Sorrelkit is curled up in a mossy nest near the entrance to Cinderpelt's den. She raises her head as Graystar approaches with the medicine cat, but her eyes are heavy and it looks as though she was finding it difficult to move. Cloudtail is crouched down beside the little kit on guard duty.
"Poor little scrap," he murmurs angrily to Graystar. "She nearly died. We've got to do something about Darkstripe."
The white tom is looking as anxious as Cinderpelt with a mix of anger; he would have heard Sorrelkit's story too, he realizes. He nods.
"You can leave Darkstripe to me."
Settling down beside Sorrelkit, he mews gently, "I'm glad to see you're awake, Sorrelkit. Can you tell me what happened to you?"
The tiny tortoiseshell kit blinks up at him and his heart feels a pang of relief that the young kit did not die at the paws of Darkstripe.
"Sootkit and Rainkit were asleep in the nursery," she begins in a faint voice. "But I wasn't sleepy. My mother wasn't watching, so I went to play in the ravine. I wanted to catch a mouse. And then I saw Darkstripe."
Her voice shakes and she hesitates.
"Go on," Graystar encourages her gently.
"He was coming up the ravine by himself. I knew he should have had Brackenfur with him, and I…I wondered where he was going. I followed him, wanting to practice tracking like a real apprentice."
He feels a pang of sadness as he remembers how Sorrelkit is always so bright and curious, getting into trouble because of her misguided courage. This limp scrap of fur doesn't look at all adventurous now, and Graystar can only hope that with Cinderpelt's care she will soon be her lively self again.
"I followed him a long way," Sorrelkit goes on, sounding rather proud of herself. "I'd never been so far from the camp. I hid from Darkstripe too—he didn't know I was there. And then he met another cat—a cat I'd never seen before."
"What other cat? What did it look like? What scent did it have?" Graystar questions her urgently but also gently as to not frighten the young she-cat.
Sorrelkit looks bewildered.
"I didn't recognize the scent," she mews.
Her nose wrinkles as she recalls the memory.
"But it was yucky. He was a big white cat—bigger than you, Graystar. And he had black paws."
Graystar stares at her as he realizes whom she had seen.
"Blackfoot!" he exclaims. "Tigerstar's deputy. That was Shadowclan scent you smelled, Sorrelkit."
"And what's Darkstripe doing, meeting the ShadowClan deputy on our territory?" Cloudtail growls. "That's what I'd like to know."
"So what happened then?" Graystar prompts the kit gently.
"I got scared," Sorrelkit admits, looking down at her paws.
"I ran back to camp, but I think Darkstripe must have heard me, because he caught up with me in the ravine. I thought he would be angry because I spied on him, but he told me how clever I was. He gave me some red berries for a special treat. They looked tasty, but when I ate them I started to feel really ill…. And I don't remember anything else, except waking up here."
She sinks her head on her paws again as she finishes, as if telling the long story has exhausted her.
Cinderpelt noses her gently, checking her breathing.
"Those were deathberries," she mews. "You must never, ever touch them again."
"I won't, Cinderpelt, I promise," murmurs the tiny kit. "
Thank you, Sorrelkit," Graystar meows. He is angry but not surprised to discover that Cloudtail has been right all along. The real shock is the news that Blackfoot has been seen on Thunderclan territory, and that Darkstripe has obviously arranged to meet him.
"What are you going to do about Darkstripe?" asks Cloudtail, anger in his voice.
"I'll have to question him," Graystar replies. "But I don't expect he'll tell me anything."
"He can't stay in Thunderclan after this," Cloudtail points out, his voice hard as flint. "There's more than one cat who would rip his throat out for a couple of mouse tails."
"Leave him to me," Graystar mews grimly. "But it will have to wait until tomorrow. Most of the other cats are probably asleep. I want you to stay here with Cinderpelt to watch over Sorrelkit during the night. I'll tell the clan at dawn."
Cloudtail nods, determination in his blue gaze.
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At dawn Graystar bounds to the top of the Highrock and yowls the summons for the clan to gather. His gaze seeks out Darkstripe, but there is no sign of him as the assembled cats gather.
"Where's Darkstripe?" he meows at Longtail as his friend makes his way to the base of the rock.
"In the den," Longtail replies.
