Brambleclaw reassured her. "I'l keep you safe."

"I know." Squirrelflight sighed.

Jayfeather's pelt prickled. Squirrelflight had never needed another cat to keep her safe! Once she would have clawed the ears off any cat who suggested it. But now she sounded...broken; waves of guilt and longing were coming from her, so strongly that Jayfeather almost felt sorry for her.

He brushed past her and set the wrap of herbs down at Brambleclaw's paws. "Here," he announced.

"Traveling herbs. Eat them al , and get plenty of rest before tomorrow."

"Thanks, Jayfeather."

"Hey, Brambleclaw!" Graystripe's voice came from across the clearing; Jayfeather heard his paw steps as he bounded up. "Firestar wants me to act as deputy while you're away. Can I have a word with you about border patrols?"

"Sure." Brambleclaw gulped the herbs down quickly. "What do you want to know?"

"Wel , I think a few cats are stil worried about WindClan...."

The voices of the two toms faded as they padded across the clearing. Jayfeather had turned back toward his den when Squirrelflight intercepted him.

"Jayfeather, I want to talk to you."

"There's nothing left to say," Jayfeather snapped.

And I don't want to hear anything you might have to tell me. He veered around the cat he had thought was his mother and headed toward his den. He felt hol ow, as if a vast emptiness had opened up inside him. For so long he had depended on the prophecy to tel him who he was and what his destiny would be; without it, was he going to be just a medicine cat for the rest of his life? And where's the cat who gave birth to us? What happened to her?

Jayfeather hated feeling that he wasn't in control anymore. Unsettled, he blundered into the brambles that screened the medicine cats' den. His paws tangled in a long tendril; thorns raked through his pelt and scratched his nose. He let out a startled yowl.

"Jayfeather!" Leafpool was instantly by his side.

"Keep stil . I'l get you out."

"I'm fine," Jayfeather growled. He'd never made a mistake like that, not even when he was a kit! He tugged himself free of the brambles and felt a clump of fur tear out as he stumbled into the den.

"Are you al right?" Leafpool's voice was anxious.

"Your nose is bleeding. I'l get some cobweb."

"I said, I'm fine." Jayfeather shrugged her away, giving one paw a swift lick and swiping it over his nose. The scratch stung, but he couldn't stand being fussed over.

Why can't she leave me alone? he thought angrily as he stalked toward the store to get more herbs. She doesn't have to worry about me. We're not even kin!

When he had delivered al the traveling herbs, Jayfeather found a few moments to snatch prey from the fresh-kil pile. As he gulped down his vole, he heard Berrynose's raised voice a couple of tail-lengths away.

"Wel , I don't trust ShadowClan! After al that trouble with Sol, Blackstar would do anything to prove his Clan is stil strong."

Dustpelt's annoyed hiss fol owed immediately.

"Are you mouse-brained? Are you actual y suggesting that a ShadowClan warrior trekked al the way across our territory to kil Ashfur?"

"It could happen," Berrynose mumbled.

"And hedgehogs could fly," Dustpelt retorted scathingly.

Swal owing the last of his prey and swiping his tongue around his jaws, Jayfeather headed back to the den. I'm sick of cats wondering who killed Ashfur!

But when he took tansy to Mil ie and Briarkit, who were recovering from greencough, he couldn't help overhearing Cloudtail, Brightheart, and Daisy, sitting close to the nursery entrance.

"Don't worry about a thing, Daisy," Cloudtail assured the cream-colored she-cat. "Some of the warriors are leaving, but there are plenty of us left to protect you and the kits."

"Graystripe said we can double the guard on the camp," Brightheart added.

"I know you'l al help." Daisy stil sounded worried.

"But is it right to bring that murderous cat back here?"

Jayfeather didn't want to listen to yet another discussion about Sol. Pushing his way through the brambles into the nursery, he found the kits swarming like ants whose nest has been disturbed.

"Now you be the kil er!" Rosekit squealed, batting Blossomkit on the ear with one paw. "And we'l al come and catch you!"

Blossomkit let out a screech of excitement; Jayfeather almost tripped over the other kits as they bundled on top of her in a writhing heap.

"Stop that right now!" Mil ie's voice was shocked.

"This isn't fun. A brave ThunderClan warrior is dead."

Ashfur was never this important when he was alive, Jayfeather thought.

The kits calmed down a little as Jayfeather set down the tansy and left. On his way back to his den, he passed Firestar with Sandstorm, Graystripe, and Brackenfur.

"We can't assume the problems are over,"

Sandstorm was meowing. "If I were you, Firestar, I'd warn al cats to stay away from the WindClan border, except for patrols."

"Right," Graystripe agreed. "We don't want to find another warrior dead in the stream."

Jayfeather stifled a sigh. What's the point of patrols and guards? The killer is here.

A night breeze had sprung up when Jayfeather padded over to the fresh-kil pile where Lionblaze and Hol yleaf were eating with the rest of the Sol patrol. Earlier in the day, he hadn't known what to say to them, and it was no better now.

"Hi," he meowed. "Ready for tomorrow?"

"As ready as we'l ever be," Hol yleaf replied.

"It's weird, going without you." Lionblaze brushed his muzzle against Jayfeather's shoulder. "This wil be the first time we've ever been separated."

