Slashpaw sat outside in the rain.

Yesterday his whole world had been turned upside-down once again. He remembered training with Orchidpaw. He remembered coming back to camp and heading to the nursery to see what was going on. He remembered Leafpaw explaining to Orchidpaw that Willowfur was kitting. Then Bluepaw had gotten up and headed toward Windystar's den. He had thought that Bluepaw was sick because of the look on his face.

Then everything became fuzzy, like everything had happened so fast that Slashpaw's brain couldn't keep up.

The news that Slashpaw was the son of Graystar's murderer had spread through camp unnaturally quickly. The cats that had distrusted him before because his father was a loner now couldn't stand to be near him. The fact that he was the son of a murdering loner was too much for them. A few cats treated him as if Slashpaw himself had struck the killing blows that had felled the warriors.

I'm not a murderer! he longed to yell. And neither is my father.

It wasn't that Slashpaw thought Bluepaw was lying about the rogue's identity, but there must have been a mistake. Slashpaw couldn't believe that Doom was a cold-blooded killer. His mother wouldn't fall in love with someone like that. There had to have been a mistake. Bluepaw had missed something.

"Slashpaw." The apprentice looked up. His mentor, the Clan leader, was standing next to him. "Come. We're going hunting. Let's see what we can catch for the queens."

"Sandstripe won't touch anything I catch," Slashpaw said bitterly. "She hasn't forgiven me for killing her father."

"She hasn't forgiven you for killing her father?" asked Windystar, surprised.

"That's the way she acts," Slashpaw said. "Windystar, why do they hold me responsible for the actions of my parents?"

Windystar sighed. "I don't know. I guess they're just hurting from losing three warriors, including their leader. They want someone to pin the blame on."

Slashpaw got up and followed Windystar in silence.

"Cedarheart! Otterpelt!" Windystar cried. The two toms looked up. "Come hunting."

"With him?" Cedarheart said, indicating Slashpaw.

"Yes, with Slashpaw," Windystar growled. "Or are you going to disobey an order from your leader?"

Otterpelt sighed. "No, Windystar. We'll come." The warriors joined the mentor and apprentice duo, but Slashpaw noticed that Cedarheart kept his distance.

As the four cats trudged through the forest, a cold wind blew, making Slashpaw shiver.

Otterpelt caught a mouse, and Windystar a squirrel. Prey was hard to come by; all the animals with any sense were down in their warm burrows.

Slashpaw looked up. The wind was carrying a familiar scent. The other cats hadn't noticed yet. Not now! Slashpaw thought in horror. But there was no way to warn him....

Cedarheart's head jerked up. His eyes narrowed, and he hissed.

Doom came into view.

"Hello," said the loner. "Oh! Slashpaw!" He purred. "And Windystep! It's good to see you."

With a screech of fury, Cedarheart launched himself at the loner, teeth bared, claws gleaming.

Doom yowled in shock as Cedarheart dug his claws into his pelt, but he began to fight back. Otterpelt joined the fray, clawing furiously at Doom.

"Stop!" shouted Windystar. "Cedarheart! Otterpelt! Stop this instant!" The two warriors reluctantly backed off, but did not sheathe their claws. Doom stared at the two warriors in surprise and anger.

"May I ask what I have done to receive such a welcome?" he asked, lashing his tail.

Otterpelt hissed, and Cedarheart said, "How dare you!"

Doom turned to Windystar. "Windystep, maybe you will answer my question."

"Windystar," Otterpelt corrected.

"Windystar?" asked Doom, red eyes widening. "But what happened to Graystar?"

Cedarheart shrieked in rage and launched himself at the loner once again. Windystar had to drag the warrior off of Doom.

"Let me go, Windystar!" Cedarheart hissed. "I'll tear him to pieces!"

"Cedarheart – "

"Murderer!" Cedarheart screeched. "Murderer! I'll kill you!"

Doom fluffed out his coat. "Murderer! How dare you accuse me of such a thing?"

"You killed Graystar!" Cedarheart hissed. "You killed my father!"

"And Mothflight and Littlestream," Otterpelt added, eyes narrow. "Mothflight was my mother's sister."

Doom turned to Windystar again. "Please explain."

"Like he doesn't know," Cedarheart muttered.

"About two moons ago," Windystar began, "a patrol of PineClan warriors – Graystar, Bluepaw, Mothflight, and Littlestream – was attacked by a band of rogues. Bluepaw said that the leader of these rogues was a small, scarred black cat with red eyes."

