"You be a flea and I'l eat you!" Blossomkit squeaked, pul ing away from Jayfeather and leaping on top of Toadkit. Jayfeather staggered as the two wrestling kits piled into him.

"Stop that!" he snarled. "Blossomkit, do you want your fleas fixed or don't you?"

The little tortoiseshel kit instantly broke away from the play fight and stood quietly in front of Jayfeather again. Toadkit pushed up close to them; Jayfeather could feel the kit's breath on his ear.

"Do you like being a medicine cat?" Toadkit asked. "I wouldn't want to do it if you only get to look for fleas."

StarClan, give me patience! "That's not al medicine cats do," Jayfeather replied through clenched teeth. "We have to know about herbs and -"

"Do you think I'd be a good medicine cat?"

Toadkit persisted. "I'd be good at finding herbs. I can scent out anything. Can I be a medicine cat? Can I?"

"You'l be lucky to make warrior if you don't shut up," Jayfeather muttered.

"Daisy!" Toadkit let out a wail as he scampered away through the bracken that covered the floor of the nursery. "Daisy, Jayfeather was mean to me!"

"Honestly, Jayfeather!" Daisy's irritated voice came from the other side of the den. "I think you've got ants in your fur this morning. You should go away and come back later when you can be more pleasant."

Jayfeather ignored her, and went on searching for fleas in gloomy silence. He wanted Hol yleaf and Lionblaze to come back. They belonged together- especial y now, when they had no idea where they had been born, who their parents were, or why Squirrelflight had lied to them for so long.

When Jayfeather final y left the nursery, he paused for a few heartbeats, letting out a long sigh as the weak rays of the leaf-bare sun soaked into his fur. A paw step behind him and the scent of his Clan leader made him turn.

"Good morning, Jayfeather," Firestar meowed.

There was concern in his voice. "Are you okay? Any problems?"

"I'm fine." Jayfeather dipped his head awkwardly.

He didn't want to tel his leader that al his problems came from his Clanmates. After al , Firestar had never lied to him, as far as he knew.

He felt a pang of regret that he didn't share his Clan leader's blood after al . His respect for the flame-colored tom had nothing to do with the prophecy, and everything to do with the way Firestar led his Clan, even losing a life to greencough for their sake.

"Good," Firestar murmured. Jayfeather sensed that the Clan leader didn't entirely believe him. "You know, you can always tel me if there's anything bothering you."

"Yes...fine."

Jayfeather felt even more uncomfortable. Firestar, you don't want to know the things I could tell you!

To his relief, Firestar padded off toward the fresh- kil pile. Left alone at the edge of the hol ow, Jayfeather scanned the clearing. He located Mousefur and Longtail sharing tongues outside their den, and heard the skinny brown elder complain, "Leaf-bare was never as cold as this in the old forest."

Outside the apprentice den, Foxpaw and Icepaw were trying out a new fighting move; Jayfeather reminded himself to tel them about the nursery bedding. Cloudtail and Brightheart were padding toward the thorn tunnel. "I think we should try for prey near the old Twoleg nest," Cloudtail suggested.

"Stupid furbal !" Brightheart's voice was ful of affection. "We scared off al the prey when the cats with greencough stayed there."

"There's been time for them to come back...."

Their friendly bickering died away as they left the camp.

In spite of the feeble warmth of the sun, cold pierced Jayfeather through and through. He had never felt so alone. Rock had told him that the answers lay with his Clanmates. But what if I don't have Clanmates?

"Do I have to do this?" Jayfeather protested as he emerged from the trees into the mossy clearing where the apprentices trained. "It's a waste of time when we have to look for herbs."

"The herbs won't run away," Leafpool responded tartly. "You know as wel as I do that every cat gets basic fight training, even medicine cats."

Jayfeather bit back another complaint. He hated learning to fight, because he knew he would never be any good at it. But there was no point in arguing with Leafpool; she always seemed to be in a bad mood these days.

"Right," Leafpool began, leading the way into the center of the clearing. "Let's start with some defensive moves. I'm going to attack you, and I want you to dodge to one side and get a blow in as I pass you."

"Okay," Jayfeather muttered. "The sooner we start, the-ow!"

While he was speaking, Leafpool leaped past him and landed a stinging blow on his ear.

"I wasn't ready!" he yowled.

