"Don't even think about it," Whitestorm tells me as Graystripe, Dustpelt—the tom who said I stank—Sandstorm, Cloudtail, and another warrior gather around their leader to go to WindClan.

"Think about what?" I ask, all innocence.

The deputy eyes me beadily and says, "I wasn't born yesterday. No cat is ready for you to face your former clanmates yet, including you. I'd say the same if you were a full ThunderClan member."

"I guess so," I say. "Can I have some fresh-kill?"

"Of course, Nettlethorn. Firestar welcomed you to the clan. This camp is your home for now," Whitestorm meows, then walks off to talk to a couple of apprentices. Yet another difference between Firestar and Tigerstar. In ThunderClan, what food you get must not depend on how good you are at battle practice.

I go to the fresh-kill pile and pick out a small mouse. I don't want ThunderClan thinkin' I'm greedy. A ginger-and-white she-cat with one eye, one ear, and some of the worst scars I ever seen sits down beside me with half a squirrel. "I'm Brightheart," she says warmly. And I can tell just by lookin' in her one good eye how that name's perfect for her.

"Nice to meet you," I say, thinkin' Tigerstar would consider Brightheart a waste of prey.

"Most cats flinch or look away when they meet me, but you act like you see this every day," the young she-cat says, a new respect in her meow.

"Seen lots of bad stuff in twolegplace. My own mama had most of an ear missing," I say, not mentioning that it was bitten off by her so-called mate.

"The dog pack got me when I snuck out of camp with another apprentice. Swiftpaw didn't make it," Brightheart says.

I say I'm sorry, then wait for the accusation. But it don't come. "Tigerstar didn't bring the dogs to Snakerocks, Nettlethorn, he just used them. And besides, Firestar and Whitestorm said ShadowClan didn't know about it, and not even they can be that evil."

Not even they can be that evil. Like ShadowClan's the only one in the forest can end up with a cruel, insane leader. My tail-tip twitches in irritation.

Brightheart don't notice this and says, "My mate Cloudtail and I have been practicing some new fighting moves. I can show you some, if you want."

I do love new battle moves, and I appreciate her tryin' to include me in the life of her clan. But I shake my head. "Sounds awesome, but Cinderpelt says I ain't up to it yet. Maybe another time."

"I won't risk Cinderpelt's wrath," Brightheart purrs.

I'm glad when one of her clanmates pulls her into conversation. It's dawned on me while eating that this could be my best chance to find Nightwhisper. If Tigerstar took him into battle, I can maybe intercept him before he gets back to ShadowClan or RiverClan territory. And if he's still in camp, there will be way fewer warriors to avoid. So I start lookin' for a way to sneak out of the ThunderClan camp.

In the end, it's actually pretty easy. I just politely ask some cat where the dirtplace is and slip through the narrow tunnel when nobody's lookin'. Whitestorm ain't gonna be happy, and he may send someone after me. Disobeying his order probably means I won't be welcome back in ThunderClan. But that's a risk I gotta take if it means reuniting with my brother.

The forest is still heavily damaged from the fire. ThunderClan's territory looks scarred and even more barren than usual in leaf-bare. I wish there was more cover.

I know Firestar's patrol gotta pass Fourtrees to get to WindClan, so I follow their scent there. I'm about to descend the wooded slope into the clearing with the massive oaks when I hear voices and pawsteps from the other side. The smells of ShadowClan and RiverClan are everywhere. Terrified, I flatten myself under a bush, its thorns pricking my pelt.

Tigerstar walks at the head of his patrol, powerful shoulders erect, eyes blazin' with triumph. When he leaps onto the Great Rock, I see he still got blood on his paws. WindClan blood. From a completely unprovoked attack.

I scan the cats with him. They don't have any WindClan prisoners that I can see. Leopardstar and her warriors are clustered in little groups at the fringes, none of 'em lookin' like they wanna be here.

"We should've killed more of those pathetic furballs," Jaggedtooth is jeering to Blackfoot.

My breath stops when I catch sight of Nightwhisper and Lightningpaw beside Darkstripe. My brother is limpin' but don't seem hurt bad. He's crowin' with the others, and I reckon he's foolin' 'em, but not me. I spot the exhaustion in his green eyes, the fear in how he's all tense and hunched up. My brother is desperately unhappy.

"By this time tomorrow, TigerClan will rule the forest!" Tigerstar proclaims. "One final battle, and all four clans will be one forever! No more fighting over borders or prey. No more petty squabbles over power. Just strong, noble, pure-blooded warriors living in a powerful, united clan."

