DOVESONG WAS CURLED up in her poorly made nest, but it was good enough. Rain pattered on the ground outside and on top of the den. The chilly wind made her shiver slightly, but she curled up tighter and hoped that sleep would come to her soon.

She and Moonclaw had had no progress in finding out what Softcloud's message meant. Moonclaw was becoming more and more distant, only leaving her nest when it was time to eat. Dovesong felt like StarClan was ignoring her. What was once hope inside her became a dark abyss of hopelessness. Everyday she prayed that someone would come to save her and Moonclaw.

She lifted her head when she heard hushed voices and the quick and quiet pattering of paw steps in puddles. She tasted the air, but only found MoonClan, a faint scent of FrostClan and RiverClan from herself and Moonclaw, and rain. But behind all of that was the stronger scents of the five Clans. Her heart lurched in excitement and it began to racing.

"Do you hear that?" she whispered, hoping that Moonclaw was listening.

"Hear what?" Moonclaw muttered, sounding half asleep. She raised her head and looked around, her ears erect.

"There's cats out there."

Moonclaw blinked at her. "Um, yeah. What about it?"

Dovesong rolled her eyes. "No, I can smell the other four Clans out there."

Moonclaw parted her jaws and was silent for a moment before her eyes widened in wonder. "Do you think it's a rescue patrol?"

Dovesong wished she sounded more enthusiastic. "Maybe." She left her nest and limped toward the den entrance. When she reared onto her hind legs, she stumbled and fell when there was a warning yowl outside. She scrambled to her paws again and tried to look outside again. She could see all kinds of pelt colors—one of which she recognized as Creamfrost, another Skystorm, another Goldenheart . . . "Great StarClan! They're all here!"

Moonclaw looked genuinely interested now. She padded to Dovesong's side and peered through the brambles. "There's Applewhisker! And Featherbreeze and Whitecloud! And Swallowpaw!"

Fear stabbed Dovesong in the chest unexpectedly when Moonclaw named Swallowpaw. She looked outside again and saw her best friend in the sea of fighting cats. What is she doing here? She's not even trained like a warrior is! She could be hurt! "Oh, no."

"What?"

"Swallowpaw's a medicine cat, not a warrior! She could be hurt," Dovesong answered.

"She'll be fine. She's surrounded by her Clanmates and cats that care about her," Moonclaw mewed. "Besides, if she's hurt, you can heal her, right?"

"Yes. . . . But what if this attack doesn't turn out well? It's nighttime—you know MoonClan is powerful at night," Dovesong explained hurriedly. Even though she didn't want to watch in case someone was hurt, she couldn't take her eyes off of the fight. Who organized this? Who cared enough to organize something like this? Dovesong felt warm inside knowing that someone cared about her and Moonclaw that much. Especially Moonclaw, who was convinced that everyone hated her.

"We just have to have faith," Moonclaw responded.

Dovesong wasn't so sure about that. Cats she cared about were in that fight. What if they were hurt? She couldn't help but think about Foxclaw, too. Who would he protect now? Her, or his Clan? She felt pity toward him. He was so torn. But then, did he ever truly care about her? Oh, don't be silly. If he's hurt, so what? I'll have one less thing to worry about. Then she sighed. It's easier to say I don't care about him than it is to actually forget about him.

She continued to watch, flinching each time a cat was hurt. It seemed like MoonClan was winning. Dovesong's heart pounded against her ribs so hard she could nearly hear it. But she kept reminding herself that everything would be fine.

But then she stumbled and landed back on all fours again when the brambles shook. The scent of Swallowpaw wafted through the brambles. Dovesong's heart leaped. Swallowpaw pushed through, and her eyes immediately lit up. "Thank StarClan you're both okay!" she breathed. "Come on—we need to get out of here."

"Thank you, Swallowpaw!" Dovesong followed her friend out of the den. She glanced over her shoulder at Moonclaw. "Are you coming?"

Moonclaw seemed to be lost in thought. "Yeah." She followed the two younger cats out of the den. They all ran as fast as they could out of the camp.

"What do you think you're doing?" a voice growled behind Dovesong. Pain pierced through her tail when teeth snapped around it and pulled her back. Her shoulder scraped the ground and she was pinned to the ground by Snowtail, one of her Clan's many traitors.

Moonclaw and Swallowpaw turned around immediately. "Go! Run!" Swallowpaw told Moonclaw over her shoulder. Moonclaw fled.

Will I see Moonclaw again? Dovesong wondered. But she snapped her attention back to Snowtail. "I—I . . ."

"Spit it out!" Snowtail demanded.

