Chapter 5
Leverage for Deceit

Moonsoul, the Duskclan medicine cat, stepped out of her den and looked around the main cave. She frowned slightly when she saw two cats arguing nearby. One was Thornmouth, an older tom that had seen many battles and thought himself very wise. The other cat was Shadestorm, the clan's new deputy. Thornmouth clearly did not like nor trust the new deputy. Moonsoul rolled her eyes and padded closer. "Alright you two, what are you arguing about now?" she growled as she got closer.

Shadestorm turned to her, anger shining in his emerald eyes. "Last I checked, it was none of your business," he hissed.

"Of course it's my business. If you two start fighting, I'm the one that has to patch you up when your done! I would rather prevent a fight that clean up after one. So, are you going to tell me what your fighting about? Or should we tell Cinderstar about this?" she asked.

"Our new deputy keeps acting like he's leader now. Last time I checked, Cinderstar still has plenty of lives left," Thornmouth explained, his words clipped with frustration. He eyed Shadestorm, his gaze filled with hate and mistrust.

"I was simply trying to get this old furball to go on a boarder patrol or something, instead of lounging around in camp lazily," Shadestorm meowed curtly. "He acts as if he's already retired to the life of an elder, but he is still a warrior, and therefore has duties to complete."

"Shadestorm, have more respect for your elders!" Moonsoul demanded. "I don't care what rank you hold, Thornmouth is still older than you, and still deserves your respect."

Shadestorm rolled his eyes. "I've got better things to do that argue with an ancient furball and a stuck up medicine cat." With that, he turned and stormed off, heading for the camp entrance.

Thornmouth watched him go with an annoyed flick of his tail. He then turned towards Moonsoul. He seemed a bit calmer, but was clearly still pretty irritated. "I don't trust him, one bit. He waltzes in here, makes up some story about a murder in Dawnclan, and convinces the leader to accept him. Now, sense he's joined, this clan has seen more chaos than I can remember." Then, in a quieter tone, he added, "Adderstripe said he saw Shadestorm and Willowhisp leaving the camp together the day Willowhisp was murdered, and I've noticed that when Shadestorm's around, Clovepaw becomes extremely nervous. I think the apprentice knows something he's not telling me. I asked him about it a couple of times, but he refuses to talk. We both know that's not like Clovepaw at all."

Moonsoul frowned. "Are you saying Shadestorm had something to do with Willowhisp's death?" she asked.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. That's actually what we were arguing about; I asked him where he was the day of Willowhisp's death, and he immediately got all defensive on me. Yesterday, I went out to the boarder where he claimed Lightningpelt crossed over to our territory and killed Willowhisp. I didn't catch a single whiff of any Dawnclan cat on this side of the boarder, but there was a lot of Shadestorm's sent there, and Willowhisp's," Thornmouth muttered.

"Really? Hmm..." Moonsoul muttered. She was starting to see what Thornmouth was getting at. The evidence and Shadestorm's stories just didn't match up. But why? she wondered. Killing Willowhisp wouldn't garentee him deputy; there were many older, more experienced cats Cinderstar could have chosen over him.

"And on top of it all, Lightningpelt was barely a warrior! He's actually Shadestorm's age! Willowhisp was an experienced fighter, with a lot of skill. There's no way a cat like Lightningpelt could have killed him," Thornmouth continued.

"If Lightningpelt couldn't how could Shadestorm?" Moonsoul asked. "From what I saw, Shadestorm and Lightningpelt were about the same ages."

"Shadestorm's a big cat, for his age, and he's a good fighter. I've seen him fight, and he might even rival Cinderstar. It's strange, for a cat so young to have such skills," Thornmouth looked puzzled as he said this. Then he shook his head and shrugged. "I don't know, maybe it's just me getting old. I'm already searching for gossip like some elder." He chuckled, and padded off. Over his shoulder, he called back to her. "If you think it's worth mentioning to Cinderstar, by all means, do so. I would rather not have a murderer as our leader when Cinderstar finally passes on."

Moonsoul remained in the same spot for quite some time, and then returned to her den. For the rest of the day, she couldn't get what Thornmouth had said out of her mind. Maybe I should tell Cinderstar about this, she pondered. Thornmouth may be right... Though she felt she should, she decided not to trouble her leader with it now, until she was more sure of it. After all, she told herself, This may just be Thornmouth searching for gossip.