You wouldn't know noble if it bit your nose off, I think savagely as I watch Nightwhisper. I want to go to him with every hair on my pelt, but there's no way.

"One glorious battle, TigerClan, that's what I ask of you tomorrow. The strength of our clan is in your claws and your teeth, and now that we've purged ourselves of half-clan scum and mouse-hearted traitors, there's nothing standing between us and victory." At the words "mouse-hearted traitors", Darkstripe whispers something to Nightwhisper, probably unpleasant and about me. I remember Nightwhisper lashing out at this cat when he called me a rogue, but now he just hangs his head.

Finally, Tigerstar's done with his dog shit speech. He jumps off the Great Rock and heads for ShadowClan territory. Leopardstar says somethin' to him in an undertone, and when he nods, she leads her warriors back toward their camp. But as the cats who used to be ShadowClan start disappearin' into the pines, a broad gray head near the back suddenly swings around. Amber eyes meet yellow ones, and my heart thunders. I don't know what Boulder's be doin' across the clearing, but I'm surprised Tigerstar don't hear mine. My life is totally in Boulder's paws.

Boulder's limp gets worse the closer to the edge of Fourtrees he gets. When Deerfoot turns to him with his usual look of impatience, Boulder meows, "Got a rock in my pad. I'll catch up." Thank StarClan Deerfoot just grunts and goes on ahead.

Boulder runs toward me as fast as the wound in his back leg will allow, but he stops a fox-length away. I reckon he don't want my scent on him.

"Cici, what in the Dark Forest are you doing here? Are you crazy?" Boulder's yellow eyes glitter with equal parts anger and fear. And his use of my old name is like a splash of icy water.

"What's happening?" I demand. "Why you callin' me Cici?"

Boulder flinches, and his ears twitch. "Tigerstar said you no longer have the right to be called a warrior. He's ordered every TigerClan cat to kill you on sight. You have to get out of here, now. Go back to town. I'm sorry—I know how much you love it here—but the forest isn't safe for you anymore."

"I'm safe in ThunderClan for now," I say.

Boulder shakes his head, looking frantic. "You don't understand. Tigerstar gave Tallstar an ultimatum. He murdered a WindClan apprentice, barely more than a kit. He ordered all of us to stand around him so WindClan couldn't do anything. It was horrible."

"For StarClan's sake, why?" I demand. "Just to be vicious?"

"He said it was an example of what happens to cats who defy TigerClan. Firestar and Tallstar are supposed to meet us tomorrow at Fourtrees at sunhigh and decide whether or not to join us," Boulder explains.

"You really wanna be part of that?" I ask. Boulder's tail droops, so I go on. "You ain't cruel, Boulder. I know you can't enjoy watchin' cats killed for fun. Did you know Tigerstar was gonna make Mistyfoot and me fight to the death?" By the time that last question comes out, I'm gettin' angry.

"Things have changed a lot since you were imprisoned. Tigerstar doesn't trust any of us who were close to you. He's having me, Tangleburr, Fernshade, and especially Nightwhisper watched all the time. He says traitors could be anywhere and we have to make sure our first loyalty is to the clan and its leader, not any one cat."

"Unless that one cat is him, of course," I say bitterly. "Seein' the way Firestar leads his clan, it's way different. Ain't sayin' he's perfect or nothin'—ThunderClan are still arrogant furballs who think they're better than any cat—but he don't treat 'em like they only exist to do what he wants. And they're not… they're not afraid all the time. Some of the ThunderClan warriors weren't too happy about takin' us in, but I didn't hear Firestar orderin' 'em not to talk for a quarter moon."

"I'm afraid Tigerstar will hurt Russetfur if I try to stand up to him," Boulder says.

I lower my gaze, 'cause I ain't got nothin' to say to that. "Keep your fur in one piece, but try to tell Nightwhisper I'm okay and I haven't abandoned him."

"I will," Boulder assures me. "But TigerClan ain't your only problem. BloodClan is-"

He stops abruptly as pawsteps crunch over the ground on the ThunderClan side. "Go!" I hiss frantically, waving my tail. Our roles have reversed so quickly. Boulder bounds away, silent as a shadow.

What was my mate fixin' to say? Somethin' about BloodClan, so it can't be good. Have they been on TigerClan territory again? How many of them, and why?

I shake myself. I gotta look like I've just gone for a walk. So I smoothe out my expression and pad up the slope, pausing under an alder tree a few fox-lengths into ThunderClan's forest. I scowl up into the bare branches as Firestar and Sandstorm appear, their pelts brushin'. So that's how it is.