Doom's eyes widened. "But –"

"Stop playing innocent!" Otterpelt growled. "We know you killed our warriors. If it was up to me, you would be dead." He looked to Windystar for instructions.

"I assure you I had nothing to do with this!"

"Oh, yes, of course," growled Cedarheart. "It was that other small black tom with red eyes that looks exactly like you."

"Silence," Windystar snapped. "Doom is coming to camp with us until I decide what to do with him." He looked sternly at Cedarheart and Otterpelt. "No cat is to touch him unless I say so. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Windystar," said Otterpelt.

"Cedarheart?"

The warrior was silent.

"Would you dare defy my orders, Cedarheart?" Windystar said. "I think that would be something that Graystar would definitely not approve of."

"Fine," the warrior growled.

Windystar lead the way back to camp, Slashpaw at his side. Doom was behind them, and the other two took the rear. Slashpaw wasn't sure what to think. Doom had acted innocently enough, but he could easily be lying. If his father really was a murderer, Slashpaw wanted nothing to do with him.

Most cats were still inside of their warm dens when the patrol returned to camp.

"Sunstorm!" Windystar cried. The ginger deputy emerged from the warrior den after only a brief delay.

"What is it, Windystar?" His eyes widened as he saw Doom. "Is that –"

"Yes, this is Doom," the leader said. "Make sure that every cat knows that he is not to be harmed without my orders. Find Crowflight: he will be on guard duty first." Sunstorm nodded briskly and disappeared back into the den.

Slashpaw spent the day as he normally would: training with Windystar and doing the regular apprentice chores. But thoughts of his father kept bothering him, like a swarm of bees buzzing around in his head. As he stopped at the fresh-kill pile, he saw where his father was being held. There was a nice, big patch of brambles that made an alley between the Windystar's den and the medicine cat's den. Hawkscar was currently on guard duty at the narrow mouth of the alley, and Slashpaw noticed that Hawkscar was very bored. The rain had let up, and Slashpaw could see that the young warrior was eager to stretch his legs in the forest. Suddenly, he had an idea.

"Hawkscar!" he called, padding up to the ginger-and-white tom.

"What, loner?" snarled Hawkscar. Slashpaw forced his fur to say flat, although anger at the insult seared through him.

"Braveheart sent me," he meowed evenly. "He's coming to take over guard duty, and he said you could leave."

"Oh, really?" asked Hawkscar.

"Yes," said Slashpaw, holding the warrior's gaze. He could see that Hawkscar didn't trust him, but the warrior wanted to leave very badly.

"Fine, then." Hawkscar finally got to his paws, shook himself off, and left. Slashpaw breathed a silent sigh of relief and padded over to his father.

"Slashpaw," Doom greeted him, his eyes lighting up at the sight of his son.

"Hello," Slashpaw said. "I need to talk to you."

"All right then," said Doom. "I'm listening."

"Did you kill Graystar, Mothflight, and Littlestream?" said Slashpaw without hesitation.

"No," said the black tom, keeping eye contact with the apprentice.

"Did you lead the patrol of rogues that attacked them?"

"No."

"Did you have anything to do with it?"

"No."

Slashpaw relaxed. "I believe you."

After a pause, Doom said, "Do they always treat you like that?"

"Like what?"

"He called you 'loner.'"

"Oh, that," Slashpaw looked away. "It's been getting worse, now that they think you murdered those cats."

Doom was silent for a while. "Slashpaw, I have to get out of here."

"What? Why?"

"Your Clanmates are going to kill me," said Doom.

"But I believe you, and I think Windystar will too. They won't hurt you if Windystar says not to."

Doom sighed. "But what is Windystar going to say that will convince the kin of those warriors who died? They want revenge for their loved ones' death. They want blood. And how could Windystar declare me innocent without making his own son look like a liar? From what I've heard, Bluepaw said the leader of the rogues was small, black, and scarred with red eyes, long claws, and huge teeth. That's me, through and through."

"So you have to leave," Slashpaw said sadly. Now that he knew his father was innocent, he wanted Doom to stick around for a while.

"Come with me, Slashpaw," Doom urged.

"Come with you?" Slashpaw repeated, shocked. Leave the Clan? He had been born and raised with these cats. How could he abandon Windystar, Crowflight, and Briarpaw?

And yet, what did these cats care for him? Hawkscar's sneering face flashed through his memory, along with Cedarheart and Otterpelt's looks of disgust when they had been forced to be on the same hunting patrol as them.

"Please, Slashpaw," said Doom. "You're all I have."

Slowly, Slashpaw nodded.