A ragged coughing fit escaped from Toadstep as the Clan deputy stood in the center of the medicine den, spittle running from his mouth while he sat, hunched over. Birdpaw shifted through her herb store and picked out some tansy. She glanced over her shoulder to see Stormbrook pressing his paws against Toadstep's back as he asked the deputy to take a deep breath.

Birdpaw padded over to Toadstep and dropped the comfrey in front of him. Toadstep gave the gray-and-white she-cat a nod of thanks before bending down to chew it. She padded over to Stormbrook and meowed, "Is it greencough?"

Stormbrook shook his head. "Greencough season has passed, and if it was greencough, we'd be seeing more cases already. Plus, his eyes are streaming and he has a high fever. Those usually don't come with greencough."

Birdpaw frowned. "Whitecough?"

"Not likely." Stormbrook ran his gray-black paw down Toadstep's spine. "Have you been vomiting, Toadstep?"

Toadstep nodded. Exhaustion glazed his pale blue eyes. Stormbrook turned to gaze at Birdpaw. "Go check on Icefire in the nursery, she just moved in. And tell me how Daisyflight is. I'm going to try a mixture of chickweed and birch sap."

Birdpaw nodded. She glanced nervously at Toadstep, whose head was hanging as if he did not have the strength to hold it up. She bounded out of the medicine den and crossed the camp towards the nursery. Her head spun. She couldn't sleep. Her thoughts raced. It was as if she was in a never-ending nightmare that she couldn't claw her way out of. The days were too long for her and every cat that greeted her simply got on her nerves. She wanted to get away from them, back to her cocoon of silence and solitude. I just want to be alone.

She was nauseous, weak, and shaky, as if something had sapped the bone marrow from her. Emotionally, everything was bleak and numb. Nothing was worth anything anymore. She watched as her Clanmates spoke to each other in warm tones, with no fear of what their former love would do next. They didn't live their lives looking over their shoulders, they could go on as normal without feeling their heart shattering with every step they took. I would give anything to live as they do, free from what I know… free from what I feel.

Days had blurred into one another, and darkness muddied any aspect of happiness she had. Her heart was shallow and hollow—she didn't trust any cat to not hurt her. Everything was dull and her emotions were no longer as sharp as they used to be. The knot of pain in her chest refused to ebb—instead, it spread its wings into her heart and her stomach. Sometimes she found herself struggling to breathe and unable to stand.

The brambles at the entrance of the nursery rustled, and Birdpaw pushed herself in. Daisyflight was sitting on her haunches, staring at the nursery wall with vacant blue eyes. Her stomach was practically bulging at this point. Icefire's paws were tucked under her chest, and her sides were growing. Bluefeather watched them from the shadows of the nursery, but her kits weren't there. They must be playing outside, she thought.

"How are you doing, Icefire?" Birdpaw asked the white-furred queen.

Icefire shifted her weight from side to side. "It's not my first litter," she told the medicine cat apprentice. "I'll be fine." She winked at the gray-and-white cat.

"Any pain?" Birdpaw asked, running her paws down her sides.

"No." Icefire shook her head. "I know what to look out for. Trust me, you don't need to worry." She flicked her tail towards Daisyflight. "Her, you may need to."

Birdpaw padded over to Daisyflight. The gold-and-white she-cat stared at the brambles, barely acknowledging Birdpaw's arrival as the white she-cat sat next to her. Sadness glimmered in Daisyflight's eyes, and the pain that shadowed them didn't seem physical.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Birdpaw asked Daisyflight.

"Not unless there's an herb to erase memories," Daisyflight replied solemnly.

Birdpaw frowned. "I wish," she said quietly. "Any pains in your side? Trouble breathing?"

"No," Daisyflight replied. "I'm fine." She turned on her heel and settled in her nest, shutting her eyes as she curled up into a ball, her belly bulging over the moss. Birdpaw watched her until her sides rose and fell in a steady rhythm, indicating her slumber. She gazed up and caught Bluefeather's gaze. Before the medicine cat apprentice could ask her the same question, Bluefeather shook her head.

