That night, Lilyspark could barely get any sleep. Despite the exhaustion dulling her senses, she couldn't seem to get her eyes to stay shut for more than a few heartbeats. The young warrior tossed and turned in her nest (which, fortunately, had been moved back to its original spot in the den), trying in vain to banish the memory of the day's events from her mind.

Not for the first time that day, she wondered whether she had done the right thing in going to her parents. True, Thistleclaw's behavior had been unnerving, but he hadn't done anything particularly harmful and she knew she could have handled him on her own. If anything, she was more confused over why he had suddenly decided to start pursuing her. Lilyspark could understand him wanting another mate–even if she disagreed with him moving on so soon after Snowfur's death–but why her and not one of the other mollies in ThunderClan?

Snowfur.

Lilyspark turned her head to look out of the entrance to the den, at the stars that were just barely visible through the bramble thicket. Was her sister watching over her family now? And if so, what did she think about Thistleclaw's recent actions? Snowfur had loved Thistleclaw dearly when she was alive; no matter what Lilyspark thought of their relationship, that fact was undeniable. Was she hurt seeing him move on from her, or did she understand his desire to have a new mate?

She knew the answer to that question. Snowfur would have wanted Thistleclaw to be happy, regardless of whether it meant moving on and finding a new mate or not. And perhaps Thistleclaw just missed having a mate to care for Whitekit with. Maybe that was why he had started looking for a new one already.

But still, why me? Lilyspark asked herself for what felt like the millionth time that night. Somehow, she didn't think she would ever figure out the answer.

At the moment though, she had more pressing matters to think about. Thistleclaw had gone out with the twilight patrol, but as soon as he came back, she knew Sunstar would be informing him of what his punishment was. And if she knew her father at all, he would be sure to dole out the most horrific punishment anyone could ever think of. Being the Clan leader's daughter certainly had its benefits.

But looking at the situation from a purely unbiased perspective, did Thistleclaw really deserve that?

Most of her wanted to say that he did. After all, even if he hadn't done anything to hurt her yet, there was no indication that he wouldn't have if she hadn't gone to Sunstar about her concerns. As far as Lilyspark was concerned, she had been perfectly justified in nipping his behavior in the bud before it got too out of control.

Yet at the same time, there was a small seed of doubt that appeared to have lodged itself permanently in her chest. Sunstar was supposed to be fair, and was it really fair to punish Thistleclaw for something he might have done? There were a lot of cats who might commit a crime sometime in the future. If they started going that route, then they should probably just exile the entire Clan and be done with it.

Besides, she still had Whitekit to think about. If Sunstar chased Thistleclaw out of the Clan, then Whitekit would lose both of his parents before he even left the nursery. When it came down to it, Lilyspark had to admit that the thought of having to live with Thistleclaw wasn't nearly as bad as the thought of her nephew losing his father so soon after losing his mother. Anyway, maybe all Thistleclaw needed was a bit of time to get his head on straight.

What would Snowfur have wanted me to do?

There was no denying the answer to that question either. Her sister would have wanted her to show mercy–not expected it, perhaps, but wanted it. Even though Lilyspark and Bluefur had made no secret of their distaste for Thistleclaw, Snowfur had never stopped hoping that one day, they would be able to get along. The least she could do was honor her sister's wishes.

Suddenly, Lilyspark realized that there were voices coming from outside the warriors' den. Climbing out of her nest, she pushed her way outside to see Sunstar and Thistleclaw arguing in the middle of the camp. Somehow, neither tom had noticed her yet. Curious, she padded over to them, trying to hear what was being said.

"I'll give you one chance to explain why you thought you could get away with what you did to Lilyspark," Sunstar growled. "Though I doubt anything you have to say will be good enough."

Thistleclaw was as stubborn as a badger and as arrogant as a peacock. So Lilyspark was more than a little surprised when the spiky-furred warrior simply bowed his head and meowed softly, "I...I can't explain."

"You can't explain," her father repeated disdainfully. "So what you're telling me is that you tormented her mentally for no reason at all?"

"No!" Thistleclaw exclaimed, shaking his head fervently. "That's not what I meant at all. I only meant that the reason...well, it's not something I can really get into."

"Can't or won't?" Sunstar challenged the younger warrior.

The gray and white tom hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Both, I guess."

At that moment, Lilyspark decided to intervene. Pushing her way forward, she cleared her throat, gaining the attention of the two toms. "What's going on here?"