"I was rescuing them!" Swallowpaw admitted. Dovesong looked up to see Swallowpaw. The black-and-white she-cat looked fearful. "Please don't hurt her!"

Snowtail bared his teeth at Swallowpaw, and Swallowpaw flinched. She growled low in her throat. "You really thought this plan would work? You know we're smarter than you think!"

Dovesong wriggled underneath her. "Let me go!" She tried to kick at her belly with her good leg, but she was holding it down. "I never meant to do any harm!"

Snowtail looked at her, her green eyes shining with menace. "I know you never meant to do any harm. It's your friend I'm worried about."

"Don't hurt me," Dovesong growled.

Snowtail let out a purr of mock amusement. "You're a feisty one, aren't you? No wonder Foxclaw betrayed us for you."

"Leave Foxclaw out of this!" Dovesong snarled. "Just let me go."

Snowtail opened her mouth to answer, but then in a flash, she disappeared. Dovesong staggered to her paws, her shoulder screaming in pain. Foxclaw had attacked her, and they were locked in a tense fight. Dovesong stared, backing up.

"Go! Get to safety!" Foxclaw yowled as he fought Snowtail. "Don't worry about me."

Dovesong stared for a moment longer, her heart pounding, and then joined Swallowpaw.

"Are you okay?" Swallowpaw asked. "Ugh, that shoulder looks horrendous."

"I'll be okay. Let's get out of here," Dovesong suggested. "I want to make sure Moonclaw is alright."

"Why? She wasn't attacked or anything," Swallowpaw meowed.

They darted out of the camp quickly. "She's been a bit . . . depressed lately. I just want to make sure she's okay."

Swallowpaw looked concerned. "Okay."

Then an agonized yowl made Dovesong turn around. Snowtail was standing over Foxclaw while Foxclaw was bleeding almost to death. But Snowtail left quickly and disappeared into the battle. Dovesong glanced at Swallowpaw, then to Foxclaw, then Swallowpaw, then back again. I have to help Foxclaw! She looked at Swallowpaw again before she darted back to the clearing. "Foxclaw!" she cried, surprised to hear such desperation in her voice. She stopped at his side, distressed to see so much blood leaving his body. "I-I can help . . ." She couldn't believe she was saying this.

"You don't have to," Foxclaw rasped. "I know you don't care about me the way you used to. And that's fine. I just want to make sure you're safe."

Dovesong stared at him hopelessly, unsure of whether to use her powers or not. "Don't die . . ."

"I won't. I promise." Foxclaw's eyes smiled, then the light in his eyes died down and his mew was barely audible. "Dovesong . . . if I die, just know that I have always truly loved you. I just . . . I'm sorry if it never seemed like that. I'm sorry I did this to you. I was going to be killed if I didn't kill Frostfeather, if I didn't leave FrostClan, if I didn't capture you . . . I was scared. I let fear get the best of me. I'm sorry. I love you."

Dovesong realized that his words were genuine. She felt choked. "Don't talk like you're going to die. I'm going to save you." She laid her paws on his chest where the wound was worst, and the wound began to close. Blood was rushing from his body faster than ever. Come on . . . faster . . . don't let him die! "Don't die!" she cried.

But Foxclaw's breathing was coming to a stop. His warm, sparkling amber eyes were closed. Dovesong would never see them again.

"No, no, no, no, no. . . . Stop it!" Dovesong pleaded desperately. Foxclaw had stopped breathing. Blood stopped gushing from his wounds. "Foxclaw!" she screeched. She took his scruff in her jaws and dragged his body across the clearing to where Swallowpaw was watching, her eyes wide with horror.

Dovesong let his scruff go and collapsed next to his body. "Wake up!" She prodded his side harshly as if he were merely in a deep sleep. "Don't leave me . . ."

"Dovesong, he's gone," Swallowpaw mewed, sounding somber even though she never even met Foxclaw before.

"I know that!" Dovesong snapped. The rain fell harder, and thunder boomed ahead. Swallowpaw's eyes widened and she backed away slightly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped. It's just . . . Foxclaw . . ."

"I know. I'm sorry." Swallowpaw pressed her damp pelt against Dovesong while Dovesong stared, her mind blank, at Foxclaw's body. "Dovesong, we have to go. We could be attacked again."

"Can't I . . . bring his body with us? He needs to be buried properly," Dovesong asked quietly.

"Of course," Swallowpaw agreed, her voice full of sympathy. "We just have to be fast."

Dovesong nodded, unable to speak, and took Foxclaw's scruff in her jaws. As she followed Swallowpaw, Swallowpaw helped carry him by holding the other half of his body up so it didn't drag. "Swallowpaw," Dovesong meowed quietly, "do you want to know what he said to be before he died?"