So everything's fine here, Birdpaw thought. I better see if Toadstep is all right. Giving a dip of her head to the nursery queens, she left the bramble thicket. As she crossed the camp, she was keenly aware of a pair of eyes burning in her pelt, but she didn't turn around to see, in fear of who it was. She disappeared into the medicine den and blinked in surprise as she realized that Stormbrook was nowhere to be seen.

Toadstep was curled up in one of the spare nests. His breath was ragged and sickness streamed from his whiskers and his nose. His pale eyes were glazed, his thick tabby coat was dull, and Birdpaw could feel the heat rising from him from where she stood. She padded over to Toadstep. He was still awake.

"Where's Stormbrook?" Birdpaw asked him.

The tom looked up at her. Exhaustion was clear by the lines on his face. "He went to Lionstar's den," he replied.

Birdpaw froze. "Why?"

"He's sick." Toadstep's voice was a small rasp. Birdpaw let out a horrified gasp and raced away from the medicine den to Lionstar's den. Without bothering to call out, she burst into the den and saw Stormbrook examining Lionstar thoroughly. Worry was rampant in her mentor's yellow eyes as he lifted his head to gaze at Birdpaw.

"It's the same thing as Toadstep," Stormbrook reported. His eye whiskers furrowed as he looked down at Lionstar. Similar to Toadstep, the big tabby's usually sleek coat was dull and ragged. His green eyes were glassy and his breath came in ragged gasps. His ribs were visible against his side. "Lionstar, have you eaten anything odd in the past few days?" He glanced at Birdpaw and added, "We should rule out food poisoning."

"I shared a rabbit with Toadstep a few days ago," Lionstar croaked out.

Birdpaw and Stormbrook exchanged nervous glances.

"What is it?" Lionstar demanded. Even though the stench of sickness was rank from his pelt and his voice was cracked, Birdpaw could still see the power that flared in his eyes from the mighty cat he was named after.

"Toadstep has the same illness as well," Stormbrook replied after a few moments.

"It must have been the rabbit," Birdpaw guessed. "Did it taste off to you, Lionstar?"

Lionstar tilted his head. "Leafshade gave it to us," he said. "I thought it was odd, since we don't see rabbits in ShadowClan territory, and of course it tasted a tad off since I'm not used to eating rabbit, but I don't see the problem." He shook out his golden pelt.

"I'll be right back with some herbs for you," Stormbrook told him. "Sit tight." The gray-and-black tom turned on his heel and strode away. Birdpaw was right behind him, her head reeling as she tried to figure out what Lionstar was saying.

"It's possible the rabbit was ill," Birdpaw meowed, "but if it was so ill, how would it be able to travel all the way from WindClan to ShadowClan without dropping dead or being killed by another Clan warrior?"

Stormbrook's ears twitched. "We can figure that out later," he said. "First we have to figure out how to treat it. Lionstar and Toadstep wouldn't have eaten it if it was stale or had maggots—you're right that the rabbit was ill when it died. We have to figure out how to treat that illness."

"Would Violetheart know if any of the rabbits on WindClan territory were ill?" Birdpaw asked.

"Maybe." But Stormbrook didn't look too terribly concerned with figuring out the cause of the illness. "I still have some of that white snakeroot Comte left with us, and the barberry as well. I'll try that and see if it helps Toadstep. In the meantime, let's focus on supportive care for both of them while we figure out a cure."

"We should also try and figure out if anyone ate another rabbit," Birdpaw suggested.

"Good idea." Stormbrook nodded. "Go start asking some cats."

Birdpaw frowned. "You don't need me to help you?"

"Just go." Stormbrook's tail flicked. "It's best to nip this in the bud."

Her mentor's words left no room for argument. Birdpaw scampered away and tried to shake away Lionstar's first sentence. Leafshade gave the rabbit to me. Why had Leafshade given prey to the Clan leader? Did he know the rabbit was ill? No. He has nothing against Lionstar. I don't believe Leafshade would do anything to his Clanmates. To ThunderClan, maybe… but not his own Clanmates. Reinforcing that mindset until she believed it to the very tip of her paws, Birdpaw headed towards the first cat she saw in the clearing—Owlfang.

"Hey, Owlfang!" Birdpaw called out to the dark tabby.

Owlfang looked over his shoulder and twitched his ears. "Birdpaw," he meowed kindly. "What can I do for you?"

