THE DEN WAS dark and barely any sunlight came through the small cracks in the rock that kept Spottedsong and Dawnsplash trapped. She paced the den, searching for some sort of escape. Dawnsplash was laying down on the other side of the den, which was only a few mouse-lengths away, with her paws tucked under her chest. She watched as Spottedsong paced, her eyes wide and thoughtful. "Why aren't you helping?" Spottedsong hissed, glaring at Dawnsplash. "We've been on here for two days, and you've done nothing to find a way out."

"There's no use," Dawnsplash replied simply. Her voice was heavy with hopelessness. "Besides, this way I don't have to go back to that place again."

Spottedsong stared at her in shock and disbelief. "You don't like it? So why did you try to kill Frozenfang?"

Dawnsplash let out a hiss of disgust. "That wasn't my intention. Cypressstar told me to kill Frozenfang. And when I refused when I was just about to kill her, it felt like . . . like I wasn't myself anymore."

"What do you mean?" Spottedsong asked.

There was silence from Dawnsplash for a long time before she sighed. "I don't know," she replied. "That's just what it felt like. Is that what happened to you when you failed to kill Dovepaw?"

"N-no. Well, kind of, I guess. I don't know. I was scared that something bad would happen if I didn't kill her, so I did it, but I failed," Spottedsong admitted. "Now I think something's going to happen."

Dawnsplash grimaced. "Maybe you can somehow avoid it?"

Spottedsong shot a surprise look at her. "How?"

"I don't know . . . don't go to that place?" Dawnsplash guessed.

"And how do you suggest I do that? You know from your own experience that there's no way to resist going because of that . . . voice." Spottedsong suppressed a shiver. "There's no way not to go. And when you're there, you're not able to leave."

"How could you know that? I haven't even thought about trying to leave." Dawnsplash cocked her head to one side curiously.

Spottedsong glanced at the entrance of the den where Mousetail and Ashbreeze were guarding the prison. Then she inched closer to Dawnsplash so they couldn't hear. "That's the point. You don't think about leaving. Moonclaw obviously has a way of getting into her victim's heads, and when she does that, these weird, creepy, unnatural things happen. Get it?"

Dawnsplash's blue eyes widened with thoughtfulness and surprise. "That . . . makes a lot of sense. And that's weird. How did you figure this out?"

"I had nothing else to do but think," Spottedsong explained simply. "It's kind of easy to realize if you think about it."

"So is that why I had no control after I hesitated to kill Frozenfang?" Dawnsplash asked.

"Yes. That's exactly right. I just don't know how to prevent that from happening because chances are that it will happen again and you'll have to attempt to kill Frozenfang," Spottedsong explained.

"But I don't want to kill Frozenfang! She's my Clanmate!" Dawnsplash cried.

Spottedsong glanced at the den entrance quickly. Surely one of the guards heard Dawnsplash's cry. "Be quiet! This is our secret. No other cat must know," she hissed.

"We shouldn't be keeping this a secret!" Dawnsplash hissed back. "This is serious stuff. If the Clan doesn't know, then that's a problem."

"Well, if they knew that MoonClan was involved in this and we were working with MoonClan when they accused us, we could have been dead by now. Is that what you really want?" Spottedsong asked desperately. She couldn't believe that Dawnsplash could be so careless about this.

"If it keeps the cats I love most safe, then yes, that is what I want," Dawnsplash retorted smartly. "If they kill me, so be it. At least they'll be safe."

Spottedsong couldn't believe her ears. "Are you saying that you would be willing to be killed if it meant the Clan would be safe?"

"Yes," Dawnsplash responded with an arrogant twitch of her ear.

"That's so noble of you. But this isn't our Clan anymore. We are MoonClan now," Spottedsong snarled. "You wouldn't want to die a traitor of two Clans, now, would you?"

Dawnsplash sprang to her paws in her anger. "You don't talk to a senior warrior like that!" she growled.

Spottedsong looked at the entrance again. Mousetail and Ashbreeze hadn't moved. But what if they're listening to us and getting information before they tell Lynxstar? "Keep your voice down," Spottedsong spat. "I'm allowed to talk to you however I want. I have rights, you know."

"I know," Dawnsplash retorted. "But not rights that allow you to talk back to me like that. I have been in this Clan longer than you. I made it on the long journey here. I survived the last attack from MoonClan before we left. I deserve respect from even the youngest cats in the Clan, don't you think?"

Spottedsong met her gaze boldly. "That doesn't change anything if you're not loyal," she hissed.

"I'm loyal!" Dawnsplash argued. "You just can't see it."

Spottedsong rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm sure you not killing Frozenfang was enough proof to show that you're not loyal. The entire point in making you kill a cat in this Clan is to show that you are loyal to MoonClan. And you failed."

"You did, too," Dawnsplash pointed out. "Doesn't that mean you aren't—"

"That's different. I tried. But sadly, there were warriors around," Spottedsong growled. "You hesitated to complete your task when you knew that you needed to do it."

"Because I knew what was right!" Dawnsplash gasped disbelievingly. "I never wanted this, you know."

Spottedsong turned away and began to inspect the walls around them closer. The cracks were too small to fit through. Maybe there's nothing on the walls, but on the ground. She crouched low and examined the ground. She examined the corners and the edges, and soon she found a hole in the ground. Her heart leaped. She glanced at Dawnsplash, who was curled up again and refusing to meet Spottedsong's gaze. That's okay. She can stay in here if she wants, Spottedsong thought with a tinge of hate toward the ginger-and-white she-cat. I'm doing the right thing. I need to get back to MoonClan. It's my home now. She began to claw at the hole, and some of the earth came loose and slid deeper into the hole. It looked like an abandoned hole that once belonged to a rodent of some kind. A rabbit, maybe. She didn't know what rabbit holes looked like, but this was a pretty good guess.