"It's alright, Lilyspark," Sunstar meowed gently. "You can go back to sleep. I was just having a discussion with Thistleclaw about the way he's been treating you."

"Oh. I see." She couldn't help noticing that Thistleclaw had suddenly become very interested in his paws. "Actually, about that...so, er, what were you planning to do to him?"

"Well, I know you said you didn't want me making an announcement to the Clan, and I have no intention of breaking that promise. However, I still do not believe that it is safe for you if he remains in ThunderClan any longer. Therefore, once he explains why he behaved toward you the way he did, I will personally escort him out of our territory," her father answered, flashing a glare at the spiky-furred tom.

"What?" Thistleclaw cried out, his head snapping up.

"You haven't left me much choice," Sunstar meowed in a voice devoid of all pity. "You've tormented my daughter, and you refuse to provide any explanation as to why. If I allow you to remain in ThunderClan, I have no faith that you won't continue your harassment of her."

"But what about my son?" Thistleclaw protested. "I can't leave him! Think about what you're doing to Whitekit. It's not fair to take away both of his parents from him. I'll leave Lilyspark alone from now on, I promise."

"Even if you leave her alone, what's to stop you from harassing any of the other mollies in ThunderClan?" Sunstar challenged him. "Exiling you is the only way to ensure the safety of the Clan. As for your son, well, perhaps you should have thought about that before you started pestering Lilyspark."

"I can change, I promise!" the gray and white tom pleaded. "I won't bother Lilyspark or anyone else in ThunderClan again. You have my word, I'll swear it on anything you like! Just, please, don't take Whitekit away from me too!"

Don't take Whitekit away from me too!

And finally, Lilyspark understood. Thistleclaw wasn't pursuing her because he was suddenly interested in her; he just wanted someone to remember Snowfur by. Plenty of cats had remarked on how much she resembled her dead sister. It seemed so obvious now, Lilyspark almost wondered how she hadn't realized the truth in the first place. For the first time, a new emotion filled her insides as she glanced furtively at her sister's former mate: sympathy.

"Thistleclaw," she meowed, surprising even herself at how gentle her voice came out. "You have to understand, I'm not her."

Thistleclaw glanced over at her. "I know," he meowed. "I never said you were, Lilyspark."

"But you want me to be," she countered.

He didn't answer, but the look on his face told her that she had been right.

"I don't blame you for wanting her back. I miss Snowfur just as much as you do. She was my sister and one of my best friends," Lilyspark continued softly. "I would give anything in the world to have her back, if not for my sake, then for Whitekit's. For Bluefur too, considering they were littermates. But she's gone, Thistleclaw, and she won't be coming back. We've got to learn to live without her...all of us do."

For several moments, Thistleclaw just stared down at the ground, not saying a word. Finally, he looked up at her again. His yellow eyes were filled with unimaginable pain and anguish, so much so that Lilyspark almost wanted to reach out and place her tail on his shoulder. She refrained, however, not entirely sure how well he would take that coming from her.

"I'm sorry," he meowed finally. "I...I wasn't thinking clearly. You're right, I just wanted Snowfur back. And you remind me so much of her...I guess I just got confused sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Lilyspark repeated dubiously.

"Okay, maybe more than just sometimes," Thistleclaw admitted.

She shook her head and looked over to Sunstar, who had remained silent during the entire exchange. The bright ginger tom's expression was unreadable, and Lilyspark wondered if he was reconsidering his punishment for Thistleclaw.

"Don't send him away for good," she meowed, addressing her father now. "He's right about one thing, it wouldn't be fair to Whitekit if we took his father away from him. Especially so soon after Snowfur died. And I think...no, I know Snowfur would have wanted her son to have his father around. Anyway, you heard him just now. He only missed Snowfur...and honestly, I can't fault him for that."

"You're the only one who has any right to decide, Lilyspark," Sunstar replied. "But think about what he's done."

"I know," she answered. "He can leave the Clan for one moon–that should give him enough time to figure things out–but don't exile him forever."

Her father hesitated for a moment, then dipped his head. "Very well. One moon it is, then."

Thistleclaw visibly sagged with relief. "Thank you! I know it's more than I deserve, and I..."

Sunstar just nodded. "You'd best be on your way, then."

Lilyspark stood by and watched as the spiky-furred warrior turned and made his way toward the gorse tunnel. As he disappeared from view, she felt a rush of cool air and caught a whiff of a painfully familiar scent. Snowfur's voice rang out softly through the air, as clear as the night sky overhead, though Sunstar gave no indication that he heard what was being said.

Thank you.