"You wouldn't have happened to know any cat who ate a rabbit, would you?" Birdpaw asked him.

"Can't even say I've seen a rabbit around here," Owlfang said. "Why?"

"No reason." Birdpaw didn't want to spread any panic across her Clanmates. "Thanks." She padded over to Shrewfur, who was demonstrating a battle move to Tigerpaw. Both cats glanced up as Birdpaw approached them. Shrewfur stopped in the middle of flicking his back legs out and gave Birdpaw a deep nod.

"Look at the move Shrewfur taught me!" Tigerpaw exclaimed to Birdpaw. He leaped onto his front legs and kicked out his hind legs as if he was kicking a tree. Birdpaw watched as he spun around on his legs and finished with a flick of his front paws.

"Great job," Birdpaw told him. "I'm glad I won't have to treat any cat who's on the opposite end of that move." She turned to Shrewfur. "Can I ask you something?"

Shrewfur nodded. "Sure."

"Did you notice any cat eat a rabbit in the past week?" Birdpaw asked as she watched Tigerpaw practice the move on his own. He landed with a thump on his second try and frustration flared in his amber eyes. Shrewfur flicked his tail, ordering Tigerpaw to try again.

"I think my father had one the other day," Shrewfur replied. "I remember it being odd since I don't think I've ever seen a rabbit in ShadowClan territory, other than the one Talonclaw and I caught before we met the dogs."

"And where did you get that rabbit?" Birdpaw pressed.

"We were right near the ThunderClan border," Shrewfur replied. "It came from the moor, I think. I could smell the grass and the trees on it."

So that means Lionstar and Toadstep had a rabbit, and then Fallensnow had another, Birdpaw thought. Two rabbits at once. Could it be a coincidence? Or is some cat stealing prey and bringing it to ShadowClan? But why would they travel so far to the moor just to steal a couple of rabbits? Her claws arched in the ground as she tried to ponder the situation.

"No other rabbits though?" Birdpaw asked.

Shrewfur shook his head. "I helped Eagleflight divide up the prey that day, I would've remembered." He blinked gently at her. "Sorry, I wish I could help more."

"You've helped plenty." Birdpaw dipped her head to the ShadowClan warrior and started to head back towards the medicine den. She stepped back to see Lizardpaw's brown-and-white tabby fur appear out of the elders' den, old moss in her jaws. She gave Birdpaw a kind wave of her tail as she bounded over to her.

Birdpaw greeted the young apprentice with a twitch of her tail.

"Were you talking to Shrewfur about the rabbit?" Lizardpaw asked, dropping the old moss at her paws.

"How'd you know?" Birdpaw asked.

"I heard you. The apprentices' den is right next to the elders' den, and it was so quiet changing their moss today since Shiningheart and Dewshine are sunning themselves in the center of camp." She nodded her head towards the two elders who were curled up in the sunshine. Redfeather and Cloudsong watched them.

Did I eavesdrop when I was her age? Birdpaw asked herself. I'm still a 'paw, after all, when everyone my age has their full names. She tried to push the lingering resentment aside and meowed, "Yeah, I was asking Shrewfur about it. Why, do you know anything?"

"I saw Featherheart and Leafshade bring in two rabbits," she explained. "Talonclaw was with me. He saw it and pushed the both of us behind a tree. He was acting really odd—when I asked him why, he said that he had never seen Featherheart with a young warrior before, or two rabbits on our territory."

Talonclaw saw it? "Where's Talonclaw now?"

"We just finished training and he sent me to clean the elders' den," Lizardpaw said. "He went to grab me some moss for them. He should be back soon."

Birdpaw's mind whirled. "Thank you, Lizardpaw. You have no idea how helpful this is to me." All she had to do now was wait for her brother. Talonclaw must share the suspicions that Birdpaw did, albeit they most likely came from different reasons. Birdpaw tucked her paws underneath her chest as she waited for Talonclaw's dark tabby fur to flash in the clearing.

She spotted her brother's pelt as he pushed through the foliage with moss in his jaws. He padded over to Lizardpaw and dropped the moss at her paws. Lizardpaw mewed her thanks and picked up the moss before heading into the elders' den, her white-tip tail curled up as she disappeared into the shadows of the den. Talonclaw watched her go, affection sparkling in his eyes.

