After a few more days had gone by with Thistleclaw constantly ending up on the same patrol as her every single time, Lilyspark became convinced that someone was trying to punish her. Whether it was Tawnyspots or StarClan, she wasn't entirely sure, but she was certain that someone had it out for her. One day had been strange enough, but there was no way that Tawnyspots would just happen to assign them to the same patrols every single day for multiple days in a row. That left only one explanation–that Thistleclaw himself had volunteered to join those patrols. And if Tawnyspots had allowed it...well, she wasn't sure what to think about that either.

Why, though? Lilyspark asked herself for what felt like the hundredth time that afternoon. We hate each other, right? Of course. So why is he suddenly so interested in spending time with me?

There was no way Thistleclaw actually liked her, so she doubted his interest in her was genuine. But that only made her feel even more anxious and confused. In all likelihood, he was planning some sort of cruel trick and was hoping to lure her into a false sense of security by pretending to be nice. She had no idea what that trick would be, but she suspected she knew the reason. Thistleclaw obviously blamed her for Snowfur's death in some way and wanted to get back at her.

But then again, if that were true, wouldn't he be doing the same thing to Bluefur right now? Lilyspark thought, realizing the flaw in her logic. I mean, he did make it pretty clear that he definitely blames her for what happened to Snowfur. Maybe he just thinks I'm too stupid to see through him? No, he'd probably think the same thing about Bluefur too since we're pretty similar. But if that's not it, then what's going on?

"Argh!" Lilyspark screamed, slamming her forepaw into the ground. "What is wrong with me?"

"Are you alright, dear?"

Jumping slightly, Lilyspark looked over to see Poppydawn gazing at her with a concerned expression on her face. As her mind finally came back down to earth, she realized that several more cats were staring at her as well. Even Bluefur had paused in her brooding to gape at her from outside the warriors' den. Feeling her pelt grow hot with embarrassment, she nodded sheepishly to Poppydawn.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Lilyspark meowed. Glancing down, she realized that she had kicked a layer of dust over the older molly's half-eaten rabbit. "Oh no–I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to–"

"No problem at all, dear. It's too tough to be any good anyway," Poppydawn meowed kindly.

"If you say so," Lilyspark murmured, still feeling a prickle of guilt nonetheless.

"Of course. And Lilyspark," Poppydawn meowed, looking at her seriously. "Try not to be too hard on yourself, okay? There's nothing wrong with you. Whatever's bothering you, I'm sure everything will be fine eventually."

"Thanks, Poppydawn," the white warrior replied softly. She wasn't sure if she believed that herself, but she was grateful for the older queen's comfort.

Deciding to go hunting again to clear her head, Lilyspark rose to her paws and walked toward the camp entrance. Just before she left, she checked around the camp to see if Thistleclaw was there. To her relief, the spiky-furred warrior was nowhere in sight, and she guessed that he was either out of the camp as well or taking a nap in the warriors' den.

Finally, a bit of peace and quiet, she thought.

She padded through the forest in the direction of Twolegplace, keeping her ears pricked for any sound of prey. A mouse scurried across her path, and Lilyspark made quick work of killing it. Giving a silent word of thanks to StarClan, she buried her catch underneath a pile of leaves before continuing on her way. She was still fairly close to the camp, so Lilyspark picked up her pace slightly. The last thing she wanted was for Thistleclaw to notice she was gone and decide to go looking for her.

Wow, I really am becoming paranoid, Lilyspark thought, laughing silently to herself even though there wasn't anything funny about the situation.

The white-furred warrior was nearly at the Twolegplace border when she ran into Moonflower and Sunstar, who were each carrying a squirrel. Momentarily forgetting about her issues with Thistleclaw, Lilyspark bounded over to greet her parents. She nudged her head affectionately against Moonflower's shoulder, feeling her mother's tongue rasp gently over her ears. Lilyspark moved over to touch noses with her father next, who rested his tail on her shoulder.

"Hi Moonflower, hi Sunstar," she greeted them cheerfully.

"Hello, dear," Moonflower meowed warmly. "What are you up to now?"

"I got bored being in the camp, so I decided to go hunting," Lilyspark answered. It wasn't entirely a lie since she had been growing restless, but she decided not to mention Thistleclaw's behavior.

However, her parents still looked worried. "Again?" her mother asked. "Lilyspark, you've been out of the camp almost all day. You must be tired."

"Not really," Lilyspark meowed truthfully. She was so preoccupied with Thistleclaw's sudden interest in her that she didn't have time to be tired. "I guess I just have a lot of stamina."

"Well...if you say so," Sunstar replied, looking at her in concern. "But Lilyspark, we just want to make sure that you're not pushing yourself too hard. It's admirable that you're so dedicated to serving your Clanmates, but everyone has their limits, and it seems that you're doing all you can to push yours."

"Tell us the truth, sweetheart," Moonflower meowed seriously. "How have you been coping recently? You know, with losing Snowfur."

"I've been coping fine. Doing so much is actually helping me a lot because it helps take my mind off of what happened," Lilyspark replied at once. She laughed sadly and added, "I guess Bluefur and I are opposites in that regard."

"I suppose you are," the silver tabby agreed, her eyes soft with sympathy. "Just make sure you're allowing yourself time to grieve properly, Lilyspark. Suppressing your emotions can be just as unhealthy as dwelling constantly on them."

"Don't worry, I will," she promised.

Her parents nodded. "We'll let you get back to your hunt," Sunstar meowed. "Try not to stay out too late, alright?"

"It's alright, I won't," Lilyspark called over her shoulder as she bounded away. "I've got to get back in time for the sunset patrol anyway. See you two back at the camp!"

As she walked through the forest, Lilyspark's mind kept wandering back to her mother's warning. She knew Moonflower meant well, but she didn't understand what she was trying to say. All she had ever tried to do was serve her Clan to the best of her ability, no matter what she might be going through. How could putting her grief aside for the good of her Clan possibly be unhealthy?

Lilyspark didn't have long to dwell on the conversation with her parents. As soon as she stepped inside the camp later that evening, she was met by a chorus of whispers and murmurs. This in itself wasn't unusual, so the white molly was perfectly content to just let it pass her by without saying anything. She soon changed her mind, however, when she caught her name being spoken by one of the gossipers.

"Are you sure it's true?"

"Yes, I'm positive. I saw it for myself."

"What in the name of StarClan?"

"What was that?"

"What exactly does Lilyspark think she's doing, making a move on him?"

"I'll bet she was just waiting for an opportunity to strike."

"Didn't take Thistleclaw long to forget about Snowfur, typical toms."

Lilyspark clenched her teeth, resisting the urge to shout and swear at her Clanmates. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on. Someone–and she had a very shrewd idea who–was obviously spreading rumors about her, claiming that she was trying to make a move on Thistleclaw. She would have laughed aloud if she wasn't so disgusted and furious.

"He won't fall for it, will he?"

"Come on, there has to be some sort of mistake. Everyone knows Lilyspark hates him."

"Yeah, well she could just be desperate for a mate. You know how mollies can get sometimes."

"Maybe she'd let one of us move in on her if she's willing to go for Thistleclaw."

"Look, there she is now. Alone. I'll bet she's waiting for him to show up for her."

"She's just awful. How could she betray her sister like that? And so soon after she died too."

Just ignore them, she told herself. You don't want to get in trouble for fighting in the middle of the camp. Pretend you don't hear them.

Unfortunately, as she sat down to wait for the rest of the sunset patrol to finish their meals, the whispers only seemed to grow louder.