Later that night, Moonsoul prepared to head to the gathering place. She wasn't going for a full clan gathering though; only the medicine cats of each clan were going to be there this time. Like every year previously, on the first night of Leafbare, the medicine cats gathered to discuss medicine cat like stuff; herbs, new healing tricks, any new diseases that might have cropped up, the overall health of their individual clans, and any prophecies they might have received were usually discussed. Anything said amongst the medicine cats stayed with the medicine cats, as to not cause any conflict, unless they felt it necessary to tell their leaders. If ever a situation cropped up where they did decide to share it with their leaders, they always decided together.

Just as the sun was setting, she stepped out of her den. As was tradition in Duskclan, Clovepaw waited outside her den. The eldest apprentice always escorted the Medicine Cat to the gathering. Being the only apprentice currently, Clovepaw had escorted her to the past couple of gatherings, and Moonsoul had grown fond of the young cat. "Hello Moonsoul," he meowed as she approached him.

"Hello," she replied. "Are you ready to go?"

"If you are," he told her.

"Then let's go," she meowed. She turned towards the entrance, and Clovepaw followed. Before they reached the entrance, Shadestorm entered the camp. "Shadestorm," she meowed, with a dip of her head in greeting. Just then she noticed that Clovepaw had moved up next to her, and was so close, he had pressed himself up against her side. When she met his gaze, she saw fear in his eyes.

"Moonsoul," Shadestorm meowed. She turned back to him and smiled. "You be careful out there. Never know what you might run into." She noticed with a bit of foreboding that the deputy was staring straight at the apprentice at her side, a knowing glint in his eyes. Clovepaw whimpered almost silently and pressed closer to Moonsoul.

"Of course, Shadestorm," Moonsoul meowed, forcing her words to sound calm. "Well, Clovepaw, we better get going." She started to pad past Shadestorm. Clovepaw hurried to keep up, and remained close to her as they exited the camp. Shadestorm watched them leave, his gaze sending shivers down Moonsoul's back. Once they were away from camp, she stopped and turned towards Clovepaw. She had never seen the young apprentice get so scared in her life; he was usually very brave, and had been sense the moment he was born. "Alright Clovepaw, why does Shadestorm scare you so much?" she asked. Though her words were demanding, her tone was gentle and inviting. She hoped the younger cat would feel he could confide in her, and would tell her exactly what bothered him so much.

"Is it that obvious?" he meowed, sounding disappointing in himself. She nodded, and he bowed his head. "I don't know... I guess he's just kind of intimidating," he muttered.

"You can tell me, Clovepaw. What's bothering you?" she encouraged.

"I... I..." he stumbled over his words, sounding reluctant to speak. Then he shuddered visibly, and muttered something else, so softly that Moonsoul didn't hear him.

"What? I can't here you, Clovepaw," she meowed, urging him to speak up.

He then looked up at her. Fear filled his green eyes, and the fur on the back of his neck stood on end. "I saw him murder Willowhisp," he told her. His voice was barely louder than the last time, but his words rang clear in her ears.

"Oh no..." she muttered. The hair along her spine rose too. All of Thornmouth's suspicions had just been confirmed. She shook her head, realizing what she had to do. I have to tell Cinderstar, before any other cats get hurt, she thought.

"And now I think he knows, Moonsoul. I'm pretty sure... and I'm scared. If he's willing to kill to get power, what will he be willing to do to me to keep it? That's why I haven't told anybody, until now. You have to help me, Moonsoul," Clovepaw meowed, his tone pleading.

"I will Clovepaw. I won't let him hurt you." She padded closer to the apprentice and sat next to him. She wrapped her tail around him, trying to comfort him. He buried his face in her shoulder as if trying to hide. For a brief moment she was reminded how young Clovepaw actually was. Because he often acted older, she tended to forget. After a few moments, she meowed, "Come on, Clovepaw. Let's go to this gathering. Afterward, we'll go talk to Cinderstar."

"I'll have to walk back on my own... He knows where I'm going!" Clovepaw exclaimed as he realized this.

Thinking quickly, she came up with a solution. "I'll let you stay, and then we can walk back together, alright?" Moonsoul meowed.

"But... I'm not supposed to be at the gathering. It's for medicine cats only," Clovepaw pointed out.