The hole was a little bit smaller than she was, but if she dug out some of the earth, she should have been able to fit through it. This hole is bound to lead outside of this place, Spottedsong thought as she began to dig. She glanced at Dawnsplash, but she had fallen asleep. Lucky me. I should be out of here before she can notice. She dug harder until the earth fell loose and it was big enough for her to fit through. She peeked into it and saw light streaming in from the other side. She glanced at Mousetail and Ashbreeze. Mousetail was gone, but Hollyfern had taken her place. Mouse dung. I guess I'll have to go quickly. She slipped into the hole and almost immediately came out the other side. She breathed in the fresh air gratefully before darting toward the forest where she had met the MoonClan cats before. Perhaps they were still there.

When she entered the forest, the mingled scents of all Clans were there, including MoonClan, but they were all stale and no one was there. A wave of despair washed over her. I don't even know where the MoonClan camp is. Then she remembered. The day that Snowtail left, Lynxstar sent a patrol to find Snowtail. They came back saying that she went to the MoonClan camp, which was on the edge of Clan territory, in a hollow surrounded by rocks and bushes.

Spottedsong closed her eyes and tried to remember what direction it was in. Then she remembered watching the patrol chase Snowtail toward the far side of the lake. It wasn't too far; she would be able to get there before nightfall. She looked up and darted toward that direction immediately, running as fast as her sore legs could carry her. Excitement rushed through her with every paw step. This is it. This is when I find where I really belong.

The strong yet familiar scents of the MoonClan cats hit her as she neared the hollow. She slowed down as she felt the earth begin to tilt downward beneath her paws. The rocks and bushes that surrounded the hollow weren't hard to see.

"Hey, you!" A thick-furred dark gray tom, Silentwhisker, marched over to Spottedsong, his yellow eyes hostile. A black she-cat, Nightshade, and a dark ginger tom with a white face, Rabbitmask, followed him close behind. "What are you doing here?"

Spottedsong met his gaze bravely. Do I have anything to prove that I'm really one of them? Then she remembered the scar she had on her paw that Cypressstar made her make. She held up her paw and meowed coolly, "I am one of you. This is my proof that I spilled my own blood to prove my loyalty."

Nightshade narrowed her accusing blue eyes, and Rabbitmask growled. But Silentwhisker flicked his tail to silence them.

"So you say. But how do I know that you are just a spy for FrostClan?" Silentwhisker asked, his eyes narrowing. Nightshade and Rabbitmask murmured agreement, their fur bristling angrily.

"Let me talk to Cypressstar," Spottedsong meowed.

Silentwhisker's ear twitched as if he were considering it. "I don't think so. Go back to your Clan."

"Look, do you want me to tell you something only a MoonClan cat would know?" Spottedsong asked.

"Try me."

"MoonClan is training cats from all Clans. Cypressstar has forced them to prove their loyalty by killing one of their Clanmates, but it seems that only one cat has succeeded so far," Spottedsong explained smartly.

"How do I know that you didn't get this information from someone else?" Silentwhisker challenged her, his tail lashing.

"How could I possibly get information from another cat when Moonclaw has some sort of ability that allows her to control her victims whenever she likes, including the ones that attempt to share information with other cats?" Spottedsong asked.

Silentwhisker fixated his intense yellow gaze on her for a long time before he sighed. "Fine. Come with me."

Spottedsong excitedly followed him and the other two into the camp. The warriors of MoonClan eyed her suspiciously. In the corner of her eye, she saw Sparrowfeather and Snowtail. Her breath caught in her throat. So they're still alive. And here. Working for MoonClan. She silently hoped that they didn't recognize her if she didn't look at them. But her worries about her former Clanmates faded when they approached Cypressstar's den. Spottedsong's heart pounded against her chest as she watched the dark gray tom disappear into the den. He must have been telling Cypressstar that Spottedsong was there and waiting for him.

Then Silentwhisker came out again with Cypressstar behind him. The gray tom flicked his tail toward Nightshade and Rabbitmask and they left. Spottedsong met the brown tom's gaze steadily, her heart racing. She didn't want to admit it, but at this point, she was more scared than ecstatic. "What are you doing in my camp?" Cypressstar asked, his amber eyes narrowed. He led Spottedsong into the den.

"My Clanmates caught me trying to kill Dovepaw," Spottedsong explained. "And they found out about Dawnsplash. Lynxstar ordered some warriors to put me and Dawnsplash in a prison to decide what she wanted to do with us. I escaped and came here because I knew I couldn't go back."

"So you didn't kill the apprentice?" Cypressstar asked.

Spottedsong cowered under Cypressstar's intense and angry stare. "N-no. I'm sorry," she apologized. "I promise I tried as hard as I could. But there were warriors around, and they caught me, and—"

"Do you really expect me to let you stay here if you didn't succeed in killing Dovepaw? The reason I sent you to kill her was to prove your loyalty. And since you failed, you do not have a place in this Clan," Cypressstar explained coldly.

It took all of Spottedsong's willpower not to bristle in shock and anger. "Then why is Snowtail here? She killed no one. She tried, though. So why shouldn't I be allowed here, too?"

"That is different. There were . . . exceptions when it came to her," Cypressstar replied. Spottedsong hinted uncertainty in his tone, as if he was hiding something. "Leave. Get out of my sight."

At this point, Spottedsong couldn't help but bristle. "Fine," she hissed. "I'll leave. But I'll never do anything for you again." She turned and confidently strode out of the den.