"Stupid squirrel got away from me," I complain. If you're gonna lie, keep it simple. That little nugget of wisdom came from a cat called Snag, in another life.

The ThunderClan cats watch me cooly. Sandstorm sniffs the air, and her nose wrinkles. "There's fresh TigerClan scent," she growls.

My pelt prickles. "They passed this way after the battle, but I hid from 'em," I meow. Stupid she-cat. Ain't that exactly what a spy would say?

"Whitestorm ordered you not to leave camp," Firestar says, a sharp edge to his voice.

I freeze. Should I run? Try to fight them off? I don't like my odds of either. Maybe I should tell the truth. They might believe me. Yeah, right.

"I know it looks bad, but I wasn't passin' on your secrets. I don't really know any of your secrets anyway, but even if I did, I wouldn't pass 'em on. I swear by StarClan."

"Then why did you come out here?" Sandstorm demands, her hackles rising.

Firestar seems like a reasonable leader. He helped me escape when he could've either killed me or left me in that pit. Maybe I can trust him. Gettin' the words out is like jumpin' off a tree branch without being able to see the ground. But I make myself do it.

"I only came 'cause I was worried about my brother," I blurt.

The ThunderClan cats exchange a look. Firestar don't look all that surprised. "Whitestorm thought it might be something like that. He said you were evasive about the other rogues who joined Tigerstar with you and suspected you had kin or a mate among them."

"And since I don't think even Tigerstar would beat up and imprison one of his warriors for days in the unlikely event that we'd come along and rescue them, we know you didn't come here as a spy. But we did wonder if he was forcing you to spy for him, threatening some cat you care about," Sandstorm adds. Two sets of green eyes pierce me like claws.

"Tigerstar would do that," I say, "but he ain't. Could be he'll try it if tomorrow's big battle don't work out, but I swear by StarClan, by the lives of your clan, anything you want, I won't let him control me like that. Because it would never end. He'll never let up."

The ThunderClan warriors relax a little. "How many other rogues did you come with?" Sandstorm asks not unkindly.

"Just two. My brother Mowgli, who became Nightwhisper, and Snag, Jaggedtooth now. He was my best friend once, but I barely know him anymore. He'll do anything for Tigerstar now. I think Nightwhisper wants to leave, but Tigerstar's havin' him watched real close. And there are other good cats in TigerClan, cats who don't fully support what's goin' on. But they're stuck. I understand if you don't believe that, but it's true."

"And you didn't tell us because you were afraid I'd treat you like Tigerstar treated the half-clan cats," Firestar meows.

I shuffle my paws, then straighten my spine. "I just met y'all yesterday, not countin' the fire incident. I ain't fool enough to go givin' my trust away. That's how we got into this mess." Even I'm surprised by the bitterness in my voice.

"Your fear makes sense, and I don't blame you," the ThunderClan leader meows quietly. "And you're not the only one with… complicated loyalties. You may not know this because of everything that's been going on, but Tigerstar's daughter Tawnypaw left ThunderClan on the same night you joined us."

Lookin' back, I vaguely remember Whitestorm telling his leader there was a problem with an apprentice right when we arrived. But I was so tired and worried about my own situation, I didn't give it another thought. No wonder Bramblepaw looked depressed this morning.

"Say what?" I ask. "Why would she go and do a thing like that, after the dog attack?"

Firestar and Sandstorm exchange a sad glance. "We think she didn't feel valued or trusted in ThunderClan," Firestar meows, lookin' down at his paws. Was he one of the cats who didn't fully trust Tigerstar's kits? I wonder.

I'm also doin' some figurin' on time. Tawnypaw must have reached the ShadowClan camp during or right after our escape. Which means Tigerstar had a cat murdered for havin' parents from different clans, then turned right around and accepted a cat with ThunderClan kin into TigerClan. How can every cat not see how this makes no sense?

"My point in telling you this," Firestar continues, oblivious to my thoughts, "is that I won't distrust or mistreat you because you still have kin and friends in TigerClan. I used to believe that all of Tigerstar's rogues are as cruel and brutal as he is, but it's clear to me that you were manipulated into following him and got caught up in a difficult situation. I'm sorry for that. But I believe ThunderClan needs you to help defeat Tigerstar, Nettlethorn."

I barely keep from rollin' my eyes. "You tell that to every half-starved enemy warrior you break outa prison?"

Sandstorm's whiskers twitch with amusement, but her mate's green eyes are deadly serious. "I mean it," he says gravely. "Your mother believed it, enough to drain her own spirit so she could walk in my dreams and warn me you'd be in danger."

I tense, not knowin' whether I'm confused or angry. "What you know about Mama?" I demand.