"It'll be alright, just this once. I'll tell the other medicine cats your debating becoming my apprentice, and you want to see what it's like being a medicine cat, so you've been following me around, to see what it's like. They won't mind." I hope, she added silently.

"Are you sure?" Clovepaw asked. She nodded. "Alright. That way, I won't be alone." He relaxed, and she sighed in relief.

"Alright, let's get going, shall we?" he nodded, and started towards the gathering place. Moonsoul followed. As they walked, she couldn't help but glance over her shoulder a couple of times, just to make sure they weren't being followed.

"Are you sure about this?" Oakfur, the Chanceclan medicine cat, meowed as he glanced at Clovepaw. Moonsoul, Clovepaw, and Oakfur had met up just before Oakfur had passed through the tall plants along the riverbank. When Clovepaw hadn't left like expected, Oakfur had commented about it. Moonsoul had quickly given him their excuse. He had objected, saying the gathering wasn't for cats until after they had become medicine cat, or at least medicine cat apprentice.

Moonsoul nodded. "We can trust him. He's a good cat," she assured. "This one exception won't hurt anything."

"Alright, then I guess he can come in." The brown tom flicked his tail, and the three moved into the clearing together. Heatherwhisker, the Dawnclan medicine cat, was already waiting inside. She sat near the river, staring down at her reflection in the slow moving current. When the three cats entered, she looked up and turned towards them. Usually, Heatherwhisker was very happy, but she looked troubled today, which unnerved Moonsoul a little bit. It was rare for Heatherwhisker to look so distressed. "Good evening, Heatherwhisker," Oakfur meowed as he approached Moonsoul.

"Hello Oakfur, Moonsoul." She then turned to Clovepaw, who sat near the edge of the clearing. "Who is that?"

"This is Clovepaw, an apprentice from my clan," Moonsoul replied. She glanced back at him and flicked her tail, signalling for him to join them. "He is considering becoming a medicine cat, and asked if he could join me." She hated lying, but it came so easily to her, a fact that she despised about herself. Many of the Duskclan cats clung to the rougeish ways of their ancestors. Their uncanny ability to lie was one of them, and she couldn't deny the fact that she shared in this dark ability, even though she didn't share in their heritage.

Heatherwhisker nodded. She then said, "We should start. How are things in your clans?"

Oakfur started. "Things are finally settling down, now that we have finally established ourselves. I think Fallstar has become a bit... paranoid of attack, but other than that, things seem to be going well. Whitebird just had kits too."

Moonsoul couldn't help but note that Fallstar was probably paranoid of an attack from Duskclan. She pushed this out of her mind and decided to focus on the kits."That's always nice, to have new cats in the clan. How many?" she meowed.

"Two, Lightningkit and Juniperkit. Both are she-cats, and are perfectly healthy," Oakfur replied with a purr.

Moonsoul smiled at the idea of kits. Her clan hadn't had any for a long while, and she missed them. Just then, Heatherwhisker turned to Moonsoul. "So, how is your clan?" she asked.

"Fine, mostly. We're having a little trouble with some unrest surrounding our former deputy's murder, but other than that, things seem okay," Moonsoul replied.

"Does Cinderstar still think Lightningpelt killed Wilowhisp?" Heatherwhisker asked.

Moonsoul shrugged. "He doesn't seem to care either way anymore but... some cats think Shadestorm did it."

"Really?" Heatherwhisker pondered, looking interested.

"Wasn't he kicked out of Dawnclan for murdering two cats?" Oakfur asked. Heatherwhisker nodded in affirmation. "Then I wouldn't put murdering Willowhisp beyond him."

"I wouldn't either," Heatherwhisker muttered in agreement. "How many cats think this?"

"Me, Thornmouth, and..." she paused, and glanced at Clovepaw, wondering if he was okay with her telling him. He glanced up, noticed her expression, and nodded almost imperceptibly. "Clovepaw may have witnessed the murder."

The other two cats gasped in unison. "Are you sure dear?" Heatherwhisker asked, looking at Clovepaw.

"I'm positive... I think Shadestorm knows, too," Clovepaw meowed.

"Then that could put him in grave danger, Moonsoul!" the copper tabby she-cat exclaimed.