"Fetch him." Longtail disappears into the warriors' den, and emerges a moment later with Darkstripe and Brackenfur by his side. All three cats return to the base of the Highrock, where Darkstripe sits and looks up at Graystar with a sneer on his face.
"Well?" he asks. "What does our noble leader want now?"
Graystar meets his eyes steadily. "Sorrelkit is awake."
For a few heartbeats Darkstripe holds his gaze, and then he looks away.
"Have you called a Clan meeting to tell us that?"
His tone is scoffing, but his fur has bristled uneasily at the news.
"Cats of Thunderclan." Graystar raises his voice. "I've called you together so that you can witness what Darkstripe has to say. You all heard what happened to Sorrelkit yesterday. She awoke yesterday, and Cinderpelt says she'll be fine. I've talked to her and she confirms what Cloudtail said. Darkstripe did feed her the death berries. So, Darkstripe''—his gaze goes back to the dark warrior below—"what have you to say for yourself?"
"She's lying," Darkstripe retorts.
An angry hiss came from more than one of the cats around him, and he adds, blustering, "Or she made a mistake. Kits never listen to what any cat says. She obviously didn't hear me properly when I told her not to eat them."
"She's not lying or mistaken," Graystar meows. "And she told me something even more interesting: your reason for feeding her the deathberries. She saw you meeting Blackfoot, the deputy of Shadowclan, on our territory. Would you like to tell us what that was all about?"
More furious snarls come from the clan, and a cat at the back of the crowd yowls, "Traitor!"
Graystar has to signal with his tail for silence, and it is several moments before the angry cats quieted down again. Darkstripe waits until he can make himself heard.
"I don't have to justify myself to a code-breaker," he growls.
Graystar's claws scrape against the rock beneath his paws, and he feels reassured by their sharpness.
"That's exactly what you have to do. I want to know what you and Tigerstar are planning."
Panic suddenly floods over him, and he forces it back.
"Darkstripe, you know what Tigerstar tried to do to us. The dog pack would have torn the whole Clan to pieces. How can you even think of following him after that?"
Darkstripe meets his eyes resentfully and does not reply. Graystar wants to be fair, so that no cat, not even Darkstripe himself, can accuse him of persecuting Tigerstar's former allies. Even more than that, Graystar is still a little worried of what Darkstripe might do if he left Thunderclan and is free to go to Tigerstar. But he is left with no choice, the evidence speaks for itself. Exile is the only possible sentence for a cat guilty of Darkstripe's crimes.
"You could have been a valuable warrior," he goes on to Darkstripe. "I gave you one chance after another to prove yourself. I wanted to trust you, and—"
"Trust me?" Darkstripe interrupts. "You've never trusted me. Do you think I didn't know you told that ginger fool to watch me? And some of my other clanmates?"
He spits the last words toward Brackenfur, still seated beside him.
"Did you expect me to live the rest of my days with a shadow?"
"No. I was waiting for you to show your loyalty."
Graystar crouches on the rock and holds Darkstripe's furious gaze without flinching.
"This is the Clan where you were born; these are the cats you grew up with. Doesn't that mean anything to you? The warrior code says you should protect them with your life!"
As Darkstripe rises to his paws Graystar thinks he can see fear flickering in his eyes, as if the dark warrior has never intended to make a final break with Thunderclan. He can not be sure, after all, that Tigerstar would welcome him; he had refused to follow the former deputy into exile. Tigerstar is not a cat who forgives easily. But there is no trace of fear or regret in Darkstripe's voice as he speaks.
"This is not my clan," he hisses scornfully, to gasps of shock from the warriors around him. "Not any longer. Thunderclan is led by a code-breaker and the clan has let it be tainted by outside blood, and there's nothing left to fight for. I feel no loyalty to Thunderclan. In the whole forest, the only cat worth following is Tigerstar."
"Then follow him," Graystar retorts. "You are no longer a warrior of Thunderclan. If you are found in our territory after sunset today, we shall treat you as we would any enemy. Go now."
Darkstripe's burning gaze holds Graystar's for a moment longer, but he does not reply. Unhurriedly, he turns his back on him and stalks toward the camp entrance. The cats nearby draw back as he passes them. With Longtail hissing furiously at his former friend.
