As the season went on, things got better. The snow melted. The cats returned to their dens. The prey returned. They buried Galecoal, but they never found Thorntooth. Marjorie decided to stay with the Clan, living in the nursery with Blossomfrost while she reared her kits.

Mouseleap padded back and forth nervously. She had been waiting impatiently for this moment for the longest time. But now that she knew it was upon her, her nerves almost prevented her from doing it. It had been eating at her for so long, and she couldn't ignore that, but there was nothing that could prevent the fear from gnawing at her now.

At last she stopped pacing. If she didn't do this now, she never would.

Quietly, she pushed her way into the den. For the first time in moons, she finally got him by himself. Almost every day she'd wanted to reach out to him, but couldn't. He was too popular. Other cats were almost always talking to him. Even yesterday, she'd come into the den to find him talking with Grasscloud about apprentices.

This wasn't a conversation she want overheard.

Now he was truly alone. She had him all to herself, and the prospect of finally confronting him was terrifying.

"Mouseleap," he said, turning to look at her in surprise. "Can I help you?"

She shuffled her feet, quiet at first, and then finally her accusation burst out of her. "I know what you did."

The words were cold. It didn't sound like her at all. There could be no doubt about what she meant.

He was quiet, sitting up and facing her full on. "Everything I have done was for my Clan."

"You abandoned us," she said sadly. "You abandoned your own kits."

"I had to," he snapped. "Don't you understand? It was what was best for the Clan."

Mouseleap's fur bristled angrily. "Was it?" she demanded. "Or was it what was best for you?"

"You don't understand," he growled, getting to his feet and padding forward. "You don't know what it was like. I did what I had to do."

"You let our Clanmates hate us!" she hissed. "They thought it was an omen from StarClan that we were born! Thorntooth wanted us dead! You could have stopped all of that."

"What do you want me to do? I can't change the past!" he asked desperately. Then he added, "I can tell them all now, if you want."

But Mouseleap shook her head. "No," she said. "You missed that chance when we had to grow up and work twice as hard to prove ourselves as worthy Clanmates. You did what you thought was best, and in that you gave up your kits."

The warrior turned to go, lashing her tail in the other cat's face. "Rainheart and I did just fine without you," she said, stopping at the entrance to the den. "Maybe even better than if you'd been around."

Without waiting for an answer, she padded out. In the darkness of the den, the cat sat with his head bowed, looking utterly defeated. "I know," he whispered to her in the darkness, though she had long since departed. "I'm sorry."