw, knowing that this was the time that she was able to get to know her. Mapleleaf was first to speak. "This is a dark time. First a lot of the FrostClan cats, and now Cleartail." She shook her head, her amber eyes clouded. "She was a good friend. She didn't deserve to die."

"Yes," Fawnspots agreed. "She was wise, too. I know she was valuable to her Clan, and to our hearts. But I hope her replacement is just as good." She turned to Moonclaw. "Welcome. I know you will find this opportunity fulfilling."

Moonclaw dipped her head. "Thank you very much. I look forward to it." She looked up and glanced at all of the medicine cats in turn. "I am thankful to know you all accept me." Her voice was cool and calm as the streams that flowed through the Clans' territory.

There's something particularly odd about her . . . but I can't seem to tell exactly what it is. Dovepaw examined the black-and-white she-cat from where she stood beside Badgertooth. Her eyes were a vibrant green, as green as the flourishing plants beside the streams, as green as the ferns wet with morning dew. And her voice was smooth and sweet as honey. Yes, beautiful, but not natural.

"What's on your mind, Dovepaw? You look very focused," Badgertooth meowed, breaking her concentration.

Dovepaw glanced at her mentor. "Oh, I'll tell you back at camp. It's better not to say here."
"Ah. Okay."

***

The camp was bathed in moonlight. The rocks glittered a rather astounding silver. When the cats of FrostClan entered, they went into their dens, exhausted. Dovepaw followed Badgertooth to the medicine den.

"If you want to share what you were thinking, you can, but I think we would both rather sleep," Badgertooth meowed.

"Yeah, I prefer to share at dawn, or whenever is the best time," Dovepaw answered, curling up in her nest. "Goodnight, Badgertooth."

"Goodnight," Badgertooth responded as Dovepaw headed toward the apprentices' den.