"You mean you want Twolegs?" Hol yleaf's exasperation spil ed over like rain from a leaf. "That won't do if you're going to live in ThunderClan."

"Hey, take it easy." Lionblaze veered over and "Hey, take it easy." Lionblaze veered over and rested his tail on Purdy's shoulders for a heartbeat.

"Purdy can't help not being a Clan cat."

Nor can we! Hol yleaf almost flashed the words back at her brother, but stopped herself in time. How long before one of us gives away the secret?

With a massive effort she made herself relax. "I know. Sorry, Purdy."

By sunhigh, Hol yleaf could see that the old cat was tiring again, and soon Brambleclaw cal ed a halt in the shelter of some trees surrounded by gorse bushes. Purdy col apsed on his side, breathing hard.

Sol padded away a few paw steps and sat down, peering out over the field.

"Hey, look at this!" Hazeltail was sniffing at a clump of something that looked like thistledown stuck on one of the gorse bushes. "What is it?"

Hol yleaf padded up to look. Birchfal fol owed curiously. "It smel s of sheep," Hol yleaf meowed.

Glancing around, she spotted more of the clumps on other bushes. "Their pelts must get snagged on the thorns when they brush past."

"It's very soft." Hazeltail tugged at the clump with her teeth and came away with a mouthful of it. "I'm going to take some back for the nursery."

Birchfal suppressed a mrrow of laughter. "You look as if you've swal owed a thistle!" He ducked as Hazeltail swatted at him with her tail. "It's a good idea," he added hastily. "I'l col ect some, too, for my kits."

Hol yleaf left them pul ing the sheep pelt off the bushes, and padded back to Purdy. The old cat was reviving, and looked calmer now that the sheep were a safe distance away.

"Do we have we time to hunt?" she asked Brambleclaw.

The Clan deputy's ears twitched in surprise. "Are you hungry already?"

"No," Hol yleaf replied, lowering her voice. "I just want one mouse, for the mouse bile. We'l never hear the last of it if we let Purdy into the camp with al his fleas and ticks." Raising a hind paw to scratch her side, she added, "I think I might have picked something up from him already."

"Okay." There was a glint of amusement in Brambleclaw's eyes. "But don't be long. I want to keep going. We're not far from the lake now. I can feel it in my paws."

Dusk was fal ing as the patrol left the fields behind and came to a smal Thunderpath. Tasting the air, Hol yleaf breathed in the scent of horses. "The horseplace!" she exclaimed. "We're nearly home!"

Brambleclaw led the way, slipping under the shining fence and across the expanse of whitish stone, past the Twoleg nest and the horse nests. As they emerged into the field, Hol yleaf looked around for the horses, but there was no sign of them. "They must be shut up in their wooden nests," she murmured to Lionblaze.

She couldn't see Smoky or Floss, either, though she picked up their scents. Her paws prickled with urgency; she wanted to be back in the warm familiarity of the stone hol ow, and yet she knew that there was no real safety there.

Or anywhere else, she reflected sadly. Where will all the lies and betrayal end?

CHAPTER 15.

"Thanks, Jayfeather,"

Whitewing purred as Jayfeather dropped a leaf wrap of ragwort in front of her.

The nursery was warm and quiet. Daisy and Mil ie had taken their kits out for some exercise, leaving the white queen to get some rest.

"Make sure to eat it al ," Jayfeather instructed her.

"Your kits wil be born soon, and you need al the strength you can get."

"I know." Whitewing sighed. "I hope it's not much longer. I feel huge!"

"You're fine," Jayfeather assured her. He said good-bye and pushed his way out of the nursery. The morning was crisp but he could feel the weak rays of leaf-bare sun, melting the night frost.

"Now," he muttered to himself, "if only Leafpool's stil out looking for yarrow...."

He couldn't pick up his mentor's scent when he brushed past the bramble screen into the den, but another cat was there, irritation coming off him in waves.

Mouse dung! Jayfeather thought. Now I'll have to deal with him.

"Berrynose," he mewed. "What can I do for you?"

"It's my tail," the young warrior told him. "It hurts.

And it smel s funny."

Jayfeather sniffed at the stump of Berrynose's tail, and almost recoiled at the rotting scent. "You've got an infection," he reported.

"How?" Berrynose sounded indignant. "Leafpool said that it healed after I caught it in the fox trap."

"It did," Jayfeather agreed. "You must have opened up the wound again. Can you remember catching it on anything lately?"

Berrynose hesitated. "I got stuck in some brambles when I was chasing a rabbit," he admitted at last.

"That could do it," Jayfeather mewed. "But there's nothing to worry about. You need a poultice of marigold, that's al . Wait there a moment." He padded into the cave where the herbs were stored, and located the marigold. Chewing up the leaves, he returned to Berrynose. "Keep stil while I plaster this on," he mumbled around the mouthful.

"Can I be excused from duties?" the cream- colored warrior asked hopeful y.

Jayfeather was unsympathetic. "No. You don't patrol or catch prey with your tail. But come back here tomorrow and I'l put a fresh poultice on."

