Brambleclaw, we'l double the patrols for now, until we're sure he's not stil in the territory."

"Sure, Firestar," the deputy meowed with a brisk nod.

"What wil you tel the other Clans?" Graystripe asked, a worried look in his amber eyes. "If we say he escaped, they'l think we were too weak to hold on to him. And they might blame us for letting him out to cause more trouble."

Firestar twitched his ears. "I'l tel him we banished him from our territories and made him promise never to set paw here again."

"But that's not true." Sandstorm looked uneasy.

"Should we real y be lying to the other Clans?"

"Like they always tel us the truth!" Cloudtail snapped.

"I think Sandstorm's right," Brightheart put in, with a sharp glance at her mate. "What if Sol is stil around? What would the other Clans think of us then?"

Firestar hesitated, his gaze fixed on his paws, then raised his head again. "We'l do as I said. It's for the sake of ThunderClan," he meowed. "We need to show that we're strong and committed to the warrior code, and that we deal with our own Clan's affairs in our own way. And we'l make sure that Sol affairs in our own way. And we'l make sure that Sol isn't stil hanging about," he finished.

As the cats began to move away, and Brambleclaw began to organize the patrols, Lionblaze spotted Hol yleaf standing at the edge of the clearing. Her eyes were like green flames, but it was impossible to tel what she was looking at.

Slipping between Sandstorm and Hazeltail, he padded to her side. "I have to tel you something," he mewed softly.

Hol yleaf didn't seem to hear him. "He escaped!"

she hissed, her claws flexing in and out.

Lionblaze couldn't tel if she sounded glad or sorry. He didn't dare tel her what had real y happened with so many of his Clanmates close by.

"Where's Jayfeather?" he asked.

Hol yleaf's ears flicked. "How should I know?"

"I'l find him," Lionblaze meowed. "Go into the forest and meet us by the training clearing. Don't argue!" he added as Hol yleaf opened her jaws. "Just do it. It's important."

His sister rol ed her eyes, but she set off toward the camp entrance, staying in the shadows. Once he was sure she was on her way, Lionblaze headed for the medicine cats' den, but before he reached it, Jayfeather emerged from the nursery. Lionblaze bounded over to him.

"What's al the yowling about?" Jayfeather demanded.

"Sol has escaped."

"Has he?" Jayfeather's eyes stretched wide with surprise. Then the young medicine cat sniffed. "How convenient."

"We have to talk," Lionblaze muttered, glancing back to where his Clanmates were splitting up into patrols. "Come with me into the forest. We're meeting Hol yleaf beside the training clearing."

To his relief, Jayfeather didn't argue. "I'l tel Leafpool I'm going to look for yarrow. We're running short, and Purdy's pads are stil giving him trouble."

He trotted off toward his den.

Lionblaze didn't wait for him; it was best if al three of them left the camp separately. Hating the need for deception, he tagged on to the end of a patrol that was just leaving, with Sandstorm at its head. Once out in the forest he dropped back; in case any cat had spotted him he pretended to have picked up a thorn in his pad. As soon as the patrol had vanished, he raced for the training clearing.

Hol yleaf was crouched in the hol ow under a tree root.

"Wel ?"

she demanded as Lionblaze approached.

"Let's wait for Jayfeather."

Not many heartbeats had passed before Lionblaze heard a rustling in the undergrowth and picked up his brother's scent. Jayfeather shouldered his way out of the long grass and joined them.

"Now wil you tel us what al this is about?"

Hol yleaf meowed.

As briefly as he could, Lionblaze told them how he had managed to get into Sol's den to talk with him, and how he had shown him the way up the cliff. "He's gone to hide in the old Twoleg nest where he stayed before," he finished. "We have to go there so he can tel us who our father is-"

"Have you got bees in your brain?" Hol yleaf growled with a lash of her tail. "You let a ThunderClan prisoner escape? That's completely against the warrior code! What do you think Firestar wil do if he ever finds out?"

"There's no reason why he should find out,"

Lionblaze replied steadily. "I thought you were the one who wanted to find out the truth about our father!

Now we can. Are you coming with me or not?"

Jayfeather was looking uneasy, but he nodded.

"We'l come." He nudged Hol yleaf. "There's no sense in complaining about it. You know we've got no choice. We can't live with only half the truth, and this looks like our only chance of finding out."

The sun had risen above the treetops by the time they reached the end of ShadowClan territory and struck out into the unknown forest. It was so long since they had been there that Lionblaze wasn't sure of the way, but Sol's scent trail led them onward.

It looks as if he headed straight for the Twoleg nest. So maybe he does mean to keep his part of the deal.

Eventual y the crumbling wal s of the old Twoleg nest came into sight, hardly visible among tal clumps of seeding wil ow-herb, bracken, and thistles.

Sol's scent was strong and fresh. Lionblaze led the way up to the entrance and peered inside. Weeds sprouted through cracks in the stone floor, and cobwebs stretched across the corners.

"Sol?" he cal ed. "Are you there?"

"Greetings." The voice came from above Lionblaze's head. He looked up to see Sol sitting on top of one of the wal s, half-hidden by the branches of a hol y bush stretching in from outside.

The loner rose to his paws and jumped down beside Lionblaze and his littermates. "Greetings," he repeated. "I see you came-"

"We came to find out the truth!" Hol yleaf shouldered her way past Lionblaze. "Tel us what you know."

Sol blinked. "It won't help you, you know. As long as you're part of the prophecy, why does it matter who your father is?"

"It matters," Hol yleaf growled.