Jayfeather nodded. He had even managed the long journey to visit the Tribe in the mountains, but this time he had to stay behind. In spite of his earlier impatience with his littermates, it felt wrong to be split from them, especial y when he knew that the tendrils of the secret that bound them together could not be broken by any distance.

"Wel ...I guess it's good-bye," he muttered.

"I guess," Lionblaze meowed.

"I guess," Lionblaze meowed.

Jayfeather touched his nose to his brother's, and then to Hol yleaf's.

"Bye, Jayfeather," she murmured.

There ought to be more to say, Jayfeather knew, but tension quivered among the three of them like the strands of a spider's web. In the end, he ducked his head, mumbled, "May StarClan light your path,"

and headed back to the medicine cats' den.

Jayfeather opened his eyes to see bleak rocks stretching to either side of him and a plunging precipice just in front of his paws. Startled, he leaped back. Wind swept across the mountaintop, ruffling his fur. As he recovered from the first shock of finding himself here, he recognized the place where he had met Midnight the badger.

Looking up, Jayfeather saw the stars whirling around the sky, so fast that they became blurred trails of light. He tried to dig his claws into the thin soil where he stood, terrified of fal ing upward into the gaping emptiness.

Then he heard the scrape of claws on rock.

Wrenching his gaze from the swirling stars, he whipped around to see the bulky body and white-striped head of Midnight.

"What do you want?" he demanded, trying not to sound as scared as he felt.

"Sol not kil Ashfur," Midnight rumbled. "This you know. These cats chasing wild geese." She lumbered closer to Jayfeather, starlight glittering in her smal black eyes. "Truth must come out."

"Why?" This time Jayfeather couldn't stop his voice from quivering.

Midnight's words fel like stones into a deep pool.

"Anything else wil destroy your Clan forever."

"But-" Jayfeather began to protest, but the wind rose, whipping away Midnight's words and his own, and the badger's looming form, until he felt that he and Midnight and the stars themselves were being swept into a vast whirlpool.

He seemed to hit the ground with a jolt, and opened his eyes in the darkness of his own den. The air bore the scent of frost, and Jayfeather guessed that dawn was near.

Leafpool was shifting around in the bracken of her nest close by. "It's time for the patrol to leave," she meowed. "Do you want to come say good-bye?"

Jayfeather had said his farewel s the night before, but he scrambled out of his nest and fol owed his mentor into the clearing. Most of the Sol patrol were bunched together near the opening of the thorn tunnel along with Firestar, Graystripe, and Squirrelflight.

A fox-length or so away, Jayfeather located Birchfal and Whitewing; their mingled scents told him they were pressed close together.

"You take care of yourself and get plenty of rest,"

Birchfal told his mate. "Eat lots of fresh-kil , and tel Leafpool if you feel anything...."

"Shh," Whitewing murmured lovingly. "I'l be fine.

I'm not the only cat who ever gave birth!"

Jayfeather padded past them and found himself close to Squirrelflight, who was saying good-bye to Brambleclaw. Unlike Whitewing, she was keeping her emotions firmly under control; Jayfeather couldn't tel what she was feeling.

"Be careful at the sun-drown-place," she warned the ThunderClan deputy. "Don't get too close to the edge of the cliffs. They might give way again."

"I know. I don't want to go for another swim."

Brambleclaw was trying to sound cheerful, but Jayfeather could tel that it was forced.

"Brambleclaw, just remind me about hunting patrols," Graystripe broke in. "The best places are by the old Twoleg nest and near the dead tree, right?"

"Right," Brambleclaw replied. "Make sure the patrols remember that if they're hunting by the dead tree they've got to be careful not to cross the ShadowClan border."

"You'l be fine, Graystripe," Firestar assured the gray warrior. "You know the territory wel enough by now."

now."

The cats who were staying behind edged backward as the patrol got ready to leave. A solemn silence spread over them. Jayfeather was aware of a sudden heightening of tension; no cats had ever set out on an expedition like this before.

"May StarClan light your path," Firestar meowed.

"You are going to find the truth."

No! The truth is here! Jayfeather clamped his jaws shut so that he didn't yowl out loud. Midnight had told him what he already knew: Sol did not kil Ashfur. The patrol was heading toward danger for nothing. Why couldn't his Clanmates see that they had to look among themselves to find the truth?

He wondered whether they would find Sol and what would happen if they did. His paws tingled as he thought about what Sol could tel them.

He knows about the prophecy....

CHAPTER 4.

Frost lay thick on the ground as Brambleclaw's patrol headed through the forest toward the lake. The cats trotted in silence through the silver bracken, their breath clouding around their muzzles. Above Hol yleaf's head the sky was lightening to a pale dove-gray.

Hol yleaf felt as though her paws would freeze to the ground at every step. Icy claws seemed to rake through her fur; the bitter cold numbed the tips of her ears.

She felt light-headed-ever since Squirrelflight's revelation, she had found it hard to choke down even the smal est piece of fresh-kil . Al that kept her going was a burning need to find out what Sol knew.

Lionblaze trotted alongside her, grim-faced and strong, his amber gaze fixed on the forest ahead.

His presence comforted Hol yleaf, though she felt Jayfeather's absence like the stab of a thorn.

Maybe it's best that he stayed behind, she thought. It's not like he can look for Sol himself.

Brambleclaw led the way to the stream, and they fol owed it downhil until they reached the edge of the lake, where the water was stil and shal ow, with a delicate covering of ice.