Rather than gettin' mad and lashin' out at my question, Firestar says calmly, "Right after I received my nine lives from StarClan, I had another dream, a strange one. I was in a twoleg garden in greenleaf, outside a big den I'd never seen before. And I met a she-cat named Nala who looked exactly like you. She was barely there, her form fading with every heartbeat, but I spoke to her."

"You lyin'," I say, though I don't really believe it. I ain't told no cat Mama's name. Wasn't somethin' I decided to hold back. I guess I just kept it close like some small, precious thing that was just for us.

"You know I'm not," Firestar meows. "She told me she could see down different paths than StarClan and that I'd have to look for help in my enemy's camp if I wanted to stop blood from ruling the forest. And she said that when the time came, I had to save her daughter, even if she'd made bad choices in the past, or my clan would be lost. Fire will save the clans, but without the nettle's sting, it will go out before it can burn."

"That's why you got all funny when Stormpaw said my name," I realize. "You reckon I'm your prophecy cat. That's why you rescued me."

I should be glad that my dreams finally make sense, that the stuff about Mama ain't just in my head. But I ain't okay with the thought of dead cats runnin' my life. I have a hard time believin' in prophecies. Or maybe I just don't want to. Way I see it, every cat makes choices that change the future, and those are up to us, not StarClan or anyone else. I'm also disappointed in Firestar. So much for him being the selfless savior.

I guess some of this must show on my face, 'cause Firestar says quickly, "Nala's prophecy isn't the only reason I freed you. I would have helped any cat in that position. But after getting to know you a little, I think you can help us. I don't know how yet, but you have a unique perspective, plenty of courage, and a knack for getting to the heart of things with your words."

"You mean I don't know when to shut up," I say dryly.

"That too," Sandstorm says with a mrrow of humor. "But I like that about you."

"Will you help ThunderClan and WindClan in the battle tomorrow?" Firestar asks intently. "We need every warrior we can get."

Can I fight my former clanmates and friends? I ask myself. Yes, I realize, I can and I will. If that's what it takes to get rid of Tigerstar. And my brother will almost surely be there.

"I'll help, but I don't see what good havin' a big mouth will do in battle."

"I'm planning to reveal Tigerstar's treachery to the other clans. Perhaps that will make Leopardstar and some of his other warriors reconsider their allegiance," Firestar says.

"Could be," I agree. "Especially the part about the dogs. Ain't no cat gonna be cool with that. But TigerClan lives in fear, so don't count on it."

"Maybe seeing that you've defied him and lived to tell about it will help them get over their fear," Firestar meows.

"I know this isn't easy for you, Nettlethorn, but I'm glad you're with us," Sandstorm says as we head back for the ThunderClan camp.

A single star be glitterin' in the night sky, what the clans call Silverpelt. I like that, the idea of a huge silver pelt stretched over the world and wise dead cats lookin' down on it. Help me find Nightwhisper tomorrow, I pray as I follow the ThunderClan leader and his mate, these allies who are almost strangers and were once my enemies of circumstance.

As we approach the ravine, Firestar gestures for Sandstorm to go ahead and meows, "One moment, Nettlethorn." What does he want now? I wonder. I try to stop my ears from flickin' nervously.

"Before I met Nala, Bluestar gave me a prophecy," Firestar says with uncharacteristic hesitation. "She said four would become two, and blood would rule the forest unless the lost daughter of the pines returns. When Nala told me to save her kit, I thought they were talking about the same cat. But why would Bluestar call you a lost daughter? That suggests you have some hidden connection to the clans."

"I never set paw in the woods before Tigerstar brought me here," I meow impatiently. "Mama always told us y'all were dangerous and bloodthirsty."

"What about your father?" Firestar asks, his tail-tip twitchin'.

Why these clan cats gotta be so obsessed with who has kits with who? "I never knew my dad. Anyway, it's obvious what that prophecy means. I'm from ShadowClan, ain't I? You know, with all them pine trees?"

The ThunderClan leader blinks, and his green eyes clear. "I suppose that actually makes a lot of sense," he meows.

"No need to sound so surprised," I say dryly.

But as Firestar pads into his camp, I hesitate for just a few heartbeats. Bluestar's words echo in my head. "Blood will rule the forest, unless the lost daughter of the pines returns." Does that mean I'm meant to return to ShadowClan? A better ShadowClan without Tigerstar? It's hard for me to imagine, 'cause they only accepted Jaggedtooth, Nightwhisper, and me on his account. But even so, I can't deny that the thought makes my heart just a little lighter, although I'm sick of dead cats and their cryptic prophecies.