"I know. We're going to talk to Cinderstar after this is over. I just hope we can make it back without any trouble." After a pause, she added, "Well, we've dwelled on my clan's troubles long enough. Heatherwhisker, do you have any news to report?"

Heatherwhisker already looked worried, but when Moonsoul asked this, her expression seemed to darken, making Moonsoul's skin crawl. Heatherwhisker's eyes became unfocused as she stared at a spot in the slow river next to her, and stayed silent for quite some time. "I received a prophecy. I'm sure it effects all of our clans, but I'm not sure who we should tell... for now, let's keep this between the four of us, alright?" Moonsoul, Oakfur, and Clovepaw all nodded. Heatherwhisker sighed, and then said, "This is what Starclan told me; Darkness approaches, that will engulf the forest. Dawn cannot break the darkness, and Dusk always gives away to midnight. There is a Chance to save the clans, but fear of something unknown may prevent this Chance. If left unchallenged, an eternal night will rule."

They stayed silent after she finished. Her words seemed to echo around the bank, and in Moonsoul's mind. They were immediately etched into her memory, bright and fresh and foreboding. "What could this mean?" she whispered softly when she couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"It clearly references your clans, but... is mine mentioned?" Oakfur asked.

"I think you are the 'chance to stop the darkness' that's mentioned..." Heatherwhisker whispered.

"It seems like whatever this is, the clans need to work together to prevent this 'eternal darkness' from taking over," Moonsoul meowed.

"Maybe... but we all know our clans can't seem to get along," Moonsoul meowed. Dawnclan and Duskclan were long time rivals, and Duskclan couldn't seem to accept Chanceclan. Moonsoul didn't mind them- she would admit, they had scared her at first- but she didn't hate them. To the rest of her clan, their opinions varied from just feeling uncomfortable around them to considering them abominations that should be destroyed. Some even felt it was Duskclan's duty to remove these abominations from the forest.

"For now... let's just see how things play out... hopefully by the next time we meet, we will have more answers. See if you two can get anymore from Starclan about this," Heatherwhisker meowed. The other two nodded.

"I should get back to my clan; having kits that young without a medicine cat around probably isn't the smartest idea," Oakfur meowed.

"Until next time, then," Moonsoul meowed, with a friendly nod.

"Goodby, Heatherwhisker, Moonsoul." He turned to Clovepaw and meowed, "Be careful, young one. If Shadestorm is the murderer we think he may be, you must be careful." Clovepaw nodded silently. Oakfur then turned and padded through the long stalks surrounding the clearing.

Moonsoul turned to Heatherwhisker. "We best be getting back to our clans too," she told her. Heatherwhisker nodded. "Come on, Clovepaw, let's go." She turned away from Heatherhwhisker, not liking the distressed look in the copper she-cat's eyes. She had never seen Heatherwhisker so distressed.

When Moonsoul walked into camp, she looked around, watching for a dark coated tom. When she was sure Shadestorm was nowhere in the clearing, she padded in, Clovepaw right next to her. The whole walk back, the two cats had been extra cautious, watching for Shadestorm. Gratefully, sense leaving the riverbank they hadn't seen a wink of Shadestorm, or any other cat, for that matter. "Alright Clovepaw, let's see if Cinderstar is in his den. Then we can talk to him, and hopefully fix all of this," she meowed softly as they moved across the camp towards the small crack in the cave's far wall. The small crack led to a much bigger alcove where Cinderstar slept. The crack was just big enough for one cat to slip through at a time, ensuring the Duskclan leader's privacy, and security if the camp was ever invaded. When she reached the crack, Cinderstar pressed her head into the gap and meowed, "Cinderstar, are you in?"

"Yes, Moonsoul. Come in," came his reply.

She slipped back out and turned to Clovepaw. "Wait here. Holler if anything happens, but I doubt he'll dare attack you out in the open in the middle of camp." The apprentice nodded. She could see the nervousness shining in his eyes, but he sat down calmly next to the entrance with his tail curled around his paws, looking every bit the young Duskclan warrior he was destined to become. She couldn't help but smile a bit, feeling pride towards the young cat. He was definitely a Duskclanner; nothing made him back down, and that made her appreciate him.

She pushed her way through the crack into her leader's den. "Cinderstar, I was hoping I could talk to you about a very important matter." Just then she paused. Cinderstar wasn't alone. Sitting next to the silver tom was a cat she recognized all too well. Shadestorm stared at her, a look of curiosity in his dark eyes.