"She's a hard worker," Talonclaw murmured to no cat in particular. Then he turned his head and spotted Birdpaw. "Hey, Birdpaw!" He frowned when he focused his gaze on her. "What's wrong?"

"Can we talk?" Birdpaw asked.

"Sure." Talonclaw led Birdpaw out of the camp and into the pine forest. Birdpaw pushed back a flash of guilt that she should be helping Stormbrook mix herbs, but there was something in the story about the rabbits, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it. The two siblings walked in silence until they were far enough from the camp that Birdpaw felt comfortable talking.

"Lizardpaw told me that you saw Featherheart and Leafshade walking back to camp with two rabbits," Birdpaw meowed quietly.

Talonclaw nodded. "That's true."

"Toadstep and Lionstar are both ill," Birdpaw told her brother.

Talonclaw's torn ears twitched in shock as he stared at Birdpaw with wide amber eyes.

Birdpaw went on. "They shared a rabbit. Stormbrook and I think it was ill."

"That may just be a coincidence," Talonclaw suggested. Birdpaw was quiet, and then the dark tabby stopped and looked Birdpaw up and down. "Don't tell me that you think Featherheart and Leafshade poisoned Lionstar and Toadstep."

"I don't know," Birdpaw confessed as Talonclaw confirmed the suspicions that she had been too afraid to say out loud. "Featherheart… he… we both know he's ambitious. And Leafshade…" …has gone a bit off the deep end… "…hasn't been himself lately. Is it possible that Featherheart orchestrated this and brought Leafshade to help him?" She stared pleadingly at Talonclaw. The fur on her brother's shoulders was fluffing up.

"I'm sorry," Talonclaw murmured. "It's hard enough to believe that a ShadowClan cat killed Berrypaw and poisoned Flintstar. If I believe that more ShadowClan cats tried to kill our leader and deputy… then… then I don't know what Clan I live in, anymore."

Birdpaw was so close to telling Talonclaw the truth. Everything about her and Leafshade—how Leafshade was the one who killed Berrypaw and poisoned Flintstar, which built her credibility about her suspicions in Leafshade's involvement for the ill Lionstar and Toadstep. Birdpaw had never trusted Featherheart—and she knew that Talonclaw didn't, either. It's possible that the rabbits were sick. If I can just find Violetheart and ask her…

"I need to talk to Violetheart," Birdpaw murmured.

"Are you crazy?" Talonclaw stared at the gray-and-white she-cat. "You'd have to cross ThunderClan territory and WindClan territory. ThunderClan isn't likely to be kind to us, and neither is WindClan."

Birdpaw's gaze flickered to the sun. "Violetheart usually collects herbs near the Moonpool stream at sunhigh. She always said that's the best time to collect watermint. If I can get there just by sunhigh, ask her about the rabbits on WindClan land, and get back in time… I can find out if the rabbit simply was ill."

Her brother's tail flicked from side-to-side, and he let out a sigh. "I see I can't stop you, but I won't let you go alone. We'll stay by the lakeshore, though. And we better do it now instead of later. The sooner we're off, the better."

"Thanks, Talonclaw." A flash of affection for her brother swelled inside of Birdpaw's heart. He was always there for her, no matter what. Even if he didn't believe her about Featherheart and Leafshade, if he listened to her conversation with Violetheart, maybe he would think differently.

The dark tabby warrior led the way out of the pine forest and near the lakeshore, the route that Stormbrook and Birdpaw took to the Moonpool. Talonclaw tasted the air and quickened his pace, kicking up stones with his big paws. Birdpaw stayed behind him, her fur pricking on her back as the ThunderClan scent marks wafted towards her. She would never forget Briskheart and Berrypaw's claws tearing into her, but that didn't mean Berrypaw deserved to die.

Talonclaw reached the stream that marked the border between WindClan and ThunderClan but didn't cross it. Her brother's muscles were tense as he looked around, sniffing the air intently. Songbirds hummed from the oak trees and Birdpaw nearly tripped on a rock loose in the ground as she realized they would have to cross the border to look for Violetheart.

"Do you see her?" Talonclaw asked.