"You know what will be waiting for you if you try to come back," Cloudtail snarls, curling his lip. Willowpelt says nothing, but spits, her fur bristling. As soon as the tip of Darkstripe's tail has vanished into the tunnel, a murmur of speculation breaks out among the crowd of cats. One voice rises up clearly. "Has Darkstripe gone to ShadowClan?" asks Bramblepaw anger in his voice. He had joined in the Clan's protests when Graystar had tried to force Darkstripe to admit his guilt. He looks shocked and sickened at the event that has transpired.
"I don't know," he admits. "Darkstripe can go where he likes. From now on he is not a member of Thunderclan."
"Does that mean we can chase him out of the territory if we see him?" Whitestorm calls.
"Yes, it does," Graytar replies.
Addressing all the cats, he adds, "If you scent him, or any ShadowClan cats, tell me or Longtail."
Giving the orders helps him calm down. He can not help feeling the first creeping sensation of relief that at last he has Darkstripe out of his fur. There will be no more code-breaker taunts, no more worries about whether all the clan's business is being relayed straight to Tigerstar.
Even though he is worried about what Darkstripe will do now, there is more gain than loss in the dark warrior's departure. Yet still Graystar can not help wishing that he could have earned his loyalty.
"Hey, Graystar!" Dustpelt's voice startles him out of his thoughts. "What about Fernpaw? She hasn't got a mentor now."
"Thanks, Dustpelt, I'll deal with that right away. Fernpaw, come up to the rock."
Fernpaw obeys, leaving Dustpelt's side to step delicately around the cats in her way until she stands at the foot of the Highrock. Graystar glances around to make sure the warrior he wants is still present, and hastily summons the right words.
"Whitestorm, you are without an apprentice since Brightspirit has been injured and made a warrior. You were an excellent mentor to her, and I expect you to pass on your skills to Fernpaw for the rest of her apprenticeship."
Whitestorm calmly pads up to Fernpaw to touch noses with her. Fernpaw purrs and meows, "I'm glad I have you as my new mentor."
"And I am looking forward to training such a bright apprentice."
Fernpaw then dips her head and both cats withdraw to where Dustpelt and Ashpaw are sitting.
Graystar leaps down from the Highrock. Now that everything is over, worry hits him like a blow from a badger's paw. What he wants more than anything is to tell Sandstorm what is bothering him. But as leader of the Clan, he can't do that without first telling Cinderpelt.
Darkstripe's treachery and the knowledge that ShadowClan cats were on his territory has revived all the memories of his nine-lives ceremony. Why had the hill of bones appeared in his dream, and the river of blood that had flowed from it? What did Bluestar's prophecy mean?
Desperate for answers, Graystar heads to Cinderpelt's den to see if the medicine cat has received any guidance from Starclan about the prophecy they have shown him.
Sorrelkit is asleep in her nest, and from the mouth of the split rock came faint sounds of Cinderpelt moving around inside. Graystar goes closer and notices her rearranging the piles of healing herbs and berries that she keeps there.
"Nearly out of juniper…" she mutters, then sees Graystar.
"What's the matter? What's happened now?"
She limps out of the den and comes up to him, nosing him anxiously as she smells his fear-scent.
"Graystar, what's wrong?"
He shakes his head to clear it of apprehension. It is a relief to go right back to the beginning, and tell Cinderpelt about the dream that had come to him as he lay beside the Moonstone.
Cinderpelt sits beside him and listens in silence, her steady gaze never leaving his face.
"Bluestar told me, 'Three will become one. Lion, shadow and blood will meet in battle, and blood will rule the forest,"
Graystar finishes. "And then blood oozed out of the hill of bones and started to fill the hollow. Blood everywhere…Cinderpelt, what does it all mean?"
"I don't know," Cinderpelt confesses. "Starclan has not shown me any of this. Just as they have the power to show me what will happen, so they can choose not to share with me. I'm sorry, Graystar—but I'll keep thinking about it, and maybe something will happen to make it clearer soon."
She pushes her nose against Graystar's fur to comfort him, but though Graystar is grateful for her sympathy, he can not forget the horror of his dream. What dreadful fate lay in store for him? And if even Cinderpelt can not answer that question, what hope is there for ThunderClan?