"What is it, Moonsoul?" Cinderstar pressed, sounding a bit impatient, like he often did.

"Uh... I would rather talk to you alone," she meowed.

"Anything you can tell Cinderstar, you can tell me, Moonsoul. After all, I am deputy," Shadestorm meowed calmly, his tone surprisingly polite for what he was demanding. Cinderstar nodded in agreement.

"Actually Cinderstar... this is a matter for just you and me. Starclan's matters aren't for everyone," she meowed. She knew what she needed to talk to Cinderstar about had nothing to do with Starclan, but she told herself she wasn't stretching the truth too much, because she couldn't help but hope that revealing Shadestorm's possible corruption was Starclan's will.

Cinderstar nodded. "We can continue this conversation later, Shadestorm," he told his deputy.

"Of course, Cinderstar," Shadestorm meowed smoothly, bowing his head respectfully. When he looked up, he met Moonsoul's gaze, and she could see a hint of irritation in his eyes. Clearly, he didn't enjoy being dismissed like this. He stood and padded out, leaving Moonsoul and Cinderstar alone.

"Alright Moonsoul, what's the matter?" the leader asked.

"I'm sorry Cinderstar, this isn't a matter of Starclan, I just couldn't tell you in front of Shadestorm... seeing as it involves him." She searched the leader's gaze, looking for any hint of anger. When she didn't find anything other than mild curiosity, she continued. "I... I think Shadestorm murdered Willowhisp."

The leader looked annoyed, as if the very thought of her questioning his deputy frustrated him. "What makes you say that?" he asked.

"Clovepaw... said he saw it. He's outside, waiting to come in, so he could tell you what he told me," she explained.

"And you believe him?" he asked. He acted as if he was surprised she would question Shadestar, but something about his demeanor and tone of voice didn't quite fit. She just nodded, unable to speak. He sighed, and closed his eyes for a minute. "Alright, I'll hear him."

She turned and slipped out, to find Clovepaw still waiting. "Come on, Clovepaw, he said he'll talk to you now." He stood and followed in as Moonsoul backed up through the crack.

"Alright Clovepaw, tell me your side of the story," Cinderstar meowed quietly. He seemed tired, as if a lot was weighing him down right now. Moonsoul couldn't help but wonder what was bothering him.

Clovepaw slowly began to explain what had happened. When he finished, Cinderstar remained silent for quite some time. "Alright Clovepaw, you are free to go," Cinderstar meowed. "Go to your den, and don't leave, unless your mentor accompanies you, and avoid Shadestorm." There was concern in the leader's pale eyes, and emotion Moonsoul had never seen from Cinderstar before. Clovepaw nodded, turned away, and left. After Clovepaw was gone, Cinderstar turned to Moonsoul. After a pause, he glanced down towards his paws in front of him. "I already knew this..." he whispered.

Moonsoul's eyes widened in surprise. "What?!" Cinderstar nodded. "Then..." she started but her voice faltered, unable to come up with words to explain what she felt. Her mind swirled with unanswered questions, so many that she struggled to decide which one to ask first.

"How come I allowed him to become deputy? And if I knew he murdered the Dawnclan cats, why did I allow him to join at all?" Cinderstar asked, voicing some of her unanswered questions. She nodded slightly. "It's because... I had no choice."

Moonsoul found her voice again. "What power does one cat have over you? Cinderstar, you are the leader of Duskclan!"

"He... It's because of... Clovepaw," Cinderstar meowed quietly.

This only left Moonsoul more bewildered. "What? What does he have anything to do with this?" she asked.

"He's my son..." Cinderstar meowed. Moonsoul let this sink in, considering its validity. She had to admit, they were very similar, now that she thought about it. In fact, Clovepaw almost looked exactly like a slightly younger Cinderstar in build and height, and his coat was very similar to Cinderstar's, except for it had more of a brown tint instead of gray. Then Moonsoul remembered how Clovepaw had came to be in the clan; Cinderstar had appeared with him one day, saying his had found him curled up next to the body of a dead rouge queen who had apparently starved to death near there boarders. Clovepaw's appearance hadn't quite fit the story, but she had dismissed it. Gentlefoot had had kits at the time, and she had raised Clovepaw as his adopted mother.