"You think a ShadowClan warrior is going to give you any warning? You have to be alert all the time, Jayfeather."

On the last words, Leafpool sprang at him again.

This time Jayfeather was more prepared; he jumped to one side and swiped at where he thought his mentor was, but his paw barely grazed her pelt.

"Better," Leafpool admitted. "But not good enough. Let's do it again."

Jayfeather managed to land a blow or two, but his paws felt heavy and clumsy, and his senses weren't as sharp as usual. Even though his mentor kept her blows light and her claws sheathed, he began to feel battered and exhausted. Final y, as he leaped aside, he lost his balance on a rough patch of ground and col apsed, paws flailing, without touching Leafpool at al .

"I'm over here, Jayfeather." Leafpool's voice came from the opposite side of the clearing. "Honestly, you've got no more fighting sense than a baby you've got no more fighting sense than a baby rabbit! I don't think you're trying at al ."

"I am!" Jayfeather spat.

"I know what your problem is." His mentor's voice was cold. "You expect Lionblaze and Hol yleaf to protect you, so you can't be bothered to learn to defend yourself."

"That's not true!"

"I think it is. But Lionblaze and Hol yleaf won't always be around. They're not around now. You need to be able to look after yourself."

Jayfeather didn't reply. She doesn't understand, he thought mutinously, as he scrambled up and tried to shake the moss out of his pelt. It's not the same for her and Squirrelflight. If they were so close, she'd know Squirrelflight lied about us being her kits. Leafpool would never have let her do something like that. I wonder what she'd do if she knew what her sister was really like?

Jayfeather limped back to the medicine cats' den through the damp scents of twilight. His legs ached and his head throbbed where he had grazed it col iding with a tree. He was too exhausted to look for any herbs to treat himself. "I hope Leafpool's happy," he grumbled as he curled up in his nest. "I'l probably be too stiff to do anything tomorrow."

He closed his eyes-and then opened them a heartbeat later to find himself in deep, lush forest, with starlight dancing on the leaves. His aches and pains had vanished and a warm, scent-laden breeze soothed his fur. Leaf-bare in the waking forest was only a distant memory.

A narrow path wound ahead of him through arching clumps of fern. Jayfeather began to fol ow it, ears pricked as he glanced around for any familiar cats. He could hear rustling in the undergrowth on either side and he caught glimpses of furry pelts, as if there were cats al around him, but none of them emerged to greet him.

"Who's there?" he cal ed out. "Yel owfang?

Bluestar? Can any cat hear me?"

There was no reply. Becoming more frustrated with every paw step, Jayfeather fol owed the track until it reached a clearing covered with soft grass. A smal pool was at the center, reflecting the stars.

There were stil no cats in sight.

"Where are you?" Jayfeather wailed, stepping out into the open. "Why won't you talk to me?"

Fronds of bracken dipped and rustled at the opposite side of the clearing, and Spottedleaf appeared. Jayfeather's rush of relief died when he saw how warily she was regarding him, her tail kinked high over her back.

"Spottedleaf...?" he began uncertainly.

"We can't give you the answers you're seeking,"

the tortoiseshel she-cat interrupted. "Go back to your Clan. That is where the truth lies."

"But-you must tel me more than that!" Jayfeather begged. "Did StarClan know al along that Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw weren't our parents?"

Anger flared in Spottedleaf's green eyes. "When wil you realize that StarClan doesn't know everything?"

she snarled, lashing her tail.

"Sometimes we have questions, too! Sometimes we're just cats, like you!"

Without giving Jayfeather a chance to reply, she whipped around and vanished into the ferns.

Jayfeather sprang forward to pursue her, only to feel the ground give way beneath his paws. He jolted awake in his own den, opening his eyes onto darkness. He stretched his jaws wide, longing to wail like a kit abandoned by its mother.

They've all left me: Hollyleaf and Lionblaze, all the rest of my Clanmates, and now StarClan as well. I'm completely alone.

Even his belief in the prophecy, which had once seemed to promise so much, had been built on a lie.

I may as well be blind in my sleep, too. What am I going to do now?

CHAPTER 10.