"Wait." Lionblaze stepped forward to stand alongside his sister. "I agree with Sol. I'd like to know the truth about my father, but it's the prophecy that's important."

"But we need to know," Jayfeather argued. "One name, that's al we want."

A gleam of cold amusement lit in Sol's eyes.

Lionblaze knew he was enjoying the power he held over them. Suddenly he wasn't sure that Sol knew anything about their father. Perhaps he was just taunting them, knowing they couldn't take him back to the Clan. But he had known who they were from the start, and had offered to help....

"This is our chance to fulfil the prophecy,"

Lionblaze mewed desperately, turning to his littermates. "Sol knows so much...he even knew when the sun was going to vanish!"

Neither of his littermates responded. Jayfeather just looked stubborn, while Hol yleaf had tensed her muscles as if she was about to pounce on Sol and force him to tel the truth.

No! If she lays a claw on him he'll never tell us!

Sol's amber gaze traveled slowly over Hol yleaf; her bristling hostility didn't ruffle a single hair on his pelt. "Think about what I can offer you," he meowed softly. "So much more than merely knowing your ancestors! Real power takes much more than that.

Listen to me, and I'l teach you how to truly hold the power of the stars in your paws."

Hol yleaf let out a furious hiss and crouched to spring.

"No!" Lionblaze yowled. He leaped on his sister, gripped her by the scruff and dragged her outside, ignoring her flailing paws and her screeches of outrage. "Are you mouse-brained?" he demanded, releasing her among the dead bracken outside. "If you make Sol angry, he'l never help us."

"Why do we need him?" Jayfeather padded out to join them; his voice was calm, his head tilted on one side. "The prophecy doesn't say anything about needing help. How can Sol be more powerful than we are?"

"We don't have the power of the stars yet, do we?"

Lionblaze's bel y churned as he tried to make his littermates understand. "Let him teach us what he knows. What harm can it do? And then he'l tel us who our father is."

Frustrated, he realized that there had been no point in coming to the Twoleg nest. Neither Hol yleaf nor Jayfeather was prepared to talk sensibly with Sol. They probably believed he kil ed Ashfur, like the rest of the Clan. They might as wel go straight back to the hol ow.

He looked back at the entrance to the nest to see Sol standing there; his glowing amber gaze swept across them. "You are not ready to listen to me yet,"

across them. "You are not ready to listen to me yet,"

he mewed. "When you are, come again. I'l be here, waiting for you."

CHAPTER 24.

Hollyleaf's pelt prickled with frustration as she and her brothers headed back toward their own territory.

They had been so close to discovering who their father was! But Sol had enjoyed holding his knowledge out of their reach, like a juicy bit of prey that he meant to keep for himself.

I could have made him tell us, if Lionblaze hadn't interfered!

She was so angry that she was hardly aware of her surroundings; suddenly Jayfeather nudged her hard in the side, nearly knocking her off her paws.

"What-?" she began.

Lionblaze slapped his tail over her mouth.

"ShadowClan!" he hissed. "Hide!"

Al three cats dived for cover into a bramble thicket. Hol yleaf spat in annoyance as a thorn pierced one of her pads, and she tried to lick it out as ShadowClan scent wreathed around her.

"Ivytail, Smokefoot, and Owlpaw," Lionblaze reported, peering out through the bramble tendrils.

"They're patroling the border. I hope they didn't scent us."

No chal enging yowls came from the patrol, and the scents gradual y died away, leaving only the smel of the border markers.

"I guess it's safe to come out now," Lionblaze mewed after a few heartbeats. "Let's get back into our own territory as quickly as we can."

He took the lead, racing over the rough grass, weaving his way around hazel thickets and clumps of fern, until they flashed past their own border markers and drew to a panting halt several fox-lengths into ThunderClan territory.

"We'd better hunt on our way back," he told them.

"That way we can pretend we went out to restock the fresh-kil pile."

Jayfeather nodded. "And I'l look for yarrow. If I come back empty-pawed, Leafpool wil want to know why."

Though she did as Lionblaze suggested, padding softly through the undergrowth with her ears pricked and her jaws gaping for the first scent of prey, Hol yleaf's pelt crawled with resentment. We shouldn't have to lie and deceive like this! Why can't we be proud of what we can do?

While stalking a squirrel, she thought about how she could make Sol tel them the name of their fa the r. I'd do anything. Anything! she thought fiercely. She remembered how easily her jaws had met in Ashfur's throat....

No, don't think of that! Ashfur had to die because he would have ruined everything. He's not important now. We're the ones who matter!

Hol yleaf's claws tore at the mossy ground under her paws; alerted, the squirrel started up and shot to safety in the nearest tree.

"Mouse dung!" Hol yleaf spat.

"What's the matter with you?" Lionblaze asked, padding up with a blackbird in his jaws. "Do you expect the prey to come and throw itself onto your claws?"

Hol yleaf shrugged and turned away. When our father learns who we are, he'll be so proud of us!

Maybe he doesn't even know about us! Maybe he's always wanted kits, and now he has three warriors to be his kin for the rest of his life.

Closer to the camp, she managed to catch a mouse, though she had to admit to herself that it looked ready to die of old age and hadn't even tried to run. Prey was scarce, and by the time they reached the stone hol ow she and Lionblaze hadn't caught anything else, but Jayfeather had found a clump of yarrow and now padded along with a bunch of the herb in his jaws.

When Hol yleaf pushed her way into the clearing, fol owed by her littermates, she spotted Spiderleg, Birchfal , and Hazeltail clustered together near the fresh-kil pile.

"I don't think Sol's gone," she heard Birchfal meow as she padded across with her prey. "He's lurking about somewhere."