"Okay, so Clovepaw's your son... what does this have anything to do with Shadestorm?" Moonsoul meowed.

"Clovepaw and Shadestorm are brothers. Silverwing, a Dawnclan cat, is their mother. Shadestorm is about 3 moons older than Clovepaw," Cinderstar stated. He seemed unwilling to hide this anymore.

Moonsoul thought about this a moment. "So... is Shadestorm your son too?"

Cinderstar shook his head. "Shadestorm's father died soon after I met Silverwing."

Moonsoul nodded. She felt surprisingly relieved, and realized when she learned that Clovepaw and Shadestorm were brothers, she had dreaded the dark warrior was Cinderstar's son. But then... if he isn't, what does Clovepaw's parentage have anything to do with Shadestorm? "I still don't get how this connects back to Shadestorm," she told him, voicing her thoughts.

"This is where it gets complicated... Shadestorm always knew about Silverwing's relationship with me, but didn't tell anyone, because he didn't want to rat out on his own mother. He soon found out about Clovepaw when he was asked to sneak the kit across the boarder to me soon after he was born. He was always good to keep Silverwing's secrets, and seemed like a good cat, despite his burdens at such a young age... that's probably why his deception surprised me so much now... I actually considered him my son for a while... until he was kicked out of Dawnclan. He came to me soon afterwards. I completely believed the tales I had heard about the Dawnclan murders, because I had confirmed them with Rowanstar, and so I was fully ready to deny a murderous cat refuge here, but he... threatened to tell the clan about Clovepaw. I was forced to let him in. Right before he announced the death of Willowhisp to the clan, he came and openly told me that he had killed Whillowhisp, and told me to make him deputy, or he would tell. I allowed him to lie to the clan, to become deputy, and to endanger everything I had worked for here, to protect my position. At first, that's all I could think of, but when he ordered me to attack Dawnclan and blame Willowhisp's death on Lightningpelt, I knew I couldn't risk the whole clan in all out war with Dawnclan just to save my reputation, so I turned away from that battle when Rowanstar refused to hand Lightningpelt over. That's what we were discussing when you walked in. I was actually grateful for your interruption." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "I know I need to do something about Shadestorm, but I must admit, part of me doesn't want to. I don't want to risk my place as leader..." he sighed, shaking his head in frustration. "I can't let him harm Clovepaw though..."

Moonsoul could tell he seriously cared for his son and wanted to protect him. She thought for a minute, wondering if she could come up with a solution to allow Cinderstar to keep his position while removing Shadestorm from the clan. After a minute, a cat came to mind, and an idea. "Cinderstar... as you well know, me and my sister were born as loners in Duskclan's territory. While I joined soon after you found me as an apprentice, my sister remained a friendly loner for quite some time, long enough that by the time she joined, she was a full-grown cat. She's always been one for adventure... and with some work, I think I could convince her to claim Clovepaw as her kit. That way, we can confront Shadestorm, and remove the danger of him revealing Clovepaw as being your son."

"But that wouldn't explain why I never bothered to claim Clovepaw. Why wouldn't I? For that matter, why wouldn't she?" Cinderstar asked.

"Maybe..." she paused, thinking. "Maybe you thought it improper for a leader to have a kit with a loner, and so you were unwilling to claim him as your own, that's why you lied about his origins and brought him into the clan."

"That explains why I didn't... but what about Silvereyes? Why wouldn't she just raise him and not tell the clan at all?" he asked.

"Maybe... something went wrong when the kit was born, and she disowned him, and refused to call him her son, but she's willing to do now, to save you. Despite growing separate sense she joined the clan, maybe she still cares enough about you to protect your position." As she finished, she smiled slightly at her own ingenuity. This might actually work, she thought.

"This just might work..." he muttered, echoing her thoughts. "could your sister pull it off?"

"Trust me, sir, you haven't seen a more creative lair than my sister," Moonsoul assured with a playfully wicked smile. She couldn't count how many times her sister had come up with elaborate tales about one thing or another, just for attention. Almost always, she got away with them, except for with Moonsoul; she knew her sister too well to be fooled.

"Alright. You talk to your sister, and then we'll inform Clovepaw," Cinderstar agreed.

