DOVESONG KNEW WITH a sinking heart that the MoonClan cats would never let her say goodbye to Shadowheart one last time. She wanted to sink her claws into Cypressstar's flesh with a burning passion, to get revenge for every cat he snatched away from her. He terrorized her Clan and killed the cats she loved most, along with cats who were loved by others, such as Featherspring or Leafpaw.

She also knew that her Clanmates probably knew she was gone by now, and if they saw the scene by the river, they would suspect she was dead. She would have to get out of this alone, but she had no idea how. She had no denmate like she did before, and no one knew where she was. If someone had come, she was still unconscious.

She watched miserably as the little sunlight that streamed into the den traveled across the ground as the day passed by. I should be back with my Clan. I should be looking for Moonclaw and making sure she's alright. If she dies or gets tortured because she ran away, it's going to be all my fault! I told them where she was.

At night, Dovesong ate, but she could barely taste the vole she was given. She knew that the next day she would be interrogated again or taken with the MoonClan cats to find Moonclaw since only she knew where she was. Well, she didn't know exactly where she was, but she had an idea and it was enough to find Moonclaw.

After she was finished with her fresh-kill, she curled up in her nest and drifted into a shallow slumber.

She opened her eyes again in a wide clearing, with tall, thin trees surrounding it, towering into the clear, sunny sky. She expected this to be a dream from StarClan, but then she saw Moonclaw. Her heart leaped with joy. "Moonclaw! Are you doing alright?"

"Fine, thanks." Moonclaw dipped her head thankfully. "But I didn't come here to check in-I wanted to tell you where I was in case something happened."

"Oh, okay." Dovesong was confused. She already knew mostly where Moonclaw was, but why would she want to tell her anyway?

"I'm in a cave at the edge of the forest; the forest that starts at the MoonClan camp," Moonclaw explained.

"Okay. Thanks." Dovesong paused a moment before continuing cautiously. "Why did you leave?"

"Didn't Swallowpaw tell you?" Moonclaw asked, an edge on her voice.

"Swallowflight did tell me. But I just wanted it from you. You know how she misses small details."

"Reasonable. I needed to leave so the MoonClan cats don't make me do all those terrible things again. Not just for my sake, even though they tortured and abused me." Moonclaw shuddered. Dovesong realized for the first time the long, thin scar on her flank, one that she must have gotten from the MoonClan cats. "But also because the Clan cats don't deserve any of this. They deserve safety. So I left. You should leave, too. They could use your knowledge and healing abilities to their advantage."

"I'm afraid they've already done that," Dovesong replied bitterly. "They interrogated me. I . . . I told them where you went. They're holding me prisoner again."

"What?" Moonclaw sounded stunned. "Why would you let them do that?"

"They killed Shadowheart because they knew he was on my side, and they threatened to kill Mousetail. I couldn't afford to take that kind of risk. Surely you know how scary it is to get a threat like that?"

Moonclaw nodded somberly. "They threatened to kill my mother and my friends, the only cats who ever cared about me in that Clan. And they said that after hurting me. So I guess I can't blame you."

Dovesong opened her mouth to say I'm sorry. But she knew that wouldn't fix anything. "You need to get out of there. They're coming after you. Cypressstar is sending search patrols soon."

Moonclaw looked uncertain, her eyes so blank and intense for a good few heartbeats that Dovesong felt momentarily uncomfortable. Then Moonclaw sighed heavily. "I can't even get a moon of peace, can I? This is the safest place for me. How much did you tell them?"

"I told them that all I know is you traveled toward the rising sun," Dovesong responded calmly.

A sly smile played on Moonclaw's lips. "Good thing I didn't stay on that path."

Good thing I don't talk in my sleep. If I did, the guards outside my den could have heard that! "I won't ask exactly where you went. The MoonClan cats are really good at telling if I know something, and they'll make me tell them your exact location. But I'm really glad you're safe."

"You, too." Moonclaw's green eyes sparkled with somewhat sisterly affection. "It's been moons since I got a proper rest."

"Well, then, enjoy it while you can."

Moonclaw nodded. "I will. Good luck getting out of there." She dipped her head and the dream vanished into darkness.

Dovesong opened her eyes again only to see more darkness. Great. It's nighttime. She wasn't being sarcastic that time. Nighttime meant more time to think, whereas daytime meant bracing yourself for the horrors of the MoonClan camp. Nighttime meant grieving Shadowheart properly.

But there's no time for that. I need to find a way out, if there is one at all. . . .

Dovesong looked around frantically. Great StarClan, this must be what prey feels like! There's no way out. She went back to what Softcloud told her a moon ago when she was first in this prison, but she knew that it meant nothing now. Whatever happened last time didn't matter anymore.

Maybe I can finally find a way out from that bramble shield, Dovesong thought, looking at the front of the den. Moonlight filtered through, shedding its silver light on the stone ground and on the leaves on the brambles. She walked over and peeked through the brambles. I can't see any MoonClan warriors. She pawed at the brambles a few times before she unsheathed her claws and clawed through it. She broke the brambles from bottom and top.