Swallowpaw looked at her, surprised. "No. What did he say?" They both stopped in their tracks and laid Foxclaw's body down gently.

"He said that he's truly sorry and he let fear get the best of him. . . . But what he really said last was, 'I'm sorry. I love you.'" Her voice cracked on I love you. "Now I know . . . I love him, too. I wish I had said that to him more often." She looked at Swallowpaw. "But I know you can never relate. You were never in love, weren't you?"

Swallowpaw's eyes glittered with wistfulness. Dovesong could nearly feel her eyes on her, thoughtful and somber. "No. I never have been. I wish I was, though." Was that longing in her voice? Was she really in love with someone?

Dovesong blinked at Swallowpaw. "I don't think you do. If I learned anything from Foxclaw, it's that when you're in love, you have to be strong enough to get your heart broken."

Swallowpaw returned her gaze, her eyes darkening. "Okay. I'll keep that in mind." She looked toward the endless expanse of land, now muddied with rainwater. "I'll go look for Moonclaw. Will you be good for a few moments alone?"

"Yes." Dovesong watched as Swallowpaw left, wondering what feeling she had seen in her eyes and heard in her voice. It was sympathy, yes, but there was something else. Something else . . . like longing. Sadness. Dovesong wondered if the cat Swallowpaw had spoken of was her. But Dovesong knew she was shocked by Foxclaw's death. She was probably imagining it. Besides, they were just friends.

Perhaps the sadness in Swallowpaw's voice was from the fact that Dovesong was distressed by Foxclaw's death. The fact that she loved Foxclaw, and she had no feelings of affection toward Swallowpaw. But Dovesong knew that was silly. She was definitely imagining it.

Something caught Dovesong's eye. It came from Foxclaw's body. She looked at it and saw that something faint and ghostly was rising from it. Her heart leaped with surprise. Was it his ghost? She watched as a faint starry shape rose from his body, stood there for a moment, its eyes glittering with starlight, and turned to bound into the forest. Foxclaw's going to StarClan . . . Dovesong looked up at the sky, even though she couldn't see the stars. Thank you for welcoming him.

You're welcome. The voice whispered through her fur, loud and clear but gentle and loving. Dovesong closed her eyes and let the calm that the voice offered seep into her. She realized that it was Leafpaw, Foxclaw's deceased sister. She knew how much Foxclaw longed to see Leafpaw again. Now was his chance.

"Dovesong!" Swallowpaw was rushing toward her, her pelt bristling with alarm. Dovesong looked up, alarmed and slightly annoyed that she interrupted her peaceful moment. "Dovesong," she panted when she had approached Dovesong. Dovesong stared at her, confused as to why her eyes were wild and her pelt was spiked. "I found Moonclaw, but she refused to come with me."

"Why didn't you try to convince her to come back?" Dovesong asked, confused.

"I tried. But you know what she said?" Swallowpaw asked, her eyes wide with disbelief. "She said, 'None of you are safe with me around. Swallowpaw, I killed those ThunderClan cats. I made all of those traitors on FrostClan do the terrible things they did. I made them killers because I was scared that I would be killed if I didn't. If I leave, then everyone will be safe.'"

Dovesong stared at her in shock. "And she left? Just like that?"

"I'm afraid so," Swallowpaw replied solemnly.

Dovesong sighed. "Who else is going to leave today?" She looked up at the sky, but the clouds covered up the stars. Rainwater fell into her eyes and she looked down, trying to blink them away. "I don't know if I'll make it if someone else leaves."

She could see Swallowpaw looking at her, dismay in her eyes, from the corner of her eye. "I wish I could help," Swallowpaw admitted. "I know it's hard."

Dovesong looked up at her friend. "Thank you. Should we check on the battle? I want to make sure nobody is hurt." She looked at Foxclaw's body. "We need to keep him somewhere safe."

"Oh, they're bound to be hurt," Swallowpaw pointed out. "Okay. What about those bushes over there? We can come back for his body later." She nodded to a cluster of bushes a few tail-lengths away.

"Sure." Dovesong took hold of Foxclaw's scruff again. It was wet with rainwater. She dragged him to the bushes and carefully laid him inside. "No one should find him here." She turned to Swallowpaw. "We should go now."

Swallowpaw began running beside Dovesong when Dovesong broke into a run toward the MoonClan camp. "Are you sure you can heal all of them if they're hurt? I know your ability sometimes doesn't work."

"Yeah, but now I understand why. I won't use it carelessly anymore," Dovesong explained, glancing at Swallowpaw.

