“I don’t know, but we’ll find out,” Violetshine mewed grimly. Glancing around, she spotted Rowanclaw and Macgyver, who were sharing a squirrel beside the fresh-kill pile, and beckoned them over with a whisk of her tail.

“What’s going on?” Rowanclaw asked. “Why is Yarrowleaf so upset?”

Violetshine explained how Yarrowleaf had been put to sleep with poppy seeds, and how Sleekwhisker and the kits were missing. “We have to find them,” she finished.

“We will,” Rowanclaw meowed. “We’ll follow their scent trail.”

He led the way out of camp, with Violetshine and Macgyver just behind him. Yarrowleaf came too, still a bit unsteady on her paws, but determined to keep going until her kits were safe again.

Violetshine was first to pick up Sleekwhisker’s scent, heading off in the direction of the old ShadowClan camp. The kits’ scent was there, too.

“That proves she took them,” Rowanclaw meowed as they began to follow. “She must have told them some sort of story to make them go with her.”

“They were both eager to get out into the forest,” Yarrowleaf responded. “If Sleekwhisker suggested going, they’d think it was okay. Oh, StarClan,” she continued, “I hope she doesn’t hurt them!”

“She hasn’t yet,” Violetshine comforted her. “There’s no fear-scent at all.” And no blood, or tiny limp bodies, she added to herself. Why did we ever trust Sleekwhisker? She was one of the worst of Darktail’s Kin! I should have known!

After a little while the trail veered away from the direct route to ShadowClan, heading toward the Twolegplace where Loki and Zelda lived.

They can’t be going there, Violetshine thought. They won’t want to mess with Twolegs, and anyway, it’s too far for the kits.

Then Macgyver, who had been padding along to the side of the scent trail, suddenly halted. “I can smell other cats!” he announced.

Violetshine bounded across to him, and picked up the new scent trail he had discovered. “You’re right,” she mewed. “There are two . . . no, three cats. I don’t recognize two of them, but the third . . . oh, Rowanclaw, it’s Tawnypelt!”

“What?” Rowanclaw hurried to join Violetshine and Macgyver, worry and confusion in his eyes. “You’re right,” he muttered, beginning to follow the new trail with his nose close to the forest floor.

The trail joined up with Sleekwhisker’s trail a few fox-lengths ahead. From there all the cats went on together.

“Tawnypelt!” Yarrowleaf spat, pure hatred in her eyes. “She never wanted to let us back into the Clan.”

“No,” Rowanclaw meowed hoarsely. “I don’t believe it. Whatever she thought about you and Sleekwhisker, she would never hurt kits.”

“I’m sure she wouldn’t,” Violetshine agreed. “Tawnypelt is an honorable warrior. She would never do anything against the warrior code.” So what is she doing here?