"Okay," Berrynose mewed. "Thanks, Jayfeather. It does feel better."

Right, Jayfeather thought when he had gone. Now for my plan...He went back into the cave and col ected a few leaves of chervil, dandelion, and borage. Bounding across to the elders' den, he set the leaves down in front of Mousefur.

"Are any of these the herb?" he demanded.

Mousefur let out an annoyed hiss. "What herb?"

Without the bunch of leaves in his mouth, Jayfeather could smel fresh-kil , and he guessed he had interrupted the elders' meal. "The herb you told me about, the one Leafpool mixed with your tansy."

"Oh, that." The skinny elder stil sounded grumpy.

"What do you want to know for?"

"Just curious." Jayfeather realized he had sounded too urgent. He didn't want Mousefur to tel Leafpool what he was doing. "You never know, it might be useful."

Mousefur let out a grunt and gave the herbs a suspicious sniff.

"Let me try, too," Longtail offered. "I didn't taste the stuff, but I might remember the scent."

"Wel ?" Jayfeather asked, when both elders had given the herbs a good sniff.

"No, it wasn't any of those," Mousefur meowed. "I know these herbs. Leafpool uses them al the time for fever and infected wounds."

for fever and infected wounds."

"That's right," Longtail added. "Sorry."

Jayfeather suppressed a frustrated sigh. "Not even this one?" he asked, pushing forward the chervil.

"What part of 'no' didn't you understand?"

Mousefur growled, giving his ear a stinging flick with her tail.

"Okay." Jayfeather gathered up the herbs again.

"Thanks. I'l bring some more later."

"Give us the chance to finish this rabbit first!"

Mousefur cal ed after him as he left the den.

Jayfeather returned to his own den, intent on finding more herbs for Mousefur and Longtail to try.

But he had just replaced the chervil, dandelion, and borage in their proper places when he heard Leafpool enter the den behind him. A strong scent of yarrow came with her.

"Jayfeather, what are you doing?" she asked sharply. "Why do you smel as if you've been sleeping in our supplies?"

"Uh...I fel over in the store," Jayfeather stammered. "I got herb dust on my pelt."

Leafpool let out a long sigh. "Real y, Jayfeather, it's like having a kit in here! And why were you poking around in the store anyway?"

Jayfeather felt his pelt rising at the anxiety and fear that was flooding from his mentor. Why doesn't she want me looking in the store? he wondered. I've as much right to be in there as she has! What is she hiding now?

"I wasn't poking around," he retorted. "And I cleaned the stuff up."

Leafpool sniffed. "Put this yarrow away, then," she ordered. "I want to go check on Mil ie's breathing.

She's out there romping around with her kits, and it might be too much for her."

Once Leafpool had gone, Jayfeather tidied away the yarrow and slipped out a daisy leaf and a sliver of burdock root. If it's either of these, I'm a mouse!

Making sure that Leafpool was over by the nursery with Mil ie, he hurried back to the elders' den.

"You again!" Mousefur muttered. "What is it this time?"

She sniffed briefly at each of the herbs Jayfeather put in front of her, and tasted the daisy leaf. "No," she mewed. "It wasn't them."

Longtail came over for a sniff, but he didn't recognize the herbs either.

Jayfeather sighed. "Okay, we'l keep trying."

"I think you've got bees in your brain," Mousefur meowed as she settled down for a nap.

Jayfeather was eating a vole near the fresh-kil pile when he heard Firestar padding past him, on his way to the medicine cats' den. Gulping down the last couple of mouthfuls, he fol owed, standing just outside the bramble screen so that he could hear what the Clan leader had to say.

"Leafpool, I wanted to ask you..." Firestar sounded almost embarrassed.

"Yes?" Leafpool prompted, an edge to her tone.

"I just wondered whether you've had a chance to speak with StarClan yet." Jayfeather could tel that the Clan leader wanted to sound casual, as if the question didn't real y matter, but he was failing miserably.

Jayfeather's bel y clenched as he wondered what Leafpool's answer would be; then he made himself rela x. The whole Clan would know about it if Leafpool had spoken to Ashfur!

"No!" Leafpool snapped. "If I do, you'l be the first to know."

"Oh, okay...thanks." Firestar edged out of the den, paused, and then bounded off, not even noticing Jayfeather.

Why doesn't Leafpool want to talk to StarClan?

Jayfeather wondered. What is she so afraid of?

His paws itched to get out of the camp, maybe go down to the lake, find the stick, and see if Rock would talk to him again. But Rock had told him to look for answers here, among his own Clan.

StarClan, why aren't you helping me? Jayfeather demanded silently. Isn't that your job, to guide the Clans?

As if in answer to his unspoken plea, Sandstorm padded across the clearing and halted beside him.

"Do you want to go for a walk in the forest with me?"

Jayfeather twitched his ears in surprise. "What for?"

Sandstorm let out a faint purr of amusement.

"Can't I just want your company? No, you're right,"

she added. "I do need to talk to you, somewhere we won't be interrupted."