"Does... Clovepaw know that your his father?" Moonsoul asked carefully. She didn't want to tell the apprentice something that she had no business revealing. If Cinderstar wanted him to know, he should tell, not her.

"That's one cat I haven't denied the truth from. He's always known who I am... and how much he means to me. That's why I feel he should know what we are planning," Cinderstar explained.

Moonsoul nodded. "Just in case though, make sure he stays in his den when we confront Shadestorm. I don't want him accidentally giving away anything," she suggested. Cinderstar nodded in agreement. She bowed her head and meowed, "Thank you, Cinderstar, for hearing me out. I shall discuss this with my sister." She turned to leave.

"No, Moonsoul, thank you. I had no idea what to do until today. Starclan must have guided you today," Cinderstar meowed, dipping his head in gratitude. She smiled over her shoulder, and then headed out, in search of her sister.

ALLIANCES

Dawnclan

Leader

Rowanstar- Brown tabby she-cat with white markings and golden eyes.

Deputy

Sablestorm - Tortoiseshell tom with golden eyes. Apprentice, Owlpaw

Medicine Cat

Heatherwhisker - Dark copper tabby she-cat with white markings.

Warriors

Sandstone - Sand colored tom.

Wolfheart - Dark gray and black tortoiseshell tom with blue-gray eyes.

Gingerclaw - Ginger colored tom.

Braveheart - Once timid black she-cat.

Lightningpelt - golden tabby tom.

Silverwing - Pretty silver she-cat with a small scar above her eye.

Squirreltail - squirrel colored she-cat.

Apprentices

Owlpaw - Tan tom with a white belly, chest, and chin. He has pale blue eyes.

Queens

Rippleshine - Siamese she-cat.(mate- Sablestorm Kits- Gingerkit, Silverkit, Gentlekit, Sandkit)

Elders

Cloudedeyes - old gray she-cat. Blind.

Duskclan

Leader

Cinderstar - Broad shouldered dark gray tabby tom.

Deputy

Shadestorm - Black tom with dark eyes.

Medicine Cat

Moonsoul - Dark blue point she-cat with pale blue eyes.

Warriors

Whispspirit - Blue and white tabby she-cat with gray eyes.

Thornmouth - Older, battle scarred brown tom with a very short temper. Apprentice, Clovepaw

Adderstripe - Brown tom with markings that resemble a snake, and a sandy belly and paws.

Silvereyes - blue point she-cat with silver eyes. Moonsoul's only litter mate.

Apprentices

Clovepaw- Dark brown tabby tom with green eyes.

Elders

Gentlefoot - Pale tabby she-cat. she retired young after loosing her last batch of kits to a horrible miscarriage that left her body permanently damaged.

Chanceclan

Leader

Fallstar- Completely black she-cat with golden eyes and a long, jagged scar along her left side.

Deputy

Oakfur- Dark brown tabby tom with yellow-green eyes and a scar across his chest.

Medicine Cat

Aquasky - Long haired blue she-cat with yellow eyes.

Warriors

Mystictail - dark blue, almost black she-cat. She looks black with a blue sheen. Senior warrior. Apprentice, Poppypaw

Wolfclaw - Brown and gray tom with long, abnormal sized claws. Senior warrior. Apprentice, Quickpaw

Brakenclaw - Bracken colored tortoiseshell tom. Senior warrior.

Darksong - Black she-cat and sister of Fallstar. Senior warrior. Apprentice, Reefpaw

Maplefur -Red tabby she-cat with aqua eyes. She's blind in one eye, and a scar crosses that side of her face.

Shadowleap - Black and gray tom. Fallstar's brother.

Singinglark - beautiful golden tabby she-cat with a white chest, belly and paws, and piercing, icy blue eyes.

Firestripe - brown tom with white and orange calico-like markings and green eyes.

Echocliff - gray tom with dark blue eyes.

Shadedmoon - Shadedmoon is a long-haired light silver she-cat with darker patches. Her voice was damaged in the fire that killed her in her previous life, and so it's very raspy, and sometimes when her throat is dry, she can't talk at all.

Apprentices

Poppypaw - Dark orange she-cat with black patches and yellow eyes.

Quickpaw - black and white tom.

Reefpaw - pale cream colored she-cat.

Queens

Whitebird - white she-cat with pale brown speckles. (mate- Echocliff. Kits- Lightningkit and Juniperkit)