Birdpaw shook her head. "I don't, but she should be here soon."

"I don't want to be here longer than we have to," Talonclaw said, bunching his shoulders together.

"She'll be here soon." I hope. "Let's find some shelter."

The dark tabby nodded and found a thick fern bush that the two cats hid in, rolling around to mask their ShadowClan scent. They crouched in the ferns and watched the stream with sharp eyes. Birdpaw's breath caught in her chest as she spotted Violetheart's lithe, sleek gray figure as the WindClan medicine cat approached the streambank and started to nip off stems of watermint.

"Violetheart!" Birdpaw exclaimed, leaping from the ferns. Talonclaw was right behind her, and Birdpaw could hear a low growl in his throat. Violetheart is a friend!

Violetheart's head snapped up, shock in her bright blue eyes as she turned to stare at Birdpaw. She glanced around, checking her surroundings, and approached the stream as she peered her head forward. Birdpaw knew they couldn't cross the stream without being on WindClan territory. Talonclaw had been right—they had to talk to Violetheart and leave before they were spotted. ThunderClan will have no problems ripping us to shreds, I'm sure.

"Birdpaw!" Violetheart hissed. "What are you doing on ThunderClan territory?" Her voice dropped to a hiss. "Rumors have been swirling over the border, you know. We—"

"Violetheart, some of our cats are sick," Birdpaw burst out before Violetheart could accuse her of poisoning Flintstar. I would sure hope Violetheart knows Stormbrook and I better than to accuse us of poisoning a Clan leader!

"Birdpaw!" Talonclaw hissed.

"It's the truth!" Birdpaw defended herself as she swung her head to stare challengingly at her brother. Then she faced Violetheart. "They got ill from eating rabbits. I wanted to know if any of your cats got sick from eating rabbits—especially if they came from the moor."

Violetheart hesitated. Birdpaw arched her claws into the peaty ground and meowed, "Please, don't lie to me, Violetheart. We're both medicine cats and we both bypass the law that we are all enemies. What matters to us is the health of our Clanmates, and no animosity between any Clan will ever severe the bond that we have or the love we have for our Clanmates. Help me, Violetheart. Are the rabbits in the moor sick?"

Wind buffeted across Birdpaw's gray-and-white fur as Violetheart stayed silent for a few more moments. Then the gray she-cat spoke, her voice strong. "No, Birdpaw. There's no cat ill in our Clan because of something they ate. My den is empty at the moment, and if some cat got ill from eating rabbits, I would've known by now. Whatever rabbit that your Clanmates ate either didn't come from WindClan territory, or it was poisoned."

Poisoned… Birdpaw glanced at Talonclaw. The color had drained from her brother's chiseled face.

"I wish I could help you more, but you really should get back to your territory," Violetheart went on. "It's bad enough that you're on ThunderClan territory, and you have a warrior with you, too. ThunderClan will see it as an incentive to attack." She blinked apologetically. "I wish you the best of luck with your ill cats, Birdpaw."

Birdpaw gave Violetheart a nod of gratitude. Talonclaw swept his tail across Birdpaw's slight shoulders and led her through the oaks back to the lakeshore. Birdpaw's head pounded as she tried to figure out a reason for Toadstep and Lionstar's sickness, other than the possibility that the rabbit was poisoned. She was too deep in thought to discuss anything with Talonclaw, but her brother was silent as they ran the way back to camp.

Both cats skidded to a halt when they entered camp. Birdpaw's eyes widened as she rested her gaze on Fallensnow, limp and splayed out in the clearing, seizing violently as Stormbrook held his head back so he didn't choke on his own tongue. Birdpaw raced over and held his back legs down to calm the tom down as he seized.

Oh, no! Birdpaw thought fearfully. Shrewfur told me that Fallensnow ate the rabbit, too… Her head swung towards the fresh-kill pile, and she spotted Sparrowflight just a few fox-lengths away from it, chewing on another rabbit. He had stopped swallowing when he stared at Fallensnow, his amber eyes wide. Featherheart was watching Sparrowflight from the warriors' den, his eyes unreadable.

The truth… it's right in front of me. I've just been too blind to see it the entire time.

Those rabbits were poisoned. But why?