"Okay . . ." Swallowpaw sounded unsure. But she didn't object when they neared the camp. The fighting had ceased. The MoonClan cats' wounds were being treated or were fixing the damage done to their camp. Swallowpaw and Dovesong ducked behind some bushes before any of them saw them. "Where is everyone?" Swallowpaw asked.

"Well, they obviously ran away. I don't know where. We should find a scent trail," Dovesong mewed.

Swallowpaw was already on it. "Look—I mean, smell—it's Finchflutter's scent! It's leading toward the lake." She nodded toward the lake. She broke into a run.

Dovesong excitedly followed her. She narrowed her eyes against the pouring rain and tried to see if she could see cats at the lake. She could see a few cats, so she sped up and skidded to a halt in front of the cats. Skystorm was the first to turn around. "Dovesong! Thank StarClan you're okay!" he breathed. "Mousetail is so worried . . . she'll be so relieved when you come home. Where's Moonclaw?"

Dovesong barely heard him, even though she was excited to finally be with her Clanmates again. But Swallowpaw saved her from having to talk. "Moonclaw left. She thought it was safer to leave so that the Clans wouldn't be endangered."

"How can she endanger the Clans?" Skystorm asked, clearly confused.

"Oh, right. You don't know. She has an ability, but I can't clearly explain it. She's the cause of the murders in ThunderClans and the traitors in your Clan," Swallowpaw explained.

Skystorm's eyes widened like a kit who'd seen snow for the first time. "Moonclaw did all of that? How? I thought she wasn't working for MoonClan anymore."

"She wasn't. She was forced to do this. Why else would MoonClan capture her?" Swallowpaw asked.

"Whoa . . ." Skystorm was clearly speechless. "We need more information from someone who was affected by this! They'll know the warning signs . . . but they're all in MoonClan."

"Not all of them," Dovesong mewed. "Spottedsong has been affected. That's why she attacked me that one time."

"Then we can ask her!" Skystorm exclaimed.

"You can try . . . but she's been really confused lately because of that head injury she got," Dovesong told him.

"Oh. Well, it's worth a try!"

"It is."

"But anyway . . . Dovesong, are you doing okay after nearly a half moon in that wretched camp?" Skystorm asked, eyeing her warily.

"I'm fine," Dovesong responded. But in her mind, she was breaking down. Foxclaw died, Moonclaw left, I was forced to do terrible things. We both were. I saw and heard terrible things.

Dovesong could feel Swallowpaw's amber gaze burning into her fur, challenging her to say what had happened. Dovesong felt a twinge of annoyance toward Swallowpaw.

"Is there something you two aren't telling me?" Skystorm asked, now looking at Swallowpaw.

"That's for Dovesong to tell," Swallowpaw admitted.

"No, you tell him," Dovesong told her.

Swallowpaw looked at her for a long moment, and then looked back at Skystorm. "Dovesong knows most of everything, but I only know that Foxclaw died saving her."

Skystorm fell silent. He looked thoughtful for a moment before murmuring, "Oh, Dovesong, I'm so sorry."

"It's . . . it's okay. I'll get over it. I wasn't even supposed to love him anyway." But it wasn't okay. The image of Foxclaw lying at her paws, whispering his last words: I'm sorry. I love you. Her throat tightened and it felt like darkness closed around her. She closed her eyes and tried to remember the better times she had with Foxclaw. The ones before he turned into a murderer, a traitor. The ones where they would snuggle close to each other and whisper the words I love you. The times when she didn't care about the code.

She felt Swallowpaw's damp pelt against hers and she opened her eyes. She realized she was crouched on the ground, her nose on her paws. I wasn't quick enough. I let him die. "I'm sorry . . . ," she whispered, hoping that Foxclaw's spirit would hear.

"What are you sorry about?" Swallowpaw asked gently.

Dovesong realized she said the words aloud. She looked at Swallowpaw somberly. "I wasn't quick enough," she whispered, echoing her own thoughts. "I let him die."

"Don't beat yourself up for it. It wasn't your fault," Skystorm murmured. He was crouched beside her, flanking her other side.

"It was! I hesitated. I was so caught up in trying to convince myself that I shouldn't love him that I wasn't quick enough. But he was just on the brink of death when I finally tried . . . and then he died," Dovesong cried.

Skystorm and Swallowpaw must have just realized that she tried to use her powers because Swallowpaw mewed, "I would think that they would work. I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing!" Dovesong snapped. "Saying sorry won't bring him back. Nothing will."

Skystorm and Swallowpaw glanced at each other, clearly shocked.

"I'm sorry for snapping," Dovesong apologized immediately. "I shouldn't have. I'm just . . . he's not coming back." That was when she realized that he really wasn't coming back. She felt like the world was crumbling beneath her paws at the thought. He was gone, and he wasn't coming back.