Hollyleaf shifted uneasily in the makeshift nest under the tree roots. Beside her, Lionblaze's ears and tail were twitching, as if his sleep was disturbed by dark dreams. Hol yleaf wasn't sure how he managed to sleep at al , so close to the Twolegplace. Even in the middle of the night, monsters growled, Twolegs shrieked, and dogs barked.

I've never been in such a noisy place, she thought, trying to find a comfortable spot among the dead leaves. How do the kittypets stand it?

Toward dawn she slipped into a fitful doze, only to be woken again as Lionblaze scrambled out of the nest. Yawning hugely, Hol yleaf fol owed him.

The orange glow in the sky above the Twolegplace had given way to the pale light of dawn; the roofs of the Twoleg dens were black outlines against the sky. A cold breeze was blowing, and every blade of grass was edged with frost.

Brambleclaw and the other Clan cats stood gazing across the grass to the outlying dens of the Twolegplace.

"We need to go back into the Twolegplace,"

Brambleclaw began, "and look for that cat we met last night. He has to explain what he meant."

Hazeltail's whiskers twitched nervously. "They obviously don't like strangers around here."

Birchfal touched her ear with his nose. "There are enough of us here to outnumber a few jumpy kittypets!"

Hol yleaf exchanged a glance with her brother. "I think we're on Sol's trail," Lionblaze murmured, clawing at the grass. "I'l bet you the fattest vole on the fresh-kil pile that he's the reason that black-and-white cat was so scared of us."

Hol yleaf nodded. Curiosity gave her more confidence as she fol owed Brambleclaw back across the grass and into the gap between the Twoleg nests. She could see that her Clanmates felt the same, padding along with bright eyes and tails held high. We're warriors! she reminded herself. We don't have to be afraid of anything.

The breeze strengthened to a bitterly cold wind that swept through the world of hard, red stone as the patrol padded deeper into the Twolegplace. There was barely enough light to make out the right direction, and no sun to melt the ice that covered the puddles beside the Thunderpath.

"I'm so thirsty!" Hol yleaf whimpered. "My tongue feels like a mouse's pelt."

While Brambleclaw paused to taste the air, she crouched down beside one of the puddles and touched the ice with her tongue, grateful for the tingling freshness.

"Come on," the Clan deputy meowed. "This way."

Hol yleaf tried to jump up, only to stop with a strangled cry of dismay. Her tongue had frozen to the ice; a sharp pain shot through it as she tried to wrench herself free.

"What's the matter?" Lionblaze asked.

"My tongue..." Hol yleaf could hardly get the words out. "It'th thtuck!"

Lionblaze snorted as he suppressed a mrrow of laughter. Birchfal stooped down until he was nose to nose with Hol yleaf; irritation swel ed inside her when she saw amusement dancing in his eyes.

"It'th not funny!" she mumbled as clearly as she could with her tongue plastered to the ice.

"Stand back." Brackenfur's calm voice came from behind Hol yleaf. "Let me have a look." He leaned beside Birchfal , gently shouldering the younger cat out of the way. "Wel , you're certainly stuck," he went on. Hol yleaf could tel that he was struggling not to laugh, too. "I suppose we could break off the ice.

Then you'd have to carry it until it melts."

"Hey, you've discovered a new way to fetch water for the elders!" Hazeltail put in.

Her pelt itching with frustration, Hol yleaf tried again to wrench her tongue free, only getting another stab of pain for her efforts. "It hurt-th! Do thomething!"

She pictured herself crouched on the hard ground with her tongue stretched out, and suddenly she felt laughter bubbling up inside her. I guess I do look pretty funny. She couldn't remember the last time pretty funny. She couldn't remember the last time she had found anything to laugh at.

"Hol yleaf." Brambleclaw was at her side; his amber eyes sparkled, but his voice was gentle as he touched his nose to her ear. "Breathe out hard. Your warm breath should melt the ice."

He crouched down next to her and let out a long breath at the patch of ice where she was stuck. A trickle of warmth spread through Hol yleaf; it was good to be cared for. But the warm feeling turned to ice as Brambleclaw broke off to add, "You know, you're just like your mother. She was always getting stuck in things, too."

She's not my mother!

Hol yleaf let out a fierce breath and tugged at her tongue again, gasping as it came free at last. The frozen puddle was glossy with melted water where Brambleclaw had breathed on it. But she wasn't going to thank him. "Right," she meowed, straightening up. "I'm okay. Let's-"