When she was at the top, she tried to break a tough vine that wouldn't come loose. She toppled over in her struggle and fell. Her claw still snagged onto the bramble and pain shot through her claw. She was unable to repress a short yowl of pain and tugged her claw free. It was bleeding. Can my powers work on myself? She wondered, gingerly laying her other paw on her injured claw and watching as her blood's source vanished as if it never opened up.

"What's going on here?"

Dovesong's heart skipped a beat. She looked up to see Twistedheart, a young, sleek brown tom pushed into the den. His yellow eyes glinted with disapproval and suspicion in the dark. "N-nothing," Dovesong responded immediately.

"What happened to your paw?" Twistedheart pressed, gesturing with his tail to the blood on her paw.

"I just got a thorn in my paw," she lied. She quickly added, "I'm a medicine cat. I took care of it."

"Are you sure? I highly doubt there's any thorns that come in this den," Twistedheart said.

"It fell from up there," Dovesong answered immediately, nodding to the crevice in the top of the den. "A patrol must have walked by and kicked it into the hollow."

"None of the patrols go behind the camp, especially that close. Patrols are for hunting and patrolling places outside of the camp, not around it," Twistedheart pointed out suspiciously.

"Really? Well, then, I don't know where it came from," Dovesong replied calmly, fighting to keep her voice steady.

"You're lying."

"What?"

"You're lying. A thorn couldn't possibly come in here unless another cat was in here, and I don't recall ever seeing another cat in here. And those brambles look like they were clawed through. Perhaps you have something to do with that?" Twsitedheart asked coolly.

"W-what? There's no way in StarClan I would do that!" Dovesong let out a mrrow of nervous laughter.

"Cypressstar will want to hear about this," Twistedheart told her. "From you. Come with me."

Cypressstar? Great StarClan, I wish I could rip that piece of crow-food to shreds, Dovesong grumbled inwardly. "Fine." She followed Twistedheart to the hollow cedar tree where Cypressstar kept his nest.

"Cypressstar," Twistedheart said from the foot of the tree.

The brown tabby opened his malicious amber eyes and sat up in his nest. "Come in. What is it now?"

Twistedheart looked at Dovesong. "Well? Spit it out," he hissed.

Dovesong met Cypressstar's gaze cautiously. "He's got it all wrong-"

"And hedgehogs will fly!" Cypressstar exclaimed exasperatedly. "Tell the truth. You know we can tell if a cat is lying or not."

"We?"

"My cats and I. Now tell me what you came here to tell me."

"I don't know what Twistedheart is mad about, really," Dovesong explained quickly.

"Yes she does," Twistedheart growled. "Fine. I'll tell you myself."

"No. I want it from her."

Dovesong repressed a shudder. She looked at Cypressstar boldly, not daring to speak. But if I don't talk, will it hurt me even more than he would if I told the truth?

"Oh, you don't want this again, do you?" Cypressstar asked, sounding exasperated. His claws slowly slid from their sheath. Dovesong stared fearfully but unflinching. "Speak up."

Dovesong glared at him. Moonclaw expects me to stay silent when they ask questions. That's what I'll do.

Cypressstar's claws raked across her cheek, and she let out a yelp of pain and alarm. "Talk!" he demanded.

Dovesong's fur itched with the need to run. But she stayed put, her paws rooted to the ground, and she carried on returning Cypressstar's demanding glare. But seeing her blood on his claws and feeling the searing pain in her cheek was trying to force her to talk.

"I see the grief and pain shadowing your gaze," Cypressstar snarled at last, her voice barely audible but sending shivers through Dovesong. "It tells me I took away so much from you already, yet you're still here, refusing to speak, when you know I will get rid of someone else you care about."

Dovesong lifted her chin defiantly. "You might have taken things away from me," she announced boldly, "but not everything. And I will do everything in my power to make sure it stays that way."

Cypressstar let out a long, slow, evil-sounding mrrow of amusement. "You say that, and I believe it, but tell me: what higher power do you think you have over me and my Clan?"

"I would hardly call it a Clan," Dovesong hissed. "You kill cats carelessly, one of the most important rules in the warrior code, and don't even believe in StarClan! What kind of Clan do you think you are?"

Twistedheart and Cypressstar hissed in anger.

"We, on the other paw," Dovesong continued, ignoring their protests, "believe in StarClan and have them on our side. And they have a magical healer, too." She flicked her tail to gesture to herself.

"You can never win a fight against us," Cypressstar countered. "You're too weak and clueless to realize what's happening before it happens. You need to rely on other Clans to strengthen yourselves."

"We put our Clanmates first. We protect them and our pride with our lives, meanwhile you only fight for power. I highly doubt many of your warriors are even fighting for you," Dovesong growled.

"We fight for our Clan," Twistedheart hissed behind her.

Cypressstar lashed his tail. "Besides that, tell me what you were up to," he told Dovesong, his face so close to hers, she could feel his warm breath bathing her muzzle.

"It's not even important," Dovesong responded.

"I don't care if it is or not. Just tell me."

Dovesong glared at him for a heartbeat more, Moonclaw's voice rang in her head. Don't tell them anything. But she ignored it, knowing she couldn't let Cypressstar hurt anyone else. "Fine. I was trying to escape. I was so close unt-"

Cypressstar touched his tail-tip to her mouth to silence her. "You know you can't do that. But since you found a way, I guess it's time to find a new place for you."

Fox dung! How can I get out of this now?